US1784162A - Parachute harness - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 9, 1930. R MITH 1,784,162

PARACHUTE HARNES S Filed Nov. 4. 1929 Patented bec. 9, 1930 UNITED STATE-ST:

PATENT? OFFICE.

new sxrrn, or llrolmrs,vrnnrl, rmsnvnrm, assumes an swrrux manuv rao'runme company, A conrona'rrou or NEW .nmsmr rmcnu'rr: amass Application fled Iovember 4, 1029. Serial re. 404,650.

The present invention relates to harnesses intended to support a rider from a parachute, and it has for its object to produce a harness that shall be simpler, better and safer than prior harnesses. When a rider wearing one of the harnesses now in general use falls backward or head down, the side pull of the lifting webs or suspension elements loosens the breast straps, so that the harness is drawn off the shoulders and the rider can fall out. Viewed in one of its aspects, my invention may be said to have for its object to produce a simple and novel harness that shall securely hold the rider regardless of the in which he jumps orfalls.

Another objection to the-type of harness now in use is that the strain on the back straps tends to pull the strap seat out from under the rider, causing the weight of the rider to be transferred to the leg straps. When this occurs, the rider is not onlyver uncomfortable but is sometimes injure Viewed in another aspect my invention may be said to have for its object to produce an efficientharness in which there shall no back pull on the strap seat, whereby the latter wlll always maintain its proper position effectively to perform its intended function.' ad- Harnesses must be capable of bein justed to persons of various sizes, an my invention has for one of its ob'ects to pro'- duce a novel construction where y a harness may be quickly and easily adjusted and will always be comfortable and safe regardless -of the size of the person to whom it isad- I justed.

While the rid r should be tightly held dur: ing a descent, a tightly fitting harness'on a person sitting down is uncomfortable.

duce a harness that will be safely tight when the wearer is standing but comforta ly loose when he is sitting down.

In manufacturin a harness accomplishing the foregoing o jects I have found that a smaller amount of webbing and fewer adapters are required than in the present standard harnesses and, therefore, the present invention may be said to have for an A. further object of my invention is to pro-} object the production of an improved har-- ness at a lower cost thanheretofore.

In the case of harnesses used with seat packs it is customary to sew the downwardextending portions of the lifting webs to t e back stra s to keep them from flapping the stitchin ture when t e arachute opens. In accor ance with allot er feature of my invention {Frovide a simplier method of holding the eingsuificiently weak to ru ing webs ofa seat pack in place and at tailed description taken in connectionwitll the accompanying drawing, wherein Figures 1 and 2 are res ectively front and rear perspective views 0 a person wearing my improved harness; Fig. 3 is a view, partly in edge elevation and partly in section, showin fragmentsv of one of the lifting webs, t e corresponding breast strap, and

one of the dia onal back straps, at their juncture; and ig. 4 is a section along the edge of one of the back straps, at the point where the back stra s cross.

Referring to the rawing, 1 and 2 are two lifting or suspension webs connected by a cross element 3, all being preferably made in one continuous length; the whole constituting a swing in which the rider sits, the part 3 forming the seat strap and theparts 1 and 2 extending upward in front ofthe wearer.

There are two diagonal back straps, 4 and 5, crossing each other; each back strap extendiilg forward at the top and. lower end so as to pass over a shoulder of the wearer and over the hip on the opposite side. The breast strap de'vice consists of two straps, 6 and 7, each fastened at its ends to one of the upright elements of the swing at the shoulder and at the hip. The distance along the straps, 6 and 7, between the fastenings at the ends,

is greater than the corresponding distance along the upright swing elements, so that when the breast straps, are connected together at the middle, by means of a ring 8 and a I each suspending web and the upperpart of the corresponding breast strap extending through one of the windows in the adapter;

the size of the thigh of the wearer.

and the upper end of the corresponding back strap being passed up from below through the adapter in contact with the rear side of the upper end of the breast strap, .over the cross bar, down through the second window, in the adapter, and then back again to the back of the harness along the upper side of the main portion of the back strap. The end of the back-turned part of the back strap is fastened to one bar of a second frame-like adapter 12 having across bar 13; the body portion of the back strap being threaded through the adapter, passing through the first window, over the cross bar, and back through the second window.

Theadapters 10 may be moved up and down along the suspending webs, whereas theadapters 12 may be slid along the body portions of the back straps, varying the points of connection between the webs and the straps and the eifective lengths of the straps.

The lower ends of the back straps are brought forward across the hips and are there connected to the suspending webs, as indicated at 14. The lowerends of the back straps may conveniently form parts of adjustable leg strap devices. In the arrangement shown, there are twoleg straps 15 and 16 each fastened at one end to the seat strap 3. The free ends of each leg strap is adjustably connected to one of the suspending webs by means of aring 17 and asnap hook 18, one of which is slidably engaged with the adjacent portion of the corresponding back strap which is drawn into a loop or sling whose length may be varied to suit The length of this loop or sling depends upon the amount of back strap that is paid out at the lower end.

It will therefore be seen that the adjustments for the back straps and the leg straps are all made by simply shifting theadapters 10 and 12; no separate adjustment being required for the leg straps, as a pull on a back strap, in adjusting it, is transmitted to the corresponding leg strap which will be automatically tightened to the same degree. The

harness is therefore not only simple in construction, but it may be easily adjusted to fit any wearer in such a way that the pull will be equalized between the leg straps.

