SE1851572A1

SE1851572A1 - Carrying harness

Info

Publication number: SE1851572A1
Application number: SE1851572A
Authority: SE
Inventors: Fredrik Sjödin
Original assignee: Fredrik Sjödin
Priority date: 2018-12-13
Filing date: 2018-12-13
Publication date: 2020-07-27
Also published as: WO2020122806A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a carrying harness (1), comprising a first shoulder strap (5a) configured to hang over a first shoulder of a person (3), a second shoulder strap (5b) configured to hang over a second shoulder of said person (3), a horizontal strap (7) configured to extend around the torso of said person (3), and a middle bar (9) attached to the first shoulder strap (5a) and to the second shoulder strap (5b), wherein the first shoulder strap (5a) is attached to the horizontal strap (7) at a first attachment point (11 a) and at a second attachment point (13a) of the horizontal strap (7), wherein the second shoulder strap (5b) is attached to the horizontal strap (7) at a third attachment point (11b) and at a fourth attachment point (13b) of the horizontal strap (7), and wherein the middle bar (9) is configured to detachably receive a supporting rod (10) for carrying an object.

Description

CARRYING HARNESS Field of the inventionThe invention relates to a carrying harness comprising a middle barconfigured to detachably receive a supporting rod for carrying an object.

Technical BackgroundDuring their daily work, construction workers often have to carry all kinds of objects. Often these objects are carried by the hands and arms of theconstruction workers, putting strain on the shoulders of the workers. Duringyears of working, these lifts slowly wear out the shoulders of the workersperforming the lifts. This severely limits the construction workers, not only intheir work, but also in life in general. l\/lany older construction workers can notraise their arms higher than their chest because of their injured shoulders. ln order to try to prevent shoulder injuries resulting from these lifts,special carrying harnesses have been developed. These harnesses try toreduce weight carried by the hand and arms, and thus the strain on theshoulders, by transferring the weight of the objects to other parts of the body.

However, a problem with these conventional harnesses is that harmfulstrain still is put on the shoulders. A further problem is that by transferringweight to other parts of the body harmful strain is put on those parts insteadleading to injuries on those parts. ln documents JP2016216224, US2003052144, US5881487 andUS2002148866 different carrying harnesses are described, each of themhaving drawbacks as discussed above.

An improved way for objects to be carried without leading to long-terminjury is still something which is desired.

Summarv of the invention lt is an object of the invention to provide a carrying harness whichprovides for a way to carry objects without leading to long-term injuries to theshoulders or to any other part of the body.

According to a first aspect, these and other objects are achieved in full,or at least in part, by a carrying harness comprising: a first shoulder strap configured to hang over a first shoulder of aperson, a second shoulder strap configured to hang over a second shoulder ofsaid person, a horizontal strap configured to extend around the torso of said person,and a middle bar attached to the first shoulder strap and to the secondshoulder strap, wherein the first shoulder strap is attached to the horizontal strap at afirst attachment point and at a second attachment point of the horizontalstrap, wherein the second shoulder strap is attached to the horizontal strap ata third attachment point and at a fourth attachment point of the horizontalstrap, and wherein the middle bar is configured to detachably receive asupporting rod for carrying an object.

Such a carrying harness is advantageous in that it allows for carryingan object without putting harmful load or strain on the arms or shoulders. ltallows the weight to be put directly on the shoulders without affecting theshoulder muscles, whereby the weight is rather supported by the back andthe spine of the person. The weight of the object is transferred from thesupporting rod to the middle bar. As the middle bar is attached to both the firstand the second shoulder strap the weight of the object is transferred to bothshoulders of the person. But at this time not being supported by the shouldermuscles, but rather just being supported on the shoulders. lnstead the weightis carried by the spine of the person. The arms can be used to balance theobject on the supporting rod, hardly putting any strain on the arms andshoulders.

By having a middle bar to which the supporting rod can be detachablyreceived it is possible to carry an object without affecting the form and shapeof the whole harness, and thus the load distribution of the harness. Themiddle bar may thus be customized for the purpose of receiving andsupporting a supporting rod.

