Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02331134 2001-O1-16
TITLE: CAPTURE STRAP FOR A RESCUE HARNESS AND METHOD OF USE
INVENTOR: RONALD C. DERBY
S
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This application is a Continuation-In-Part of Application Number 09/624,365,
filed
July 24, 2000, which is incorporated herein by reference.
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention pertains generally to torso harnesses which are utilized
by
rescue personnel to perform rescue operations while suspended from a safety
line, and in
1 S particular to a capture strap which is attached to a rescue harness
designed for use with a
helicopter, and which is used to capture and contain the individual being
rescued.
BACKGROUND ART
Harnesses for supporting a person while the person is suspended from a safety
line
are well known in the art. These devices include various types of rescue
harnesses, safety
harnesses for window washers and tree trimmers, mountain climbing harnesses,
and
parachute harnesses. For example, U.S. Patent 3,757,893 shows an articulating
leg sling
and belt. The leg slings and safety belt provide combined articulation
permitting freedom
of movement. The belt has offset fastening means which permit sliding movement
along a
portion of the belt adjacent the attachment point to a carabiner. U.S. Patent
4,938,436
illustrates a safety harness and belt assembly for aircraft crew members. The
device
includes left and right slings, a first belt assembly having first and second
ends, a survival
kit strap attachment fitting which slidably engages the belt assembly, and a
mechanism for
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releasably attaching the fitting to a seat of the aircraft. The slings are
designed to extend
from the chest of the crew member over the crew member's shoulders, to the
back of the
crew member. U.S. Patent 5,220,976 defines a safety harness to be worn by a
worker
especially a worker wearing a plastic suit for protection in a radioactive or
chemically
S hostile environment. The harness comprises a torso surrounding portion with
at least one
horizontal strap for adjustably securing the harness about the torso, two
vertical shoulder
straps with rings just forward of the peak of the shoulders for attaching a
lifeline and a pair
of adjustable leg supporting straps releasably attachable to the torso
surrounding portion.
U.S. Patent 5,531,292 discloses a harness with adjustable means for supporting
a tool belt.
The harness is arranged to suspend a tool belt, and comprises a pair of leg
straps, a pair of
upper torso straps, a pair of rappelling straps, a seat strap, and four belt
suspenders. Each
of the upper torso straps includes a chest strap portion and a back strap
portion, with the
chest strap portions extending across respective portions of the chest of the
worker. U. S.
Patent 5,878,833 illustrates a fall prevention and lowering system. The
systems consists
of a rope grab, a body engagement device such as a harness, and a lanyard and
lowering
device.
Harnesses used for helicopter rescues have seen little development over the
years.
Most harness styles were developed years ago for work on chimneys, buildings,
and rock
climbing. Helicopter rescue operators have merely bought these preexisting
harnesses,
attached them to their cables, and taken off. There are four primary harness
types: (1)
vertical body orientation, (2) horizontal body orientation, (3) inverted body
orientation,
and (4) seated body orientation. The harness for seated body orientation is
the most
frequently used for cliff rescues. Horizontal body orientation is used for
swift water
rescues. In each scenario, the occupant cannot land and must rely entirely on
the
helicopter to provide support. The harness for inverted body orientation is
used for
descending narrow openings such as caves, elevator shafts, and holes. This
scenario would
be utilized by ground units such as urban search and rescues (U.S.A.R.).
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DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION
Th present invention is directed to a capture strap which is removably
connectable
to a rescue harness. The capture strap is utilized by a rescuer to surround,
contain, and
hold a person being rescued. The capture strap of the present invention is
particularly
useful in effecting swift water rescues using a helicopter in which the person
to be rescued
is being rapidly swept along by a river or other body of water.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, a capture strap is
fashioned from strap material having a first end and an opposite second end. A
first metal
connector is attached to the first end, and a cooperating second metal
connector is
attached to the second end. The rescuer holds the first and second metal
connectors in his
hands and slaps them together to lock the capture strap easily and rapidly
around a person
being rescued.
In accordance with another preferred embodiment of the invention, the capture
strap has two spaced apart harness connectors for removably connecting the
capture strap
to two spaced apart receptacles on the chest portion of a rescue harness.
In accordance with an important aspect of the invention, the capture strap has
a
cross member to reduce the effective length of the capture strap, and thereby
assist in
capturing smaller persons.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent
from
the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying
drawings,
which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the invention.
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BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
FIG. I is a plan view of a capture strap in accordance with the present
invention;
FIG. 2 is a front elevation view of a rescue harness;
FIG. 3 is a reduced side elevation view of a rescuer poised to use the capture
strap;
FIG. 4 is a reduced reversed side elevation view of the rescuer poised to use
the
capture strap;
FIG. 5 is a reduced front elevation view of the rescuer poised to use the
capture
strap;
FIG. 6 is a reduced side elevation view of the rescuer placing and locking the
capture strap around a person being rescued; and,
FIG. 7 is a front elevation view of the rescuer placing and locking the
capture strap
around the person being rescued.
