Safety harness device

Claim 1

A HARNESS DEVICE COMPRISING A REEL HAVING SPACED ANNULAR COLLARS, A CASING FOR SAID REEL HAVING SPACED BEARINGS SUPPORTING SAID REEL WHILE PERMITTING ROTATION AND LIMITED AXIAL MOVEMENT THEREOF, A STRAP CONFINED BETWEEN SAID COLLARS AND WOUND UPON SAID REEL, SAID STRAP EXTENDING OUTWARDLY OF SAID CASING FOR CONNECTION TO THE BODY OF THE USER, A REWIND SPRING CONNECTED BETWEEN SAID CASING AND SAID REEL PERMITTING UNWINDFING OF SAID STRAP AND CAUSING REWINDING THEREOF DURING NORMAL MOVEMENTS OF THE USER, A THRUST MEMBER OPPOSITE ONE COLLAR OF SAID REEL, SAID COLLAR AND SAID THRUST MEMBER HAVING OPPOSED TAPERED SOCKETS, INERTIA BALLS IN SAID SOCKETS, A SPRING INTERPOSED BETWEEN SAID REEL AND SAID THRUST MEMBER FOR URGING THE LATTER TOWARDS SAID COLLAR TO RETAIN SAID INERTIA BALLS IN SAID SOCKETS, FIRST GRIPPING MEANS PROVIDED ON SAID THRUST MEMBER AND ON ONE ENDF OF SAID CASING, AND SECOND GRIPPING MEANS PROVIDED ON THE SECOND OF SAID REEL COLLARS AND ON THE OTHER END OF SAID CASING, SAID INERTIA BALLS ACTING, UPON THE ACCELERATION OF THE STRAP OUTWARDLY OF SAID REEL BEYOND A PREDETERMINED RATE, TO ROLL WITHIN SAID TAPERED SOCKETS TO CAUSE MOVEMENT OF SAID THRUST MEMBER AGAINST SAID SPRING AND AWAY FROM SAID ONE REEL COLLAR, EFFECTING ACTUATION OFSAID FIRST GRIPPING MEANS AND THE BINDING OF ONE END OF SAID REEL TO SAID CASING, FURTHER ROLLING OF SAID BALLS IN THEIR SOCKETS CAUSING SAID REEL TO MOVE AXIALLY WITHIN SAID CASING AND EFFECT THE ACTUATION OF SAID SECOND GRIPPING MEANS AND THE BINDING OF THE OTHER END OF SAID REEL TO THE OTHER END OF SAID CASING, THEREBY LOCKING BOTH ENDS OF SAID REEL SUBSTANTIALLY SIMULTANEOUSLY AGAINST OUTWARD MOVEMENT WHILE TRANSMITTING TORSIONAL STRESSES AND RESULTING STRAINS TO BOTH ENDS OF SAID REEL.