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Title:
CARRYING PLATE FOR BREATHING APPARATUS
Document Type and Number:
WIPO Patent Application WO/2016/146976
Kind Code:
A2
Abstract:
A mounting assembly for self-contained breathing apparatus comprises: a back plate (30) having: channels (32) therein which form a pair mounting finger (31a, 31b). The mounting fingers (31a, 31b) are integrally formed with the plate (30) and connected thereto along one end edge. The fingers (31a, 31b) are sized and shaped to interface, in use, with mounting straps (4) of a carrying jacket (3) so as to mount, in use, the plate (30) on the jacket (3). The back plate (30) further including retaining means (34) operable to inhibit movement of the back plate (30), in use, longitudinally relative to the mounting straps (4) of the carrying jacket (3) on which it is mounted so as to prevent unintentional detachment of the back plate (30) from the jacket (3).

Inventors:
LANGFORD GRAHAM (GB)
KEARNS JOHN PATRICK (GB)
Application Number:
PCT/GB2016/050664
Publication Date:
September 22, 2016
Filing Date:
March 11, 2016
Export Citation:
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Assignee:
SCOTT HEALTH & SAFETY LTD (GB)
International Classes:
A45F3/10
Other References:
None
Attorney, Agent or Firm:
HEDGES, Martin Nicholas (10 Old BaileyLondon, Greater London EC4M 7NG, GB)
Download PDF:
Claims:
Claims

1. A mounting assembly for self-contained breathing apparatus, the mounting assembly comprising: a back plate having: a plurality of channels therein which form at least one mounting finger which is integrally formed with the plate and connected thereto along one end edge, said at least one finger being sized and shaped to interface, in use, with mounting straps of a carrying jacket so as to mount, in use, the plate on the jacket; the back plate further including retaining means operable to inhibit movement of the plate, in use, longitudinally relative to the mounting straps of the carrying jacket on which it is mounted so as to prevent unintentional detachment of the plate from the jacket.

2. A mounting assembly according to claim 1, wherein the retaining means comprises attachment means which, in use, enable secondary attachment of the plate to the jacket.

3. A mounting assembly according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the retaining means comprises at least one set of apertures through which is weavable a fastening strap which, in use, interfaces with at least one mounting strap of the carrying jacket to secure the plate to the jacket against longitudinal relative movement.

4. A mounting assembly according to claim 3, wherein the set of apertures comprises a plurality of apertures arranged in two parallel columns, each column of apertures, in use, receiving a strap which passes behind a mounting strap of the jacket and is secured at each end to the plate.

5. A mounting assembly according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein apertures, the plate has fasteners provided thereon, by means of which opposing ends of a fastening strap which, in use, passes behind a mounting strap of the jacket may be fastened to the plate so as to prevent, in use, the strap from being withdrawn unintentionally from the mounting strap.

6. A mounting assembly according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the retaining means comprises attachment means engageable between the at least one finger and the plate so as to prevent the at least one finger, in use, from being withdrawn from a mounting strap behind which it is engaged.

7. A mounting assembly according to claim 6, wherein the retaining means comprises fastening means provided on the plate and the at least one finger by means of which a retaining member such as a strap may be fastened between the at least one finger and the plate and/or any other finger which is present.

8. A mounting assembly according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the at least one finger is symmetrically located with regard to the longitudinal axis of the plate so as to ensure lateral stability.

9. A mounting assembly according to claim 8, wherein the plate has a plurality of fingers provided thereon, located symmetrically on either side of the longitudinal centre line, the fingers being spaced to engage, in use behind separate columns of webbing strap pockets of the jacket.

10. A mounting assembly according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the plate further includes means for mounting tank securing means which is engageable, in use, with a supply tank to securely and releasably fasten the tank to the back plate, and means for mounting valve retaining means for releasably securing, in use, a valve of an air supply means to the back plate for engagement with a supply tanks.

1 1. A mounting assembly for self-contained breathing apparatus, the mounting assembly comprising: a back plate having: a plurality of apertures formed therein arrange in a column extending longitudinally down the centreline of the plate, said apertures being sized and spaced to receive and engage at least one fastening strap which, in use, interfaces with mounting straps of a carrying jacket so as to fasten, in use, the plate to the jacket; tank securing means provided on the plate, which tank securing means is engageable, in use, with a supply tank to securely and releasable fasten the tank to the back plate; and valve retaining means for releasable securing, in use, a valve of an air supply means to the back plate for engagement with a supply tank.

