AU2007205764B2

AU2007205764B2 - An Equipment Support Assembly (MK3)

Info

Publication number: AU2007205764B2
Application number: AU2007205764A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Debra Austin; Maehe Austin
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2002-07-30
Filing date: 2007-08-13
Publication date: 2007-11-29
Anticipated expiration: 2023-07-30
Also published as: AU2007205764A1

Description

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O AN EQUIPMENT SUPPORT APPARATUS (MK3) c\1 Field of the Invention.

The present invention relates to an equipment support apparatus which can be used in a mining environment or any other environment where D equipment needs to be carried leaving a wearer's hands free. The equipment Insupports assembly can also be called a "miner's vest".

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O 10 BACKGROUND ART

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Underground coal miners are required to have or carry specific equipment for their own safety. Coal mines also vary in conditions, and as such, legislation only sets out guidelines under which all mines must operate.

The policy and procedures are generally set by each mine depending on their conditions, but they must comply with the guidelines in the legislation.

As a result, the equipment as described in the following portion is specific to the mine and conditions best known by the inventors. However, similar equipment is required in other mine sites although it may not be exactly the same.

The equipment (or similar) described in this document is required under the Coal Mining Safety and Health Regulation (QLD) 2001 (the Regulation) enacted under the Coal Mining Safety and Health Act 1999.

Most miners carry their essential equipment on a belt secured around the user's waist. A fully equipped mining belt weighs approximately 16.75 kilograms. Some of the equipment that must be carried includes: SPersonal Emergency Device (PED) and Cap Lamp battery The battery powers the cap lamp used as a personal light source in the mine. Any person entering a coal mine is required under the Regulation to wear a cap lamp. The PED unit is located on the top of the cap lamp battery.

In the event of an emergency, the PED can communicate withal persons

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O underground simultaneously with information regarding the situation (-i and, if required, instructions on evacuation procedures.

The PED is one of the more modern forms of underground communications and is used only in some mines. Other sites do however have some type of communication device that they would need to carry.

Self Rescuer These items are a personal escape unit which are used Sin the event of a fire or explosion. They provide the wearer with a source

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0~ of breathable air for a duration of approximately thirty minutes, enabling

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O 10 the wearer to reach a longer capacity unit of fresh air. All persons 0 entering a coal mine must be carrying some type of personal escape unit.

Continuous Gas Monitoring Instrument these are battery-powered units which continually monitor the immediate environment for hazardous gases at dangerous levels. Not all mine personnel are required to carry a continuous gas monitor. All Undermanagers and Deputies are required to carry one. Other personnel are also required to carry this instrument.

Older Gas Detection equipment older types of gas detection equipment used in conjunction with glass detection tubes are often carried. These tubes contain crystals that are sensitive to different types of gases and undergo a colour change when the gas is present. These devices do not require batteries or other power source and can generally monitor a wider range of gases than newer models.

Whirling Hygrometer this instrument is used to measure effective air temperature. Fans and air moving equipment are the only source of ventilation, temperature and humidity in an underground mine and conditions may vary widely. This device is used to monitor the safety of the work environment.

Velometer this instrument measures air velocity and is used to ensure that fans and air moving equipment are supplying adequate air to move gases and keep the temperature at a workable level.

Tools all mining personnel in an underground mine carry tools of some

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O sort. These may be simple multi-purpose tools or specialist tools in the case of a tradesperson.

SIsolation Locks, Multi-locks and Safety Clips All mines have some sort of isolation procedure and most mines use some kind of lock and key system. The isolation locks and multi-locks are used together to prevent or stop any person from operating or moving a machine or piece of Sequipment while another person is repairing it or is in a dangerous t position relative to the equipment.

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0~ Personal Safety Wear protective wear is required to be worn or carried

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O 10 by all personnel on a mine site. Miners usually carry hearing protection, 0 dust masks, eye protection and gloves.

Reflective strips are also an essential part of the mining personnel's clothing as all mines require that any person going underground be visible from the front and back in a dark environment.

As can be seen from the above list, a miner is required to carry a lot of equipment. Generally, belts are used to carry all the equipment or to attach the equipment thereto. As can be appreciated, most miners use a belt as it allows them to keep their hands free to work. There are however, a number of problems with the belts.

Firstly, the belt has a limited amount of space in which to attach equipment.

This can lead to items being difficult to find or attach. In an emergency situation, a miner may have so much safety equipment that his safety is at issue, as he may not be able to find the much-needed item quickly enough. As well as these problems, the items to be attached to the belt can fall off and become lost or are damaged by the fall. Some of the equipment to be carried is expensive and may also be fragile. These items can be damaged by knocking together or from impacts caused by striking the ground or other hard objects.

