Patent Application
20220305307
The present invention relates generally to safety equipment for working at elevated heights, and particularly to personal safety suspension harnesses.
Safety harnesses are used for suspending persons in positions elevated above ground to perform a variety of tasks, for example cleaning windows, inspecting bridges, maintaining wind turbines, and rescuing others. Conventional safety harnesses have leg loops that surround and support the wearer's legs and are adjustable to fixed positions with a fixed circumference for use. Drawbacks to these conventional harnesses include that they do not provide an optimum seated position for work comfort. Also, the fixed leg loops are constrictive and tend to pull up during use, thereby compressing the crotch region of the wearer and causing discomfort and pain.
Accordingly, it can be seen that needs exist for improvements in safety harnesses that are more comfortable for the wearer during use. It is to the provision of solutions to this and other problems that the present invention is primarily directed.
Generally described, the present invention relates to safety harnesses including two leg straps, each having a first end with a movement-permitting connector (e.g., a slot ring), a second end attached to an upper portion of the harness (e.g., a waist belt), and an intermediate portion formed into a loop and slidably extending through the connector. The leg strap thereby forms a leg loop portion and a tensioning riser portion each having a variable length, so that in use when wearers reposition themselves the portion of the leg strap forming the leg loop is automatically adjusted for comfort. Some embodiments include seat panels with bottom portions forming a segment/portion of the leg straps and leg loops. Various embodiments include the self-adjusting leg loops with the seat panels, the self-adjusting leg loops but not the seat panels, and the seat panels but not the self-adjusting leg loops.
The specific techniques and structures employed to improve over the drawbacks of the prior art and accomplish the advantages described herein will become apparent from the following detailed description of example embodiments and the appended drawings and claims.
Generally described, the present invention relates to a safety harness with self-adjusting leg loops that are self-equalizing in length and transmission of force. The safety harness can be of a conventional suspension type used for suspending persons in positions elevated above ground to perform various tasks. For example, the safety harness can be a full-body harness (including a seat harness and a shoulder harness, as described herein) or a seat harness (without a shoulder harness). The self-adjusting leg loops can be implemented/embodied in any safety harness having leg loops and an upper (e.g., waist, torso, and/or shoulder) portion.
The safety harness includes an upper portion and leg straps with movement-permitting connecters forming two self-adjusting leg loops. The second end of each leg strap is connected to the harness upper portion. The movement-permitting connecter is attached to the first/other end of the leg strap. And an intermediate portion of the leg strap (between the first and second ends) is routed and slides through the movement-permitting connecter. Thus, the portion of each leg strap between the first end (where it is connected to the connector) and an intermediate location (where it is slidable through the connector) is wrapped around the wearer's leg to form a supporting leg loop. And the portion of each leg strap between there and the other/second end functions as a tensioning riser.
In the depicted embodiments, the harness upper portion includes a waist belt to which the second end of each leg strap attaches. In other embodiments, the harness upper portion includes shoulder straps, torso straps, or other straps, panels, or supports to which the second end of each leg strap attaches.
Also in the depicted embodiments, the harness includes seat panels that form a portion of the leg loops, with the leg straps having a first segment (integrated into, attached to, or defined by the seat panel) forming a first (e.g., rear) portion of each leg loop and a second segment forming a second (e.g., front) portion of each leg loop and extending through the connector to define the tensioning riser. In other embodiments (e.g., without seat panels), the leg strap is one continuous length from the first end and connector, to the intermediate portion slidably routed through the connector, to the second end.
The waist belt 12 extends around the waist of the wearer to provide a snug fit. In the depicted embodiment, the waist belt 12 includes a waist strap 11 and a padded panel 13. The waist strap 11 provides structural strength and is where the shoulder straps 14 and leg straps 36 typically attach. The waist strap 11 can be provided in one continuous length or in multiple segments connected together, for example one shorter front unpadded waist strap segment 11 and one longer rear/side waist segment 11 (padded by the padded panel), as depicted. The padded panel 13 is attached to the waist strap 11 and positioned on the inner surface (e.g., the rear/side) of at least a portion of the waist strap 11 for wearer comfort. Also, the waist belt 12 typically includes rings or other attachments 15 for holding tools (e.g., for use by the wearer when suspended at heights). In other embodiments, the waist belt can have other configurations used for safety harnesses.
