Man-carrying parachute harness

Aug. 22, 1950

C. E. CARROLL

MAN-CARRYING PARACHUTE HARNESS

2,519,352

Filed Dec. 17, 1948

Sheets-Sheet 1

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Aug. 22, 1950

2,519,352

C. E. CARROLL

MAN-CARRYING PARACHUTE HARNESS

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Έ“ΪΞ

INVENTOR.

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Patented Aug. 22, 1950

2,519,352

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE

2,519,352

MAN-CARRYING PARACHUTE HARNESS

Charles E. Carroll, Dayton, Ohio

Application December 17,1948, Serial No. 65,953

Claims. (CI. 244—151) (Granted under the act of March 3, 1883, as amended April 30, 1928; 370 O. G. 757)

The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the United. States Government for governmental purposes without payment to me of any royalty thereon.

This invention relates to parachute apparatus and more particularly to parachute harness for aviators having for an object the provision of an improved harness which is lighter in weight, less concentrated in bulk, quickly and fully adjustable to size, simple to fabricate or manufacture, and also more comfortable to wear, and convenient to put on, adjust or take off.

Another object of my invention is the provision of a parachute harness having adjustable body encircling means for supporting the stomach, hips, and back of the wearer, including strong, comfortable load sustaining means extending around the seat, thighs, and body of the wearer to more effectively encircle and effectively and more comfortably support the body during opening shock and descent of a parachute when attached to the harness, incorporating quick detachable fastener means for releasing the load sustaining webs of the attached parachute from the harness, and quickly and conveniently releasing the body encircling and confining strap features of the harness at a minimum number of separable connections, so that the wearer can quickly and efficiently divest himself of the harness.

A further object is the provision of a personnel parachute harness having a main seat sling: member with a pair of leg or thigh encircling strap elements superimposed and secured thereon, including loop means on the sling member slidably connecting the leg encircling strap elements to the main sling member at opposite sides of the wearer’s body, in which the leg strap elements then extend forwardly towards each other to provide supporting means across the wearer’s stomach, the loop means includes flexible rearwardly extended looped portions, and shoulder and back strap elements extending upwardly from the seat sling member, then rearwardly and downwardly across each other at the back of the wearer and looped through the flexible looped portions towards each other and adjustably connected together to provide supporting means across the small of the wearer’s back substantially in the rear of the detachably connected ends of the leg or thigh encircling strap elements.

A further object is the provision of separable breast strap connecting means connecting the upper ends of the main sling strap member together across the wearer’s chest, substantially in front of the crossed portions of the shoulder and back strap elements.

A still further object- is the provision of adjusting means intermediate-the ends of the main sling member, and in- the leg or thigh encircling strap elements for adjusting the harness to the size and shape of the wearer’s body.

A further object is- the· provision of a single detachable connection for securing the shoulder and back strap elements and main sling member together across the chest of the wearer, and-a second single detachable connection for· securing the looped end portions of the leg or thigh encircling strap elements together across the stomach of the wearer, including, adjustment means in the main sling member, and in the leg. strap elements for quickly adjusting the harness to fit the body of the wearer.

A still further object is the provision of improved flexible loop retainer means projecting from the opposite edges of the main sling member substantially across the hips of the wearer, receiving the looped ends of the shoulder strap elements therethrough, rearwardly of the main sling member, and receiving the looped end portions of the leg strap elements therethrough forwardly pf the main sling members.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will become apparent from the following description, taken in connection with-the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters refer to like parts in the several figures.

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of-my improved parachute harness illustrating the same in position on an aviator. The load suspension or lift webbing of the parachute being shown in operative position in phantom;

Fig. 2 is an· enlarged perspective view of my improved harness, illustrating- the same applied to a conventional· parachute pack of the “back” type, with one of- the parachute load* suspension or lift webbing· disconnected from the harness, and with the chest strap fasteners disconnected.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary detail plan view of a portion of one side or reach of the main sling or seat strap member, more clearly illustrating the construction of the flexible loop retainer members, and reinforcing webs therefor which- extend from the opposite, edges of the main* sling members to·slidably receive and-retain the looped portions of* the leg and shoulder strap elements in position.

Referring more particularly to Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, the- reference- numeral- I indicates my improved parachute harness generally,

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2,519,352 while the numeral 2 indicates a parachute pack of conventional design, known generally as a “back pack,” having a pair of lift webs or load sustaining straps 3 which extend into the pack and are connected to the shroud lines of the packed parachute that is releasably contained in the pack 2. The parachute contained in the pack 2 comprises a canopy, not shown, having shroud lines, not shown, which converge downwardly from the periphery of the canopy when in descent, preferably in two groups with the load suspension webbing or straps 3, 3 each connected at their upper ends to one of the groups of shroud lines.

