Patent Publication Number: US-2011067953-A1

Title: Extraction Device

Description:
This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) of U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 60/775,323, filed Feb. 22, 2006. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to an extraction device for withdrawing a casualty from a hazardous environment. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     In removal of a casualty from a hazardous environment, it is important to be able to perform the withdrawal quickly and safely to reduce the risk of further injury, either to the initial casualty or to the rescuer(s). As an example, such removal is often necessary in tactical or operational situations where rescuers may find themselves under fire from armed opposition. 
     As an example of existing methods for extracting a casualty from an unsafe area, a plurality of rescuers may crouch in a line formation behind a shield carried by the first in line and approach the casualty. The first in line passes the casualty so that those behind him may lift the casualty from the ground and carry him as the line reverses direction to exit the area. Such procedures in which a line or cluster of rescuers are crouched for protection behind one or more carried shields are slow to carry out and also expose a relatively high number of rescuers to significant risk of injury or fatality. 
     Rescue slings have been developed which allow extraction to be performed by armed rescuers who can substantially maintain a weapon in a useful position to ward off attack by armed opposition. An example of such a sling is the Sav-A-Jake which features two fixed loops connected to a strap having a carabiner at an opposite end. Each loop can be pulled by one hand of a rescuer, leaving the other hand free to carry a small weapon, such as a hand gun, once the carabiner has been either connected to a suitable attachment point on the casualty or folded back over the strap and engaged thereto to form a loop around the casualty. Alternatively, the carabiner may be clipped to a suitable attachment point on a rescuer while the loops are engaged around appendages of the casualty. While this facilitates rescue by an individual and hands-free pulling of the casualty from the area, the fixed loops may slip off the casualty and halt the extraction. Forming a tightenable loop with the strap and carabiner around the casualty allows prevents disconnection from the sling, but may be difficult to perform with one hand. Used this way, the carabiner would not be free for attachment to the rescuer to faciliate hands-free pulling. 
     Hands free pulling of the tightenable loop may be possible with the connection of a second strap and carabiner assembly to the device. The addition of such an assembly may increase the size and cost of the device. Making such an assembly detachable from the device allows the weight and size of the device to be kept down when the second assembly isn&#39;t needed, but may result in loss or misplacement thereof. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided an extraction device comprising: 
     a sling comprising:
         a preformed loop of adaptable size; and   a tightening element connected to and extending from the preformed loop;       

     the preformed loop being reducible in size by pulling of the tightening element. 
     The preformed loop can be easily disposed about a casualty and tightened with one hand, leaving the rescuer&#39;s other hand free. 
     Preferably the closed loop is substantially manually unopenable. 
     Preferably the closed loop is closed by a substantially rigid member. 
     Preferably the preformed loop is defined by a first end of the sling folded toward an opposite second end and adapted for sliding engagement along the sling. 
     Preferably the sliding engagement is provided by a substantially rigid member supported at the first end of the sling defining an opening through which the sling passes. 
     Preferably there is provided a blocking element supported at the second end of the sling, the blocking element being greater in size than the opening. 
     Preferably there is provided at least one attachment element connected to the sling. 
     Preferably the at least one attachment element is openable. For example, the attachment element may be a carabiner which may be coated in plastice to reduce noise compared to the metal-on-metal sound associated with connection of a typical metal carabiner with a metal connection ring. 
     Preferably the sling is foldable into a storage condition from which the sling is deployable by pulling of the preformed loop. 
     Preferably there is provided at least one elastic member engagable about the sling when folded into the storage condition. 
     Preferably the sling and the at least one attachment element are foldable over one another into a storage condition from which the sling and the at least one attachment element are deployable by pulling of the preformed loop. 
     Preferably there is provided at least one elastic member connected to the at least one attachment element, the at least one elastic member being operable to secure the sling and the at least one attachment element in the storage condition. 
     There may be provided a wearable garment wherein a respective one of the at least one attachment element is connectable to the garment to facilitate hands-free pulling of the sling. In this case, preferably the garment comprises a belt and a distal attachment point for connection to the sling at a distance outward from the belt. In this case, preferably the distal attachment point is supported for motion between a storage position adjacent the belt and a deployed position spaced outwardly therefrom. The distal attachment point of the extraction garment reduces tendency for the belt to twist under loading. 
     There may be provided two attachment elements disposed at opposite ends of a flexible line, wherein the sling comprises a sliding connector engaged to the flexible line and slidable therealong. 
