Lifting and carrying aid

Abstract

 A lifting and carrying aid intended to be applied on the body for handling objects of various sizes and weights. According to the invention, the lifting and carrying aid comprises at least a belt (1) designed to be fastened around the waist of the bearer and a garment (22) comprising a back section (28), the lower part of which covers at least a part of the rear part of the belt (1), the belt (1) and the back section (28) being arranged to permit free movement between them when the back section (28) is unloaded. Furthermore, the belt and the back section are provided with cooperating locking means (36, 47) designed to be brought into engagement with each other when the back section (28) is loaded with an object being carried and to be released from each other immediately the back section (28) is unloaded, the back section also comprising a pressure-rigid member (18) designed to transmit pressure forces from the load in the back section down to the belt (1) via said locking means.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a lifting and carrying aid intended to be applied on the body for handling objects of various sizes and weights.

[0002] Labourers whose task it is to lift and move objects of various types subject their bodies to extreme strain and it has been proved that this leads to serious and often permanent damage to the skeleton and nervous system, for instance. The risks a labourer with such work is exposed to are illustrated in the following.

[0003] In certain types of lifting the lower part of the backbone is subjected to great strain. If the body is simultaneously turned sideways, the discs may be damaged even if the burden is relatively light.

[0004] In order to achieve good balance when carrying a burden, its centre of gravity must be placed immediately above the feet. This is most easily achieved by placing the burden on the head or high up on the back. The drawback is that the higher up the weight of the burden is transmitted to the body, the greater the portion of the body which will be loaded. If the burden is carried on the head, therefore, the weight will pass through all the vertebrae to be transmitted to the legs. With this in mind, the best would be to secure the burden directly to the feet. The requirement for balance and low placing are thus totally conflicting. Since the lower vertebrae are the most easily damaged, placing the burden on the hips is a possible compromise.

[0005] Both in the case of burdens carried by one and by two men, a strap is placed over one shoulder, resulting immediately in two serious drawbacks. Firstly, the strap cuts into the shoulder to a greater or lesser degree depending on the weight of the burden. This may damage the nerves in the arm and the blood-vessles of the shoulder. If the strap is wound around the upper arm, the blood- vessels will be constricted there also. Secondly, the _' upper part of the body must be leaned sideways to balance the burden, thus forcing the backbone to work with a lateral curve when it more than ever needs to be straight. Furthermore, loading on the shoulder joint may damage it.

[0006] The back is also unprotected, both against the cold, particularly if the clothes worn are open to the back, and also against sharp corners and projecting parts of the burden. Sharp objects are often carelessly packed, thus causing considerable damage.

[0007] When shifting furniture or high boxes containing cupboards, these are sometimes embraced with both arms and litfted by leaning the body backwards. If the burden is not too large support may be obtained from the thigh, but otherwise the entire burden is hanging on the arms and then loads the entire back.

[0008] In order to solve the problems described above, for instance, and obtain an aid which will be functional in all essentials from the protective and technical points of view, as well as being comfortable and safe in the manner desired, a number of criteria must be observed.

[0009] The aid should comprise protective elements in the form of an abdominal protector with a function similar to a weight-lifter's belt, but also serving as hip carrier--belt; trapezius protectors to prevent constriction in the shoulder and distribute the burden over both shoulders; lumbar region protectors to protect the back against sharp objects and transmit the load from the back to the hips by friction and pressure rigidity; and preferably also a femoral protector to protect the thigh from the burden and transmit the load to the body through friction.

[0010] The aid shall also include carrying elements in the form of a crossharness joined to other parts so that it is always ready for use, adjustment straps which can be adjusted to fit different individuals, as well as couplings and buckles to connect varous types of burdens.

[0011] If the aid is to be accepted it must be light and easy to put on and take off, it must be constructed in various layers to permit ventilation in the surfaces in contact with the body, the point loading must be spread over larger areas, the back section must be rigid to withstand pressure, the pulling forces must be taken up by flexible straps which, as far as possible, are stitched into the aid. If the aid must be tightened against the body during heavy lifts, it must be possible to loosen it by simple manipulation after the lift to prevent obstruction of the blood circulation and so as not to accustom the muscles to continuous support which might in the long run relax them.