The lower ends of the lift webbings 3, 3 are each detachably connected to a shackle 4 secured on the harness i in the conventional manner so that release manipulation of the shackle or fitting 4 quickly frees the parachute load sustaining webbing or straps 3, 3 from the harness in the conventional manner, thus disconnecting the chute from the harness.

My improved parachute harness I includes a main flexible sling member or strap 5, having its upper ends spaced apart and connected to the lower bars 6 of the shackles 4, and depending downwardly and somewhat rearwardly from the shackle 4 as seen in Fig. 1 to form a seat sling portion 7 for the wearer to sit on. The main sling or seat member 5 extends through the fittings 4, is looped back on itself to provide return loop portions 8 which are adjustable in adjustable fittings or buckles 9 carried on short flexible looped straps 10 secured to the main seat sling member 7, preferably at the upper ends of a pair of leg or hip encircling strap elements ί I. This arrangement permits adjustment of the effective length of the main sling member 5, or rather for adjusting the length of the two upstanding ends of the main sling member as indicated at 8 in Fig. 1, to position the detachable fittings or shackles 4 substantially in front of the wearer’s shoulders and chest.

The main sling member 5 and the encircling leg straps or hip loop members ί I extend downwardly from the buckles 9 in superimposed relation to each other with the leg straps I i on top of the sling member 5 as shown in Fig. 2, the leg straps 11 being looped around the main sling member 5 at or adjacent a position under the crotch of the wearer as indicated at 12, 12, then extend forwardly and towards each other as at 13, to provide a pair of leg or hip encircling strap elements 14, as seen in Figs. 1 and 2. The superimposed strap portions 5, 7, and 11 located between the looped over portions 12 and the buckles 9 are securely fastened together and reinforced by stitching throughout this distance, the looped over portions 12, 12 being flattened down on the main sling and securely stitched in place as shown. The ends of the looped portions 10 carrying the buckles 9 are interposed between the webbings 7 and 11, just below the buckles 9 and securely fastened by stitching or other suitable fastening means.

Just below the looped strap portions 10 carrying the buckles 9, 9 is a flexible retainer loop portion composed of flat strongly woven webbing indicated generally at 15, 15, the ends of the web straps 15 being securely anchored between the seat sling member 7 and the respective leg strap members 11 by stitching, indicated at 18 and 19, the intermediate portion extending between the leg and seat strap members and securely fastened thereto at 20. This arrangement provides the main sling member 7 with two pairs of flexible loop retainer members 21, 22, loop member 22 extending forwardly from the front edge of the superimposed seat and leg strap elements, the free or forwardly extending leg strap portions 14, (4 extending upwardly and looped through the retainer loop members 22, as seen in Fig. 2. The two leg strap elements are then brought forwardly and toward each other to form a connected cross strap or web portion 14a disposed when tightened to extend across and support the body of the wearer, substantially across the stomach. The ends 14a of the leg loop strap members 14 are looped through the bar members of a pair of adjustable separable fasteners 23 and 24. The fastener 23 has an eye portion 23a to receive the snap hook extremity of the fastener 24. The free ends of the leg strap portions 14a are folded and stitched to provide abutment pads 14b to prevent the portion looped through the bar members of the separable fasteners of buckles from being displaced or withdrawn, and to provide pull means whereby the wearer can easily slide the looped ends to tighten the leg and hip loops 14 around the legs or hips of the wearer as seen in Figs. 1 and 2.

It should be noted that the retainer loop webbing or members 15 are reinforced by narrower strips of strong flexible ribbons as shown in Fig. 3 at 25, being securely stitched along the seat and leg webbing portions 7 and 11 as indicated at 26, with their ends extending toward each other at 27. The ends may be overlapped if desired to afford maximum strength. The portions of the reinforcing webbing 25 are narrower than the width of the looped portions 21 and 22 and are secured thereto to permit the looped retainer webbing to “roll,” providing loops which are rounded in cross section at the inner sides of the loops where the leg straps pass through and engage them, and where the shoulder straps, later to be described, pass through and engage.

The upper bars 28 of the fittings 4 each have the loop extremity of one of a pair of shoulder and back strap members 29 and 30 secured thereto as best seen in Fig. 2. These shoulder straps 29 and 30 are arranged to extend over the shoulders of the wearer and then downwardly and across each other as indicated at 29a and 30a, and are then looped through the upper loop retainer webbing 21 and extend towards each other across the back of the wearer as indicated at 29b and 30b, their extremities being looped through and quickly adjustable in the buckle fittings 31 and 32, secured to the opposite ends of a connecting back strap 33, adapted to be positioned across the small of the wearer’s back, substantially in the rear of the stomach strap portions lia of the leg straps 14.

