This application claims priority of Taiwanese Application No. 102211561, filed on Jun. 20, 2013.
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a safety hook, more particularly to a highly-safe safety hook.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional safety hook includes a hook body that has an opening, and a trigger member that releasably blocks the opening of the hook body. The conventional safety hook may be tied on an aerial worker with the hook body hooking a guide rail or a guide rope and the opening being blocked by the trigger member, such that the aerial worker may move safely along the guide rail or the guide rope.
However, the trigger member may be easily driven to unblock the opening of the hook body through an accidental impact or depression, and the hook body may therefore be easily detached from the guide rail or the guide rope, thus endangering the worker.
Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a safety hook that can overcome the aforesaid drawbacks associated with the prior arts.
Accordingly, a safety hook of the present invention includes a hook body and a trigger unit. The hook body has a base segment, a hook segment that extends curvedly from the base segment, and an auxiliary hook segment that extends from a distal end of the hook segment. The auxiliary hook segment and the base segment cooperatively define an opening therebetween. The trigger unit includes a keeper member and a trigger member. The keeper member is connected pivotally to the base segment of the hook body. The trigger member is connected pivotally to the keeper member. The keeper member is operable to pivot relative to the base segment between a released position and a pressed position, so as to drive the trigger member to move relative to the hook body. The trigger member engages the base segment and the auxiliary hook segment of the hook body, and is unable to pivot relative to the keeper member so as to block the opening of the hook body when the keeper member is at the released position. The trigger member is disengaged from the base segment and the auxiliary hook segment of the hook body, and is able to pivot relative to the keeper member to unblock the opening of the hook body when the keeper member is at the pressed position.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which:
Before the present invention is described in greater detail, it should be noted that like elements are denoted by the same reference numerals throughout the disclosure.
As shown in
The hook body 2 has a base segment 22, a hook segment 21 that extends curvedly from the base segment 22, and an auxiliary hook segment 23 that extends from a distal end of the hook segment 21. The auxiliary hook segment 23 and the base segment 22 cooperatively define an opening 20 therebetween.
The base segment 22 has a connecting portion that is connected to the hook segment 21 and that is formed with an engaging groove 222 proximate to the opening 20, a central portion that is formed with a limiting groove 223, and an end portion 221 that is opposite to the hook segment 21 and that has a ring structure for being tied with a rope (not shown). The engaging groove 222 is defined by an abutment surface 2221 of the base segment 22 (see
The auxiliary hook segment 23 has a distal end portion 232 that extends away from the base segment 22, and an intermediate portion 231 that interconnects the distal end of the hook segment 21 and the distal end portion 232. In this embodiment, the intermediate portion 231 is L-shaped and cooperates with the distal end portion 232 to form a U-shaped structure and to define a retaining space 233 therebetween.
The trigger unit 3 includes a keeper member 31, a first rod member 313, a trigger member 32, a second rod member 323 and a first resilient member 33.
The first rod member 313 interconnects pivotally the keeper member 31 and the base segment 22 of the hook body 2.
The keeper member 31 has a pair of spaced-apart lever walls 312 and a connecting wall 311.
The lever walls 312 are respectively disposed at two opposite sides of the hook body 2. Each of the lever walls 312 has a central portion for extension of the first rod member 313 therethrough, a perforated first distal portion corresponding in position to the limiting groove 223, and a second distal portion that is opposite to the limiting groove 223.
The connecting wall 311 interconnects the second distal portions of the lever walls 312. The connecting wall 311 and the second distal portions of the lever walls 312 cooperatively serve as an operating section (A) of the keeper member 31 (see
The trigger member 32 has a pair of spaced-apart lever walls 322, a base wall 321, a connecting pin 324 and a roller member 325.
The lever walls 322 are respectively disposed at the two opposite sides of the hook body 2. Each of the lever walls 322 has a central portion that corresponds in position to the limiting groove 223, a first distal portion that is proximate to the auxiliary hook segment 23, and a second distal portion that is distal from the auxiliary hook segment 23.
The base wall 321 interconnects the first distal portions of the lever walls 312. A distal portion of the base wall 321 distal from the central portions of the lever walls 322 has a hoop structure 320. A distal portion of the hoop structure 320 serves as an engaging section 3212. A proximal portion of the base wall 321 proximate to the central portions of the lever walls 322 is formed with a positioning groove 3213, and has an engaging surface 3214 that faces toward the hook segment 21 of the hook body 2.
The connecting pin 324 extends through and interconnects the second distal portions of the lever walls 322.
The roller member 325 is mounted on the connecting pin 324. The connecting pin 324, the roller member 325 and the second distal portions of the lever walls 322 cooperatively serve as an operating section (B) of the trigger member 32 (see
The second rod member 323 extends through the limiting groove 223, the central portions of the lever walls 322 of the trigger member 32 and the first distal portions of the lever walls 312 of the keeper member 31 to interconnect pivotally the keeper member 31 and the trigger member 32. The second rod member 323 is slidable within the limiting groove 223 between the first and second ends 2231, 2232 so as to limit a range of pivot movement of the keeper member 31 relative to the base segment 22.
The trigger member 32 further has a pair of positioning walls 326 and a pair of guide walls 3221.
The positioning walls 326 extend respectively from the second distal portions of the lever walls 322 toward each other, and clamp slidably the base segment 22 of the hook body 2 therebetween for positioning the trigger member 32 relative to the base segment 22 of the hook body 2 (i.e., for preventing wobbling of the trigger member 32 during the pivot movement of the trigger member 32 relative to the base segment 22 of the hook body 2).
