Patent Publication Number: US-2016220870-A1

Title: Integrated fall protection and safety strap

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This invention relates generally to a torso harness for climbing and, more particularly, to an integrated wood pole fall protection system and auxiliary safety strap. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     It is well established that climbing wooden poles to work on electrical wires or other mounted devices can be dangerous, mainly due to the risk of falling. The use and design of conventional fall protection devices for pole climbing is well known. A problem which still exists, however, is that conventional fall protection devices, even when used with conventional discrete secondary positioning, typically are not optimized for preventing falls as a user passes obstacles while climbing. Indeed, with conventional fall protection devices, a user is often required to unhook a primary safety and latch a secondary safety while passing an obstacle on the pole. Thus, there remains a need for an integrated fall protection and safety strap device which includes a secondary safety that is permanently attached to the primary safety. It would be helpful if such an integrated fall protection and safety strap device provided increased stopping power relative to convention an integrated fall protection devices. It would be additionally desirable for such an integrated fall protection and safety strap device to make snap adjustments easier in order to reduce strap adjustment errors. 
     The Applicant&#39;s invention described herein provides for an integrated fall protection and safety strap device adapted to integrate the primary and secondary safety. The primary components in Applicant&#39;s integrated fall protection and safety strap device are a Bucksqueeze™ style climbing strap apparatus, an accompanying Buckadjuster™ style positioning lanyard, an attachment ring, and an attachment snap hook. When in operation, the integrated fall protection and safety strap device provides enhanced fall protection, particularly while passing obstacles on a pole. As a result, many of the limitations imposed by prior art structures are removed. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     An integrated fall protection and safety strap device for allowing operation of both a primary and secondary securing mechanism from a single composite apparatus. The integrated fall protection and safety strap device comprises a conventional climbing strap apparatus and a modified secondary positioning lanyard permanently attached to the one side of the climbing strap apparatus. When in use, with one end of the secondary positioning lanyard, secured to one of the body belt attachment members of the climbing strap apparatus, a user can simply carry the secondary positioning lanyard while climbing using the primary safety mechanism of the climbing strap apparatus as normal. When a secondary safety is needed to pass an obstacle on a pole being climbed, the user can then encircle the pole with the secondary positioning lanyard and, as the body belt attachment member of the climbing strap apparatus to which the secondary positioning lanyard is not permanently attached is disengaged from the body belt, secure the end of the secondary positioning lanyard to the body belt at the same location from which the climbing strap apparatus was disengaged. 
     It is an object of this invention to provide an integrated fall protection and safety strap device which includes a secondary safety that is permanently attached to the primary safety. 
     It is another object of this invention to provide an integrated fall protection and safety strap device that provides increased stopping power relative to convention an integrated fall protection devices. 
     It is yet another object of this invention to provide an integrated fall protection and safety strap device that makes snap adjustments easier in order to reduce strap adjustment errors. 
     These and other objects will be apparent to one of skill in the art. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a top plan view of an integrated fall protection and safety strap device built in accordance with the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a top plan view of a modified positioning lanyard of an integrated fall protection and safety strap device built in accordance with the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring now to the drawings and in particular  FIGS. 1 and 2 , an integrated fall protection and safety strap device  10  is shown having a conventional climbing strap apparatus  11  and a modified positioning lanyard  12 . In one embodiment, the conventional climbing strap apparatus  11  defines a Bucksqueeze™ style climbing strap apparatus that includes two locking snap hooks  13  disposed on its opposing end. It is contemplated that alternate climbing strap apparatus may be employed with the integrated fall protection and safety strap device  10  provided they are adapted to attach to a lineman&#39;s body belt. Similarly, it is understood that fastening structures other than snap hooks may be employed by the climbing strap apparatus  11  in use. 
     The modified positioning lanyard  12  defines a secondary positioning member that has a permanent attachment member at one end and a releasable attachment member at the other end. In the preferred embodiment, the secondary positioning member is constructed of conventional materials for a secondary positioning lanyard, the permanent attachment member defines an attachment ring  14 , and the releasable attachment member defines an attachment snap hook  15 . It is contemplated, however, that the permanent attachment member and releasable attachment member may define alternate permanent and selectively releasable attachment apparatus, respectively. 
     When the integrated fall protection and safety strap device  10  in use, the attachment ring  14  is secured to one of the snap hooks  13 , thereby permanently attaching the modified positioning lanyard  12  at one end to the climbing strap apparatus  11  at one end. Until secondary safety is needed to pass an obstacle on a pole being climbed, the attachment snap hook  15  remains unhooked, thereby enabling the user to simply keep the modified positioning lanyard  12  over his shoulder or otherwise out of the way of climbing. When secondary safety is required, the user can then encircle the pole with the modified positioning lanyard  12  and, as the snap hook  13  to which the modified positioning lanyard  12  is not permanently attached is disengaged from the body belt, the attachment snap hook  15  is releasably attached to the body belt at the same location from which the disengaged snap hook  13  was removed. Advantageously, this process enables a user to never lose track of the primary or secondary securing mechanisms while alleviating the need for a user to separately carry a secondary securing mechanism. 
     It is contemplated that the modified positioning lanyard  12  made define an adjustable positioning lanyard that includes a conventional length adjusting device (not shown). 
     The instant invention has been shown and described herein in what is considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiment. It is recognized, however, that departures may be made therefrom within the scope of the invention and that obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art.