Patent Application
20140262609
1. Field of the Invention
The present disclosure relates to subject matter for descending a rope, and more particularly to a device and method for descending a rope at fast but controlled descent rate.
2. Description of Related Art
A variety of rope descent systems and methods have been developed for several situations including military, tactical and combat situations. One such method known as “fast roping” is used by military and tactical personnel around the world to descend from a hovering aircraft (e.g. a helicopter) to the ground using a rope that is suspended from the aircraft. A typical fast rope must be of sufficient diameter (about 1-4 inches) to prevent the rope from wildly whipping around due to the down wash of the hovering aircraft while also allowing the user to grip it with his double gloved hands. The rope is also typically provided with a braided or plaited pattern on its outer circumference to make it easier to grip.
Fast roping is a preferred method of insertion over other methods such as rappelling due to its overall efficiency, effectiveness, and ease of installation. The simplicity and speed of fast roping is its greatest attribute. Fast roping allows several users to rapidly descend from the same rope simultaneously. The user simply grips the rope with their gloved hands and feet, and slides down the rope in a similar manner to a fireman sliding down a pole. The simplicity and speed of fast roping is particularly valuable in combat operations because it minimizes the time over the deployment area, which reduces the vulnerability of the aircraft and inserting force to hostile fire.
However, since the user is attached to the rope by only their hands and feet, fast roping carries a certain amount of risk. In particular, safety and load-carrying capabilities. A user runs the risk of either burning their gloved hands from the friction or hurting themselves by descending too fast and hitting the ground hard. In addition, users often carry heavy loads or other equipment during deployment, which adds to the risk of a free-fall accident.
Other traditional rope descent systems and methods (e.g. belay device, rappel rack, etc.) have been developed to counter these risks, however, they can reduce the simplicity and speed of fast roping operations. For example, these systems and methods typically require more setup time and permit only one person to descend from the rope at a time. In addition, a user typically must wear additional specialty equipment such as a harness. Moreover, many systems and methods require the user to deviate from existing descent procedures. These deviations can lead to an increased risk of injury as the “muscle memory” developed from training is unlearned.
Accordingly, a need remains in the art for a more versatile rope descent device and method capable of maintaining a fast but safe descent rate of a user carrying a heavy load or equipment.
An object of this invention is to provide a more versatile rope descent device and method that is capable of maintaining a fast but safe descent rate of a user carrying a heavy load or equipment. Another object of this invention is to provide a rope descent device and method capable of allowing a user to quickly descend the rope without burning their hand(s). Additional objects and advantages of this invention shall become apparent in the ensuing descriptions of the invention.
Accordingly, a rope descent device and method is provided that is capable of maintaining a fast but safe descent rate of a user carrying a heavy load or equipment. In one aspect of the invention, the rope descent device includes an elongated body having a first end and a second end, a first connection node at the first end, a second connection node at the second end, and a force release mechanism secured to the elongated body. The elongated body is configured to frictionally anchor the elongated body to the fast rope, and the force release mechanism is configured to release the frictional anchor.
In another aspect of the invention, the fast rope descent method includes obtaining a rope descent device having an elongated body having a first end and a second end, a first connection node at the first end, a second connection node at the second end, and a force release mechanism secured to the elongated body. Next, the elongated body is positioned around the fast rope. The elongated body is wrapped around the fast rope to create at least two points of frictional engagement between the elongated body and the fast rope. A coupling link is secured to the user and connection nodes. The user then descends the fast rope.
The foregoing brief summary of the invention presents a simplified summary of the claimed subject matter in order to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the claimed subject matter. This summary is not an extensive overview of the claimed subject matter. It is intended to neither identify key or critical elements of the claimed subject matter nor delineate the scope of the claimed subject matter. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of the claimed subject matter in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented below.
Additionally, the foregoing has outlined rather broadly the features and technical advantages of the present invention in order that the detailed description of the invention that follows may be understood. Additional features and advantages of the invention will be described hereinafter, which form the subject of the claims of the invention. It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the conception and specific embodiments disclosed may be readily utilized as a basis for modifying or designing other structures for carrying out the same purposes of the present invention. It should also be realized by those skilled in the art that such equivalent constructions do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims. The novel features, which are believed to be characteristic of the invention, both as to its organization and method of operation, together with further objects and advantages will be better understood from the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying figures. It is to be expressly understood, however, that each of the figures is provided for the purpose of illustration and description only and is not intended as a definition of the limits of the present invention.
The accompanying drawings illustrate preferred embodiments of this invention. However, it is to be understood that these embodiments are not intended to be exhaustive, nor limiting of the invention. These embodiments are but examples of some of the forms in which the invention may be practiced.
The claimed subject matter is now described with reference to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals are used to refer to like elements throughout. Turning now to
The elongated body 101 is configured so it can be frictionally anchored to a fast rope. In an embodiment, the elongated body 101 comprises a rope having a first terminal 107 and a second terminal 108. The terminal ends 107, 108 are located at the ends of the rope. The first terminal 107 and second terminal 108 are secured to one another to form a sling. The terminals 107, 108 can be secured together by a rope end securing device 109. An example of a suitable rope end securing device 109 includes, but is not limited to nylon tacks, sewing tacks, adhesive, and so forth.
