Construction Tool Belt Mounting Hooks for Fatigue Reduction
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Construction tool belts are heavy, causing user fatigue and balance issues, and existing safety tethers can exacerbate these problems by pulling the belt when tools fall, while removing the belt for relief risks tool belt displacement.
Innovation Solution
A tool belt with integral attachment mechanisms allowing secure mounting to structures, such as railings or fences, enabling the belt to be removed and secured in place for easy access without risking displacement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the tool belt is worn around the user's waist, then tools are accessible during work, but the user experiences fatigue and balance issues due to the weight
Solution Approach 1:
The tool belt system is divided into two functional components: a wearable waist belt for tool carrying and a separate removable mounting assembly with hooks for securing to structures. This segmentation allows the user to separate the weight-bearing function from the tool-access function, reducing fatigue while maintaining accessibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from a single-dimensional waist-worn configuration to a multi-dimensional system where the tool belt can be mounted vertically on structures using hooks. This dimensional change allows tools to remain accessible while redistributing the weight burden from the user's body to the structure.
2Weight of moving object
If the tool belt is removed from the user to reduce fatigue, then weight is relieved, but the tool belt may fall to the ground or be misplaced
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting hooks are pre-attached to the tool belt assembly, preparing it for immediate mounting to structures upon removal from the user. This preliminary preparation ensures that the tool belt can be quickly and reliably secured to a structure without risk of falling or misplacement.
Solution Approach 2:
The hooks serve as an intermediary mechanism between the tool belt and the structure, providing a reliable connection point that prevents the tool belt from falling to the ground while allowing easy mounting and removal.
3Reliability
If safety tethers are used to prevent tools from falling, then tool safety is improved, but the tethers can pull the user off balance when tools are dropped
Solution Approach 1:
The tool belt system separates the tool retention function from the user support function. Tools are secured to the belt with traditional tethers for safety, while the mounting hooks provide independent structural support that prevents the entire assembly from being pulled off balance when tools are dropped.
Solution Approach 2:
The mounting hooks are positioned asymmetrically on the tool belt assembly to distribute forces unevenly, preventing the tool belt from rotating or twisting when a tool is dropped, thereby maintaining user balance while still providing tool safety.
Data Source
AI summary
Tool belts are disclosed that provided improved safety features and can be worn both as a conventional tool belts, but also have integral features that allow them to be mounted to structure (e.g. railing or fence) at a construction/work site when the tool belt is removed from the user. This allows the user to remove the belt during work to reduce fatigue and to reduce the danger that the belt will cause the user to be thrown off balance. The integral attachment mechanism allows the tool belt to be held in place near the worker so that the tools and supplies can be accessed and the tool belt will be held in place even if one of the tools falls. This eliminates the risk that the tool belt fall to the ground by the tool or by misplacement of the tool belt near a ledge. The tool belts according to the present invention can also include safety tethers or retractors for attachment to tools being used and stored in the tool belt.