A miner may also tend to assume that the item he needs is attached to the belt.

As there is so much equipment on the belt, a cursory visual inspection may not 0 o reveal that a smaller, but no less valuable item may be missing from the belt.

Also, the weight distribution of the belt may lead to problems. These problems may be physical, from carrying so much weight around for extended periods of time when there is no sharing of the load. The weight is always borne by the same muscles and this may lead to repetitive strain injuries or other long-term problems.

0 As can be appreciated, a mine is a confined area and one in which moving

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around can be difficult. For this reason, miners often wear clothing that has a 0 reduced chance of becoming caught on any projecting items.

These attempts to improve the belts however, have not overcome the problems. They have only moved the point(s) of weight bearing or created additional problems.

In my Australian patent 2002300316 I described an early version of a mining vest. This vest was characterised by a particular type of attachment of equipment to the vest. However, the vest still suffered from some disadvantages.

In my Australian patent application 2005209570 I improved on my original vest by providing some better weight distribution. However, this vest still suffered from some disadvantages. The present invention is directed to a further design which is comfortable to wear and can come apart for maintenance and repair.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION The present invention is directed to a equipment support apparatus, which may at least partially overcome the abovementioned disadvantages or provide the consumer with a useful or commercial choice.

In one form there is provided an equipment supporting apparatus or article

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O worn by workers and for attaching equipment the apparatus comprising a (-i support belt, a first side panel, a second side panel, and a back panel, the support belt being formed separately and being attachable to each side panel.

Suitably the apparatus has each side panel attached to the back panel, and the side panels can be attached to each other by a releasable attachment means which is in the front area of the apparatus.

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0~ The apparatus is suitably such that the back panel contains an upper and lower

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O 10 attachment means, the lower attachment means enabling each side panel to 0 be attached to the back panel by the lower attachment means, the upper attachment means being attached to an upper portion of each side panel such that each side panel is attached to the back panel at at least two different positions.

The apparatus is suitably such that the attachment means are provided to enable a harness to be attached to the apparatus.

The apparatus is suitably substantially as illustrated in figures 1-9.

The apparatus in the present specification can also be called a mining vest.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 is an "exploded" outside view of a mining vest according to another embodiment of the invention.

Figure 2 is the view of figure 1 from the inside.

Figure 3 is the view of figure 2 but showing the presence of a support belt.

0 o Figure 4 is the view of figure 3 with the support belt in the "open" position.

Figure 5 is the view of figure 4 with the support belt in the "closed" position.

Figure 6 shows a front view of the mining vest in the assembled position.

t- Figure 7 shows a rear view of the mining vest in the assembled position.

0 o 10 Figures 8 and 9 show a modification to enable a harness to be attached.

0 C BEST MODE Referring to the embodiment of the invention illustrated in figures 1-9, there is described a mining vest or equipment support apparatus that can be used in mines, but need not be limited thereto and can also be used in other industries such as the construction industry etc.

The apparatus comprises four main parts, these four parts being best illustrated in figure 3, and comprising a rather large support belt 51, a first side panel 52, a second side panel 53, and a back panel 54. Each of these can be formed from strong hardy material which can comprise woven or non-woven plastics, reinforced plastic/mesh, cloth, canvas, webbing and the like. It is not considered that the invention should be limited to any particular type of suitable material, and a skilled person would be able to determine the material suitable for the particular use.

Support belt 51 comprises a flexible tough member that can extend about the person's waist and to provide back support. Support belt 15 will typically be length adjustable, and in the particular embodiment, this can be done by providing elastic portions or zones 55 in a centre part of the belt, this part being about the person's back when the belt is attached. The support belt can be fastened in the front by any suitable fastening means, and in the particular 0 o embodiment, this is achieved using a Velcro patch 56 as is quite common.

The support belt will have a length to enable it to fit around the waist area of a person, and will typically have a width of between 5-30 cm and typically between 15-20 cm.

The side panels 52, 53 can be roughly identical in shape and size. Each side panel can be made of tough but flexible material and may comprise areas of 0 mesh and the like to reduce sweating or heat buildup by a person wearing the

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o 10 support assembly. Each panel 52, 53 contains a substantially rectangular Slower area 56 which is adapted to extend about the person's waist area, and an upwardly extending area 58 which is adapted to extend over the chest and towards the shoulder area of the person. If desired, this area can contain pockets 59 or attachment loops 60 etc. This area can also contain reflective material or areas 61 to provide good visibility at night-time.

