PERSONAL HARNESS FOR CARRYING PACKS

HARNAIS POUR SAC A DOS

English Abstract

Equipment that enables people to carry substantial pack loads have the problems that the body is under load from the shoulders down and packs bearing against the body prevent evaporation of perspiration which generates discomfort and fatigue. An eccentric backpack load exacerbates these problems. The subject invention is a wearable harness that transfers pack loads directly to the person's hips, bypassing the shoulders and upper body. An over-the -shoulder, inverted "U" beam structure has attachment points for back and front packs and maintains a ventilation space beneath both. Balanced front and back packs can eliminate load eccentricity. Each beam is supported at the bottom (front and back) by a wide belt that goes over the hip. The harness is kept in place circumferentially at the waist by an ordinary belt around the waist. A distinctive hip is a significant advantage; therefore, the invention is applicable mostly to women. Packs having lateral strength and stiffness bridge across the "U" beam structure leaving a ventilation path between the pack(s) and the body to allow body cooling.

French Abstract

L'équipement qui permet aux gens de porter des charges importantes sous forme de sac à dos soumet le corps à une charge depuis les épaules vers le bas et les sacs à dos appuient contre le corps empêchant l'évaporation de la transpiration ce qui est une source d'inconfort et de fatigue. Une charge de sac à dos excentrique exacerbe ces problèmes. La présente invention est un harnais portable qui transfère les charges du sac à dos directement aux hanches de la personne, évitant les épaules et le haut du corps. Une structure de montant en U inversé par-dessus l'épaule comporte des points de fixation pour les sacs à dos avant et arrière et maintient un espace de ventilation sous les deux. Les sacs à dos avant et arrière équilibrés permettent d'éliminer l'excentricité de la charge. Chaque montant est supporté dans le bas (à l'avant et à l'arrière) par une ceinture large qui se porte sur les hanches. Le harnais est maintenu en place circonférentiellement à la taille par une ceinture conventionnelle autour de la taille. Une hanche prononcée est un avantage important; par conséquent, l'invention s'applicable surtout aux femmes. Les sacs à dos ayant une résistance et une rigidité latérale créent un pont entre la structure à montant en U laissant un chemin entre le ou les sacs à dos et le corps pour permettre le refroidissement du corps.

Claims

Claims
The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege
is claimed are
defined as follows.
1. A harness that is worn by a person to alleviate the stress and discomfort
of carrying packs,
such harness consisting of inverted "U" beams (1) going over the shoulders of
the wearer and
vertically oriented, so as to provide a base at the back and front of the
torso for attaching packs,
and connecting to the ends of flexible load belts, one on each side of the
body, such that each belt
is tensioned by the load from its attaching beam (1) and thereby transfers
that load to an area of
the hip where there is enough horizontal orientation to provide an upward
pressure load equal to
the vertical load from the packs.
2. The harness of Claim I wherein relative movement of the inverted "U" beams,
such as up-
down movement in the vertical plane, or rotation about fore-aft axes at the
waist level where they
are supported, is prevented by a connecting plate (3) having sufficient in-
plane strength and
rigidity, between the inverted "U" beams (1).
3. The harness of Claim 1 having attachment hooks or loops on the inverted "U"
beams (1) for
mounting onto them at the front and/or back of the wearer luggage pack(s) that
have sufficient
transverse strength and rigidity to bridge the inverted "U" beams, thereby
leaving a ventilation
path between the pack(s) and the wearer's body to facilitate the rejection of
heat from the body.
4. The harness of Claim 1 having an accessory comprised of an essentially
horizontal beam (5)
that attaches to the inverted "U" beams (1), wherein the horizontal beam (5)
incorporates a
suitably constructed trough (6) in front of the wearer's shoulder for
accepting the butt of a rifle
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and absorbing the recoil when it is fired by transferring the force to the
inverted "U" (1).
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Description

