Patent Application
20130111714
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1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to firefighter safety equipment, and more particularly to a harness system for a self-contained breathing apparatus (hereinafter referred to as an “SCBA”). Even more particularly, the present invention relates to a quick-release harness system for connecting an SCBA to a firefighter or rescue worker's turnout gear trucker's belt such that the quick-release system may be disconnected and separated from the trucker's belt in a matter of only a few seconds.
2. Discussion of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97, 1.98
People celebrate and wonder at the heroics of firefighters. At the same time, they often romanticize firefighting work, imagining it to be some kind of athletic adventurism that provides an opportunity to show bravery and save people without having to be shot at. In truth, firefighters bear a heavy burden: Their jobs do not include the mere opportunity to rescue people and property from peril; they include the duty to rescue. And in discharging that duty, firefighters regularly inhabit a chaotic and terrifying hell world of flames and superheated air that blisters their skin and sears their eyes, billowing clouds of toxic smoke that instantly burns and damages their lungs, floors that collapse under them to bone breaking effect, roofs and ceilings that collapse over them to bone crushing effect. All the while, firefighters have to maintain their cool, in every respect, and act in the interests of others.
To make such a world navigable and survivable, firefighters don safety and operational equipment that is designed to strike a balance between providing physical maneuverability and providing protection from heat, fire and smoke. Due to the stakes, ongoing efforts are made to incorporate improved technology in firefighter turnout gear and firefighting equipment, and a very high state of maturity has been achieved. Among the many technical improvements are improvements related to the waist belts firefighters wear either inside or outside their turnout coat. Indeed, the present inventor has made contributions to the art in this field, including a combination trucker's belt and extrication harness combination shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,732,834, comprising a waistband having a number of integral features, including ax holder rings, and a strip of fabric sewn into the waistband so as to form a succession of fabric loops adapted for carrying equipment and tools. The apparatus shown in the '834 patent provided improved means for carrying and deploying an extrication line in the event it was necessary to rapidly egress from a multistory building. A better balance was struck.
However, a perfect balance remains elusive, and one circumstance in which is it particularly difficult to strike the right balance between safety and function is where rescue operations are undertaken in confined spaces, such as collapsed or collapsing buildings. Breathing apparatus is necessary in many or most of those situations, and to provide assisted breathing a firefighter or rescue worker must wear some kind of self-contained breathing apparatus (or “SCBA”). The typical apparatus include three principal components, including a tank containing breathable air under high pressure (typically 2200 psi to 4500 psi), a pressure regulator, and an inhalation mouthpiece, mouth mask, or face mask. These elements are operatively coupled and mounted on an SCBA carrying frame, which generally resembles a backpack frame, including shoulder straps, a rigid mid-frame member, a lower lumbar support, and a hip/waist belt (refer to
While the SCBA provides breathable air for hostile environments, it also greatly limits movement, and in some circumstances it can impede passage into or through a confined space. For instance, when a roof or ceiling collapses, some structures within the building (sturdy desks, filing cabinets, tables, and the like) may actually support a substantial portion of the roof or ceiling slightly above the floor, possibly saving a person from being crushed. It thus may also provide a rescue worker with a narrow passage through which to get to the trapped person. However, the sheer bulk of the SBCA can prevent such passage, and the rescue worker may be forced to remove the SCBA by unbuckling the waist belt and slipping off the shoulder straps. This is a cumbersome and time-consuming maneuver.
Furthermore, in some instances, to effect an escape or to make passage through a confined space, it may be necessary to abandon the SCBA. When this dire action is taken, the rescue worker may be left without numerous tools and safety equipment disposed on his waist belt, and the rescue worker may be left without the means to carry critical gear other than by using his hands. This greatly handicaps the rescue worker and limits the tasks he can perform and the safety under which he can operate.
It would therefore be desirable to have means to rapidly release an SCBA unit from a waist belt while also retaining the waist belt with its attached tools. While several firefighter/rescue worker support harnesses have been proposed to provide easy removal and adjustment, to the knowledge of the present inventor, none disclose, teach, or suggest a quick release system for selectively attaching and detaching a trucker's belt from an SCBA support frame.
The present invention is an improved system for connecting an SCBA frame to a waist belt.
It is a first object of the present invention to provide a quick release system for selectively detaching a rescue worker SCBA frame from a hip/waist belt to which it is connected.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved method and apparatus for rapid release and detachment of an SCBA breathing apparatus to facilitate unfettered movement in confined spaces.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a new and improved hip and waist belt connection apparatus for connecting the lower lumbar support member of an SCBA frame to a turnout gear hip and waist belt.
