AU2010212506A1 - Rope Marker - Google Patents

Description

AUSTRALIA Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION Invention title: "Rope Marker" Applicant: Michelle Claire Hindley & David James Hindley Associated provisional applications: Number 2009904152 filed 31 August 2010 The following statement is a full description of the invention, including the best method of performing it known to me: 2 "Rope Marker" 5 Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a marker for indicating the presence of a rope, such as a rope used to support a tent. Background to the Invention 10 Tents are commonly supported by means of ropes secured from the outer surface of the tent to the ground. The tent ropes can prove to be a hazard when walking in the vicinity of a tent at night as it is difficult to see the location of the ropes. It is therefore quite easy for people to trip over the ropes and either injure themselves or dislodge the ropes by pulling out the tent pegs. 15 The present invention relates to a marker for providing information on the location of ropes, such as tent ropes, in the dark. The rope marker is designed to be easy to manufacture, store and use. 20 Summary of the Invention According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a rope marker comprising a luminous member connectable to a rope having one or more direction indicators thereon, wherein the direction indicators may be oriented in use to point towards the end of the rope, thereby indicating the 25 direction to move in order to pass around the rope. Preferably the luminous member is generally planar and rectangular in shape and is connectable to the rope adjacent a first side edge thereof such that the first side edge is generally parallel to the rope. 30 In one embodiment, the direction indicators comprise arrow shaped cut outs in the luminous member pointing towards the first end of the luminous member.

3 Preferably one or more reflectors are provided on the luminous member. In one embodiment, the reflectors comprise circular reflectors provided on the first side second sides of the luminous member. 5 In a preferred embodiment, the luminous member includes a first aperture adjacent the first side edge and the first end and a second aperture adjacent the first side edge and the second end such that the rope can pass through the first aperture from a first side of the luminous member, along a second side of the luminous member from the first aperture to the second aperture 10 and then pass through the second aperture. Each of the first and second apertures is preferably provided with a corresponding slot extending to the adjacent first or second end of the luminous body for inserting the rope. 15 Preferably each of the slots is generally L-shaped and includes a first portion extending from the aperture generally away from the adjacent end and away from the first side edge, and a second portion extending from the first portion to the adjacent end of the luminous member 20 In a preferred embodiment, a first engagement member is provided on the first side of the luminous member and a second engagement member is provided on the second side of the luminous member such that the first engagement member of one rope marker can be engaged with the second engagement 25 member of a further rope marker to allow multiple rope markers to be connected in a stacked configuration. In one embodiment, the first engagement member comprises an elongate protrusion extending parallel to the first side edge of the luminous member 30 and the second engagement member comprises a channel defined between a pair of ribs such that the elongate protrusion is received in a press-fit engagement in the channel.

4 Preferably the ribs run parallel to the first side from adjacent the first aperture to adjacent the second aperture such that the rope is received within the channel defined between the ribs. 5 Brief Description of the Drawings The invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the following drawings: 10 Figure Ia is an upper perspective view of a rope marker in accordance with the present invention; Figure 1 b is a lower perspective view of the rope marker of Figure 1 a; Figure 2 is a perspective view of the rope marker of Figure 1 secured to a tent rope; 15 Figure 3 is a perspective view of multiple rope markers in use on a tent; Figure 4 is an upper perspective view of multiple rope markers stacked together for storage; and Figure 5 is a side view of the rope markers stacked together for storage. 20 Detailed Description of Preferred Embodiments Referring to the Figures, there is shown a rope marker 10. The rope marker 10 comprises a luminous member 12 connectable to a rope, such as a tent rope 14. The luminous member 12 is constructed of a material that will glow in 25 the dark such that the rope marker 10 can be easily seen. The luminous member 12 may be constructed, for example, of a luminescent plastic material. The luminous member 12 is generally planar and rectangular in shape. The 30 luminous member 12 includes first and second side edges 16 and 17 and first and second ends 18 and 19. The luminous member 12 is connectable to the tent rope 14 adjacent the first side edge 16 such that the first and second side edges 16 and 17 are generally parallel to the tent rope 14 in use.

5 The luminous member 12 includes a first aperture 20 adjacent the first side edge 16 and the first end 18. Also provided is a second aperture 22 adjacent the first side edge 16 and the second end 19. The first and second apertures 5 20 and 22 are provided such that the tent rope 14 can pass through the first aperture 20 from a first side 24 of the luminous member 12, along a second side 25 of the luminous member 12 from the first aperture 20 to the second aperture 22 and then pass through the second aperture 22. The luminous member 12 is thereby supported from the tent rope 14 as can be seen in 10 Figure 2. Each of the first and second apertures 20 and 22 is provided with a corresponding slot 21 and 23. Each of the slots 21 and 23 extend from the corresponding aperture 20 and 22 to the adjacent end 18 or 19 of the 15 luminous member 12. The tent rope 14 can be located in place in the first and second apertures 20 and 22 once the tent rope 14 is secured in place by pushing the tent rope 14 through the slots 21 and 23. Each of the slots 21 and 23 is generally L-shaped and includes a first portion 26 extending generally away from the adjacent end 18 or 19 and away from the first side edge 16, 20 and a second portion 27 extending from the first portion 26 to the adjacent end 18 or 19 of the luminous member 12. The luminous member 12 is provided with a pair of ribs 28 on the second side 25 thereof. The ribs 28 run parallel to the first side 16 from adjacent the first 25 aperture 20 to adjacent the second aperture 22. The ribs 28 are spaced apart such that a channel is defined between the ribs 28 from the first aperture 20 to the second aperture 22. In use, the tent rope 14 is received within the channel defined between the ribs 28. 30 The luminous member 12 is provided with a first engagement member on the first side 24 thereof and a second engagement member on the second side 25 thereof. The first engagement member of one rope marker 10 can be engaged with a second engagement member of a further rope marker 10 such that multiple rope markers 10 can be connected in a stacked configuration.

