Safety device for routes with fixed ropes or the like

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a tool for the safety of mountaineers while travelling along routes with fixed ropes, or generally users that are likely to fall while travelling along a path in which a fixed safety rope is provided, such as in the so-called adventure parks.

[0002] This tool, which is known per se, essentially consists of a generally metallic and plate-like connecting element, to which there is coupled a rope suitable to be fastened to the user, as well as a pair of ropes or belts to be attached to the fixed rope by means of karabiners. The connecting element is usually in the form of a so-called screamer, that dissipates the energy of a possible fall by braking the rope fastened to the user, which is caused to follow a tortuous and braked path therethrough. Such a device is disclosed in US 5 947 229.

[0003] The connecting element, or screamer, is then linked to the ends of two belts or ropes, the other free ends of which are attachable by means of karabiners to the fixed rope, or the like.

[0004] The mountaineer, or however the user, as he/she proceeds along the fixed rope, detaches the upstream belt karabiner therefrom, in order to attach the same downstream to the other, and so on, in a sequential and progressive manner.

[0005] During this procedure, less experienced climbers tend to cross the two belts relative to each other, thereby reducing more and more the available length and tend to arrange the belts in a non-optimum safety condition.

[0006] The present invention relates to a tool of the type and for the expected uses, in which the above-mentioned drawback does not occur, or however is considerably reduced to the extent that it does not interfere with the safety conditions.

[0007] In the art there are known several kind of safety devices, however they are not suitable for travelling along a path with fixed safety ropes. US-A-5,771993 discloses such a safety device designed for use as a self retracting lifeline for workers in order to avoid their free falling from a substantial height. Figures 7A and 7B show an embodiment of said safety device comprising means for indicating if the retractable lifeline has been subjected to fall arresting forces for use with relatively wide, flat, flexible lifeline materials. The device comprising a connecting element (a fastener member: a hook) between a rope, which is suitable to be fastened to the user and a belt having no free ends, since one end is fixed to said fastener through forming a loop and sewing said free end to the belt which passes through said indicator means, whereas the other free end of said lifeline forms another loop.

[0008] The present invention relates to a tool defined in the annexed claims.

[0009] The invention will be now described with reference to a preferred embodiment thereof, which is illustrated by way of example in the annexed drawings, in which:

• Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the tool according to the invention.
• Fig. 2 is a detailed perspective view of the screamer;
• Fig. 3 is a detailed perspective view of the screamer at 90° relative to Fig. 2.

[0010] Referring first to Fig. 1, the tool 10, as illustrated by way of example, is a tool for the safety of mountaineers on fixed rope routes and essentially consists of a safety rope 12 that can be fastened in 14 to the climber, which rope 12 is passed through a connecting element, which is here in the form of a so-called screamer 16. As may be seen in Figs. 2 and 3 in greater detail, the rope 12 is caused to pass, by following a tortuous path, through openings 18, 20 and 22 that are provided in the body of the screamer 16, such that it can hardly slide therein, thereby braking the climber in the event of a fall.

[0011] Two belts 24 and 26 are then fixed to the body of the screamer 16, the free ends of said belts being provided with karabiners 28 and 30 for attachment to the fixed rope. As the climber moves forward along the latter, he/she releases the upstream karabiner and re-attaches the same downstream of the karabiner that is remained in position.

[0012] To avoid that the belts 24 and 26 may be crossed, according to the invention, the latter are fastened to the screamer 16, in such a manner that one belt can rotate relative to the other. In greater detail, as may be seen in Fig. 2 and 3, the body of the screamer 16 carries a pin 32 that holds a bracket 34 rotatably mounted relative to the axis thereof. The bracket 34 in turn houses, by means of a pin 36, the ends of the belts 24 and 26 that are fastened to each other in the form of a slot in 38.

[0013] Thereby, if the belts 24 and 26 are crossed by the mountaineer while moving forward, this causes no problems, in that the belts are re-aligned by means of the rotation of the slot 38 and bracket 34 about the pin 32.

Claims

1. A tool for safety of mountaineers or users who are likely to fall while traveling along a path with fixed safety rope or the like, comprising

- a connecting element (16),

- a rope or the like (12), which is suitable to be fastened to the user, and

- a pair of belts or ropes (24, 26) being attachable to said fixed rope or the like, wherein the connecting element (16) is coupled to said rope or the like (12) and linked to said pair of belts or ropes (24, 26) having free ends (28, 30) being attachable to said fixed rope or like, characterised in that the connection of the belts or ropes (24, 26) to the connecting element (16) is freely rotatable about an axis.

