Patent Application
20220370840
The invention relates generally to safety equipment and specifically to load bars for use with a harness adapter system.
The requirements of various applications that employ the use of a lineman suspended in a full body harness have necessitated recent advancements with regards to harness safety and functionality. The harness adapter system described in US patents U.S. Pat. Nos. 10,898,740B2 and 10,213,631B2 improves upon many of the issues present in previous safety harness technologies. These improvements include facilitating a more even weight distribution throughout the harness, reducing movement restrictions for a secured lineman and removing visual obstructions for said lineman. This harness adapter system (“HAS”) functions safely and effectively at weights up to the safety limit of 500 lbs., making it well suited for many different applications. However, there are applications that would benefit from the HAS that would require heavier loads to be carried, while preventing the weight of said loads from exerting their compressive force upon the attached lineman. Industries including construction, aviation, emergency management and many others may have a need for a lineman to be present while simultaneously carrying heavier loads with said lineman.
Therefore, there is a need to provide a device that enhances the functionalities of the HAS as described above.
The aspects or the problems and the associated solutions presented in this section could be or could have been pursued; they are not necessarily approaches that have been previously conceived or pursued. Therefore, unless otherwise indicated, it should not be assumed that any of the approaches presented in this section qualify as prior art merely by virtue of their presence in this section of the application.
This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description.
In an aspect, a load bar is provided, the load bar comprising: an outer pipe having: an outer pipe body with a cylindrical surface and a radial cross section disposed between a closed end section and an open end section; an outer pipe end loop having a radial cross section, said outer pipe end loop secured to the closed end section of the outer pipe; and a plurality of outer pipe hole pairs disposed within the outer pipe body, wherein each outer pipe hole of an outer pipe hole pair is coaxially aligned with the other outer pipe hole of said outer pipe hole pair and each outer pipe hole is orthogonal to the cylindrical surface of the outer pipe body; an inner pipe having: an inner pipe body with a cylindrical surface and a radial cross section disposed between a closed end section and an open end section; an inner pipe end loop having a radial cross section, secured to the closed end section of the inner pipe; and a plurality of inner pipe hole pairs disposed within the inner pipe body, wherein each inner pipe hole of an inner pipe hole pair is coaxially aligned with the other inner pipe hole of said inner pipe hole pair and each inner pipe hole is orthogonal to the cylindrical surface of the inner pipe body, wherein the inner pipe body is configured to nest within the outer pipe body, such that at least one outer pipe hole pair aligns coaxially with a corresponding inner pipe hole pair and wherein the radial cross section of the inner pipe end loop and the radial cross section of the outer pipe end loop are configured to be parallel with each other; and a locking pin having: a cross section shape configured to be inserted through an outer pipe hole pair and a corresponding coaxially aligned inner pipe hole pair to secure the inner pipe to the outer pipe, wherein the load bar is configured to be installed within a harness adapter system. Thus, an advantage is that the compressive force of a load carried by a HAS may be exerted upon the load bar, rather than the lineman. Another advantage is that the load bar may be adjusted for optimal sizing, based upon application needs and lineman characteristics. Another advantage is that the load bar increases the load weight limit while carrying a lineman in a HAS to 2,000 lbs., effectively broadening the potential applications of the HAS within many industries, including the flight and construction industry. Another advantage is that the load bar may be selectively installed and uninstalled from the HAS, allowing it to be implemented as needed. Another advantage is that the disclosed load bar is light weight, and thus will not notably increase the weight of the HAS, while still greatly improving is load weight limit.
In another aspect, a load bar is provided, the load bar comprising: a straight pipe body disposed between two opposite end sections, the straight pipe body having a radial cross section; and two end loops, each end loop having a radial cross section and being disposed on a different end section of the load bar, wherein the radial cross sections of the two end loops are parallel with each other and perpendicular to the radial cross section of the straight pipe body and wherein the load bar is configured to be installed within a harness adapter system. Again, an advantage is that the compressive force of a load carried by a HAS may be exerted upon the load bar, rather than the lineman. Another advantage is that the load bar increases the load weight limit while carrying a lineman in a HAS to 2,000 lbs., effectively broadening the potential applications of the HAS within many industries, including the flight and construction industry. Another advantage is that the load bar may be selectively installed and uninstalled from the HAS, allowing to be implemented as needed. Another advantage is that the disclosed load bar is light weight, and thus will not notably increase the weight of the HAS, while still greatly improving is load weight limit.
