WO1992022229A1

WO1992022229A1 - Carrying aid

Info

Publication number: WO1992022229A1
Application number: PCT/GB1992/001069
Authority: WO
Inventors: Ilan Samson
Original assignee: Ilan Samson
Priority date: 1991-06-14
Filing date: 1992-06-15
Publication date: 1992-12-23
Also published as: GB9112900D0

Abstract

A device for carrying a load comprises a handle (10) which is substantially rigid and together with flexible material (40) to form two loops (42) extending around the load (52) from the handle (10), and means (22, 24) to adjust the length of the loops (42). The handle (10) may be a hollow tube or better channel which permits the flexible material (40) to be bundled inside the handle (10) when not in use.

Description

CARRYING AID

Field and Background of the Invention

This invention relates to an aid for carrying loads by hand. In particular the invention is envisaged as applicable to facilitating the carrying of boxes and parcels which are of a size such that a person would normally have to carry with two hands. The invention may, however, be found useful with loads of varying size and weight.

One particular application of the present invention is in connection with carrying boxes and parcels at the time when these are purchased from a shop. It is not infrequently the case that a box or parcel purchased from a shop is of a weight which could be carried by one hand, yet because of its shape has to be carried using both hands and is inconvenient to carry in that way for more than a very short distance. String tied around a box can provide a hand hold, but boxes are now increasingly closed with adhesive tape which does not provide any hand hold or are bound with plastic strapping which provides a poor hand hold, if any. There are also numerous other occasions when a box, parcel or other bulky object has to be moved and is of a size and/or weight which makes it awkward to carry for any distance. Techniques for fastening string or rope around a load to facilitate lifting it are of course known but nevertheless require time and skill, especially if done in such a way as to provide a comfortable hand hold. Usually it is easier to use a barrow or trolley or else endeavour to carry the load despite its awkwardness.

The Invention

Broadly the present invention seeks to provide a device which can be used to facilitate carrying by hand a load such as a box or parcel. At least in some forms, the invention seeks to address further problems/needs whose significance has been appreciated by the present inventor:-

i) the device should be capable of being fitted to a variety of shapes and sizes of load. Preferably, the device should not be limited in the length of the object it is able to carry. For lengthy items such as logs or pipes it is most desirable to be able to pass the carrying straps around the object approximately at its middle, rather than having to pass them both over an end of the object and slide them along to the middle. After the straps are passed round the approximate middle of the object they can be slid along for a short distance if necessary until ^*the load is balanced.

ii) it is undesirable for a device to provide two handles or handle parts which a user must pull together by gripping them with one hand. This occurs with a conventional two-handled shopping bag and is uncomfortable when the user has to apply continuous pressure to keep the two parts together.

iii) a device which is to be attached to a box or parcel at the time of purchase in a retail shop needs to be extremely simple and quick to fit so that the time taken to fit the device does not appear to be delaying other customers.

iv) a device intended to provide convenience should not be cumbersome when not in use. It is detrimental if such a device itself becomes another piece of luggage when it is not being used. By contrast, it is desirable that the device is small and light, so that a user will willingly carry it around until it is required. Specifically, it should, when not in use, assume a generally elongate form: the handle should be of a generally elongate shape, and (since carrying straps can be awkward and clumsy when the device is not being used) it is a feature of forms of this invention that there are means for storing the straps within the handle of the device when it is not being used.

v) it is also desirable that a device of this invention should be capable of being made and sold very cheaply since a low cost creates the possibility that a retailer will provide a customer with the device at cost, or even as a give-away item. This is analogous to the way in which retailers currently give away plastic carrier bags or have them available for sale at low cost. Specifically it is preferable for the handle part to be mouldable by a two part slideless tool and also it is convenient that the carrying straps be formed from a single length of material, thus obviating the need for sewing, heat sealing or the like and the use of special equipment in the manufacture of the device. This also makes for less and simpler threading of the straps through the respective attachment means of the handle of the device.