By the horizontal strap the shoulder straps are kept in place, also thewhole harness is kept in place around the torso of the person wearing theharness. The horizontal strap further holds together the harness.

By being able to detachably receive a supporting rod it is possible tomove around freely when wearing the harness without a supporting rod beingin the way. As such the flexibility of the harness is greatly increased. lt ispossible to wear the harness during the entire workday. When something is tobe lifted and carried it is possible to attach the supporting rod, carry the objectand then detach the supporting rod. The harness only has to be put on once.

The first attachment point and the third attachment point of thehorizontal strap may be configured to be at the front side of said person, and the second attachment point and the fourth attachment point of thehorizontal strap may be configured to be at the back side of said person.

By this the shoulder straps are kept in place, over each shoulder of aperson wearing the harness.

The first shoulder strap at the first attachment point and the secondshoulder strap at the third attachment point each may be slidably attached tothe horizontal strap such that the first shoulder strap and the second shoulderstrap may move along the horizontal strap.

By this the middle bar can be moved around horizontally. Thus, theobject carried by the supporting rod can be moved around the person wearingthe harness. The object may be moved around without the person having tomove. This increases the flexibility and movability of the person wearing theharness, while carrying an object through the harness.

The first shoulder strap may comprise a first loop and the secondshoulder strap may comprise a second loop, wherein the first shoulder strap may be slidably attached at the firstattachment point of the horizontal strap by the first loop and the secondshoulder strap may be slidably attached at the third attachment point of thehorizontal strap by the second loop.

By this each shoulder strap may be slidably attached to the horizontalstrap in a simple and robust manner. The loop may be formed by folding anend of each strap and attaching the end of the fold to the strap.

The middle bar may be placed, centrally at the front side of saidperson, between the first shoulder strap and the second shoulder strap.

By this it is ensured that the load, and strain from the carried object isevenly distributed to each shoulder strap and thus evenly distributed to the 4 person”s right and left side. Thus, an object may be carried without creatingan uneven, harmful strain on the person wearing the harness.

The middle bar may be rigid.

By this it can be assured that the middle bar doesn”t bend or flex fromthe weight of the supporting rod and the carried object. Thus, it is assuredthat the weight from the object is transferred to the shoulder straps in anintended way such that it doesn't produce any harmful strain. lf the middle barwere to bend or flex it would produce strain in unintended directions whichwould be harmful.

The middle bar may be placed over the abdomen of said person.

By this the middle bar may be supported by the muscles of theabdomen. Thus if the middle bar were to press towards the person they wouldbe able to counteract this pressure by the muscles of their abdomen. Thus,for example, the person would still be able to breathe relatively effortlessly.Further, this placement allows for relatively easy adjustment of the middle barby the hands of the person. Thus the flexibility and the comfortability of thecarrying harness may be increased.

The middle bar may be curved such that it may follow the abdomen ofsaid person.

By this the harness may be more comfortable to wear. Further themiddle bar may be more stably placed over the abdomen. Thus, the carriedobject may be more stable and kept at a central position. This increases notonly the safety of the harness but also the predictability of the movements ofthe object. Further, the less the object moves around the less harmful strain isput on the person wearing the harness.

The carrying harness may further comprise a supporting rod forcarrying an object, wherein the supporting rod may be configured to detachably attach tothe middle bar at a first end of the supporting rod, wherein the supporting rod may comprise a supporting point at asecond end of the supporting rod, opposite the first end, wherein the supporting point is may be configured for supporting theobject.

By this the harness is provided with a detachable supporting rod forcarrying an object. By having a first end for detachably attaching and asecond end for supporting an object it is possible to support the objectremotely from the middle bar to which the supporting rod is attached. Thus, it is possible to support the object close to the ground, which makes it easier tolift objects from the ground to the supporting point. Further, it allows for aperson to easily balance the object on the supporting point by horizontallysupporting the object close to the first end of the supporting rod.

The supporting rod may be configured to extend substantially from themiddle bar to the ankle of said person.