In another aspect, a load bar is provided, the load bar comprising: two end loops; and a pipe body associated with and disposed between the two end loops, wherein the load bar is configured to be installed within a harness adapter system and wherein a radial cross section of the pipe body is perpendicular with radial cross sections of the two end loops. Again, an advantage is that the compressive force of a load carried by a HAS may be exerted upon the load bar, rather than the lineman. Another advantage is that the load bar increases the load weight limit while carrying a lineman in a HAS to 2,000 lbs., effectively broadening the potential applications of the HAS within many industries, including the flight and construction industry. Another advantage is that the load bar may be selectively installed and uninstalled from the HAS, allowing to be implemented as needed. Another advantage is that the disclosed load bar is light weight, and thus will not notably increase the weight of the HAS, while still greatly improving is load weight limit.
The above aspects or examples and advantages, as well as other aspects or examples and advantages, will become apparent from the ensuing description and accompanying drawings.
For exemplification purposes, and not for limitation purposes, aspects, embodiments or examples of the invention are illustrated in the figures of the accompanying drawings, in which:
What follows is a description of various aspects, embodiments and/or examples in which the invention may be practiced. Reference will be made to the attached drawings, and the information included in the drawings is part of this detailed description. The aspects, embodiments and/or examples described herein are presented for exemplification purposes, and not for limitation purposes. It should be understood that structural and/or logical modifications could be made by someone of ordinary skills in the art without departing from the scope of the invention.
It should be understood that, for clarity of the drawings and of the specification, some or all details about some structural components or steps that are known in the art are not shown or described if they are not necessary for the invention to be understood by one of ordinary skills in the art.
One of ordinary skill in the art may choose to implement a plurality of comparable or equivalent variations to the above-described device and its elements. One may choose to vary the cross-sectional shape of the pipe body 302a, such that said pipe body 302a has a square or hexagonal cross-section, instead of a circular one. The straight pipe 302 may also have its wall thickness varied or may be solid, rather than hollow. Additionally, one may choose to alter the shape of the end loops 303, potentially utilizing end loops with square or hexagonal cross sections, instead of those with circular cross sections. The pipe body 302a and each end loop 303 may be described as having a radial cross section, regardless of their specific shape, such that circular, square, octagonal or other shaped cross sections are all referred to as radial cross sections. Such variations are included to act solely as examples and should not be considered a comprehensive listing of potential variations that exist within the scope of the disclosed load bars.
The disclosed adjustable length load bar 304 (“adjustable load bar”) of
The inner pipe 309 may have the same features and configuration as the outer pipe 304, with the exception of the diameter of the inner pipe body. The inner pipe body may have a smaller diameter than the outer pipe body 305a, wherein said inner pipe body is configured to nest within the outer pipe body 305a through the insertion of the open end section of inner pipe 309 through the open end section 305c of the outer pipe 305. Upon the nesting of the inner pipe within the outer pipe, each pair of outer pipe holes 307 may align coaxially with a pair of inner pipe holes to form a plurality of locking ports 308. Alternatively, only one pair of inner pipe holes may align coaxially with a pair of outer pipe holes 305, while still rendering the adjustable load bar 304 functional. As long as one pair of inner pipe holes aligns coaxially with a pair of outer pipe holes 307 to form one locking port 308, the inner pipe 309 may be secured to the outer pipe 305 using a locking pin 311. Upon the coaxial alignment of corresponding pairs of holes on the outer pipe 305 and the inner pipe 309, the corresponding radial cross sections of the outer pipe end loop 306 and the inner pipe end loop 310 may be parallel with each other, such that the radial cross section of each end loop is perpendicular with the radial cross section of the outer pipe body 305a. The radial cross section of each pipe body, open end section, closed end section and end loop may be circular, or modified accordingly, such that nesting of the inner pipe 309 within the outer pipe may be facilitated.