[0012] There is also the requirement of safety. The design of the aid must permit the load-absorbing straps to be enclosed so that parts of them will not be visible. The load-bearing structure must therefore be of such quality and manufactured under such strict control that breakages do not occur. The same applies, of course to all buckles and couplings and their attachments.

[0013] The present invention aims at achieving a lifting and carrying aid enabling a total solution of the problems described above and fulfilling the requirements of being functional from the protective and technical points of view, as well as being comfortable to wear and safe to use.

[0014] The invention is substantially characterized in that the lifting and carrying aid comprises a belt designed to be fastened around the waist of the bearer and a garment comprising a back section, the lower part of which covers at least a part of the rear section of the belt, that the belt and the back section are arranged to permit free movement between them when the back portion is unloaded, that the belt and the back section are provided with cooperating locking means designed to be brought into engagement with each other when the back section is loaded with an object being carried and to be released from each other immediately the back section is unloaded, and that the back section comprises a pressure-rigid member designed to transmit pressure forces from the load in the back section down to the belt via said locking means.

[0015] According to a preferred embodiment of the invention said garment is in the form of a jacket comprising a back section and a divided front section.

[0016] The invention will be described in more detail in the following, with reference to the drawings in which

Figs. 1 - 5 illustrates the principle of various protectors which should be included in the lifting and carrying aid in accordance with the present invention, i.e. Fig. 1 an abdominal protector, Fig. 2 a trapezius protector, Fig. 3 a femoral protector and Figs. 4 - 5 a lumbar region protector (in combination with an abdominal protector),

Fig. 6 shows a cross-section of the construction of the various protectors according to Figures 1 - 5,

Fig. 7 shows the combination of a jacket and a belt seen from the front,

Fig. 8 shows the combination of jacket and belt according to Fig. 7, seen obliquely from the rear,

Fig. 9 shows a quick-coupling on the cross harness on the jacket according to Figures 7 and 8, with applied lifting and carrying strap,

Fig. 10 shows the belt in the combination shown in Figures 7 - 8 seen from the front,

Fig. 11 shows the belt according to Fig. 10, seen from the rear,

Fig. 12 shows adjustment straps and a two-position coupling on the belt shown in Figures 10 - 11 (rest position), and

Fig. 13 shows the parts according to Fig. 12 with the coupling in operative position.

[0017] Referring to Figure 1, the aid according to the invention comprises an abdominal protector 1 in the form of a belt, one function of which is to serve a similar purpose to that of a weight-lifter's belt, i.e. to hold together the organs of the midriff to provide support around the lowermost vertebrae. The belt shall also limit turning movements of the body so that the outermost positions are not utilized. The second function of the belt is to serve as a hip carrier-belt, i.e. to transmit the load to the hips. If a load is placed on the back part of a normal belt the strain will be transmitted to the front of the stomach, pressing it in, before being transmitted to the hips. Practical experiments have shown that this feels extremely unpleasant. For the belt to function as a hip carrier-belt, it must be easily fitted to the conical form of the body and have sufficient rigidity to take up point loading substantially anywhere around its circumference and transfer them directly down to the hips. To this end the belt 1 is constructed of a number of segments 2, bendably joined together and extending in transverse direction of the belt. It is therefore rigid in this direction.

[0018] The aid according to the invention shown in Figure 2 comprises a trapezius region protector 3 which distributes point loading over the shoulder sections giving uniform distribution on the right and left sides. The trapezius protector 3 is provided with a raised collar 4 to prevent any loose strap or the like from slipping and injuring the neck. The trapezius protector is also composed of rigid segments 5 extending from the inner edge 6 to the outer edge 7, said segments being flexibly joined together so as to fit well over the shoulders.

[0019] Figure 3 shows a femoral protector 8 which may be included in the aid according to the invention. The femoral protector 8 shall protect the thigh on the right or left leg as preferred, and is designed to be secured to the belt 1 and possibly also with a band or the like about the leg if required. The protector is covered in friction material 9 on both sides to take up as much of the stress primarily directly on the thigh and then on the belt 1, in order to relieve the arms and back when embracing and lifting a bulky object with the arms.

