GURTZEUG

Description

Technical field of the invention

[0001] The invention relates to a roping harness comprising a belt and a pair of leg loops. State of the art

[0002] In the field of climbing, mountaineering, ski touring, or for carrying out work at height, rope harnesses ensure the safety of people.

[0003] Typically, a roping harness comprises a belt and a pair of leg loops. Depending on the type of use, the belt and leg loops may be more or less thick to ensure user comfort. For example, a harness intended for work at height must be particularly comfortable to allow for prolonged use. In climbing, the harness must also be so as not to injure the climber who falls on a lead route. Document FR 2842741 describes a climbing harness with an adjustable leg loop. Document WO 2007 / 045740 describes a harness whose belt is formed by a flexible, low-elastic net. A padding structure is arranged between inner and outer layers and is held in position by stitching. Document EP 1834543 describes a harness in which the belt is formed by a webbing whose weft thread is removed to increase the width of the belt.The warp threads are held together by a backing and glue. EP 2383018 describes a harness whose belt is formed by padding that is held in position by two straps. The two straps go around the belt.

[0004] In mountaineering and ski touring, the harness is primarily intended for tying up a roped party. The thickness of the waist belt and leg loops can be thinner because they are rarely under tension. This results in a weight saving and compactness that athletes appreciate, but at the expense of comfort.

[0005] To ensure good conditions of use regardless of the discipline practiced, it is important to strike a compromise between user comfort, the weight of the roping harness, and its compactness. This way, the harness is versatile and the user does not need to carry multiple pieces of equipment. In many activities, it is particularly advantageous to use a harness that is as light as possible, which means choosing clever solutions to save a few grams. There are some lightweight harnesses whose design has been thought out to reduce the weight of the harness as much as possible. However, these harnesses are not very comfortable, which limits their use.

[0006] Document US 2013 / 0191956 describes a chap for riding whose belt can be associated with padding whose width is greater than that of the belt.

[0007] Document EP1516646 discloses a roping harness whose belt and leg loops have a quilted fabric whose side edges are reinforced by two biases which extend from one end to the other and which provide mechanical resistance.

[0008] Document US201 / 0208791 discloses a backpack which has a belt with a pocket whose opening is arranged on the upper part of the belt. Summary of the invention

[0009] An object of the invention is to provide a harness which is lightweight and which provides greater comfort in order to increase the conditions under which the harness can be used.

[0010] This need is addressed by means of a roping harness according to claim 1 and comprising a belt and leg loops. The harness is remarkable in that the belt is formed by a first band and a second band separated so as to define a housing cavity for at least one comfort foam, the first band being an inner band intended to come into contact with the user's back while the second band is an outer band of the belt, the first band and the second band being fixed to each other by at least one resistance strap mechanically fixed to a suspension point. The housing cavity comprises at least one opening so that the at least one comfort foam is removable from the housing cavity.

[0011] In one development, the harness comprises first and second comfort foams. The housing cavity comprises first and second openings opposite each other along the longitudinal axis of the belt such that the first and second comfort foams are removable from the housing cavity respectively by means of the first and second openings.

[0012] Advantageously, the first band and / or the second band are formed by a net.

[0013] The harness comprises first and second resistance straps defining two opposite ends of the housing cavity in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the belt, the first and second resistance straps being mechanically attached to the suspension point.

[0014] It is advantageous to provide that the first strip and the second strip are formed from a material having a Young's modulus lower than the Young's modulus of the at least one resistance strap.

[0015] The harness comprises first and second resistance straps defining two opposite ends of the housing cavity in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the leg loop, the first and second resistance straps being mechanically attached to the suspension point.