     According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided an extraction device comprising: 
     a rescue line; 
     a flexible line having two attachment elements disposed at opposite ends thereof; and 
     a sliding connection provided between the rescue line and the flexible line to allow sliding along the flexible line of a point at which the flexible line and the rescue line are connected. 
     The sliding connection automatically adjusts the connection point between the sling and flexible line in response to pulling force(s) exerted on the end(s) of the flexible line. 
     The flexible line may be adjustable to change a distance between the two attachment elements measured along the flexible line. 
     According to a third aspect of the invention there is provided an extraction device comprising: 
     a rescue line; 
     an attachment element connected to the rescue line; and 
     an extraction garment comprising:
         a belt; and   a distal attachment point supported an outward distance from the belt for selective connection to the attachment element to facilitate hands-free pulling of the line.       

     Preferably the garment comprises additional attachment points provided on front and rear portions of the belt for selective connection to the attachment element. 
     The additional attachment points may be supported to hang below the belt. 
     The belt may have an outer surface and comprise one of a hook element or a loop element of a hook and loop fastener disposed on said outer surface. 
     The rescue line may comprise a strap and/or a sling. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate exemplary embodiments of the present invention: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an extraction device featuring a belt and a sling connected by attachment elements in accordance with a first embodiment. 
         FIG. 2  is an overhead plan view of the sling of  FIG. 1  in a deployed condition. 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the sling of  FIG. 1  folded into a storage condition. 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the belt of  FIG. 1  with a pop out ring supported on the belt in a deployed position. 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the belt of  FIG. 1  with the pop out ring supported on the belt in a storage position. 
         FIG. 6  is a partial perspective view of a second strap of a sling in accordance with a second embodiment showing a first end of the second strap. 
         FIG. 7  is a partial perspective view of the second strap of the sling of the second embodiment showing a second end of the second strap opposite the first end shown in  FIG. 6 . 
         FIG. 8  is an overhead plan view of the second embodiment components shown in  FIG. 6 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       FIG. 1  shows an extraction device  10  according to a first embodiment of the present invention featuring a wearable belt  12  connected to a sling  14 . The belt  12  can be worn by a rescuer who can pull a casualty out of a hazardous region once having secured the sling  14  to the user. In  FIG. 1 , the sling  14  is shown folded into a compact storage condition and hung from the belt  12  by attachment elements. The connection of the sling  14  to the wearable belt  12  allows hands free carrying when the sling  14  is not in use and also facilitates hands free pulling of a casualty supported by the sling in an emergency situation. 
       FIG. 2  shows the sling  14  in a deployed condition ready for use. The sling  14  features a first flexible strap  18  having D-rings  20 ,  22  supported at its opposite ends  24 ,  26 . Each D-ring is supported in a conventional manner known to those of skill in the art by stitching a fold at the respective end of the first strap about a straight portion of the ring. At the first end  24 , the first strap  18  has been folded back over itself toward the second end  26  in order to form a loop  28 . D-ring  20  extends about the first strap  18  between its ends to close the loop  28  and is slidable along the first strap  18  to change the size of the loop  28 . A tightening element  30  is defined by a remaining portion of the first strap  18  not used to form the loop  28 . In other words, the tightening element  30  is the length of strap disposed on a side of the D-ring  20  opposite the loop  28 . Thus, pulling the tightening element  30  increases its own length and correspondingly decreases the size of the loop  28  by passing a portion of the first strap  18  through D-ring  20 . 
     D-rings  20  and  22  are rigid and sized such that one cannot pass through the opening of another, thereby ensuring that the strap  18  always defines a loop as the rings cannot be opened without breaking and end  26  of the strap cannot pass through D-ring  20 . The strap  18  therefore provides a preformed loop of adjustable size that, even with only one hand free, can be easily slipped around a limb of a casualty and tightened. 
