The present invention relates to a safety support, particularly for flexible lines. It is known that the use of portable devices or machine tools powered by remote sources forces the use of temporary supply lines to carry electric power, gases or liquids used for supply.

One of the main problems that arise from the use of these trailing supply lines certainly relates to the safety aspect.

In particular, when machine tools are equipped with tools for cutting, abrading or drilling, the risk of unintentionally damaging or even cutting the power lines increases significantly.

Very often, the consequences of such circumstances are not merely limited to the inconvenience caused by the temporary interruption of the supply of the machines but are unfortunately worsened by the severe danger situations to which the operator is exposed. In practice, situations similar to the ones described above occur very frequently, both professionally and during hobby work; it is sufficient to consider, for example, how easy it is to damage the electric power supply cable of lawn mowers, hedge trimmers, sanding machine, drills, et cetera.

Another disadvantage that arises from the ordinary use of temporary supply lines is the possibility that these lines might catch on objects that are present in the work environment or even on the operator himself, causing hindrance and further danger situations. Such inconvenience is observed very frequently when using ordinary appliances, such as hair dryers, press irons, airbrushes, et cetera.

In an attempt to partially reduce the inconveniences described above, devices have been devised which can be associated simultaneously with the supply lines and with the body of the operator.

However, those prior art devices have particularly evident limitations that allow to improve them.

First of all, it must be noted that prior art devices are almost always associated with the lines by interlocking, and this requires their shapes and dimensions to be substantially complementary to those of the lines themselves, on penalty of being unusable.

Another particularly delicate aspect is safety.

While on the one hand there is the need to make the connection between the devices and the body of the operator as firm as possible, on the other hand a nondetachable coupling might cause severe injury to the operator in case of sudden and violent jerks affecting the line.

Moreover, it must be considered that current devices generally turn out to be scarcely practical to use. Staying within the scope of safety, it should also be noted that the use of multiple devices in the same environment can lead to the presence of loose cables that cause disorder. This leads to evident hindrances to access and to consequent risks of accidents that are harmful for people and equipment.

In this regard it is sufficient to consider offices and homes, where the increase in the number of electronic devices has as a direct consequence the proliferation of supply lines and signal cables spread on tables, desks and/or floors.

This problem is generally solved by grouping the lines by means of ties or with cable gathering sheaths which generally have a spiral structure.

However, these systems are scarcely practical and poorly protective. The aim of the invention is to solve the problems cited above, providing a safety support, particularly for flexible lines, that allows to reduce considerably the risk of unintentional damage or cutting of the supply lines of portable machine tools and furthermore allows to reduce the possibility of inconvenient hindrances.

Within the scope of this aim, a particularly object of the invention is to provide a safety support that allows to couple the supply lines to the body of the operator, reducing considerably the cited risks.

Another object of the invention is to provide a safety support that can disengage automatically from the body of the operator in case of sudden jerks on the line.

Another object of the invention is to provide a safety support that allows the operator to free at least one hand while making the weight of the lines bear on his entire body. Another object of the invention is to provide a safety support that increases the functionality and functional efficiency of tools, consequently improving the precision and quality of the work done.

Another object of the invention is to provide a safety support that can be used substantially with all types of flexible supply line related to electric, pneumatic or hydraulic machine tools.

Another object of the invention is to provide a safety support that can be used to group, tidy and protect several cables simultaneously.

Another object of the invention is to provide a safety support that is comfortable and safe as well as advantageous from a purely economic standpoint.

This aim, as well as these and other objects which will become better apparent hereinafter, are achieved by a safety support, particularly for flexible lines, comprising a substantially flexible supporting structure, said safety support being characterized in that it comprises a containment means which is associated with said supporting structure, said containment means forming a receptacle that is adapted to accommodate and retain a portion of a flexible line, said receptacle being reversibly arranged from an open condition, in which the profile of its transverse cross-section is open, to a closed condition, in which the profile of its transverse cross-section is substantially closed.

Further characteristics and advantages will become better apparent from the description of preferred but not exclusive embodiments of a safety support according to the invention, illustrated by way of non-limiting example in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a safety support according to the invention; Figure 2 is a front view of the safety support according to the invention, worn by an operator;

Figure 3 is a rear view of the safety support according to the invention, worn by an operator;

Figure 4 is a perspective view of a further embodiment of the safety support according to the invention; Figure 5 is a perspective view of still a further embodiment of the safety support according to the invention.

With reference to the figures cited above, a safety support, particularly for flexible lines, is generally designated by the reference numeral 1.

The safety support 1 comprises a substantially flexible supporting structure 2, which is preferably made of a fabric that is resistant to abrasion and tearing and can be joined to the body of an operator 100.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the supporting structure 2 is constituted by a flexible belt closed by a buckle 3.

Such belt-like configuration allows the operator 100 to wear the supporting structure 2 both over the shoulder, like braces, and at the level of the abdomen, as a belt.

