AUXILLIARY RETENSION GARMENT FOR PASSENGERS OF OPEN AIR TRANSPORTATION

Abstract

As garment with a front and back pair of handles, to be worn by the driver of tandem riders on an open air transportation to provide the riders stability and to lessen the chances of a passenger from being thrown off. The back pair of handles is mounted in an inverted V-shape across the driver's back to reduce passenger wrist strain. The front pair of handles is mounted vertically upon the driver's torso and spaced sufficiently close to the driver's sides to prevent the passenger from having to bend in order to grasp them. The handles may be attached directly to the garment or to a harness permanently sewn or temporarily affixed inside the garment. The harness comprises a pair of parallel belts with quick release buckles connected to shoulder straps that are parallel in front, and crisscross in back above the top belt. The handles attach to both belts in order to evenly distribute passenger loads across the torso of the driver. Expandable side panels within the garment accommodate drivers of different clothing sizes.

Description

PRIORITY CLAIMS TO RELATED PROVISIONAL APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority benefit to U.S. Provisional Patent Applications Ser. No. 61/419,345 filed Dec. 3, 2010 by Stephan Pease, entitled “AUXILLIARY RETENSION VEST FOR PASSENGERS OF OPEN AIR TRANSPORTATION”, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to a device that provides stability to a driver and a passenger riding in tandem on open air transportation. More particularly, this invention relates to a garment and/or a harness worn by the driver and comprising removable handles gripped by the passenger.

BACKGROUND

Over the years the popularity of passengers riding in tandem on motorcycles, and similar open vehicles has increased. Typically, a tandem passenger will hold onto the seat, luggage rack or any other structure, including the driver of the vehicle to assist in maintaining balance while riding on the vehicle. These structures do not provide sufficient control to maintain the passenger's balance, when the vehicle is negotiating a sharp turn, rough terrain or the like.

In order to overcome these problems, numerous accessories for motorcycles and similar open vehicles have been developed that are useful for improving the comfort and or stability of vehicle riders. Typically some such items are backrests, luggage carriers, child seats and safety harnesses. Also, garments with handles have been devised for use by the driver of a vehicle. The handles are useful in providing a better gripping/holding surface for the passenger. Some of the examples of garments been developed are discussed hereinafter.

The U.S. Pat. No. 3,562,812 discloses a safety handhold for tandem riders. However, the hand grips as provided in this type of prior art reference are mounted around the front of the rider which is disadvantageous due to the fact that when a force is applied, the force loading is maintained over a smaller area than that provided in the subject invention system and thus, creates high stresses.

The U.S. Pat. No. 4,172,292 does provide for a vest-like garment with handholds for holding into a wearer. However, such prior art systems do not provide for grasping straps on the back of the vest being coupled to a pair of encircling belt members. It is not believed that such prior art systems provide for the load bearing capability as that provided by the subject invention concept.

The U.S. Pat. No. 4,429,419 discloses a safety garment comprising a vest having two series of loops aligned in parallel, whereby straps slide through the loops and handles are slide along the straps. The vest may not be comfortable to wear in warm weather and further may be difficult to wear over bulky clothes worn in cold weather. Also, the handles allow for reversible displacement in the transverse direction. The reversible displacement creates instability in the harness when the passenger is gripping the handles and leaning at the same time. This instability may cause the passenger's balance to be compromised, increasing the risk of falls and injury. Therefore, a need exists for a stable harness with stationary handles.

The U.S. Pat. No. 4,411,222 describes a safety apparatus for passengers on vehicles comprising a waist belt having handles attached to the belt. When the passenger pulls on the handles attached to the waist belt, a strain is transposed to the lower back region of the driver. Also, the upper torso and shoulder movement of the driver is not communicated to the passenger. Further, the position of the handles requires the passenger to sit back and away from the driver in order to comfortably grip the handles. The distance the passenger is positioned from the driver affects the amount of total forces exerted by the passenger on the handle. Also, without shoulder straps the waist belt would have a tendency to slip down toward the lower torso region of the driver. Additionally, the handles as described are not compact, but instead are bulky. Therefore, a need exists for a compact harness that allows the passenger to sit proximate to the driver while comfortably holding the handles of the harness, wherein the upper torso movements of the driver are communicated.

