U.S. patent number 3,563,430 [Application Number 04/746,339] was granted by the patent office on 1971-02-16 for carrier for articles such as pitons.
Invention is credited to William E. Forrest.
United States Patent |
3,563,430 |
Forrest |
February 16, 1971 |
CARRIER FOR ARTICLES SUCH AS PITONS
Abstract
A carrier for removably supporting a plurality of articles in a
sorted arrangement and particularly pitons used for mountain
climbing includes a body mount preferably of a bandolier type
having spaced support stations, and a piton retainer member is
removably attached at selected of the bandolier support stations
and firmly held thereto in a fixed, upright, ready to use position.
Each retainer member is comprised of an elongated piece shaped in a
closed loop of a particular configuration including a lower hook
portion on which the pitons are carried in a depending manner, an
upper inclined portion on which the pitons may be temporarily
supported for selective piton removal from the lower hook portion
and a pressure responsive gate portion formed in an outer side
having an upper free end arranged to move outwardly to open the
closed loop for selective piton removal and replacement and
arranged to automatically return to the closed position.
Inventors: |
Forrest; William E. (Denver,
CO) |
Family
ID: |
25000415 |
Appl.
No.: |
04/746,339 |
Filed: |
July 22, 1968 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
224/255;
24/598.2; 224/257 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A45F
5/00 (20130101); A45F 2005/006 (20130101); Y10T
24/45277 (20150115) |
Current International
Class: |
A45F
5/00 (20060101); A45f 005/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;224/1.1,5,5.2,7 (B)/
;224/7 (A)/ ;224/7 (C)/ ;224/7.1,7.11,5.21,5.22,5.24,13,21,22,23,24
;24/3.1,236,237,73.12,73 (CH)/ ;24/232,233,238,239 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
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333,203 |
|
Nov 1903 |
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FR |
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899,289 |
|
Aug 1944 |
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FR |
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838 |
|
Feb 1893 |
|
GB |
|
336,707 |
|
Oct 1930 |
|
GB |
|
Primary Examiner: Forlenza; Gerald M.
Assistant Examiner: Spar; Robert J.
Claims
I claim:
1. A carrier for articles such as pitons comprising a
body-supported strap having a plurality of spaced-support stations
along its length, a retainer member constructed and arranged to be
removably attached to said stations and formed of an elongated
piece shaped in a closed loop configuration, said retainer member
including a lower hook portion for supporting pitons in a depending
manner, an upper portion inclined inwardly toward an inner side for
supporting pitons moved to a temporary position above said hook
portion and a gate portion in an outer side arranged to move
outwardly when an outwardly directed force is applied thereto from
a lower point of support for removal and replacement of a piton
onto said retainer member and return to said closed position when
the force is removed, said retainer member including a pair of
resilient tubular members disposed in spaced relation along the
inner side and arranged to slide against a looplike member forming
a station of a strap to hold the retainer member firmly on the
strap.
2. A carrier for supporting articles comprising:
a body-supported strap,
a support member firmly mounted to the strap to stand substantially
erect and project forwardly from the strap to facilitate removal
and replacement of the articles thereon, said support member
including a hook portion having a shank depending from the strap
and a lower end section projecting forwardly and upwardly away from
the shank to provide a support surface for articles,
an upper end portion extending forwardly and upwardly from the top
of the shank then downwardly toward the lower end section, and
a movable gate between the lower end section and said upper end
portion to form a closed endless article-retaining configuration,
said gate being arranged for movement forwardly away from the strap
when a forwardly directed force is applied thereto to permit
removal and replacement of articles depending from the hook
portion.
3. A carrier as set forth in claim 2, wherein said upper end
portion extends forwardly and upwardly along a gradual incline to
from a secondary support surface for the articles.
4. A carrier as set forth in claim 2, wherein the upwardly
extending portion of said lower end section and said gate extend
forwardly and upwardly along a relatively sharp incline.
5. A carrier as set forth in claim 2, wherein a terminal end of the
downwardly turned upper end portion is inset from an upper terminal
end of said gate to form a stop for an article being moved
forwardly and upwardly against said gate.
