Patent Application
20230320463
Safety harnesses are often used to reduce the likelihood of a user experiencing a fall, and/or to safely arrest the user in the event of a fall. Such harnesses are often used in combination with one or more of a lanyard, a vertical safety system or ladder climb assist system, a self-retracting lifeline, and other fall-protection equipment.
In broad summary, herein is disclosed a fall-protection safety harness with first and second ventral straps and with a ventral buckle that is at least generally aligned with the sagittal plane of the user. At the sagittal buckle, a section of the first ventral strap is in overlapping relation with a section of the second ventral strap. These and other aspects will be apparent from the detailed description below. In no event, however, should this broad summary be construed to limit the claimable subject matter, whether such subject matter is presented in claims in the application as initially filed or in claims that are amended or otherwise presented in prosecution.
Like reference numbers in the various figures indicate like elements. Some elements may be present in identical or equivalent multiples; in such cases only one or more representative elements may be designated by a reference number but it will be understood that such reference numbers apply to all such identical elements. Unless otherwise indicated, all figures and drawings in this document are not to scale and are chosen for the purpose of illustrating different embodiments of the invention. In particular the dimensions of the various components are depicted in illustrative terms only, and no relationship between the dimensions of the various components should be inferred from the drawings, unless so indicated. Although terms such as “first” and “second” may be used in this disclosure, it should be understood that those terms are used in their relative sense only unless otherwise noted. As used herein as a modifier to a property or attribute, the term “generally”, unless otherwise specifically defined, means that the property or attribute would be readily recognizable by a person of ordinary skill but without requiring a high degree of approximation.
The following terminology is defined with respect to a fall-protection safety harness as worn by such a user standing upright. The descriptions of positions, orientations, and so on, of harness components as disclosed herein, including in the claims, are thus with respect to the harness as worn by a user standing upright, unless stated otherwise. However, this terminology is used for clarity of description and does not limit the actual orientation of the harness and components thereof during use in a workplace.
Terms such as vertical, upward and downward, upper, lower, above and below, and like terminology, correspond to conventional directions when the harness is worn by a user who is standing upright. The vertical axis (v) is denoted in various Figures herein. The transverse direction conventionally refers to the conventional right-left (lateral) direction of the user and harness, as indicated by transverse axis (t) in various Figures herein. The term ventral refers to the front side of the user's upper body and to harness portions and components located there; the term dorsal refers to the rear side of the user's upper body and to harness portions and components located there. The dorsal-ventral direction is the direction that extends forward-rearward through the user's body (specifically, through the torso), as indicated by dorsal-ventral axis (d-v) in various Figures herein. (The dorsal-ventral direction will be perpendicular to the vertical axis and the transverse axis.)
Terms such as inward, unless otherwise specified, denote a direction that is inward toward the user's body along the dorsal-ventral axis; terms such as outward, unless otherwise specified, denote a direction that is outward away from the user's body along the dorsal-ventral axis. Terms such as transversely-inward and transversely-outward are exceptions to this usage; they denote directions respectively toward and away from the sagittal plane of the user's body and of the harness, along the transverse (t). As used herein, the sagittal plane (sometimes referred to as the mid-sagittal plane) has its conventional meaning as a vertical plane that extends down the transverse centerline of the user's body to symmetrically divide the user's body into left and right portions; the term sagittal also applies to the herein-disclosed harness as worn by such a user in an upright position. A sagittal plane is depicted as item 501 in FIG. 9 of U.S. Patent Application Publication 2015/0165246, which is incorporated by reference herein for this purpose.
Fall-protection safety harnesses, sometimes referred to as full-body safety harnesses, are widely used in circumstances in which workers are at elevated height or are otherwise at risk of falling. A fall-protection safety harness is configured to serve in combination with a fall-protection device or apparatus such as, e.g., a self-retracting lifeline, a horizontal lifeline, a lanyard or the like, to provide fall protection. Thus in ordinary use, at least one such fall-protection device is typically connected to the safety harness, e.g., to a D-ring (or other suitable connection point) borne by the harness. Fall-protection safety harnesses will be distinguished from, for example, general-use items such as backpacks and the like.
