Patent Application
20140259551
The invention relates generally to equipment straps, and more particularly to a system of using equipment straps to create customizable rigging systems.
Equipment straps, specifically camera straps, are used to hold cameras and allow a user to wear or place the camera strap around one's neck for carrying or transporting the camera. In certain situations, a standard camera strap containing two attachment points that hook onto the camera works to allow the user to hold, rest, transport, or carry the camera without putting the camera back into its case. The ends of a standard camera strap attach to securing points on a camera body by way of clips, buckles, straps, or other attaching means that are located on the ends of the standard camera strap. The strap is attached to one or two points on the camera forming a loop that can be positioned around a user's neck or over a user's shoulder.
In some situations, however, a standard camera strap does not provide the versatility or strength needed for a user to secure, steady, or carry a camera. In these situations, a user needs to be able to detach one end or both of the ends of the strap that are attached to the camera body quickly, and to reattach one end or both ends of the strap back to the camera or to a nearby anchor point, such as a chest harness, a support member in a vehicle, a tree, a tie down cleat, or the like. This is not possible with a standard camera strap, and in certain situations, the inability to disconnect one or both ends of the strap and reattach the ends can cause damage to a user's equipment, loss of the equipment completely, or put a user at risk of bodily harm. Furthermore, a standard camera strap cannot quickly and easily attach to points on a user's body other than around the user's neck or shoulder. This makes it very hard for a user to carry a camera if he is wearing a very large jacket, a chest harness, or a backpack.
What is needed is an equipment strap system that overcomes the drawbacks described above.
In one aspect, a strap for attaching to a piece of equipment may include a strap member that has a first end and a second end with the first end containing a first loop and the second end containing a second loop. A first connecting element may be removably inserted into the first loop, and a second connecting element may be removably inserted into the second loop. The first connecting element and the second connecting element may be removably attached to a first attachment point and a second attachment point respectively. During use, the first connecting element may be detachable from the first attachment point and reattachable to the first attachment point or a plurality of alternative attachment points, and the second connecting element may be detachable from the second attachment point and reattachable to the second attachment point or the plurality of alternative attachment points. At least one of the first connecting element coupled to the first loop and the second connecting element coupled to the second loop is connected to the piece of equipment.
The strap also may include a first lower riser that has a first lower riser loop. The first lower riser can be attached to the piece of equipment. The first lower riser loop of the first lower riser may be the first attachment point.
In another aspect, the strap may include a second lower riser that has a second lower riser loop. The second lower riser can be attached to the piece of equipment. The second lower riser loop of the second lower riser may be the second attachment point.
In another aspect, the strap member may contain a quick release mechanism. The quick-release mechanism couples the strap member to the second loop, and the quick-release mechanism may have an upper portion and a lower portion. The upper portion may have a buckle with a shaft member extending outward from the buckle. The lower portion may have an opening configured to receive the shaft member and a set of tabs adjacent to the opening to engage and disengage the shaft member in the opening.
In another embodiment, a strap for attaching to a piece of equipment may include a strap member that has a first end and a second end. The first end may have a first upper riser and the second end may have a second upper riser. The first upper riser may have a first upper riser loop, and the second upper riser may have a second upper riser loop. A first lower riser may coupleable to the piece of equipment, and the first lower riser may have a first lower riser loop. A first carabiner may be inserted into the first upper riser loop and into the first lower riser loop, coupling the first upper riser to the first lower riser. A second carabiner may be inserted into the second upper riser loop, and the second carabiner may enable the second upper riser loop to be removably attached to a plurality of attachment points. The first carabiner may be detachable from the first lower riser loop and reattachable to the first lower riser or the plurality of attachment points. The second carabiner may be detachable from the plurality of attachment points and reattachable to the plurality of attachment points.
In another aspect, the upper and lower risers of the equipment strap may be created using a seven-layer fold.
In another aspect, the second upper riser loop of the equipment strap may be larger in diameter than the first upper riser loop.
