US3012736A - Automatic line-retrieving device - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 12, 1961 w, B s 3,012,736

AUTOMATIC LINE-RETRIEVING DEVICE Filed March 7, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 22 I I I 26 I l LOUIS w. BRUST INVENTOR. so 2m 2 Dec. 12, 1961 w. BRUST AUTOMATIC LINE-RETRIEVING DEVICE.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 7, 1960 Louis" w BRUST INVENTOR.

United States Patent Gififice 3,012,736 Patented Dec. 12, 1961 3,012,736 AUTOMATHC LINE RETRIEVING DEVICE Louis W. Ernst, 3315 SE. 58th Ave., Portland, Greg. Filed Mar. 7, 1960, Ser. No. 13,260 2 Claims. (Cl. 242-1675) This invention relates to improvements in line-recoiling devices and more particularly to a device of this character which is especially, though not restrictively, adapted for use on water craft, such as cruisers, runabouts, speed boats and the like wherein relatively light-weight mooring lines are utilized.

It is one of the principal objects of the invention to provide a line-recoiling device which is of simple, compact, eflicient, durable construction, pleasing in appearance, positive, foolproof, and entirely automatic in linerecoiling operation.

Another object of the invention is to provide mean in a device of the character described for removing water from a wet line during its recoiling entry into the housing of the device and to provide ventilating means in the housing for further drying the recoiled line.

A still further object is the provision of simple, efficient and effective means for varying the tension on a reel-actuating spring.

A still further object is the provision of a keeper at the free end of the line for automatically varying the size of the loop at the end of the line when the line is in tension, and also to prevent the looped end of the line from being pulled to the interior of the housing by any residual spring tension on the reel at the end of the line-recoiling operation.

The foregoing and other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a line recoil device made in accordance with my invention and shown applied to the fore peak of a boat.

FIGURE 2 is a front elevational view of the device on an enlarged scale.

FIGURE 2A is a sectional view on an enlarged scale taken along the line 2A2A of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 3 is a top plan view with the top half of the housing of the device removed and with fragments broken away to reveal internal and underlying parts.

FIGURE 4 is a front elevational view on an enlarged scale with parts broken away and parts in section for convenience of illustration.

FIGURE 5 is a side elevational view of the device secured to the underside of a deck and associated with a pulley extending through the deck and aligned with a cleat secured to the topside of the deck.

FIGURE 6 is a top plan view of a cover for the pulley shown in FIGURE 5, and FIGURE 7 is a bottom view thereof.

FIGURE 8 is a sectional view on an enlarged scale taken approximately along the line 88 of FIGURE 5.

FIGURE 9 is anelevational view of the device in a vertical position and illustrating the fact that it can be secured inboard or outboard tothe transom of a boat or to a bulkhead or similarsupporting surface .within the boat.

FIGURE 10 is a plan view of a keeper secured to one leg of a looped end of a line and loosely embracing the other leg thereof whereby the looped end may function in the manner of a slip knot.

FIGURE 11 is an end view of FIGURE 10 on an enlarged scale, and

FIGURE 12 is a sectional view taken along the line 12-12 of FIGURE 11.

With continuing reference to the drawings, wherein like reference characters designate like parts, and particularly FIGURES 1 to 4 thereof, reference numeral 1 indicates generally the main housing of the device comprising top and bottom circular sections 2 and 3 circumferentially interengaged as at 4 and externally coupled as at 5. The bottom section 3 is provided with feet 6 secured thereto as at 7 and provided with lag screws, bolts or the like, indicated at 8, for securing the device to a boat deck such as indicated at 9 in FIGURE 1, or to any other suitable supporting surface. The vertical wall portion of the bottom section 3 is provided with an upwardly opening recess 10 matching a downwardly opening recess 11 in the corresponding wall of the top section to provide an elongated opening 14, as shown. This opening is provided with a frame 13 secured by a peripheral channel 15 to the marginal edges of the recesses. The inner periphery of the frame 13 is also channeled as at 16 into which is secured two sections of sheet rubber 17 and 18 for a purpose to be more fully hereinafter described.

The center of the top and bottom walls 20 and 21, respectively, of the top and bottom sections are provided respectively with aligned openings 20A and 21A, the latter of which is of square formation as shown. A shaft 22 extends upwardly through the top wall opening 20A, and the extended portion thereof is externally'threaded a at 24 and provided with a cap nut 25. This end of the shaft is also slotted as at 26. The bottom end of the shaft 22 is reduced in diameter as at 26 to provide a shoulder 27, and the outermost end of the shaft is of square formation as at 28 where it extends through the square opening 21A. A compression spring 30 is coiled about the reduced diameter of the shaft 22 with one of its ends bearing against the shoulder 27 and its opposite end bearing against the bottom wall of the bottom section 3. By this arrangement the shaft is normally locked against rotation relative to the main housing.

Coiled about the shaft 22 is a wind-up spring 35 whose inner end 36 is attached to the shaft by insertion within a slot 37 extending through the shaft and whose outer end is secured to the inner wall of a reel 38 by looped engagement with a slotted bracket 40 secured to the reel. As clearly shown in FIGURE 4 the slot 37 is of greater length than the width of the end of the spring engaged therein to thereby permit of vertical movement of the shaft 22 relative to that end of the spring and to the top and bottom walls 20 and 21 of the reel housing. The reel is rotatable about the shaft 22, and during such rotation in a clockwise direction, as viewed in FIGURE 3, will wind up the spring against the reaction of the securement of its inner end 36 to the shaft 22, while the shaft is held in a fixed position by the engagement of its squared end 28 with the square opening 21A in the bottom wall 21 of the bottom section 3 of the housing.

