Crossed-Leg Lifting Sling for Aircraft Passenger Transfer
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing solutions for lifting disabled or incapacitated persons on aircraft are hazardous, expensive, and inefficient, as they require multiple handlers and can be bulky for storage, with risks of injury and improper restraint.
Innovation Solution
A flexible sheet material lifting sling with handles at the ends and intermediate positions, allowing the device to be slid under a person and easily folded for storage, providing comfortable lifting with reduced risk of injury by allowing two or more handlers to lift using strategically colored handles.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a fabric seat device is used to lift a person, then the person can be supported during lifting, but the device is bulky for storage and expensive
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a flexible sheet material instead of a rigid fabric seat structure. The sheet can be folded into a compact form for storage yet provides sufficient support when deployed for lifting, directly resolving the contradiction between support reliability and storage volume
Solution Approach 2:
The lifting device is divided into functional zones: a body portion for supporting the upper body, leg portions for supporting the legs, and handles for lifting. This segmentation allows each part to be optimized for its specific function while maintaining overall compactness
2Reliability
If handles are provided at multiple positions on the sling, then multiple handlers can lift the person safely, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Handles are strategically positioned at specific locations (body portion and leg portions) with different colors to indicate their specific functions. This local differentiation allows multiple handlers to know exactly where and how to grasp the device, improving safety without requiring complex instructions or mechanisms
3Ease of operation
If the sling uses colored handles to indicate proper configuration, then users can easily understand how to assemble and use the device, but the manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies color coding to the handles (e.g., different colors for body portion handles versus leg portion handles) to provide intuitive visual guidance for proper assembly and usage. This simple visual system greatly enhances ease of operation while adding minimal manufacturing complexity compared to mechanical indication systems
Data Source
AI summary
A lifting sling for lifting a disabled / incapacitated person from one seat to another, or for lifting that person from a first position to a second position. The sling comprises a fabric panel having a body portion (14) for positioning under the person's buttocks and lower back and a pair of leg portions (15,115) extending from the lower end of the body (14), the legs portions (15,115) being crossed over each other and passed under the person's legs, such that handles (18,118) on the leg portions (15,115) meet handles (119,19) on the respective opposite side of the lower end of the body (14). The person can then be lifted by two or more persons, by each person taking at least one brought-together handle (19,118/18,119) or another handle (17/117) at the top end of the body (14).