     A second flexible strap  32  having carabiners  34  supported at opposite ends  36  passes through D-ring  22  at the second end  26  of the first strap  18 . Like the D-rings on the first strap, each carabiner  34  is supported on the second strap  32  by having folded the respective end  36  over itself and about a portion of the caribiner  34  and stitched it in place. The connected carabiners  34  act as attachment elements for connecting the sling  14  to the belt  12 . D-ring  22  is sized such that neither carabiner is passable therethrough. As a result, if only one of the two carabiners  34  is attached to a rescuer, pulling will cause the second strap  32  to pass through D-ring  22  until the other carabiner engages therewith, at which time the first strap  18  will be pulled by the second strap  32 . With the loop  28  tightened around a casualty and a carabiner attached to the belt  12  of a rescuer, the rescuer can simply drag the casualty along the ground for fast removal from the area. As the rescuer does not need to use either hand to pull the sling  12 , both hands remain free to hold a weapon, shield or other device suitable for the particular situation. Having carabiners  34  on opposite sides of D-ring  22  connected by a single strap and each being larger than the D-ring&#39;s opening prevents separation of the first and second straps so that components do not become lost or misplaced. A rescuer possessing the loop  28  will therefore automatically have possession of the attachment elements  34 . 
     The load of a casualty received in the sizable loop  28  can be shared between two rescuers, each having one of the carabiners connected thereto. The D-ring  22  fitted about the second strap  32  acts as a slidable connection defining a movable connection point between the first and second straps that is displaceable along the second strap in response to pulling of either carabiner relative to the loop. The system thereby automatically shifts the point along the second strap at which the first strap, or sling, and the casualty secured thereto are pulled in response to the pulling force(s) exerted at the end(s) of the second strap. 
     In the case where the casualty is wearing the belt  12  of the present invention, or another article having a suitable connection point, a rescuer can simply connect the second strap  32  directly between the two of them without use of the loop  28 . The sling  14  allows a rescuer to choose either the tightenable loop  28  or the free carabiner  34  for connection to the casualty depending on which is better suited for this situation. For example, should the casualty be wearing specialized equipment with a suitable anchor point and be positioned for easy access to that point, then the carabiner would likely be the fastest option. However should the casualty not be so equipped or positioned, then the loop  28  must be used, but its preformed and tightenable structure will provide fast and secure engagement with the casualty. 
     The belt  12  is worn in a conventional manner by extending the belt strap  40  around a user such that the inner surface  42  fits around the body near the waist area to support the belt thereon. The belt  12  is closed by a buckle  44  that is supported at a closure point  46  of the belt strap  40  and features a square ring  48  and a vertical cross member  50  supported for horizontal sliding motion within the square ring. To close the belt  12  for wearing, an end  52  of the belt strap  40  is passed through the ring, folded around the cross member  50  and pulled back through the ring  48 . Pulling the belt strap  40  around the cross member  50  by the end  52  tightens the belt  12  to fit snuggly on the user. 
     A folded portion  54  of the belt strap  40 , defined between the buckle cross member  50  and the end  52  with the belt closed, is engaged to a portion of the belt strap  40  over which it is folded by a hook and loop fastener extending therealong in order to maintain the belt  12  at a desired tightness about the user. A hook element is provided along a side of the folded portion  54  nearest the inside surface  42  of the belt strap  40  with the belt closed and engages with a loop element  56  which extends along an outside surface of the belt strap, opposite the inside surface  42 , from near the closure point  46  to near the fold. A second loop element  58  extends along the folded portion  54  on a side opposite the hook element, such that loops of a hook and loop fastener arrangement are provided along nearly the entire perimeter of the belt  12 . These loops can be used to engage hooks that may be disposed on an inner surface of an additional belt that may be worn over the belt  12  of the device  10 , for example a police duty belt. This engagement allows such an additional belt to be worn simultaneously with the belt  12  of the device  10  without worry that the additional belt may not be adequately supported to remain in place. It should be appreciated that the terms “hook element” and “loop element” as used above refer to a patches of material having suitable characteristics for use as mating halves of a hook and loop fastener. 
     The belt  12  features front and rear attachment points for selective connection with the attachment elements  34  on the sling  14 . The front and rear attachment points are provided by respective rings  60 ,  62  hung from front and rear portions of the belt strap  40  by hanging straps  64 ,  66  that are each looped and closed about the belt strap  40 . Looped around the belt strap, these hanging straps  64 ,  66  can be slid along therealong to change their position on the belt  12 . The loops of the hanging straps  64 ,  66  are tight enough around the belt strap  40  to prevent significant rotation thereabout but loose enough to allow sliding motion therealong. As a result, the rings  60 ,  62  tend to remain below the belt strap  40  even when pulled upon by a significant horizontal force. When worn by a rescuer, the front and rear rings  60 ,  62  allow connection of the sling  14  in the front or rear depending on the casualty&#39;s position and direction in which the rescuer needs to face when pulling the casualty out of harm&#39;s way. When the casualty is wearing a belt  12 , the rescuer then has the option of two different attachment points for a carabiner  34  to pull the casualty to safety. For example, if a belt-equipped casualty is lying face down, clearly the rear attachment point would be more easily accessible to provide a fast and effective rescue. 
