Self-belaying descending apparatus

A self-belaying descending apparatus comprising:

• a) a descending control device comprising:
• (1) a vertical section having an upper end and a lower end, where to the upper end is attached a line guide and to the lower end is attached a body support means,
• (2) an upper line control attached to the vertical section and located below the line guide and,
• (3) a lower line control attached to the vertical section, in alignment with the upper line control, and located above the body support wherein said lower line control comprises an open loop, where the open area of the loop faces downward,
• b) a safety line having an upper end and a lower end, where the upper end has means for being attached to a fixed structure and the lower end is inserted through the line guide and wrapped around the upper and lower line controls with the lower end of said safety line freely extending downward, and
• c) a body support having a front and back section, means for being securely attached to the body and means for attaching the body support means on said device to the front section of said body support.

A self-belaying descending apparatus comprising:

• a) a descending control device comprising:
• (1) a vertical section having an upper end and a lower end, where to the upper end is integrally attached an open-loop line guide, and to the lower end is integrally attached a body support eyelet,
• (2) an upper, upwardly extending open-loop line control integrally attached normal to the vertical section and located below the open-loop line guide, and
• (3) a lower, downwardly extending open-loop line control integrally attached normal to the vertical section, in alignment with the upper open-loop line control and located above the body support eyelet,
• b) a safety line having an upper end and a lower end, where the upper end is attached by an attachment means to a fixed elevated structure and the lower end is inserted through the open-loop line guide and wrapped around the upper and lower line controls with the lower end of said safety line freely extending downward, and
• c) a body support having an integral front and back section, a means for being securely attached to the body and a means for attaching the body support eyelet on said device to the front section.

A method for safety descending from a fixed elevated structure by utilizing a self-belaying and descending apparatus comprising a descending control device having a vertical section having an upper end and a lower end, where to the upper end is integrally attached an open-loop line guide, and to the lower end is integrally attached a body support eyelet, an upper, upwardly extending open-loop line control integrally attached normal to the vertical section and below the open-loop line guide, and a lower, downwardly extending open-loop line control integrally attached normal to the vertical section, in alignment with the upper open-loop line control and above the body support eyelet, said apparatus further comprising a safety line having an upper end and a lower end and a body support, where said apparatus is operated by performing the following steps:

• a) attach the upper end of said safety line to an elevated structure,
• b) attach the body support,
• c) insert the lower end of said safety line through the open-loop line guide of said device and continue by wrapping said line around the upper and lower open-loop line controls,
• d) attach the body support eyelet on said device to the front section of said body support,
• e) grasp said safety line and said vertical section between said upper and lower line controls while the safety line is wrapped around the upper add lower line controls with at least one hand and step off the structure to commence the descent, and
• f) control the descend rate by applying hand pressure to said safety line wrapped around the upper and lower line controls, when safety down, remove said device and said body support.