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MODES FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Referring initially to FIG. 1, there is illustrated a plan view of a capture
strap for a
rescue harness 500 (refer also to FIG. 2) in accordance with the present
invention,
generally designated as 20. Capture strap 20 includes a strap 22 having a
first end 24 and
an opposite second end 26. A first metal connector 28 is connected to first
end 24, and a
second cooperating metal connector 30 is connected to second end 26. In a
preferred
embodiment, first metal connector 28 is a ring, and second metal connector 30
is a snap
having a spring loaded gate 31 which is biased to a closed position. Second
metal
connector 30 is removabley connectable to first metal connector 28 so that
capture strap
may be easily and rapidly locked around a person 600 being rescued (refer also
to
FIGS. 6 and 7). Prior art capture straps do not use metal to metal quick
connect
cooperating connectors. As such, prior art capture straps cannot be fastened
as quickly
15 and securely about the person 600 being rescued.
Strap 22 has two spaced apart harness connectors 32 and 34 for removably
connecting capture strap 20 to the rescue harness 500. Referring also to FIG.
2, rescue
harness 500 has two spaced apart chest receptacles 502 for removably receiving
two
spaced apart harness connectors 32 and 34. The two spaced apart harness
connectors 32
20 and 34 are connected to the two spaced apart chest receptacles 502 of
rescue harness 500
to assemble the harness and capture strap for use.
Capture strap 20 additionally includes a cross member 36 connected across
strap
22. Cross member 36 effectively reduces the length of strap 22, thereby
ensuring that
small persons 600 being rescued will not slip through capture strap 20.
Capture strap 20 also has a central connector 38, which is designed to be
connected to a connector 504 on rescue harness 500 with a carabiner (refer
also to FIG.
2). This configuration is most useful in performing rescues when the rescuer
is in a
substantially seated position suspended by a line from connector 504.
Capture strap 20 includes two adjustable buckles 40 which are attached to
looped
wrist straps 42 which receive the wrists of the rescuer 700 (also refer to
FIGS. 3 - 7).
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After first and second connectors 28 and 30 are rapidly snapped together on
the other side
of the person 600 being rescued, wrist straps 42 are pulled generally outward
in directions
44 thereby effectively shortening strap 22 to cinch the person 600 being
rescued in the
capture strap 20.
FIG. 3 is a reduced side elevation view of a rescuer 700 poised to use capture
strap 20. FIG. 4 is a reduced reversed side elevation view of the rescuer 700.
And FIG. 5
is a reduced front elevation view of the rescuer 700. Rescuer 700 is wearing
rescue
harness 500 and is suspended from a line 506, such as one emanating from a
helicopter.
The wrists of rescuer 700 are placed through wrist straps 42. Rescuer 700 is
suspended in
an angled forward facing ("peter pan type flying) position holding first metal
connector 28
in his left hand and second metal connector 30 in his right hand. This is the
typical
position for performing swift water rescues, wherein the rescuer 700 is
positioned
downstream of and facing the person to be rescued 600. When the person 600
drifts into
the arms of the rescuer 700, he is captured and secured with capture strap 20.
Spaced apart harness connectors 32 and 34 are connected to spaced apart chest
receptacles 502 of harness 500. By spacing apart the harness and chest
connectors,
capture strap 20 is inherently aligned in a substantially horizontal plane
ready to receive
the person 600 to be rescued.
FIGS. 6 and 7 are reduced side elevation and front elevation views
respectively of
rescuer 700 placing and locking capture strap 20 around a person 600 being
rescued.
Rescuer 700 reaches out and places his arms around person 600, and connects
first metal
connector 28 to second metal connector 30. The rescuer 700 then moves his
wrists
outwardly to tighten capture strap 20 around the person 600 being rescued. It
will be
appreciated that while FIGS. 6 and 7 show the victim facing away from the
rescuer, the
victim may also face the rescuer and/or be unconscious.
In terms of use, a rescuer 700 wears a rescue harness 500. Capture strap 20 is
connected to the rescue harness 500, preferably by a pair of harness
connectors 32 and 34
on capture strap 20 and a pair of cooperating chest receptacles 502 on rescue
harness 500.
Rescuer 700 is then placed adjacent to the person 600 to be rescued, such as
by
suspending rescuer 700 downstream of a floating person 600. Rescuer 700 places
capture
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strap around the person 600 and connects the first 28 and second 30 metal
connectors
together.
DESCRIPTION OF CONNECTORS AND BUCKLES:
The following connectors and buckles utilized on harness 20 are available from
United States Forgecraft Corp. of Fort Smith, Arkansas:
first metal connector 28 - parachute harness, P/N 22046-1;
second metal connector 30 - rope snap, ladder hook, P/N 3029A;
spaced apart harness connectors 32, 34 - snap parachute harness, P/N MS 22017;
and
chinch buckle 40 - adjuster, P/N MS 22007-2.
The straps of harness 20 are fabricated from nylon webbing Type VII, in
accordance with MIL-W-4088H, such as webbing having product code NWT7U
available
from Unitex Inc. of Los Angeles, California.
The preferred embodiments of the invention described herein are exemplary and
numerous modifications, dimensional variations, and rearrangements can be
readily
envisioned to achieve an equivalent result, all of which are intended to be
embraced within
the scope of the appended claims.
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