In another aspect, a strap for attaching to a piece of equipment may include a strap member that has a first end and a second end. The first end may have a first upper riser and the second end may have a second upper riser. The first upper riser may have a first upper riser loop, and the second upper riser may have a second upper riser loop. A first lower riser may be coupleable to the piece of equipment, and the first lower riser may contain a first lower riser loop. The first upper riser loop, the second upper riser loop, and the first lower riser loop may have a tapered design. The tapered design may be created by folding the edges of each loop towards the interior of each loop. A first connecting element may be inserted into the first upper riser loop and into the first lower riser loop, coupling the first upper riser to the first lower riser. A second connecting element may be inserted into the second upper riser loop. The second connecting element may enable the second upper riser loop to be removably attached to a plurality of attachment points. The first connecting element may be detachable from the first lower riser loop and reattachable to the first lower riser or the plurality of attachment points. The second connecting element may be detachable from the plurality of attachment points and reattachable to the plurality of attachment points.
These and other features and advantages are evident from the following description of the present invention, with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Referring now to
The strap upper portion 12 includes a strap 14, a first upper riser 16, a tri-bar slide 18, a adjuster buckle 20, and a second upper riser 54. The strap 14 is adjustable in length and has a first end 22, a body portion 24, and a second end 26. The first upper riser 16 has a first upper riser loop 28. The first upper riser loop 28 is created by folding the first end 22 of the strap 14 into a seven-layer fold 30. The seven-layer fold 30 is created in a manner consistent with parachute rigs, and is initiated by taking the first end 22 of the strap 14 and folding it, placing it against the upper portion 12 of strap 14 in the area the seven-layer fold 30 is stitched. The first end 22 of the strap 14 is folded at a point where when folded, the first upper riser loop 28 is created by the extra material of the strap 14 that is not stitched. The folded first end 22 of the strap 14 is then covered by folding the adjacent strap material over the first end 22 of the strap 14 five additional times, to form seven total layers of material. Prior to stitching, an accessory loop 32 is inserted into the seven-layer fold 30 by shaping a small piece of cord into a loop and inserting the ends of the cord into the seven-layer fold 30. The seven-layer fold 30 and the accessory loop 32 are then stitched together. The accessory loop 32 extends downward towards the first upper riser loop 28, and it preferably is made from military standard 550 cord that is a different color than the first lower riser, but it can be made from any like material of any color. The accessory loop 32 is secured into the seven-layer fold 30 by the reinforcement stitching 34 serves as a connection point for an ID tag, a luggage tag, or the like, or through-hole for a ripcord, a wire, or the like.
The first upper riser loop 28 has a tapered design with the width of the loop decreasing as the distance from the reinforcement stitching 34 increases. The edges of the strap that comprise the first upper riser loop 28 are folded inwards into the interior of the first upper riser loop 28 and then are permanently stitched together. The stitched folded edges 36 of the first upper riser loop 28 serve to reinforce it, as the folded edges allow the first upper riser loop 28 to be nearly twice as thick throughout a substantial portion of the loop 28.
The first upper riser 16 and subsequent second upper riser 54, first lower riser 68, and second lower riser 70 are all created using the same seven-layer folding method because initially, when the nylon material used for the strap is cut to its desired length, a ridged, sharp edge is present on the first and second ends of the strap from the iron cutting method used to cut the nylon strap. The seven layer fold 30 ensures that the rigid, sharp ends are not exposed, preventing unwanted wear on clothes, equipment, or anything else that might come in contact with the ends of the strap. The seven-layer fold 30 and reinforcement stitching 34 also increases the strength of the upper and lower risers and their respective loops, and make the strap stronger and more durable compared to a standard camera strap.