[0020] Finally, in Figures 4 and 5 the aid according to the invention comprises a lumbar region protector 10, designed to protect the entire back against sharp, protruding parts of the burden and also acting as an external, arificial backbone, which can transmit strain parallel to the actual backbone, down to the belt 1, as illustrated in Figure 4. This places considerable demands on the stiffening material in the lumbar protector. A completely rigid structure as in a normal rucksack cannot therefore be used as it would obstruct movement of the body. As shown in Fig. 5, the lumbar protector 10 is preferably divided into three longitudinal segments 11, 12, 13, flexibly joined together, the two outer segments being somewhat narrower than the middle segment and in turn divided into two smaller segments, also flexibly joined together.

[0021] Figure 6 shows a suitable construction for the described protectors or parts thereof, to achieve the functions and properties aimed at. The protector is provided outermost with a layer of textile 14, preferably of denim, and inside this a loose stuffing 15 permeable to air, which in turn covers pieces 16 of semi-hard foam plastic. These pieces of foam plastic are responsible for distributing point pressure over the entire surface below. The whole construction is completed by a textile layer 17, preferably of denim, and is provided at specific points with stiffening means 18, preferably of glassfiber-reinforced plastic laminate, to transmit pressure forces. The stiffening is provided on its other side with friction surface 19, preferably consisting of a rubber-coated fabric with soft studs 20. Woven straps 21, preferably of saddle--girth webbing, are attached to the stiffening 18 at predetermined points to take upp pulling forces.

[0022] A lifting and carrying aid construction in accordance with the principles above is shown in Figures 7 and 8. The aid comprises a garment in the form of a jacket 22 worn on the upper part of the body, and a belt 1. If desired a femoral protector 8 of the type described above may also be added. The jacket 22 comprises a trapezius region protector 3 and a lumbar region protector 10 and forms a coherent garment of clothing without visible transition between the two protectors. The jacket is provided with a built-in cross-harness 23 comprising two similar straps 24 symmetrically attached on each side of the jacket. Each strap-member consists of a strap 25, one end of which is secured to the left or right front section 26, 27, respectively, and the other end to the corresponding side edges of the back section 28 of the jacket. The straps 25 are designed to hang freely down the front of the jacket, a quick-coupling 29 being secured to each strap at its lowest point. The cross- harness also comprises two adjustable straps 30, 31 provided with buckles, joining the left or right jacket 'front26, 27, respectively, to points low down on the jacket back 28. An adjustable strap 32 with a buckle is also secured to the jacket fronts to retain the jacket in the correct position on the body. The cross-harness is designed for front lifting, that is for lifting heavy furniture, for instance, with the aid of detachable lifting straps 33 which are self-locking when applied in the quick-couplings as illustrated in Figure 9.

[0023] The jacket back is provided with a friction surface 19 of rubbercoated fabric with a large number of studs 20. The friction surface is preferably split across the upper part of the back to give flexibility in the transverse direction enabling the contours of the body to be followed and so as not to prevent the body from turning. The friction surface is attached on top of a stiffening 18 of glassfiber- reinforced plastic laminate. In other respect the jacket is constructed in the manner described earlier. However, particularly in the lower part of the back section the stuffing 15 and pieces 16 of semi-hard foam plastic may be omitted. Each jacket front 26, 27 is also provided with a bur fastening strip 34, 35, or some other suitable attachment member. The attachment of narrow, cooperating bur fastening strips of saddle-girth webbing, for instance, gives a valuable carrying means. Two such saddle-girth webbing straps are applied to an object to be transported and their free ends are placed over the shoulders so that the bur fastenings on the straps and on the jacket fronts are brought into engagement with each other. Experiments have indicated that even such a small contact surface as 8 cm² of the bur fastening is sufficient to retain a box weighing 35 kg and to carry this without the webbing straps being gripped manually. Such a carrying means, enabled thanks to the lifting and carrying aid in accordance with the invention, is extremely valuable from the safety point of view as well, since in an emergency situation the bearer can rapidly free himself from the burden simply by lifting the free webbing ends forward and upwards. The jacket back is also provided on its inner side with a friction surface 36, preferably of the same type as the outer surface, i.e. rubber-coated fabric. The friction surface 36 is attached to the jacket in the vicinity of the lower edge 37 or, more specifically, near or within the section of the jacket back facing the belt 1. The friction surface 36 extends parallel to the lower end of the jacket and is as wide as, or somewhat narrower than the belt 1, about half its width, for instance. The function of this is explained below.

