Grommet and connector link protector shield

A plastic shield for a connector link for connecting parachute shroud lines and a riser. The protector shield has a first member with channels which receive a portion of the connector link and a second member which is complementary with the first member and has channels which receive a portion of the connector link. The first and second members of the protector shield are attached by a set screw in surrounding relationship to a portion of the connector link to minimize contact between the connector link and a slider grommet on the shroud lines when the parachute slider and slider grommets located thereon move downwardly along the shroud lines so that the surface of the slider grommet is not nicked by contact with the connector link.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
The invention relates generally to parachutes, and more particularly to a 
protector shield for preventing contact between the slider grommet which 
surrounds the parachute shroud lines and the connector link which connects 
the lower end of the parachute shroud lines to the upper end of a riser in 
order to eliminate nicking of the slider grommet surface and subsequent 
surface fraying of the shroud lines. 
2. Description of the Prior Art 
A parachute having a canopy with either a square or a rectangular 
configuration is used in the sport of skydiving. A plurality of shroud 
lines extend downwardly from the canopy, and the lower end of the shroud 
lines connect to the upper end of a metal connector link. The parachute 
also includes a plurality of fabric risers each of which has its upper end 
attached to the lower end of a connector link. The lower end of each riser 
is attached to a harness to hold the parachutist. A fabric square or 
rectangular slider having a metal slider grommet surrounding the shroud 
lines is located adjacent each corner of the fabric slider. When the 
parachute is packed, the slider grommets hold the upper ends of the shroud 
lines together. As the parachute opens, the slider slides downwardly along 
the shroud lines and eventually the metal slider grommet contacts the 
upper end of the metal connector link. After a plurality of parachute 
jumps, the surface of each slider grommet becomes nicked and roughened due 
to the repeated contact with a connector link and the slider grommets must 
be replaced so that they do not fray the shroud lines which results in 
wear and consequent replacement of shroud lines. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The invention is a plastic protector shield which surrounds a portion of 
the connector link and is dimensioned to prevent the slider grommets from 
hitting the connector link when the canopy opens. This prevents nicks from 
occurring on the surface of the slider grommets and prevents fraying of 
the parachute shroud lines by nicks on the surface of the slider grommets. 
Thus, the protector shield minimizes replacement of both slider grommets 
and frayed shroud lines. 
In addition to the above-referenced protection feature, the protector 
shield of the invention is constructed with a chamber which is dimensioned 
to prevent the closure nut on the connector link from accidentally 
turning. In the prior art arrangements, in order to insure that the 
closure nut on a connector link is secure, the closure nut is often 
overtightened which strips the threads on the closure nut or on the 
connector link or both and such requires replacement of the connector link 
.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
FIG. 1 shows the protector shield 1 in position on a connector link 2 which 
has a plurality of parachute shroud lines 3 attached to its rounded upper 
end portion and a riser 4 attached to its rounded lower portion end. The 
protector shield and connector link are shown separately in FIG. 2 of the 
drawings in the assembled condition. 
As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 of the drawings, the connector link consists of a 
first C-shaped part having an unbroken leg and a leg with an opening 
therein. The connector link has a substantially continuous circular cross 
section except at the externally threaded end portions 5 and 6 which are 
located adjacent to the opening 9. A connector link closure nut 7 having 
interior threads (not shown) is shown in the open position in FIG. 3 of 
the drawings whereby the parachute shroud lines 3 and the riser 4 can be 
placed within the connector link through the opening 9 after which the 
closure nut 7 is rotated to move it into the closed position shown in FIG. 
4 of the drawings. The closure nut is formed with a plurality of flat 
surfaces 8 around its outer periphery in order to accommodate a wrench or 
similar tool to tighen the interior threads on the closure nut on the 
exterior threads 5 when the nut is rotated into the closed position shown 
in FIG. 4 of the drawings. 