6. A carrier as set forth in claim 2, including means for pivotally
supporting said gate from an upwardly extending portion of said
lower end section and spring-biasing means operatively associated
with said gate and lower end section for returning said gate to a
closed position after it has been moved forwardly to release an
article.
7. A carrier as set forth in claim 2, wherein said gate is formed
of a resilient material and is an extension of said lower end
section.
8. A carrier as set forth in claim 2, wherein said upper end
portion is of a substantially greater length than said lower end
section.
9. A carrier as set forth in claim 2, wherein said strap is firmly
mounted to an upper end portion of said shank.
10. A carrier for articles such as pitons comprising a bandolier
having a plurality of spaced loops arranged along its length, a
retainer member arranged to be supported in selected of said loops
and means for firmly holding said retainer member in an associated
of said loops to stand substantially erect and project forwardly
from the bandolier to facilitate removal and replacement of pitons
thereon, said retainer member including a hook portion having a
shank secured to and depending from its associated loop and a
curved lower end section projecting forwardly and away from the
shank to provide a support surface for the pitons, an upper end
portion extending forwardly and upwardly from the the top of the
shank along a gradual incline and then downwardly toward the lower
end section for supporting pitons moved to a temporary position
above said lower end section, and a movable gate between the lower
end section and the downturned end of said upper end portion along
a sharp incline to form a closed endless piton-retaining
configuration, said gate being supported from said lower end
section for movement forwardly away from the bandolier when a
forwardly directed force is applied thereto to permit removal and
replacement of articles depending from the hook portion.
Description
This invention relates generally to novel and improved article
carriers, and more particularly relates to carrying for a plurality
of pitons customarily employed in mountain climbing.
It is often desirable to carry on the body articles of different
sizes and shapes which may be easily removed and replaced as
required. One such example is the carriage of pitons which are used
in mountain climbing. Essentially, pitons comprise a metal spike
with an eye to which the climbing rope is attached by means of a
carabiner. These pitons vary in size, and in use the climber must
select a particular size for a particular crack or crevice in the
rock. It is, therefore, important that the pitons be classified
according to size and be carried in such a way as to permit the
climber to remove and replace them with a minimum of effort and
preferably with one hand. It is apparent that the right piton at
the right time can be critical in mountain climbing.
In the past, pitons have usually been carried on carabiners
attached to a nylon sling which is placed over the shoulder of a
climber. These carabiners are generally of a closed loop or endless
construction with a gate portion along one side which pivots
inwardly of the loop to permit the removal and replacement of
pitons. One disadvantage of the previous arrangement was that the
carabiners were not held firmly on the sling and would change
position as the position of the climber changed so that the climber
would frequently have to hold or reposition the carabiner prior to
removing a piton. Further there was no convenient arrangement to
remove the piton furthest from the gate portion.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a new and
improved means for supporting or carrying pitons on the body of a
climber in which they may be easily and readily removed and
replaced with a minimum of effort and frustration.
Another object of this invention is to provide a carrier for pitons
of different sizes and shapes wherein the pitons may be carried in
a sorted or classified manner having an improved gate structure
which is held firmly in the same upright position during climbing
for ease of removal and replacement of pitons using only one
hand.
Yet another object of this invention is to provide a piton carrier
having a greater piton capacity and of lighter weight construction
than previous piton carriers.
It is still another object of the invention to provide a piton
carrier which enables the climber to more efficiently and quickly
select a desired piton from a plurality of pitons mounted on a
single retainer member of a generally endless or closed looped
configuration.
In accordance with the present invention in a preferred embodiment
one of the significant features is that the essentially endless
retainer member is positively held on a bandolier so that its gate
portion is always in the same upright position for piton removal.
Another feature is the provision of a second or upper support
surface, above downwardly converging sides and a lower hook
portion, upon which the pitons may be temporarily positioned to
allow removal of a selected piton from the lower hook portion and
especially those located furthest from the gate opening. Yet a
further feature is the use of a gate arrangement formed in an outer
side which moves outwardly from a lower point of support when a
force is applied outwardly and is biased to return to close the
loop when the force is removed.