CA 02433252 2007-06-07
Specification
This invention provides to a man or a woman a personal harness that
facilitates the carrying of
luggage packs on his/her back and front and is therefore called a"Personal
Harness for Carrying
Packs".
Commercial packs intended for carrying on the back or front of a person have
wide straps for
placing the load on the shoulders. The comparatively heavy back packs for
hiking usually come
with a belt that is wide at the hips and back and include a flexible foam base
for transferring most
of the load from the pack to the hips. The pack often includes an interior or
exterior frame to
convey the load to the belt. The configuration of these back pack devices
inevitably results in
serious work and discomfort in carrying heavy back packs for a long time. The
first reason is that
such packs load a person's body eccentrically from the back, causing the
person to bend forward
to compensate, which puts considerable load onto the back instead of the hips.
Secondly, the pack
bears upon the back, preventing evaporation of perspiration. Because of the
stress placed on the
upper body by heavy packs, women are especially burdened. The subject
invention overcomes
these disadvantages through the use of substantially rigid, inverted "U"
shaped. beams that go
above the shoulders of the wearer, down the front and back of the body and
have attachment
points for both front and back packs. These can be balanced to bring the
center of gravity of the
total load to the middle of the body, over the person's legs. When carrying
such front and back
packs the person walks upright. In addition, the packs mount on the beams,
leaving some space
for ventilation between the pack and the person's body. This is especially
important when
carrying packs on both front and back because military tests have shown that
rejection of body
heat is significantly impaired, which generates discomfort and fatigue.
The loads from the beams are transferred directly to the tops of the hips by
means of a wide belt,
e.g., 2 inch, that connects to a load beam at the front and goes over the top
of the hip, making a
significant angle (>10 deg) to the vertical and connecting to the same beam at
the back. Similarly
on the other side of the body. A standard belt around the waist initially
holds the apparatus in
place, permitting adjustments if necessary, and aids in limiting slippage up
or down the body. The
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CA 02433252 2007-06-07
beam structure, which does not touch the shoulders, plus the special
waistband, effectively
transfer all of the pack load to the hips, leaving the upper body unstressed
and remote from the
packs. It should therefore be practical for a woman to carry similar pack
loads as a man.
The invention also lends itself to the addition of a horizontal beam spanning
the inverted "U"
beams at the front and having a receptacle cup for the butt of a rifle so that
this invention can be
used by soldiers and hunters. The cup and beam structure can ameliorate the
recoil from the gun
by spreading its effect through bending of the crossbeam and vertical beams,
by transferring
momentum to the mass of the packs carried, and by compression of clothing,
etc.
There are 11 drawings illustrating 16 numbered parts in this embodiment of the
invention plus two
sketches as an aid in discussing underlying theory.
Fig. 1 is an approximately 1/4 size three dimensional view of the entire
harness.
Fig. 2- 4 are approximately '/2 size and are described as follows.
Fig.2- side view of one over-the-shoulder beam (1) on the right side.
Fig.3- downward view of the front plate (3) that stabilizes the two vertical
beams (1) at the front.
Fig.4- Section I-I view of the front plate (3) on Fig.3
Fig. 5- 7 are approximately full size illustrations showing:
Fig.5- tubular receiver (7) for the bottom of the vertical beam (1), and the
lower bracket (12)
for connection to the belts (18 and 20). Front right assembly is shown,
including the
closing attachment for front plate (3).
Fig.6- Section II - II view of latch mechanism in Fig.5
Fig.7- frontal view (section III-III) of lower bracket (12) in Fig.5 and
connecting links 13 & 19
Fig.8- is an approx. '/4 size view of load belt (20) on the right side. Left
side is mirror image
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Fig. 9-11 are approximately 1/2 size illustrations showing:
Fig.9- frontal view of the gun support structure.
Fig.10- side view from the right of the gun support structure.
Fig.l 1- section V-V from Fig.9
Fig.12 & 13 are not to scale. They are for support of discussion and do not