By this it will be easier to lift an object from the ground to thesupporting rod. Further it allows for movement of the supporting rod betweenthe legs of the person, Thus, it allows for the supporting rod to be swungbackwards between the legs of a person wearing the carrying harness suchthat the person may crouch down.

The supporting rod may be rigid.

By this the movements of an object supported by the supporting rodare more predictable. Thus, the safety and usability of the carrying harness isincreased.

The horizontal strap may comprise a strap adjuster.

By this the horizontal strap may be adjusted. Thus, the horizontal strapmay be tightened around the torso of the person. By the horizontal strapbeing tightly arranged around the torso the carrying harness may be securedto the person. Thus, it may be ensured that the weight of the carried object isdistributed as intended and not in a harmful manner.

Further the horizontal strap may be adjusted such that the carryingharness is easier to put on, then tightened such that the carrying harness stillfunctions as intended.

The horizontal strap is configured to form a loop. The horizontal strapmay comprise a lock for opening and closing the loop.

By being configured to form a loop the horizontal strap may secure thecarrying harness to the person in a secure manner. By being able to open thehorizontal strap it is possible to easily put on the carrying harness and thenclose the horizontal strap again such that the carrying harness functions asintended.

The carrying harness may further comprise a first folded plate, folded around the middle bar at a first end of themiddle bar, and a second metal fold, folded around the middle bar at a second end ofthe middle bar, opposite to the first end, wherein the first end of the middle bar may be attached to the firstshoulder strap through a rivet passing through the first folded plate and themiddle bar, and wherein the second end of the middle bar is may be attached to thesecond shoulder strap through a rivet passing through the second foldedplate and the middle bar.

By this the middle bar is secured to the shoulder straps such that itdoesn”t twist. Thus, the middle bar does not cut into the abdomen of theperson. Further, by the middle bar being securely attached to the shoulderstraps it is ensured that the weight of the carried object is distributed asintended, without harmful strain being put on the person.

The middle bar may extend along the horizontal strap.

By this the person is protected by the horizontal strap from anymovements and forces from the middle bar. Thus, both the person and theclothes they are wearing are protected from wear from the middle bar.

The carrying harness may further comprise padding, wherein thepadding may be configured to be situated at the shoulders and back of saidperson.

By this the comfortability of the carrying harness is increased. Furtherthe padding may provide for additional spreading of the load coming from thecarried object.

The object may be a board or a plate or a sheet or a panel.

These are objects which are cumbersome to carry by hand and whichwhen carried by hand produce harmful strain to the shoulders.

By the term “rigid” is here meant rigid in the context of the carryingharness and the objects which may be carried by it. Since the carryingharness is intended to be worn by a person, the objects carried by thecarrying harness should not be too heavy for a person to be able to lift andcarry. Thus, rigid is here meant to be put into relation to these objects whichare carried and their weight. ln other words, rigid here means rigid or stiff orhard or inflexible enough such that it is not bent, flexed or forced out of shapefrom the load which comes from the load of a person lifting and carrying anobject.

Brief description of the drawinqsThe above objects, as well as additional objects, features andadvantages of the present invention, will be more fully appreciated by 7 reference to the following illustrative and non-limiting detailed description,when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.Figure 1 shows an exemplary embodiment of a carrying harness.Figure 2 shows a person wearing the carrying harness in Figure 1.Figure 3 shows an exemplary embodiment of a supporting rod.Figure 4 is a zoomed in view of a section of the carrying harness inFigure 1.

Detailed descriptionFigure 1 shows a carrying harness 1. The carrying harness 1 is configured to be worn by a person 3.

The carrying harness comprises a horizontal strap 7. The horizontalstrap 7 is configured to extend around the torso of a person 3.

The horizontal strap 7 is configured to form a loop. The horizontal strap7 comprises a strap adjuster 17. The horizontal strap 7 may comprise a lockfor opening and closing the loop. The lock may be the strap adjuster 17. Bythe strap adjuster 17 the extension of the horizontal strap 7 around the torsoof a person 3 wearing the carrying harness 1 can be adjusted. ln other words,the strap adjuster 17 may adjust the extension of the loop formed by thehorizontal strap 7.

