Abstract:
A safety equipment for use on a trailer to reduce the risk of an operator failing from a load on the trailer. The safety equipment includes an arm having an articulating portion, a feature for selectively securing the arm to the periphery of the trailer, a feature associated with the arm for enabling the articulating portion thereof to pivot toward and away from a widthwise edge of the trailer in a plane approximately parallel to the bed of the trailer, a feature for securing the articulating portion at any one of a plurality of articulated positions, a post extending from the arm in a direction transverse to the pivot plane of the articulating portion, a cable having a first portion thereof secured to the post, and a feature for securing a second portion of the cable at the oppositely-disposed widthwise edge of the trailer such that the cable extends along a lengthwise direction of the trailer.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
   This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/743,270, filed Feb. 10, 2006, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. 

   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention generally relates to safety equipment and vehicles configured for transporting cargo. More particularly, this invention relates to flatbed trailers and other platforms adapted to support cargo, and to safety equipment suitable for securing an individual while walking on the cargo to prevent accidental falls. 
   The loading and securing of flatbed loads typically require the operator or other individual to climb and walk on the cargo (load). To ensure safe loading of flatbed trailers, most trucking companies in the United States require that operators follow a variety of procedures and employ safety equipment to reduce the risk of injury. However, flatbed loads can be in a wide variety of shapes and sizes, and operators must load and secure their loads in all types of weather, at times without assistance or supervision. Furthermore, there is considerable resistance to the use of safety equipment if much time and effort are required for installation. As a result, many work-related injuries occur with loaded flatbed trailers, the most severe of which often involve the operator failing from the trailer while walking on top of the cargo. 
   In view of the above, it would be desirable if safety equipment were available that could be easily installed and used by an flatbed operator without assistance. 
   BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention provides safety equipment for use on a trailer for transporting cargo, and a method for installing and using the safety equipment to reduce the risk of an operator failing from a load on the trailer. 
   The safety equipment includes an arm having an articulating portion, a feature for selectively securing the arm to the periphery of the trailer, a feature associated with the arm for enabling the articulating portion thereof to pivot toward and away from a widthwise edge of the trailer in a plane approximately parallel to the bed of the trailer, a feature for securing the articulating portion at any one of a plurality of articulated positions, a post extending from the arm in a direction transverse to the pivot plane of the articulating portion, a cable having a first portion thereof secured to the post, and a feature for securing a second portion of the cable at the oppositely-disposed widthwise edge of the trailer such that the cable extends along a lengthwise direction of the trailer. 
   With the safety equipment set forth above, the operator of the trailer can secure himself or herself to the cable to prevent accidental falls from the trailer, particularly when loaded. According to a preferred aspect of the invention, the safety equipment is uncomplicated, adjustable, and can be assembled and disassembled for storage without the use of any tools. As such, the safety equipment is preferably configured to be easily installed and removed, allowing the operator to quickly install the safety equipment when the operator is required to climb atop the load, such as when the load is being loaded and secured on the trailer. The safety equipment can remain with the trailer or can be easily transferred between trailers. 
   Other objects and advantages of this invention will be better appreciated from the following detailed description. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIGS. 1 and 2  are side and plan views, respectively, of a flatbed trailer on which safety equipment is installed in accordance with a preferred embodiment of this invention. 
       FIGS. 3 and 4  are detailed side and plan views, respectively, of a section of the safety equipment located at the righthand end of the trailer of  FIG. 1 . 
       FIG. 3A  is a detailed side view of an alternative configuration for the safety equipment depicted in  FIG. 3 . 
       FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional view taken along section line  5 - 5  in  FIG. 4 . 
       FIG. 6  is an end view taken along section line  6 - 6  in  FIG. 4 . 
       FIGS. 7  is detailed side view of a support post of the safety equipment of  FIG. 1 . 
       FIG. 8  shows a safety belt for use with the safety equipment of  FIG. 1 . 
       FIG. 9  shows a safety harness for connecting the safety belt of  FIG. 8  to the safety equipment of  FIG. 1 . 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
   The Figures are drawn for purposes of clarity when viewed in combination with the following description, and therefore are not necessarily to scale. 