[0016] The invention also relates to a method of using the rope harness which makes it possible to adapt the weight and comfort of the harness to the intended use. Summary description of the drawings

[0017] Other advantages and characteristics will emerge more clearly from the following description of particular embodiments given as non-limiting examples and illustrated with the aid of the appended drawings, in which: there figure 1 represents a schematic view of a roping harness; the Figures 2a, 2b and 2c represent, schematically, in section respectively a comfort foam, a housing cavity for a leg loop or a belt of a roping harness according to the invention, and a comfort foam installed inside a housing cavity; the figure 3 represents, schematically, a schematic view of a roping harness according to the invention provided with comfort foams installed in the belt and in each leg loop; the figure 4 represents, schematically, a schematic view of a roping harness without comfort foams according to the invention; the Figure 5a, 5b, 5c and 5drepresent, schematically, in side view, a comfort foam, a housing cavity without comfort foam, the insertion or extraction of a comfort foam into or out of the cavity, a comfort foam installed in a cavity; The Figures 6a and 6b schematically represent another way of installing or extracting a comfort foam according to another embodiment of a cavity housing a comfort foam and another configuration of a comfort foam installed in a cavity. Description of a preferred embodiment of the invention

[0018] A roping harness 1 such as that shown schematically in figure 1comprises a belt 2 with a waist circumference 2a associated with a device 3 for adjusting the circumference of the belt 2 and / or with a device for opening / closing the belt 2. It is also possible to provide that the device 3 for adjusting the circumference of the belt also forms the device for opening / closing the belt 2.

[0019] The harness 1 also has a pair of leg loops 4, each leg loop 4 being connected to the dorsal part of the belt 2 advantageously by two elastic or non-elastic straps 5, and to the ventral part for example by a bridge 6 via a central ring 7. In an alternative embodiment illustrated in Figures 3 and 4 , the harness 1 may be without a central ring and a bridge, each leg loop 4 is fixed independently to the front part of the belt 2 by means of a strap 8 which may form part of the leg loop 4.

[0020] In the example embodiment illustrated in Figures 3 and 4 , each thigh circumference 4 is associated with a device 4a for adjusting the circumference of the thigh circumference 4 which, in this embodiment, also provides the function of a device for opening / closing the thigh circumference 4.

[0021] In order to save weight, comfort foams were removed from prior art harnesses and replaced with a mesh that increases the contact surface with the waist or thigh to prevent the resistance straps from digging too deeply into the user's flesh. However, this construction makes the harness difficult to support when the user is hanging in the harness for a long time, which limits its use to activities where the user knows that he will be hanging in the harness for a limited period of time.

[0022] This means that the user will not use this harness, but another one for activities where the suspension time is longer. This requires having two harnesses for different activities.

[0023] In order to be able to use a harness 1 in more varied configurations, it is proposed to use one or more comfort foams 9 which are removable. When the foam(s) 9 are installed on the harness 1 as illustrated in figure 3 , comfort is increased and the user can consider being suspended in his harness 1 for relatively long periods of time.

[0024] On the contrary, when the foam(s) 9 are removed as illustrated in figure 4 , harness 1 is lighter which is an advantage when the user is doing long runs and / or when the total weight of the equipment is significant and needs to be reduced.

[0025] In order to be able to easily install and remove the comfort foam(s) 9, it is particularly advantageous to form a housing cavity 10 for the comfort foam 9 associated with an orifice 11. Thus, by passing the comfort foam 9 through the orifice 11, the user can install or remove the foam 9 before putting on the harness 1. To facilitate understanding, the outer strip is shown as transparent to better show the presence of the comfort foams in the housing cavity.

[0026] Depending on the configuration, the comfort foam 9 is installed removably in the belt 2 of the harness 1 or in a leg loop 4. It is possible to provide a harness 1 where a comfort foam 9 is installed removably in each leg loop 4 and in the belt 2.

