Harvest Harness

Various of the disclosed embodiments concern a harvest harness.

The harnesses used by farm workers during a stone fruit harvest, such as a cherry harvest, are problematic. Such problems include but are not limited to, the short and long term personal injuries caused when a farm worker is physically picking fruit. For example, current harnesses do not help distribute the weight of the fruit being picked thereby causing back and shoulder pain. As a result, the performance of farm workers is lower due to the strain on the farm worker's body. This reduced performance significantly impacts the ability of growers to meet their quotas. The pain caused to farm workers by such harnesses is not only physical pain but mental pain as well because the agony from physical pain during an eight-to ten-hour work shift leads to workers feeling mentally fatigued, drained, and negative. Over time, the use of current harnesses may result in chronic painful conditions and handicapping disabilities.

To solve these problems, prior art harnesses added padding to the original straps, but this approach only provides temporary relief. Another solution has been for the farm worker to double up on wearing sweaters and thus provide further padding, but this approach can lead to heat exhaustion on summer days.

Farm workers have gone to massage therapists, taken non-prescription remedies and pain killers, and visited chiropractors traditional doctors but all of these palliatives only provide short term relief.

Another option for farm workers has been to carry less fruit but this negatively impacts productivity.

A harness comprises a pair of adjustable shoulder straps and a padded back support. Each of the shoulder straps has a back portion that initially extends substantially downwardly from a user's shoulders and then crisscrosses at the user's back before terminating at a back load attachment point. Each of the shoulder straps has a padded front portion that rests on the user's shoulders and that extends from the user's shoulders substantially downwardly across the user's chest before terminating at a front load attachment point. The shoulder straps define respective front right and left and back right and left load attachment points. The back portions of the shoulder straps are joined to the padded back support at least at a point at which they crisscross.

An adjustable chest support comprises a first segment attached to an upper front portion a first of the shoulder straps and a second segment attached to an upper front portion a second of the shoulder straps. The first and second chest support segments terminate in an engagement member that is operable to join the first and second chest support segments to hold the first and second shoulder straps together in a fixed configuration to take up slack and prevent the harness from slipping from the user's body. The shoulder straps and chest strap maintain a secure engagement of the harness with the user.

Embodiments of the invention provide a harvest harness that alleviates the body damage done to farm workers by currently used harnesses. Embodiments of the invention provide a harvest harness that evenly distributes the weight of a filled fruit bucket. The farm worker's life is improved because the herein disclosed harness is much more comfortable, especially over the long hours spent working on harvest days which are common during the harvest season.

By reducing the strain on, and exhaustion of, farm workers during a harvest embodiments of the invention farm workers are more productive and attentive, which improves the quality and amount of produce picked. This creates other beneficial effects because farmworkers are able to make a greater income that positively impacts their families and local communities. This also allows growers to meet their quotas. As such the simple expedient of improving the harvest harness correspondingly improves the efficiency safety of the harvest process.

A harness comprises a pair of adjustable shoulder straps and a padded back support. Each of the shoulder straps has a back portion that initially extends substantially downwardly from a user's shoulders and then crisscross at the user's back before terminating at a back load attachment point. Each of the shoulder straps has a padded front portion that rests on the user's shoulders and that extends from the user's shoulders substantially downwardly across the user's before terminating at a front load attachment point. The shoulder straps define respective front right and left and back right and left load attachment points. The back portions of the shoulder straps are joined to the padded back support at least at a point at which they crisscross.

An adjustable chest support comprises a first segment attached to an upper front portion a first of the shoulder straps and a second segment attached to an upper front portion a second of the shoulder straps. The first and second chest support segments terminate in an engagement member that is operable to join the first and second chest support segments to hold the first and second shoulder straps together in a fixed configuration to take up slack and prevent the harness from slipping from the user's body. The shoulder straps and chest strap maintain a secure engagement of the harness with the user.

is a front view of a harness according to the invention. In, a harnessincludes a pair of padded shoulder straps. The padding may be a foam or gel padding or it may be made of cotton or any other soft, somewhat resilient material that can absorb and spread pressure that is felt by the farm worker due to the load being carried.