The shoulder straps 14 extend over the wearer's shoulders and (directly or indirectly) attach to front and rear portions of the circumferential waist belt 12. In the depicted embodiment, the shoulder straps 14 attach to a rear portion of the waist belt 12 by a connecter strap 18 that is positioned between the rear free ends of the shoulder straps 14 and the rear-center portion of the waist belt 12, as shown in
Also, the shoulder straps 14 can attach to a front portion of the waist belt 12 by a three-way connection 20 that is positioned between the front free ends of the shoulder straps 14 and free ends of the waist belt 12, as depicted in
The shoulder straps 14 can be adjustable, for example they can include conventional adjustment buckles as the attachments to the connecter strap 18 and/or to the three-way connection 20, as depicted. One or more conventional attachments (e.g., D-rings) 22 for connecting a safety tether (e.g., rope, cable, etc.) can be provided on the three-way connection 18 (as depicted) and/or elsewhere on the harness 10. The safety tether is the life line suspending the wearer at the elevated height.
The self-adjusting feature of the safety harnesses 10 is implemented in the leg loops 16. Each leg loop 16 is formed by a looped portion of each leg strap 36 that wraps around one of the wearer's legs. The leg straps 36 each have a first end 41, a second end 42, and an intermediate portion between them, with the second end 42 attached to the waist belt 12, and with the rest of the leg strap 36 (other than the leg loop 16) forming a riser tensioning portion 17. These features are described in more detail below.
The self-adjusting leg loops 16 are typically also attached to the waist belt 12 by one or more support risers to support the leg loops 16 at a maximum distance/drop from the waist belt 12. In the depicted embodiment, for example, the leg loops 16 are additionally attached to the waist belt 12 by front support risers 24 and rear support risers 26. In other embodiments, the leg loops are additionally attached to the waist belt by front support risers (without no rear support risers included) or by rear support risers (without no front support risers included). And other embodiments do not include any additional support risers or other attachments of the leg loops to the waist belt, so the leg loops are attached to the rest of the harness only by the second ends of the leg straps.
The front support risers 24 can be of a conventional type, for example straps (e.g., webbing) that fixedly or adjustably attach to the front portion of the waist belt 12. The front support risers 24 can be attached to the front portion of the waist belt 12 for example at the three-way connection 20.
The rear support risers 26 of the depicted embodiment include seat panels 28 and rear riser straps 34. The seat panels 28 distribute the load of the wearer's weight during use for increased comfort. Each seat panel 28 forms one half of a seat for the wearer during use.
In the depicted embodiment, the seat panels 28 are generally elongated and in the form of generally flat shells 30 holding generally flat and rigid plates 32 having a conforming shape and size, as shown in
Also, the leg loops 16 each extend horizontally all the way around the respective leg at a uniform drop distance below the waist and crotch of the wearer, with the leg loops 16 around the upper thighs below the wearer's crotch, with the leg loops 16 not angled from the crotch to the waist of the wearer, and with the support risers 24 and 34 defining the drop distance. The rigid elongated seat panels 28 thus provide mechanical interference (blocking/spacing functionality) to restrain the leg loops 16 from being pulled up into the wearer's crotch during use.
In the depicted embodiment. the seat panels 28 are generally elongated and generally triangular, with the seat shells 30 housed seat plates 32 having a conforming shape and size, as shown in
The top of the seat panels 28 (e.g., the top/apex corner of the depicted generally triangular and elongated seat panels 28) is attached to the waist belt 12, for example indirectly by the rear riser strap 34 and attachment (e.g., adjustment buckle), as depicted, or directly (with or without a rear riser strap and/or adjustment attachment). The bottom portion of the elongated triangular seat panel 26 (between the two bottom/base corners) extends laterally across the back side of the wearer's buttocks and/or upper thighs, and typically includes a first leg strap segment (shown in phantom lines in
The seat panels 28 need not be strictly/literally triangular, but typically they have a generally triangular shape, for example with the three corners rounded or flattened at the top/apex corner (where the rear riser strap attaches) and/or the bottom/base corners (where the connector and second leg strap segment attach). Also, the seat panels 28 can be non-symmetrically triangular, with the bottom/base portions positioned at the inner thighs being extended laterally more so than at the outer thighs of the wearer. In other embodiments, the seat panels have another shape such as elliptical, rectangular, or polygonal. In yet other embodiments, the rear support risers each include a rear riser strap that extends all the way between the waist belt and the respective leg loop, and as such do not include a seat panel.