The carrying harness 1 comprises a middle bar 9 attached to the firstshou|der strap 5a and to the second shou|der strap 5b. The middle bar 9extends along the horizontal strap 7.

The middle bar 9 is rigid. ln this specific embodiment, the middle bar 9is made from steel. However, other material is naturally also possible. Themiddle bar 9 may be curved in such a way that it may follow the abdomen of aperson 3 wearing the carrying harness 1. The middle bar 9 is configured todetachably receive a supporting rod 10 for carrying an object.

The carrying harness 1 comprises padding 23. The padding 23 isconfigured to be situated at the shoulders and at back of a person 3 wearingthe carrying harness 1. The padding 23 is attached to the carrying harness 1by stitching. The padding 23 comprises an opening at the backside of theperson 3, which opening may help with the thermoregulation of a person 3 wearing the carrying harness 1. The padding 23 is configured to be situatedbetween on the one hand the shoulder straps 5a, 5b and the horizontal strap7 and on the other hand a person 3 wearing the carrying harness 1.

The first shoulder strap 5a is attached to the horizontal strap 7 at a firstattachment point 11a of the horizontal strap 7 and at a second attachmentpoint 13a of the horizontal strap 7.

The second shoulder strap 5b is attached to the to the horizontal strap7 at a third attachment point 11b of the horizontal strap 7 and at a fourthattachment point 13b of the horizontal strap 7.

The first shoulder strap 5a comprises a first loop 15a and the secondshoulder strap 5b comprises a second loop 15b. The first shoulder strap 5a isslidably attached at the first attachment point 11a of the horizontal strap 7 bythe first loop 15a and the second shoulder strap 5b is slidably attached at thethird attachment point 11b of the horizontal strap 7 by the second loop 15b.

The first loop 15a is formed by folding an end of the first shoulder strap5a over the strap itself and attaching the end by stitching.

The second loop 15b is formed by folding an end of the first secondshoulder strap 5b over the strap itself and attaching the end by stitching.

The first shoulder strap 5a at the first attachment point 11a and thesecond shoulder strap 5b at the third attachment point 11b are each slidablyattached to the horizontal strap 7 such that the first shoulder strap 5a and thesecond shoulder strap 5b may move along the horizontal strap 7.

The first shoulder strap 5a is attached to the horizontal strap 7 at thesecond attachment point 13a by stitching.

The first second shoulder strap 5b is attached to the to the horizontalstrap 7 at the fourth attachment point 13b by stitching.

As can be seen in the exploded view of the middle bar 9 the carryingharness 1 comprises a first folded plate 19a and a second folded plate 19b.The folded plates 19a, 19b may be made of the same material as the middlebar 9. The first folded bar 19a is folded around the middle bar 9 at a first endof the middle bar 9. The second folded bar 19b is folded around the middlebar 9 at a second end of the middle bar 9, opposite to the first end.

The first end of the middle bar 9 is attached to the first shoulder strap5a through two rivets 21 a passing through the first folded plate 19a and themiddle bar 9. The second end of the middle bar 9 is attached to the secondshoulder strap 5b through two rivets 21 b passing through the second foldedplate 19b and the middle bar 9. The middle bar 9 may be attached to each of the shoulder straps 5a, 5b by any suitable number of rivets per shoulder strap5a, 5b.

Figure 2 shows a person 3 wearing a carrying harness 1. The carryingharness 1 is of the same type as the one seen in Figure 1. ln Figure 2 it canbe seen how the carrying harness 1 is configured to be worn by a person 3.

The first shoulder strap 5a hangs over a first shoulder of the person 3and the second shoulder strap 5b hangs over a second shoulder of theperson 3.

The horizontal strap 7 extends around the torso of the person 3.

The padding 23 is situated at the shoulders and at the back of theperson 3.

The first attachment point 11a and the third attachment point 11b of thehorizontal strap 7 are at the front side of the person 3. The secondattachment point 13a and the fourth attachment point 13b of the horizontalstrap 7 are at the back side of the person 3.

