EP1194048B1 - Fastening system for a protective apron - Google Patents

Abstract

A fastening system includes (3) a flexible plastic neck-enclosing part (7), and a strap (13) arranged in a triangle between the sides of the apron and the rear part of the neck-enclosing part (7) to form both the belt (14) and the braces (15). The belt (14) includes a fast fixing attachment (16) such as a snap fastener and a length-adjusting system with a clip (17) provided on the strap (13) length, particularly on one of the braces (15). The belt-brace system enables to adjust with precision the position of the apron and particularly to distribute suitably the weight on the user's shoulders.

Description

The present invention relates to a system for attaching a protective apron to the user, for example for aprons used by professionals working in the butchery field.

These protective aprons are generally made of chain mail, or with metal plates assembled together by rings. The corresponding aprons are therefore relatively heavy and, to obtain effective protection, they must be positioned correctly on the user covering the parts of the body which are particularly exposed to the knife tips.

These aprons are generally hung by means of suspenders, with a belt which extends at the back to tighten the waist of the user. Due to their structure, they require a minimum of time from the user for their installation, especially for the adjustment of the straps. These aprons also present a certain complexity when it comes to passing the arms and the head in the suspender system.

There are known, as described in document CH-204 829, aprons which include a belt for tightening the waist with, in addition to the straps, a neck which supports the apron at its upper part. The belt and the neck strap each have an adjustment loop.
This type of apron has the drawback of placing the weight on the rear base of the user's neck and also of forcing the latter to make several adjustments each time the apron is put in place.

Document US-A-2 442 895 also describes a protective apron, the attachment system of which comprises a single strap which is arranged in a triangle between the sides of the apron, and a neck, to form suspenders and a belt. The neck strap is made in one piece with the front part of the apron, and the tightening on the user is achieved by connecting by a knot the two free ends of the single strap.
Here again, the adjustments concerning the tightening tension and the length of the straps must be made each time the apron is put in place.

The present invention provides an apron attachment system which allows the user to dress quickly without having to worry about the adjustments, which are reduced to their simplest expression and can be done once and for all if the apron is worn regularly by the same user.
In addition, the fastening system according to the invention makes it possible to better distribute the weight of the apron over certain parts of the body in order to reduce the fatigue of the user.

This kind of protective apron is generally worn on another apron which forms a kind of lining making it possible to protect the wearer's clothing. The user first dresses with this doubling apron which is made of plastic material and which is conventionally provided with suspenders and a belt; he then dresses with the protective apron which forms a real breastplate.

The present invention also proposes to simplify this type of lining apron by associating it with the attachment system of the protective apron.

The fastening system according to the present invention comprises a neck strap, the ends of which are removably fixed to the upper part of the apron, and a belt which extends over the rear by connecting the sides of said apron. This belt is in the form of a strap arranged in a triangle between the sides of the apron and the dorsal end of the neck, which strap has, on the one hand, a fastener which is located on the part serving as a belt and, on the other hand, means for adjusting its length.

Still according to the invention, from the fastening system which is located on the part serving as a belt, the single strap extends in the direction of the sides of the apron and rises in the direction of the neck to form the straps; one end of this strap passes through a loop arranged on said attachment system to constitute a return equipped with a clamp adapted to come and lock in a removable manner on said strap so as to constitute the length adjustment means.

According to a preferred arrangement of the invention, the neck is in the form of a horseshoe, the two lateral bands of which have a width chosen so as to distribute the pressure on the shoulders of the user, and the rear part of which, intended to extend over the back of the latter, comprises an eyelet for the free passage of the strap.

Still according to a preferred arrangement, the neck is made of plastic material, cut for example from a plate; its two side bands have removable hooking means on the upper part of the deck and its rear part is in the form of a lunula.

Still according to the invention, the strap is connected to the sides of the deck by means of plates provided with hooks; these plates cooperate with one or more lateral loops arranged on the sides of the deck and they are provided with an orifice in the form of an oblong opening for the free passage of the strap. The oblong orifice arranged in these plates is preferably oriented in a direction perpendicular to the bisector of the angle formed by the two portions of strap which extend from this orifice.

According to another feature of the invention, the neck of the attachment system comprises means for attaching at least one accessory. For this purpose, the neck strap can be fitted with one or more parts of a press stud adapted for the attachment of the end of a glove-shoulder.

According to another characteristic, the neck strap is provided with hooking means on the upper part of the apron, which are fixed to the ends of the side bands by means of a loop closed by a part of a snap button of the two type. identical male or female elements, mounted head to tail, which allow the attachment, on one side or the other, of an attached lining apron.
The lateral plates of the fastening system then advantageously comprise means for complementary attachment of this lining apron.

The invention also relates to the protective apron comprising a fastening system as defined above; it also relates to a plastic material lining apron, provided with means which allow it to be attached to the fastening system according to the present invention.