Continuing with the self-adjusting leg loops 16, a movement-permitting connector 38 is attached to the first end 41 of each leg strap 36. In the depicted embodiment, each leg strap 36 includes two segments. The first leg strap segment 36 is attached to or integrated into the bottom portion of the seat panel 28 (extending between the two (inner thigh and outer thigh) bottom/base corners of the seat panel 28). For example, the first leg strap segment 36 can be positioned inside and stitched to the bottom portion of the seat panel 28, as depicted in
As such, in the depicted embodiment, the leg loops 16 are formed by the combination of the first leg strap segments 36 (the bottom/base portions of the seat panels 28, which form the first/rear portions of the leg loops 16) and the second leg strap segments 36 (the non-seat-panel portions of the leg straps before the connectors 38, which form the second/front portions of the leg loops 16). Thus, the self-adjusting feature of the safety harness 10 fully integrates the seat panels 28 into the leg loops 16 by way of the leg straps 36. In other embodiments, the seat panels are not included, and the leg loops are each provided by one continuous strap extending all the way around the wearer's leg (instead of the depicted first and second leg strap segments 36 together forming each leg loop).
The movement-permitting connector 38 movably engages the leg strap 36 to permit the leg strap 36 to move (e.g., slide or roll) longitudinally along its axial/length direction but constrains it from moving laterally in a direction transverse to its axial/length direction. For example, the movement-permitting connector 38 can be provided by a slot ring (as depicted), D-ring, or eyelet (for sliding movement), by a roller or a pulley (for rolling movement), or by another connector that permits the longitudinal movement and prevents the transverse detachment of the leg strap 36, as described herein. The movement-permitting connector 38 can be attached to the bottom outer (closest to the wearer's outer thigh) corner of the seat panel 28 of the rear riser 26 (as depicted), which also defines the first end 41 of the leg strap 36.
The self-adjusting leg-loop feature can be best seen in
Accordingly, each leg strap 36 extends around the wearer's respective leg, is slidably routed through the respective movement-permitting connector 38, and extends upward and attaches to the waist belt 12 (as depicted) or another part of the safety harness 10 (e.g., an upper portion at or above the wearer's waist). So the two portions of the leg strap 36 that form the leg loop 16 and the tensioning riser 17 (with the connector 38 delineating the difference) are variable and different at any given moment in time depending on the how much of the intermediate portion of the leg strap 36 is on which side of the connector 38. Thus, when the leg loop 16 has a greater circumferential length, the tensioning riser 17 has a shorter length, and vice versa. This results in a floating connection that enables the leg loops 16 to self-adjust based on movement of the wearer in the harness 10. As such, with the leg loops 16 donned and pre-adjusted for the particular wearer, in suspension use they are not static, but rather they are dynamically self-adjustable, with the leg straps 36 sliding or otherwise moving through/around the connectors 38 to make the leg loops 16 have a smaller or larger circumferential length.
The first end 40 of the first leg strap segment 36 can be securely but adjustably and removably attached to the seat panel 26, for example by an adjustable buckle or other attachment, with the front riser 24 attached to or adjacent the attachment (see also
It will be understood that when referring to the ends of the leg strap, this means the functional ends of the strap for the purposes of forming the leg loop and the tensioning riser for self-adjustment, and is not limited to the physical/terminal end of the strap and/or the location of an adjustment buckle. In some embodiments, the leg straps extend beyond the “ends” for other purposes, and embodiments with the leg straps not terminating at the ends (as defined herein) are contemplated by and within the scope of the claimed invention.