According to the present invention there is provided a device able to facilitate carrying a load by one hand, which device comprises a substantially rigid handle and elongate flexible material connected to the handle and extending from the handle so as to be able to form a pair of loops each running from the handle round the article and back to the handle, the device also including means to adjust the lengths of the loops around the load. Material to form each loop may extend from and return to the handle so as to form a loop even before the device is attached to a load, with provision being made to adjust the length of each loop after fitting it around a load. Alternatively- one end of each of the lengths of material intended to form a loop may be attached to the handle with provision being made to secure a remote portion of each length of material to the handle after it has been looped around the load. The handle needs to be sufficiently rigid to sustain its own shape but it may well be deformable against its own resilience.

It is desirable that the handle is approximately a rod or bar in form. Part of the user's hand can then be under the handle when the load is lifted. (For instance with a length which is at least three and a half, better four times any transverse dimensions). This may be hollow, e.g. a tube or an open sided shape such as a length of U- shaped channel section. The cross section may be approximately uniform along the length of handle, but there^' may be some variation along the length of the handle.

It is convenient for the handle to be made from synthetic plastics material which may be moulded or extruded with a tubular or U-shaped cross-section. A U- shaped cross-sectioned handle could also be punched out and formed from sheet metal. As will become apparent from the description below, the tube may or may not have an opening along its length, in the former case the elongate flexible material may be stored inside the cavity when not in use.

Optionally a hollow channel section handle may be provided with a lid which is preferably hinged along an axis lying substantially lengthwise along an upper edge of at least one side of the lower portion of the handle. A convenient hinge may be formed by a "living" hinge, that is at least one relatively thin, deformable, web of material integral with both portions of the handle. An alternative is a snap-fit lid.

The elongate flexible material may be string or cord of various kinds or it may be a flat flexible strip such as woven tape, knitted tape or possibly even flexible strip punched out of sheet material, each depending on the constructional form of the invention.

Certain preferred forms of this invention utilise a handle of tubular or U-shaped-channel form, with buckles formed at each end of the handle, while the flexible material is flat woven tape.

Preferably the means to adjust the length of each loop is incorporated into the handle. For this purpose the handle desirably incorporates apertures for the passage of the flexible material, and is shaped to engage the flexible material to restrain lengthening of the loops, while allowing passage of the material through the apertures to shorten the loops. A convenient construction for this purpose is a ladder buckle incorporated into and moulded integrally with the handle itself. The two lengths of elongate flexible material preferably extend from spaced points along the length of the handle, such as from points proximate each end of the handle. Another preferred feature is that the two loops are formed by a single length of flexible material. Then, a device of the invention may have both ends of a length of elongate flexible material connected to the handle, the handle having provision for releasable attachment thereto of a portion of the length to form said loops. This permits the flexible material to be passed around the load, and then a portion of the length of flexible material which has been passed around the load is attached to the handle so that there are then two loops around the load. Means for adjusting the length of the loops may again be provided by one or a pair of ladder buckles incorporated into the handle, proximate one or each end thereof.

For releasable attachment of a portion of the length of flexible material to the handle it is desirable that the handle has a hollow interior and an opening to the interior extending along its length, thereby allowing a portion of the flexible material to be inserted through the opening into the interior of the handle and thereby form two loops.

It is also preferred that the handle has at least one cut-out into which the flexible material can be inserted, especially a pair of cut-outs each extending to an end of the handle. The opening extending to the end of the handle is preferably constricted such that the flexible material will not fall out through this opening but can be pulled out through it when desired. The orientation and shape of the cut-όut(s) should preferably be chosen such that the flexible material is situated sufficiently low down in the handle so that tension in the elongate flexible material, in use, helps to rotate the handle to its intended orientation for lifting a load. This also makes it desirable that the lowest orifice of a ladder buckle by which the elongate flexible material is attached to the handle is likewise sufficiently low down in the side wall of that portion of the handle.

Another form of this invention is a device having both ends of a length of elongate flexible material attached to the handle, with the two halves of the length connected together at one or more points intermediately between the handle and the mid point of said length, the handle having provision for releasable attachment of a mid portion of said length to form said loops around a load or releasable attachment of a connection between intermediate points along the halves of the length so as to form shorter said loops around a load. It is desirable that the two halves of the length of elongate flexible material are connec-ted ^*to the handle so that the two halves extend from spaced points along the length of the handle, such as from points at or adjacent each end of the handle.