[0027] In a configuration illustrated in Figures 2a, 2b and 2c, the belt 2 is formed by a first strip 12 and a second strip 13 separated so as to define the housing cavity 10 of at least one comfort foam 9. The first strip 12 is an inner strip intended to come into contact with the user's back. The second strip 13 is an outer strip of the belt. The first strip 12 and the second strip 13 are fixed to each other by at least one resistance strap 14 mechanically fixed to a preferably ventral suspension point. The resistance strap 14 goes around the belt 2 or the thigh loop 4 so as to ensure the mechanical resistance of the harness in the event of a fall. Figure 2a illustrates in section a comfort foam and the Figure 2b illustrates in section the housing cavity 10. The Figure 2c illustrates the comfort foam installed in the housing cavity.

[0028] The housing cavity 10 comprises at least one opening 11 so that the at least one comfort foam 9 is removable from the housing cavity 10. Advantageously, the opening 11 is defined in the inner strip 12.

[0029] In a preferred configuration, the length of the first strip 12 is less than the length of the second strip 13 so that at least one end of the first strip 12 defines at least one first opening 10 for insertion / removal of the comfort foam 9. Preferably, the inner strip 12 defines first and second openings 11 opposite each other along the longitudinal axis of the belt 2.

[0030] It is particularly advantageous to provide that the comfort foam 9 is cut into first and second comfort foams 9. The first comfort foam 9 is installed / removed by means of the first orifice while the second comfort foam 9 is installed / removed by means of the second orifice. It is advantageous to use first and second comfort foams 9 because this makes it possible to reduce the length of the comfort foam 9 and to facilitate its insertion. The two comfort foams are consecutive along the longitudinal axis of the belt 2 which is advantageously the insertion / extraction axis of the foam 9.

[0031] It is also preferable to provide that the belt has an opening 11 arranged in the dorsal portion and advantageously according to the sagittal plane of the harness to facilitate the insertion of two comfort foams on either side of the opening 11.

[0032] In an advantageous embodiment illustrated in Figures 5a, 5b, 5c and 5d , the comfort foam 9 is associated with a gripping tab 15 which facilitates gripping of the foam 9 and prevents its deterioration during multiple extractions of the foam 9 from the housing cavity 10. The gripping tab 15 is advantageously formed by a strap sewn onto the foam 9.

[0033] As illustrated in the Figure 5c , the insertion of the comfort foam 9 is then done by pushing the comfort foam 9 towards the sagittal plane of the harness 1 and the extraction is done in the opposite direction at least for the belt 2 advantageously by pulling on the tab 15. Advantageously illustrated in the Figure 5d , the gripping tab 15 protrudes from the housing cavity 10.

[0034] Alternatively, the inner strip 12 may be divided into a first inner strip 12a and a second inner strip 12b which are separated by a central orifice 11a. It is then possible to insert / extract the first and second comfort foams 9 by means of the central orifice 11. It is also possible to provide a harness 1 which has first and second opposing orifices 11 in association with the central orifice 11. It is also possible to use a single comfort foam 9 as illustrated in the embodiment of the Figures 6a and 6b .

[0035] In order to improve the comfort of use, the housing cavity 10 has a variable width along the longitudinal axis of the belt 2 or the leg loop 4 to adapt to the pressure zones that exist when the user is suspended in his harness 1. It is particularly advantageous to provide that the width of the belt 2 and of the housing cavity 10 increases when moving away from the transverse plane towards the sagittal plane in the user's back. The foam 9 preferably has a shape complementary to that of the housing cavity 10 in order to limit unwanted exits of the foam 9 from the cavity.

[0036] The inner band 12 and / or the outer band 13 are advantageously formed by a net which makes it possible to improve the circulation of air through the harness 1 and reduce the weight of the inner 12 and / or outer 13 bands.

[0037] It is particularly advantageous to form the orifices 11 for inserting / extracting the foams 9 in the interior walls in order to have the most homogeneous exterior wall possible, which reduces the risk of the harness1 catching on an obstacle by means of the orifices 11.

