1. Technical Field
This invention is in the field of belay anchors and in particular, a portable belay anchor usable by a single man on the roof of a house or other locations.
2. Description of the Related Art
From time to time, insurance adjustors, roof repairmen, and others have a need to climb on a roof in order to assess the damage, perform repairs, or other activities. Ensuring the safety of the person climbing on the roof is of the utmost importance, since a fall from a roof is likely to cause great harm.
Currently, if a roof adjuster is climbing on a steep or slick roof it is common to tie a rope to a large stationary object, such as a tree, and then couple the rope to a safety harness around the waist of the person on the roof to provide a belay. The rope is often run through a belay gear, such as a Gri-gri self-braking belay device of the type made by Petzl. If a large fixed object, such as a tree, is not easily available adjacent to the house, the person climbing the roof may use another person of about their own weight as the belay anchor to hold the rope solidly on the ground as they climb on the roof. Unfortunately, a second person is not always available to act as the belay if a natural anchor is not present. In addition, having two people at a house appraisal increases the cost. Accordingly, it is desirable to have a safe belay system which a single person can use and be assured of their safety.
In other situations, a belay anchor is also needed, such as rock climbing, rescue from a building, climbing a tree, a COPE course, and other uses.
A portable belay anchor system is disclosed that provides a coupling location for safety rope attached to a climber, such as a roof inspector.
The portable belay anchor system includes a base having a mast coupled thereto. The mast has a shaft portion and a flange portion. A plurality of removable weights are positioned on the shaft, coupled to the flange portion. The flange portion supports the weights so that the weight is carried by the shaft itself. A retaining member is coupled to the mast to hold the weights on the mast. A shackle is also coupled to the mast. A rope is coupled to the shackle to act a the belay rope which the user positions through a belay brake device. A user wears a standard climbers belt of a type well known. The belay brake device is coupled to the belt by an acceptable fastener, such as a carabineer. The belay brake device is coupled to the carabineer, having the rope run therethrough. In the event the user falls while climbing, the rope is griped by the belay brake device and keeps the user from falling. One benefit of the portable belay anchor system is that a single user is able to climb a dangerous place, such as a steep roof, without another person present to act as the belay anchor. A further advantage is that the portable belay anchor device may be positioned in any location relative to the structure to be climbed in order to provide the most safety for the climber as well as the greatest access to the structure to be climbed.
A further feature is that the shackle is coupled to the mast with a pivotal coupling. This permits the rope coupled to the shackle to be pivoted to any desired location based on the pivoting of the shackle connection to the mast rather than the pivoting of the rope through the shackle. This increases the ease at which a pivot rotates and also reduces the friction load on the rope that extends through the shackle and through the belay brake device of the user.
The portable belay anchor system 10 has a number of advantages that provide simple and safe use by a single user 12 in many environments which would be considered too dangerous to attempt without the use of the portable belay anchor system 10. The specific details of the portable belay anchor system 10 and its use will now be described.
The coupling of the shackle 42 to the mast 20 is a pivotal coupling which permits the shackle 42 to rotate to any position about mast 20. For example, as can be seen in
The portable belay anchor system 10 is therefore a static system that provides static weight, while at the same time providing a dynamic coupling system which permits dynamic movement of the angle at which the rope 30 can attach to the mast 20 at a dynamic angle achievable with the pivoting of mast 42. The use of the shackle 42 coupled about the pin 46 in a rotatable arrangement is also more advantageous than a carabineer or other fixtures which might be attached to the mast 20 because changing the angle at which a carabineer or other coupling device attaches to the mast 20 may also cause rubbing or rocking of the carabineer or other attachment device, thus increasing the wear and tear on the connection at one of its more critical locations, and increasing the danger to the user.
When the bolt 46 is placed through the aperture 44 of the mast 26 and also to the shackle 42, the nut 50 is placed on the shackle and threaded onto the bolt until it contacts and abuts against the shackle 42. After being secured finger-tight, the nut 50 is backed off at least a quarter turn, and preferably a half turn or more, so that it is not in abutting or in frictional contact with the shackle 42. The cotter pin 48 is then placed through the aperture in the end of the bolt 46, thus securely holding the nut 50 in position so that even if it accidently rotates, it will abut against the cotter pin 48 and cannot rotate further, and cannot come off of the safety pin which is composed of the bolt 46. Backing the nut 50 a quarter to a half turn off of the shackle 42 after it has contacted it ensures that the shackle 42 is coupled with rotatably loose connection to the bolt 46. It also ensures that the bolt 46 can easily rotate within the aperture 44 of the mast 20. Thus, the mouth of shackle 42 is not compressed, and two independent points of rotation are assured of being present.
