Field of the invention

The present invention relates to a safety garment for an aerial lift and the use of such a safety garment in an aerial lift.

Background of the invention

On mountains, lift systems allow users to access high altitudes without the strenuous effort of hiking. This, for instance, allows users to participate in various snow sports such as skiing without having to carry their equipment uphill. Lifts generally come in two main categories, aerial lift systems and ground lift systems, each having lift units for transporting users. As opposed to ground lift systems, the users are distanced from the ground in aerial lift systems and as such there is in inherent hazard of falling from the aerial lift unit. An example of an aerial lift system is a chair lift system with chair lift units each having a seat for at least one user. Most chair lift units come with safety features such as a retaining bar, usually with a footrest. Such safety features attempt to mitigate this hazard but do not eliminate it, since falls still occur and sometimes unfortunately with fatal outcomes. This is especially the case for a small user, such as a child, who are at an increased risk since the safety features are often designed to accommodate adult persons of average size. For instance, the height of the retaining bar above the seat and the distance of the foot rest from the seat is usually designed to fit an adult person of average size. Thus a user of smaller size, risk slipping beneath the retaining bar because the user of smaller size cannot reach the footrest. A retaining bar may also be known as a restraining bar, a retention bar, or a safety bar.

Summary of the invention

An object of the invention of the present disclosure is to provide a safety garment which reduces the fall hazard from aerial lifts.

The present invention is based on the inventive concept that the fall hazard from aerial lifts persists mainly due to a lack of fixed connection between the user and the aerial lift.

These and further objects may be achieved by a first and a second aspect of the invention. The first aspect of the invention relates to a safety garment for releas- ably securing a wearer of the safety garment to an aerial lift unit, the safety garment comprising :

a body harness with an attachment point, the body harness being con- figured to securely support the wearer when the wearer is suspended from the attachment point,

wherein the safety garment further comprises :

an elastic member, preferably an elastic rope, having a first and a second end,

a first link element with a gate, the gate allowing the first link element to switch between an open position and a closed position, the gate preferably being resiliently biased towards the closed position,

wherein the elastic member is attached at the first end to the first link element and is adapted to be attached at the second end to the body harness, wherein the first link element, when in the open positon, is able to form a releasable connection to an aerial lift unit, and the first link element, when in the closed position, secures the connection .

Such a safety garment provides the advantage of reducing the fall hazard of a wearer of the safety garment when the wearer is using an aerial lift. Further advantages may be achieved by combining such a safety garment with features from embod iments.

The aerial lift may be a grounded aerial l ift, i .e. an aerial lift which is connected to the ground, e.g . a chair lift. Additionally or alternatively, the aerial lift unit may be a grounded aerial lift unit, e.g . a chair lift unit.

In another embod iment the first link element, when in the open positon, may be able to form a releasable connection to another wearer. Such a configuration allows the wearer to form a secure connection to another wearer, for instance a child connected to a parent.

The body harness may additionally or alternatively be configured to securely transmit an arresting force transmitted through the attachment point to the wearer during a fall of the wearer. This provides the advantage that the discomfort experienced by a wearer during fall arresting is reduced .