As illustrated in generic representation in
The straps of such a harness are often comprised of flat webbing, made of, e.g., woven synthetic fabric such as, e.g., polyamide, polyaramid (such as, e.g., Kevlar), ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (such as, e.g., Dyneema) and the like. Such straps are typically flexible so that they can conform to the surface of a wearer's body, can be passed through one or more of buckles, guides, loops and the like, but typically are not significantly extensible. Such straps are interconnected with each other and are often fitted with various pads (e.g., shoulder pads 4 and waist/hip pad 8) to enhance the comfort of the harness, as well as various buckles, latches, connectors, loops, guides, additional pads such as, e.g., chest pads and/or leg pads, and so on. Such components and exemplary arrangements of such components are described in, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,959,664, 9,174,073, and 10,137,322, all of which are incorporated by reference in their entirety herein.
A safety harness 1 typically includes first and second (right and left) straps 3 and 2 that extend over the top of the user's shoulders as shown in
On the ventral (front) side of the wearer, shoulder straps 3 and 2 continue generally downward along the wearer's torso as seen in
In many safety harness designs, the first and second shoulder straps 3 and 2, on the rear (dorsal) side of the wearer's torso, will meet, overlap and cross each other at a dorsal crossing point located, e.g., between the shoulder blades. In some embodiments, a dorsal plate 11 and/or a dorsal pad 4 (which may continue upward to serve as a shoulder pad) may be present, as in the exemplary design of
In some embodiments, harness 1 will also include leg or thigh straps (shown, unnumbered, in
A ventral buckle 50 (and first and second buckle portions 100 and 200 thereof) is an item that is configured specifically for use with body-supporting ventral straps of a fall-protection safety harness. Such a buckle will thus be distinguished from, for example, a buckle that may be used with one or more straps that are used to support the weight only of some relatively lightweight ancillary item (e.g., a hard hat, a tool, etc.) rather than being used with one or more harness straps that must take part in supporting the full weight of a user in the event of a user fall.
Fall-protection safety harnesses have conventionally been of two general types. In one general type of harness, one ventral strap extends from the right shoulder to the right hip of the user, and the other strap extends from the left shoulder to the left hip. Often, such ventral straps descend along the user's torso along a generally vertical, straight path. Such harnesses (which are sometimes referred to as H-style harnesses) conventionally include a coupler strap that extends generally transversely from one ventral strap to the other ventral strap (i.e., that forms the horizontal crossbar of the “H”). Such harnesses have the advantage that they can be donned relatively easily, e.g., in the general manner of a jacket or vest. That is, the ventral straps of such a harness can be forwardly wrapped around the upper torso, after which the chest-strap coupler is used to establish a connection between the two ventral straps.
A second general type of harness is a so-called crossover-style harness. In such a harness, one ventral strap extends from the right shoulder to the left hip, and the other ventral strap extends from the left shoulder to the right hip. (Here and elsewhere, the term shoulder refers to the general region extending from the transverse edge of the neck to the tranversely-outer limit of the deltoid muscle. Similarly, the term hip encompasses the general region from the rectus abdominis muscle to the muscles and tissues laterally overlying the iliac crest). The ventral straps thus cross each other, e.g., in the vicinity of the user's breastbone. Such harnesses can have advantages in redistributing asymmetric forces that may result, e.g., from a heavy tool hanging on a user's hip. Such harnesses can also advantageously position a ventral D-ring near the transverse center of the user's torso (the sagittal plane), which can be particularly advantageous for female users and/or when the harness is used in combination with a vertical safety system, climbing-assist system, or the like. This can be achieved while advantageously having the D-ring directly connected to ventral straps rather than being connected to an above-described coupler strap. However, a crossover-style harness has the disadvantage that the harness cannot be donned like a jacket or vest. Rather, the harness must be pulled downward over the user's head in the general manner of a pullover sweater. This can be cumbersome, particularly for a novice user of the harness, and can lead to a momentarily confusing tangle of straps.