A further object or feature of the present invention is a novel method and apparatus for selective disengagement from an SCBA unit having safety features that require a conscious intention to remove the unit and prevent the inadvertent release of the unit.
Other novel features which are characteristic of the invention, as to organization and method of operation, together with further objects and advantages thereof will be better understood from the following description considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which preferred embodiments of the invention are illustrated by way of example. It is to be expressly understood, however, that the drawings are for illustration and description only and are not intended as a definition of the limits of the invention. The various features of novelty that characterize the invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming part of this disclosure. The invention does not reside in any one of these features taken alone, but rather in the particular combination of all of its structures for the functions specified.
There has thus been broadly outlined the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are, of course, additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form additional subject matter of the claims appended hereto. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception upon which this disclosure is based readily may be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
The invention will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:
Referring first to
Referring now to
In the preferred embodiment, the frame connectors comprise first and second fabric sleeves 220, 230 sewn into the rear side 130 of the lumbar pad 110, a strap 240 inserted through the sleeves and having loop ends 250, 260 adapted for insertion through slots 75 and to accommodate removable pins 270, 280, which, when inserted through the loop ends of strap 240 affixes the lumbar pad to the SCBA frame and effectively prevents removal of the lumbar pad unless the pins are removed from the loop ends. The lower ends of each pin includes a pin ring 290, 300, to which a pull strap 310, 320 is attached, and a snap element 330 is disposed along the length of each of the pull straps. The snap elements mate with corresponding snap elements riveted to the SCBA frame to prevent inadvertent removal of the pins from the loop ends.
As will be readily appreciated, installation of the quick release system is a simple matter. First, the loop ends 250 and 260 are inserted through slots 75, and pins 270, 280 are inserted into the bottom opening of the loop ends. Next, snap elements 330 on pull straps 310, 320 are mated to the corresponding snap elements 85 on the lumbar support 70 of SCBA frame 60. At this point, the lumbar pad is fully installed on the SCBA frame.
Next, to connect the SCBA frame to a trucker's belt, the belt-capturing member 140 is opened and a length of the trucker's belt is placed between the upper and lower folds 150, 160. The upper and lower flaps 170, 180, are folded over, pressed together to approximate the hook and loop fastener surfaces, and the flaps are then snapped shut using snaps 210.
If a firefighter encounters a situation in which his safety could depend upon quickly jettisoning the SCBA and its frame while still keeping the trucker's belt and any gear carried on the belt, he need only grab pull straps 310, 320 to release snaps 330 and then pull the pins 270, 280 downwardly and out of loop ends 250, 260. Once the pins are pulled, the SCBA frame is physically released from the waist belt and the firefighter need only slip off the shoulder straps to free himself from the SCBA unit. The trucker's waist belt remains around his waist and provides easy access to any tools the worker has carried on his person into the perilous circumstances.
Referring next to
Referring now to
Still referring to
The apparatus next includes at least one, and preferably two, quick release straps, 690, 700. Each strap includes a semi-flexible smooth plastic or metal planar portion 710, 720, respectively, and a loop or handle 730, 740, respectively, at its outboard end.
As will be readily appreciated by reference now to
Referring now to both
The above disclosure is sufficient to enable one of ordinary skill in the art to practice the invention, and provides the best mode of practicing the invention presently contemplated by the inventor. While there is provided herein a full and complete disclosure of the preferred embodiments of this invention, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction, dimensional relationships, and operation shown and described. Various modifications, alternative constructions, changes and equivalents will readily occur to those skilled in the art and may be employed, as suitable, without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention. Such changes might involve alternative materials, components, structural arrangements, sizes, shapes, forms, functions, operational features or the like.
Therefore, the above description and illustrations should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention, which is defined by the appended claims.
The present application is a continuation of U.S. Utility patent application Ser. No. 12/105,696, filed Apr. 18, 2008 (Apr. 18, 2008), and issued Dec. 25, 2012 (Dec. 25, 2012) as U.S. Pat. No. 8,336,171; which, in turn, claims the benefit of the filing dates of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/913,230, filed Apr. 20, 2007 (Apr. 20, 2007), and U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/985,948, filed Nov. 6, 2007 (Nov. 6, 2007).
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60913230 | Apr 2007 | US | |
| 60985948 | Nov 2007 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 12105696 | Apr 2008 | US |
| Child | 13724052 | US |
