US1373768A - Collapsible lifeboat-chock - Google Patents

Description

A. P. SCHAT. COLLAPSIBLE LIFEBOAT CHOCK. APPLICATION man mm; 12, 1.920.

/ j 2 SHEETSSHEET 1.

Jifarng/ Patented Apr. 5, 1921.

A. P. SCHAT.

COLLAPSIBLE LIFEBOAT CHOCK. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 12, 1920.

Patented Apr. 5, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- jiiorizgy.

ANE PIETER S CHAT, OF UTREGHT, NETHERLANDS.

GOLLAPSIBLE LIFEBOAT-CHOCK.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Ann Prnrnn Sonar, a subject of the Queen of the Netherlands, residing at Utrecht, Netherlands, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Collapsible Lifeboat Chocks, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to collapsible life boat chocks of the type comprising in combination a stationary supporting member and a pivotally mounted supporting member, the latter of which supports the keel of the boat and, when collapsed, allows the boat to swing out freely.

Tn collapsible chocks of this type it has been proposed to anchor the movable member by means of a flexible member such as a chain passing under a roller secured to a stationary part of the vessel to the gunwale of the lifeboat where it is made secure.

In other known constructions serious difficulties may be experienced in withdrawing the element which holds the pivotally mounted supporting member in its supporting position, owing to the heavy pressurG brought to bear by the boat on the chocks and consequently on the locking element.

Moreover, said pressure may cause undue deformations of the locking element, espe cially when the shipguards or grips are not taut so that the boat-is free to ride on its chocks with the rocking of the ship.

The chief object of the present invention is to provide means whereby the pivotally mounted supporting member may be caused to collapse in a simple and efiicient manner without requiring any considerable'force.

According to my present invention the lifeboat chock comprises in combination with a stationary supporting member having an incline extending downwardly and outwardly toward the water, a pivotally mounted supporting member on'which'the keel of the lifeboat rests so that it bears the weight of the boat, and having its pivot at the inside of the vertical plane passing through the keel of the'boat, saidpivoted supporting member being adapted to be locked by a j ournaled rigid locking element such as a latch, a cam hook, or a crank like device in such a manner thatthe force exerted thereon by the pivoted supporting member passes substantially through the journal of said element.

In collapsible chocks of a different typeto the above comprising stationary and piv- Specification of Letters Patent.

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Patented Apr. 5, 1921 Application filed June 12, 1920. Serial No. 388,528.

otally mounted supporting members in which the keel of the boat rests on the stationary member it has been proposed to lock the pivotally mounted member in its operative position by means of a rigid pivoted member provided with a projecting catch adapted to engage with the said pivotally mounted member.

Referring to the accompanying drawings which illustrate, by way of example, two embodiments of the invention;

Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view on the AA in Fig. 2, which shows a plan view of a chock in accordance with my pres' ent invention;

Fig. 3 is a front view of a boat supported by the chocks; I

Fig. 4 is an illustration of a hook for en aging the outboard slip-guard chain;

Fig. 5 is an illustration of a hook for engaging the inboard slip-guardchain;

Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a second embodiment of my invention.

Referring to Figs. 1 to 8, the boat is supported on chocks each comprising two members pivoted together. One of these memhers is stationary and is formed by two substantially triangular parallel frames, one side 1 of which is inclined outwardly and downwardly and is so formed as to engage the inner side of the boat; said frames are secured to the deck and are spaced apart a sufiicient distance to receive easily between them a supporting member 3 rotatably mounted on a journal 2 which passes centrally through the inclines 1. The supporting member 3 has preferably the shape as shown, and serves in its raised position to support the outer side of the boat. The supporting member 3 has a tendency to drop downwardly by i gravity, when its top and bottom sides practically coincide with those of the stationary triangular frames. In other words, it is so constructed that when it swings downwardly it becomes apart of the incline 1 upon which the boat moves to.- ward the water.

