Hoisting harness

[0001] This is a nationalization of PCT/SE01/02006 filed Sep. 19, 2001 and published in English.

[0002] This invention relates to a hoisting harness for persons, where the lifting action is taking place by a hoisting harness consisting of a seat-piece, which is placed between the person's legs, to which seat piece a rear-piece is connected. The rear-piece runs on the person's back and upwards over the shoulders. Further, a front piece is connected to the seat-piece, which runs against the person's breast and upwards over the shoulders, whereby the front piece and the rear piece have loops, or the corresponding, protruding from their free ends, which loops will be applied to a lift means e.g. a lift hanger.

[0003] Hoisting harnesses of this kind are very often so formed that when a person is lifted sitting in the harness, pressure on the chest or against the person's sides will be created and this specifically goes for heavy persons having a corpulent body. The problem is very obvious when lifting disabled persons, old persons or weak persons, who can not use their hands to keep off the tension forces of the hoisting harness.

[0004] An object of the invention is thus to design a hoisting harness, which is comfortable for the lifted person during the lifting action and thereby will not be tight across the chest or at another point of the body and which can be adapted to the size of the person's body.

[0010] FIG. 1 is thus a plan view of the harness. The harness includes a seat-piece 1 in the form of a piece of a cloth, which is placed between the person's legs. A rear-piece, generally designated by 3 is fastened to the rear end 2 of the seat-piece. This rear-piece 3 consists of two hoisting bands 4 and 5, which are prolonged by two parts 6 and 7, which in their upper ends form a loop 8 and 9 respectively. The hoisting bands 4 and 5 are transversally connected by a transverse band 10.

[0011] Two connecting bands 11 and 12 are connected with the hoisting bands 4 and 5 at points approximately where the transverse band 10 is connected to the hoisting bands 4 and 5. The two connecting bands 11 and 12 are composed of several loops 13 and 14 respectively at their free ends.

[0012] The hoisting harness also includes a front piece generally indicated by 15. This front piece is connected to the front end 16 of the seat piece and is principally of the same form as the rear piece, and is why it is not described more specifically. The corresponding parts are designated by the same numerals with a prime for parts described concerning the rear piece. However, as shown in FIG. 1, the two lifting loops of the front-piece 15 are designated by 17 and 18.

[0013] In FIG. 2 the harness is shown hanging from a lifting hanger 19. In this form the harness is hanging in the loops 8, 9, 17 and 18. In order to give the harness a closed form the hoisting bands 6′ and 7′ of the front piece 15 are inserted through any of the loops 13 and 14 respectively of the connecting bands 11 and 12 respectively. A closed harness is thus formed around the person's body by the rear piece 3, the front piece 15 and the two connecting bands 11 and 12, see also FIG. 3. The seat-piece is also included in this closed form of the harness.

[0014] From FIG. 3 it can be seen that the connecting bands 11 and 12 are placed under the armpits and preferably at a certain distance under the armpits so that the connecting bands do not press uncomfortably into the armpits. By each one of the hoisting bands 6′ and 7′ inserted in suitable loops 13 and 14, it is possible to arrange the transverse bands 10 and 10′ so far from each other that they are not uncomfortably tightened against the chest and the back when the lifting action takes place. The lifting bands will be stretched during the lifting operation, which can have an influence on the tension of the transverse bands 10 and 10′. It should also be observed that the main part of the person's weight will be carried by the seat-piece 1. It is also possible to adapt the harness so that the weight is divided between the seat-piece and the connecting bands by that the latter carry in the armpits. Further, it is also possible that the weight can be carried by the transverse bands 10 and 10′ respectively because of a friction between them and the body, respectively.

[0015] An embodiment has been described above but within the scope of the claims other embodiments are possible. Thus, the front piece and the rear piece have been described consisting of bands but it is obvious that parts of the front piece and the rear piece can be formed from pieces of cloths instead of bands, at least as far as up to the transverse bands.