[0024] The belt 1 forming part of the lifting and carrying aid is shown in detail in Figures 10 and 11 and is constructed as described earlier with respect to stuffing and pieces of semi-hard foam plastic forming transverse or vertical segments, flexible along intermediate seams 38 in the two textile layers 14, 17. The length of the belt is such as to surround or substantially surround the body at the waist and it is provided with an adjustable strap 39, the parts 40, 41 thereof being attached to the belt, with a two-position buckle 42 having a hook 43 and a pivotable bracket 44 to receive the hook, enabling the belt to be used in a rest position as shown in Figure 12 when no burden is to be lifted or carried, or in an operative position as shown in Figure 13 when a burden is to be lifted and carried. In the rest position the belt is worn loosely around the waist and hips, whereas in operative position the belt is tightened against the body as described earlier. The strap part 41 with the hook is provided with a bur fastening 45 to enable quick adjustment of the belt to the desired lenght. The belt is also provided with a pressure plate 46 with friction surface 47 of rubber-coated fabric with studs, which is attached to a stiffening 18 of glassfiber-reinforced plastic laminate. The pressure plate 46 is preferably the same width as the belt 1 at its rear part, or slightly narrower.

[0025] The pressure plate 46 and friction surface 36 on the inside of the jacket back are intended to cooperate with and to be brought into engagement with each other to form an effective, load-dependent friction bond which can easily be released. This bond is effected instantaneously and automatically as soon as a downwardly directed force caused by a burden acts on the jacket back, which thus services as an external backbone, and the force is transmitted to the belt and then on to the hips so that most of the load will be taken up by the lower part of the back instead of the part of the back actually carrying the burden. The outer friction surface on the jacket back fixes the burden, preventing it from slipping down, thus enabling the desired high carrying point for good balance to be achieved. When the burden is removed the bond between jacket and belt is immediately broken, thus giving the bearer freedom of movement.

Claims

1. Lifting and carrying aid intended to be applied on the body for handling objects of various sizes and weights, characterized in that it comprises at least a belt (1) designed to be fastened around the waist of the bearer and a garment (22) comprising a back section (28), the lower part of which covers at least a part of the rear part of the belt (1); that the belt (1) and the back section (28) are arranged to permit free movement between them when the back portion (28) is unloaded; that the belt (1) and the back section (28) are provided with cooperating locking means (36, 47) designed to be brought into engagement with each other when the back section (28) is loaded with an object being carried and to be released from each other immediately the back section (28) is unloaded; and that the back section comprises a pressure-rigid member (18) designed to transmit pressure forces from the load in the back section down to the belt (1) via said locking means.

2. Lifting and carrying aid according to claim 1, characterized in that the garment is in the form of a jacket (22) with a back section (28) and two front sections (26, 27) which can be connected to each other.

3. Lifting and carrying aid according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that said cooperating locking means comprise a friction surface (47) at the rear of the belt (1) and a corresponding friction surface (36) on the inside of the back section (28).

4. Lifting and carrying means according to claim 1, characterized in that said pressure-rigid member consists of a stiffening (18) of glassfiber--reinforced plastic laminate.

5. Lifting and carrying aid according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the back section (28) is provided on the outside with a friction surface (19) for cooperation with the object being carried.

6. Lifting and carrying aid according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises an abdominal protector, a lumbar region protector, a trapezius region protector and possibly also a femoral protector.

7. Lifting and carrying aid according to claim 1, characterized in that the belt (1) is provided with a fastening means (42) arranged to be moved to an operative position in which the belt (1) is tightened around the body, from a rest position in which the belt (1) is in loose contact with the body.

8. Lifting and carrying means according to claim 2, characterized in that the jacket (22) comprises a built-in cross-harness (23) with straps (24) suspended from the front sections (26, 27), permitting an object to be lifted in front, said straps (24) being provided with strap-connectors, preferably in the form of self-locking quick-couplings (29).

9. Lifting and carrying aid according to claim 2, characterized in that the two front sections of the jacket (22) are provided with bur fastenings (34, 35) designed to be brought into engagement with cooperating bur fastenings on carrying straps supporting an object resting on the back.

10. Lifting and carrying aid according to claim 6, characterized in that the protectors are made of stiff segments (2, 5, 11, 12, 13) bendably joined together to allow the protectors to follow the contour of the body and transmit point-loading thereto.

Drawing