Other objects, advantages and capabilities of the present invention
will be more apparent as the description proceeds taken in
conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a front elevation view showing the bandolier mounted over
the shoulder portion of the body of a person depicted in dash lines
with a plurality of pitons of various sizes shown being supported
from a plurality of retainer members carried by the bandolier at
spaced stations along the bandolier;
FIG. 2 is a side elevation view of one retainer member shown in
FIG. 1 drawn approximately to scale and partially in section with
the lower normal support and upper temporary support positions of a
piton indicated in dash lines and the open position of the gate
portion indicated in dashed lines along with an upper fragment of
the bandolier and its associated support loop indicated in
operative association therewith;
FIG. 3 is a front end elevation view of the retainer member shown
in FIG. 2 with an eye portion of the piton shown as being located
on the lower normal support portion;
FIG. 4 is a fragmentary side elevation view of another embodiment
of retainer or carrier member employing a spring biased gate
construction; and
FIG. 5 is a fragmentary front elevation view of the embodiment
shown in FIG. 4.
Referring now to the drawings there is shown a typical bandolier
type of body mounted carrier. The bandolier 10 is normally placed
over the shoulder of the body of a climber designated 11 and
comprises an endless loop or strap arranged to be placed over one
shoulder and extend across the central portion of the body and
above the belt on the opposite side and includes an upper shoulder
engaging strip of material 12 and a lower depending narrower strip
of material 13. These strips of material 12 and 13 are preferably
arranged in an overlapping relation at their ends and are secured
together as by stitching or the like. A plurality of support
stations in the form of loops 14 are formed along the lower strip
13 by means of an outer strip of material 15 of essentially the
same length as the lower strip 13 and of slightly narrower width
and is positioned thereon and secured to the outer surface thereof
leaving consecutive spaces between a plurality of stitches 16.
Typical materials and dimensions included by way of example for the
bandolier are to make the upper strip 12 of a cotton webbing 2
inches wide; the lower strip 13 of a nylon-cotton webbing 1 inch
wide; and the strip 15 of closely woven 1,000-pound test nylon
webbing one-half inch wide.
A piton retainer member generally designated by numeral 17 is shown
as fitting into and extending through each of the loops 14. These
piton retainer or carrier members 17 are constructed and arranged
in a manner as hereinafter described to receive and support a
plurality of pitons 18 of different shapes and sizes. For purpose
of clarity in FIG. 1 only one piton is shown on each retainer
member but it is understood that the usual practice is to have
several different pitons arranged in a particular order in relation
to the gate so that the climber may know where a particular piton
is located. Each piton retainer member 17 is held in an upright
generally fixed position on the bandolier 10 by spaced upper and
lower tubular or washer members 21 and 22 which slide over and
frictionally engage the retainer members and are spaced to tightly
engage the edges of the outer strip of material 15 which forms the
loop 14 and thereby prevents it from twisting and sliding up and
down thereon. Members 21 and 22 are preferably formed of a
resilient material such as rubber. While particular reference is
made herein to the support of a piton it is understood that the
features of a carrier of the present invention are equally
applicable to other articles which are to be carried on a person
and quickly and selectively removed for use.
Each retainer or carrier member 17 is formed in a closed loop or
endless configuration of a special shape. A hollow piece of
elongated lightweight metal tubing is shown in one arrangement for
reduced weight. Referring to FIG. 2, this piece is shaped to
include lengths of essentially straight inner and outer downwardly
convergent side portions 24 and 25 and an upper relatively broad
portion 26. The upper portion 26 is joined to the inner and outer
side portions by inner and outer gradual bends 27 and 28,
respectively, and the inner portion 24 is joined to the outer
portion by a lower sharp or restricted bend 29. The lower bend 29
and the inner side 24 form a hook on which the pitons are normally
supported in a depending manner during carriage as is designated in
dash lines A. The inner side portion 24 may also be considered the
shank of the hook portion which depends from the strap with the
lower portion 29 projecting forwardly and upwardly away from the
shank to provide the principal support for the pitons.
