Reconnectable breakaway rope safety connector
OwnerPeter W. Rietzinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A re-attachable breakaway safety connector is disclosed which is adapted for use with a rope or other objects arranged in at least a substantially linear manner such that when force is provided to the objects, a tensile force is transferred to the connector. The breakaway connector is designed to fail, i.e., the components separate, when the tensile force transferred to the connector exceeds a predetermined level, and may be selectively adjusted to reduce the amount of force required to separate a male and female component of the safety connector.
Claims16
A breakaway connector adapted for interconnection to a restraint device, comprising:
- a male component and a female component each having an attachment end, a connector end, and a body portion, with an integral reinforcing ridge positioned therebetween, said attachment end and said connector end, said connector end of said male component and said connector end of said female component capable of being releasably interconnected;
- wherein said connector end of said male component further includes a connector post that protrudes generally perpendicular from said body of said male component, and wherein said body portion of said male component and said body portion of said female component are generally parallel to each other when said components are releasably interconnected;
- wherein said male component and said female component become disconnected when subjected to a predetermined force acting along a substantially longitudinal axis of either said female component or said male component.
An apparatus adapted for selectively releasing a restraint device from at least one substantially non-moving object, comprising:
- a male component having an attachment end adapted for interconnection to the restraint device, a connector end having at least a first male portion extending therefrom, a generally planar body portion, with an integral reinforcing ridge positioned between said attachment end and said connector end of said male component;
- a female component having an attachment end adapted for interconnection to a second portion of the restraint device, a connector end having at least a first female portion which is releasably interconnected to said first male portion, and which releases from said at least first male portion when a predetermined force is applied to the restraint device and said apparatus, and a generally planar body segment, with an integral reinforcing ridge positioned between said attachment end and said connector end of said female component, wherein said body portion of said male component and said body portion of said female component are generally parallel to each other when said components are releasably interconnected.
A breakaway connector adapted for interconnection to a restraint device, comprising:
- a male component and a female component each having an attachment end and a connector end, said connector end of said male component and said connector end of said female component capable of being releasably interconnected, wherein at least a portion of said female component comprises a plurality of removable tabs that can be selectively removed;
- wherein said male component and said female component become disconnected when subjected to a predetermined force acting along a substantially longitudinal axis of either said female component or said male.
An apparatus adapted for selectively releasing a restraint device from at least one substantially non-moving object, comprising:
- a male component having a hook-shaped attachment end adapted for interconnection to the restraint device and a connector end having at least a first male portion extending therefrom;
- a female component having a hook-shaped attachment end adapted for interconnection to a second portion of the restraint device and a connector end having at least a first female portion which is removably interconnected to said first male portion, and which releases from said at least first male portion when a predetermined force is applied to the restraint device and said apparatus.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.