The middle bar 9 is placed over the abdomen of the person 3. Themiddle bar 9 is placed centrally at the front side of the person 3, between thefirst shoulder strap 5a and the second shoulder strap 5b. The middle bar 9extends along the horizontal strap 7 with the horizontal strap 7 being situatedbetween the middle bar 9 and the abdomen of the person 3.

The middle bar 9 has received a supporting rod 10 for carrying anobject. The supporting rod 10 is detachable from and re-attachable to themiddle bar 9.

The supporting rod 10 is configured to detachably attach to the middlebar 9 at a first end 101 of the supporting rod 10. The supporting rod 10comprises a supporting point 103 at a second end 102 of the supporting rod10, opposite the first end 101. The supporting point 103 is configured forsupporting the object.

The supporting rod 10 may extend substantially from the middle bar 9to the ankles of the person 3. Alternatively, the supporting rod 10 may extendsubstantially from the middle bar 9 to the knees of the person 3, or to aposition between the ankles and the knees of the person 3. A furtheralternative is to extend substantially to the medial malleoli of the person 3.

The supporting rod 10 is rigid. The supporting rod 10 may be made ofthe same material as the middle bar 9.

Figure 3 shows a supporting rod 10 in more detail. At a first end 101 ofthe supporting rod 10, the supporting rod 10 is configured to detachably attach to a middle bar 9. This is achieved by forming a hook-Iike shape of thefirst end 101 of the supporting rod 10. The hook-Iike shape may be formed bybending of the supporting rod 10. The supporting rod may be detachablyattachable to a middle bar by hanging the first end 101 of the supporting rod10 on the middle bar 9.

At a second end 102 of the supporting rod 10, the supporting rod 10comprises a supporting point 103. The second end 102 is opposite to the firstend 101. The supporting point 103 may be formed by bending of thesupporting rod 10. The supporting point 103 is configured to receive andsupport an object to be carried. The object may in particular be a board or asheet or a plate or a panel. The object may be supported on the supportingpoint 103 and balanced with the arms of the person 3 wearing a carryingharness 1.

Figure 4 is a zoomed in view of a section of the carrying harness 1.The section shows a portion of the first shoulder strap 5a, of the horizontalstrap 7, of the middle bar 9 and of the supporting rod 10. The section showsthis in the vicinity of the first attachment point 11a of the horizontal strap 7.

Figure 4 further shows how the first shoulder strap 5a is attached to themiddle bar 9 and to the horizontal strap 7. lt is possible to see how the firstfolded plate 19a is folded around the middle bar 9 and how the first shoulderstrap 5a is slidably attached at the first attachment point 11a of the horizontalstrap 7 by the first loop 15a. The situation regarding the second shoulderstrap 5b and its attachments is equal. lt can also be seen how the supporting rod 10 is detachably receivedby the middle bar 9 by hanging the first end 101 of the supporting rod 10 onthe middle bar 9. lt can be seen that the supporting rod 10 has a horizontal extensionsuch that the rod is securely attached to the middle bar 9. The supporting rodmay thus not rotate around an axis normal to the horizontal plane.

As the carrying harness 1 is meant to be able to support an object theharness should be made strong and robust enough to withstand the strainand loads which may come from this. The straps could be made from a strongenough fabric or any other suitable material. The shoulder straps 5a, 5bshould not be too narrow as it might cut into the shoulders of a person 3wearing the carrying harness 1 in an uncomfortable way when an object iscarried using the carrying harness 1. For example, the shoulder straps 5a, 5bcould be made with a width of 50 mm.