depict the invention.
Fig. 12- force diagram to support explanation of forces acting on the body
from the load belt.
Fig. 13- force diagram to support explanation of forces acting on the body
from the cincture belt.
Figures 1& 2 show round cross-section aluminum tube, bent in 2 places, for the
over-the-shoulder
load beams 1, but other cross sections, materials and bend configuration could
be made to work. A
front pack can be attached to the load beams 1 if it is constructed with a
matching ring (not shown)
that goes over the attachment hook, with straps or elastic cords from the pack
going around the
beams and secured back at the pack, e.g., by Velcro or hook. The load beams 1
have similar
connectors on the backs of the load beams 1, to be utilized in the same way
for a back pack. The
front plate 3, when connected shut at the right side, prevents relative motion
of the load beams 1 in
the plane of the plate, thereby bringing basic stability to the load
structure. The plate could also
fulfill this purpose if placed at the back. The front plate also makes a rigid
link at the front for
balancing the high horizontal force components from the sides. In addition,
the large bearing area of
the plate against the body enables the fore-aft component of tension force in
belt 20 to be borne
comfortably at the soft front of the body.
Referring to Fig.3 & 4, the front plate 3 is hinged at the left side to tube
receiver 7 by Part 24 and
fastens at the right side by connector 25 and retractable pins 14 (See Fig.5 &
6). There are several
holes in connector 25 to permit adjustment of width. The retractable pins are
housed in simple
bearings of common commercial design and kept aligned in a common link such as
the channel
shown. This sub-structure is secured to tube 7 by such conventional means as
the metal straps
shown (17).
The load beams 1 transfer their loads to the load belts 20 via receiver tubes
7 into which the beams
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CA 02433252 2007-06-07
telescope (Fig.5), and lower bracket 12 where short link 13 encircles tube 7
at one end and passes
through the hole in the load belt end connector 19 at the other. Link 13 can
be made from a link of
decorative chain. The receiver tube 7 allows adjustability to the length of
the torso and once fitted,
the set screw is hand tightened by the knob and driven through collar 8 and
receiver tube 7 into load
tube 1, as illustrated in Fig. l& 5. Receiver tube 7 is secured to bracket 12
by flange-ended insert 9
and transmits down load by pushing chain link 13 downward, which pulls load
belt 20 taut over the
top of the hip.
The arrangement of the load belt 20 is shown in Fig.8 and there is one on each
side of the body. It
connects to link 13 at the back and goes over the top of the hip and connects
to link 13 at the front.
At the top of the hip it must have a substantial horizontal orientation so
that the pressure from the
hip onto the belt has enough vertical component to counteract the vertical
loads from the packs.
Therefore, it must make an angle of at least 10 deg. and preferably over 20
deg. to the vertical.
Such distinct configuration of the hip is common with women but not with men.
Consequently, it
can be expected that this invention will be much more applicable to women.
Indeed, by bypassing
the upper body when supporting loaded packs, the personal harness will enable
women to carry
similar loads as a man.
With the first-time use of the harness the person determines the best
separation of the load beams 1
by trying the various settings for this at the front plate (there are three
shown in this embodiment).
The best is when the beams are sufficiently inboard to optimize the position
of the load belt 20
over the hips while not making contact with the neck under any maneuver, nor
interfering with
head movement. The waist part of the apparatus is positioned below the top of
the hip and kept in
place by doing up the cincture belt 18. The load beams 1 should be moved along
the cincture belt
18 until they are centered on the spine. Then the thumb bolts I 1 should be
tightened to fix the
lower bracket 12 on the cincture belt 18. Similarly, at the front, these thumb
bolts should be
tightened. The load belts 20 should be positioned over the hips and tightened
snugly using the
trench coat buckles 21. The load beams 1 should be adjusted in their receiver
tubes 7 so that the
beams are two fingers width above the tops of the shoulders. The set screws at
the tops of the
receiver tubes 7 are then manually tightened to fix this setting. All these