Connections between points intermediately between the handle and the mid point of said length of elongate flexible material may be formed from further shorter lengths of elongate flexible material acting as bridging pieces between the points concerned.

To enable releasable attachment to the handle, the handle may take the form of a length of tube with a slot along its length so that either the mid portion of the length of elongate flexible material or a piece bridging between a pair of intermediate points can be inserted through the slot.

Yet another form of the invention is a device having one end of a length of elongate flexible material connected to a said handle which is tubular, the said length extending around the first said loop, then passing along the interior of the handle, then around the second said loop and back along the length of the interior of the handle, whereby the lengths of the two loops can be adjusted by pulling the flexible material through the handle.

Brief Description of the Drawings Embodiments of the present invention will now be described below in detail, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the handle of a device embodying the invention, with the path of the flexible material indicated diagrammatically; Figure 2 is a perspective view illustrating the device of Figure 1 in use;

Figure 3 is a plan view onto one end of the handle of Figure 1; Figure 4 is a section on line III-III of Figure

2;

Figure 5 is a perspective view of part of a second embodiment of device;

Figure 6 is a diagrammatic view of the device of Figure 5 on a much reduced scale;

Figure 7 is a diagrammatic section through a third embodiment of device;

Description of Preferred Embodiments

Referring first to Figures 1 to 4 the device shown has a handle 10 which is of a hollow U-shape cross- section comprising two side walls 12, 14 and a bottom wall 16. This handle 10 is injection moulded, preferably from a polyamide. A central portion of the outer surface of the handle 10 is provided with ribbing 18 to provide a hand- grip.

Towards each end of the handle 10 a ladder buckle 20 is moulded integrally into the handle portion 14. Referring to Figure 3, each ladder buckle has an upper bar 22 and a lower bar 24, defining gaps 26, 28. Both bars 22, 24 are generally parallel to the longitudinal direction of the handle. Each buckle 20 is situated sufficiently far down in the side wall 12 that the bottommost gap is in fact situated in the bottom wall 16.

Opposite each ladder buckle, a cut-out 30 is formed at the base of the side wall. This has a narrow opening 32 extending to the end of the handle.

This construction of handle can be moulded with a simple two part injection moulding tool without slides.

The device also comprises a length of elongate flexible material 40 which is a flat woven tape, e.g. a flat woven polypropylene. Each end portion of the length of flexible material is threaded through a respective ladder buckle. The material passes through the gap 28 then over the top of the bar 22, through the gap 26 then once again through the gap 28. In Figure 4 the numeral 42 denotes the portion which in use extends around the load while numeral 44 denotes the tail portion leading to the free end.

The two free ends of the tails 44 are joined together at 46, for example by enclosing both of them in a single moulded end piece. This permanently captivates the length of flexible material to the handle. When the device is not in use the loose flexible material can be folded up into a bundle and stowed inside the hallow interior of the handle.

For use, to form the single length of material into two loops around an object 52 to be carried, a portion 50, which is near the mid point of the single length, is taken around the object to be carried and then fitted into ^■the interior of the hollow handle so that there are two loops around the object 52 as shown in Figure 2.

When inserting the portion 50 into the interior of the handle it can be trapped -there by inserting it into the cut-out slits 30 at each end of the handle.

Thus, the intermediate portion 50 of the length of material passes from the outside of the handle through a cut-out slot 30 at one end of the handle, along the interior of the handle and out again via the slot 30 at the opposite end of the handle. To ease the trapping/release of portion 50 in cut-outs 30 the tongues 56 can be made thin and flexible.

As shown by Figure 4 the gap 28 is in the bottom of the handle, and the cut-out 30 extends into the bottom of the handle. Consequently when the device is in use to carry a load, the flexible material 42 which extends into the loops will emerge from the bottom of the handle at approximately symmetrical locations relative to the centre line of the handle thus preventing that load on the loops tended to rotate the handle out of an upright orientation.

Once the loops are in place around the load they can be tightened by pulling on the two tails 44.

Each ladder buckle is arranged such that when the loops of flexible material are positioned around a load, the flexible material 42 extending towards the load must turn through an angle as it wraps around the bar 24. This angle will increase as the loop is drawn tight around a load.