It will'ialso be seen that at no time is there any tendency to pull the seat strap from under the rider, because the suspending webs are in front and, whatever pull there is on the leg stra s is in a direction to draw the seat strap orward against the person of the rider. In case a person should fall backward or head down the lifting pull exercised b the suspending webs serves to tight en the back straps and also the breast straps, so that there is no danger of falling out of' the harness. When the wearer sits down some slack appears in the suspending webs, between the shoulders and the hips; so that the harness, although safely tight when the wearer is standing, Will be comfortably loosewhile the back straps and the ..wearer is seated.

The amount of webbing required in the construction is considerably less than that in present types of commercial harnesses and, therefore, and because of the fact that noseparate adapters are required for the leg straps, the harness costs less to make. Each breast strap and one of the back straps may be and preferably are made from a single length of webbing which is suitably folded at the juncture of the back strap with the suspending web to start the first leg of the breast strap in the right direction. Therefore the cost of manufacture as well asthe cost of material is reduced to a minimum.

The upper ends of the suspending Webs are carried back over the shoulders to the para chute pack, as is usual. When a seat pack is used apad 19 may be placed in front of the back straps so as to lie. between them 'and the back of the wearer. The lengths of the suspending webs extending down from the shoulders to the seat pack may then be fastened to this pad by quickly detachable fasteners to avoid the necessity of sewing them temporarily to the back straps. In the arrangement shown, the webs pass underlittle tapes 20 each sewed at one end to the pad and detachably connected therewith at the other end by asnap fastener 21. These tapes hold the webs against the pad until a suificient outward pull is exerted on the webs to release the snap fasteners, as is the case when the parachute opens and the weight of. the rider comes on the tapes. Y

While I have illustrated and described with particularity only a single preferred form of my invention, I do not desire to be limited to the exact structural details thus illustrated and described; but intend to cover all forms and arrangements which come within the definitions of my invention constituting the ap- 1 right elements, two

upright elements extending upwardl in front of him, diagonal back stra s each adapted to extend forwardly over a s oulder of the wearer and over the hip at the opposite side, a member slidable along each of said upright elements, the upper rtion of each back strap extendin slida ly through the corresponding slida le member and being continued to the back along the strap, a sliding connection between the lower end of the backturned part of each back strap and the body of the strap, the lower and forward ends of the back straps being connected to said upright elements, two leg straps extending from the bottem of the swing to the said upright elements near the lower ends of the latter, and a breast strap device detachably connecting said igright elements together.

2. the wearer is adapted to e'seated with the upright elements extending upwardly in front of him, diagonal back straps each ada ted to extend forwardly over a shoulder of t e wearer and over the hp at-the'opposite side, a member slidable along each of said upright elements, the up r portion of each backstrap extendin slida 1 through the corresponding slida le member and being continued to the back along the strap, a sliding connection between the lower end of the backturned part of each back strap and the body of the strap, the lower and forward ends of the back straps bein connected to said upleg straps each secured at one end to the bottom of the swing, sli'dable connections between the other end of each leg strap and the lower forward ortion of the corresponding back strap, an a breast strap device connecting said upright elements together.

3. A harness comprising a swing in which the wearer is adapted to sit with-the upright elements of the swing lying in front of him, diagonal back straps each adapted to extend forwardly over a shoulder of the wearer at the upper end and over, the hip on the opposite side of the wearer at the'lower end, connections between the upper and lower forward ends of each back strap and the adjacent upright element, means to adjust the efiective lengths of the back straps, leg straps extending forward from the bottom of the swing, means connecting each leg strap to the corresponding lower forward portion of the corresponding back straps at variable distances from the corresponding upright element of the swing to cause variable lengths of the ,back stra adjacent to the said upright elements to e folded back and serve as extensions of the leg straps, and a breast strap device between said upright elements.

4. A harness comprising a swing to the upright elements of which the parachute is apted to be attached, in which swing the wearer is adapted to sit with the vertical harness comprisin a swing in which swing elements lying in front of him, diagonal lengthwise-adjustable back straps adapted to extend forwardly over the shoulders and hips of the wearer to said vertical ele-,

ments, c onnections between the back straps and sald upright elements at the shoulders, leg straps each connected at one end to the bottom of the swing, connections between 5. A harness comprising a swing to the upright elements of which the parachute is adapted to be attached, in which swing the wearer is adapted to sit with the vertical swing elements lying in front of him, diagonal lengthwise-adjustable back straps adapted to extend forwardly over the shoulders and hips of the wearer to said vertical elements, adjustable connections between the back stra s andsaid upright elements at the shoul ers, leg straps eachconnected at one end to the bottom of the swing, connections between each upright, the corresponding leg strap and the lower forward end of the corresponding back strap to produce a leg-receiving loop of variable size, and a breast connection between said upright elements.

6. In a harness, vertical suspension elements adapted to lie in front of the wearer of the harness, breast strap devices including two stra s secured to the suspension elements at t e shoulder portions and extending downwardly in convergingrelation to each other, metal adapters fitting around and slidable along the suspension elements andthe upper portions of said breast straps, back and leg stra devices including diagonal back straps a apted to extend forwardly over the shoulders of the wearer, each back strap .passin through one of the aforesaid adapters an then backward along the body portion of the back strap, and an adapter fastened to each of the back-turned ends of the back straps and slidably engaged with the body portion of the corresponding back strap. I

7. In a harness, suspending members adapted to lie in front of the wearer, diagonal back straps, slides on said suspending members at the shoulders, the upper end of each back strap extending throu h the corresponding slide and folded bac upon itself, and an adjustable connection between the free end of the back-turned portion of each back strap and the body portion of such strap. V v

48. In a harness, sus ending members ada ted to lie in front 0' the wearer, slides on t e sus ending members at the shoulders, diagonal ack straps, slides on the back straps at the back of the wearer, the upper

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