Pinch Buckle Strap Lifter for Load Distribution
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing shoulder harness systems for lifting heavy objects between two persons lack a secure and adjustable mechanism to effectively distribute and manage the load, leading to inefficiencies in lifting and maneuvering heavy items like home appliances and furniture.
Innovation Solution
A strap lifter system featuring a central lifter strap captured by flexible or partially flexible buckles on two shoulder harnesses, with a pinch mechanism that adjusts to securely hold the strap in place, allowing for efficient distribution of weight across the users' torsos and enabling easier lifting and maneuvering of heavy objects.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a conventional rigid buckle is used to secure the central lifter strap, then the strap can be held firmly in place, but the system lacks adjustability and cannot adapt to different load distributions
Solution Approach 1:
The buckle incorporates a movable pinch member that can dynamically adjust its position along the central lifter strap to capture it at different locations. This dynamic adjustment capability allows the buckle to adapt to various load distributions and strap lengths while maintaining secure capture through the pinch mechanism that applies controlled force to hold the strap firmly in place.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the central lifter strap is made longer to accommodate different users and loads, then versatility improves, but the difficulty of securing the strap in the buckle increases
Solution Approach 1:
The movable pinch member can be positioned at different locations along the central lifter strap and locked into place to secure the strap at the desired length. This allows users to adjust the effective length of the strap for different heights and load requirements while maintaining easy securing through the simple pinch-and-lock mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The system allows changing the position parameter of the pinch member along the strap length, enabling adjustment of the effective strap length. This parameter change capability provides versatility for different users and loads while the locking mechanism ensures easy and reliable securing at each position.
3Ease of operation
If the pinch member is made more flexible to allow easier strap capture, then ease of operation improves, but the ability to securely hold the strap under heavy loads decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The pinch member is designed with variable flexibility characteristics - sufficiently flexible to allow easy capture and adjustment of the strap, but with adequate rigidity when engaged to securely hold heavy loads. The material and structural design optimize this balance, providing ease of operation during capture while maintaining strength during load-bearing.
Data Source
AI summary
A strap lifter for use with a harness is shown and described. The harness may have two shoulder straps that support a central, front buckle for use at about the lower, central belly of a user. A generally horizontal buckle strap has a fixed, rigid lower loop beneath a movable, flexible upper loop secured to the front of the buckle strap. The lower and upper loops are generally parallel, and close, to each other. Typically, the distance between the two loops is slightly more than the thickness of a lifter strap which is threaded between the two loops. Preferably, a set of two harnesses is used by two persons standing face-to-face with a single lifter strap between them threaded through both of the buckles.