     FIGS. 1 and 2  show safety equipment  10  installed on a flatbed trailer  12 , and  FIGS. 3 through 9  represent detailed views of certain portions of the safety equipment  10  in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention. The trailer  12  is represented as being loaded with cargo  14 , whose profile is shown in phantom. The cargo  14  can be essentially any object or objects, material, etc., of the type that might be transported or stored by trailer. The cargo  14  is represented as having an irregular profile to emphasize safety features of the equipment  10 , though trailers loaded with entirely uniform cargo can also benefit from this invention. The trailer  12  is depicted as having a typical configuration for a flatbed, in which a substantially flat bed  16  defines a rectangular periphery having lengthwise (side) edges  18  and widthwise (front and rear) edges  20 . Rails  22  extend along each of the lengthwise edges  18  to allow the use of cables, harnesses, etc., to tie down a load on the trailer  12 . While a flatbed trailer  12  is shown, the safety equipment  10  can be used with various other trailer configurations, and even with other types of platforms and support structures, both mobile and stationary, on which one or more objects can be supported. 
   The safety equipment  10  is shown as including a pair of arm assemblies  24  between which a cable  26  is secured and extends in the lengthwise direction of the trailer  12 . The arm assemblies  24  are shown as being located near corners on the same side of the trailer  12 , though it is also permissible to locate the arm assemblies  24  at opposite corners of the trailer  12 . Each of the arm assemblies  24  includes an arm  28  having a base  30  and an articulating portion  32 . Each base  30  secures its respective arm assembly  24  to one of the lengthwise edges  18  of the trailer  12  at a location adjacent one of the widthwise edges  20  of the trailer  12 . As more readily seen in  FIG. 5 , each base  30  has a preferably welded construction that includes a bracket  34  with a channel  36  sized and oriented to receive the rail  22  associated with the lengthwise edge  18  on which the arm assembly  24  is mounted. A C-clamp  38  secures the bracket  34  to the trailer  12 , with one threaded rod  46  of the clamp  38  being received in a recess  40  defined in the bracket  34  immediately below the channel  36 , and a second threaded rod  48  engaging the inside of a C-channel beam that forms the lengthwise edge  18  of the trailer  12 . Those skilled in the art will appreciate that a variety of other types of clamping devices can be used in addition to or in place of the C-clamp  38 , and that such devices are also within the scope of the invention. With the configuration shown in  FIGS. 1 ,  2 ,  3 , and  4 , the base  30  can be secured to the trailer  12  without any tools, and the rail  22  and channel  36  cooperate to prevent rotation of the bracket  30  in the vertical plane. 
   As shown in  FIGS. 1 ,  2 ,  3 , and  4 , the base  30  further includes a bar  42  that extends from the bracket  34  in the lengthwise direction of the trailer  12 . Another bar  44 , which forms part of the arm  28 , is bolted to the bar  42  and extends further in the lengthwise direction of the trailer  12 . The bar  44  terminates in an articulating joint, represented as a hinge  50 , though other articulating mechanisms could be used. The hinge  50  serves to pivotally support the articulating portion  32  of the arm  28 , including a beam  52  that angles upwardly from the hinge  50 , a support bracket  56  at the end of the arm  28 , and an angular bracket  54  that connects the bracket  56  to the beam  52 . The hinge  50  enables the arm  28  to rotate in a plane approximately parallel to the horizontal bed  16  of the trailer  12 , such that the support bracket  56  can be moved toward and away from the adjacent widthwise edge  20  of the trailer  12 , as evident from  FIGS. 3 and 4 . The arm  28  is locked into a position with a rod  60  that, similar to the arm  28 , is also connected to the bar  44  with a hinge  62 . To provide a simple yet selective technique for orienting the arm  28  and positioning the support bracket  56  a desired distance from the widthwise edge  20  of the trailer  12  (thereby accommodating cargo of various sizes), the arm  28  and the rod  60  are both equipped with tubular members  64  along their lengths that, when a pair of the tubular members  64  are aligned, allow a pin  66  to be used to lock the arm  28  at a desired articulated position. As such, the arm  28  can be locked into a desired position relative to the trailer  12  without the use of any tools. Furthermore, the hinge  50  is preferably held together with a pin (similar to the tubular members  64  and pin  66 ) that allows the arm  28  to be removed from the base  30 . 
     FIG. 3A  is a view corresponding to  FIG. 3 , but with the arm  28  replaced by a single L-shaped bracket  58 . For those situations where the movability of the arm  28  is or may be unnecessary, the bracket  58  can be an accessory to the safety equipment  10  in addition to the arm  28 , or in place of the arm  28 . 