6 In the embodiment shown, the first engagement member comprises an elongate protrusion 30 on the first side 24 of the luminous member 12. The second engagement member comprises the channel defined between the ribs 5 28 on the second side 25 of the luminous member 12. The elongate protrusion 30 is provided on the first side 24 of the luminous member 12 in a location opposite to that of the channel on the second side 25 such that when a rope marker 10 is placed on top of a further rope marker 10 oriented in the same direction, the elongate protrusion 30 is received in the channel between 10 the ribs 28 on the further rope marker 10. The elongate protrusion 30 is sized to be pressed between the ribs 28 of the adjacent rope marker 10 such that the elongate protrusion 30 engages with the ribs 28, thereby holding the rope markers 10 together in a stacked configuration. As can be seen in Figures 4 and 5, multiple rope markers 10 can be stacked together in this fashion for 15 storage and/or transport. The rope marker 10 is provided with one or more direction indicators 32 on the first and second sides 24 and 25. The direction indicators 32 are provided to indicate a direction parallel to the tent rope 14 when the rope marker 10 is 20 connected to the tent rope 14. The direction indicators 32 in the embodiment shown comprise a pair of arrow shaped cut outs in the luminous member 12, the apexes of which point to the first end 18 of the luminous member 12. The rope marker 10 is also provided with one or more reflectors 34. The 25 reflectors 34 comprise circular reflectors provided on both the first and second sides 24 and 25 of the luminous member 12. The reflectors 34 are provided to reflect light from vehicle headlights or torches, thereby further assisting people identifying the location of the tent ropes 14 at night. For example, a car moving near the tent at night will be given an indication of the location of the 30 tent ropes 14 by the reflectors 34 to reduce the likelihood of the car driving over the tent ropes 14. In the embodiment shown, the direction indicators 32 are provided generally midway between the first and second ends 18 and 19. First reflectors are 7 provided on each side of the luminous member 12 between the direction indicators 32 and the first end 18 and second reflectors are provided on each side of the luminous member 12 between the direction indicators 32 and the second end 19. 5 In use, the rope marker 10 is secured to the tent ropes 14 such that the first end 18 is adjacent the end of the tent rope 14 that is secured to the ground. In use at night, the luminous member 12 and the direction indicators 32 are visible to give both an indication of the presence of the tent rope 14 and 10 information as to which direction a person should walk in order to pass safely around the tent rope 14. It will be appreciated that while the rope marker 10 has been described in use 15 on tent ropes 14, the rope marker 10 may be used to indicate the presence of ropes used in other similar applications. It will be readily apparent to persons skilled in the relevant arts that various modifications and improvements may be made to the foregoing embodiments, 20 in addition to those already described, without departing from the basic inventive concepts of the present invention.

Claims (12)

1. A rope marker comprising a luminous member connectable to a rope having one or more direction indicators thereon, wherein the direction indicators may be oriented in use to point towards the end of the rope, thereby indicating the direction to move in order to pass around the rope. 10

2. A rope marker in accordance with claim 1, wherein the luminous member is generally planar and rectangular in shape and is connectable to the rope adjacent a first side edge thereof such that the first side edge is generally parallel to the rope. 15

3. A rope marker in accordance with claim 2, wherein the direction indicators comprise arrow shaped cut outs in the luminous member pointing towards the first end of the luminous member. 20

4. A rope marker in accordance with any one of the preceding claims wherein one or more reflectors are provided on the luminous member.

5. A rope marker in accordance with claim 4, wherein the reflectors comprise circular reflectors provided on the first side second sides of the 25 luminous member.

6. A rope marker in accordance with any one of the preceding claims, wherein the luminous member includes a first aperture adjacent the first side edge and the first end and a second aperture adjacent the first side edge and 30 the second end such that the rope can pass through the first aperture from a first side of the luminous member, along a second side of the luminous member from the first aperture to the second aperture and then pass through the second aperture. 35 9

7. A rope marker in accordance with claim 6, wherein each of the first and second apertures is provided with a corresponding slot extending to the 5 adjacent first or second end of the luminous body for inserting the rope.

8. A rope marker in accordance with claim 7, wherein each of the slots is generally L-shaped and includes a first portion extending from the aperture generally away from the adjacent end and away from the first side edge, and 10 a second portion extending from the first portion to the adjacent end of the luminous member

9. A rope marker in accordance with any one of the preceding claims, wherein a first engagement member is provided on the first side of the 15 luminous member and a second engagement member is provided on the second side of the luminous member such that the first engagement member of one rope marker can be engaged with the second engagement member of a further rope marker to allow multiple rope markers to be connected in a stacked configuration. 20

10. A rope marker in accordance with claim 9, wherein the first engagement member comprises an elongate protrusion extending parallel to the first side edge of the luminous member and the second engagement member comprises a channel defined between a pair of ribs such that the 25 elongate protrusion is received in a press-fit engagement in the channel.

11. A rope marker in accordance with claim 10, wherein the ribs run parallel to the first side from adjacent the first aperture to adjacent the second aperture such that the rope is received within the channel defined between the 30 ribs. 10

12. A rope marker substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings. 5 Michel Claire Hindley & David James Hindley by their Patent Attorneys 10 Armour IP