Claims

1. A carrying harness (1), comprising: a first shoulder strap (5a) configured to hang over a first shoulder of aperson (3), a second shoulder strap (5b) configured to hang over a secondshoulder of said person (3), a horizontal strap (7) configured to extend around the torso of saidperson (3), and a middle bar (9) attached to the first shoulder strap (5a) and to thesecond shoulder strap (5b), wherein the first shoulder strap (5a) is attached to the horizontal strap(7) at a first attachment point (11a) and at a second attachment point (13a) ofthe horizontal strap (7), wherein the second shoulder strap (5b) is attached to the horizontalstrap (7) at a third attachment point (1 1 b) and at a fourth attachment point(13b) of the horizontal strap (7), and wherein the middle bar (9) is configured to detachably receive asupporting rod (10) for carrying an object.

2. A carrying harness (1) according to claim 1, wherein the firstattachment point (1 1 a) and the third attachment point (1 1 b) of the horizontalstrap (7) are configured to be at the front side of said person (3), and wherein the second attachment point (13a) and the fourth attachmentpoint (13b) of the horizontal strap (7) are configured to be at the back side ofsaid person (3).

3. A carrying harness (1) according to any preceding claim, wherein thefirst shoulder strap (5a) at the first attachment point (11a) and the secondshoulder strap (5b) at the third attachment point (11b) each are slidablyattached to the horizontal strap (7) such that the first shoulder strap (5a) andthe second shoulder strap (5b) may move along the horizontal strap (7). 12

4. A carrying harness (1) according to claim 3, wherein the first shoulderstrap (5a) comprises a first loop (15a) and the second shoulder strap (5b)comprises a second loop (15b), wherein the first shoulder strap (5a) is slidably attached at the firstattachment point (11a) of the horizontal strap (7) by the first loop (15a) andthe second shoulder strap (5b) is slidably attached at the third attachmentpoint (1 1 b) of the horizontal strap (7) by the second loop (15b).

5. A carrying harness (1) according to any preceding claim, wherein themiddle bar (9) is placed, centrally at the front side of said person (3), betweenthe first shoulder strap (5a) and the second shoulder strap (5b).

6. A carrying harness (1) according to any preceding claim, wherein themiddle bar (9) is rigid.

7. A carrying harness (1) according to any preceding claim, wherein themiddle bar (9) is placed over the abdomen of said person (3).

8. A carrying harness (1) according to claim 6, wherein the middle bar (9)is curved such that it may follow the abdomen of said person (3).

9. A carrying harness (1) according to any preceding claim, further comprising a supporting rod (10) for carrying an object, wherein the supporting rod (10) is configured to detachably attach tothe middle bar (9) at a first end (101) of the supporting rod (10), wherein the supporting rod (10) comprises a supporting point (103) at asecond end (102) of the supporting rod (10), opposite the first end (101), wherein the supporting point (103) is configured for supporting theobject.

10.A carrying harness (1) according to claim 9, wherein the supporting rod(10) is configured to extend substantially from the middle bar (9) to the ankleof said person (3). 13

11.A carrying harness (1) according to claim 9 or 10, wherein thesupporting rod (10) is rigid.

12.A carrying harness (1) according to any preceding claim, wherein thehorizontal strap (7) comprises a strap adjuster (17).

13.A carrying harness (1) according to any preceding claim, wherein thehorizontal strap (7) is configured to form a loop, andwherein the horizontal strap (7) comprises a lock for opening andclosing the loop.

14.A carrying harness (1) according to any preceding claim, further comprising a first folded plate (19a), folded around the middle bar (9) at a first endof the middle bar (9), and a second metal fold (19b), folded around the middle bar (9) at a secondend of the middle bar (9), opposite to the first end, wherein the first end of the middle bar (9) is attached to the firstshoulder strap (5a) through a rivet (21 a) passing through the first folded plate(19a) and the middle bar (9), and wherein the second end of the middle bar (9) is attached to the secondshoulder strap (5b) through a rivet (21 b) passing through the second foldedplate (19b) and the middle bar (9).

15.A carrying harness (1) according to any preceding claim, wherein themiddle bar (9) extends along the horizontal strap (7).

16.A carrying harness (1) according to any preceding claim, furthercomprising padding (23), wherein the padding (23) is configured to besituated at the shoulders and back of said person (3). 14

17.A carrying harness (1) according to any preceding claim, wherein theobject is a board or a plate or a sheet or a panel.