12. A mounting assembly according to claim 1 1, wherein the column of apertures has a fastening strap which is woven through the apertures and each end secured to the plate, said strap, in use, being engageable through the mounting straps of the carry jacket so as to hang the plate on the jacket.

13. A mounting assembly according to claim 12, wherein opposing ends of the fastening strap are secured to the plate proximate opposing ends of the column of apertures.

14. A mounting assembly according to claim 13, wherein the strap is looped around the back of the plate so that one end is fed back towards and secured close to the other end.

15. A mounting assembly according to any of claims 12 to 14, wherein the securing is achieved by means of releasable securing means associated with just one end of the strap, the other end being non-releasably secured to the plate.

16. A mounting assembly according to any of claims 12 to 14, wherein both ends of the strap are releasably secured to the plate.

17. A mounting assembly according to any of claims 12 to 16, wherein at least one end of the strap, preferably at least the end which, in use, will be located at the bottom of the plate, is attached to the plate by a quick release system.

Description:
Carrying Plate for Breathing Apparatus

The present invention relates to improvements in relation to harness plates for carrying breathing apparatus in particular air tanks and associated equipment for Self Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA).

SCBA is used in a variety of situations where an individual and safe supply of breathable air is required by an individual, such as fire fighters entering a smoke filled environment. The equipment comprises an air tank which stores breathable air under pressure and a regulator valve which delivers the air to the mouth of the user at a pressure suitable for the user to breath.

Typically, the air tank is large to enable it to hold enough air for the user to complete their required task, and it is therefore normally carried on the back of the user. For this purpose, a carrying assembly is well known in the art which comprises a rigid plate which has a restraining strap which wraps around the air tank in order to secure it to the plate, typically with the tank in an outlet down position. The plate also has apertures formed therein through which straps thread to form should and waist harness straps by means of which the plate may be carried on the back of a user. The plate and/or harness straps will also normally include suitable features for enabling tubing associated with the SCBA to be routed around and retained in place on the carrying assembly.

Whilst the known harness assembly works adequately in most circumstances, it can be time consuming to don and remove which in some situations can be a significant issue. Furthermore, the requirement for the shoulder and waist straps extending tightly around the user and be restrictive both to the movement of the user and also to their accessibility to other equipment which they might carry on their person.

Furthermore, in the Military and Civil Defence marketplace, certain specialist users require the use of SCBA whilst wearing body armour/bulletproof vest type jackets. Most current SCBA's are designed for the firefighting market and do not integrate very well with other types of body worn equipment. It is accordingly a purpose of the present invention to provide an SCBA harness mounting system which is better applicable for use in specialist application.

It is a further aim of the present invention to provide a mounting assembly which can integrate directly with existing webbing and body armour used in such specialist applications.

These and other aims are achieved by the present invention as set out hereinafter.

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a mounting assembly for self-contained breathing apparatus, the mounting assembly comprising: a back plate having: a plurality of apertures formed therein arrange in a column extending longitudinally down the centreline of the plate, said apertures being sized and spaced to receive and engage at least one fastening strap which, in use, interfaces with mounting straps of a carrying jacket so as to fasten, in use, the plate to the jacket; tank securing means provided on the plate, which tank securing means is engageable, in use, with a supply tank to securely and releasable fasten the tank to the back plate; and valve retaining means for releasable securing, in use, a valve of an air supply means to the back plate for engagement with a supply tank.

A mounting assembly in accordance with the invention has the advantage that the back plate is securable directly to a jacket normally worn by a user, such as a body armour jacket or the like, thereby avoiding the restrictions in movement and accessibility to equipment associated with known designs. Furthermore, due to the releasability of the tank securing means and the valve retaining means, if circumstances necessitate, the SCBA equipment (tank and valve assembly) may easily and quickly be dumped by the user without having to remove or discard their jacket.

Preferably, the apertures in the back plate are configured to interface to the user's clothing using the method of MOLLE attachment (Modular Light Weight Load Carrying Equipment). MOLLE uses an interlocking weave of vertical and horizontal webbing that secures one item to another.

Preferably, the column of apertures has a fastening strap which is woven through the apertures and each end secured to the plate, said strap, in use, being engageable through the horizontal MOLLE straps of the webbing so as to hang the plate on the webbing. Preferably, opposing ends of the fastening strap are secured to the plate proximate opposing ends of the column of apertures, but the strap may also be looped around the back of the plate so that one end may be fed back towards and secured close to the other end.