In its supporting position the supporting member 3 is held against rotation about its pivot 2 by means of a gravity latch 4 rotatably mounted on the stationary frames by means of a journal 5. The latch isso journaled that the force exerted thereon by the member 3 acts substantially in a line passing through the journal 5. This journal is nearer the forward 'end of the latch than certain angular the latch 4.]

' screwworking in a the rearward end to cause said rearward end to have a by gravity and the forward end to rise into a cut-away portion 6 of the rocker 3. At

the rear end of the latch 4 I provide a com- 7 bined doublehook and cam 7 which has the shape of the letter S inverted and is rigidly mounted at its center on a shaft 8 journaled inthe' stationary frame. The upper hook of the member 7 in the position shown engages the rearward end of the gravity 3 latch l. 1

On the shaft 8 a rope wheel 9, and a lever 11 are mounted. A rope is secured-to the rope Wheel 9. V

It should be noticed that the pull exerted by the rearward end of the latch l on the cam hook 7 is one line passing through the pivot 8, so that said hook 7 firmly holds the latch with little or no tendency to move backwardly out of engagement therewith.

Pivotally mounted on a shaft 12suppcrted by the stationary frame is a bell-crank lever 13 having a short rearwardly inclined arm which in the position shown in 3 overreaches the end oi the lever 11 so as to prevent the latter from moving upward,

V wh ereas the longer forwardly extending arm of the bell-crank lever 13 is ingengagement with the deck. an eye provided in said longer arm, and thence upwardly through a rigid eye 14 secured to-the stationary frame.

It will be seen that a pull upon the rope 10 in the direction. of the arrow 15 will cause the bell-crank lever 13 7 distance, thus releasing the lever 11. The rope wheel 9 is then rotated under the action of the rope 10, whereby the upper hook oi. the cam hook 7 disengages Then, as the shaft 8 continues to move in the same dire tion, the rearward end of the latch 4 is positively lifted by the lower cam of the cam hook 7, whereby the forward end oi said latch discn. the

cut-away portion '6 of the supporting mem her 3. The supporting member 3 is then free to rotate about its pivot 2; so that it swings down into the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1 and the boat is free to move toward the water. I

' It the outer side oi the boat were supported exclusively ormainlv by the top of the supporting member 3," the leverage of the load of the boat on the lockin .means would be considerable and the face of-the cutaway.

portion 6 would exert a heavy pressure upon the latch 4, so that turning the latter would require considerable force; Therefore, I provide the, supporting member 3 at the outer side of the pivot 2 and at a slight dis tance therefrom with a jack-screw 16 vertically below the keel of the boat, said jackthreaded plate and be ing'provided with openings in the periphery permanent tendency to descend Th e rope 10 passes through to turn through a locked by a comb of its head to be engaged by abar for turning the screw. When-the screw is turned upwardlythe weight of the boat is supported thereupon and thestrain is taken 0d the outer end of the supporting member 3, which greatly reduces the strain on the latch 4i. i

The boat when resting on its chocks is securely held thereon by means of inboard and outboard slipguard chains 17 and 18 provided at their lower ends with elongated links for engaging rigid hooks 19, 20 extending in'a direction transversely of the ship and open toward the water, said hooks being secured to the stationary frame and to the deck respectively It will be seen that when the'chock collapses the tension of he chains l7, 18 is relieved and as the boat moves downwardly and outwardly toward the water, the elongated links of the chains will readily slip out'of the hooks.

