US3004519A - Safety harness - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 17, 1961 N, wElssMAN 3,004,519

SAFETY HARNESS Filed Feb. 24, 1959 a JNVENTOR.

.United States Patenti() 3,004,519 l l SAFETY HARNESS Norman Weissman, 304 Bay 17th St., Brooklyn 14, N.Y. Filed Feb. 24, 1959A, Ser. No. 795,213 3 Claims. (Cl. 119-96) This invention relates to safety apparatus and, more particularly, to a safety harness for children.

Ordinarily, safety harnesses for children unduly restrict the movements of the child during use. It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a novel safety harness for children that will provide utmost safety while, at the same time, permitting the child to turn around in either direction without becoming entangled, over-burdened, or the like.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a safety harness having releasable securement elements slidably carried by the waist belt of the harness, whereby the waist belt may be rotated continuously relative to the stationary object upon which the securement elements are fastened.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a safety harness for children of the type described that can be effectively manufactured in large quantities at a relatively low cost.

All of the foregoing and still further objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from a study of the following specification, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective View of a safety harness made in accordance with one form of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged transverse cross sectional view taken along line 2-2 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged fragmentary exploded perspective View of certain parts of the Waist belt forming a part of the present invention;

FIGURE 4 is a rear view of the assembly shown in FIGURE 3 in an assembled relationship;

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged fragmentary cross sectional View taken along line 5 5 of FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 6 is a perspective view of a releasable securement element forming another part of the present in- Vention;

FIGURE 7 is a perspective view of a modified form of Vsecurement element; and

FIGURE 8 is a fragmentary perspective view of a silghtly modified form of waist belt.

Referring now to the drawing, and more particularly to FIGURES l to 6 thereof, a safety harness 10 made in accordance with the present invention is shown to include a pair of shoulder straps 12 secured at opposite ends, by means of stitching 14 to the web 16 of the waist belt. Each shoulder strap 12 is provided with an adjustment slide 18 for adjusting the length of the shoulder straps to fit the particular child with which the harness is used. Similar slides 28, 30 are used to adjust the length of front and rear straps 20, 22, respectively secured at opposite ends by means of stitching 24, 26 to the front and rear portions of each shoulder strap 12.

As is more clearly shown in FIGURES 2 to 4 of the drawing, the Waist band includes a main web 16 upon which a pair of formed webs 32 are secured, by means of stitching 34, in spaced apart relationship to define a continuous slot 36 opening into the interior 38' thereof. A cap X40 having a ball bearing 42 rotatably carried therewithin in rolling engagement with the inwardly facing surfaces of the formed webs 32 extending outwardly through the slot 36 and terminates in a loop 44' with which a spring clip 46 is engaged. It will thus be observed that each securement assembly carried by the ball cap 40 is slidably supported upon the waist band for continuous movement in either direction, so that the child secured within the harness may rotate continuously in either direction relative to the fixed object upon which the spring clips 46 are releasably secured.

The size of the waist band may be adjusted by releasing and engaging the male snap fastener 50 with any one of the longitudinally spaced apart female snap fasteners 52. The male snap fastener 50 extends into the space 38 at one end 48a of the belt which also receives the opposite end 4812 of the belt, in the manner shown in FIG- URE 4. It thus becomes a simple matter to adjust the size of the belt to fit any particular child.

Referring now to FIGURE 7 of the drawing, a slightly modified form of slide element 54 is shown to include an arcuate plate 56 of generally rectangular shape having a stern S8 extending perpendicularly outwardly therefrom and terminating in an eye portion 59 for attachment to the snap fasteners 46. This slide plate presents an enlarged bearing surface and does not require a ball bearing of the type disclosed in FIGURE 6.

In FIGURE 8 of the drawing, a slightly modified form of waist band 60 is shown to include a main web 62 upon which preformed segments 64 are secured, such as by rivets 65 in two spaced apart rows to define a longitudinal slot 68 extending therebetween. The outwardly offset portions 66 of these segments 64 define an inside housing 70 within which the ball cap 40 or slide plate 56 may be slidably supported. This type of waist belt is more flexible than the type hereinbefore described because of the segmented construction, thus enabling it to more readily conform to the body of the child during use.

The various webs 32 and segments. 64 may be constructed from various types of molded plastic material so as to slidably support the respective ball elements 42' or slide plate 56 without spreading apart. As a result, the child may be comfortably secured to a stationary object, but yet permitted to rotate entirely in either direction without unnecessary interference by the spring snaps 46.

While this invention has been described with particular reference to the construction shown in the drawing, it is to be understood that such is not to be construed as imparting limitations upon the invention, which is best defined by the claims appended hereto.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. A safety harness for infants comprising, in cornbination, a waist belt, a pair of shoulder straps permanently secured at each end to diametrically opposite sides of said waist belt, means for adjusting the diameter of said waist belt, and a pair of releasable securement means for attachment to a stationary object slidably carried by said waist belt at diametrically opposite sides and adjustably limiting movement of said waist belt relative to said stationary object, said means for adjusting the diameter of said waist belt comprising a channel formed at one end of said belt, and a tongue formed at the opposite end of said belt, said channel slidably receiving said tongue longitudinally therewithin, releasable fasteners detachably securing the opposite ends of said belt in assembled relationship, and slides carried by each one of said shoulder straps selectively adjusting the length thereof, said securement means comprising a plurality of individual spring clips, a pair of longitudinally extending and laterally spaced apart webs integral with said waist belt defining a longitudinal channel, and bearings carried by said spring clips slidably received within said longitudinal channel for reciprocating longitudinal movement along the length thereof.

2. A safety harness for infants as set forth in claim l, wherein said bearings comprise ball bearing assemblies, each one of said ball bearing assemblies being connected to one of said spring clips.

v3. A safety harness for infants as set forth in claim 1, 312,085 Claghorn Feb. 10, 1885 wherein said bearings comprise a plurality of arcuate 942,126 Backlund Dec. 7, 1909 slide plates slidably supported within said channel, and 1,176,652 Clark Mar. 21, 1916 each one of said slide plates being connected to one of 1,288,170 Pick Dec. 17, 1918 said spring clips.` i A 5 1,930,378 Beagan Oct. 10, 1933 2,132,556 B1ackshaw Oct. 11, 1938 References Cited in the file of this patent 2,725,853 Nordheim Dec. 6, 1955 UNITED STATES PATENTS FOREIGN PATENTSV 'i 278,310 Bierbach i May 29, 1883 1b 35,387 Germany -Apr.24,1886

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