The securing may be achieved by means of releasable securing means being associated with just one end, the other end being non-releasably secured to the plate, or by both ends being releasably secured to the plate. The releasable securing may be achieved, for example, by means which included complementary coupling means being provided on the ends of the straps and the plate, by means of buckles through which the strap passes in a locking manner, or the like.

IN a particularly advantageous development of the invention, at least one end of the strap, preferably at least the end which, in use, will be located at the bottom of the plate, is attached to the plate by a quick release system, for example by means of press studs. In this way a wearer can easily jettison the plate and any apparatus mounted thereon without third party assistance by simply releasing the attachment of the straps from the plate and allowing the weight of the plate and apparatus mounted thereon to cause the straps to unweave from the MOLLE straps.

In a particularly preferred embodiment, each of the tank securing means and the valve retaining means have quick release operation associated with them so that when they are not required, the user can quickly and easily remove the valve and associated supply lines, as well as the tank, from the back plate, leaving the back plate in place attached to the user's clothing. ΓΝ one embodiment, the valve retaining means provides a bayonet type coupling for fastening an air supply valve to the plate, in particular a system which requires relative rotation between the air supply valve and the plate of substantially 90 degrees in order to secure the valve to and release it from the plate.

The back plate is preferably made of light weight material and has a low profile. Carbon fibre or polymeric materials are particularly preferred. Fastened to the back plate are specialist mountings that allow the pneumatics to quickly be mounted to the back plate, including multiple tank sizes.

Tube retaining means may also be provided on the back plate for retaining hoses associated with the valve assembly in place for routing of those hoses from the valve to the appropriate place for the user to access them during operation.

The present invention further provides a mounting assembly for self-contained breathing apparatus, the mounting assembly comprising: a back plate having: a plurality of channels therein which form at least one mounting finger which is integrally formed with the plate and connected thereto along one end edge, said at least one finger being sized and shaped to interface, in use, with mounting straps of a carrying jacket so as to mount, in use, the plate on the jacket; and retaining means operable to inhibit movement of the plate, in use, longitudinally relative to the mounting straps of the carrying jacket on which it is mounted so as to prevent unintentional detachment of the plate from the jacket.

A mounting assembly in accordance with the invention has the advantage that the back plate is securable directly to a jacket normally worn by a user, such as a body armour jacket or the like, thereby avoiding the restrictions in movement and accessibility to equipment associated with known designs. Furthermore, due manner in which the or each finger may be slid behind the mounting straps of the jacket, the plate may be very easily removed from the jacket whilst the retaining means effectively prevents unintentional detachment. The retaining means may comprise attachment means which, in use, enable secondary attachment of the plate to the jacket. In particular, the retaining means may comprise at least one set of apertures through which is weavable a fastening strap which, in use, interfaces with at least one mounting strap of the carrying jacket to secure the plate to the jacket against longitudinal relative movement. More particularly, a plurality, especially four apertures may be provided arranged in two parallel columns, each pair of apertures, in use, receiving a strap which passes behind a mounting strap of the jacket and is secured at each end to the plate.

Instead of apertures, the plate may be provided with fasteners such as press studs by means of which opposing ends of a fastening strap which passes behind a mounting strap of the jacket may be fastened to the plate so as to prevent the strap from being withdrawn from the mounting strap.

Alternatively, the retaining means may comprise attachment means which engage between the at least one finger and the plate so as to prevent the at least one finger from passing back through a mounting strap behind which it has been passed. More particularly, the retaining means may comprise fastening means provided on the plate and the at least one finger by means of which a retaining member such as a strap may be fastened between the at least one finger and the plate and/or any other finger which is present.

The at least one finger is symmetrically located with regard to the longitudinal axis of the plate so as to ensure lateral stability. A plurality of fingers, in particular two, may be provided symmetrically on either side of the longitudinal centre line, the fingers being spaced to engage, in use behind separate lines of MOLLE strap pockets of the jacket.

