AU757946B2

AU757946B2 - A rope anchoring device

Info

Publication number: AU757946B2
Application number: AU22567/99A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Lincoln Michael Harrison
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1998-03-26
Filing date: 1999-03-26
Publication date: 2003-03-13
Anticipated expiration: 2019-03-26
Also published as: NZ330045A; AU2256799A

Description

TITLE OF THE INVENTION A ROPE ANCHORING DEVICE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a rope anchoring device.

More particularly but not exclusively the invention relates 1 0 to a rope anchoring device which is suitable for anchoring a tie down rope used in conjunction with a vehicle such as a utility vehicle, light truck, all terrain vehicle (ATV) e. trailer or the like.

15 There are many applications where a length of rope needs to be anchored such as when tying down a load on, say, the tray of a light truck, the well of a utility vehicle, the deck of a trailer vehicle or carrier of an ATV. Generally such vehicles provide a hook, cleat or the like about which a tie down rope is located but which does not anchor the rope unless the rope is specifically tied to or suitably wound around the hook. Even then it is difficult to maintain the required tension in the section of ropes extending between hooks or other tie down points to firmly retain the load or object being tied down by the rope. Furthermore, the action of winding the rope around a hook or tie down point or tying a knot is time consuming not only when tying down the load but also when removing the rope.

SPEC 1077 14 April, 1999 13/12 '02 08:37 FAX 64 6 3590198 D HOPKINS ASSOC -*4IP AUST SECURE 0005 3 SUMKiARY Or THlE INVENTION There is therefore a need for a rope anchoring device which in a straight forward yet effective manner can anchor a rope in place without the rope needing to be tied to or wound around to achieve an anchoring effect.

It is therefore an object of the present -invention to provide a rope anchoring device which at least goes some way to achieving -this requirement.

:Broadly, in one aspect of the invention there is provided a rope anchoring device including a mounting part for mounting the device to a structure, a tongue, and a cooperating member, spaced from the tongue said cooperating member presenting a surface which is disposed opposite a surface o~f the tongue the distance between the surfaces. decreasing from a distal end of th0_ tongue toward a root end of the tongue whereby a* rope can wedgingly locate between the surfaces.

In a preferred form of, the invention the surface of the cooperating member is curved. According to one f orm. of the invention can be -used in combination with a tie down rail where a part of the tie down rail forms the cooperating member.

Preferably the mounting part projects beyond the -cooperatintg member to a side thereof which is opposite to thtadjacent SPECI145S(OdWiri I3D77) I vnbr20 12 Drannber 2002 13/12 '02 08:38 FAX 64 6 3590198 D HOPKINS ASSOC IF AUST SECURE [a1006

A

which the tongue is located. Preferably the tongue is substantially parallel to the line of a tangent to that part of the curved surface which is closest to a downwardly (in use) projecting part of the tongue.

In a further form of the invention the cooperatinig member is a second tongue space'd from said tongue.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 9. Figure 1 is a perspective view of the rope anchoring device according to the present invention in conjunction :with a tie down rail, Figure 2 is an elevation view of another f orm of the rope anchoring device according to the present invention, .99.Figure 3 is an elevation view of yet a further form of the rope anchoring device, and Figure 4 is an elevation view of the form of the invention shown in Figure 3.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMXENTS

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SPEC455 06SI31 Itl- Decmntu200Z The rope anchoring device 10 according to the present invention can be provided as a stand alone separate item (Figure 2) or can, as illustrated in Figure 1, be provided in conjunction with a tie down rail 11. As shown in Figure 1 the anchoring device 10 is intended for mounting with part of the structure of a vehicle V such as the upper edge surface E of the side S of the well of a utility vehicle. The anchoring device can equally be adapted for mounting to the deck or some part of the deck support of a light flat deck truck or to the side or some part of the frame of a trailer, or to the carrier of an ATV by way of example.

In the preferred form of the anchoring device 10 according to the invention there is provided a mounting part 12 which in the illustrated arrangement includes a bore 13 through which .a mechanical fastener such as a bolt 14 can engage. The dimensions and proportions of the mounting portion 12 can be altered from that illustrated to suit the particular end application or vehicle to which the device is to be mounted.