     A distal attachment point is provided by a pop out ring  68  supported on an arm  70  for pivoting between a storage position shown in  FIG. 5  and a deployed position shown in  FIG. 4 . The arm  70  is connected to a vertical portion of the buckle&#39;s square ring for pivotal motion thereabout. In the storage position, the arm  70  extends along the belt strap  42  and is held in place by an anchor strap  72 . The anchor strap  72  is fixedly connected at one end to the outside surface  42  of the belt strap  40  and is detachably connected at the other end to the loop element  56  by a hook element provided on the anchor strap  72 . The anchor strap  72  is passed through the pop out ring  68  and then pulled back against the belt strap  40  to engage therewith through the hook and loop fastener arrangement. When it is desirable to use the sling  14 , the anchor strap  72  is pulled outward from the belt strap  40  to disengage the hook and loop fastener elements and free the pop out ring  68  for pivotal movement by the arm  70  to the deployed position spaced outwardly from the belt strap  40 . 
     The arm  70  and pop out ring  68  allows connection of the sling  14  and belt  12  at a distance outward from the belt strap  40  so that in the case where an additional belt, such as a police duty belt, is worn over the belt  12  of the device  10 , the additional belt doesn&#39;t obstruct the attachment point. The sling  14  can be stored on the pop out ring  68  so as not to hang as low as it would if hung from the front or rear attachment rings  60 ,  62 . As such, the sling  14  is kept up and away from the legs of the user and easily deployable for unobstructed use, even while wearing an additional belt over that of the device  10 . Supported by the horizontal arm  70 , the pop out ring  68  is has a lower tendency to twist the belt strap  40  during exposure to substantially horizontal forces during pulling a casualty along a flat surface than the hanging rings  60 ,  62 . 
     As shown in the figures, the arm  70  for supporting the pop out ring  68  is formed as an integral extension of the belt strap  40  passed the closure point  46 , folded about a portion of the ring  68  and stitched to itself and the belt strap  40 . The hanging straps  64 ,  66  are made in a similar fashion in that each one is folded about the belt strap  40  and respective ring and stitched to itself therebetween. 
       FIGS. 1 and 3  show the sling  14  in a storage condition in which the first and second straps  18  and  32  are folded into a compact arrangement and held in place by a pair of elastic bands  74  extending around the folds  76  and spaced apart therealong. The loop  28 , having been reduced to a relatively small size before folding, is not held within the elastic bands and the carabiners extend from the folded sling to allow hanging thereby, for example on the pop out ring  68  of the belt  12 . The sling  14  can be quickly unfolded into the deployed condition for use simply by pulling the loop  28  away from the folds  76 . The sling  14  is folded so that the carabiners  34  and the loop ring  20  are situated at the same end of the folded sling. As a result, when the carabiners are engaged to a support, such as the pop out ring  68 , pulling of the loop  28  away from the folds  76  causes the elastics to slide off the opposite end, thereby freeing the sling to allow its use. As shown in  FIG. 3 , a reinforced portion  78  of the loop  28  resists bending in order to help prevent reduction of the loop beyond a predetermined size toward collapse. As a result, the loop  28  is sizable but always provides at least a small opening without need for manual opening from a closed state. 
       FIGS. 6 to 8  illustrate the second strap of the sling of an extraction device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. The second strap  32  is similar to that of the first embodiment and cooperates with the first strap in the same way, but has some additional features disposed near the carabiners at its opposite ends. 
