US1738374A - Automobile towing rope - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 3, 1929. H. H. KRECHMER AUTOMOBILE TOWING ROPE Filed Nov. 21, .1927

Patented Dec. 3, 1929 HARRY I-I. KBECHMER,.OF VENTNOR, NEW JERSEY AUTOMOBILE TOWING ROPE Application filed November 21, 1927. Serial No. 234,769.

This invention relates to tow ropes for vehicles, and to packages for merchandising same.

Tow ropes as at present marketed and used comprise bulky and expensive articles. The

problem of disposition of such ropes in the automobile or other vehicle presents diiiiculties usually so annoying that such ropes are not lllClLlClGClllIl the complement of tools and an are therefore missing when they are most needed, in frequent instances. It is found also that after using such ropes as are available on the market, even if carried ready for use,the return of the rope to its place of stow- .115 age is a disagreeable and mussy job, owing to i the mud and grease always present upon such ropes after they have been used. The tend ency in automotive construction is, moreover, to conceal and otherwise to eliminate nem- .120 hers formerly used as points of attachment for such tow ropes so that ordinary tow ropes as used at present find suitable anchorage difficult, resulting in distortion of the frame members and bending of parts associated v therewith. In a number of present makes 1 crawl substantially under the car in order to effectthe attachment or detachment and is unpleasant. It is to be notedfurtherthat in those towing devices terminating in hooks or other fastening devices, that the weakest portion isat the point of attachment of such hook, and that if the hook is torn off the normal operation of the'towing device is precluded. It is for theforegoing and other reasons that tow ropes as at present constituted 4.5 have not gone into more general use as an item of automotive equipment and when used at all have been unsatisfactory and in the nature of makeshifts.

Among the objects of this invention are;

. 5o toprovide a towing device of such economy of manufacture that it may be used onceaand discarded if desired; to provide a tow device of extreme lightness yet with strength adequate for the purpose; to provide a compact package combining a tow device and attaching devices as a merchandising unit; to provide a tow device susceptible to stowage in a small space, as the pocket of an automobile door; to provide a towing device of sheet metal; to provide means for quickly attaching and detaching a tow rope in an operative position on an automobile; to :provideattaching devices for a semi-flexible ribbon obviating threading or roving of the ribbon through slots in the devices to improve clamp devices for tow ropes; to providea towing device in which the entire pulling strain is transmitted through a cheap ribbon of sheet metal; and many other objects and advantages as will be more apparent as the description protary side eleva- Fig. 4, represents a plan of the clamp and the sheet metal tow rope in a locked position,

Fig. 5, represents a side elevation of the Fig. 6, represents a perspective view of a clamp according to this invention,

Fig. 7, represents a modified form of clamping action available from the clamp of this Fig. 8, is a side elevation of the same, and

9, is afragmentary section through a gas tank of an automobile and the associated cross frame member with the tow device of this invention passed over the frame member without indenting the tank, for a point of achment of the invention. I have discovered that relatively thin ribbons of sheet metal have suflicient tensile strength to tow motor vehicles when interposed between a power unit and the towed vehicle and suitably fastened thereto. It is preferred that the sheet metal be of unfinished character as regards the terminals, being simply cut off in strips by proper machines, with no hooks or other attaching devices applied to the ends. The ribbon is of appreciable width, for illustrative purposes only, say one inch in width, and although somewhat resilient because it is semi-rigid it is susceptible to manipulations and bending by the fingers on lateral lines, to which extent it is flexible. lVith this characteristic of semi rigidity and semi flexibility the operator is enabled to form the end of the ribbon in a as to return from its desired shape, as a partial loop, extend this by the arm under the car without getting under'himself, and cause the partial loop to extend over an attachment point, as an axle,

then" with a' little flip of the wrist cause the end of the ribbon to return to a point within easy grasp of the operators hand. It is thus guidable, so to speak, but of such resilience guided position by an easy manipulation. p

A sheet metal ribbon of desired length, preferably of uniform thickness and width throughout, just as it comes from the ma- 1 chines is provided, as at 10, which is formed in a coil as at 11 and disposed in a container 12, as of metal, upon the inner surface of the verticalwall 13 of'which it uncoils to a degree suflicie'nt to establish frictional engagement'with the wall to prevent undesired dislodgment. In the axial space in the center of'the coil the pair of nested clamps of the invention, to be later described, are disposed and the thumb nuts are arranged therein also.