The shackle 42 is conveniently coupled to be able to independently pivot about two different bearing locations. Specifically, the bolt 46 which extends through the eyelet 44 can rotate about the eyelet 44. In addition, or alternatively, the shackle 42 having the pin 46 extend therethrough can rotate about the pin 46. Thus, two different locations that independently permit full and complete rotation of the shackle 42 are provided to ensure that it is always easily rotated with respect to the mast 20. Appropriate lubrication can be added at either the eyelet 44, where the bolt 46 passes through the mast 20 to provide low friction on that bearing surface or to the shackle 42, or both, to ensure ease of rotation and long life of both bearing surfaces, since it often rotates under heavy weight while the user travels on the roof to different locations. Providing two independent rotation pivot choices, either of which alone is sufficient, ensures that one is always available, in the event one of them becomes stuck or hardened.
Preferably, the nut 50 is not threaded so tightly onto the bolt 46 that the shackle 42 is bound hard against the mast, making it difficult for it to rotate. Rather, the nut 50 is threaded onto the bolt 46 sufficient to solidly retain the shackle 42 in position, and then a cotter pin 48 is placed through an aperture at the end of the bolt 46 after the nut 50 is securely fastened in order to hold it in position and ensure that it cannot become loose, even if it is not fully tightened down against the shackle 42. Accordingly, lock washers or other locking apparatus to hold the nut 50 on the shackle 42 is not needed, since the cotter pin 48 holds the bolt 46 in a position to ensure that it cannot be removed, while permitting sufficient slack for ease of rotation of the shackle 42.
After the portable belay anchor 10 has been fully assembled, it is ready to be tested before use. Preferably, the person using the belay anchor 10 couples the rope 30 around their waist and puts a large amount of weight, preferably leaning with all their weight, on the system to ensure that it is properly coupled and will support their weight. A safety check is done of all the connections, namely the mast 20 to the base 22, the weights 24 to the mast 20, the shackle 42 to the mast 20, the rope 30 to the shackle 42, and the rope 30 to the user 12 to ensure that all parts of the system are properly connected, and ensure the full and complete safety of the user while climbing the roof.
With the portable belay anchor system 10 now fully assembled, tested, and ensured of being safe, the user 12 is now ready to ascend the roof. The rope 30 will be connected to a heavy rubber ball, such as a lacrosse ball, a softball, or other appropriate weight. The throwing weight can be attached to the rope 30 by any acceptable technique, such as duct tape. The end of the rope 30 could be tied to the roll of duct tape for use of the duct tape as the weight. However, for ease in throwing and to be assured of having a sufficient weight that can be easily thrown that is not so heavy as to cause damage, a softball is preferred. The ball and line are thrown over the roof and land on the other side. The user then goes to the other side and pulls the rope tight so that the rope is taut across the top of the roof as shown in
As is known, the rope 30 can be pulled through the belay braking device 32 to take up the slack and be shorter as the user 12 walks up to the peak of the roof and, as the user walks to far ends of the roof at either side, far from the portable belay anchor, the rope 30 can slip backward the other way through the braking device 32 providing an extended length of travel. In the event the user 12 suddenly slips or falls, the braking device 32 is preferably of a type that will automatically grip the rope 30 and safely stop the user 12 from falling. Such automatic belay anchoring devices work similar to a seat belt in a car, that grips solidly and quickly in the event excessive force is placed on the rope 30 traveling through the belay brake 32. Indeed, if the user 12 wishes to clamp the rope, he may simply put a quick jerk on the belay brake 32 and it will lock the rope 30 solidly in place so that he is now safely anchored at a fixed location. The user 12 can then put all his weight on the rope 30 and be assured that it is safely and securely held so that he will not slip.
Many roofs 14 are sufficiently steep that without a belay anchoring system the user could not safely traverse the roof and be assured of not falling off. the belay anchoring system 10 is a portable device which a single user can transport, assemble, and make use off, and be assured of their own safety during the entire time they are on the roof.