The U.S. Pat. No. 5,289,896 there is described a harness for motorcyclists and the like that adjusts from the back. The harness is comprised of two independent shoulder straps each having a handle attached thereto, a waist strap, and upper and lower back straps. The shoulder straps are spaced apart and attach to the waist belt. By extending the shoulder straps to the waist, instability in the harness is created. The addition of the upper and lower back straps, attempt to stabilize the shoulder straps. The patent describes adjusting the upper and lower back straps and the buckle of the waist belt from the back, thereby requiring a second person to adjust the harness. Also, by attaching the shoulder straps to a waist belt, the forces applied by the passenger to the harness are directed towards the shoulders and lower back of the driver. Therefore, a need exists for an adjustable harness, that reduces the amount of stress to the lower back, and which is stable when the passenger applies a force to the handle while leaning towards a side of the vehicle.

Although the above mentioned safety garments and safety harnesses provide passenger handles, they may still be uncomfortable, bulky, unstable, and/or uneconomical. Thus there is a need in the art to develop a simple, compact and economical garment with handles ergonomically designed to provide a sturdy, comfortable grip for the passenger while s/he is riding on open air transportation such as Motorcycle, Jet Ski, Snowmobile, All Terrain Vehicles, Scooter, Horseback, and the like.

SUMMARY

The present invention in general relates to a garment and/or a harness with removable handles that provides a sturdy and comfortable grip to passengers riding on an open air transportation such as Motorcycle, Jet Ski, Snowmobile, All Terrain Vehicles, Scooter, Horseback, and the like. The passenger has a more secure grasp and decreases the possibility of being thrown or dislodged from the vehicle when clasping the handles. The handles may then be removed in the absence of the passenger to provide a fashionable outer garment.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the garment comprises a lightweight upper body garment (e.g. waist-length) substantially covering the torso of the driver; and, a plurality of pairs of detachable handles covering the upper and middle torso. In a particular embodiment, one pair of handles is coupled to the front of said garment and one pair to the back of said garment. The garment may further comprise expandable side panels with means adjustable to accommodate drivers of different clothing sizes, such as elastic cloth, lacing or zippers to expand or reduce the torso circumference. The garment may comprise a variety of materials appropriate for the type of transportation, such as reflective material for night safety, water flotation material, wind and water resistant material, etc. . . . In a preferred embodiment, the garment is a waist-length sleeveless vest, or a waist length jacket.

In another embodiment, the garment is lined with a harness comprising: a pair of parallel belts members encircling the driver's torso, with a top belt and a bottom belt secured with a quick release mechanism (e.g., side release buckles) on the front torso; a pair of shoulder straps attached to said parallel belts in front and back, said straps lying in parallel across said front torso, and overlapping across the back torso above said top belt; and, a plurality of pairs of detachable handles coupled to said harness. The handles are accessible to the passenger on the outside of the garment via slits or openings in the garment that permit the opposing ends of the handles to fit through and attach to the harness on the inside of the garment. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, each handle attaches to both harness belts (e.g., one handle end per the top belt and one handle end per the bottom belt). Alternative points of attachment of the handles to the garment or harness are covered within the scope of this invention (e.g., above the top belt and on the parallel shoulder straps) as long as the force is still evenly distributed over the harness when pulling on the handles.

The harness of the present invention may be permanently affixed to the inside of the garment, such as sewn or glued, or the harness may be temporarily affixed. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the harness is temporarily affixed to the inside of the garment lining via the use of Velcro® strips. One of ordinary skill in the art would readily know of ways to permanently affix the harness to a garment fabric or to make the harness easily detachable and attachable to the garment lining.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the harness is used alone without the outer garment. The structure of the harness is essentially the same, with or without the outer garment: a pair of parallel belts members encircling the driver's torso, with a top belt and a bottom belt secured with quick release mechanism (e.g., side release buckles) s on the front torso; a pair of shoulder straps attached to said parallel belts in front and back, said straps lying in parallel across said front torso, and overlapping across the back torso above said top belt; and, a plurality of pairs of detachable handles coupled to said harness. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, each handle attaches to both harness belts (e.g., one handle end per the top belt and one handle end per the bottom belt); but, alternative locations of the handles are permitted as long as the force is still evenly distributed over the harness when pulling on the handles.