When the loop is loose, the flexible material is not pressed against the bar 24 and the material can be drawn through the ladder buckle by pulling the tail 44 in the direction indicated by the arrow 58.

However, when a loop has been tightened around a load, the tension acting in the direction of the arrow 60 presses the free tail 44 against the sharp edge of the lower bar 24, thereby gripping the material and retaining it against expansion of the loop.

To enhance the gripping action, the angle through which the material must bend in passing around the bar 24 when under tension should be as large as possible. For this purpose the upper bar 22 projects outwardly from the side wall 12 of the handle.

To slacken the loops, the handle may be rotated around its own longitudinal axis in the direction which is clockwise as seen in Figure 4. This has the effect of reducing the exit angle of the main loop portion from the bottommost gap 28 of the buckle. Ideally the handle is rotated until the direction of the main loop portion 42 emerging from the bottommost gap 28 of the buckle tends toward a line drawn from the centre of the upper bar 22 though the centre of the lower bar 24. In any event the. angle through which the material wraps around the bar 24 is reduced, reducing the grip on the adjacent portion of the free tail 44, and allowing the loop of flexible material to be slackened.

This constructional form of the invention has a number of advantages. In particular, this form of device enables long objects, e.g. logs, pipes, skis etc. to be carried, because instead of having to pass the loops of elongate material over one end of the (long) object to be carried and then sliding them all the way to the middle, the two loops are formed simultaneously by passing a portion of the single length of material around the middle of the object after which they may if necessary be slid a little way along the object to adjust the balance. The straps are also able to be removed from the object quickly and easily when required, while at the same time grip the object to be carried securely and safely when the device is in use. A further advantage is that, because a single length of elongate flexible material is used, no heat sealing, sewing, riveting or the like is necessary in forming closed loops etc in the manufacture of the device. THe joint between the free ends is not load carrying and any simple means will suffice.

Another advantage is that when the free tails 44 of the elongate flexible material are adjusted in order to tighten the loops around the object to be carried, any difference in tension between the two loops tends to be eliminated, by virtue of the small amount of slippage of the flexible material which may occur through the cut-outs 30.

Referring to Figures 5 and 6 a second embodiment has a handle 110 consisting of so-called rigid polyvinyl chloride extruded in the form of a hollow circular tube with a continuous slot 112 along it, and then cut to length. Elongate flexible material extends from each end of the handle. As best seen from Figure 6 this is a cord which extends from the handle 110 to a mid portion 114 and back to the handle 110. The two halves of the length extending from the handle 110 to the mid portion 114 are denoted 116, .118. At a number of points intermediately between the handle and the mid portion 114 the two halves 116, 118 are joined by short bridging pieces of cord 120. Two more bridging pieces 122 are positioned fairly close to the handle 110. The end result is a ladder-like appearance as can be seen from Figure 6.

In order to fit this device to a load, the handle

110 is positioned just above the load. The halves 116, 118 of the main cord are carried around the load and the mid portion 114 or one of the bridging pieces 120, (whichever one gives 116 and 118 the tightest fit round the load) is inserted bodily through the slot 112 of the handle so that the two halves 116, 118 of the main cord form loops extending around the load enabling it to be lifted by means of the handle.

It may be found that fitting the mid portion 114 or one of the bridging pieces 120 to the handle gives loops which are too slack but the next bridging piece 120 gives loops which are excessively small and tight around the load. The additional bridging pieces 122 serve to accommodate this possibility. The spacing 130 between the handle and the first of these bridging pieces, likewise the spacing 132 between these two bridging pieces, is less than the spacing 134 between bridging pieces 120. If it should be found that satisfactory loops around the load cannot be formed by fitting either the mid portion 114 or one of the bridging pieces 120 to the handle then the lengths of the loops around the load can be modified to a smaller extent by fitting one or other of the bridging pieces 122 through the slot 112 in the handle.

In the example shown here, the distances 130, 132 along the two halves 116, 118 of the main cords from the handle to the first bridging piece 1_.22 and between the two bridging pieces 122 is one third of the distance 134 between successive bridging pieces 120 or between the last bridging piece 120 and the mid portion 114, while the distance 136 between bridging pieces 120 and 122 is approximately five times the distance 134.