settings should then be
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good for subsequent wearing by the same person wearing clothing of similar
bulk.
The packs must be designed for the hook design on the load beams and may
require an internal,
horizontal beam to fix the separation of the load beams at the attachment.
Also, the hook design
may be changed to suit the attachment mechanism on the pack. An attachment
device could be
added near the bottom of the load beams 1 or the receiver tubes 7 for
attaching packs. Padding
could be added under the load belt for a commercial design.
The gun butt support structure 5, shown in Fig.9 - 11, is first pushed through
the clips on the left
side load beam and then pushed over the right side beam 1 so that the bent
plate embraces it. This
structure, which includes the rifle receptacle cup 6, must be removed before
the harness can be
removed from the body.
Prior art that comes closest to the subject invention is WIPO application WO
01/22847 by A.R.
Moreno (2001 April) and United States patent 796,589 of A. Maloney (1905
August).
The invention of Moreno differs in the following regards. That invention
employs a closed
"substantially rigid" rod that goes over the shoulder and against the side of
the wearer to bring
vertical load from a pack to a single point on the wearer's hip. It appears
that only the top part of
the rod is available for hanging packs. Therefore, the rod configuration
cannot maintain a
ventilation route under the packs.
The subject invention (no.2433252) places the load on the wearer's hip by a
wide belt that is
tensioned by the loads from one rail I connecting at the front and back. This
belt spreads the load
over a much wider area at the top of the hip. The benefit of this is evident
from the force analysis
at the hip. Fig. 12 shows the vertical load P from packs being resolved into a
force Pn that acts
normal to the hip and is reacted by pressure from the body to load belt 20. It
also shows horizontal
force Ph that acts on belt 20. The angle theta is the angle between the body
and the vertical and has
a profound effect on the magnitude of forces Pn and Ph. For a heavy pack load
of 60 lbs and theta
of 10 degrees, representing a man with a somewhat distinct hip, then Pn = 173
lbs and Ph = 170
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CA 02433252 2007-06-07
ii3S. 'i'-scy aopiv to both hips. 'I'he prior art' invention of Moreno applies
force Pn by the steel ring
part of the eye bolt through a flexible leather pad. Pressure on the wearer's
skin and hip bone will
be correspondingly high in that area. Inasmuch as this local pressure on the
hip is the limiting
factor in weight that can be carried, the invention of Moreno has much lower
capacity than the
subject invention (no.2433252).
In the invention of Moreno the horizontal force Ph acting on the cincture belt
is likely to pull it into
the soft front of the body, as indicated in Fig. 13, which would cause
slippage of the leather pad
down the hip. In the subject invention (no.2433252) the front plate has a
comparatively large area
for transmitting that force.
The invention of Maloney (US patent 796,589) differs in the following regards.
(a) It has one over-the-shoulder rigid wire for the purpose of carrying a bag
suspended from the
shoulder at the side of the body. The subject invention (no.2433252) has two
over-the-shoulder
tubes for the purpose of carrying a heavy front and/or back pack centrally
located on the torso.
(b) The Maloney inverted rigid wire is allowed to come down on the shoulder
when carrying load
whereas the subject invention (no.2433252) is designed not to come down on the
shoulder and to
carry all the load to the waist level.
(c) With the Maloney invention ventilation of the body for heat removal is not
an issue. The
subject invention (no.2433252) solves the problem of overheating when carrying
packs on both the
front and back of the body.
(d) The Maloney invention does not have a feature for spreading the load over
a large area of the
hip. As discussed previously for the Moreno invention, the load on the hip for
heavy load on the
"U" beam is large. This suggests that the Maloney invention can only bear
comparatively light
loads. In the subject invention (no.2433252) the load spreading belt system on
the hip is an
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CA 02433252 2007-06-07
essential feature of the invention and provides the harness with the
capability to carry the heavy
pack loads of soldiers and long distance hikers.
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Representative Drawing