The plate preferably further includes means for mounting tank securing means which is engageable, in use, with a supply tank to securely and releasably fasten the tank to the back plate, and means for mounting valve retaining means for releasably securing, in use, a valve of an air supply means to the back plate for engagement with a supply tanks. In order that the invention may be well understood, there will now be described some embodiments thereof, given by way of example, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side view of a bullet proof jacket with a mounting assembly according to a first embodiment of the invention carried thereon;

Figure 2 is a back view of a jacket which does not fall within the scope of the present invention;

Figure 3 is a rear view of a back plate according to the invention;

Figure 4 is a rear view of the back plate of Figure 3 with ancillary parts mounted thereon; Figure 5 is a rear view of a back plate according to a second embodiment of the invention;

Figure 6 is a rear view of the back plate of Figure 5 with ancillary parts mounted thereon; Figure 7 is a rear view of the back plate of Figure 5 mounted in the webbing of a MOLLE jacket;

Figure 8 is a rear view of a back plate according to a third embodiment of the invention; and

Figure 9 is a rear view of the back plate of Figure 8 with ancillary parts mounted thereon.

Referring first to Figure 1, there is shown a back plate 1 according to the invention mounted by MOLLE straps 2 to a body armour jacket 3. The jacket has horizontally webbing straps 4 which extend around the jacket, the webbing straps being fastened to the jacket at aligned intervals so as to formed aligned points at which MOLLE strap 2 may be fed vertically through the webbing straps between each strap 4 and the jacket 3. As best shown in Figure 4, the MOLLE strap 2 is attached to the plate 1 at the top and bottom by press studs 5. These enable the user easily to detach the top and/or bottom of each MOLLE strap from the plate to release the plate and any equipment mounted thereon from the jacket whilst wearing the jacket. It will, of course, be understood that other releasable fastening means for fastening the MOLLE straps to the plate may be used. The back plate 1 has apertures 6 formed therein, aligned in a column which extends along the centre line of the plate 1 as shown in Figure 3, through which the MOLLE strap 2 can be weaved in order to fasten the back plate 1 to the jacket 3 as shown in Figure 2. The MOLLE strap is secured by means of a buckle 7 to facilitate quick attachment and removal of the back plate from the jacket if required. By central positioning of the apertures, the plate 1 may be attached to the jacket 3 by means of a single MOLLE strap 2 so as to make attachment and removal easier.

The back plate 1 also has a tank strap 10 mounted on towards the top thereof and an air supply valve mounting 1 1 provided towards the bottom thereof. Each of the tank strap and the valve mounting 1 1 has a quick release operation which may be of a type which is well known in the art. However, in a preferred embodiment, the valve mounting 1 1 interfaces with an air supply valve 12 so as to attach it to the plate 1 by a bayonet type coupling, and in particular one which requires a 90 degree turn of the air supply valve 12 relative to the plate 1 in one direction to secure to and the opposite direction to release from the plate 1. The details of such a mechanism are within the knowledge of the skilled person and will not be described in further detail here.

The valve mounting 1 1 is located and operable to secure the air supply valve 12 to the back plate 1 in position so that it automatically locates with the air valve formed on the top of an air tank when a tank (not shown) is mounted onto the plate 1 and secured in place with the tank strap 10. The air supply valve 12 then includes a fastening means for sealing the supply valve 12 to the air valve of the tank.

Pipe retainers 15 are also provided on the back plate 1 for routing supply pipes from the valve 12 to their appropriate operational positions.

In use, the back plate 1 is used in conjunction with a jacket having horizontally extending webbing straps distributed vertically down the jacket, each webbing strap having portions which are not connected to the jacket so as to enable vertical straps to be threaded between the webbing straps and the jacket. The back plate 1 is therefore connected to the jacket by threading a connecting one end of the MOLLE strap to the top press stud 5 on the plate 1, passing the strap through one aperture of the column of apertures on the plate 1, feeding it between one of the webbing straps and the jacket, feeding it up through the next aperture 6 in the column and back down the subsequent one, back through the next MOLLE strap, and continuing on until the MOLLE strap has been fed through the last aperture 6, at which point the end is fastened to the lower press stud 5. The plate 1 is thereby secured to the jacket.

An air supply valve 12 is then secured to the valve mount 1 1 by engaging the coupling parts and turning the supply valve 12 through 90 degrees to lock it to the mount 1 1. Supply pipes are fed through pipe retainers 15 to hold them in place. Finally, a tank is inserted through the tank strap 10 and its air outlet engaged in the supply valve 12 before the tank strap 10 is tightened to lock the tank to the plate 1. Each of these steps may be performed by the user before donning the jacket or may be performed by a helper while the user is wearing the jacket.

