Patent Application
20140117187
The present invention is generally directed to passive climbing protection devices such as climbing chocks, nuts, and stoppers (hereinafter referred to generally as chocks). In particular, the present invention is directed to a passive climbing protection device comprised of multiple components that are confined to a single stem which nest to create chocks of differing sizes.
Climbers may employ various types of protection devices to secure themselves to a rock wall. These protection devices are commonly categorized as either active or passive protection devices. In either case, the protection device is typically inserted into a crack in the rock wall and secured between opposing surfaces of the crack. Once secured, the protection device can be used as an attachment point for supporting the weight of the climber.
Active protection devices employ a chock comprised of moving mechanical parts. The relative motion of parts allows for reduced effective width of the device for insertion into the crack, a self-enlarging effective width at rest within the crack, and reduced effective width for removal from the crack. Active protection devices are capable of a continuous size range. Common examples of active protection devices include the cam and the ball nut. Passive protection devices, on the other hand, employ a chock comprised of a single mechanical part having a width sufficient to allow the chock to be wedged within a crack.
Both active and passive protection devices are individually confined to a stem. The stem of a protection device may be a sling, cable, wire, or rigid member that extends from the mechanical part(s), shifting the attachment point away from the mechanical part(s). Typically, a carabiner is attached to the end of the stem opposite the wedged-in mechanical part(s) to allow the climber to secure a rope from the protection device.
Because passive protection devices, such as the chocks shown in
The present invention is generally directed to a passive climbing protection device comprised of multiple components that are confined to a single stem which nest to create chocks of differing sizes. The multiple components are sized to enable each smaller component to be nested within the next largest component. Different sized chocks can be formed by simply sliding one or more larger components away from one or more smaller components leaving the smaller components to form a chock of the desired size.
Accordingly, the passive climbing protection device provides multiple differently sized chocks on a single stem to enable a large range of placements to be covered with a single device. The present invention is therefore more compact and easier to use than in prior art approaches which require the climber to carry many more devices to encompass the same range of placements.
In one embodiment, the present invention comprises a passive climbing protection device that includes a stem and multiple components secured to the stem which nest to form chocks of differing sizes.
In another embodiment, the present invention comprises a passive climbing protection device that includes a stem and multiple components attached to the stem. The multiple components include a smallest component and a largest component. The largest component has a cavity within which the smallest component can be inserted when the largest component is used to secure the device to a climbing surface.
In another embodiment, the present invention comprises a passive climbing protection device that includes a stem, a first component secured to the stem, and a second component secured to the stem. The second component has a cavity into which the first component inserts when the second component is slid overtop the first component to thereby enable the second component to be used to secure the device to a climbing surface. The second component is slidable along the stem to expose the first component to allow the first component to be used to secure the device to the climbing surface
This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.
Additional features and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by the practice of the invention. The features and advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by means of the instruments and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims. These and other features of the present invention will become more fully apparent from the following description and appended claims, or may be learned by the practice of the invention as set forth hereinafter.
In order to describe the manner in which the above-recited and other advantages and features of the invention can be obtained, a more particular description of the invention briefly described above will be rendered by reference to specific embodiments thereof which are illustrated in the appended drawings. Understanding that these drawings depict only typical embodiments of the invention and are not therefore to be considered to be limiting of its scope, the invention will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail through the use of the accompanying drawings in which:
The present invention is generally directed to a passive climbing protection device comprised of multiple components that are confined to a single stem which nest to create chocks of differing sizes. The multiple components are sized to enable each smaller component to be nested within the next largest component. Different sized chocks can be formed by simply sliding one or more larger components away from one or more smaller components leaving the smaller components to form a chock of the desired size.
Accordingly, the passive climbing protection device provides multiple differently sized chocks on a single stem to enable a large range of placements to be covered with a single device. The present invention is therefore more compact and easier to use than in prior art approaches which require the climber to carry many more devices to encompass the same range of placements.
In one embodiment, the present invention comprises a passive climbing protection device that includes a stem and multiple components secured to the stem which nest to form chocks of differing sizes.
In another embodiment, the present invention comprises a passive climbing protection device that includes a stem and multiple components attached to the stem. The multiple components include a smallest component and a largest component. The largest component has a cavity within which the smallest component can be inserted when the largest component is used to secure the device to a climbing surface.
In another embodiment, the present invention comprises a passive climbing protection device that includes a stem, a first component secured to the stem, and a second component secured to the stem. The second component has a cavity into which the first component inserts when the second component is slid overtop the first component to thereby enable the second component to be used to secure the device to a climbing surface. The second component is slidable along the stem to expose the first component to allow the first component to be used to secure the device to the climbing surface
Device 200 can therefore provide passive climbing protection over a wide range of placements (i.e. the range of widths between the smallest width of component 201c to the largest width of component 201a). Device 200 is also easy to carry and use during climbing. For example, because a single device can provide coverage for a wide range of placements, the climber can carry fewer devices. Also, when the climber needs to place a protection device, the climber can likely accomplish the placement using the single device 200 without having to obtain and test many different devices until one of the appropriate size is found. Further, because the effective width of device 200 can be adjusted by simply sliding the components back along stem 202, identifying the proper sized chock to use can be accomplished quickly and simply. This is an important consideration because oftentimes the climber only has one free hand with which to accomplish the placement.
Although devices 200 and 300 are each shown as including three components, a device in accordance with the present invention could also be configured with two, four, or more components. Accordingly, the present invention encompasses passive protection devices having any number of nested components that are confined to a stem. Further, a device in accordance with the present invention can include components having any polygonal shape.
Although device 400 is shown as including two components, more than two components could also be used in this configuration. In such cases, the additional components may be configured similar to component 401a (i.e. not enclosed on two sides) or may be configured similar to components 201a, 201b (i.e. enclosed on all sides). Similar embodiments may also employ components of different shapes (e.g. hexagonal components) where one or more of the components are not enclosed on all sides.
As best shown in
Device 500 can also include additional components which may be configured similar to any of components 201a, 401a, or 501a. For example, a component enclosed on all four sides similar to component 201a can be sized and shaped to fit overtop of component 501a when component 501a is placed overtop of component 501b. Similarly, a component enclosed on only two sides similar to component 401a can be sized and shaped to fit overtop of component 501a when component 501a is placed overtop of component 501b. In such cases, the two sides of the additional component can be configured to be placed overtop of either set of sides of the combination of components 501a, 501b (e.g. to be placed vertically or horizontally with respect to device 500 as shown in
The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics. The described embodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the invention is, therefore, indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description. All changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/719,069 which was filed on Oct. 26, 2013.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61719069 | Oct 2012 | US |
