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Title:
A SHOULDER STRAP
Document Type and Number:
WIPO Patent Application WO/2019/145003
Kind Code:
A1
Abstract:
A shoulder strap (2) for a portable object (1) comprises an extendable strap (3,4,5), that comprises a first strap part (3) and a second strap part (4). The first strap part (3) has a distal first strap part end (7) secured to a first coupling means (8) configured for coupling with a first object coupling means and an opposite proximal first strap part end (6). The second strap part (4) has a distal second strap part end (14) and an opposite proximal second strap part end (12) provided with a second coupling means (13) configured for coupling with a second object coupling means. The distal second strap part end (14) is attached to the proximal first strap part end (6), and the first coupling means (8) includes a spooling mechanism adapted for spooling of at least a main part of the first strap part (3).

Inventors:
ROSENFELDT DANIEL (DK)
ROSENFELDT NIELS (DK)
MAHMOUD MURAD (DK)
Application Number:
PCT/DK2019/050018
Publication Date:
August 01, 2019
Filing Date:
January 21, 2019
Export Citation:
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Assignee:
STANDLEY IVS (DK)
International Classes:
A45C13/30; A45F3/14; G10G5/00
Domestic Patent References:
WO2014145379A12014-09-18
Foreign References:
DE10344546A12005-07-07
JP2017221500A2017-12-21
US20170369274A12017-12-28
GB2378936A2003-02-26
Attorney, Agent or Firm:
HOLME PATENT A/S (DK)
Download PDF:
Claims:
WO 2019/145003 _L _L PCT/DK2019/050018

Claims

1. A shoulder strap (2) for a portable object (1) comprises an extendable strap (3,4,5), the extendable strap (3,4,5) comprises

a first strap part (3) and a second strap part (4), the first strap part (3) has a distal first strap part end (7) secured to a first coupling means (8) configured for coupling with a first object coupling means and an opposite proximal first strap part end

(6) ,

the second strap part (4) has a distal second strap part end (14) and an opposite proximal second strap part end (12) provided with a second coupling means

(13) configured for coupling with a second object coupling means,

characterized in that

the distal second strap part end (14) is attached to the proximal first strap part end (6), and

the first coupling means (8) includes a spooling mechanism adapted for spooling of at least a main part of the first strap part (3) .

2. A shoulder strap (2) according to claim 1, characterized in that the first strap part (3) is elastic.

3. A shoulder strap (2) according to any of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that the first coupling means (8) has a first locking mechanism (10) to prevent retraction of unspooled first strap part (3) by the spooling mechanism.

4. A shoulder strap (2) according to any of the preceding claims 1, 2 or 3, characterized in that the extendable strap (3,4,5) comprises a hollow third strap part (5) inside which at least a part of the second strap part (4) is displaceable arranged, optionally displaceable in WO 2019/145003 _L Z PCT/DK2019/050018

response to extending the length of the first strap part (3) by means of the spooling mechanism.

5. A shoulder strap (2) according to any of the preceding claims 1 - 4, characterized in that the first coupling means (8) and the second coupling means (13) are configured to engage each other, optionally the first coupling means (8) comprises a female coupling component (8) for coupling with a male first object coupling component, or vi ce versa , and optionally the second coupling means comprises a female coupling component for coupling with a male second object coupling component, or vi ce versa .

6. A shoulder strap (2) according to any of claims 4 or 5, characterized in that the third strap part (5) has a second locking mechanism (20) adapted to lock relative movement of the third strap part (5) in relation to at least the second strap part (4) .

7. A shoulder strap (2) according to any of claims 4 or 5, characterized in that the second locking mechanism (20) is positioned at a proximal third strap part end (15) of said third strap part (5), and the opposite distal third strap part end (16) is the end closest to the first coupling means (8) with the spooling mechanism.

8. Use of the shoulder strap (2) according to any of the preceding claims 1 - 7 on a guitar (1) .

Description:
A shoulder strap

The present invention relates generally to shoulder straps.

More specifically, the present invention relates to a shoulder strap for a portable object, which shoulder strap comprises an extendable strap, the extendable strap comprises

a first strap part and a second strap part,

the first strap part has a distal first strap part end provided with a first coupling means configured for coupling with a first object coupling means and an opposite proximal first strap part end, and

the second strap part has a distal second strap part end and an opposite proximal second strap part end provided with a second coupling means configured for coupling with a second object coupling means.