As an alternative, the supporting structure 2 might have a more complex configuration, constituted for example by a sort of harness that can be associated with the upper body of the operator 100 or to an upper or lower limb thereof.

Preferably, the supporting structure 2 is provided with a padding, not shown in the accompanying figures, which makes its use safer and more comfortable.

According to the invention, the safety support 1 comprises an improved containment means 10, which forms a receptacle designed to accommodate and retain a portion of a flexible line 150 constituted for example by an electrical cable or by a supply hose.

The receptacle formed by the improved containment means 10 is reversibly arranged from an open condition, in which the profile of its transverse cross-section is open, in order to facilitate the insertion of the flexible line 150, to a closed condition, in which the profile of its transverse cross-section is substantially closed, in order to retain effectively the flexible line 150.

The containment means 10 comprises a tubular structure, which forms said receptacle. The structure comprises a pair of substantially linear flexible flaps 20a and 20b, optionally made of elastic material, which are joined to the supporting structure 2.

The two flexible flaps 20a and 20b may be joined by connecting means.

The connecting means comprises a zip fastener 30, which is associated with the two flexible flaps 20a and 20b, or a Velcro fastener 40, or a series of buttons 50 distributed on the flexible flaps 20a and 20b, or other suitable closure systems. According to a further embodiment, which is not shown in the figures, the tubular structure is formed by a semirigid band having a substantially spiral-like shape, which is joined to the supporting structure 2.

The containment means 10 also includes an insulating layer, not shown in the figures, which is joined to the internal surface of the tubular structure in order to prevent the propagation of electricity, heat, et cetera.

Advantageously, the supporting structure 2 is equipped with a safety release device 60, which is constituted for example by a Velcro fastener provided on the belt, preferably proximate to the buckle 3. The safety release device 60 is particularly advantageous in case of a jerk or of any other sudden and unexpected force acting on the flexible line 150, because it allows to automatically disengage the supporting structure 2 from the body of the operator 100.

According to a further embodiment, which is not shown in the figures, the safety support 1, which is substantially equivalent to the one that has already been described, is conceived mainly to support the containment means 10, without necessarily being associated with the body of an operator 100.

This prerogative allows to utilize the receptacle formed by the containment means 10 to group, tidy up and protect one or more portions of flexible lines 150, including supply lines and signal cables. However, it is very important to consider that the ability of the containment means 10 to pass reversibly from an open condition, in which the profile of their transverse cross- section is open, to a closed condition, in which the profile of their transverse cross- section is substantially closed, considerably facilitates the insertion of the flexible lines 150. Advantageously, the length of the supporting structure 2 and of the containment means 10 can be adjusted with a simple cutting operation.

Use of the safety support according to the invention is described hereafter. Considering the first described embodiment, and starting from a situation in which the containment means is in the open condition, the flexible duct 150 is rested in the tubular structure so that the connector 150, which can be equally of the electrical, pneumatic or hydraulic type, protrudes from one end of the tubular structure.

Subsequently, by virtue of the zip fastener 30, of Velcro fastener 40 or of buttons 50, the two flexible flaps 20a and 20b are joined, passing from the open condition to the closed condition, i.e., giving a substantially closed transverse cross-section to the tubular structure.

The operator 100 can thus wear the safety support 1 over his shoulder or around his waist, joining the supporting structure 2 to his own body.

At this point it is possible to connect to the connector 151 any portable machine tool, using it without any danger of hindrance by the flexible line 150 and without running the risk of abrading or, worse still, cutting the line.

In the second embodiment, one proceeds first of all by adjusting the length of the supporting structure 2 and of the containment means 10 with a simple cutting operation. Then, after moving the containment means 10 to the open condition, the flexible lines 150 are placed in the tubular structure. Directly thereafter, by means of the zip fastener 30, Velcro fastener 40 or buttons 50, the two flexible flaps 20a and 20b are joined, passing from the open condition to the closed condition, i.e., giving a substantially closed transverse cross-section to the tubular structure.

The flexible lines 150 are therefore grouped, tidied up and protected by the safety support 1.

In practice it has been found that the safety support, particularly for flexible lines, according to the invention fully achieves the intended aim, allowing to considerably reduce the risk of unintentional damage or of cutting of the supply lines of portable machine tools and also allows to reduce the possibility of inconvenient hindrances. More particularly, the safety support according to the invention, which can be used substantially with all the flexible supply lines related to electric, pneumatic or hydraulic machine tools, allows to join the lines to the body of the operator, considerably reducing the mentioned risks and being also capable of disengaging automatically from the body of the operator in case of sudden jerks and pulling. The safety support according to the invention is particularly comfortable and allows the operator to free at least one hand, at the same time making the weight of the lines bear on his entire body. Accordingly, it increases the functionality and functional efficiency of the tools, consequently improving the precision and quality of the work done.

The safety support according to the invention can be used to group, tidy up and protect multiple cables simultaneously.

This application claims the priority of Italian Patent Application No. VI2009A000035, filed on February 24, 2009, the subject matter of which is incorporated herein by reference.