Vertical lift harness and turnout gear
OwnerDouglas L. Alleninventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A safety harness for vertically lifting of a user is provided. The safety harness includes an upper body harness and a lower body harness which may be positioned on liners within a coat and pants of the user, respectively. The upper body harness and lower body harness attach together to function as a Class III harness enabling lifting of a user in a vertical orientation by virtue of the harness geometry. The lower body harness alone serves as a Class II harness and the upper body harness alone serves as a drag line. The harness is particularly suited to be integrated with firefighting turnout gear for ready donning with the turnout gear.
Claims20
A safety harness for vertically lifting a user, the safety harness comprising:
- an upper body harness having a horizontal strap adapted to extend around the torso of a user such that a rear portion of said horizontal strap is fitted at the back of the user and a front portion of said horizontal strap is fitted at the front of the user with respective left and right side portions fitted at the user's left and right sides;
- a first vertical strap extending from said rear portion of said horizontal strap toward a first shoulder of the user;
- a second vertical strap extending from said rear portion of said horizontal strap toward a second shoulder of the user;
- a drag line support strap extending from said left side portion to said right side portion along the back of the user;
- a drag line having a first end associated with said drag line support and a free second end;
- and
- a lower body harness connected to said upper body harness at said left and right side portions;
- wherein vertical lifting of said drag line free end pulls said drag line support strap upward toward the neck of a user to engage the lower body harness and place the user in a vertical orientation.
Firefighter turnout gear with safety harness comprising:
- a coat and coat liner, the coat liner positioned inside said coat;
- pants and pants liner, the pants liner positioned inside said pants;
- an upper body harness positioned primarily between said coat and coat liner;
- a lower body harness positioned primarily between said pants and pants liner;
- wherein said coat liner includes a first slot and second slot through which a portion of said upper body harness extends for connection with said lower body harness.
The firefighter turnout gear with safety harness of claim. 12, wherein said upper body harness and said lower body harness are connected together, and wherein said upper body harness further comprises:
- a horizontal strap positioned at least in a rear portion of said coat liner;
- a first vertical strap extending from said horizontal strap toward a first shoulder of the coat liner;
- a second vertical strap extending from said horizontal strap toward a second shoulder of the coat liner;
- a drag line support strap having a first end and a second end, each of said ends connected to said horizontal strap, the drag line support strap positioned between said coat liner and said first and second vertical straps;
- and,
- a drag line having a first end associated with said drag line support and a free second end;
- wherein vertical lifting of said drag line free end pulls said drag line support strap upward toward the neck of the coat liner and engages the lower harness to place the user in a vertical orientation.
The firefighter turnout gear with safety harness of claim 16 wherein said upper body harness and said lower body harness are retrofitted into existing coat and pants by forming said first slot and said second slot and extending portions of said upper body harness there through and forming said third slot and said forth slot and extending portions of said belt there through.
A method of retrofitting a coat, coat liner, pants, and pants liner, to incorporate a safety harness, the method comprising:
- forming a first slot and a second slot in said coat liner;
- forming a third slot and a fourth slot in said pants;
- fitting an upper body portion of the safety harness to the outside of the coat liner;
- threading portions of the upper body safety harness through the first slot and the second slot to position the portions on the inside of the coat liner;
- fitting a lower body portion of the safety harness to the outside of the pants liner.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.