Adjusting the length of a shoulder strap is typically done by adjusting the length of opposite strap parts by re-positioning buckles along the length of the strap parts. Several attempts to reach the optimum combined strap length must be performed until a satisfactory length has been found and often a free end of the strap is left loose and is in the way when the object is maneuvered around.

It is a main aspect of the present invention to provide a shoulder strap of the kind mentioned in the opening paragraph by means of which the portable object is easy to carry and is easy to use when carried, including allowing the user freedom to move around.

In yet an aspect is provided a shoulder strap of the kind mentioned in the opening paragraph which fits close to the object when the object is not carried, thus when the object is in a resting position. In yet an aspect is provided a shoulder strap of the kind mentioned in the opening paragraph which is compact and lightweight .

In yet an aspect is provided a shoulder strap of the kind mentioned in the opening paragraph which can be used for a variety of different portable objects.

In yet an aspect is provided a shoulder strap of the kind mentioned in the opening paragraph by means of which the pitch of the portable object, in relation to the person carrying the object, can be arbitrarily selected and adjusted.

In yet an aspect is provided a shoulder strap of the kind mentioned in the opening paragraph by means of which the wearer is able to control weight distribution of the portable object.

In yet an aspect of the present invention is provided a shoulder strap of the kind mentioned in the opening paragraph which can be attached to the object without buckles or Velcro® .

In yet an aspect of the present invention is provided a shoulder strap of the kind mentioned in the opening paragraph which can be length-adjusted without buckles.

The novel and unique whereby these and other aspects are achieved according to the present invention consist in that the distal second strap part end is attached to the proximal first strap part end, and the first coupling means includes a spooling mechanism adapted for extending and retracting at least a main part of the first strap part, whereby the entire strap has the ability to inherently and instantaneously fit any person or other item that carries the object. The person need not fumble with straps and buckles to fit the length of the shoulder strap. The adjusting is automatically done by the spooling mechanism. Due to the first strap part being both lengthwise extendable and retractable the shoulder strap of the present invention always has a perfect fit across the individual's back or chest, depending on the carrying method.

In an advantageous embodiment the first strap part may also be elastic so that the shoulder strap can tension elastically around the body inserted between the strap and the object to which the strap is secured. Such body can e.g. be a torso or any volume of another item. An elastic first strap part also allows the shoulder strap to inherently retract and expand, whatever suffice to adjust its final length to fit closely to the object in the resting position.

The shoulder strap, especially a shoulder strap with an elastic first strap part, can be hung over the shoulder in any desired pitch angle, and the pitch will be easy to keep as long as desired. If the pitch of the portable object is manually changed, e.g. by raising one end of the object, the shoulder strap can automatically adjust to the new position and the wearer will experience the object as having low weight, almost as it floats, and that he/she need not to support the object, e.g. by the hands, when he/she moves around with the object on his/her shoulder.

When the object is in a resting condition, wherein it is not carried by a person, the first strap part may expediently be kept retracted by the spooling mechanism. So in said resting condition the shoulder strap may run along a surface of the object between the opposite first object coupling means and second object coupling means, preferably lying flat against or close to said surface. The next time the object is to be used, the person about to use the object with the shoulder strap according to the present invention simply pulls the shoulder strap from the surface so that the first strap part unspools and extends to a length that allows the person to move the shoulder strap over his/her head and hang the object across his/her shoulder crosswise the torso. Once the pulling force is relieved the spooling mechanism can, if desired, retract the first strap part to shorten length, optionally to tension the shoulder strap around the torso, e.g. like a seat belt.

Should the person wish to keep the first strap part more or less unspooled of the spooling mechanism, e.g. to have a looser shoulder strap, before, during and/or after the shoulder strap is arranged across the shoulder, a first locking mechanism of the first coupling means may serve to prevent retraction of first strap part unspooled of the spooling mechanism. The first locking mechanism can then serve to fix the extended length of the shoulder strap when the first locking mechanism is locked.

If the first strap part is of the elastic kind the shoulder strap still possesses a flexibility that provides the shoulder strap with the property of auto-adjusting its entire length.

When the first locking mechanism is not locked, or is un locked, an extended first strap part may promptly be retracted by the spooling mechanism to achieve its minimum possible length given by the object's size and position, which obstructs full return of the first strap part to its resting condition, and given by the positions of the first object coupling means and the second object coupling means of the object.