A locking pin 311 may be configured to be inserted through corresponding pairs of coaxially aligned holes in the outer pipe 305 and the inner pipe 309, in order to secure the inner pipe 309 to the outer pipe 305 and establish a fixed distance between the outer pipe end loop 306 and the inner pipe end loop 310. At least one pair of outer pipe holes 307 may be coaxially aligned with a pair of inner pipe holes in order to allow the locking pin 311 to secure the inner pipe 309 to the outer pipe 305. A set of coaxially arranged holes corresponding to a pair of outer pipe holes 307 that aligns coaxially with a pair of inner pipe holes may form a locking port 308 configured to accept an inserted locking pin 311 to secure the adjustable load bar 304 at a set length. Several different locking ports 308 may be available depending on the set length of the adjustable length load bar 304. Both end loops of an adjustable load bar 304 may be attached to their respective pipes by welding or other suitable methods. The pipe holes on both the inner pipe 309 and the outer pipe 305 may be circular as depicted in
The adjustable nature of the hereinabove disclosed adjustable load bar 304 may be useful in a variety of situations. The adjustable load bar 304 is configured such its telescopic structure, having a smaller diameter inner pipe body configured to fit and slide within a larger diameter outer pipe body 305a, allows for modification of its length. The adjustable load bar 304 may have its length modified by removing the inserted locking pin, sliding the inner pipe 309 within the outer pipe 305 to a position corresponding to a desired length, in which at least one pair of outer pipe holes 307 is coaxially aligned with a corresponding pair of inner pipe holes, then reinserting the locking pin in a formed locking port 308. The minimum length of the adjustable load bar 304 may be established when each outer pipe hole pair aligns coaxially with a corresponding inner pipe hole pair, as seen by adjustable load bar 304 in
Certain application may necessitate a shorter load bar, in order to enable a lineman secured within the HAS to access a narrow area. Other applications may require a longer load bar, in order to provide a secured lineman with more room to work. The lineman themselves may also require a different length of load bar, based on their size, in order to prevent their compression. Therefore, it may be helpful to install such an adjustable load bar 304 within a HAS, such that changes to said load bar's length may be made without replacing the installed adjustable load bar 304. The adjustable length load bar 304, much like the fixed length load bar 301, may be comprised of a high strength and durable material, such as steel or another suitable metal. By providing the outer pipe body 305a and the inner pipe body as a hollow pipes, the adjustable load bar 304 may be made lightweight while still providing suitable compression resistance to a HAS. Similarly to pipe body 302a of fixed load bar 301, the inner pipe body and the outer pipe body 305a may both be straight pipes. The inner pipe 309, outer pipe 305 and locking pin 311 may each be formed as a singular, monolithic piece, formed through diecasting or other suitable manufacturing methods, which are then combined as described above to create the adjustable load bar 304.
One of ordinary skill in the art may choose to implement a plurality of comparable or equivalent variations to the above-described device and its elements. For example, much like with the fixed length load bar 301, one may vary the cross-sectional shapes of the inner pipe body 309 and outer pipe body 305a to be square or hexagonal. The inner pipe body and outer pipe body 305a may also have their wall thicknesses varied and the inner pipe body 309 may be varied to be solid. Similarly, the shapes of outer pipe end loop 306 and the inner pipe end loop 310 may be altered to be square, hexagonal or any other suitable shape. Again, all described and potential shapes of the cross sections of the pipe bodies and end loops may be described as radial cross sections. The inner pipe holes and the outer pipe holes may be varied to different shapes, including squares and hexagons. Such variations would require the cross-sectional shape of the locking pin 311 to varied accordingly to allow for its insertion of the formed locking port 308. The number of holes present and their locations on each pipe may also be varied as needed. One in the art may also choose to implement alterations to the locking pin mechanism, such as implementing a spring-loaded locking pin assembly for easy adjustment of load bar length. As described previously, such variations are included to act solely as examples and should not be considered a comprehensive listing of potential variations that exist within the scope of the disclosed load bars. At its simplest, a load bar may be comprised of two end loops and a pipe body associated with and disposed between two end loops 303.