Thefl-id 1 covers the container and exposes xthe contents 'upon'removal. In removing the 'rlb'bon from the containeran end of the rib- 'bon,"as""l5,is"held in the hand afterthe re- Inovalbf the clamps, the container is dropped gent to the outer periphery thereof. Replacecontainer fastening devices of any desired sortmay'be used if desired.

"The ribbon-terminatesin a substantially 's'qua re end as '15, and is of such gauge as may readily passbetween closely positioned parts,

as for instance the gasoline tank 16 and cross frame member 17, shown in-Fig. 9 although of ample tens1le strength to transmit the "strainfrom the towing device. The end 15 of the ribbon is passed over the anchoring device or point of attachment, as the cross frame member 17, or an axle 18, as shown in Fig. 3, being brought back in parallelism with the ribbon to form a loop, and the end is aflixcd to the main body of the ribbon by suitable clamps, as those described herein, as a preferred instance, in lieu of hooks, or other devices permanently mounted on the ribbon, or of buckles or similar devices requiring the threading through of parts of the ribbon, through slots therein.

The clamp of this invention comprises a body or base 20 having at each end perpendicular spreaders 21, the edges of which are curved on opposite sides as at 22 to impart curvature and an arching effect to the superimposed ribbon in contact with them as shown in Figs. 4 and 5. Intermediate of the spreaders the perpendicular spaced ears 23 are formed, of appreciably less space between them than the width of a spreader. One ear is recessed as at 24 and the other has an opening 25 registering with the recess, through which a thumb nut 26 extends with a threaded engagement.

The preferred manner of attachment of the clamps is to form the loop about the anchoring device as noted, bring the end in contact with the main body portion of the ribbon at a desired point, move the clamp laterally toward the edges of the contacting ribbon portions, push the spreaders between the respective adjacent ribbon portions and simultaneously push the ears on the body upon the contacting portions as shown in Fig. 5, in which the ribbon is shown in intimate contact between the ears,'but spaced immediate- .ly after leaving the ears by the sprcaders.

The thumb nut is tightened in the opening 25 of its ear 23 against the two layers of sheet metal confined between the ears, forcing the layers into the recess 2 of the other car 23 and rigidly lockinx the two layers of the metal ribbon against relative movement. It is to be noted that the curved edges 22 of the spreaders contact with the flat face of the approximate'ribbon portion in such a manner that upon longitudinal pull on the ribbon, as in the inception of the towing operation the ribbon is forced to assume arcuate form about the curved edges to strengthen the ribbon, and of more importance to assure a frictional engagement between the entire width of ribbon with the edge surface of the spreader.

passing over the spreaders and between the ears, so that the frictional engagement between the spreaders and the adjacent ribbon is maintained regardless, for all practical purposes, of the diameter or width of the loop, as determined by the size of the point of attachment. It is to be noted further that the bending of the metal by the central thumb nut against an ear 23 is in a direction exactly opposite to the bending of the metal through the contact of the spreaders and the ribbon, so that an intimate frictional engagement of the two layers of sheet metal is had from one spreader to the other.

Each clamp is identical with the other and can be attached in place at either end of the ribbon, as will be clear, but the parts are so proportioned, further, that a nesting of a pair of clamps is effected by turning them with the bases in opposite directions, then pushing them together with the spreaders in staggered relation and with the ears in staggered relation, so that the upper one is extended longitudinally and laterally of the lower one by the thickness of a spreader and an ear respectively, to form a compact merchandising unit, arranged for disposition in the axial opening of the coil in the container. In this assembly also the thumb nuts may be removed from their supporting ears and placed in the container beside the nested clamps.

It will be evident that the application of the clam) of this invention re uires no reat strength nor skill, so that the universal availability of the device for all drivers, including women will be clear.