In some embodiments, the body harness is in the form of a safety vest. This provides the advantage that such a safety vest is easier to put on a human, in particular a human child, by providing the safety garment with a recognisable arrangement similar to everyday attire. The safety vest may comprise a chest portion, which may when the safety garment is worn be placed on the chest of the wearer, and a back portion, which may when the safety garment is worn be placed on the back of the wearer. The chest portion and back portion may be connected by a shoulder portion, preferably two separate shoulder portions, potentially in the form of shoulder straps or shoulder sashes, so that the head of a wearer may pass between the shoulder portions, and so that the shoulder portion may, when the safety garment is worn, be placed on the shoulder of the wearer. The safety vest may further comprise a waist portion, potentially a waist strap, connecting the chest portion with the back portion, so that at least one arm opening, preferably two arm openings, is formed by a closed loop of garment along the chest portion, shoulder portion, back portion, and waist portion allowing a user arms to pass through the at least one arm opening. The safety vest may comprise at least one crotch portion, potentially at least one crotch strap, connecting the chest portion with the back portion, so that the crotch portion may, when the safety garment is worn, be placed at the crotch of the wearer. The safety vest may have a link storage portion, potentially in the form of a pocket, the link storage portion may be located at the chest portion of the safety vest. The safety garment may a storage configuration in which the first link element is placed in the link storage portion. The safety garment may further have a safety configuration in which the first link element is not placed in the link storage portion. By having such a link storage portion, the first link element may be safely stored when not in use. The link storage portion of the safety vest may have an open position, in which the first link may be positioned in and/or removed from the link storage portion, and a closed position, in which the first link may not be positioned in and/or removed from the link storage portion. The link storage portion may comprise a locking device allowing the link storage portion to be set in the open or closed position. The locking device may comprise a fabric hook fastening portion and a fabric loop fastening portion, e.g. Velcro. The link storage portion may comprise a pocket, in which the first link element is placed in the storage configuration, and potentially a lid. The pocket may comprise either the fabric hook fastening portion or the fabric loop fastening portion, and the lid may comprise the other one of the fabric hook fastening portion and the fabric loop fastening portion . The elastic member may be attached at the second end to the body harness, potentially the chest portion of the body harness. This provides the advantage that the first link element is within quick reach of both the wearer and another user. The elastic member may be attached at the second end to the pocket. This may provide the advantage that the first link element may be fully contained in the link storage portion .

If the wearer, secured to an aerial lift unit by the safety garment according to the first aspect of the invention, experiences a fall longer than the length of the unstretched elastic member, the elastic member will tighten gradually applying an increasing arresting force opposite to the direction of the fall to the attachment point of the safety garment. The arresting force is transmitted to the wearer by the safety garment from the first link element attached to the aerial lift unit, through the elastic member, the attachment point, and the body harness to the wearer for slowing down the wearer. Thus all elements of the safety garment should be configured to have sufficient strength to allow subjection to the arresting force. The elasticity of the elastic member should be configured to allow deceleration of the wearer in case of a fall in a safe manner. The elasticity of the elastic member may be provided by various means. For instance, the elastic member may comprise an elastic material, such as elastomers, or the elastic member may comprise deceleration device, such as rip-stitching . The body harness and elastic member may be adapted to fit the weight and size of a wearer, for instance a heavier wearer may require a stiffer and/or thicker elastic member than a lighter one.

The gate may be resiliently biased towards the closed position . This provides the advantage that the gate is in the closed position by default and thereby in a safer position. It further requires an action to change this position to the open position to allow disconnection of the first link element.

It is understood that the term "user" refers to the user of an aerial lift system, and the term "wearer" refers to a person wearing the safety garment. A "wearer" will generally also be a "user", while a "user" is generally not a "wearer". A "user" and a "wearer" can refer to the same person, e.g . when the user of an aerial lift also wears the safety garment, or it can refer to different persons. For instance, another user may assist the wearer in securing the safety garment to the aerial lift. The "closed position" of the first link element is understood to be the position where connection and disconnection of the first link element is disallowed, while the "open position" of the first link element is understood to be the position where the gate of the first link element is posi- tioned such that the largest possible opening is obtained .

In some embodiments of the first aspect, the first link element comprises a hook portion able to form a releasable connection to an aerial lift unit, preferably a retaining bar of an aerial lift unit. The hook portion provides the advantage that it is easy and intuitive to handle and thereby improves the safety of the safety garment. Furthermore, the hook portion allows the wearer of the garment or another user to handle it with one hand, increasing the usability of the safety garment.

In some embodiments of the first aspect, the gate of the first link element extends in a first direction when the first link element is in a closed position, and the gate of the first link element extends in a second different direction when the first link element is in an open position, wherein the angle between the first and the second direction preferably is in the range of 30° - 60°, more preferred 40° - 50°, most preferred approximately 45°. This provides the advantage that the first link element may be easily attached and allows a large enough clearance to attach to most aerial lift units.

In some embodiments of the first aspect, the gate of the first link element extends in a parallel direction to an oblong portion of the first link element when the first link element is in the open position . This provides the advantage that the gate is positioned out of the way when in the open position allowing free passage of the aerial lift unit to enter the first link element for securement thereto. The oblong portion of the first link is understood to be the portion adjacent and nearest to the gate when in the open position.