The side panels 52, 53 are attached or buckled together at the front by any suitable type of releasable attachment means. In the particular embodiment, the side panels are attached at the front by a quick release clip 62 (see figure 14) which is of known design. As well, the side panels can be attached at the front by a strap and buckle arrangement 63 (see figure 6).

Each side panel 52, 53 is also attached to back panel 54. To achieve this, each side panel 52, 53 contains a pair of straps 64 which attach to buckles on back panel 54. this being best illustrated in figure 1.

Each side panel 52, 53 can contain attachment means or pockets 66 or any other devices to accommodate various pieces of equipment/ tools etc that are to be attached to the apparatus.

The inside wall of each side panel 52, 53 can contain comfortable cushioning pads or cushioning material 67A to provide comfort.

0 o Each side panel 52, 53 is also attached to back panel 54 in a top area which, in use, is adjacent the person's shoulders. Thus, the back panel 54 contains ;straps 67 (see figure 1) that attached to buckles 68 on each side panel.

Adjacent (and in use underneath) each strap 67 is a cushioning panel 69 to provide comfort in the shoulder area.

Back panel 54 can contain reflective material 70, and the back panel can also support a water bladder or any other equipment, device and the like.

0 o 10 Each side panel 52, 53 contains a loop 71 (see figure and the function of 0 the loops 71 is to allow the support belt 55 to be attached to the inside of each side panel 52, 53 by sliding through the loops 71. Figure 4 illustrates the support belt 51 attached to each side panel via loops 71.

Figure 5 shows the support belt 51 fastened together which, in use, will extend about the persons waist.

Figure 6 illustrates a front view of the assembled apparatus.

Figure 7 illustrates the rear view of the assembled apparatus.

Figure 8-9 illustrate a modification to the apparatus to enable a harness to be attached. Each side panel contains an additional substantially vertical strap The back panel (see figure 9) also contains harness attachment straps 76.

Leg straps 77 can be clipped on to the D rings 78 on the straps.

Throughout the specification and the claims (if present), unless the context requires otherwise, the term "comprise", or variations such as "comprises" or "comprising", will be understood to apply the inclusion of the stated integer or group of integers but not the exclusion of any other integer or group of integers.

Throughout the specification and claims (if present), unless the context requires otherwise, the term "substantially" or "about" will be understood to not be limited to the value for the range qualified by the terms.

r- 9 0 0 It should be appreciated that various other changes and modifications can be made to any embodiment described without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

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Claims

1. An equipment supporting apparatus worn by workers for attaching equipment the apparatus comprising a support belt, a first side panel, a second side panel, and a back panel, the support belt being formed separately and being attachable to each side panel. O

2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein each side panel is S 10 attached to the back panel, and the side panels can be attached to each other by a releasable attachment means which is in the front area of the apparatus.

3. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, or claim 2, wherein the back panel contains an upper and lower attachment means, the lower attachment means enabling each side panel to be attached to the back panel by the lower attachment means, the upper attachment means being attached to an upper portion of each side panel such that each side panel is attached to the back panel at at least two different positions.

4. The apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1-4 including attachment means to enable a harness to be attached to the apparatus.

5. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the support belt is adapted to extend entirely about the person waist area and to provide back support and is length adjustable.

6. The apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the side panels are substantially identical in shape and size and are made of tough but flexible material and comprise areas of mesh to reduce sweating or heat buildup by a person wearing the support assembly.

7. The apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein each panel contains a O substantially rectangular lower area which is adapted to extend about the person's waist area, and an upwardly extending area which is adapted to extend over the chest and towards the shoulder area of the person. O

8. The apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein athe side panels are attached or buckled together at the front by a S 10 releasable attachment means, and are attachable at the front by a strap and buckle arrangement.

9. The apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein each side panel is attached to back panel by at least one strap on the side panel which is adapted to attach to at least one on the back panel. The apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein each side panel contains attachment means or pockets to accommodate various pieces of equipment/ tools etc that are to be attached to the apparatus.

11. The apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein each side panel is attached to back panel in a top area which, in use, is adjacent the person's shoulders.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the back panel contains at least one strap that attaches to at least one buckle on each side panel.

13. The apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the back panel is adapted to support a water bladder.

14. The apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein each side panel contains a loop and the function of the loops 71 is to 12 allow the support belt to be attached to the inside of each side panel by C- sliding through the loops. 0 The apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein each side panel contains an additional substantially vertical strap, and Sthe back panel also contains harness attachment straps.

16. An equipment supporting apparatus substantially as hereinbefore r-- described with reference to figures 1-9. S