• la figure 1 représente le système d'attache selon l'invention et le tablier de protection, tels que portés par un utilisateur non apparent ;
• la figure 2 illustre le système de réglage de la longueur de la sangle du système d'attache conforme à la présente invention ;
• la figure 3 représente le détail des platines latérales de fixation ;
• la figure 4 représente le système d'attache associé au tablier de protection avec, en plus, un tablier qui fait office de doublure pour protéger les vêtements de l'utilisateur ;
• la figure 5 illustre une variante du système d'attache permettant la fixation d'un tablier de doublure ;
• la figure 6 représente le détail des platines latérales de fixation du tablier de la figure 5 ;
• la figure 7 montre le tablier de doublure susceptible d'être associé au système d'attache illustré sur la figure 5.

The invention will be further detailed with the aid of the following description and the appended drawings, given by way of indication and in which:

• Figure 1 shows the fastening system according to the invention and the protective apron, as worn by an invisible user;
• FIG. 2 illustrates the system for adjusting the length of the strap of the fastening system according to the present invention;
• FIG. 3 shows the detail of the lateral fixing plates;
• FIG. 4 represents the fastening system associated with the protective apron with, in addition, an apron which acts as a lining to protect the wearer's clothing;
• FIG. 5 illustrates a variant of the fastening system allowing the fixing of a lining apron;
• Figure 6 shows the detail of the side plates for fixing the apron of Figure 5;
• FIG. 7 shows the lining apron capable of being associated with the fastening system illustrated in FIG. 5.

The apron shown in Figure 1 is for example a protective apron made with a set of metal plates. This apron 1 can also be made of chain mail or another protective material suitable for the use that is made of it. It covers all the surfaces of the body which are particularly exposed to stab wounds in particular.

The deck 1 has loops 2 at its upper part intended to cooperate with the fastening system 3. It also has laterally on its sides, loops 4 and 5 intended to complete the anchoring of this fastening system.

The attachment system 3 comprises a neck 7. This neck 7 in the shape of a U or horseshoe is preferably made of plastic material obtained for example by cutting from a plate of appropriate dimensions. This neck 7 comprises two lateral bands 9, the ends of which are provided with snap hooks 10 which allow a removable hooking on the loops 2 located at the upper part of the deck. These bands 9 have a width such that they allow the pressure to be well distributed over the shoulders of the user, which pressure is due to the weight of the apron 1.

The rear part 11 of the neck 7 is in the form of a lunula. It is intended to be applied on the back and shoulders of the user and it helps to distribute the pressure due to the weight of the apron.
This rear part 11 comprises an eyelet 12 centered on its end part, which makes it possible to adjust the position of the neck and in particular to adjust the height of the apron 1, to correctly adjust the position of the latter on the body of the user.

This eyelet 12 allows the free passage of a single strap 13, which strap forms a sort of triangle in the back of the user. This triangle is broken down into a part 14 which acts as a belt between the sides of the apron, and a part 15 consisting of straps which extend from the belt and said sides, up to the neck 7.

The strap 13 is in one piece constituting the belt 14 and the parts forming suspenders 15; it has at its ends a fastening system 16 in the form of a carabiner for example, which is located on the part of the strap which forms the belt 14, in the center of the back, that is to say in a place where the user can easily handle it.

The length of the strap 13 is adjustable by means of a clamp 17 with removable locking arranged on an end return which passes through a loop of the fastening system 16 (Figure 2). The length adjustment clamp 17 can be locked on one of the straps 15; it does not need to be manipulated for each installation of the deck.

This strap system 13 facilitates the installation of the apron on the user giving a lot of ease for the passage of the arms between the shoulder straps 15 and the apron.

The fastening of the belt 14 on the lateral loops 4 and 5 can be carried out, as shown in the details in FIG. 3, by means of an intermediate plate 19. This intermediate plate 19 can be made of metal or of plastic material rigid; it has hooks 20 which cooperate with the loops 4 and 5 respectively.
This plate 19 is provided with an oblong orifice 21 which allows the passage of the parts of the strap 13 which constitute the belt 14 and the shoulder straps 15. This orifice 21 is oriented in a direction which is perpendicular to the bisector of the angle formed by the belt 14 and the corresponding strap 15.

The strap 13 slides freely in the eyelet 12 of the neck 7 and in the orifices 21 of the side plates 19. This feature gives the user great ease of movement; it is in no way restrained by the deck attachment system.

The hooks 20 of the plates 19 may consist of elastic folds which at the same time form a sort of clamp preventing any untimely stalling.

As seen above, the protective aprons can be associated with an additional lining apron (also called plastron) intended in particular to protect the wearer's clothing. This lining structure is generally made of plastic material (rubber, polyurethane or other).

The present invention provides for securing this type of doubling apron with the protective apron, so as to remove the means of attachment to the user specific to said doubling apron.

In a first possible embodiment, shown diagrammatically in FIG. 4, the lining apron 22 simply comprises two orifices 23 or eyelets at its upper part which make it possible to associate it with the carabiners 10 of the attachment system 3 of the protective apron 1 .
The lining apron 22 can be hung on the underside of the protective apron 1, in particular to protect the wearer's clothing; we can also consider hanging it in the same way on the top side.
Two lining structures 22 can optionally also be used to cover the top and bottom faces of the protective apron.