Attachment of the bridging pieces 120, 122 to the two halves 116, 118 of the main cord may be accomplished by tying the cords with knots at the various connection points

138. An alternative possibility for forming connections of - the points 122 is to mould synthetic plastics material around the cords at these points. A process for moulding plastics material around cord is carried out by Bramley & Wellesley Ltd, Gloucester, England.

The elongate flexible material used to form the two halves 116, 118 and the bridging pieces 120, 122 need not be cord of circular cross-section. It could for instance be flat woven tape or tape made by machine knitting. In the latter case a possibility is for the bridging pieces 120, 122 to consist of cord while the two halves 116, 118 are of knitted tape, the cord being connected to the knitted tape by having portions of the cord knitted into the tape as it is made.

The two halves 116, 118 may be fixed to the handle 110 in various ways. In the embodiment illustrated the two halves 116, 118 are connected together within the interior of the handle 110 and trapped in small slots at the ends of the tube. Fixing the two halves 116, 118 to the handle 110 is not essential but is convenient. The longer unbridged gap 136 is left to enable the spreading of 116 away from 118 under the box. ..

Figure 7 diagrammatically illustrates a third embodiment. The handle 150 is again of rigid PVC extruded into a tube which in this embodiment need not have any slot 112 running along it. In Figure 7 the handle is shown in section. A single continuous length of elongate flexible material is used. In this embodiment the material is cheap woven tape, or just string. One end 152 of this material is secured in any convenient fashion to the handle and projects from one end. From here the material is threaded through a ring 154 then back to the handle forming a first loop 156, through the interior of the handle 150, through a second ring 158 and again back to the handle so forming a second loop 160. On return to the handle the material is again threaded through the interior of the handle 150 and the material terminates at free end portion 162 secured to ring 164. For use, the handle is placed on top of a load and each of the loops 156, 160 is fitted round an end of the load so that the loops pass under the load. After this the loops are tightened by pulling on the ringed free end portion 162 to shorten and tighten both loops. The rings 154, 158, 164 prevent the loops 156, 160 or end 162 from being accidentally drawn into the handle 150 at any time.

The user then grips the handle 150 and at the same time holds the free end 162 against the handle.

Holding the free end 160 against the handle, even with light pressure, restrains the tape sufficiently that the load can be lifted by means of the handle 150. The friction which holds the tape principally arises at the several points where the tape turns at right angles at the ends of the handle and the weight of the load serves to enhance friction between the tape and the handle at these points.

Claims

CLAIMS :

1. A device for carrying a load comprising a substantially rigid handle and elongate flexible material connected to the handle and extending from the handle so as to be able to form a pair of loops each running from the handle round the article and back to the handle and means to adjust the lengths of the loops.

2. A device according to claim 1 wherein the handle is rod or bar shaped.

3. A device according to claim 2 wherein the handle is tubular or channel shaped with a hollow interior.

4. A device according to claim 1 wherein the flexible material is a flat, flexible strip.

5. A device according to any one of claims 1 to 4 wherein the handle incorporates the means to adjust the lengths of the loops.

6. A device according to claim 5 wherein the handle incorporates apertures for the passage of the flexible material, and is shaped to engage the flexible material to restrain lengthening of the loops, while allowing passage of the material through the apertures to shorten the loops .

7. A device according to claim 5 or claim 6 consisting essentially only of the handle and the flexible material.

8. A device according to any one of claims 1 to 7 wherein the flexible material is permanently fastened to the handle.

9. A device according to any one of claims 1 to 8 wherein the two loops are formed by a single length of flexible material.

10. A device according to claim 9 wherein the handle has a hollow interior and an opening to the interior extending along its length, thereby allowing a portion of the flexible material to be inserted through the opening into the interior of the handle and thereby form two loops.

11. A device according to claim 9 wherein the handle comprises at least one slot for releasable attachment of an intermediate portion of the flexible material.

12. A device according to claim 1 wherein: the handle is channel shaped and incorporates a ladder buckle in a wall of the handle at each end thereof, the flexible material is a flat strip, each ladder buckle comprises a pair of apertures in a wall of the handle for passage of the material and a bar separating the apertures, which bar is shaped to engage the flexible material to restrain lengthening of the loops, while allowing passage of the material through the apertures to shorten the loops.