The body portion 24 of the strap is created by inserting the second end 26 of the strap 14 under a lower bar 38 of an tri-bar slide 18, over a divider 42 in the tri-bar slide 18, and out under an upper bar 44 of the tri-bar slide 18. The second end 26 of the strap 14 is then inserted into an upper portion 46 of the adjuster buckle 20 from the underside, passing beneath both a top bar 50 and an adjuster bar 52 of the upper portion 46 of the adjuster buckle 20, and looped over the adjuster bar 52 and below the top bar 50. The second end 26 of the strap 14 is then reinserted under the upper bar 44 of the tri-bar slide 18, over the divider 42, and then out below the lower bar 38 of the tri-bar slide 18. The second end 26 is then folded multiple times and the folds are stitched together, preventing the second end 26 of the strap 14 from being subsequently pulled through the tri-bar slide 18. The tri-bar slide 18 moves along the length of the strap 14, lengthening the strap 14 as it moves towards the adjuster buckle 20 and shorting the strap as it moves away from the adjuster buckle 20.
The strap 14 is preferably made from 1 23/32″ (or 1¾″) military standard nylon webbing, but it can be made from any other materials with similar strength and material properties. The military standard webbing is constructed and woven starting from the two outside edges of the webbing and weaving into the center, causing the edges of the strap 14 to fold in towards the center of the strap. This webbing design allows the strap 14 to conform to the body or other surface that the strap 14 is hanging on, eliminating the need for a pad on the strap 14. However, it is contemplated that a camera strap pad, a luggage strap pad, a standard brief case pad or the like may be used on the strap 14.
The tri-bar slide 18 can be polymeric or metallic, and any three-bar buckle may be used. The adjuster buckle 20 is preferably metallic, such as the 7075 Aluminum COBRA Frame Buckle Adjuster with stainless steel adjuster bar provided by AustriAlpin Inc., but any buckle with similar strength and material properties can be used.
A second upper riser 54 containing a second upper riser loop 56 is created from a separate, unconnected piece of nylon strap by the same seven-layer folding method used to create the first upper riser 16. The second upper riser loop 56 has the same tapered shape as the first upper riser loop 28. The second upper riser 54 is connected to the adjuster buckle 20 by a adjuster buckle loop 58 on the end of the second upper riser 54 opposite the second upper riser loop 56. The connecting buckle loop 58 is inserted into the lower portion 60 of the adjuster buckle 20 and serves to connect the second upper riser 54 to the adjuster buckle 20. The second upper riser 54 has an accessory loop 32 extending downward from the seven-layer fold 30 towards the second upper riser loop 56.
A first carabiner 62 and a second carabiner 64 are inserted through the first upper riser loop 28 and the second upper riser loop 56 respectively. The first carabiner 62 and second carabiner 64 are identical and generally have an articulating spring loaded door 66 that opens when force is exerted inwards on it, towards the center of the carabiner. The tapered shape of the upper riser loops allow the loops to quickly and easily fit through the articulating door 66 of the carabiners 62, 64 when the carabiners 62, 64 are being inserted on or removed from the loops. The preferred connecting elements are carabiners made from a lightweight, durable, and strong metallic material, such as the Aluminum Mad Rock Ultra-Light Straight carabiner provided by Mad Rock California. However, other similarly designed connecting elements can be used.
The first carabiner 62 and the second carabiner 64 couple the first upper riser 16 and the second upper riser 54 to at least one anchor point. Most commonly, the first upper riser 16 is coupled to a first lower riser 68 by the first carabiner 62, and the second upper riser 54 is coupled to a second lower riser 70 by the second carabiner 64.
The first lower riser 68 and the second lower riser 70 are preferably identical. Both the first lower riser 68 and the second lower riser 70 have a first lower riser loop 72 and a second lower riser loop 74 respectively. Both lower risers 68, 70 and their respective lower riser loops 72, 74 are created by the seven-layer folding method used to create the first upper riser 28 and the second upper riser 54, and both loops 72, 74 have the same tapered shape as the first upper riser loop 28 and the second upper riser loop 56. However, the ends of the lower risers opposite the lower riser loops are flat and do not contain loops or extra strap material. In addition to the accessory loops 32 that are stitched into the seven-layer fold 30, a first attachment strap 76 and a second attachment strap 78 are inserted into the seven-layer fold 30 and held in place by the reinforcement stitching 34. The first attachment strap 76 and the second attachment strap 78 extend downward from the bottom 80 of the first lower riser 68 and the bottom 82 of the second lower riser 70 respectively, in the direction opposite the lower riser loops. The attachment straps 76, 78 may be ½″ nylon webbing but can be made from any similar material.