The extendable shoulder strap may comprise a hollow third strap part inside which at least a part of the second strap part may be displaceable arranged in response to adjusting the length of the first strap part by the action of the spooling mechanism of the first coupling means, whereby at least the main part of the second strap part can be pulled out of the hollow third strap part. At the same time the first strap part is extended, preferably so that at least a part of the first strap is inside the hollow third strap part to be substantially enclosed and protected by said hollow third strap part so that the wearer cannot feel it against her/his body. In most cases any part of the first string part not protected by the hollow third strap part is not in contact with the wearer' s body at all during carrying the object.

In a preferred embodiment the hollow third strap part may be a flat sheath enclosing, in the resting condition, most of both the first strap part and the second strap part. The second strap part can be a flat band, e.g. a band that has a width corresponding to or being slightly smaller that the interior width of the hollow third strap part, so that the sliding displacement can take place smoothly. In a simple embodiment the first strap part is of one or more elastic materials. For example can the first strap part be a thin elongate string or cord having an elastic recovery property.

When the second strap part is pulled more or less out of the hollow third strap part the second strap part and the hollow third strap part are in lengthwise extension of each other, optionally in overlapping extension at the distal second strap part end of the second strap part. Together the second and third strap parts have been extended to a user-friendly conveniently elongated shoulder strap that fits the user. The hollow third strap part covers the majority of the length of the unspooled first strap part, so that the shoulder strap is not uncomfortable to carry and so that the first strap is in a position and condition where it is unable to chafe the wearer' s body or clothes despite being thin and close to said body and/or clothes.

The first coupling means and the second coupling means may advantageously be configured to engage each other and/or with any of the first or second object coupling means, so that the shoulder strap can be stored in a compact condition if not in use, e.g. so that both the first and second coupling means can be coupled to same object coupling means. The first coupling means can comprise a female coupling component for coupling with a male first object coupling component, or vice versa , and the second coupling means can comprise a female coupling component for coupling with a male second object coupling component, or vice versa .

To prevent pulling the second strap part out of the hollow third strap part, said third strap part may have a second locking mechanism adapted to lock relative movement of the third strap part in relation to at least the second strap part. Preferably the second locking mechanism is positioned at a proximal third strap part end of said third strap part, and the opposite distal third strap part end is the end of the third strap part closest to the spool mechanism, thus to the first coupling means.

The shoulder straps of the present invention are particularly useful for musical instruments, such as the guitar, on which strap-support pegs commonly referred to as strap-buttons can be utilized as the respective first object coupling means and second object coupling means.

Alternative uses of the shoulder straps according to the present invention may include but are not limited to e.g. shoulder straps for weapons, such as riffles, and shoulder straps for golf stand bags. This list is however not exhaustive and other uses are within the scope of the present invention.

The invention will be described below with references to the drawing in which

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a guitar with an exemplary embodiment of a shoulder strap,

Fig. 2 is an exploded, perspective view of the shoulder strap, condit ion ,

Fig. 4 shows the same in expanded state, and where the third strap part is shown transparent to visualize the first strap part inside said third strap part,

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary enlarged scale view, corresponding to the encircled detail to the right in fig. 1, of the first coupling means secured to the guitar via the first object coupling means with the spooling mechanism,

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary enlarged scale view, corresponding to the encircled detail to the left in fig. 1, of the second locking means, and

Figs. 7 and 8 show the guitar strap on the back of a guitar in relaxed condition and in slightly extended condition, respectively .

In the below exemplary embodiment the object 1 to which the shoulder strap 2 of the present invention is secured is a guitar 1.

The shoulder strap 2 seen in fig. 1 has a first strap part 3 connected to a second strap part 4, and at least a part of the first strap part 3 and of the second strap part 4 is enclosed by a third strap part 5 to give the wearer comfort, in particular at the neck region, when he/she carries the guitar 1. Preferably the shoulder strap 2 is detachable secured to the guitar 1.

Fig. 2 illustrates the main components of the shoulder strap 2. The first strap part 3 has a proximal first strap part end 6 and an opposite distal first strap part end 7, which is not visible in fig. 2 due to being wound up and secured inside a first coupling means 8. So the first strap part 3 is longer than shown in fig. 2. Only a short length of the first strap part 3 is unspooled the spool mechanism (not shown) of a first coupling means 8 seen in fig. 2. The remainder of the first strap part 3, including the distal first strap part end 7 and the spool mechanism, is hidden inside a housing 9 of the first coupling means 8. A first locking mechanism 10 is adapted to engage/disengage, directly or indirectly, the first strap part 3 to lock/unlock its spooling/unspooling by the action of the spooling mechanism of the first coupling means 8.

