The present invention relates to an improvement to the fastening buckle and/or to the fixed, sliding point of safety-belts installed in motor vehicles by using a manually actuatable mechanical device that is capable of quickly severing said belts cleanly and permanently.

Said device is particularly suitable in case of an absolute emergency, such as for example a road accident in which rapid release from the safety-belts is required. The fastening of the buckle is in fact jammed in most cases and therefore the restrained individual is unable to free himself and requires the intervention of other individuals.

In the current background art, other patented devices for severing motor vehicle safety-belts are known. They provide for the application of a cutting system arranged on the belts in any point, and therefore sometimes when they are needed they cannot be found easily, because they can move along said belts. This is a severe drawback in terms of the swiftness of the intervention for cleanly cutting the belt in case of absolute need.

A device according to the preamble of claim 1 is known from the generic document DE 33 18 465 A1 .

The device of DE 33 18 465 , however, does not show the characterizing feature of a safety cap, the provision of which increases the operational safety of the device.

Many road accidents, including ones that have occurred recently, have in fact pointed out these drawbacks. It is known that vehicle occupants have lost their lives because they were trapped inside because of jammed safety-belts.

The aim of the invention is further to:

• -- provide a device for severing safety-belts in well-known points such as proximate to the buckle and/or proximate to the upper sliding point of the belt, usually located on the door pillar or proximate to the doors;
• -- provide a device that is easy to operate and rapidly accessible for manually severing the safety-belts of motor vehicles,
• -- provide a mechanical device that is simple and cheap to manufacture, so as to facilitate marketing for maximum diffusion;
• -- provide a device that is easy to fit and install even on existing safety-belts.

The aim of the invention is achieved according to the characteristics of the claims by providing a manually operated mechanical device for severing motor vehicle safety-belts. The device is applied to the buckle that can slide on the belt and is provided for fastening to the lower anchoring point, which is provided with an automatic release button and/or to the upper slot-shaped sliding point of said belt, which is usually located proximate to the door pillar. The application of the device does not compromise the conventional functionality of the safety-belt, leaving it free to slide.

Said device comprises an element that can slide transversely and is provided with at least one cutting blade that slides within an appropriately provided guide. Said element has, at one end, a grip ring in order to pull it and sever the belt in danger conditions. Said cutting element provided with a blade is located proximate to the sliding slot of the belt, as mentioned, on the sliding buckle for fastening said belt and/or on the supporting ring on the upper pillar proximate to the doors.

In a first possible variation, said device can be provided with a cord of suitable length that is connected to the grip point in order to pull out the extractable element; this is done to facilitate the cutting action without having to reach said element directly.

Accordingly, the advantages achieved by the present invention are numerous: the point of the device for quick belt severing is located exactly, i.e., on the buckle and/or on the upper sliding support point, and therefore it is not necessary to search for the device along said belt; the simple construction and low manufacturing cost of the invention facilitate the maximum diffusion of this safety device; finally, it is easy to install on existing safety-belts.

The present invention is shown by way of preferred but non-limitative example in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

• Figures 1 and 2 show a front view of the device, built directly onto the sliding buckle for locking the safety-belt;
• Figures 3 and 4 show a perspective view of the device to be fitted to existing buckles.

As shown by the figures, the manually operated mechanical device for severing safety-belts installed in motor vehicles is fitted or formed on the buckle (5), which has a cylindrical sliding seat (7) with a wider portion (6) toward the slot (8) for the passage of the belt. A pull-out element (2) is placed within the sliding seat (7); said element is cylindrical, has suitable dimensions, and has at least one cutting blade (1), which is arranged in such a position that it does not interfere with the passage seat (8) of the safety-belt during its normal use. Such rod (2) has, at one end, a pull ring (3) (on which it is also possible to fasten a cord), while at the other end there is a containment element (4) that acts as a safety (to prevent accidental actuation of the device) and that separates easily when needed.

Said device, completed with a covering (9), can be applied to the buckles of existing safety-belts, namely to the one to be locked on the lower movable anchoring point and/or to the upper fixed one on the door pillar.

Said device can be made of metal and/or other materials that are suitable for the purpose, for example plastic materials.