Quasi-crossover Design
The present design is a quasi-crossover design which preserves the advantages of both types of harnesses. By definition, a quasi-crossover design denotes an arrangement in which a first ventral strap 7 of the harness extends from the right shoulder of the user to the right hip of the user, and a second ventral strap 6 of the harness extends from the left shoulder of the user to the left hip of the user, as in an H-style harness. However, each ventral strap does not extend generally straight vertically downward along the user's torso in the usual manner of an H-style harness. Instead, each ventral strap, as it extends downward from the user's shoulder, deviates transversely inwardly (toward the sagittal plane of the user and harness) so that the ventral straps meet each other a ventral buckle 50 in the general manner shown in
In some embodiments, this can be achieved by mounting a first buckle portion 100 on first ventral strap 7, and by mounting a second buckle portion 200 on second ventral strap 6, as shown in
In a quasi-crossover design, the ventral buckle 50 will be at least generally aligned with the sagittal plane of the user and of the harness, as is evident from
By overlapping relation is meant that a line that passes through at least some part of one ventral strap, along a dorsal-ventral direction, will also pass through at least some part of the other ventral strap. Typically, with the strap sections in overlapping relation, the left terminal edge of one of the ventral straps will be positioned leftward (along the transverse direction) of the right terminal edge of the other ventral strap; and, the right terminal edge of the other ventral strap will be positioned rightward of the left terminal strap of the first ventral strap as is again evident from
A configuration in which the ventral straps are in overlapping relation may be dictated by the path that the ventral straps are required to follow as they pass through various slots, guides, or the like, in the buckle portions. In particular embodiments, sections of the ventral straps that are located between upper and lower strap-guiding slots of the buckle portions (e.g., slots 108, 111, 206 and 207, as shown in
Exemplary buckle designs that may achieve the above-described effects are depicted in
In some embodiments, a base plate 101 of a first buckle portion 100 may comprise upper and lower transversely-extending slots 106 and 109 (as noted, this upper and lower terminology is with reference to buckle 50 as present in a harness worn by a vertically upright user). A cover plate 102 of the first buckle portion 100 may similarly comprise upper and lower transversely-extending slots 107 and 110. When base plate 101 and cover plate 102 are attached to each other in the factory to form first buckle portion 100, slots 106 and 107 may align to collectively form a transversely-extending upper slot 108 of first buckle portion 100 and slots 109 and 110 may align to collectively form a transversely-extending lower slot 111 of first buckle portion 100, all as shown in
As discussed in detail below, first buckle portion 100 may be used in combination with, i.e., attached to, second buckle portion 200 to form ventral buckle 50. In some embodiments, second buckle portion 200 may comprise a base 201 with an upper, transversely-extending slot 206 and a lower, transversely-extending slot 207 as seen, e.g., in
In some embodiments, buckle portions 100 and 200 may be configured so that upper slot 108 of first buckle portion 100 is in at least partial overlapping relation with upper slot 206 of second buckle portion 200; similarly, lower slot 111 of first buckle portion 100 may be in at least partial overlapping relation with lower slot 207 of second buckle portion 200, as evident in the exemplary designs pictured in
In some embodiments, base plate 101 and cover plate 102 may respectively comprise through-openings 115 and 116, which (along with an air gap which may be present therebetween) are aligned so as to define a receiving aperture 117 of first buckle portion 100, as shown in
In some embodiments, first buckle portion 100 may comprise one, two, or more latches, e.g., sliding latches, that serve to hold post 202 of second buckle portion 200 securely in place in receiving aperture 117 of first buckle portion 100 in order to attach the first and second buckle portions together to form ventral buckle 50. In the general arrangement seen, e.g., in
A useful design parameter is the extent to which collar portions 135 and 145 of sliding latches 130 and 140 circumferentially “wrap around” to form barbs 134 and 144. This can dictate the extent to which the partial collar that is collectively provided by collar portions 135 and 145, will encircle the shank 211 of post 202 that is captured therein when the latches are in the second, latched position. In various embodiments, each collar portion 135 and 145 may exhibit a wrap angle of from 5, 10, 15, or 20 degrees, to 45, 35 or 25 degrees. The wrap angle is measured quantitatively as the angle to which the collar portion wraps (extends) past the lateral axis (which extends left-right in
In some embodiments, first and second sliding latches 130 and 140 of first buckle portion 100 may be biased toward the second, latched position. This may be achieved by the use of any suitable biasing member or members that can exert an appropriate biasing force. As shown in exemplary depiction in
The biasing force of springs 138 and 148 can be overcome by a user manually applying laterally inward force to portions 131 and 141 of sliding latches 130 and 140, which will move collar portions 135 and 145 laterally outward, away from each other, into a first, unlatched position. With the collar portions (and sliding latches 130 and 140 as a whole) in the first, unlatched position, the collar portions do not interfere with removing post 202 of second buckle portion 200 from the receiving aperture 117 of the first buckle portion.
Thus in summary, the first and second sliding latches of first buckle portion 100 are configured so that they can be manually slidably moved from the second, latched position, into the first, unlatched position in order to detach first and second buckle portions 100 and 200 from each other (e.g., when the user desires to remove the harness). In the depicted embodiment, this can be performed by manually squeezing exposed ends 131 and 141 of first and second sliding latches 130 and 140 transversely inward, toward each other.