As shown in FIG. 1 of the drawings, a metal slider grommet 10 is positioned 
around a number of parachute shroud lines 3 extending downwardly from a 
corner of the canopy to a connector link. The slider grommets are carried 
on a fabric slider S as shown in FIG. 10 of the drawings. When the 
parachute canopy opens, each slider grommet 10 slides downwardly along a 
plurality of shroud lines and in the prior art arrangements contacts the 
metal connector link which nicks the surface of the slider grommet and the 
link, and as a result of the nicks, the slider grommets eventually begin 
to fray the parachute shroud lines. By utilizing the protector shield 1 of 
the invention around the connector link 2, nicking of the surfaces of the 
slider grommets is substantially eliminated, and hence the slider grommets 
and the parachute shroud lines both have a substantially longer life 
resulting in less expense and inconvenience to the user of the parachute. 
The protector shield consists of a first member 20 having edge ridges 21 
and 22 along each side and a center ridge 23. The ridges define a pair of 
spaced substantially parallel channels 24 and 25 extending from one end of 
the member to the opposite end of the member. A central hole 26 is formed 
in the center ridge 23 of the member 20, and this hole is formed with 
internal threads (not shown) for a purpose to be described hereinafter. 
The channel 25 is formed along its length with an intermediate depression 
27 which extends from the edge ridge 22 to and slightly within the center 
ridge 23. An elongated upwardly opening recess 28 is formed along the 
upper end of member 20 in order to accommodate the shroud lines when the 
protector is assembled around the connector link 2 as shown in FIG. 1 of 
the drawings. The second or opposite member 30 of protector shield 1 is 
shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 of the drawings and is complementary to the first 
member 20 when the two members are assembled. Thus, protector member 30 
has a pair of edge ridges 31 and 32 along each side and a center ridge 33. 
The ridges define space substantially parallel channels 34 and 35 which 
extend from one end of the member 30 to the opposite end and are 
complementary with channels 24 and 25 in member 20 to form spaced 
substantially parallel passageways. The channel 35 in member 30 is formed 
with a depression 37 which is complementary with the depression 27 in 
member 20 when the members are assembled to form a closed chamber with a 
channel opening at each end. An elongated upwardly opening recess 38 is 
formed along the upper end of member 30 and is complementary with the 
recess 28 in member 20. The ridge 33 in member 20 is formed with an 
unthreaded hole 36 extending therethrough which is aligned with the hole 
26 when the two members of the protector shield are assembled as shown in 
FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings. The hole 36 is formed with a countersink 
portion at its outer end. As is apparent from FIGS. 1 and 2 of the 
drawings, the hole 36 receives a flathead set screw 40 which is threadedly 
received in the interiorly threaded hole 26 in member 20 to firmly hold 
the two members of the protector shield together when it is assembled 
about the connector link. 
As seen in FIG. 5 of the drawings, when the two members of the protector 
shield are assembled in abutting relation, the passageway formed by 
channels 24 and 34 receives the unbroken leg of the C-shaped connector 
link 2, and the passageway formed by channels 25 and 35 receives the open 
side of the C-shaped connector link and the closure nut 7 is located 
within the chamber formed by depressions 27 and 37. As further shown in 
FIG. 5 of the drawings, the dimensions and shape of the chamber formed by 
depressions 27 and 37 are such that top and bottom surfaces of the chamber 
contact two of the flats 8 on the hexagonally shaped closure nut 7 to 
prevent the closure nut from rotating. This is an important advantage of 
the protector shield since it holds the closure nut 7 in position against 
rotation without requiring that the nut be overtightened which in prior 
art connector links often caused stripped threads on the connector link 
and/or the closure nut thus requiring replacement of the connector link 
when it was necessary to open the nut for replacement of parachute shroud 
lines and/or the riser. 
It will be seen in the drawings that the lower end of each member of the 
connector link is formed with a hemispherical notch 50. The reason for the 
notches 50 is to provide sufficient room to permit a cross member to pass 
through the connector link. 
The protector link can be made from any type of synthetic plastic material 
such as a polyurethane, a polycarbonate or a polyacrylate such as, for 
example, polymerized methyl methacrylate. 
It will be seen that the unique protector shield of the invention prevents 
nicking of the surface of the metal slider grommet caused by repeated 
contact with the connector link and additionally prevents overtightening 
of the connector link closure nut 7 when the closure nut is in the closed 
position shown in FIG. 4 of the drawings. 
While a preferred embodiment of the invention has been described herein, it 
is to be understood that the invention may be embodied within the scope of 
the appended claims.