# US 11,998,776 B2 · Rope based fall protection device

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- Number: US 11,998,776 B2
- Document ID: US11998776B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/567,463
- Filed: 2019-09-11
- Published: 2020-12-31
- Granted: 2024-06-04
- Earliest claimed: 2019-06-25
- Assignees: Yoke Industrial Corp.
- Applicants: Yoke Industrial Corp.
- Inventors: Wen-Ming Liao; Wei-Chih Chen
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11998776B2

## CPC

- A62B 35/0075: {Details of ropes or similar equipment, e.g. between the secured person and the lifeline or anchor}
- A62B 35/04: incorporating energy absorbing means
- A62B 1/10: mechanically operated
- A62B 35/005: {Vertical lifelines}
- A62B 35/0068: {Anchors}
- A62B 35/0093: {Fall arrest reel devices}
- E04G 21/3204: {against falling down}
- B65H 75/34: specially adapted or mounted for storing and repeatedly paying-out and re-storing lengths of material provided for particular purposes, e.g. anchored hoses, power cables (retractors for storing flexible hoses as accessories of dental work stands A61G15/18; vehicle safety belt retractors B60R22/34; hose-storing devices in apparatus or devices for transferring liquids from bulk storage containers or reservoirs into vehicles or portable containers B67D7/40; clothes-line supports D06F53/00; spring drums for liftable blinds with horizontal lamellae E06B9/322; spring drums or tape drums for roll-type closures or roller blinds E06B9/56; hauling- or hoisting-chains with arrangements for holding electric cables, hoses or the like F16G13/16; devices for guiding pipes, cables or protective tubing, between relatively movable points, e.g. movable channels, F16L3/01; flexible rulers or tapes with scales G01B3/10; electrical features of stored material, see the relevant subclasses, e.g. H02G)
- B65H 2403/00: Power transmission; Driving means
- A62B: DEVICES, APPARATUS OR METHODS FOR LIFE-SAVING (valves specially adapted for medical use A61M39/00; life-saving devices, apparatus or methods specially adapted for use in water B63C9/00; divers' equipment B63C11/00; specially adopted for use with aircraft, e.g. parachutes, ejector seats, {B64D17/00, B64D25/10}; rescue devices peculiar to mining E21F11/00)
- E04G: SCAFFOLDING; FORMS; SHUTTERING; BUILDING IMPLEMENTS OR AIDS, OR THEIR USE; HANDLING BUILDING MATERIALS ON THE SITE; REPAIRING, BREAKING-UP OR OTHER WORK ON EXISTING BUILDINGS
- B65H: HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES

## Abstract

A rope based fall protection device including a rotation unit, a brake unit, and a rope. A first end of the rope is connected to the rotation unit. The rope includes a first rope loop and a second rope loop that are wound around the rotation unit. A first retaining portion of a retaining ring is sleeved on the first rope loop and a second retaining portion thereof is sleeved on the second rope loop, such that the rope forms a rope section which has a fixed length between the second retaining portion and the first end and is wound around the rotation unit. When a free end of the rope is pulled by an external force to release the rope wound around the rotation unit in a direction away from the rotation unit, the retaining ring is broken to release the rope section of the rope. The external force is greater than or equal to a pulling force generated by a user's free fall. By releasing the rope section of the rope, the rotation unit rotates and simultaneously drives the brake unit to rotate to slow down or stop the rotation of the rotation unit.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A rope based fall protection device, comprising a rotation unit, a brake unit, a stopping part, a friction unit, and a rope, wherein the stopping part is fixed in a housing of the rope based fall protection device; the friction unit is disposed between the rotation unit and the brake unit and is connected to one of the rotation unit and the brake unit, and is movable relative to the other one of the rotation unit and the brake unit; the rope is wound around the rotation unit; the brake unit is connected to the rotation unit and is configured to restrict rotation of the rotation unit; a first end of the rope is connected to the rotation unit, and rotates as the rotation unit rotates so that the rope is wound around the rotation unit; a second end of the rope is a free end; the rope based fall protection device is characterized in that:
the rope from the first end to the second end at least sequentially including a plurality of third rope loops, a first rope loop, and a second rope loop that are wound around the rotation unit, wherein the first rope loop is disposed between the plurality of the third rope loops and the second rope loop;
a retaining ring includes a first retaining portion and a second retaining portion adjacent to each other, wherein the first retaining portion is sleeved on the first rope loop and the second retaining portion is sleeved on the second rope loop, such that the rope forms a rope section which has a fixed length between the second retaining portion and the first end and wherein the rope section is wound around the rotation unit; the retaining ring fits around the first rope loop and the second rope loop wherein the retaining ring is movably and indirectly fixed to the rotation unit only via said rope;
when the free end of the rope is pulled by an external force to release the rope wound around the rotation unit in a direction away from the rotation unit, the retaining ring is broken to release the rope section of the rope; by releasing the rope section of the rope, the rotation unit rotates and simultaneously drives the brake unit to rotate, causing the brake unit to abut against the stopping part to stop rotating, and then the rotation unit rotates relative to the brake unit, the friction unit rubs against one of the rotation unit and the brake unit to slow down a rotational speed of the rotation unit;
the external force is greater than or equal to a pulling force generated by a user's free fall.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The rope based fall protection device of claim 1, wherein when the retaining ring is broken, the first retaining portion and the second retaining portion of the retaining ring are separated from each other to release the rope section of the rope.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The rope based fall protection device of claim 1, wherein when the retaining ring is broken, at least one of the first retaining portion and the second retaining portion of the retaining ring is broken, causing the rope disengaged from at least one of the first retaining portion and the second retaining portion to release the rope section of the rope.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The rope based fall protection device of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first retaining portion and the second retaining portion of the retaining ring has a slit; when the retaining ring is broken, the rope is disengaged from at least one of the first retaining portion and the second retaining portion through the slit to release the rope section of the rope.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The rope based fall protection device of claim 1, wherein the first retaining portion of the retaining ring has a first thickness, and the second retaining portion thereof has a second thickness; the first thickness is equal to the second thickness.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The rope based fall protection device of claim 1, wherein the first retaining portion of the retaining ring has a first width, and the second retaining portion thereof has a second width; the first width is different from the second width.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The rope based fall protection device of claim 1, wherein the first retaining portion of the retaining ring has a first height, and the second retaining portion thereof has a second height; the first height is equal to the second height.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The rope based fall protection device of claim 1, wherein a through hole of the first retaining portion of the retaining ring communicates with a through hole of the second retaining portion of the retaining ring.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The rope based fall protection device of claim 1, wherein a cross-sectional area of a through hole of the first retaining portion of the retaining ring is larger than a cross-sectional area of a through hole of the second retaining portion of the retaining ring.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The rope based fall protection device of claim 1, wherein the rope has a rope head at the first end of the rope; the rotation unit has a fixed groove, and the rope head is disposed in the fixed groove.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The rope based fall protection device of claim 1, wherein the retaining ring is configured to be spaced apart from the rotation unit when the first rope loop and the second rope loop are sleeved within the retaining ring.