US2441115A - Shoulder harness - Google Patents

Description

ay 4, w. LAMBERT 294419115 SHOULDER HARNESS Filed April 26, 1946 Patented May 4, 1948 UNITED STATES PATENT GEPFHQE" SHOULDER HARNESS Walter Lambert, Yakima, Wash.

Application April 26, 1946, Serial No. 665,077

2 Claims. 1

My invention relates broadly to apparel apparatus, and more particularly to a shoulder harness arranged to support a container for facilitating the picking and gathering of vegetables, fruits, nuts, etc., and the sowing of grain or broadcasting of commercial fertilizers.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide a construction of shoulder harness which may be readily supported about the shoulders of a wearer for symmetrically distributing the weight of a load evenly over the shoulders of the wearer.

Another object of my invention is to provide a construction of shoulder harness including a belt portion and a pair of shoulder portions which may be detachably connected to a centrally arranged hook-shaped device adapted to detach ably support a container adapted to receive vegetables, fruits, nuts, grains, commercial fertilizers, etc., which may be picked or scattered by the wearer, whose arms are left freefor such functions.

Still another object of my invention is to provide a simplified construction of apparel apparatus in which a' single length of belting may be so adjusted around the shoulders of a wearer as to symmetrically support a container in a convenient position for filling the container, the arms of the wearer being left free for picking operations when the shoulder harness is used in the picking of vegetables, fruits, nuts, etc., or the sowing of grain or broadcasting of commercial fertilizers.

Other and further objects of my invention reside in the simplified construction of shoulder harness as set forth in the followin specification and referred to in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows the shoulder harness of my invention supported by the shoulders of a wearer and supporting a bucket or container in position; Fig. 2 is a rear view of the shoulder harness represented in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is an elevational view showing the harness of my invention assembled in a. position to be supported by the shoulders of a wearer; Fig. 4 is a front elevational view of the shoulder harness in extended-position and illustrating the engaging hooks at each end thereof; Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the hook device employed on the shoulder harness of my inventi-on; Fig. 6 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially on line 6-6 of Fig. 5; and Fig. 7 is a view similar to the view shown in Fig. 6 but showing a bucket supported by the harness and illustrating the displacea-ble hook device for maintaining a loaded bucket in operative position without tilting independently of the position of the wearer of the shoulder harness.

Referring to the drawings in detail, reference character I designates the webbing 01' belt of fabric, leather or other suitable material constitut-' ing the shoulder harness of my invention. The shoulder harness l is formed from a single strip of material which is looped around the body of the wearer immediately below the chest and the ends of the belt-like strip extend over the shoulders of the wearer in diagonally opposite directions. Each end of the belt-like strip or webbing l is provided with an adjusting loop 2 and 3 thereon which extends back upon the belt or webbing. The adjustin loops 2 and 3 terminate in clamping clasps designated at 4 and 5, enabling the shoulder harness to be adjusted to fit the body size of any wearer within the limits of the length of the belt I. The adjustable loops 2 and 3 of the belt 6 pass through and support the hooks 6 and l at the opposite ends of the belt I. The hooks 5 and I are provided with spring snap members which detachably secure the hooks 6 and i adjacent the opposite corners 8 andt of the rectangular-shaped coupling member it. The rectangular-shaped coupling member It forms a loop; the corners 8 and 9 of which provide symmetrical connection means for the detachable hooks B and l on the opposite ends of the belt I. The side of the coupling member In, which is disposed opposite the corners 8 and 9 and which is represented at H, extends through the bifurcated member I2. The bifurcated looped member I2 is formed from material such as sheet metal, leather, synthetic plastic, fabric or other form of webbing folded upon itself with the surface extending in parallel engagement with each other, as represented at M and I5, and folded to provide a pivotal connection at spaced positions l5 and I! with the side ll of the loop [0.

The co-extensive parallel portions of the bifurcated looped member 12 are rigid or otherwise secured to the webbing I by suitable spaced rivets l8, I9, 20, and 2|, as shown more clearly in Fig. 5. It will be observed that the bifurcated looped member I2 is disposed substantially centrally of the opposite ends of the webbing with hook members 6 and 1 on the terminating ends of the web I. The bifurcated portion of the looped member I2 is represented at 22, and within this spaced distance between the spaced portions I6 and I1, I pivotally support the hook member 23. The hook member 23 has an upper offset portion 24 which is journalled on the side ll of the coupling member Ill The ofiset portion 24 serves to space the book 23 in an oifset plane with respect to the plane of the bifurcated looped member l2, as shown more clearly in Fig. 6. Hook member 23 depends downwardly from the offset end portion 24 and terminates in a hook 25. The material of the depending hook member 23 is out struck at 26 to provide a yieldable tongue 21 which is continuously urged against the terminus of hook 25 for maintaining the hook closed.

The bucket orpail 28, having supporting handle 29 is supported by engagement of handle 29 in hook 25. Tongue 21 yields sufiiciently to allow handle 21 to be engaged over the hook 25 and then returns to normally secured position for preventing slippage of the handle 29 out of the hook 25.

The shoulder harness is very effective in use in that the hook member 23 is permitted to swing to any angular position to accommodate the bucket28 as represented in Fig. 7. The bucket 28 is thus maintained in a horizontal position independently of the position of the body of the wearer, as represented at 30. The wearer is able to move freely and to have full use of the arms without hindrance of the carrying of the bucket or pail 28. If the wearer moves from one position to another, the hook member 23 may be adjusted in any angular positionfor properly supporting the container 28 while maintaining the container in a substantially horizontal position,

The shoulder harness has proven very eifective in use in that it is inexpensive in manufacture on a mass production basis. The harness involves but a small number of parts which are so arranged that the weight of the bucket and contents are symmetrically disposed with respect to the shoulders of the wearer. The shoulder harness has been effectively employed by me for many uses, including the picking and gathering of vegetables. fruits, nuts, etc, and the sowing of grain and seed, and: the broadcasting of commercial. fertilizers, all of which may be accomplished without hindrance to'the free use of the arms by virtue of the support of the bucket provided by'theshoulder harness.

While I have. described my invention in one of its.preferredembodiments, I realize that modiflcations may be made in the details of construction of the harness and I intend no limitations upon my invention other than may be imposed by the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is as follows:

1. A shoulder harness for supporting a container substantially centrally of the body of a wearer comprising a belt having a spring fastener on each end thereof and a substantially flat plate member folded upon itself and secured to said belt in a position intermediate the ends of said 3 belt, a loop swiveled in said substantially flat plate member, a hook swiveled on said loop immediately adjacent said flat member, said belt being extendible diagonally over the shoulders of the wearer, the spring fasteners on the ends ing in the direction of said belt and being bifurcated for the reception of a swiveled hook, a looped member passing through the opening in said relatively flat member and through the swiv eled hook, said looped member providing a cou pling means for engagement by the detachable snap hooks on the ends of said belt when said belt is diagonally looped over the shoulders of the wearer.

WALTER LAJMBERT.

lhe following references are of record in the his of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATEEITS Number Name Date 1,198,602 Sweeney Sept, 19 1916 1,689,051

Richardson Oct. 23, 1928

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