In use, the self-adjusting feature enables the leg loops 16 to self-adjust (i.e., self-equalize) in girth (loop circumference) and seat height (seat panel elevation and angle) based on movement of the wearer's body. The integration of the seat panels 28 with the leg straps 28, and their respective direction of pull from the upper portion of the harness, pulls the wearer into a relatively upright position. For example, when the wearer shifts their weight forward in the harness 10, pushing backward with their buttocks in the harness 10, the harness 10 pulls the wearer into a relatively upright position, as shown in
Also, the leg loops 16 can be manually pre-adjusted between lower and upper positions on the wearer before use, then manually adjusted again as needed while under tension, and then during use self-adjusted (automatically adjusted as wearers reposition themselves) as described above. For example, the attachments (e.g., buckles and straps) for the front risers 24 and/or the rear risers 26, and/or for the leg strap 36, can be pre-adjusted longer as in
In other embodiments, the rear risers each include a respective rear riser strap extending all the way between the waist belt and the respective leg strap, and does not include the seat panels. In such embodiments, the movement-permitting connector can be attached to the first end of the leg strap (or to one of the riser straps), and the leg straps each extend circumferentially all the way around the wearer's respective leg but still through the respective movement-permitting connector with its second end attached to the waist belt or another part of the safety harness (e.g., an upper portion at or above the wearer's waist).
In still other embodiments, the rear risers each include a seat panel, and the leg loops are not self-adjusting, with the respective leg straps attached to the two opposite corners/sides of the bottom of the seat panel by fixed attachment without the self-adjusting feature. In such embodiments, the leg straps do not include the movement-permitting connector and do no attach to the waist belt.
In yet still other embodiments, one of the support risers for each leg includes a seat panel, and the leg loops are self-adjusting, but the seat panel is included solely for proving a rigid elongated element between the leg loops and the waist belt for good operation of the self-adjusting leg loops (so upon tensioning of the tensioning riser, the riser cannot shorten and allow the leg loops to pull up into the wearer's crotch). In such embodiments, the seat panels can be provided by elongated strips or other pieces of rigid material (so they are not literally for sitting upon), and they can be positioned at the outer side, inner side, or front of the wearer's body when the harness is worn (so they are not literally at the rear).
In yet still other embodiments, the safety harness includes two risers for each leg but at different positions, for example inner and outer risers at the inside and outside of the wearer's legs, with the leg straps each still routed through the respective movement-permitting connector to form at least a portion of the respective leg loop and attach to the waist belt. In related embodiments, the safety harness includes one riser for each leg, with each having the respective movement-permitting connector attached to it and the fixed end of the respective leg strap attached to it so that the leg strap can be routed around the leg and through the connector, with its opposite/free end attached to the waist belt or another portion of the harness (e.g., an upper portion at or above the wearer's waist).
In other embodiments, the connectors are located at the wearer's inner thighs (instead of outer thighs), so the leg straps extend from the first end and connector in the opposite direction down, around, and back across the top of the wearer's legs. In such embodiments, the tensioning riser portions of the leg straps are adjacent and between the wearer's legs, and they can be connected or formed together as a single tensioning riser for a portion of their lengths.
In still other embodiments, the safety harness is a seat harness that includes the self-adjusting leg loops and includes shoulder, torso, or other straps but does not include a waist belt. The leg straps still route through the respective movement-permitting connector to form at least a portion of the respective leg loop, but their second ends attach to shoulder straps, torso straps, other straps, and/or another portion of the safety harness (e.g., an upper portion at or above the wearer's waist).
It is to be understood that this invention is not limited to the specific devices, methods, conditions, and/or parameters described and/or shown herein, and that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments by way of example only. Thus, the terminology is intended to be broadly construed and is not intended to be unnecessarily limiting of the claimed invention. For example, as used in the specification including the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “one” include the plural, the term “or” means “and/or,” and reference to a particular numerical value includes at least that particular value, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In addition, any methods described herein are not intended to be limited to the specific sequence of steps described but can be carried out in other sequences, unless expressly stated otherwise herein.
While the invention has been shown and described in exemplary forms, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that many modifications, additions, and deletions can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the following claims.
This application claims the priority benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 63/165,348 filed Mar. 24, 2021, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein for all purposes.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63165348 | Mar 2021 | US |