Alternatively or additionally, the gate of the first link element may coincide with an oblong portion of the first link element such that gate extends in substantially the same direction when the first link element is in the open position . This provides the advantage that the gate is positioned out of the way when in the open position allowing free passage of the aerial lift unit to enter the first link element for securement thereto.

Alternatively or additionally, the gate of the first link element may wrap around an oblong portion of the first link element when the first link element is in the open position. This provides the advantage that the gate is positioned out of the way when in the open position allowing free passage of the aerial lift unit to enter the first link element for securement thereto.

Alternatively or additionally, the gate of first link element may be in direct contact with an oblong portion of the first link element when the first link element is in the open position. This provides the advantage that the gate is positioned out of the way when in the open position allowing free passage of the aerial lift unit to enter the first link element for securement thereto.

In some embodiments of the first aspect, the body harness comprises at least one chest loop, preferably two chest loops, and a second link element, the chest loop being connected with the second link element, wherein the second link element forms the attachment point of the body harness.

The at least one chest loop is understood to be a chest loop positioned near the chest of the wearer. This provides the advantage the attachment point is in a location readily accessible to the wearer of the safety garment or another user to allow easy handling of the safety garment. The second link element may be different from the first link element. The second link element may comprise a second gate. The second gate may be able to form a releasable, preferably lockable, connection with the at least one chest loop, preferably two chest loops.

In some embodiments of the first aspect, the body harness comprises two leg loops adapted to fit around the thighs of the wearer of the safety garment. This increases the comfort of the safety garment, especially in case of a fall where the wearer is suspended from the attachment point and the leg loops provide a more comfortable force transmission from the body harness to the wearer.

In some embodiments of the first aspect, the elastic member is adapted to allow elongation of more than 10%, preferably 25%, more prefer- ably 50%. This increases the comfort of the safety garment in case the wearer is experiencing a fall, since the elastic member elongates and more slowly decelerates the wearer and thus reduces the arresting force experienced by the wearer.

In some embodiments of the first aspect, the elastic member is adapted to the weight and/or size of a wearer. This provides the advantage of increased safety of the wearer.

In some embodiments of the first aspect, the first link element is made of cast al uminium . This red uces the weig ht of the first link element provid ing an easier to handle first link element, which is especially advantageous when the wearer is a small person, such as a child .

In some embodiments of the first aspect, the first link element consists of only one moving part in the form of the gate which can move relative to the remaining parts of the first link element. This provides the advantage of keep- ing a simple construction that is easy to use and to manufacture.

In some embodiments of the first aspect, the gate of the first link element is not lockable, preferably such that the first link element can freely and quickly be moved between the open and the closed position . This provides the advantage that the first link element may be quickly connected to and released from an aerial lift, this allows a user of the first link to operate the gate of the first link easily and quickly during embarking and disembarking the aerial lift.

The second aspect of the invention relates to an aerial lift system for securely transporting a wearer of a safety garment according to the first aspect or any embod iment thereof, the aerial lift system comprising a first station, a second station, a cable, an aerial lift unit, and a safety garment according to the first aspect or any embodiment thereof,

the cable connecting the first station and the second station, and the aerial lift unit being suspended from the cable, wherein the user is transported between the first and the second station by the aerial lift unit,

wherein the safety garment is worn by a user and the first link element of the safety garment is attached to the aerial lift unit. This provides the advantage that an aerial lift system may be provided with increased safety for users of the aerial lift system . This provides the advantage that a user of the aerial lift system wearing a safety garment according to the first aspect of the invention may be secured to the aerial lift system increasing the safety of the aerial lift system .

In some embod iments of the second aspect, the aerial lift system is a chair l ift system, and first link element of the safety garment is attached to a retaining bar of the chair lift unit. This provides the advantage that the secure- ment of users may be provided with an accessible feature of the aerial lift system increasing the overall safety of the aerial lift system.