[0038] The harness 1 is provided with two resistance straps 14 which provide the mechanical strength of the belt 2 longitudinally. The two resistance straps 14 define the ends of the housing cavity 9 in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the belt 2 in the plane of the outer or inner band. The inner and / or outer bands, for example made of mesh, have mechanical strength in the transverse direction which makes it possible to separate the two resistance straps 14. However, the mechanical strength of the inner or outer band along the longitudinal axis is incapable of withstanding a fall. The mechanical strength is provided by the resistance strap(s). Advantageously, the first band 12 and the second band 13 are formed from a material having a Young's modulus lower than the Young's modulus of the resistance strap 14.

[0039] Harness 1 is advantageously without shoulder straps in order to reduce the weight of harness 1 and its bulk.

[0040] In the embodiment illustrated in Figures 3 and 4 , the harness is provided with two rings 16 mounted on the belt 2 and intended to cooperate with a connector, for example a carabiner, a quick link or a rope to close the belt 2 of the harness 1.

[0041] In an advantageous embodiment, the outer band is formed by a fabric that has different properties from the fabric forming the inner band. It is preferable to provide that the outer band is formed by a fabric that has a higher abrasion resistance than that of the fabric of the inner band. It is also advantageous to provide that the outer band is formed by a material that has a higher Young's modulus than the material forming the inner band in order to increase the rigidity and facilitate the maintenance of the belt or the leg loop when it is not worn. It is also advantageous to provide that the outer band is formed at least partially by a grid in order to limit the weight.

[0042] On the other hand, the material forming the inner band is preferably less rigid in order to promote pleasant contact with the user's body. Advantageously, the material forming the inner band in contact with the user has a lower density than the material forming the outer band in order to save a few grams because the inner band essentially ensures the maintenance of comfort foam.

Claims

1. Roping harness (1) comprising a belt (2) and leg loops (4) characterised in that one of the belt (2) and at least one of the leg loops (4) is formed by a first strip (12) and a second strip (13) separated so as to define a housing cavity (10) housing at least one foam comfort pad (9), the first strip (12) being an inner strip designed to come into contact with a user's back or a user's thigh whereas the second strip (13) is an outer strip of said one of the belt (2) and at least one of the leg loops (4), the first strip (12) and the second strip (13) being fixed to one another by first and second resistance straps (14) defining two opposite ends of the housing cavity (10) along a direction perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of said one of the belt (2) and the at least one of the leg loops (4), the first and second resistance straps (14) being mechanically secured to the suspension point and in that the housing cavity (10) comprises at least one opening (11) so that the at least one foam comfort pad (9) is removable from the housing cavity (10), the at least one opening (11) being arranged between the first and second resistance straps (14) for introduction or extraction of the at least one comfort foam (9) in the longitudinal axis of said one of the belt (2) and the at least one of the leg loops (4).

2. Roping harness (1) according to the preceding claim, comprising first and second foam comfort pads (9) and wherein the housing cavity (10) comprises first and second openings (11) arranged opposite along the longitudinal axis of said one of the belt (2) and the at least one of the leg loops (4) so that the first and second foam comfort pads (9) are removable from the housing cavity (10) respectively via the first and the second openings (11).

3. Roping harness (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the first strip (12) and / or the second strip (13) are formed by a netting.

4. Roping harness (1) according to anyone of the preceding claims, wherein the first strip (12) and the second strip (13) are formed from a material having a Young's modulus lower than a Young's modulus of the at least one resistance strap (14).

5. Method for using the roping harness (1) according to one of the preceding claims, comprising the following steps: - extracting a foam comfort pad (9) from the housing cavity, the foam comfort pad (9) being extracted along the longitudinal axis of said one of the belt (2) and the at least one of the leg loops (4), - fitting the roping harness (1) on a user.

6. Method for using the roping harness according to anyone of claims 1 to 4, comprising the following steps: - inserting a foam comfort pad (9) in the housing cavity, the foam comfort pad (9) being inserted along the longitudinal axis of said one of the belt (2) and the at least one of the leg loops (4), - fitting the roping harness (1) on a user.