The length of the rope descent device 100 should be of sufficient length to safely secure a user to a fast rope. In one embodiment, the rope descent device 100 is configured to permit the elongated body 101 to wrap around the fast rope to create at least two points of frictional engagement between the fast rope and elongated body 101. In one embodiment, the rope descent device 100 measures about 43 inches in length end-to-end, and measures about 41 inches in length from connection node-to-connection node. In this embodiment, the length of elongated body 101 is about 90 inches, the diameter of the elongated body is about 12.5-13.0 millimeters in diameter, and the strength of the elongated body is about 22 kilo newtons (kN). The elongated body 101 is preferably constructed from a kernmantle low stretch rope such as PMI 12.5 mm HeatShield™, but it can be constructed of any sufficiently durable material capable of withstanding repeated use. Examples of materials, include, but are not limited to nylon, polyester, aramid, polypropylene, High Molecular Density Polyethylene (HMDPE), and so forth.
The rope descent device 100 can also be configured to be heat resistant so that when a user descends a fast rope the friction exerted between the fast rope and elongated body 101 does not cause the elongated body 101 to deteriorate (e.g. melt). As shown in the Figures, the elongated body 101 can be provided with a heat resistant sheath or cover 111. Alternatively, the elongated body 101 may be constructed from a heat resistant material. The heat resistant material can be located at areas where the elongated body 101 interfaces with the fast rope or other areas of the elongated body 101 that may require protection. The heat resistant material can also cover the entire elongated body 101. Suitable heat resistant materials include, but are not limited to, aromatic polyamide (aramid) fibers such as Kevlar®, Nomex® available from DuPont™, Cordura®, CarbonX® available from Chapman Innovations, 343 W 400 S, Salt Lake City, Utah, and so forth.
The connection nodes 104, 105 are configured to secure a user to the rope descent device 100. The connection nodes 104, 105 permit the user to secure the rope descent device 100 to him. For example, a coupling link 203 can be secured to the connection nodes and the user to secure the rope descent device to the user and fast rope. In an embodiment, the connection nodes 104, 105 can be eyelets located at the end of the elongated body 101. The connection nodes 104, 105 can be formed by securing the elongated body 101 to itself at each of its ends 102, 103. Examples of suitable coupling links 203 (as shown in
The force release mechanism 106 is configured to release the frictional anchor between the rope descent device 100 and fast rope. The force release mechanism 106 is further configured to permit the user to control their descent rate. In one embodiment, the force release mechanism 106 comprises an elongated portion 110 having a length that is at least about the same as the circumference of the fast rope (e.g., about 1 to 4 inches). The elongated portion 110 can be secured near the midsection of the elongated body 101. Alternatively, the elongated portion 110 can be on or embedded in or border the elongated body 101. The elongated portion 110 may be constructed from any sufficiently elastic material that permits the force release mechanism 106 to bend around the fast rope. To prevent damage due to friction and/or heat, the force release mechanism 106 can be configured to be heat resistant. For example, the force release mechanism 106 can be provided with a heat resistant sheath or cover 111. Examples of materials, include, but are not limited to plastic, rubber, rubber with cordage reinforcement, and so forth
In operation, a rope descent device 100 in accordance with this invention may be used to by one or more users to rapidly but safely descend a rope simultaneously while carrying a heavy load or equipment without burning the hands of the user. As shown in
The rope descent device 100 is then secured to the user by attaching a coupling link 203 to the user and the connection nodes 104, 105. The user can then set the rope descent device 100 by applying a sharp downward pull on the connection nodes 104, 105. The user should maintain constant tension on the device 100. The user can then descend the fast rope 201. The user operates the force release mechanism 106 by exerting a downward force (e.g., sharp downward pull) on the force release mechanism 106. The downward force can be exerted by the user hands. For example, the user may exert the downward force by gripping the rope with their hand and pushing downward with the bottom of their grip. This motion releases the frictional engagement between the elongated body 101 and the fast rope 201 thereby allowing the user to control his rate of descent. The user can control their rate of decent based on the amount of downward force exerted. As the user exerts more downward force, the descent rate increases and vice versa.
Although the present invention and its advantages have been described in detail, it should be understood that various changes, substitutions and alterations can be made herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. Moreover, the scope of the present application is not intended to be limited to the particular embodiments of the process, machine, manufacture, composition of matter, means, methods and steps described in the specification. As one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate from the disclosure of the present invention, processes, machines, manufacture, compositions of matter, means, methods, or steps, presently existing or later to be developed that perform substantially the same function or achieve substantially the same result as the corresponding embodiments described herein may be utilized according to the present invention. Accordingly, the appended claims are intended to include within their scope such processes, machines, manufacture, compositions of matter, means, methods, or steps.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/783,275, filed Mar. 14, 2013. Each patent application identified above is incorporated here by reference in its entirety to provide continuity of disclosure.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61783275 | Mar 2013 | US |
