Bidirectionally locking safety brake apparatus for tree climbing lanyards and other types of lines and safety climbing lanyard system utilizing same

A safety tree climbing apparatus for connection to a safety harness worn by a climber, the safety tree climbing apparatus comprising:

• a) a tree-encircling lanyard line having selected connector members secured to its opposite longitudinal ends, the connector members arranged for releasable securement to a selected first connector mount of the climber's safety harness, said lanyard line having a preselected overall length of approximately twice the length required to extend from connection at one of its ends to the climber's safety harness and around a tree to be climbed and back to the climber's safety harness, and
• b) a bidirectionally locking safety brake apparatus slidably secured on said lanyard line at approximately the mid point between the opposite terminal ends thereof and dividing the lanyard line into opposite, approximately equal length first and second sections extending in opposite directions from the safety brake apparatus, the safety brake apparatus including a pivotally mounted lanyard line-engaging brake cam member arranged for rotatable securement to a second connector mount of the climbers safety harness, the brake cam member configured to provide substantially unrestricted sliding movement of the safety brake apparatus along the lanyard line when the brake cam member is pivoted on its pivot mount into a neutral, release position and provide frictional, locking, braking engagement with the lanyard line when pivoted in either opposite direction of pivot from said neutral, release position by force applied in either opposite direction to the brake cam through its connection to the safety harness of the climber, whereby
• c) with the safety brake apparatus connected to the second connector mount of a climber's safety harness, the first section of the lanyard line is extended around a tree to be climbed and connected at its terminal end to the first connector mount of the safety harness and the length of the first section is adjusted as desired by orienting the brake cam member into said neutral, release position and sliding the safety brake apparatus along the line after which the tree may be climbed in normal manner, the brake cam pivoted into said a locking position corresponding to the tension applied thereagainst by the outward force of the climber connected thereto and leaning outwardly against the supporting tree-encircling lanyard line section, and when vertical movement of the tree-encircling lanyard line section is prevented as by an outwardly projecting branch being encountered, said second lanyard line section is passed over the obstruction and extended around the tree trunk and connected at its terminal end to the first connector member of the safety harness mounting the end of the first section of the lanyard line, whereupon the length of the second lanyard line section is then adjusted as desired by release of tension force applied against the connection of the brake cam to the safety harness and manually moving the safety brake apparatus longitudinally on the line as needed after which the first section of the lanyard line is released from its connection to the first connector mount of the climber's safety harness thereby permitting continued vertical climbing and assuring that the climber is continuously secured to the tree by the tree-encircling safety climbing lanyard line even while passing obstructions to normal vertical movement of the tree-encircling climbing lanyard.