The attachment straps 76, 78 enable the lower risers 68, 70 to mount to almost anything, such as the factory ears on a camera, a tripod, a monopod, a camera car railing, or anything else with a point that the attachment straps 76, 78 can be inserted through or around.
The attachment straps 76, 78 contain two identical slides, an upper slide 84 having a top bar 86, a divider 88, and a bottom bar 90, and a lower slide 92 having a top bar 94, a divider 96, and a bottom bar 98. The end 100 of the first attachment strap 76 is inserted under the top bar 86 of the upper slide 84, over a divider 88, and under the bottom bar 90 of the upper slide 84. The lower slide 92 is inserted onto the first attachment strap 76 in the same way. The end 100 of the first attachment strap 76 may then be threaded through a factory ear of a camera, or through any other similar attachment point on a piece of equipment, and inserted back through the lower slide 92 and then the upper slide 84 in the same manner in the opposite direction, forming a first attachment loop 102 below the lower slide 92. The first attachment strap 76 can then be double-locked by folding the end 100 of the first attachment strap 76 back towards the upper slide 84, covering the top bar 86 and divider 88 of the upper slide 84, and inserting the first attachment strap 76 under the bottom bar 90 of the upper slide 84. The lower slide 92 can be moved along the first attachment strap 76 to enlarge or reduce the size of the first attachment loop 102 and tighten or loosen the first attachment loop 102 around the attachment point on the equipment. A second attachment loop 104 is formed by the same process as the first attachment loop 102 was formed.
Once the first 68 and second 70 lower risers are mounted on a piece of equipment or on attachment points, the first upper riser 16 and second upper riser 54 may be coupled to the first lower riser 68 and second lower riser 70 using a first carabiner 62 and a second carabiner 64. The first carabiner 62 is inserted into the first upper riser loop 28 and subsequently into the first lower riser loop 72. The second carabiner 64 is inserted into the second upper riser loop 56 and subsequently into the second lower riser loop 74. Both the first upper riser 16 and second upper riser 54 can be detached from and reattached to the first lower riser 68 and second lower riser 70 respectively when necessary. The first and second carabiners 62, 64 along with the attached first upper riser 16 and second upper riser 54 can also be detached from the first and second lower risers 68, 70 and reattached to any other anchor attachment points in a user's environment.
In certain situations, such as when the strap is used to hold equipment when climbing, the strap may have to be detached from one or both of its attachment points and reattached to the former attachment points or new attachment points. In these situations, if a user becomes tangled or the strap becomes snagged, the user can quickly detach either the first carabiner 208 or the second carabiner 212 from the first lower riser 200 or the second lower riser 202 respectively, free the strap 218 and the attached equipment 220 from the entanglement or snag point, and reattach the strap 218 to the equipment 220 in a one-point or a two-point attachment set-up. If a user wants to completely remove the strap 218 and equipment 220 from his body the user can detach the first upper riser 210 or second upper riser 214 and reattach the detached end to an anchor point located off the user's body, quickly converting the neck strap into a retention strap. This capability may be used when a user wants to remove the weight of the equipment 220 from one's body, to free equipment 220 if the equipment gets tangled, or in any other like situation.
A first lower riser 242 and a second lower riser 244 are mounted to a piece of equipment 218 and coupled to a first upper riser 246 of a first strap 220 and a second upper riser 250 of a second strap 252 respectively, with a first carabiner 254 and a second carabiner 256. A third carabiner 258 is attached to a third upper riser 260 located on the opposite end of the first strap 220 as the first upper riser 246. A fourth carabiner 262 is attached to a fourth upper riser 264 located on the opposite end of the second strap 252 as the second lower riser 244. The first strap 220 is wrapped around a first attachment point 266 and secured by clipping the third carabiner 258 to the first strap 220. The second strap 252 is wrapped around a second attachment point 268 and secured by clipping the fourth carabiner 262 to the second strap 252. If the attachment points are thin enough, the third and fourth carabiners 258, 262 can be clipped to the first and second attachment points 266, 268 respectively without wrapping the straps around the attachment points.