The third aspect of the invention relates to a use of a safety garment according to the first aspect or any embodiment thereof for securing a user wearing the safety garment to an aerial lift unit, preferably a chair lift unit, by releasably attaching the first link element of the safety garment to the aerial lift unit, preferably to a retaining bar of the chair lift unit. This provides the advantage that a user increases the safety of using aerial lifts by using a safety garment according to the first aspect of the invention or any embodiment thereof.

Each and anyone of the above embodiments of any aspect of the invention may be combined with any aspect or embodiment thereof, and any embodiment may be combined with one or a plurality of other embodiments for all aspects as desired.

Brief description of drawings

In the following the invention will be described in more detail with reference to the drawing, where :

Fig. la is a front view schematic illustration of a safety garment worn by a wearer,

Fig. lb is a back view schematic illustration of a safety garment worn by a wearer,

Fig. 2a is a front view schematic illustration of a safety garment releasably securing a wearer to an aerial lift unit,

Fig. 2b is a back view schematic illustration of a safety garment releasably securing a wearer to an aerial lift unit,

Fig. 3a is a front view schematic illustration of a safety garment in the form of a safety vest,

Fig. 3b is a back view schematic illustration of a safety garment in the form of a safety vest,

Fig . 4 is a front view schematic illustration of a safety garment in the form of a safety vest releasably securing a wearer to a grounded aerial lift unit,

Fig. 5a is a schematic illustration of a first link element of a safety garment in an open position,

Fig. 5b is a schematic illustration of a first link element of a safety garment in a closed position.

Description of embodiments

Fig. la shows a safety garment 1 worn by a wearer. The safety garment comprises a body harness 2 with an attachment point 21. The body harness 2 is configured to securely support the user when the user is suspended from the attachment point 21. The safety garment further comprises an elastic member 3 in the form of an elastic rope made of nylon (polyamide) webbing with stitched elastomers and a first link element 4 in the form of a karabiner hook. The elastic member 3 has a first end (not shown) and a second end 32. A gate 41 of the first link element 4 allows the first link element 4 to switch between an open position and a closed position. The gate 41 is resiliently biased towards the closed position. The elastic member 3 is attached at the first end (not shown) to the first link element 4. The elastic member 3 is attached at the second end 32 to the body harness 2, here to the attachment point 21 of the body harness 2. The elastic member 3 may be attached at any suitable place to the body harness 2. The body harness 2 comprises two chest loops 23, leg loops 24, and a second link element 22. The chest loops 23 are con- nected by the second link element 22. The attachment point 21 of the body harness is in one embodiment a point on the second link element 22, whereto the elastic member 3 is attached. The second link element 22 may in another embodiment be the same as the second end 32 of the elastic member 3. The leg loops 24 of the body harness 2 are adapted to fit around the thighs of the wearer of the safety garment 1. The body harness 2 further comprises shoulder straps 25 each connected to the chest loops 23.

Fig. lb shows another embodiment of a safety garment 1 similar to the one shown in Fig. la, wherein the shoulder straps 25 form a cross with a buckle located in the intersection of the shoulder straps 25 on the back of the wearer. The buckle ensures that the shoulder straps 25 remain in a cross shape.

Fig. 2a and 2b shows another embodiment of a safety garment 1 similar to the one shown in Fig. la, wherein the safety garment 1 is worn by a wearer and is secured to a retaining bar 52 of an aerial lift unit 5 by the first link element 4. The wearer is seated on a seat 51 of the aerial lift unit 5. The aerial lift unit 5 may form part of aerial lift system (not shown) for securely transporting a user. The aerial lift system may be in the form of a chair lift system and comprise a first station in the form of a base station, a second station in the form of a mountain station, a cable, an aerial lift unit in the form of a chair lift unit, and a safety garment according to the first aspect of the invention. The cable connects the first station and the second station. The aerial lift unit is suspended from the cable, and the user is transported between the first and the second station by the aerial lift unit.