The attachment members 21 and 22 are located at the upper end of
the inner side 24, or stated another way, at the upper end of the
shank of the hook so that the weight of the piton being carried
pulls the retainer member downwardly and toward the body of the
climber. The upper portion 26 inclines downwardly toward the inner
bend 27 and thereby provides an elevated support surface for pitons
which may be temporarily placed in an upper position as is
designated in dash lines B to permit selective removal of the
pitons 18 from the retainer member 17.
A gate portion 31 is formed in the outer side 25 for removal and
replacement of pitons on the retainer member. Gate portion 31 is
supported at its lower end 31" and has a free upper end 31' which
moves outwardly from end 31" to open the closed loop when an
outwardly directed force is applied thereto and will automatically
return to the closed position when this force is removed. In the
form shown the member is constructed so it has a space or opening
in the outer side 25 and the gate portion 31 normally closes this
opening. The gate portion 31 shown is made of a length of resilient
spring steel held and fitted into a narrowed lower end of the
member 17 and may be secured thereto preferably by a suitable
adhesive. The upper end 31' of the gate abuts the upper end of the
member and a recess 32 is formed in the member so that the gate is
flush with the outer surface of the member 17. The free end 31'
will then move outwardly to a selective position designated C to
open the loop.
In order to install a retainer member 17 on the bandolier, the gate
portion 31 is opened, the washer 22 is placed in the position shown
and the member 17 is slid into the loop 14 to the position shown by
a sliding action over the upper end of member 17. Washer 21 is then
slid over the upper end of member 17 and forced against the side of
the loop 14. In this manner, the retainer member 17 is always held
firmly in an upright position so that the gate portion 31 may be
easily moved outwardly by pressing the piton thereagainst. If the
climber wants to use the piton that is furthest from the gate
portion 31 the other pitons are moved above to position B and the
selected piton may be moved through the opening in the retainer
member and out the gate portion. He can then push the other pitons
to the lower normal support position A where they will remain
because of gravity.
It is understood that a variety of gate constructions could be used
that will move outwardly when forces are applied thereto and return
to a closed position when the outwardly directed force is removed
within the spirit and scope of the present invention. The other
embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5 comprises a retainer member
37 constructed of an elongated solid piece or rod of a lightweight
material such as aluminum. Member 37 is of the same general closed
loop shape as member 17 above described and mounts on the bandolier
and operates generally in the same manner. Retainer member 37 has a
space or opening in an outer side 45 defined by spaced upper and
lower ends and is provided with a gate or gate portion 41 which
normally closes this opening.
Gate portion 41 is constructed of the same material as the other
piece forming member 37 so that the entire assembly is essentially
of uniform cross section throughout its lengthwise extent. The
upper end of member 37 has an outwardly inclined V-shaped surface
46 arranged to receive and abut against an outwardly inclined
rounded surface 47 at the upper end of the gate. Gate 41 also has a
slightly tapered inner surface portion 48 so that a piton when slid
upwardly along the inner surface of the gate will abut the upper
end of the member to facilitate easy removal of the pitons.
The gate 41 is pivotally supported at its lower end on the lower
end on the lower end of member 37 with an arrangement including a
narrowed portion 51 at the upper end of the member adapted to
receive a clevis portion 52 on the lower end of the gate and a pin
53 extends through portions 51 and 52 to hold them for pivotal
movement about the pin. A spring 54 is mounted in a bore 55 in the
lower end of the gate. A plunger 56 is located at the lower end of
the bore and arranged on an incline so that when a force is applied
to pivot the gate outwardly the plunger compresses the spring and
the spring will expand when the outward force is removed to return
to the closed position with the inclined upper surface of gate 47
engaging surface 46 as shown.
From the foregoing it is apparent that the climber will be able to
easily select with one hand the desired piton to accommodate the
particular need while climbing a mountain and that a wider range of
pitons may be carried on a single retainer member, than with the
prior practice using carabiners.
Although the present invention has been described with a certain
degree of particularity, it is understood that the present
disclosure has been made only by way of example and that changes in
details of structure and system components may be made without
departing from the spirit and scope thereof .
* * * * *