This rigging allows equipment 218 to be suspended off the ground, while requiring no effort or support from the user. If the equipment 218 is a camera, the user can pull the camera in the opposite direction, away from the attachment points 266, 268, creating tension in the first and second straps 220, 252 and steadying the camera. The rigging essentially acts as a tripod without the bulky tripod equipment. Furthermore, the height that the equipment 218 is suspended at is adjustable by wrapping the first and second straps 220, 252 around the attachment points 266, 268 one or multiple times until the camera is suspended at the desired height. The suspension height also may be adjusted using the tri-bar slides 270, 272 to shorten or lengthen each strap.
Any available attachment points may be used, and the attachment points need not be above the camera. Depending on the location of the attachment points, a user may need to support the equipment 218 if both attachment points are not located in a position that allows gravity to keep the first and second straps 220, 252 in tension. It is also conceivable to rig the equipment 218 using only one strap and still utilize the equipment 218 in a consistent manner as when rigged with two straps.
Referring now to
The upper portion 364 of the quick-release mechanics 354 has a buckle 372 that receives the strap body 374 in the same way as the previous embodiment. The buckle 372 has a flattened shaft member 376 with two self-locking ears 378, 380 on the end 382 of the shaft member 376 extending from the buckle 372. The lower portion 366 of the quick-release mechanism 354 has a slot 384 that an upper loop 386 of a second upper riser 370 can be inserted through. Opposite the slot 384, the lower portion 366 of the quick-release mechanism 354 contains an opening 388 that receives the flattened shaft member 376 of the upper portion 364 of the quick-release mechanism 354. The flattened shaft member 376 is inserted into the opening 388 in the lower portion 366, and a small amount of force is required to move the two self-locking ears 378, 380 on the flattened shaft member 376 past a set of tabs 390, 392 located adjacent to the opening 388 of the lower portion 366 of the quick-release mechanism 354. The quick-release mechanism 354 is engaged once the two self-locking ears 378, 380 are inserted beyond the set of tabs 390, 392, and the buckle 372 of the upper portion 364 is substantially flush with the lower portion 366 of the quick-release mechanism 354.
To disengage the quick-release mechanism 354, a small amount of force is exerted on both tabs 390, 392 on the lower portion 366 of the quick-release mechanism 354, pushing or squeezing both tabs 390, 392 simultaneously towards the upper portion 364. The quick-release mechanism 354 will not disengage if force is exerted on only one tab.
The preferred quick-release mechanism for this embodiment is a military grade, machined Aluminum mechanism, such as the GT COBRA Load Bearing Quick Release by AustriAlpin Inc., but any other similar quick-release mechanism can be used.
The quick-release mechanism 354 allows a user to quickly disengage and reengage the strap upper portion 352 from around one's body or from a connection point. This may be used in a situation when the strap gets tangled, snagged, or caught on different points, such as in climbing, scuba diving, parachuting, or the like.
A bendable wire 394 can be used to prevent the quick release mechanism 354 from disengaging when the quick-release function is not necessary. The wire 394 contains a first loop 396 and a second loop 398 on opposite ends of the wire. The first and second loops 396, 398 are held together by a first crush ring 180 and second crush ring 182. The first and second crush rings 180, 182 are generally made from Copper, but can be made from any other metallic material. The middle section 184 of the wire 394 is inserted through the bottom opening 186 of the upper portion 364 of the quick-release buckle 372, and subsequently through the slot 384 of the lower portion 366 of the quick-release mechanism 354. The first and second loops 396, 398 and first and second crush rings 180, 182 on the wire 394 are pulled through the loop created by inserting the middle section 184 of the wire 394 through the slot 384 in the lower portion 366 of the quick-release mechanism 354. The first and second loops 396, 398 on the wire 394 are inserted onto an opened coupler, such as a screw link 188 that is attached to an accessory loop 410. The screw link 188 is closed to secure the first and second loops 396, 398 of the wire 394 and the wire 394 in place and prevent the quick-release mechanism 354 from disengaging.