In the illustrated embodiment, biasing members 138 and 148 are coil springs that are positioned in compression in spaces between first and second sliding latches 130 and 140. In some embodiments abutments 136 and 146 (as seen, e.g., in
In some embodiments, post 202 of second buckle portion 200 may comprise an outward head 203 that is tapered as seen in
Based on the discussions above it will be appreciated that the engaging of the post of the second buckle portion with the sliding latches of the first buckle portion can occur automatically upon insertion of the post into the receiving aperture of the first buckle portion. That is, no manipulation of the sliding latches by the fingers of the user is required in order to attach the first and second buckle portions to each other to form the ventral buckle.
In contrast, in the depicted embodiment the disengaging of the post from the sliding latches to detach the buckle portions from each other requires deliberate manual actuation. That is, a preliminary step of manually moving the sliding latches to an unlatched position must be performed before the post can be removed from the receiving aperture. Thus in at least some embodiments, the first and second buckle portions can be automatically attached to each other as a consequence of moving the buckle portions toward each other so that the post enters the receiving aperture; while, in contrast, a preliminary step of slidably moving the latches to unlatch them must be performed in order to move the buckle portions away from each other so as to detach them from each other.
It will thus be evident that when the buckle portions 100 and 200 are separated from each other (e.g., when the harness is not being worn by a user) the biasing force of the biasing members will cause the sliding latches to be held in their second, latched position (although no post will be present to be secured in the receiving aperture). To don the harness, the upper portions of the harness are wrapped forwardly about the shoulders and the right and left ventral straps are positioned on right and left sides of the upper torso. The first and second buckle portions are then moved transversely inward toward the sagittal plane of the user, and are positioned with the first buckle portion outward (forward, along the dorsal-ventral axis) of the second buckle portion. The buckle portions are then moved toward each other along the dorsal-ventral axis so that the post of the second buckle portion enters the receiving aperture of the first buckle portion. This will overcome the biasing force and will cause the sliding latches to momentarily move to the first, unlatched position to allow the post to be captured, and the buckle portions attached to each other, as described above. In this capturing process, the latches will automatically return to the second, latched position under the influence of the biasing force.
When the harness is to be removed, the user will manually manipulate the sliding latches to the first, unlatched position, and will then move the first and second buckle portions apart in an inward-outward direction along the dorsal-ventral axis. It will be appreciated that movement of the first and second buckle portions generally along a dorsal-ventral axis to attach or detach the buckle portions to/from each other, is contrast to buckles that are engaged and disengaged via motion in some other direction, e.g., motion along the transverse axis or vertical axis.
In some embodiments, the base plate 101 and/or the cover plate 102 of first buckle portion 100 may comprise at least one feature that limits the extent of the transversely outward movement of the first sliding latch; the plate(s) may similarly comprise at least one feature that limits the extent of the transversely outward movement of the second sliding latch. For example, in the exemplary arrangements depicted in
In some embodiments first and second buckle portions 100 and 200 may be configured so that when they are attached to each other, they are able to pivot with respect to each other to some extent, e.g., through an angle of relative rotation of at least 5, 10 or 20 degrees, up, e.g., to 30 or 40 degrees or more. In some embodiments, the first and second buckle portions are unable to rotate relative to each other, through an angle of more than 15, 7 or 3 degrees. It will be appreciated even if the buckle portions do not have any feature that purposefully limits the rotation of the portions, the action of the ventral straps will typically keep the buckle portions closely aligned with each other.
A feature of at least some of the embodiments disclosed herein is that when first and second buckle portions 100 and 200 are detached from each other, first buckle portion 100 can be slidably moved along first ventral strap 7, and second buckle portion 200 can similarly be slidably moved along second ventral strap 6. In other words, when buckle portions 100 and 200 are in the general configuration shown in
After first and second buckle portions 100 and 200 are attached to each other to form ventral buckle 50 (e.g., as shown in
This pinching action can have the result that movement of ventral buckle 50 along ventral straps 6 and 7 is substantially prevented. By this it is meant that relatively small forces as may occur during normal work activities (e.g., the tugging action of a climb-assist system) will not cause the ventral buckle to slide along the ventral straps a significant amount. (However, in the event of a fall, some small sliding movement of the buckle may occur.) This pinching action may also have the result that the two ventral straps are not able to move significantly relative to each other. This can have the effect that any forces that one ventral strap is exposed to may be transferred to the other ventral strap to at least some extent. Thus, for example, the load from the weight of a heavy tool on a user's hip may be more evenly distributed over the right and left shoulders. In this manner, the herein-disclosed quasi-crossover arrangement of ventral straps can achieve many of the advantages of a true crossover harness, while still being able to be easily donned in the manner of a conventional H-style harness.
