Patent Application
20130220200
The present disclosure generally relates to devices for securing a portion of a line, for example, for securing a line to moor a vessel.
This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
Devices for securing a portion of line, such as a rope, have many useful applications. For example, they can be used to engage a line when mooring a boat, eliminating the need to manually tie the line. Hand-tied lines can come loose, and once tied it can be difficult to adjust the length of the line without untying and retying the line.
This section provides a general summary of the disclosure, and is not a comprehensive disclosure of its full scope or all of its features.
The present disclosure describes various embodiments of devices for securing a portion of a line in accordance with the principles of the present invention.
In one embodiment, a device for securing a portion of a line includes a housing with at least one pair of apertures therein defining a passage through the housing for receiving a portion of a line, such as a rope. At least one cam member is rotatably mounted in the housing, to rotate between first a position in which the cam member impinges on the passage through the housing to engage a portion of a line extending through the passage, and a second position in which the cam does not substantially impinge the passage in the housing and would not engage a portion of line extending therethrough. The at least one cam is resiliently biased to its first position, so that the cam be rotated to allow a portion of a line to be inserted or removed from the passage, but when the cam is released it rotates back to its first position impinging upon the passageway and engaging the portion of a line extending therethrough.
In some embodiments, the surface of the cam can have a groove therein to accommodate the portion of a line in the passage, particularly when the cam is in its second position. The surface of the cam can also have a structure, such as the edge of the groove, or teeth, or other structure for engaging the portion of the line in the passage when the cam is in its first position. The cam can be configured to allow the portion of the line to slip with respect to the cam in one direction (the direction of the movement of the surface of the cam from its first to second position), and to resist slipping of the line in the opposite direction (the direction of the movement of the surface of the cam from its second to its first position). This allows a line engaged by the device to be tightened without the need to manipulate the cam.
In some embodiments, the housing has two (or more) pairs of apertures defining two (or more) passages, each with its own cam. These embodiments can be used to engage portions of two (or more) different lines, or two (or more) different portions of the same line. The cams can be arranged so that the each pivot between their first and second directions in the same direction, or so that some of them pivot between their first and second directions in opposite directions. In the former case, the direction of slip of the line will be the same for each passage, in the latter case the direction of slip will vary from passage to passage. By constructing the device appropriately, or selecting the appropriate device, the user can determine whether, and in which direction, a line can slip relative to the device.
Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the description provided herein. The description and specific examples in this summary are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only of selected embodiments and not all possible implementations, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
Corresponding reference numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings.
Example embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. According to various aspects of the present disclosure, various embodiments are provided of devices for securing a length of rope. In one exemplary embodiment, a device for securing a length of rope includes a housing with at least one pair of apertures therein defining a passage through the housing for receiving a line of rope, where the housing has an interior wall underlying the at least one aperture defining the passage. The device includes a pin extending at least partially through the interior of the housing, and a torsion spring disposed within the housing. The device further includes at least one cam member with a grooved edge portion, being pivotally mounted on the pin, and biased by the torsion spring, so as to pivot the cam member's grooved edge portion in a direction towards the interior wall for engaging a line of rope received within the passage between the cam member's grooved edge portion and the interior wall. The at least one cam member has a lever depending from the cam member, which enables pivotal movement of the cam member's grooved edge portion away from the interior wall for releasing a rope received within the passage between the cam member's grooved edge portion and the interior wall.
In some embodiments, the at least one pair of apertures comprises a first pair of apertures defining a first passage through the housing for receiving a first portion of a rope, and a second pair of apertures defining a second passage through the housing for receiving a second portion of the rope. Furthermore, the at least one cam member comprises a first cam member with a grooved edge portion, being pivotally mounted on the pin and biased by the torsion spring so as to pivot the first cam member and grooved edge portion towards the interior wall for engaging a length of rope received within the first passage, and a second cam member with a grooved edge portion, being pivotally mounted on the pin and biased by the torsion spring so as to pivot the second cam member and grooved edge portion in a direction towards the interior wall for engaging an end portion of the rope received within the second passage. The first and second pairs of apertures are arranged in the housing such that an end portion of a rope may be inserted through the first and second pair of apertures to form a loop to be secured around a mooring post or bollard.
Referring to
The device 80 further includes a first cam member 140 pivotally mounted on the pin 130 to rotate between a first position in which the first cam member 140 impinges on the first passage 116, and a second position in which the cam member 140 does not impinge the first passage 116. The first cam member 140 can have a grooved edge portion 142 that engages a portion of a line extending through the first passage 116 when the first cam member is in its first position. The first cam member 140 can have a lever 144 depending therefrom, which is configured to enable pivotal movement of the first cam member between its first and second positions, to allow the user to move the first cam member to the second position to allow a portion of a line to be inserted or removed from the first passage 116.