A tag 412 signaling the user to remove the wire 394 in necessary situations can be placed on a ring 414 that can be inserted through the first and second loops 396, 398 of the wire 394.
Referring now to
The reinforcing material 462 is preferably made from nylon, but it can be made out of any other flexible and soft material. The reinforcing material 462 generally has a texture with small grooves in the material that is different from the nylon used in the strap 442. The texture on the reinforcing material 462 provides traction or grip preventing the rigging loop 456 from slipping when the loop is used as an anchor point or when the rigging loop is stepped on, while still being non-abrasive.
The body portion 464 of the strap 442 is created by inserting the second end 454 of the strap beneath a lower bar 468 of an tri-bar slide 444, over a divider 470 in the tri-bar slide 444, and underneath an upper bar 472 of the tri-bar slide 444. The second end 454 of the strap 442 is then inserted into an upper portion 476 of the adjuster buckle 446 passing underneath both a top bar 478 and an adjuster bar 200. The second end 454 of the strap 442 is looped around the adjuster bar 200 in the upper portion 476 of the adjuster buckle 446 and fed out under the top bar 478 of the adjuster buckle 446. The second end 454 of the strap 442 is then reinserted underneath the upper bar 472 of the tri-bar slide 444, over the divider 470, and then out underneath the lower bar 468 of the tri-bar slide 444. The second end 454 is then folded multiple times and the folds are stitched together, preventing the second end 454 of the strap 442 from subsequently being pulled through the tri-bar slide 444. The tri-bar slide 444 moves along the length of the strap 442, lengthening the strap 442 as it moves towards the adjuster buckle 446 and shorting the strap 442 as it moves away from the adjuster buckle 446.
An upper riser 420 containing an upper riser loop 202 is created from a separate, unconnected piece of nylon strap by the same seven-layer folding method used to create the upper risers in previous embodiments, and connected to the adjuster buckle 446 using a connecting loop 204 on the end of the upper riser 420 opposite the upper riser loop 202. The upper riser loop 202 is generally smaller in diameter than the rigging loop 456.
A carabiner 450 inserted through the upper riser loop 202 allows the upper riser 420 to connect or attach to a variety of different points including a lower riser (not shown) on a piece of equipment or a separate attachment point. The strap 442 also may be wrapped around a thicker attachment point and the carabiner 450 clipped to the strap 442 itself.
The rigging loop 456 can serve to anchor the strap to an attachment point. The rigging loop 456 can be placed over or wrapped around a horizontal or a vertical post, rafter, bar, tree, roll cage, or the like, and the upper riser 420 and carabiner 450 inserted through the rigging loop 456 and pulled tight creating a retention strap to secure a piece of equipment. The retention strap configuration can also be used to steady a camera attached to the strap 442 by pulling the attached strap 442 in the opposite direction from the attachment point, creating tension in the strap 442 and steading the camera during use.
In another embodiment, the carabiner 450 can be hooked to a lower riser (not shown) that is connected to the bottom of a camera, video camera, or the like, permitting the strap 442 to hang down towards the floor. A user can adjust the length of the strap 442 using the tri-bar slide 444, step in or on the rigging loop 456, and pull upward on the camera creating tension in the strap 442, using the strap 442 as a monopod.
In another embodiment, it is contemplated that a second carabiner (not shown) be inserted onto the rigging loop 456 to allow the rigging loop 456 to attach to lower risers or other attachment points using the second carabiner. The rigging loop 456 is created with the same seven-layer fold 458 and reinforcement stitching 460 that the upper riser 420 and upper riser loop 202 is created with, giving the rigging loop 456 similar capabilities as the upper riser 420.
While the foregoing written description of the invention enables one of ordinary skill to make and use what is considered presently to be the best mode thereof, those of ordinary skill will understand and appreciate the existence of variations, combinations, and equivalents of the specific exemplary embodiment and method herein. The invention should therefore not be limited by the above described embodiment and method, but by all embodiments and methods within the scope and spirit of the invention as claimed.