Fig. 3a and 3b shows another embodiment of a safety garment 1 when not worn by a wearer, wherein the body harness 2 is in the form of a safety vest. Fig. 4 shows the safety garment of Figs. 3A and 3B when worn by a wearer. The body harness 2 of the safety garment 1 comprises a chest portion 23, which is placed on the chest of the wearer, and a back portion 26, which is placed on the back of the wearer, see Fig . 4. The top of the chest portion 23 and the top of the back portion 26 is connected by two separate shoulder straps 25, so that the head of a wearer can pass between the shoulder straps 25, and so that the shoulder straps are placed on the shoulders of the wearer. The body harness 2 further comprises a waist strap 27 connecting the bottom of the chest portion 23 with the bottom of the back portion 26, so that two arm openings 28 is formed by a closed loop of garment along the chest portion 23, shoulder portion 25, back portion 26, and waist portion 27 which allows the arms of the wearer to pass through the arm openings 28. The body harness 2 further comprises two crotch straps 29 connecting the bottom of the chest portion 23 with the bottom of the back portion 26, so that the crotch portion is placed at the crotch of the wearer.

The body harness 2 has a link storage portion 6 in the form of a pocket 61 and a lid 62 for closing the pocket 61. The link storage portion 6 is located on the chest portion 23. The safety garment 1 has a storage configuration (not shown) in which the first link element 4 is placed in the pocket 61 of link storage portion 6 with the lid 62 closed. The safety garment 2 has a safety configuration in which the first link element 4 is not placed in the link storage portion 6, shown in Fig 4. The link storage portion 6 has an open position (not shown), in which the first link element 4 can be positioned in or be removed from the link storage portion 6, and a closed position (shown in Fig . 4), in which the first link element cannot be positioned in or be removed from the link storage portion 6. The link storage portion 6 comprises a locking device (not shown) al- lowing the link storage portion 6 to be set in the open or closed position . The locking device comprises a fabric hook fastening portion and a fabric loop fastening portion, e.g . Velcro. The pocket 61 comprises the fabric hook fastening portion, and the lid 62 comprises the fabric loop fastening portion, so that the contents of the pocket 61 is secured when the lid 62 is closed on the pocket 61. The elastic member 3 is attached at the second end 32 to the bottom of the pocket 61.

Fig . 5a shows a first link element 4 in a closed position . The first link element includes a gate 41, a hook portion 42, an oblong portion 43, and a fastening point 44 in the form of a through hole. The oblong portion 43 con- nects the hook portion 42 with the fastening point 44. The first link element 4 has a length L which denotes a major distance, a width W which denotes a minor distance perpendicular to the major distance, and a thickness (not shown) which, on the figure, denotes the direction through the paper. The gate 41 is rotatably attached to the oblong portion 44. The gate 41 is resiliently biased towards the closed position by means of a spring (not shown) . The gate 41 is in contact with a tip end of the hook portion 42 forming a closed loop. The gate 41 of the first link element 4 extends in a first direction when the first link element is in a closed position, and the gate 41 of the first link 4 element extends in a second different direction when the first link element 4 is in an open position (shown in Fig . 5b) . The angle between the first and the second direction is approximately 45°. The length L is approximately 140 - 160 mm, the width W is approximately 65 - 75 mm, and a thickness (not shown) of approximately 5 - 20 mm .

Fig . 5b shows a first link element 4 similar to the one shown in Fig . 5a but where the first link element 4 is instead in an open position . In the open position, the gate 41 of the first link element 4 extends in a parallel direction to the oblong portion 43 of the first link element 4. The gate 41 of first link element 4 coincides with and wraps around the oblong portion 43 of the first link element 4. The oblong portion 43 and the hook portion forms a receptacle space 45 adapted to receive an element, i.e. a retaining bar of an aerial lift. The opening distance 0 of the receptacle space 45 has a substantially constant distance adapted to accommodate a common diameter of retaining bar of an aerial lift. The opening distance 0 is approximately 45 - 50 mm.

A person skilled in the art will appreciate that the above-described detailed embodiments may be combined to form other embodiments falling within the scope of the present invention.

List of reference numbers

1 safety garment

2 body harness

21 attachment point

22 second link element

23 chest loop or chest portion

24 leg loop

25 shoulder strap

26 back portion

27 waist strap

28 arm opening

29 crotch strap

3 elastic member

31 first end

32 second end

4 first link element

41 gate

42 hook portion

43 oblong portion

44 fastening point

5 aerial lift unit

51 seat

52 retaining bar

6 link storage portion

61 pocket

62 lid