The user then has three options for removing equipment during use. Firstly, the tank may be removed by disconnecting the air outlet from the supply valve 12 and then releasing the tank strap 10. The tank may then be lifted off of the plate 1 leaving the plate 1 with the supply valve 12 in place attached to the jacket. This option would require either that the wear remove the jacket or that he have assistance from another person.

The second option is to remove both the tank and the supply valve 12 together by rotating the supply valve 12 by 90 degrees relative to the valve mount 1 1 to disconnect it from the mount 1 1 and then releasing the tank strap 10. The tank with supply valve 12 still attached thereto may then be removed from the plate 1, leaving the plate 1 still attached to the jacket. Again, this may be done by the wearer on his own by first removing the jacket or by with assistance while the jacket is still being worn. This second option not only relieves more weight but is also quicker.

Finally, in an emergency situation, the user can dump the plate 1 from the jacket with the tank and supply valve 12 still attached to the jacket so as to completely remove all the equipment from the jacket. Furthermore, this can be done by the wearer without removing the jacket and without third party assistance by simply reach behind and releasing the press stud at either the top or bottom of the MOLLE strap. Once so released, the weight of the tank will cause the MOLLE straps to pull out of the apertures 6 and webbing straps and the plate to drop off of the jacket.

In a modification of the invention not shown, additional columns of apertures may be provided symmetrically located on either side of the central column so as to enable additional MOLLE straps to be used to connect the plate 1 to the jacket 3 in order to increase lateral stability. The configuration of each such additional column and connection means associated therewith would be the same as described above in connection with the central column.

Referring now to Figures 5 to 7, there is shown a back plate 30 according to a second embodiment of the invention. In the arrangement of Figure 5, the apertures of the embodiment of Figures 1 to 4 which received straps which interface with the webbing straps 4 of the jacket 3 have been replaced by a pair of fingers 31 which extend longitudinally downwards on the plate as shown in Figure 5. In the illustrated embodiment, a pair of fingers 31a, 31b is shown which are formed by a series of interconnecting slots 32 formed in the back plate 30 such that each finger 31a, 31b is connected to the plate 30 at just one end in a cantilever manner. The fingers 31a, 31b are configured to be symmetrically located on either side of the longitudinal centre line of the plate 30.

Due to the integral formation of the fingers 31a, 31b, they normally lie flush with the plane of the plate 30. However, the material of the plate 30 is sufficiently flexible to allow the fingers to be flexed inwards out of the plane of the plate 30. The fingers are furthermore sized and spaced to enable each to be fed vertically behind a number of webbing straps 4 of a jacket 3 as shown in Figure 7, each finger 31a, 31b being engaged through a separate vertical series of aligned openings in the webbing straps of the jacket 3. In the illustrated embodiment, the fingers 31a, 31b are shown as being side by side such that they feed through neighbouring series of openings in the webbing straps 4. However, the fingers 31a, 31b my instead be spaced apart so as to engage with spaced apart openings.

In order to prevent unwanted vertical movement of the plate once it has been hung on the jacket, the plate has four apertures 34 arranged in two vertical columns symmetrically positioned on either side of the longitudinal centre line of the plate 30. The apertures of sized to receive securing straps 35 which may be fed through the apertures 34 of each column, though at least one webbing strap 4 of the jacket 3 and then secured at each end to the plate 30. In this way, the straps 35 prevent vertical movement of the plate relative to the jacket and hence prevent unintentional disengagement of the fingers 31a, 31b from the webbing straps 4.

It will, of course, be understood that other vertical fastening means may be employed to prevent unwanted vertical movement of the plate 30 relative to the jacket. For example, fastening means may be provided on one or both fingers and/or on the plate to enable the ends of the fingers 31a, 31b to be connected together and/or connected to the plate 30 after handing the plate 30 on the jacket 3 in a manner which prevents the fingers being slid back out of the webbing straps 4. In that case, the apertures 34 at the top of the plate 30 may be eliminated and the fingers 31a, 31b made longer.

The invention may further more be realised with just a single, centrally located finger 131 as illustrated in Figures 8 and 9, or may have a plurality of fingers symmetrically distributed across the back of the plate 30.

The embodiments of Figures 5 and 9 are similarly implemented with tank and air supply valve mounting means similar to those described above in connection with Figures 1 to 4.




 
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