The straps crisscross and are joined to a padded back support. The crisscross arrangement significantly allows the load burden by the farm worker to be carried in a balanced fashion by distributing the load evenly front to back and left to right. The back support may be made of a material that absorbs sweat, it may be breathable, or it may include a cooling gel.

A chest supportincludes a fastener, such as a buckle or clip, that is operable to draw the shoulder straps together and thereby allow the harness to distribute the load of fruit evenly on the farm worker's shoulders while maintaining a secure engagement of the harness with the farm worker to prevent shifting of the load while effecting balance of the load on the farm worker's shoulders. The chest strap also pulls the shoulder straps together to take up slack and prevent the harness from slipping from the farm worker's body.

A pair of loops, clips, or hooksare suspended from the harness by adjustable strapsat a front and a rear lower end of each of the shoulder straps. A detachable bucket, bag, or other container is suspended from the clips or hooks when the harness is in use to collect the fruit picked by the farm worker. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that a single collection container may be suspended from both of the clips or hooks or that a separate collection container may be suspended from each of the clips or hooks. The clips or hooks preferably include a closure or other such mechanism to retain the collection container to the harness.

One or more pocketsmay be included to hold any of tools, food, water bottles, personal items, etc.

A loop or other type of hangeris also provided to allow the harness to be hung on a hook or rack for storage. The harness and straps may be made of any suitable material such as nylon, canvas, etc.

is a back view of a harvest harness according to the invention. In, the harnessis shown as constructed in an embodiment of the invention with the shoulder strapsarranged outside of the back support. This arrangement allows the back support to absorb and cushion some of the pressure exerted on the farm worker's back by the shoulder straps and thereby mitigate the impact of the load carried by the farm worker.

The shoulder straps have a front portionthat rests on the farm worker's shoulders and that extends downwardly to the front of, and across the chest of, the farm worker before terminating at the fruit container clips or hooks. The shoulder straps include a back portionthat extends behind, and down the back of, the farm worker before terminating at the fruit container clips or hooks. Significantly and uniquely this arrangement balances the load of the fruit containers evenly relative to the torso of the farm worker such that the load is carried substantially vertically without drawing the farm worker forward or backward or to the left or right sideways. In this way strain on the farm worker's back is significantly reduced. In combination with the chest strap the arrangement of the herein disclosed harvest harness securely retains the load along the vertical axis of the farm worker's body thereby minimizing torque vectors that might otherwise be induced in the farm worker's body by an off balance load. In this way the farm worker does not have to bend backward or forward constantly to balance the load and the excess exertion engendered by such motion is thus avoided.

is a side view of a harvest harness according to the invention. In, the harvest harness shoulder straps are shown to include padding support.is a back view of a user wearing a harvest harness according to the invention.

is a perspective view of a user wearing a harvest harness according to the invention. In, a detachable bucket, bag, or other containeris shown suspended from the clips or hooks when the harness is in use to collect the fruit picked by the farm worker.

is a side view of a user wearing a harvest harness according to the invention. In, a detachable bucket, bag, or other containeris shown suspended from the clips or hooks when the harness is in use to collect the fruit picked by the farm worker.

is a front view of a user wearing a harvest harness according to the invention. In, a detachable bucket, bag, or other containeris shown suspended from the clips or hooks when the harness is in use to collect the fruit picked by the farm worker.

The language used in the specification has been principally selected for readability and instructional purposes. It may not have been selected to delineate or circumscribe the subject matter. For example, the harness may be used for carry other than agricultural products, e.g. gravel, sand, refuse, etc.

It is therefore intended that the scope of the technology be limited not by this Detailed Description, but rather by any claims that issue on an application based hereon. Accordingly, the disclosure of various embodiments is intended to be illustrative, but not limiting, of the scope of the technology as set forth in the following claims.