The extreme simplicity of my slip-guard arrangement is a feature otgreat practical value. It should be noticed that the hook 19, 20 are not mounted on levers orbars or any other movable parts of the operating mechanism. Nothing is necessary to insure their certain oper. tion except the downward movement of the l the checks, dependent lifeboat on the incline of;

operation when the check is tripped. Moreover, the hooks 19, 20 themselves have ro joints liable to get their parts stuck fast to each other. i

Fig; 6 of the drawings illustrates a second embodiment of my invention; According to this embodiment, the lower extension of the pivotally mounted supporting member is adapted to engage with the hooked nose of a latch i which is pivoted at 5 to the stationary member. When the member 8 is held in its operative position it will be seen that the force exerted thereby on the latch 4 is substantially in a line pa ssing'through the pivot 5 avoiding any undue deformation of the latch 4. In this example however, the strain upon the latch is in the form of a pull, and not of a pressure. 7 V

The latch 4 is provided at the side remote from the hooked nose with an extension member which has a tendency to rotate the latch so 'as to cause the hooked nose thereof to engage with'the member 3. This extension men'iber is adapted to be engaged and V 'ied hook and; cam '7 mounted on the shaait 8. Themember 7 is of a similar shape to letter S, and is adapted to operate to unlock the latch 4 in the same manner as the member 7 "described with reference to Fig. 1.

,The rope wheel 9,othe-bell-cranklever13, and the rope 10 might be altogether dispensed with as the lever 11 has a tendency to move downwardlyby gravity and thus hold the mechanism in locking condition.

In this case said lever 11 might be suitably weighted. (Fig. 6). As stated before, the shaft 8 has little or no tendency to rotate under the influence of the load of the lifeboat, so that this arrangement is as safe as that described in detail with reference to Figs. 1 to 3.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is 1. A. lifeboat chock comprising two members for supporting the boat, one of said members being stationary and the other member being pivoted thereto; a stop on said pivoted member of the chock; a journaled bar disposed tangentially to the path of said stop and having its inner end adaptcd to come into abutting engagement with said stop to form a lock for the pivoted member of the chock, and to cause the compression exerted on the end of said bar to pass substantially longitudinally through said bar to the journal thereof; and means for tripping said tangential bar to unlock the pivoted member of the chock.

2. A device of the character described, comprising a stationary member having an incline extending downwardly and out wardly toward the water and designed to engage the inner side of the boat; a cooperating member normally extending outwardly and upwardly from said stationary member to engage the outer side of the boat to hold the boat against movement down the incline toward the Water, said eoiiperating member being pivoted to the stationary member to rock downwardly and inwardly thereupon; a stop on said movable member; a journaled bar lying in the plane of said pivoted member and disposed tangentially to the path of said stop and having its inner end adapted to move by gravity into abut-- ting engagement with said stop, to form a gravity latch for engaging said stop when the movable member is brought to its operative position; and control ing means for said latch.

3. A device of the character described, comprising a stationary member having an incline extending downwardly and outwardly toward the water and designed to engage the inner side of the boat; a cooperating member normally extending outwardly and upwardly from said stationary member to engage the outer side of the boat to hold the boat against movement down the incline toward the water, said cooperating member being pivoted to the stationary member to rock downwardly and inwardly thereupon; a stop on said movable member; a gravity latch adapted to engage said stop when the movable member is brought to its operative position; a cam hook mounted to rotate at its center and adapted to engage and hold said latch locked and also adapted to force the same into its unlocked position when desired; and means for controlling said cam hook.

4. A device of the character described,

comprising a stationary member having an incline extending downwardly and outwardly toward the water and designed to engage the inner side of the boat; a cooperating member normally extending outwardly and upwardly from said stationary member to engage the outer side of the boat to hold the boat against movement down the incline toward the water, said cooperating member being pivoted to the stationary member to rock downwardly and inwardly thereupon; a stop on said movable member; a gravity latch adapted to engage said stop when the movable member is brought to its operative position; a rotatable cam-hook having its hook part adapted to engage and hold said latch locked and its cam part adapted to force the same-into its unlocked position when desired; a shaft upon which said cam-hook is mounted; and a lever for controlling said shaft.