The anchoring device further includes a tongue 15 which in the preferred form is constructed integrally with the mounting part 12. The tongue 15 can taper to a distal end 16 which is preferably of curved profile as illustrated.

The mounting part 12 is attached to a cooperating element 17 which in the preferred form of the invention provides a SPEC1077 14 April 1999 6 substantially curved outer surface part 18. In the arrangement illustrated in Figure 1 the cooperating member 17 is formed by a tie down rail 11 of preferably overall circular cross section.

As can be seen more particularly in Figure 2 the tongue and more particularly the inner surface 19 thereof is spaced from the cooperating member 17 by distance which is sufficient to receive and wedgingly engage a tie down rope T.

10 Typically the spacing is sufficient to accommodate a 9mm tie down rope which is the type of rope generally used for tying down loads for light vehicles, light trailers and the like.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, however, that the rope anchoring device can be constructed so as to accommodate ropes of greater or lesser diameter.

In the illustrated arrangement the tongue 15 extends downwardly in a direction substantially at right angles to the plane of the mounting portion 12 and is located so as to be substantially parallel to a tangent to that part of the curved surface 18 which is closest to the downwardly projecting part of the tongue 15. The distance between cooperating member 17 and the inner surface 19 of the tongue extending from distal end 16 decreases as illustrated in Figure 2.

SPEC1077 14 April, 1999 In use a tie down rope T is simply slipped behind the tongue so as to engage between the reverse or inner surface 19 of the tongue and the curved surface 18 of the cooperating member 17. This action results in the rope engaging in a wedging manner between the tongue 15 and the cooperating member 17 and thereby be anchored in position. As a consequence the rope does not need to be looped about or tied onto the tongue 15 so as to maintain tension in the rope.

This is illustrated in Figure 1 where the rope passes between 0 **oo a pair of anchoring devices 10 where that part T' of the rope *ooo which is tensioned over a load is maintained in tension as is the part T" between the adjacent anchoring devices 10 yet the end E of the rope is neither tied down nor is it tensioned.

In use, therefore, the end of the rope T would be tied to the tie down rail or some fixture and then passed over the load and slipped into engagement with each of a plurality of anchoring devices mounted with the vehicle. Due to the wedging action of the rope with each anchoring device each part of the rope between respective anchoring devices or the anchoring device next after the tied down end of the rope remains in tension without the need for any knotting or looping of the rope about the anchoring device. The other or free end of the rope is similarly knotted to a tie down rail or other fixture.

SPEC1077 14 April 1999 8 When untying the load the user simply unknots one end of the rope, pulls down on the rope adjacent each anchor device to release the rope from the anchoring device. The other end of the rope can then be released to complete removal of the tie down rope.

The invention as described is open to modification within the scope of the invention. Such a modified form as shown in Figure 3 where the anchoring device 10 is intended to be oo 10 formed from extrusion of a suitable extrudable material such oooo as an aluminium alloy. This simplifies manufacture so that a length of material having the cross section shown in Figure 3 can be manufactured and then cut transversely to form a plurality of separate anchoring devices According to this form of the invention the anchoring device includes mounting part 12 through which a bore for a mechanical fastener can be provided as described in connection with the preceding embodiment.

As with the previously described embodiment the anchoring device 10 includes a tongue 15 which, if required, can be finished to tapper to a distal end of a somewhat curved profile as illustrated in connection with the first embodiment. Alternatively the tongue could have parallel edges and sharp corners being simply removed by tumbling or SPECI077 14 April, 1999 other surface finishing once the extrusion has been cut to form the plurality of anchoring devices Located parallel to tongue 15 and spaced therefrom is a second tongue 15a. Tongues 15 and 15a are provided with opposing surfaces 19 and 19a which converge toward the root end 20. The spacing between the inner surfaces 19 and 19a is, as with the previously described embodiment, sufficient to receive and wedgingly engage a tie down rope T.