   An articulating plate  68  is mounted to the support bracket  56  and supports a post  70 . The post  70  can be a unitary piece or, more preferably, a multi-piece telescoping unit that allows its length to be adjusted for the height of the cargo  14 . From  FIGS. 1 and 3 , it can be seen that the post  70  extends in an upward direction transverse to the pivot plane of the arm  28 , and generally away from the trailer  12 . To promote the ability to position the post  70  in a desired orientation relative to the trailer  12 , the articulating plate  68  is preferably secured to the support bracket  56  with a hinge  72 , such as a pin and tube assembly similar to the pin  66  and tubular members  64  of the arm  28  and rod  60 . As evident from  FIGS. 3 and 4 , the hinge  72  enables the articulating plate  68  to be pivoted in a plane approximately parallel to the bed  16 , and therefore also roughly parallel to the pivot plane of the arm  28 . An arcuate bar  74  projects from the articulating plate  68 , with holes  78  formed in the bar  74  that can be aligned with a tubular member  76  on the support bracket  56  and secured thereto with a pin  80 . As such, the articulating plate  68  can be locked into a desired position relative to the support bracket  56  without the use of any tools. 
   The articulating plate  68  is also shown equipped to permit the post  70  to be pivoted in a plane parallel to the plate  68 , which in the orientation shown in  FIGS. 1 through 4  is roughly vertical. In  FIG. 6 , the post  70  is shown as being secured within a tube  82  with set screws  88 . The tube  82  is secured to the plate  68  near its upper end in a manner that allows the tube  82  to have a limited ability to pivot in a plane parallel to the plate  68 . A C-shaped bracket  84  is secured to the plate  68  and bridges the tube  82  near its lower end, such that the tube  82  is closely held between the plate  68  and the C-shaped bracket  84 . Threaded adjustment rods  86  are threaded into bores at opposite ends of the C-shaped bracket  84  and abut opposite sides of the tube  82 , so that the lower end of the tube  82  can be positioned from side to side and secured while the upper end of the tube  82  remains relative fixed to the plate  68 . 
     FIG. 7  shows the cable  26  as passing through eyelets  92  on the post  70 , with a crank  90  mounted on the post  70  to enable the cable  26  to be tensioned. As indicated in phantom, the cable  26  does not need to pass through every eyelet  92  to the top of the post  70 , but can traverse the trailer  12  from any of the eyelets  92 .  FIG. 8  shows a belt  94  to be worn by a person when walking on the cargo  14  of the trailer  12 , and  FIG. 9  shows a harness  98  for securing the belt  94  to the cable  26 . The belt  94  is equipped with three rings  96 , two of which are preferably positioned on the wearer&#39;s sides when wearing the belt  94 , with the third located at the wearer&#39;s back. The harness  98  includes a pulley  100  and two straps  102  that terminate with clasps  104 . As evident from  FIG. 1 , the pulley  100  is intended to couple the harness  98  to the cable  26 , while the clasps  104  are adapted to be secured to two of the three rings  96  of the belt  94 . It is believed preferred that one of the straps  102  is always attached to the rear ring  96  of the belt  94 , and that the remaining strap  102  is attached to whichever side ring  96  is most convenient, for example, depending on which direction the wearer is facing while working on the cargo  14 . It is also preferred that the straps  102  are relative stiff so as to reduce the likelihood of the straps  102  becoming entangled. The harness  98  is also shown as being equipped with a fall-limiting device  106  from which the straps  102  can be retracted and extended, but which offers resistance to rapid deployment of the straps  102  (as in the case of the wearer failing). In a preferred embodiment, this resistance feature is adjustable and has the capability of stopping the deployment of the straps  102  after about one foot (about 0.3 meter) has been meted from the fall-limiting device  106 . A suitable commercial embodiment of a harness with the features described above is the SCORPION® Retractable Fall Limiter, commercially available from Intersafe Wholesale Safety, Inc. 
   As optional accessories, the safety equipment  10  is shown in  FIG. 1  as including a safety strap  108  that can be attached to the cable  26  to secure a ladder  110 , and a pulley  112  and cord  114  by which a tarp  116  or other equipment can be raised onto the cargo  14 . 
   From the above, it can be appreciated that the safety equipment  10  can be easily and quickly mounted and removed from the trailer  12  without any conventional or special tools, and its arm assemblies  24  articulated to position the posts  70  essentially anywhere at the front and rear of the trailer  12 . As such, the safety equipment  10  of this invention can be quickly and easily configured to permit an individual to safely walk on cargo  14  of generally any size and located anywhere on the trailer  12 . 
   While the invention has been described in terms of a preferred embodiment, it is apparent that other forms could be adopted by one skilled in the art. For example, the overall physical appearance and configuration of the safety equipment  10  could differ from that shown, such as by using only one arm assembly  24  to secure one end of the cable  26  and attaching the opposite end of the cable  26  to an existing structure of the trailer  12  or cargo  14 . Furthermore, numerous functional equivalents exist for individual components of the equipment  10 , such as the brackets, beams, hinges, pins, etc., described and shown in the Figures. Therefore, the scope of the invention is to be limited only by the following claims.