The guide walls 3221 extend respectively from the first distal portions of the lever walls 322, and are respectively disposed at two opposite sides of the auxiliary hook segment 23 for facilitating engagement and disengagement of the auxiliary hook segment 23 and the trigger member 32.
The first resilient member 33 is configured as a torsion spring, and has a central portion 332 wound on the first and second rod members 313, 323, a first end portion 331 abutting against the keeper member 31 for biasing the keeper member 31 toward the released position, and a second end portion 334 opposite to the first end portion 331 and abutting against the trigger member 32 for biasing the trigger member 32 away from the hook segment 21 of the hook body 2.
Referring to
In detail, the proximal portion of the base wall 321 of the trigger member 32 engages the engaging groove 222, the engaging surface 3214 abuts against the abutment surface 2221, and the intermediate portion 231 and the distal end portion 232 of the auxiliary hook segment 23 engage the engaging section 3212 of the base wall 321 of the trigger member 32 with the intermediate portion 231 extending through the hoop structure 320 of the base wall 321 and with the engaging section 3212 being retained in the retaining space 233, such that the trigger member 32 is unable to pivot relative to the keeper member 31 to unblock the opening 20. At this time, a portion of the base segment 22 engages the positioning groove 3213 such that the trigger member 32 is prevented from wobbling relative to the hook body 2.
Referring to
In detail, the proximal portion of the base wall 321 of the trigger member 32 is disengaged from the engaging groove 222, the engaging surface 3214 is separated from the abutment surface 2221, and the intermediate portion 231 and the distal end portion 232 of the auxiliary hook segment 23 are disengaged from the engaging section 3212 of the base wall 321 of the trigger member 32 with the engaging section 3212 escaping from the retaining space 233, such that the trigger member 32 is able to pivot relative to the keeper member 31 to unblock the opening 20 of the hook body 2 (see
In use, a user needs to sequentially press the operating section (A) of the keeper member 31 against the resilient force of the first resilient member 33 to drive the keeper member 31 to pivot from the released position to the pressed position so as to disengage the trigger member 32 from the base segment 22 and the auxiliary hook segment 23 of the hook body 2, and press the operating section (B) of the trigger member 32 in a direction opposite to that of the keeper member 31 to drive the trigger member 32 while holding the keeper member 31 at the pressed position to pivot the trigger member 32 toward the hook segment 21 of the hook body 2 so as to unblock the opening 20. Therefore, the opening 20 of the hook body 2 would not be accidentally unblocked when the keeper member 31 is at the released position. As a result, the safety hook of this invention is safer to use than the conventional safety hook when applied to aerial work.
Referring to
The operating member 34 is connected to the base segment 22, is disposed opposite to the keeper member 31, and has a pair of spaced-apart side walls 342 and a carved connecting wall 341. The side walls 342 are respectively disposed at the two opposite sides of the hook body 2. Each of the side walls 342 has a first end portion for extension of the third rod member 343 therethrough, a side portion that is proximate to the base segment 22 and that is formed with a sliding groove 344, and a second end portion opposite to the first end portion. The curved connecting wall 341 interconnects the second end portions of the side walls 342, and is curved away from the base segment 22 in a direction from the first end portions of the side walls 342 toward the second end portions of the side walls 342. The curved connecting wall 341 and the second end portions of the side walls 342 cooperatively serve as an operating section (B′) of the operating member 34 for being pressed toward the base segment 22 (see
The trigger member 32 further has a pair of sliding pins 327 that are connected respectively to the second distal portions of the lever walls 322′, and that engage respectively and slidably the sliding grooves 344 of the side walls 342 of the operating member 34, such that pivot movement of the operating member 34 drives pivot movement of the trigger member 32 via sliding engagement between the sliding pins 327 and the sliding grooves 344 when the keeper member 31 is at the pressed position.
The sliding groove 344 of each of the side walls 342 of the operating member 34 has a first end 3441 that is proximate to the third rod member 343, and a second end 3442 that is opposite to the first end and that is distal from the third rod member 343. Each of the sliding pins 327 is at the first end of the respective one of the sliding grooves 344 when the operating member 34 is released, and is moved to the second end 3442 of the respective one of the sliding grooves 344 when the operating member 34 is pressed, such that the trigger member 32 is able to pivot relative to the keeper member 31 to unblock the opening 20 of the hook body 2.
The base segment 22 of the second preferred embodiment is further formed with an installing groove 224. The second resilient member 35 is partially retained in the installing groove 224, and is connected between the base segment 22 and the connecting wall 341 of the operating member 34 for biasing the operating member 34 away from the base segment 22.
Referring to
In use, a user needs to sequentially press the operating section (A) of the keeper member 31 against the resilient force of the first resilient member 33 to drive the keeper member 31 to pivot from the released position to the pressed position so as to disengage the trigger member 32 from the base segment 22 and the auxiliary hook segment 23 of the hook body 2, and press the operating section (B′) of the operating member 34 in a direction opposite to that of the keeper member 31 against the resilient force of the second resilient member 35 while holding the keeper member 31 at the pressed position to drive the trigger member 32 to pivot toward the hook segment 21 of the hook body 2 so as to unblock the opening 20. Therefore, the opening 20 of the hook body 2 would not foe accidentally unblocked when the keeper member 31 is at the released position.
While the present invention has been described in connection with what are considered the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is understood that this invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments but is intended to cover various arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent arrangements.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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102211561 U | Jun 2013 | TW | national |
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
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8117721 | Yang | Feb 2012 | B2 |
20110113603 | Yang | May 2011 | A1 |
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20120102688 | Yang | May 2012 | A1 |
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20140373319 A1 | Dec 2014 | US |