US2366764A

US2366764A - Retainer for parachute shroud lines

Info

Publication number: US2366764A
Application number: US496225A
Authority: US
Inventors: Wilson Harry
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1943-07-26
Filing date: 1943-07-26
Publication date: 1945-01-09
Anticipated expiration: 1962-01-09

Description

Jan-9,1945. H. WILSON 2,366,764

RETAINER FQR PARACHUTE SHROUD LINES Filed July 26, 1943 v2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Jan. 9, 1945 RETAINER Fon PARACHUTE sHnoUD LINES Harry Wilson, Dayton, Ohio Application July 26, 1943, serial No. 496,225

, (Granted under the act of March 3, 1883. as amended April 30, 1928; 370 O. G. '157) 2 Claims.

The invention described herein may be manu- I factured and used by or for the Government for 4governmental purposes, Without the payment to me of any royalty thereon.

This invention pertains to retainers for packets of bights of shroud lines of a parachute, the primary object of which is to compressionally hold the bights of the lines to prevent entanglement of` the unfurled portions as the lines pay out. C This invention is an improvement of the type disclosed in United States Patent No. 1,774,513,

which includes a plurality of spaced pockets disline folds are unfurled from a given pocket. the

remaining bights of that packet are freed, and may cause serious entanglement, because the cross-sectional area of the pockets remain substantially constant. I

An aim of the present invention is to compressionally grip the bights of the shroud line packet, as they are successively reduced in number during the p ay out, by providing elastically distortive retaining pockets.

These and other objects of the invention will become apparent from the following specification, appended claims, and the accompanying drawings illustrating certain embodiments having the characteristics of my invention and by which the same may be practiced.

Fig. 1 is a schematic perspective of an open parachute pack illustrating the application of the Improved shroud line packet retainers and the arrangement of the shroud lines therein.

Fig. 2 illustrates the manner in which the parachute pack is worn and in which position the improved shroud line retainers are stretched into maximum holding position, as shown'in Fig. 5.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged section in perspective, illustrative of the improved retainers slackened for loading of the shroud line bights.

Fig. 4 is a sectionalized view illustrative of the unloaded retainer under tension.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the loaded retainer sectionalized to illustrate the shape of the 'retainer loops when under tension across the back of the wearer. l

Figs. 6, 7 and 8 are enlarged sections of embodiments of my invention illustrating the use of different materials.

The present invention is intendedfor use in connection with non-rigid, frameless parachute packs of the character illustrated in Fig. 1 and consists of a pair of strap-like membersl IIB and I I disposed across the inner face of the back panel I2 of the parachute pack and at the opposite ends thereof. Each of the strap-like members are formed by a pair of superimposed strips of material I3 and I4 secured together at their ends I5 and I6 and at spaced intervals II to provide spaced passageways I8 which may be opened to loop formations I9 as shown in Fig. 3 or drawn to slit formation 20 as shown in Fig. 4, or drawn down upon the shroud line bights as shown in Fig. 5.

At least one of the strips I3 and I4 of each of the strap-like members I0 and II is of elastic material. In the embodiment illustrated in Fig, 7, the bottom strip I4 is of rubber or of expansible fabric interwoven with rubber threads, whereas the upper strip I3 is of the non-elastic character such as canvas, leather, etc. In the embodiment of Figs. 3, 4 and 5, however, both strips I3 and I4 are of rubber or rubber-like material. In lieu of rubber, both strips may be of expansible fabric interwoven with elastic threads as illustrated in Fig. 6.

The strips I3 and I4, as secured together to form the loop-provided strap-like members I0 and I I, are stretched at least to the point at which the loop formations are substantially closed or to the point at which the respective strips of a strap-like member are brought substantially into parallelism, as shown in Fig. 4, and are thence secured at their ends I5 and I6 to the inner face of the back I2 of the pack. The portions of the strap-like members intermediate the secured ends are unsecured and free to contract and open the passageways I8 into loop formations I9 as shown in Fig. 7; free to be slackened to open the passageways as shown in Figs.` 3 and 6; and free to be stretched back into parallelism when the portions of the back of the pack between the points of securement of the respective straps are made taut, as shown in Fig. 4 and in dotted lines in Fig. 7.

In the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 8, the back I2 of the parachute'pack is utilized as an equivalent for the bottom strip I4 of the embodiment illustrated in Figs. l through 7. In this embodiment, the strip I3 is secured at the intervals I1 directly to the back of the pack.

In packing the shroud lines, the back I2 of the pack is slackened, as shown in Figs. 3 and 6 or permitted to be drawn slack by the strap as by the embodiment of Fig. 7, sumciently'to allow the strap passageways I8 to be distended or opened to readily permit the packets oi' shroud be drawn down oval-wise and compressionallygrip the packet of shroud line bights. As the bights are successively drawn or payed out, the tension on the back of the pack and elasticity of the loop forming strips continue to reduce the capacity of the loops. whereby the holding eect continues down to the last bight.

Having described my invention and illustrated an embodiment by which the same may be practiced, what I claim is: l

1. Shroud line retaining means of a parachute pack comprising strips oi elastic material secured together in superimposed relationship at spaced intervals and secured at their ends to a member of said parachute pack at points sumciently removed irom one another to cause said strips to be drawn into substantial parallelism when said parachute pack member is drawn taut.

2. A parachute pack having spaced rows of loops expansible` to receive and automatically Y contractible to compressionally hold bights of shroud lines, wherein the rows of loops are formed of superimposed strips, the upper one of which is secured in a corrugated manner at spaced intervals to the lower-,most member oi' said superimposed strips. wherein the lower-most strip is of elastic material, and wherein said superimposed strips are secured at their ends to a member oi the parachute .pack at points removed from one another a distance 'substantially equal to the length of the upper-most of said superimposed strips when drawn taut.

HARRY WILSON.