Preferably the first strap part 3 possesses inherent extension ability; it is e.g. made of an elastic material. The first coupling means 8 can e.g. include a retractor including a spooling mechanism (not shown) that, when the first locking means 10 are released, returns the first strap part 3 inside the housing 9. The retractor and the first locking means 10 can be any kind, e.g. those used in seat belts or measuring bands that automatically roll up within the housing 9. Such retractors typically have a spring and a return stop and are well known in the art; so their configuration is not described in further detail herein. The housing 9 has an opening 11 for exit of the first strap part 3 and a first coupling component 17 for coupling with a first object coupling means (not shown) . The center hole of a reel of the spooling mechanism is free for use as the first coupling component 17.

The second strap part 4 has a proximal second strap part end 12 provided with a second coupling means 13, which in the present embodiment simply is an eye 13 sized to snap on a male second object coupling means (not shown) . Opposite the proximal second strap part end 12 the second strap part 4 has a distal second strap part end 14.

The object coupling means can be any protrusion, hole of other structural features already part of the guitar, or be an added component, such as a tap glued to the guitar. As seen best in figs. 3, 7 and 8, the hollow third strap part 3 slidably accommodates and covers most of the second strap part 4 in the relaxed condition of the shoulder strap 2, while most of the first strap part 5 is stored inside housing 9 of the first coupling means 8.

In the stretched condition seen in figs. 4 and 8 the second strap part 4 has been pulled out of the third strap part 5 and the first strap part 3 extends inside said third strap part 5. The distal second strap part end 14 and the proximal first strap part end 6 are secured to each other in lengthwise extension of each other, and the combined length of the first strap part 3 and the second strap part 4 amounts to the largest possible length the shoulder strap 2 can get. The third strap part 3 has a proximal third strap part end 15 facing the second coupling means 12 and an opposite distal third strap part end 16 facing the first coupling means 8.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary enlarged scale view, corresponding to the encircled detail to the right in fig. 1, of the first coupling means 8 secured to the first object coupling means at the base face 19 of the guitar 1, e.g. using the female coupling component 17, in the present case the through-hole or bore 17 through the first object coupling means 8, to couple to the knob 18 already adapted for coupling to a conventional guitar strap.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary enlarged scale view, corresponding to the encircled detail to the left in fig. 1, of the second locking means 20. The second locking means 20 is optional although preferred by most people. The second locking means 20 is provided at the proximal third strap part end 15 where the third strap part 3 and the second strap part 4 have an overlap 21. The second locking means 20 can get in engaging contact with the second strap part 4 so that the second strap part 4 WO 2019/145003 j. u PCT/DK2019/050018

and the third strap part 3 cannot be moved further apart. Thus the second locking means 20 advantageously maintains the extended length of the guitar strap 2 as a combined extended strap and prevents free translatory movement of the third strap part 3. The second locking means 20 can be actuated at any size of overlap to adjust and define the length of the guitar strap 2. At the same time the length of the first strap part 3, elastic or not, outside housing 9 can be selected and adjusted by the first locking means 10. The second locking means 20 can e.g. include a wedge with a slider 22 slidably arranged crosswise the third strap part 3 at the proximal third strap part end 15 to contact and squeeze the overlap 21 firmly together .

Fig. 7 shows how the guitar strap 2 conforms closely to the back of a guitar, and fig. 8 shows how the guitar strap 2 can be extended, pulled free of the rear face of the guitar 1 so that its length can be extended automatically to pass over the head of the user and subsequently be adjusted to fit the torso, using any or both of the first locking means 10 and the second locking means 20 after having extended the length of the guitar strap 2.

The first strap part 3 can be an elastic string or cord, such as an elastic string having fabric sheathing. The second strap part 4 can be of the ordinary kind conventionally used for guitar straps or belts, such as a fabric or nylon webbing or girth. The third strap member 5 can be a fabric sheath, a tubing or a leather sheath, e.g. two opposite sheets sewn lengthwise together into a flat tubing.




 
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