Multi-staged audible/ visible indicator for progressive overload condition

1. An elongated assembly comprising:

a first end and a second end, the first and second ends respectively including means for accepting a tensile load applied thereto;

a first folded region audibly/visibly ruptureable at a first threshold loading condition; and

a second folded region audibly/visibly ruptureable at a second threshold loading condition, the first threshold loading condition being lower than the second threshold loading condition;

wherein the first and second folded regions are located intermediate the first and second ends.

2. The elongated assembly of claim 1 comprising a flexible elongated assembly.

3. The elongated assembly of claim 2 wherein the first end comprises a hook end and the second end comprises a crane block end.

4. The elongated assembly of claim 1 wherein the means for accepting the tensile load comprises a reinforced eyelet.

5. The elongated assembly of claim 2 wherein the flexible elongated assembly comprises a woven nylon webbing material.

6. The elongated assembly of claim 1 comprising a semi-rigid elongated assembly.

7. The elongated assembly of claim 1 wherein the first and second folded regions are secured by a first region stitching and a second region stitching respectively.

8. The elongated assembly of claim 7 wherein the first and second region stitches are configured to audibly/visibly rupture at the first and second threshold loading conditions respectively.

9. The elongated assembly of claim 7 wherein the first and second stitching regions are different in at least one stitch parameter selected from the group of stitching parameters consisting of: number of stitches, pitch of stitching, stitch thread gauge, stitch thread diameter, stitch thread material, cumulative stitch length and stitch length per unit area.

10. The elongated assembly of claim 1 further comprising a top side a bottom side, wherein the first and second folded regions are co-located on a same one of the top and bottom sides.

11. The elongated assembly of claim 1 wherein the means for accepting the tensile load comprises a loop.

12. The elongated assembly of claim 10 wherein the first and second folded regions are co-located in abutting proximity.

13. The elongated assembly of claim 10 wherein the first and second folded regions comprise a folded length ranging from 3 inches to 8 inches.

14. The elongated assembly of claim 10 further comprising a warning label disposed on any one of the top and bottom sides.

15. The elongated assembly of claim 10 further comprising a user instructions label disposed on any one of the top and bottom sides.

16. A method for indicating a progressively-staged tensile overload condition of an elongated assembly, the method comprising:

audibly/visibly rupturing a first folded region of the elongated assembly at a first threshold overload condition; and

audibly/visibly rupturing a second folded region of the elongated assembly at a second threshold overload condition, the first threshold loading condition being lower than the second threshold loading condition.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising audibly/visibly rupturing at least a third folded region of the elongated assembly at an at least a third threshold loading condition, the first and second threshold conditions being lower than the at least a third threshold loading condition.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein audibly/visibly rupturing the first and second folded regions comprise audibly/visibly rupturing a first region stitching and a second region stitching respectively, the first and second region stitches respectively securing the first and second folded regions.