As noted, in many embodiments first and second buckle portions 100 and 200 and components thereof, may be made of any suitable material. In some embodiments, any such component may be made of any suitable metal, e.g., steel or aluminum. In various embodiments, such a component may be a forged body or a cast body; or, it may be made of sheet metal that is formed (e.g., bent) into the desired shape using standard sheet metal forming techniques. Typically base plate 101 and cover plate 102 may be manufactured separately and then brought together (with the sliding latches, springs, etc. captured therebetween) and attached to each other, e.g., by rivets 103, to form first buckle portion 100. Base 201 and post 202 may be made separately and then attached to each other to form second buckle portion 200; or, base 201 and post 202 may be integral with each other.
In some embodiments some part of a buckle portion and/or a sliding latch thereof, (in particular, any areas that are to be regularly contacted by the fingers of a user) may be partially encased in an overmolded organic polymeric resin. Overmolding can be performed, e.g., by taking a previously-formed metal body and inserting it at least partially into an injection-molding cavity so that an organic polymeric molding resin can be formed atop, and adhered to, the desired portions of the body.
It will be understood that the particular designs of the buckle portions presented herein are exemplary and that variations may be present but which may still allow buckle portions to form a ventral buckle that achieves a quasi-crossover arrangement of straps.
A ventral buckle as disclosed herein (and a quasi-crossover arrangement of ventral straps) can be used with any suitable fall-protection harness. Such harnesses are well known and may be used with a wide variety of fall-protection apparatus, methods and systems. In some embodiments, the fall-protection harness, and the ventral buckle thereof, may meet the requirements of ANSI Z359.12.
Fall-protection apparatus and systems (e.g., lanyards, self-retracting lifelines, positioning systems, horizontal systems, vertical systems, climb-assist systems, descenders, etc.), fall-protection anchorages, components of such apparatus, systems, equipment, and so on, with which the arrangements disclosed herein may find use, are described, e.g., in the 3M DBI-SALA Fall Protection Full Line Catalog 2018.
It is emphasized that a user of any fall-protection device, apparatus, system, or component thereof that includes a harness and/or ventral buckle as described herein is tasked with carrying out any appropriate steps, actions, precautions, operating procedures, etc., as required by applicable laws, rules, codes, standards, and/or instructions. That is, under no circumstances will the presence of any arrangement disclosed herein relieve a user of the duty to follow all appropriate laws; rules; codes; standards as promulgated by applicable bodies (e.g., ANSI); instructions as provided by the manufacturer of the fall-protection system, apparatus or components; instructions as provided by the entity in charge of a worksite, and so on.
While the disclosed buckles herein are discussed herein primarily in the context of being used as a ventral buckle for use with ventral straps of a fall-protection safety harness, in various embodiments such buckles could be used with other straps of a fall-protection safety harness, with straps of a general-purpose harness, or, with straps for any desired purpose.
In summary, all such variations and combinations are contemplated as being within the bounds of the conceived invention, not merely those representative designs that were chosen to serve as exemplary illustrations. Thus, the scope of the present invention should not be limited to the specific illustrative structures described herein, but rather extends at least to the structures described by the language of the claims, and the equivalents of those structures. Any of the elements that are positively recited in this specification as alternatives may be explicitly included in the claims or excluded from the claims, in any combination as desired. Any of the elements or combinations of elements that are recited in this specification in open-ended language (e.g., comprise and derivatives thereof), are considered to additionally be recited in closed-ended language (e.g., consist and derivatives thereof) and in partially closed-ended language (e.g., consist essentially, and derivatives thereof). Although various theories and possible mechanisms may have been discussed herein, in no event should such discussions serve to limit the claimable subject matter. To the extent that there is any conflict or discrepancy between this specification as written and the disclosure in any document that is incorporated by reference herein but to which no priority is claimed, this specification as written will control.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/IB2021/057096 | 8/3/2021 | WO |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63070589 | Aug 2020 | US |