In the event the user wishes to work on the other side of the roof, after he has completed all the work necessary for one side he climbs down the ladder 17, disconnects himself from the rope 30, then, using the hand truck 34, carries the portable belay anchoring system 10 to the other side of the house, throws the rope over to the other side of the house, and climbs up on the roof 14 on the other side of the house. Using this technique, all portions of the house can be easily inspected, and the portable belay anchoring system 10 can be easily moved from a first location adjacent the house to a second or third or fourth location adjacent the house, so that all parts of the roof can be fully inspected. Indeed, for some complex homes, the belay anchoring system 10 may be required to be moved three or more times, since some roofs may have unusual angles that need to be inspected.
Preferably, the rope 30 is positioned in such a way that it does not rub against a chimney, a TV antenna, or any other locations on the roof, since if full weight is put on the rope 30 it may break these devices on the roof, which would require additional repair. Also, the rope 30 preferably does not rub against the very top ridge of the house or other objects on the house, to avoid causing damage to either the house roof and the rope. Accordingly, proper care is taken of the rope when moving to avoid splash corners in the gutter, sharp ridge lines, protruding objects from the roof or from the gutter, or a ridge cap on the roof. Thus, it is useful to keep in mind that the rope 30 has a sawing effect on the ridge cap if the user puts his full weight on the rope as they walk around the roof, which can cause damage to both the ridge cap and the rope. The user can place a carpet on the ridge cap so that the rope is in contact with the carpet or some other intermediate device so that the rope is stable on the ridge and does not injure either the rope or the ridge cap. In addition, the user needs to be careful if they move off center on a hip-type roof, that the rope could slip off the main ridge, resulting in a catastrophic accident. Therefore, the user has the benefit of the full advantage of portable anchor system 10 in that they may easily move the belay anchor to different locations around the house to be ensured that they do not have to go on the other side of a hip roof which may cause an unexpected and catastrophic slack in the rope due to a change in the orientation between the user and the anchor. Without a portable anchor, for example, if the rope 30 is tied to a tree or other stationary object, the user may be prohibited from going to certain parts of the roof because doing so may cause the rope to impact other objects on the roof, slip off the main ridge if the user is on the other side of a hip-type structure of a roof, or cause other problems. With the portable belay anchor system 10, the user is able to select a desired location for the belay anchor which is most likely to ensure full and complete access to the roof at desired locations rather than being stuck with having to compromise his safety because of a less than preferred location of a tree or other natural anchor that may be present.
The use of a flange 56 at the bottom of the mast 20 has particular advantages. The individual weights 24 abut against the flange 56. They do not contact the base plate 22 and, in fact are held spaced apart from the plate by a distance equal to the thickness of flange 56. This cannot be seen in some of the other prior
In one embodiment, the base 22 is not required, and an enlarged flange 56 may be used with the weights stacked thereon. However, this is not preferred because the weights may sit on the ground and become uneven as the mast 20 is tipped at different angles and preferably, to keep the weights clear and the system clean, only the base plate 22 and bipod legs 26 contact the ground. The mast 20 as well as the weights are kept spaced above the ground to maintain safe and clean operation.
Since the flange 56 is an integral part of the shaft 54, the mast 20 can be easily made to support extensive weight, for example in the range of 3000-8000 pounds. If a simple still shaft is made for the mast 20, having a diameter in the range of 2 inches and a flange having a diameter in the range of 3 inches, calculations show that the rated load is in excess of 5000 pounds. Thus, a large amount of weight can be placed thereon, and the mast 20 can be assured of supporting any user under any conditions.
While it is preferred that the flange 56 be an integral single piece of the shaft 54, it is possible that it can be welded or coupled by some other technique to the shaft 54. If the flange 56 is welded to the shaft 54, additional testing will be required to ensure that the weld is solid and that the bond between the shaft 54 and the flange 56 is more than sufficient to hold all the weights, as well as the user, together with the appropriate multiple of a safety factor. Thus, while a weld connection between the flange 56 and 54 may be used, as well as other types of connections, the use of an integral shaft and flange that has been machine milled from a single piece to create the mast 20 is preferred.
The various embodiments described above can be combined to provide further embodiments. All of the U.S. patents, U.S. patent application publications, U.S. patent applications, foreign patents, foreign patent applications and non-patent publications referred to in this specification and/or listed in the Application Data Sheet are incorporated herein by reference, in their entirety. Aspects of the embodiments can be modified, if necessary to employ concepts of the various patents, applications and publications to provide yet further embodiments.
These and other changes can be made to the embodiments in light of the above-detailed description. In general, in the following claims, the terms used should not be construed to limit the claims to the specific embodiments disclosed in the specification and the claims, but should be construed to include all possible embodiments along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled. Accordingly, the claims are not limited by the disclosure.