D-ring with rescue attachment and lanyard attachments integrated
View Patent ↗Apparatus and associated methods relate to a safety interface plate element that securely attaches to a length of webbing, and further provides a plurality of non-intersecting apertures to couple to a corresponding plurality of safety devices. In an illustrative example, the safety interface plate element may include a slotted opening through which the webbing is threaded. In some examples, the webbing may be removably installed in the slotted opening via a gating mechanism. In some embodiments, the safety interface plate element configured with an embodiment of the gating mechanism may be retrofit to a closed webbing on a pre-fabricated safety harness, for example. In various examples, multiple safety devices may be securely coupled to a safety harness via embodiments of the safety interface plate element.
1. A fall-protection D-ring apparatus for connecting a webbed safety harness to fall protection safety devices, the apparatus comprising:
a unitary solid body with a top and an opposing bottom surface, the unitary solid body comprising:
a slotted webbing aperture extending through the body between the top surface and the bottom surface, the slotted webbing aperture having a major dimension sized to receive a webbing having up to a predetermined width and having a minor dimension sized to receive the webbing's thickness such that the unitary solid body is slidable along a length of the webbing, wherein the major dimension is substantially greater than the minor dimension, wherein the minor dimension is sized to maintain the webbing in a substantially untwisted state; and
said fall protection safety devices comprise:
means for simultaneously and independently connecting to at least three non-intersecting circular apertures extending through the body between the top surface and the bottom surface, wherein each of the at least three non-intersecting circular apertures receive said respective connecting means of said fall-protection safety devices; and,
a fall-protection safety harness having the webbing, wherein the fall protection safety harness is securely coupled to the unitary solid body with a criss-cross point of the webbing inserted into the slotted webbing aperture.
2. The fall-protection D-ring apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least three non-intersecting apertures comprise at least four non-intersecting apertures.
3. The fall-protection D-ring apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the unitary solid body is curved to form to a portion of a human body.
4. The fall-protection D-ring apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the slotted webbing aperture is integrally coupled to the webbing.