Not applicable.
Referring now to the drawings, and in particular to
The grappling hook 10 can be used by the military in obstacle reduction (hooking on to barbed wire or concertina and being pulled out of place by a vehicle with the grappling hook 10 and rope, cable or chain attached). The grappling hook 10 can also be used in finding and exploding mines that use trip wires (throwing the device over an area where the known or suspected trip wire may exist). The grappling hook 10 can be used as a dragging device by fire and rescue officers in dragging a body of water for missing people or submerged missing items. The grappling hook 10 can be thrown by hand, with a rope-like attachment, or can be fired some useful longer distances using compressed air, spring tension, or explosive charges.
The grappling hook 10 offers the primary advantage of being a strong, easily storable, in its delivered form, easily manually deployable, tool for retrieving objects and has other numerous uses. It can be made in various sizes and widths. The tool can be machined from steel, aluminum, or other materials. Two main logistical or military advantages of the grappling hook 10 are the small spaces required to carry several of the grappling hooks 10 and its light weight. As will be discussed below, the grappling hook 10 can be a relatively cheap, almost “disposable” device.
The grappling hook 10 is provided with a shaft 12, a plurality of arms 14 (labeled in
The grappling hook 10 is provided with a plurality of relief cutouts 20 to promote or facilitate bending of the arms 14 relative to the connecting member 16. The relief cutouts are indicated in
The use of grappling hooks, such as the grappling hook 10, is well known in the art. Thus, a description of the use of the grappling hook 10 is not deemed necessary to teach one skilled in the art how to use the grappling hook 10.
Referring to
The grappling hook blank 30 has a width 32 and a length 34. The size of the width 32 and length 34 can vary widely depending on the types of materials forming the grappling hook blank 30, as well as the intended configuration of the grappling hook 10. In one preferred embodiment, the width 32 of the grappling hook blank 30 is about 2½ inches, and the length 34 is in a range from about 12 inches to about 16 inches.
The grappling hook blank 30 defines a shaft portion 36, a plurality of arm portions 38, and a connecting member portion 40. The shaft portion 36 and the arm portions 38 are connected to the connecting member portion 40. A plurality of relief cutouts 42 are provided at the intersection of each of the arm portions 38 and the connecting member portion 40 such that the arm portions 38 can be bent or formed as will be discussed below. The grappling hook blank 30 can be provided with any number of arm portions 38 desired for the intended use. For example, the grappling hook blank 30 may be provided with 2, 3, 4 or 5 arm portions 38.
The shaft portion 36 of the grappling hook blank 30 forms the shaft 12 of the grappling hook 10. The arm portions 38 of the grappling hook blank 30 form the arms 14 of the grappling hook 10. The connecting member portion 40 of the grappling hook blank 30 forms the connecting member 16 of the grappling hook 10.
The shaft portion 36, the arm portions 38 and the connecting member portion 40 can be defined in the grappling hook blank 30 by an outer peripheral edge 44 of the grappling hook blank 30 as well as separation lines 46 formed in the grappling hook blank 30. The separation lines 46 can be formed in the grappling hook blank 30 by any machine or process capable of cutting and/or otherwise forming the separation lines 46. For example, the separation lines 46 can be formed with a laser or a plasma cutter, die cutting device, or a mill.
Because of its compact size and light weight, the grappling hook blank 30 is preferably shipped or transported to a desired location for use and then formed into the grappling hook 10. The grappling hook 10 can be formed by applying manual force to the arm portions 38 of the grappling hook blank 30 and thereby moving the arm portions 38 outwardly to form the arms 14 of the grappling hook 10.
Referring now to
The grappling hook blanks 50 and 60 are each further provided with a breakaway, protective portion top 56 and 66, respectively. The break away, protective tops 56 and 66 prevent damage to the sharp points 58 and 68 of the arm portions 54 and 64, as well as prevent injury to an individual carrying the grappling hook blanks 50 and 60. The grappling hook blanks 50 and 60 may be sized to a length of about 7 inches and a width of about 2.25 inches so that the grappling hook blanks 50 and 60 will fit in an M16 ammo pouch which holds several 30-round magazines for military or police SWAT unit use.
Shown in
Referring to
The grappling hook blank 80 is also provided with a break-off tool 88 formed in shaft portion 90. The break-off tool 88 may be popped out of the shaft portion 90 without the use of a hand tool. One end 92 of the break-off tool 88 is provided with a wrench for breaking off breakaway horns 82 and breakaway tabs 94. The opposite end 96 of the break-off tool 88 is shown provided with a bottle opener. However, it should be understood that any other varied implement may be placed on the opposite end 96 of the break-off tool 88, such as a screw driver, a file, or a knife.
The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described above. Therefore, changes may be made in the combinations, operations, and arrangements of the various parts and elements described herein without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.
The present patent application is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 11/068,610, filed Feb. 28, 2005; which is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 10/295,311, filed Nov. 14, 2002, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,860,535; which claims priority to the provisional patent application identified by U.S. Ser. No. 60/360,300, filed on Feb. 26, 2002. Each of the above-referenced patent applications is incorporated herein by reference for all purposes.
Number | Date | Country | |
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60360300 | Feb 2002 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 11068610 | Feb 2005 | US |
Child | 11406155 | Apr 2006 | US |
Parent | 10295311 | Nov 2002 | US |
Child | 11068610 | Feb 2005 | US |