Or the liners 22 can also be fixed laterally on the sides of the deck 1 or on the plates 19, by suitable means of the snap or other type.

FIGS. 5 to 7 illustrate another possible embodiment in which the lining apron 22 ′ (FIG. 7) can be fixed to the protective apron 1 (FIG. 5) by means of structures of the press button type.

In the illustrated embodiment, the carabiners 10 of the fastening system 3 are hooked to the ends of the lateral bands 9 of the turn of neck 7 by means of a loop closed by a press button part 24 of the type with two head to tail male balls.
On the other hand, in the upper part, the doubling apron 22 ′ comprises two female press button parts 25 intended to cooperate with the male press button parts 24 above, to allow it to be hooked onto the protective apron 1, optionally against its top face or against its bottom face (or both if two double decks 22 'are used).

On the sides, the plates 19 of the protective apron are also equipped with male press button parts 24 ′, of the type with two upside-down balls (FIGS. 5 and 6), which allow the attachment of one or two aprons lining 22 ′ by means of female press-button parts 25 ′ correctly positioned.
On the doubling apron 22 ′, the female press button parts 25 and 25 ′ are associated with reinforcement pads 26 arranged on either side.

As can be seen in Figure 5, the neck 7 can also be equipped with one or more parts of press button 27 adapted (s) for the attachment of any type of accessory. This or these press button portions 27 can be adapted to hang the end of a glove-shoulder in chain mail protecting the entire arm of the user.

Claims (12)

1. A fastening system for a protective apron, comprising a neck-enclosing part (7) whose ends are attached to the upper section of the said apron, and a single strap (13) arranged in a triangle between the sides of the apron and the rear section of the said neck-enclosing part (7) to form at the same time a belt (14) and braces (15), characterised in that the neck-enclosing part (7) and the single strap (13) comprise removable hooking means (10, 19) respectively on the upper section of the apron, and on its sides, whereas the said strap (13) also comprises, on the one hand, an attachment (16) that is situated on the belt section (14) and, on the other hand, means for adjusting its length.
2. A fastening system for a protective apron according to claim 1, characterised in that it comprises a single strap (13) which, from the fastening system (16) of the belt section (14) extends toward the sides of the apron and goes back upwards to the neck-enclosing part (7) to form the braces (15), whereas one of the ends of the said strap (13) passes through a buckle provided on the said fastening system (16) to provide a return section provided with a clip (17), which clip (17) is designed to be interlocked in a removable fashion on the said strap (13) in order to form the length-adjusting means, thereof.
3. A fastening system for a protective apron according to any one of claims 1 or 2, characterised in that the neck-enclosing part (7) has the shape of a horseshoe whose both lateral bands (9) have a width in order to distribute the pressure of the apron weight on the user's shoulders, and whose rear section, intended for extending on the user's back, comprises an eyelet (12) for the free passage of the strap (13), and in particular the section forming the braces (15) of the said strap.
4. A fastening system for a protective apron according to claim 3, characterised in that it comprises a neck-enclosing part (7) made of plastic material, for instance cut into a plate, whose both lateral bands (9) comprise hooking means (10) on the upper section of the apron and whose rear section (11) has the shape of a crescent.
5. A fastening system for a protective apron according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterised in that the strap (13), and in particular the section forming a belt (14) is connected to each of the sides of the apron by means of a plate (19) provided with hooks (20) which co-operate with one or several lateral buckles (4, 5) provided on the said apron, which plate (19) is fitted with an orifice (21) in the form of an oblong orifice for the free passage of the said strap.
6. A fastening system for a protective apron according to claim 5, characterised in that the oblong orifice (21) provided in the plate (19) is oriented along a direction perpendicular to the bisectrix of the angle formed by the strap (13), and in particular formed by the belt (14) and the corresponding brace (15).
7. A fastening system for a protective apron according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterised in that it comprises a neck-enclosing part (7) provided with means (27) for hooking at least one accessory.
8. A fastening system for a protective apron according to claim 7, characterised in that it comprises a neck-enclosing part (7) fitted with one or several sections of a snap fastener (27) suited for hooking the end of a glove-shoulder.
9. A fastening system for a protective apron according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterised in that it comprises a neck-enclosing part (7) provided with hooking means (10) on the upper section of the apron, fastened to the ends of the lateral bands (9) via a buckle closed by a section of a snap fastener (24) with two identical male or female elements, mounted upside-down, which enable to fasten, on one side or the other, an add-on lining apron (22').
10. A fastening system for a protective apron according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterised in that it comprises plates (19) provided with fastening means (24') of an add-on lining apron (22').
11. A protective apron comprising a fastening system according to any one of claims 1 to 10.
12. An apron forming a lining (22, 22') made of plastic material, characterised in that it comprises means (23, 25, 25') that enable to hook the said apron to the fastening system according to any one of claims 1 to 10.