The first cam member 140 can be configured to allow the portion of the line in the first passage 116 to slip with respect to the first cam member in one direction (the direction of the movement of the surface of the first cam member as it rotates from its first to second position), and to resist slipping of the line in the first passage 116 in the opposite direction (the direction of the movement of the surface of the first cam member as it rotates from its second to its first position).
The device 80 preferably also includes a second cam 150 pivotally mounted on the pin 130 to rotate between a first position in which the second cam member 150 impinges on the second passage 126, and a second position in which the second cam member 150 does not impinge the second passage 126. The second cam member 150 can have a grooved edge portion 152 that engages a portion of the line extending through the second passage 126 when the second cam member is in its first position. The second cam member 150 can have a lever 154 depending therefrom, which is configured to enable pivotal movement of the second cam member between its first and second positions, to allow the user to move the second cam member to the second position to allow a portion of a line to be inserted or removed from the second passage 126.
The second cam member 150 can be configured to allow the portion of the line in the second passage 126 to slip with respect to the first cam member in one direction (the direction of the movement of the surface of the second cam member as it rotates from its first to second position), and to resist slipping of the line in the second passage 126 in the opposite direction (the direction of the movement of the surface of the second cam member as it rotates from its second to its first position).
The torsion spring 132 biases the first and second cam members 140, 150 to urge the first and second cam members 140, 150 to rotate from their second positions to their first positions. In this first embodiment, the first and second cam members 140, 150 are arranged so that they rotate in opposite directions. This means that a single torsion spring 132 can bias the first and second cam members 140, 150 to their first positions. It further means that the portions of the lines engaged by each of the cam members 140, 150, can slip in opposite directions.
Referring to
Similarly, the second cam member 150 is biased by torsion spring 132 toward so as to pivot the second cam member 150 and its grooved edge portion 152 in a first direction to its first position engaging the portion of the line in the second passage 126. The second cam engages the portion of the line in the second passage 126, resisting movement of the line in a first direction. However, the second cam member can be configured to allow the portion of the line in second passage 126 to slip in the opposite direction. This allows the line to be pulled or tensioned without operating the second cam member 150. A line can be easily inserted into the second aperture 124, through the second passage 126, and out the aperture 122, but the movement of the line in the opposite direction (opposite the “INSERTION DIRECTION”) urges the sharp edge E of the grooved edge portion 152 to rotate into the line in the second passage 126, engaging the line more tightly.
To insert a line into the device, the user can either force the line through the inlet side of the passage (aperture 112 for first passage 116, and aperture 124 for second passage 126), or operate the first or second cam member in the appropriate direction to move the cam member from its first position to its second position so that the cam member does not impinge on its respective passage. When the line has been inserted, the user simply releases the cam member, which under the resilient force of the spring 132 rotates to its first position engaging the portion of the line in its respective passage. The user can slide the line in one direction, but not in the other direction. When the user wishes to release the line, the user simply operates the first or second cam member 140, 150 from its first position to its second position, releasing the engagement of the cam member with the portion of the line in its respective passage 116 or 126, allowing the line to be removed.
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In the second embodiment shown in
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The third embodiment of a device 300 for securing a length of rope further includes a pin 330 extending at least partially through the interior of the housing 308, and a torsion spring 332 disposed within the housing 308. The device 300 further includes at least one cam member 340 with a grooved edge portion 342, being pivotally mounted on the pin 330 and biased by the torsion spring 332 so as to pivot the cam member 340 and grooved edge portion 342 in a direction towards the interior wall 310 for engaging a line of rope received within the first passage 316 between the cam member's grooved edge portion 342 and the interior wall 310. The at least one cam member 340 further includes a lever 344 depending from the cam member 340, where the lever enables pivotal movement of the cam member's grooved edge portion 342 away from the interior wall 310 for releasing a line of rope that is received within the first passage 316 between the cam member's grooved edge portion 342 and the interior wall 310. More preferably, the at least one cam member of the device 300 comprises a first cam member 340 and a second cam member 350, where the first cam member 340 and the second cam member 350 are each mounted in parallel in the same direction as the other. Like the first cam member 340, the second cam member 350 has a grooved edge portion, and is pivotally mounted on the pin 330 and biased by the torsion spring 332 so as to pivot the cam member's grooved edge portion 342 in a direction towards the interior wall 310 for engaging a portion of the rope received within the second passage 326. In the third embodiment of a device 300 for securing a length of rope, the torsion spring 332 preferably biases the first and second cam members 340, 350 to urge both the first and second cam members 340, 350 to rotate in the same direction, but in other embodiments, the cam members can be biased in opposite directions.
The foregoing description of the embodiments has been provided for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention. Individual elements or features of a particular embodiment are generally not limited to that particular embodiment, but, where applicable, are interchangeable and can be used in a selected embodiment, even if not specifically shown or described. The same may also be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the invention, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the invention.
