Fire escape – ladder – or scaffold – Torso harness
Reexamination Certificate
2000-01-25
2001-07-03
Stodola, Daniel P. (Department: 3634)
Fire escape, ladder, or scaffold
Torso harness
C182S006000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06253874
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to methods and apparatus for interconnecting criss-crossing straps on a safety harness.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Various occupations place people in precarious positions at relatively high heights, thereby creating a need for fall-arresting safety apparatus. Such apparatus requires a reliable lifeline and reliable connections with both a support structure and the person working in proximity to the support structure. U.S. Pat. No. 5,203,829 to Fisk et al. discloses a body-engaging harness suitable for this purpose. As disclosed in the Fisk et al. patent and shown herein in
FIGS. 5-6
, the Fisk et al. harness
10
generally includes a shoulder strap
12
, a waist strap
14
, and a seat strap
16
.
The shoulder strap
12
includes left and right shoulder strap segments
18
and
20
which pass over respective shoulders of a person. A first end portion of the left shoulder strap segment
18
is fixedly secured to an adjustment member
22
by means of stitching
42
. The left shoulder strap segment
18
extends from the adjustment member
22
, across a back pad
30
and then into interlaced engagement with a first intermediate portion
26
of the seat strap
16
. A second end portion
24
of the left shoulder strap segment
18
extends beyond the juncture with the seat strap
16
and is fixedly secured to a female buckle connector
58
.
A first end portion of the right shoulder strap segment
20
is adjustably secured to the adjustment member
22
and thereby connected to the first end portion of the left shoulder strap segment
18
. A distal end
25
of the first end portion of the right shoulder strap segment
20
is folded and sewn against itself to discourage removal from the adjustment member
22
. The distal end
25
is retained relative to an intermediate portion of the right shoulder strap segment
20
by means of a keeper
70
. The intermediate portion of the right shoulder strap segment
20
extends from the adjustment member
22
, through a front slide assembly
34
, which includes both a D-ring and an adjuster link, and then across the back pad
30
. The right shoulder strap segment
20
extends from the back pad
30
into interlaced engagement with a second intermediate portion
38
of the seat strap
16
. A second end portion
36
of the right shoulder strap segment
20
extends beyond the juncture with the seat strap
16
and is fixedly secured to a female buckle connector
58
.
The back pad
30
cooperates with a D-ring
29
to define a suspension assembly
28
. The strap segments
18
and
20
are connected to the back pad
30
by heavy duty stitching
32
, and the D-ring
29
is secured to the back pad
30
by webbing extending between discrete sections of the stitching
32
. The resulting suspension assembly
28
provides an anchorage point for a fall arrest line and also encourages proper use of the harness by giving it shape which suggests how to correctly secure the harness about a person.
A first end portion
15
of the waist strap
14
is fixedly secured to the seat strap
16
, proximate the second intermediate portion
38
thereof. An intermediate portion of the waist strap
14
passes through the front slide assembly
34
. A second end portion of the waist strap
14
is connected to a male buckle connector
56
. An adjustment assembly
60
is provided on the second end portion of the waist strap
14
to facilitate adjustments to the length of the waist strap
14
. The harness
10
may be further adjusted by moving the adjuster link on the front slide assembly
34
away from the D-ring along the right shoulder strap segment
20
and the waist strap
14
; repositioning the right shoulder strap segment
20
and the waist strap
14
relative to respective portions of the D-ring; and moving the adjuster link back toward the D-ring.
As noted above, the first intermediate portion
26
of the seat strap
16
is interlaced with the left shoulder strap segment
18
. A female buckle connecter
58
is connected to a distal end of this first intermediate portion
26
. A central portion of the seat strap
16
extends between the intermediate portions
26
and
38
, and each end portion of the seat strap
16
defines a respective leg strap segment
64
or
66
. Spacing tabs
62
are sewn to portions of the seat strap
16
to ensure proper positioning of the leg portions
64
and
66
relative to a person's legs.
A male buckle connector
56
is disposed on each leg portion
64
or
66
before a distal end
65
or
67
of each is folded and sewn against itself to discourage removal of the connector
56
. The effective lengths of the leg portions
64
and
66
may be adjusted by repositioning the buckles
56
relative thereto. The distal ends
65
and
67
are retained relative to intermediate portions of respective straps
64
and
66
by means of additional keepers
70
. The buckle connectors
56
on the leg portions
64
and
66
selectively interlock with the buckle connectors
58
on the ends of respective shoulder strap segments
18
and
20
.
Another conventional body-engaging harness is known in the art as a “vest-type” harness. This prior art harness has shoulder straps which criss-cross across a person's back (between the waist and the shoulders) and extend parallel to one another across a person's chest (between the shoulders and the waist). A transverse strap extends laterally across the person's chest between the two parallel strap portions. Some of these harnesses include another transverse strap which extends between the two criss-crossing strap portions, about eight inches below the dorsal connection point. This additional strap is intended to reduce the likelihood of a person falling out of the harness during a fall arrest. Unfortunately, such an arrangement also impedes adjustability of the harness and/or does not maintain a fixed distance between the additional strap and the dorsal connection point.
An object of the present invention is to provide an improved suspension assembly for body-engaging harnesses. Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved method of interconnecting criss-crossing straps on a body-engaging harness.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides methods and apparatus which facilitate interconnection of criss-crossing harness straps. In a preferred embodiment and/or mode of operation, a triangular connector guides a first strap in a first direction and a second strap in a second direction. Intermediate portions of the straps extend between connection points on the connector and cooperate therewith to retain a D-ring. The arrangement eliminates the need for heavy duty stitching that was otherwise required with the prior art back pad and thereby provides a suspension assembly which is easier and less expensive to manufacture. The arrangement also provides a laterally extending support at a fixed distance beneath the D-ring to span the downwardly widening gap defined between the shoulder straps. Additional features and/or advantages of the present invention may become more apparent from the detailed description which follows.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2546689 (1951-03-01), Frieder et al.
patent: 2574178 (1951-11-01), Haller
patent: 2817393 (1957-12-01), Mitchell
patent: 3034596 (1962-05-01), Twaits, Jr.
patent: 3448826 (1969-06-01), Rosenblum
patent: 3757744 (1973-09-01), Pravaz
patent: 4112865 (1978-09-01), Carn
patent: 4273215 (1981-06-01), Leggett
patent: 4545773 (1985-10-01), Evert
patent: 4712513 (1987-12-01), Huppertsberg
patent: 4720064 (1988-01-01), Herndon
patent: 4991689 (1991-02-01), Cole
patent: 5329884 (1994-07-01), Bell
patent: 5433289 (1995-07-01), O'Rourke
Casebolt Scott C.
Wolner J. Thomas
Cohen Curtis A.
D B Industries, Inc.
Mau & Krull, P.A.
Stodola Daniel P.
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