The implementation of a load bar within the harness adapter connector portion 412 of a HAS as described above, forces the carabiners 417 attached to the top loops 416 of the straps 414 to remain a distance apart, based on the length of the load bar 401. This distance may be fixed or adjustable, depending on the type of load bar used. In either case, this forced separation of the carabiners 417 prevents the compressive force that results from a load attached at the O-ring 413 from being exerted upon a lineman secured above said load in the HAS. This forced separation of the carabiners 417 allows for weights of up to 2000 lbs. to be carried on the O-ring 413 safely, without compressing the lineman. This improvement enables the HAS to be implemented in numerous applications, across a variety of industries, including the flight and construction industries, in which its enablement of superior weight capacity while supporting a linemen may be exploited. The harness adapter connector 412 of
Additionally, the fixed length load bar 401 and the adjustable load bar, such as adjustable load bar 304 from
One of ordinary skill in the art may choose to implement a plurality of comparable or equivalent variations to the above-described arrangement and its elements. One in the art may choose to apply the load bar 401 to the straps 414 through comparable methods to the one described, including tying the straps 414 to the load bar end loops 403, after threading each strap 414 through its respective end loop and looping each strap 414 through its respective end loop 403 multiple times. Such variations are included to act solely as examples and should not be considered a comprehensive listing of potential variations that exist within the scope of the disclosed load bars.
The utilization of either a fixed length load bar, such as fixed load bar 301 of
It may be advantageous to set forth definitions of certain words and phrases used in this patent document. The term “couple” and its derivatives refer to any direct or indirect communication between two or more elements, whether or not those elements are in physical contact with one another. The term “or” is inclusive, meaning and/or. As used in this application, “and/or” means that the listed items are alternatives, but the alternatives also include any combination of the listed items.
The phrases “associated with” and “associated therewith,” as well as derivatives thereof, may mean to include, be included within, interconnect with, contain, be contained within, connect to or with, couple to or with, be communicable with, cooperate with, interleave, juxtapose, be proximate to, be bound to or with, have, have a property of, or the like.
Further, as used in this application, “plurality” means two or more. A “set” of items may include one or more of such items. The terms “comprising,” “including,” “carrying,” “having,” “containing,” “involving,” and the like are to be understood to be open-ended, i.e., to mean including but not limited to. Only the transitional phrases “consisting of” and “consisting essentially of,” respectively, are closed or semi-closed transitional phrases.
Throughout this description, the aspects, embodiments or examples shown should be considered as exemplars, rather than limitations on the apparatus or procedures disclosed. Although some of the examples may involve specific combinations of method acts or system elements, it should be understood that those acts and those elements may be combined in other ways to accomplish the same objectives.
Acts, elements and features discussed only in connection with one aspect, embodiment or example are not intended to be excluded from a similar role(s) in other aspects, embodiments or examples.
Aspects, embodiments or examples of the invention may be described as processes, which are usually depicted using a flowchart, a flow diagram, a structure diagram, or a block diagram. Although a flowchart may depict the operations as a sequential process, many of the operations can be performed in parallel or concurrently. In addition, the order of the operations may be re-arranged. With regard to flowcharts, it should be understood that additional and fewer steps may be taken, and the steps as shown may be combined or further refined to achieve the described methods.
Although aspects, embodiments and/or examples have been illustrated and described herein, someone of ordinary skills in the art will easily detect alternate of the same and/or equivalent variations, which may be capable of achieving the same results, and which may be substituted for the aspects, embodiments and/or examples illustrated and described herein, without departing from the scope of the invention. Therefore, the scope of this application is intended to cover such alternate aspects, embodiments and/or examples.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/191,089, filed May 20, 2021, which is hereby incorporated by reference, to the extent that it is not conflicting with the present application.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63191089 | May 2021 | US |