't is preferred that sheet metal of the characteristics listed be used, although it is contemplated that material of greater pliability might be availed of for the purpose, utilizing in connection with thinner metal, greater width of material to impart the required strength. For such material, and even of the material previously discussed, a different application of the clamps may be utilized as shown in Figs. 7 and 8. In this form of fastening, after the loop has been formed as previously discussed, the double layer of metal had at the point of cent-act is bent or creased upon a line longitudinal of the rib bon, so that the clamp may be applied vertically upon the ribbon, with the spreader-s inserted between the two folds of metal, each fold being of double thickness, and with the central contacting pairs of double layers engaged between the ears of the clamp, and compressed by the thumb nut in the same manner as in the preferred form. Although it is possible that some strength may be required for this folding operation, it can easily be effected by pliers or similar tools, and it has the advantage of frictional contact and engagement on three faces or edges of the spreader instead of on but two as in the preferred form. V p

In either form of attachment it will be noted that owing to the pliability of the sheet vmetal it may be bent readily on transverse; 7

between the ears.

The neatness, compactness and economy of the pacrraged article, the ease with which the ribbon of metal may be removed or insertedlisn inthe container, the nesting of the clamps, all combine to form an article of; anufac ture of meri which may be manufactured and sold ata minimum of expense, and purchased andused with a minimum of troublefiti or diiiiculty.

Afeature of the invention is the fact that the sheet-metal ribbons are unfinished beyond a mere cutting operation, there being no attached buckles, nor drums, nor chains,- nor hooks, nor any deviceswhich while seeming tofacilitate the attachment of the device really increase the cost inordinately and weaken the assembly by their very attachment to the towing element.

I claim as my invention:

, 1. A towing device comprising a ribbon of sheet metal, and means for engaging two longitudinally estendinglayers of the ribbon frict-icnally when it is bent upon itself to form a loop andis longitudinally creased, with means adyacent said first mentioned means for separating the longitudinal layers of ribbon and maintaining the spaced rclation despite longitudinal strain on the ribbon to effect a secondary frictional engagement between the last mentioned means and the ribbon portions.

2. A clamp for towing ribbons comprising a longitudinal base terminating in perpen- 11119 dicula-r spread devices, side members carried by the base between the spread devices, and means engaging a side member for compressingthe ribbon.

3. A clamp for engaging flexible metal ribbons, comprising means forcing portions of the ribbon together, and means interposed between portions of the ribbon responsive to such forcing action to increase the frictional force exerted upon the portions by spreading 2 the portions.

l. A clamp for towing ribbons comprising a base, perpendicular spread devices mounted 011 the base, the spread devices having arcuate Us edges for frictional engagement with the entire cross surface of an adjacent sheet metal ribbon, substantially; and means close to the spread devices for compressing such sheet metal ribbon against the curving tendency of 1 the edge'of the spreader upon contact with such sheet metal ribbon.

' In combination, a ribbon of flexible semi rigid sheet metal, arranged to be looped upon itself; a clamp including a laterally divergent spreader .insertable in-the. loop having an edge forming a frictional contact; and means on the clamp adjacent the spreader for forcing the portions of the ribbon together to increase the friction between the edge'of the spreader and the ribbon.

6. A tow rope comprising in combination ;a ribbon of bendable sheet metal arranged to assume and substantially retain loop formation with portions of the ribbon in contact; a clamp comprising a base, a spreader and ears extending from the same side of the base but having spaces between them, the ears arranged for embracing association with the contacting portions of the ribbon in the space between the ears, and the spreader arranged for spreadin association with portions of the ribbon adjacent the contacting portions through the space between the spreader and said ears substantially simultaneously upon the preforming of the loop to receive the clamp and movement of the clamp toward the ribbon transversely of vits longitudinal extent; means compressing the contacting portions of the ribbon between the ears to increase the friction between the ribbon and the spreader.

7 A clamp arranged for association with a sheet metal ribbon when such ribbon has been bent upon itself to form a loop comprisingmeans engageable between layers comprlsing such loop for maintalmng spaced relation ofsuch layers and comprising means for frictionally engaging such layers in proximlty to sald first mentioned means.

7 -Signed at Philadelphia, county of Phila of Nov., 1927.

delphia, State of Pennsylvania this 15th day HARRY n. KREOHMER.

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