The handles of the present invention for all embodiments are placed to provide ergonomic benefits to the passenger, as well as stability to the driver and passenger. The back handles are mounted diagonally (e.g., an inverted V shape) with the upper end attached near the driver's thoracic spine, and the lower end attached near the driver's outer lower ribcage. This diagonal positioning relieves strain on the passenger's wrists, especially through turns and leaning. The front handles are mounted vertically with the handles' upper end attached near the driver's chest and the handles' lower end attached near the driver's waist. The front handles are spaced sufficiently apart to prevent the passenger from having to bend forward in order to hold said handle. Both pair of handles, especially when attached to the harness (versus the outside surface of the garment in the absence of a harness), provide enhanced stability to the driver by evenly distributing the load forces exerted by the passenger during sharp turns, sudden stops and starts, acceleration and deceleration, and on rough terrain. And although all embodiments of the present invention comprise one or both pair of handles as disclosed, additional handles or pair of handles are encompassed within the scope of this invention the placement of which would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art.

Another aspect of the present invention is the structural design and the ability to detach the handles, for example when there is not a passenger onboard. The handles of the present invention comprise a strap of sufficient length for the passenger to easily and comfortably grip with their entire palm in contact with the strap, and a quick release mechanism (e.g., side release buckles) on each opposing end of the strap. When the buckles are opened to detach the strap of the handle, the one end (e.g., the female end) of the handle remains affixed to the harness or garment.

These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following description. This summary is provided to produce a selection of concepts in a simplified form. This summary is not intended to identify key features or claimed features of the present invention, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The above and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with regard to the following description, appended claims, and accompanying drawings where:

FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective front view of a vest with handles according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective rear view of the vest with handles of FIG. 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 illustrates a particular embodiment of a garment comprising expandable side panels with lacing to accommodate different size drivers.

FIG. 4 illustrates a perspective front view of the harness of the present invention.

FIG. 5 illustrates a rear view of the harness of the present invention.

FIG. 6 illustrates a removable handle comprising a strap and opposing buckles, with the female end of said buckles attached to the harness or garment of the present invention.

Reference will now be made in detail to the present preferred embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers are used in the drawings and the description to refer to the same or the like parts.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention in general relates to a garment, such as a vest, with removable handles that provides a sturdy and comfortable grip to passengers riding on open air transportation such as Motorcycle, Jet Ski, Snowmobile, All Terrain Vehicles, Scooter, Horseback, and the like. The handles may be detached from the garment, for example when there is no passenger onboard.

Garment: FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 illustrate a front view and rear view, respectively, of a garment 100 with handle units 105 according to a particular embodiment of the present invention, wherein the passenger handle units 105 are attached directly to the garment 100 in the absence of a harness. The pair of handles on the front of the garment is parallel to each other, and spaced sufficiently apart so as to prevent the passenger from having to bend over in order to reach them. The pair of handles on the back of the garment is diagonally placed, as illustrated in FIG. 2, to prevent the passenger from straining their wrist joints during sharp turns and leans. The handle units 105 are detachable via buckles mounted on opposing ends of the handle straps. As a result, the garment 100 provides a comfortable grip for the passenger seated behind the driver of the vehicle, and prevents them from being dislodged in the event of sudden stops or high acceleration or deceleration, or the like.

The garment 100 is generally made of a lightweight, non-stretchable material and may optionally comprise a nylon webbing harness attached into the inside of the garment. The garment may be of any design, with or without sleeves, as long as it covers the driver's torso, such as a vest, a jacket, a coat, etc. . . . The garment may also comprise a material suitable for particular types of open air transportation, such as reflective material for night safety, water flotation material, and wind and water resistant material.

The garment may further comprise adjustable side panels to accommodate drivers of different clothing sizes. For example, and as illustrated in FIG. 3, side panels framed with vertical lacing 110 could be used to expand and reduce the girth of the garment. One of ordinary skill in the art could modify the garment of the present invention with side panels using other techniques readily known in the clothing industry, such as zippers covering folds of fabric.

The present invention may further comprise a harness attached to the inside of the garment, or for use alone without the garment. For all embodiments of the present invention in which the garment is lined with the harness, the garment and harness may be secured together via methods known to one of ordinary skill in the art. For example, the harness may be sewn into the lining of the garment. Or, as illustrated in FIG. 5, attachment points 160 and 170, the harness may be attached at points to the garment inner lining via permanent (e.g. stitching or glue), or temporary methods (e.g., Velcro®).