5. In a device of the character described, means including a rotatable shaft for looking and unlocking the collapsible portion of the chock; and controlling means for said shaft, comprising a lever and a wheel both rigidly secured thereto; a flexible connection secured at one end around said wheel to rotate the same in a direction to unlock the chock, and extending, therefrom to the point from which the chock is to be operated; a bellcrank lever pivoted adjacent the outer end of said shaft lever and having one of its ends arranged to form a latchtherefor when the shaft lever is swung into position to lock the chock, the bell-crank lever being provided with a stop to hold it against moving out of latched engagement with the shaft lever said bell-crank lever being also operatively connected with said flexible connection and adapted to be moved by a pull thereupon out of latched engagement with said shaft lever to release the same, the further pull uponsaid flexible connection being adapted to rotate the controlling lever of the device to unlock the chock.

6. In a device of the character described, means including a rotatable shaft for locking and unlocking the collapsible portion of the chock; and controlling means for said shaft, comprising an arm rigidly secured thereto; means for engaging said arm when the shaft is rotated into position to lock the chock; a flexible connection extending from the chock to the point from which it is to be operated; and mechanism adapting the flexible connection to release the arm and rotate the shaft in a direction to unlock the chock.

7. A device of the character described, comprising a stationary member having an incline extending downwardly and v outwardly toward the water and adapted to engage the-inner side of the boat; a rocker pivoted to said inclineto normally extend upwardly and outwardly therefrom, and adapted to engage the outer side of the boat to cooperate with the incline in holding the boat when the same is not in use, and to swing downwardly and inwardly when it is desired to release the boat; mechanism for locking said rocker in operative position and for releasing it; the inclination of the rocker being sufficiently less than that of the incline to bring the keel at the longitudinal center of the boat to rest-upon the rocker at a comparatively short distance from the outer side of said pivot, to relieve the strain imposed upon the outer end of the rocker by the weight of the boat and the tension of the slip-guard chains communicated to the locking mechanism; and adjustable means for engaging the keel to regulate the burden to be supported thereby upon said rocker.

8. A device of thecharacterdescribed, comprising a fixed member having a stationary inclineadapted to engage one side of the boat; acooperating rocker pivoted there to and engaging the other side of the boat, and arranged to. also engage the keel of the boat at one side of said'pivot; and adj ustablemeans for regulating the portion of the burden to be imposed upon the rocker through said keel.

9. A lifeboat chock comprising two mem bers mounted on ship deck for supporting the boat; one ofsaid members being stationary and the other member being pivoted thereto, the pivoted member having a portion adapted to receive thereupon the keel of the boat to support the major part of the Weight of the boat; a lock for the pivoted said member; slip-guard chains for holding the boat on said parts; and adjustable means carried by the pivoted member of the chock for engaging the keel of the boat and forcing the same upwardly to regulate the tension on said chains.

lOpA device of the character described, comprising a stationary member adapted to engage one side of the boat; acooperating rocker pivoted thereto and engaging the other side of the boat and arranged to also engage the keel of the boat at one side of pivot; mechanism for locking and unlocking the rocker when in operative position; and means for shifting the burden of the rocker from its outer end to the point where it is engaged by the keel of the boat and vice versa, for regulating the strain imposed upon said locking mechanism.

11. In a device of the character described, a stationary member adapted to engage one side of the boat; a cooperating rocker pivoted thereto and engaging the other side of the boat, said members supporting the weight of the boat; mechanism for locking and unlocking saidrocker when in operative position; and adjustable means for regulating the strain imposed upon said locking mechanism by the Weight of the boat.

12. A lifeboat chock comprising two members for supporting the boat, one of said members being stationary and the other member being pivoted thereto; a primary loclrmovable back and forth for locking and unlocking said pivoted member of the chock; and a secondary lock for engaging the primary lock said second lock being adapted by a single movement to disengage the primary lock and simultaneously therewith to positively force the same into its unlocked position. 7 i

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

ANE PIETER SOHAT.

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