0 0 00 o With this embodiment of the anchoring device 10 a semi circular recess 21 is provided through which a tie down rail 11 can be inserted. The tie down rail 11 and anchoring device 10 can be mechanically coupled together by a grub S 15 screw (not shown) engaged in a threaded bore 22 in the land 23 which extends away from tongue 15a substantially in the direction of and parallel with the mounting portion 12. In the preferred form of the invention the distal portion of the land 23 which defines a mouth into recess 21 is spaced from the mounting portion 12 so that the mouth is of less width than the cross sectional external diameter of the tie down rail 11. This ensures a further positive mechanical coupling between the tie down rail 11 and the mounting device This embodiment of the invention provides an extremely practical and cost effective means of producing the rope anchoring device 10 of the present invention. Furthermore SPEC1077 14 ApiL 1999 this embodiment can be used with or without a tie down rail 11 as the space tongues 15 and 15a provide the function of tongue 15 and the cooperating member 17 of the first embodiment. The rope anchoring device can therefore be used in conjunction with say utility vehicles, trucks or the like where a tie down rail will generally be employed but equally can be used separately without any tie down rail on other vehicles such as trailers and the like. This embodiment of the present invention is therefore entirely versatile.

ooo* The tie down operation is achieved without the need for any separate knotting or looping of the rope about individual tie down points yet at the same time provides for maintaining tension in each pass of rope over the load. This is generally not achievable when the rope needs to be tied down, wound around cleats or the like at the end of each pass over the load.

Tying down a load using the anchor device thus becomes very quick and easy but highly effective as a good tension is always maintained in the rope and a load can therefore be firmly tied down.

SPEC1077 14 April, 1999

Claims

2. A rope anchoring device as claimed in claim 1 wherein S. the surface of the cooperating member is curved.
3. A rope anchoring device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the surface of the cooperating member is substantially flat.
4. A rope anchoring device as claimed in claim 1 or 2 in combination with a tie down rial wherein a part of the tie down rail forms the cooperating member. A rope anchoring device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the mounting part projects beyond the cooperating member to a side thereof which is opposite to that adjacent which the tongue is located.
6. A rope anchoring device as claimed in claim 2 wherein the mounting part projects beyond the cooperating member to a side thereof which is opposite to that adjacent SST which the tongue is located and the tongue is ff substantially parallel to the line of a tangent to that V S 1455 (1Oii 107) 1D amber 2002 13/12 '02 08:39 FAX 64 6 3590198 D HOPKINS ASSOC 444 IP AUST SECURE @oio 12 part of the curved surface which is closest to a downwardly (in use) projecting part of the tongue.
7. A rope anchoring device as claimed in claim 2 wherein the tongue is substantially parallel to the line of a tangent to that part of the curved surface which is closest to a part of the tongue which in use is downwardly projecting. 10 8. A rope anchoring device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the cooperating member is a second tongue spaced from said tongue. f 0@* 0 oooo 0@* 20 9@ 000 ooo *o *o oo
9. A rope anchoring device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims further including a recess within which a part of a tie down rail can be located. A rope anchoring device as claimed in claim 9 wherein there is provided fixing means for fixing the device to a tie down rail.
11. A rope anchoring device as claimed in claim 9 or wherein a mouth which opens into the recess is of a width less than the cross-sectional external diameter of a tie down rail to be inserted into the recess.
12. A rope anchoring device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the mounting part includes means for engagement with a fixing device.
13. A rope anchoring device as claimed in claim 12 wherein S T~ the means is an aperture. (original 1077) 12 Dember Z002 13/12 '02 08:39 FAX 64 6 3590198 D HOPKINS ASSOC 444 IP AUST SECURE @1011 13
14. A rope anchoring device substantially as herein described with reference to Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings.
15. A rope anchoring device substantially as herein described with reference to Figures 3 and 4 of the drawings. oo *0 0 9S o DATED this 12" 1 Day of December 2002 LINCOLN MICHAEL HARRISON Patent Attorneys for the Applicant/Nominated Person DON HOPKINS ASSOCIATES 00* 0000 0* e o ooo 0 12 December 2002