For all embodiments of the present invention, the harness comprises: a pair of parallel belts members encircling the driver's torso, with a top belt and a bottom belt secured with buckles on the front torso; a pair of shoulder straps attached to both parallel belts in the front and in the back, said straps lying in parallel across said front torso, and overlapping across the back torso above said top belt; and, wherein said plurality of pairs of detachable handles are coupled to said pair of belts. In a preferred embodiment, one each of the opposing ends of said handles are attached to said top belt front and said bottom belt front, and one each of the opposing ends of said handles are attached to the back shoulder straps and the top and bottom belt concurrently.

As illustrated in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, the harness comprises a top belt 122 lying parallel to a bottom belt 132. Preferably, the top belt lies across the driver's chest and the bottom belt lies across the driver's waist. In a particular exemplification, the belts and shoulder straps are made of 1.5 inch flat nylon, the belts are spaced about 11 inches apart, and the length of the harness is about 24 inches. The belts are secured in the front with buckles, such as 1.5 inch double adjust side release buckles.

Furthermore, the harness comprises two or more shoulder straps. As exemplified in FIG. 4, the right shoulder strap 140 and the left shoulder strap 150 lie parallel in the front and are secured to the harness at their point of contact 145 with both the top and bottom belt. One of ordinary skill in the art would readily know of methods for securing materials together, particularly flat nylon, via for example, stitching or industrial glue. As shown in FIG. 5, the harness shoulder straps crisscross on the driver's upper back at 160, which in a preferred embodiment is about two inches above the top belt, but may alternatively lie lower or higher on the torso. The straps also attach to both the top and bottom back belts at four junctions 210 shown in FIG. 5. Junction points 210 may also comprise the attachment points for the removable back handles, but other diagonally configured attachment points for the handles to the back of the harness are permitted as long as forces exerted by the passenger are evenly distributed over the garment. The removable front handles attach to the top and bottom front belts as exemplified in FIG. 4, junction 210 so as to prevent the passenger from having to bend in order to grasp the front handles, but may alternatively lie at other locations connecting both the top and bottom belts, such as points 145, or one belt and one shoulder strap, and so forth.

Each handle of the present invention, for all embodiments, comprise: a strap with one buckle on each opposing end of the strap, wherein both ends of the handle are attached to the garment, or alternatively to the harness top belt and the bottom belt, or alternatively to the harness front and back sides of the shoulder straps. Additionally, when the garment is used in conjunction with the harness, the garment comprises slits or openings within the fabric to permit the handles' ends to fit beneath the garment and attach to the harness, while the strap and buckles lie accessible on the surface of the garment. And in the absence of a passenger, the handles may be removed by releasing the buckles.

In a preferred embodiment as exemplified in FIG. 6, handle unit 105 comprises a thermoplastic strap 180 of sufficient length to easily be grasped in the passenger's palm. On each end of the strap is attached the female member 190 of a one-inch side release buckle. The male member 200 of the buckle is attached to the garment or harness by methods well known in the art, such as stitching or industrial gluing. (In an alternative embodiment, the male and female buckle members may be switched). For embodiments comprising a garment covering a harness, the female 190 and male 200 member of the buckle remain hidden underneath a slit 250 in the garment outer surface. As a result, no part of the handle 105 is visible on the garment outside surface in situations when the buckles are opened to remove the handles. One of ordinary skill in the art would know of comparable releasable buckles and methods of attaching them to straps and garments or harnesses for use in the present invention.

Although the invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments thereof, this description is not meant to be construed in a limiting sense. Various modifications of the disclosed embodiments, as well as alternate embodiments of the invention, will become apparent to persons skilled in the art upon reference to the description of the invention. It is therefore contemplated that such modifications can be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention as defined.

Claims

1. A garment for tandem riders worn by the driver of open air transportation, comprising:

a) a lightweight garment substantially covering the torso of the driver; and,

b) a plurality of pairs of detachable handles covering the upper and middle torso of said garment,

c) wherein each handle comprises a quick release buckle on opposing ends of a strap with one end of said buckle permanently attached to said garment,

d) whereby the passenger has increased stability riding said vehicle when clasping said handles.

2. The garment of claim 1, wherein said plurality of pairs of detachable handles are affixed to said garment and comprise one pair coupled in a parallel vertical position to the front of said garment and one pair coupled in an inverted-V shaped position to the back of said garment.

3. The garment of claim 2, wherein said front handles are spaced sufficiently apart to not require the passenger to bend in order to grasp said front handles.

4. The garment of claim 1 further comprising expandable side panels within said outer garment with means adjustable for drivers of different clothing sizes.

5. The garment of claim 1, wherein said handles may be detached from said garment for use in the absence of a passenger.

6. The garment of claim 1, wherein said garment is selected from the group consisting of a sleeveless vest, a jacket, or a coat.

7. The garment of claim 1, further comprising a nylon webbing harness sewn into the inside of said garment, comprising;

a) a pair of parallel belts members encircling said torso, comprising a top belt and a bottom belt secured with buckles on the front torso;

b) a pair of shoulder straps attached to said parallel belts in front and back, said straps lying in parallel across said front torso, and overlapping across the back torso above said top belt; and,

c) wherein said plurality of pairs of detachable handles are coupled to said harness and accessible to the passenger on the outside surface of said garment via slits in said garment.

8. The harness of claim 7, wherein said plurality of pairs of detachable handles are coupled to said pair of belts in a manner to evenly distribute passenger load forces throughout said harness, with one each of the opposing ends of said handles attached to said top belt and said bottom belt.

9. The harness of claim 8, wherein said plurality of pairs of detachable handles comprise one pair coupled in a parallel vertical position accessible on the front of said garment and one pair coupled in an inverted-V shaped position accessible on the back of said garment.

10. The harness of claim 9, wherein said front handles are spaced sufficiently apart to not require the passenger to bend in order to grasp said front handles.

11. The harness of claim 7, wherein said handles may be detached from said harness for use in the absence of a passenger.

12. A nylon webbing harness substantially covering the torso of the driver, comprising:

a) a pair of parallel belts members encircling said torso, with a top belt and a bottom belt secured with a quick release mechanism on the front torso;

b) a pair of shoulder straps attached to said parallel belts in front and back, said straps lying in parallel across said front torso, and overlapping across the back torso above said top belt; and,

c) a plurality of detachable handles coupled to said pair of belts comprising a quick release mechanism on opposing ends of a strap, wherein said handles are positioned on said harness to equally distributed passenger load forces throughout said harness.

13. The harness of claim 12, wherein said handles comprise a pair of handles mounted in an inverted-V shape at an ergonomic angle across the driver's back with the upper handle end attached at the junction of shoulder straps and the top belt, and the lower handle end attached at the junction of shoulder straps and the bottom belt.

14. The harness of claim 12, wherein a pair of said handles is mounted vertically on the front of said harness with the handles' upper end attached to the top belt and the handles' lower end attached to the bottom belt, and said handles are spaced sufficiently apart to not require the passenger to bend in order to grasp said front handles.

15. The harness of claim 12, wherein said quick release mechanism comprises side release buckles with female ends permanently attached to said harness.

16. A garment for tandem riders worn by the driver of open air transportation, comprising:

a) a lightweight waist-length garment substantially covering the torso of the driver and comprising at least one material selected from the group consisting of reflective material for night safety, water flotation material, and wind and water resistant material; and,

b) a plurality of pairs of detachable handles covering the torso, at least one pair coupled in parallel alignment to the garment front, and at least one pair coupled diagonally to the garment back; and,

c) wherein said handles comprise a release mechanism on opposing ends of a strap to quickly remove said handles in the absence of a passenger,

d) whereby the passenger is less likely to be thrown from said vehicle when clasping said handles.

17. The garment of claim 16, wherein said diagonal pair of handles is ergonomically aligned to reduce adverse forces exerted on passenger wrists.

18. The garment of claim 16, wherein said vertical pair of handles is spaced sufficiently apart to not require the passenger to bend in order to grasp said front handles.

19. The garment of claim 16, further comprising expandable side panels with means adjustable for drivers of different clothing sizes.

20. The garment of claim 16, wherein said waist-length garment is selected from the group consisting of a sleeveless vest, a jacket, or a coat.