2. A tool according to claim 1, characterized in that the body of the connecting element (16) has an end to which a pin (32) is coupled, the belts or ropes (24, 26) to be attached to the fixed rope being fastened to said pin (32) in an axially stable and rotationally free manner.

3. A tool according to claim 2, characterized in that said pin (32) axially holds a bracket (34) that is free to rotate about the axis of the pin (32) and to which the belts or ropes (24, 26) to be attached to the fixed rope are fastened.

4. A tool according to claim 3, characterized in that the wings of said bracket (34) hold a pin (36) on which the ropes or belts (24, 26) to be attached to the fixed rope are slot-like wound.

5. A tool according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said connecting element (16) consists of a screamer, which is capable of braking the sliding of the rope (12) suitable to be fastened to the user.

Ansprüche

1. Sicherheitsvorrichtung für Bergsteiger oder Benutzer, die beim Wandern entlang eines Weges mit Fixseilen als Sicherungsseile oder dergleichen fallen könnten, umfassend

- ein Verbindungselement (16),

- ein zum Festmachen an dem Benutzer geeignetes Seil oder dergleichen (12) und

- ein Paar Gurte oder Seile (24, 26), die an dem Fixseil oder dergleichen befestigbar sind,

wobei das Verbindungselement (16) an dem Seil oder dergleichen (12) angeschlagen ist und mit dem Paar an Gurten oder Seilen (24, 26), die mit ihren freien Enden (28, 30) an dem Fixseil oder dergleichen befestigbar sind, verbunden ist, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass die Verbindung zwischen den Gurten oder den Seilen (24, 26) und dem Verbindungselement (16) um eine Achse frei drehbar ist.

2. Vorrichtung nach Anspruch 1, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass der Körper des Verbindungselements (16) ein Ende umfasst, an dem ein Stift (32) angeschlagen ist, wobei die Gurte oder Seile (24, 26), die an dem Fixseil befestigt werden, an dem Stift (32) achsfest und frei drehbar festgemacht sind.

3. Vorrichtung nach Anspruch 2, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass der Stift (32) axial einen Halter (34) festhält, wobei der Halter (34) frei drehbar um die Achse des Stifts (32) ist und die an dem Fixseil zu befestigenden Gurte oder Seile (24, 26) an dem Halter (34) festgemacht sind.

4. Vorrichtung nach Anspruch 3, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass die Flügel des Halters (34) einen Stift (36) festhalten, um welchen die an dem Fixseil zu befestigenden Gurte oder Seile (24, 26) steckweise gewunden sind.

5. Vorrichtung nach dem einem oder mehreren der vorhergehenden Ansprüche, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass das Verbindungselement (16) aus einem Falldämpfer (Screamer) besteht, der fähig ist, ein Gleiten des zum Festmachen an dem Benutzer geeigneten Seils (12) abzubremsen.

Revendications

1. Outil pour la sécurité des alpinistes ou utilisateurs qui peuvent tomber tout en se déplaçant le long d'une trajectoire avec un câble de sécurité fixe ou similaire, comprenant :

un élément de raccordement (16),

un câble ou similaire (12) qui est approprié pour être fixé à l'utilisateur, et

une paire de sangles ou câbles (24, 26) pouvant être fixée audit câble fixe ou similaire,

dans lequel l'élément de raccordement (16) est couplé audit câble ou similaire (12) et relié à ladite paire de sangles ou câbles (24, 26) ayant des extrémités libres (28, 30) qui peuvent être fixées audit câble fixe ou similaire, caractérisé en ce que le raccordement des sangles ou câbles (24, 26) à l'élément de raccordement (16) peut tourner librement autour d'un axe.

2. Outil selon la revendication 1, caractérisé en ce que le corps de l'élément de raccordement (16) a une extrémité à laquelle une broche (32) est couplée, les sangles ou câbles (24, 26) à fixer au câble fixe étant fixées à ladite broche (32) d'une manière axialement stable et en rotation libre.

3. Outil selon la revendication 2, caractérisé en ce que ladite broche (32) maintient axialement un support (34) qui est libre de tourner autour de l'axe de la broche (32) et auquel les courroies ou câbles (24, 26) à fixer au câble fixe sont fixées.

4. Outil selon la revendication 3, caractérisé en ce que les ailes dudit support (34) maintiennent une broche (36) sur laquelle les câbles ou sangles (24, 26) à fixer sur le câble fixe sont enroulées comme sur une fente.

5. Outil selon l'une ou plusieurs des revendications précédentes, caractérisé en ce que ledit élément de raccordement (16) se compose d'un dissipateur, qui peut freiner le coulissement du câble (12) approprié pour être fixé à l'utilisateur.

Drawing