     As seen in  FIG. 6 , a first end  36   a  of the second strap  32  carries a carabiner  34   a  like the first embodiment, but a length  32   a  of the second strap  32  approaching the first end  36   a  is adapted to carry the elastic bands  74 . A strip of webbing  80  narrower than the second strap  32  is situated atop the surface of the length  32   a  of the second strap proximate the caribiner  24   a . Here the strip  80  is stitched widthwise to the second strap  32  adjacent its opposite ends  80   a ,  80   b . The strip  80  is also stitched widthwise to the strap  32  at two spaced apart positions  80   c ,  80   d  along its length between and spaced from each of the opposite ends  80   a ,  80 B. Fixed to the second strap  32  at these four points along its length, the strip  80  is divided into three lengthwise sections. A middle section  82  of the strip acts to space apart the two sides sections  84 , each of which acts to retain a respective one of the elastics  74 . Each elastic band  74  is wrapped around its respective side section  84  of the strip of webbing  80 , passed through itself and pulled tight to effectively tie it to the second strap  32 . When the device is not being used to extract a casualty, the first and second straps are folded up against the side of the second strap  32  opposite the strip of webbing  80  and the elastics  74  into the storage position, similar to that shown for the first embodiment in  FIG. 3 . The loops formed by the elastics  74  secured to the strip  80  are passed over the respective ends of the folded straps to hold them in the storage position until such time that they need to be deployed for use. Secured to the second strap  32 , when the straps are deployed for use, the elastics are carried with them to prevent loss. This allows the same elastics to be reused without requiring a rescuer to waste attention in a possibly dangerous situation on keeping the elastics in his/her possession. 
       FIG. 7  shows an end of the second strap opposite the first end  36   a  shown in  FIG. 6 . From this figure, it can be seen that the so called second strap is not a one piece strap as in the first embodiment, but rather is made up a main piece  86  and an end piece  88  of strapping. A distal end of the end piece  88  defines the second end  36   b  of the second strap  32  which secures a carabiner  34   a  like that supported at the opposite first end  36   a . The difference between the first and second embodiments leading to the need for a two-piece strap construction is the ability to lengthen and shorten the second strap  32 . An end  88   a  of the end piece  88  of strapping opposite the carabiner  34   b  is secured to a buckle  90  while an end  86   a  of the main piece  86  of strapping opposite the carabiner  34   a  at the first end  36   a  of the second strap  32  has been passed through the buckle  90  and then adapted to prevent withdrawal back therethrough. A length  86   b  of the main piece  86  approaching the end  86   a  thereof has been folded back over itself and sewn into this sandwich-like arrangement with an end cap  92  formed by a swath of material folded over the end  86   a  of the main piece  86  to encompass the layers  94  formed by the folded end portion  86   b . This multi-layer arrangement increases the rigidity of the main piece of strapping at the end portion  86   b . This prevents withdrawal of the end  86   a  of the main piece  86  through the buckle  90 , as the folded end portion  86   b  is longer than the buckle opening and thus cannot fit therethrough without bending, which is resisted by the increased rigidity provided by the folded layers. With the end piece  88  of strapping folded about the ring  90   a  of the buckle  90  and stitched back onto itself and the main piece  86  fitted through the ring  90   a  about the cross member  90   b  of the buckle, pulling on the folded end portion  86   b  feeds more of the main piece of strapping  86  through the buckle  90  to shorten the length of the second strap  32  between the carabiners  34   a ,  34   b . In other words, this arrangement gives a rescuer the ability to adjust the length of the second strap  32  by altering the length of the main piece of strapping  86  connecting the buckle  90  and the carabiner  34   a  at the first end  36   a.    
     Rather than having a typical metal-only construction, the carabiners  34   a ,  34   b  of the second embodiment are coated with plastic to reduce the amount of noise produced by contact between a carabiner and a metal connection ring, for example those provided on the illustrated belt. When wearing the extraction device of the present invention in a dangerous environment, a person&#39;s safety may rely on the ability to carry out operations undetected. Minimizing noise improves the ability to perform operations in stealth to ensure the safety of the wearer and those in his/her company. 
     It should be appreciated that the present invention may be modified to have rings, attachment elements, buckles, fasteners and straps of different sizes and types known to those of skill in the art. The sling may also feature an additional loop defining strap in order to allow multiple connections to a casualty. The sling and the belt of the device may be sold together or separately, as the sling can be used with other belts or garments providing suitable attachment points and the belt can be used with existing slings or similar device. For example, the belt can be used to extract a casualty with a simple line having carabiners at opposite ends. Similarly, the second strap having attachment elements at its opposite ends may be slidably connected to types of rescue lines other than a sling defining a preformed loop. 
     Since various modifications can be made in my invention as herein above described, and many apparently widely different embodiments of same made within the spirit and scope of the claims without department from such spirit and scope, it is intended that all matter contained in the accompanying specification shall be interpreted as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense.