Safety harness device

Claim 1

AN INERTIA OPERATED SAFETY DEVICE FOR MOUNTING ON A VEHICLE TO RESTRAIN THE MOVEMENT OF A BODY WITHIN THE VEHICLE WHERE THE BODY IS SUBJECTED TO ACCELERATED MOVEMENTS RELATIVE TO THE VEHICLE COMPRISING A PAIR OF TENSION MEMBERS FOR COUPLING TO THE BODY, A PAIR OF REELS ON WHICH SAID TENSION MEMBERS ARE WOUND, A MAIN SHAFT ON WHICH SAID REELS ARE ROTATABLY MOUNTED, A MAIN GEAR FIXEDLY SECURED TO SAID SHAFT AND POSITIONED BETWEEN SAID REELS, A PAIR OF RATCHET WHEELS FIXED RESPECTIVELY TO SAID RESPECTIVE REELS ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID MAIN GEAR, SAID RATCHET WHEELS HAVING BEVEL GEAR TEETH, AND A BEVEL GEAR CARRIED BY SAID MAIN GEAR AND MESHING WITH SAID BEVEL GEAR TEETH, WHEREBY SAID TENSION MEMBERS MAY BE MOVED INDEPENDENTLY OF EACH OTHER IN USED TO PERMIT INDEPENDENT MOVEMENT OF THE SHOULDERS OF THE BODY, STOP MEANS INTERPOSED BETWEEN SAID MAIN GEAR AND SAID RATCHET WHEELS FOR LIMITING SAID INDEPENDENT MOVEMENT, SAID BEVEL GEAR SERVING FOR COUPLING SAID REELS TO SAID MAIN GEAR TO CAUSE SAID MAIN GEAR TO ROTATE IN UNISON WITH SAID REELS DURING ROTATION IN THE WIND-UP AN UNWIND DIRECTION, YIELDABLE RESILIENT MEANS COUPLED TO SAID SHAFT TENSIONED SO AS TO URGE SAID SHAFT IN THE DIRECTION TO ROTATE SAID REELS THROUGH SAID MAIN GEAR IN A DIRECTION TO WIND UP SAID TENSION MEMBERS THEREON, SAID REELS, MAIN GEAR, AND SHAFT BEING ROTATABLE AGAINST THE TENSION OF SAID RESILIENT MEANS IN A DIRECTION TO UNWIND THE TENSION MEMBERS FROM THE REELS RESPONSIVE TO MOVEMENTS OF THE BODY, A SECOND SHAFT, A SECOND GEAR ROTATABLY MOUNTED ON SAID SECOND SHAFT MESHING WITH SAID MAIN GEAR, A FLYWHEEL ROTATABLY MOUNTED IN AXIAL ALIGNMENT ON SAID SECOND SHAFT, SECOND YIELDABLE MEANS COUPLING SAID FLYWHEEL TO SAID SECOND GEAR TO ROTATE SAID FLYWHEEL IN UNISON WITH SAID SECOND GEAR DURING ROTATION THEREOF IN THE UNWIND DIRECTION OF THE REELS BELOW A CERTAIN ACCELERATION, SAID SECOND YIELDABLE MEANS YIELDING DURING ROTATION OF SAID SECOND GEAR AT SAID CERTAIN ACCELERATION WHEREBY SAID SECOND GEAR ROTATES RELATIVE TO SAID FLYWHEEL, AND LOCKING MEANS COMPRISING A PAIR OF LOCK DOGS RESPECTIVELY POSITIONED ADJACENT SAID RESPECTIVE RATCHET WHEELS AND OPERATED IN RESPONSE TO THE YIELDING OF SAID SECOND YIELDABLE MEANS FOR ENGAGING SAID RATCHET WHEELS AND LOCKING SAID REELS AGAINST FURTHER ROTATION IN THE REEL UNWIND DIRECTION, SAID LOCK DOGS BY RESPECTIVELY LOCKING A RESPECTIVE ONE OF SAID RATCHET WHEELS AND ASSOCIATED REEL PROVIDING AN EXCEEDINGLY RUGGED AND RELIABLE LOCK FOR SAID REELS IN USE.