The parachute pack, as shown in Fig. 2, and as before mentioned, is conventional and one of many types that can be worn with or attached to the harness by the lift webbing or load sustaining straps 3, 3 of the parachute proper, by detachable connectors or shackles 34 which are separable from the main fittings or anchors 4 in the usual manner, such as by pulling the release cords 35, also conventional in construction and operation. The parachute pack 2, as shown, is a “back” type pack of the “static” type, preferably using a static line for opening the pack to free the chute, rather than the usual pull or rip cord, and in order to more securely support the pack on a harness the pack is provided with stitched webbing or loops 33p and 30p· for the back connecting straps 33 and the crossed back straps 29a and 30a to pass respectively freely therethrough. Also an intermediate -strap 29p, stitched at its upper and lower ends is located adjacent the top of the pack and accommodates the crossed portions of the straps 29a and '30a. Other and different attaching means may -be provided on the pack if desired since they form no part of-the invention as claimed, other, than means for-securing the pack to the harness.

A separable breast or chest strap is provided, indicated generally at 36, and designed when connected together to lie across⁷ the chest or breast of the wearer substantially in front of the crossed portions 29a and 30a of the shoulder and . back straps 29 and 30. The chest strap 36 ’has a quick detachable shackle or separable fastener -37 interposed in its length, consisting of a conventional eye 37a and snap hook element 37b. The portions 37a and 37b as shown, in fact, each include a short strap with each end looped over the other end to provide a slide loop extending around one of the adjustable end portions 8 of the main sling member 5, and to receive one of the anchor-bars of the said snap hook or-eye elements of the separable fastener 37.

My improved harness is preferably woven of strong flexible webbing or strap material such as “nylon” and stitched with thread of the same material, thus I am able to fabricate an extremely strong and durable parachute harness having a minimum amount of weight and bulk. It should be noted that only two separable fasteners of the quick detachable type are provided in order to release and remove the harness from the wearer. The disconnection of the chest strap fasteners 37a and 37b frees the shoulder and upper body encircling straps 29 and 30 so that the wearer can remove his arms from the harness, while the release of the snap fastener 24a frees the leg straps 14 and the looped front or stomach band portion 14a, permitting the leg strap members Iia to slide in the flexible retainer loops 22, to.enlarge the leg or hip encircling loops so that the legs of the wearer can easily-be removed from the harness, further slackening of the straps 14, iia can be accomplished by slipping the portions I ia in the buckles or anchor bar members of the separable fastener 23, 24.

In order to don the harness the wearer needs only to place the straps 29 and 30 over the shoulders while sitting on the seat sling 7, connect the chest strap fastener 37a, 37b, pass the two leg straps through between the legs and upwardly through the retainer loops 22 and towards each other across the stomach, fastening the quick detachable fastener 23, 24 together, and then pull the ends 14b and 14b to tighten the leg straps.

Adjustment of the harness to fit nearly any shape and size wearer is also easily accomplished. Adjustment of the lower (free) ends of the cross straps 30b, 29a, will adjust the length of the shoulder and crossed back straps, and since the straps 29 and 38 slide easily in the retainer loops 21,21 on the main sling member 7, this adjustment also adjusts the degree of slack or tension in the lower or horizontal back supporting band 33. Adjustment of the leg straps has already been explained. In order to provide adjustment for the height of the wearer the upper portion of the main sling or looped extremity 8 is easily adjustable, which provides the adjustment and proper positioning of the shackle connectors 4 for the parachute lift webbing in front of and below the shoulders of the wearer, and also affords additional adjustment for the length and size of the shoulder-loops, and the proper positioning of the cross straps i:4a, 14a at the back of the wearer.

In the type of pack 2, as shown somewhat; diagrammatically in the drawings the parachute proper is securely inclosed in the “pack” with the two lift webbing elements or load sustaining straps 3 from the chute extending out of the-opposite corners of the. pack, as shown in Fig. .2 with their ends. 34 releasably connected to the fittings 4. When the pack is worn these straps lie across the ’shoulders of the wearer above the shoulder straps 29 and 30, somewhat as illustrated in the disclosure in Fig 1, and when the parachute is released and is in descent the two lift webs then support the wearer directly from the fittings .4 connected to the upper ends of; the main seat sling 7, as shown in phantom in Fig. 1.

My improved harness effectively encircles and supports the wearer’s chest and back, waist and hips, and the small of the back and the stomach, making the body supporting functions of -the harness extremely effective and more comfortable during opening shock and descent. The looped portion 21 and 22 surrounding and supporting the opposite sides of the body at and above the hips without excessive overlapping or bulk of the strap members, making the harness more comfortable to wear, especially in small or cramped quarters in military fighter aircraft.