Adjustable body belt having D-rings/attachments
Patent No. US11679303 (titled "Adjustable body belt having D-rings/attachments") on Aug 25, 2021. The application was issued on Jun 20, 2023.
What is this patent about?
’303 is related to the field of work positioning and fall protection equipment for linemen and aerial technicians. Specifically, it addresses the design of body belts used to secure workers to poles or elevated structures, focusing on the ergonomic placement of attachment points and the ability to customize the fit of the belt to ensure both safety and comfort during manual labor.
The underlying idea behind ’303 is that the safety and efficiency of a lineman are improved by decoupling the fixed spacing of attachment hardware from the overall circumference of the belt. By integrating a dedicated length-adjustment mechanism directly into the load-bearing D-piece rather than relying solely on the main waist buckle, the invention allows a user to precisely position D-rings over the hip bones regardless of their waist size or the thickness of their clothing.
The claims of ’303 focus on a body belt assembly featuring a body portion with a surface that supports both a belt strap and a separate D-piece. The D-piece terminates in two D-rings and includes an internal adjustability section located between these rings, which is specifically configured to change the effective length of the D-piece to alter the distance between the rings while the main belt strap passes through them.
In practice, this system functions by allowing the lineman to weave the D-piece webbing through a friction buckle or similar adjuster located at the rear of the belt. This mechanical arrangement enables the worker to slide the D-rings forward or backward along the horizontal plane of the belt. Because the main belt strap is threaded through the D-rings, the entire assembly remains secure under load while providing a custom-tailored fit that prevents the rings from being positioned too far forward or too far back on the torso.
This approach differs from prior solutions that utilized fixed-length D-pieces or simple tongue-and-grommet belt straps, which often forced a compromise between a snug waist fit and proper D-ring alignment. By providing a floating or adjustable D-piece that meets high-tensile breaking strength requirements, the invention ensures that ancillary safety devices—such as positioning straps and fall restrictors—can be attached to uncluttered, ergonomically correct points without sacrificing the structural integrity required by industrial safety standards.
How does this patent fit in bigger picture?
Technical Landscape
In the late 2010s when ’303 was filed, work positioning equipment for aerial tasks was typically implemented using fixed-length body belts that relied on standardized hip-to-hip measurements for safety and comfort. At a time when systems commonly relied on tongue-and-buckle mechanisms with discrete, pre-punched apertures for sizing, achieving a precise fit for users falling between these fixed intervals was difficult. Furthermore, when hardware constraints made the integration of multiple safety attachments non-trivial, linemen often faced crowded primary attachment points, as ancillary fall protection devices and torso harnesses were required to share the same D-ring hardware used for primary positioning straps.
Prosecution Position
The disclosed invention achieves a technical advancement in fall protection through an architectural shift from static belt dimensions to a modular, adjustable assembly. By integrating an adjustability section directly into the primary belt strap or D-piece along its major axis, the system enables continuous or fine-tuned length modification that overcomes the limitations of fixed-interval buckle apertures. This structural solution allows for the precise alignment of D-rings over the user's hipbones regardless of individual body size. Additionally, the configuration of primary and secondary belt straps on offset horizontal planes enables the distribution of multiple attachment points, providing a dedicated interface for ancillary safety equipment without compromising the accessibility or function of the primary work positioning rings.
Claims
The patent contains a total of 13 claims, with claim 1 being the sole independent claim. This independent claim focuses on a body belt assembly featuring a body portion, a belt strap with a buckle, and a D-piece equipped with two D-rings and an adjustability section designed to modify the distance between those rings. The dependent claims serve to provide additional structural details, such as the specific alignment and positioning of the belt strap relative to the D-piece, the inclusion of auxiliary D-pieces and D-rings, and the integration of secondary belt straps and further adjustability sections.
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US11679303
- Application Number
- US17411422A
- Filing Date
- Aug 25, 2021
- Publication Date
- Jun 20, 2023
- External Links
- Slate, USPTO , Google Patents