For rotating the shaft 22 relative to the reel to vary spring tension, it is merely necessary to remove the cap nut 25 from the shaft, then depress the shaft to disengage its squared end from the opening 21A to thereby position the reduced, round end portion 26'within the opening 21A which will permit the shaft to be rotated by ascrew driver or a coin inserted in the slot 26. When the desired.

tension is obtained and upon release of the winding tool from the slot 26, the coil spring 30 will restore the shaft to its original locked position, as shown.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that a line 41 (FIGURES 1 and 2A) secured to the reel 38 and payed out therefrom will be in tension at all times, so that upon disengagement of the looped end 45 from a cleat 46, or from any other point of attachment, the line will be recoiled within the main housing 1 by the spring-rotated reel. The line in being payed out from the main housing or recoiled to the interior of the housing passes between the abutting edges of the rubber sections 17 and 18 of the opening 14 and these sections operate rather effectively in the manner of a squeegee in removing water from a wet line being recoiled. For thoroughly drying the line when housed within the main housing, I provide the flanges 47 of the reel 38 with ventilating Openings 50 and the wall 21 of the bottom section 3 with similar openings 51.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in FIGURE 5, the main housing 1A is secured in an inverted position to the underside of a deck 9A by its legs 6A. The line 41A is entrained over a pulley 55 rotatably suspended through an opening 56 in the deck by parallel brackets 57 integrated with, and extending downwardly from, a cover 60 secured by suitable fasteners 61 to the top side of the deck. The free looped end 45A of the line is adapted for engagement with a cleat 64 secured to the deck in the conventional manner. Upon disengagement from the cleat, the line may be payed out from the reel (not shown in FIGURE within the housing 1A to any remote point of attachment and then made fast to the cleat, so that any stresses on the line beyond the cleat will be absorbed by the cleat and not by the attachment of the main housing 1A to the deck.

In FIGURE 9, the embodiment of the invention shown in FIGURE 1 is illustrated as being secured by its legs 6B to a transom 66, bulkhead or any other suitable vertical surface within the boat hull and with the looped end 45A of the line attached to a cleat 46A also secured to the transom or the like above the main housing 1B.

As best illustrated in FIGURES -12, one leg 70 of the loop 45 at the end of the line is secured by a clamping plate 71 and locking screw 72 to the interior of a bore 73 extending lengthwise through one side of a keeper 74, and the opposite leg 76 of the loop slidably extends through a matching bore 77 extending lengthwise through the opposite side of the keeper. By this arrangement the looped end of the line functions in the manner of a slipknot at any time tension on the line reacts against any point of attachment of the loop. The dimensions of the length, width and thickness of the keeper 74 are greater than those of the framed opening 14 in the main housing 1A, and the keeper thus effectively prevents the looped end of the line from being pulled to the interior of the housing by any residual spring tension on the reel 38 at the end of its recoil operation.

While I have shown particular forms of embodiment of my invention, I am aware that many minor changes therein will readily suggest themselves to others skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. A line-recoiling device comprising a reel housing consisting of a circular top section and a circular bottom section, each section comprising a flat circular wall integrated with a peripheral wall, means provided in one of said peripheral walls cooperating with means in the other peripheral wall for interengaging said sections in concentric relation to each other, means carried by the bottom section for mounting the united section on a support flat'wise in elevated relation thereto, said flat circular walls having aligned openings therethrough, a shaft extending through said openings and having a tool receiving recess in one of its ends and an elongated slot intermediate its ends, a reel disposed within said housing and rotatably mounted about said shaft, a coil spring secured at one of its ends to said reel and vertically slidably attached at its opposite end within said slot in said shaft, one of said aligned openings being of non-circular formation, the corresponding end of said shaft being of non-circular formation and normally in engagement with said noncircular opening to prevent rotation of the shaft, spring means engaging said shaft and said fiat circular wall of said bottom section for maintaining said normal engagement, said shaft being slidable relative to said openings and to said one end of said coil spring whereby to permit of disengagement of said squared end from said non-circular opening to permit tool operated rotation of the shaft to vary the tension on said coil spring, said peripheral walls of the housing having matched openings therein for the passage therethrough of a line coiled about and payed out from said reel, and whereby paying out of the line under tension will wind said coil spring to recoil the line upon release of tension.

2. A line-recoiling device comprising a reel housing consisting of a circular top section and a circular bottom section, each section comprising a fiat circular wall integrated with a peripheral wall, means provided in one of said peripheral walls cooperating with means in the other peripheral wall for interengaging said sections in concentric relation to each other, the fiat circular wall of one of said sections having ventilating openings therein, means carried by the bottom section for mounting the united sections on a support fiatwisc in elevated relation thereto, said flat circular walls having aligned openings therethrough, a shaft extending through said openings and having a tool receiving recess in one of its ends and an elongated slot intermediate its ends, a reel having side flanges disposed within said housing and rotatably mounted about said shaft, one of said reel flanges having ventilating openings therein, a coil spring secured at one of its ends to said reel and vertically slidably attached at its opposite end within said slot in said shaft, one of said aligned openings being of non-circular formation, the corresponding end of said shaft being of non-circular formation and normally in engagement with said non-circular opening to prevent rotation of the shaft, spring means engaging said shaft and said flat circular wall of said bottom section for maintaining said normal engagement, said shaft being slidable relative to said openings and to said one end of said coil spring whereby to permit of disengagement of said squared end from said non-circular opening to permit tool operated rotation of the shaft to vary the tension on said coil spring, said peripheral walls of the housing having matched openings therein for the passage therethrough of a line coiled about and payed out from said reel, and whereby paying out of the line under tension will wind said coil spring to recoil the line upon release of tension, and whereby the ventilation of the interior of the reel housing by means of said ventilating openings will dry :1 wet line so recoiled.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 913,799 Zund-Burguet Mar. 2, 1909 1,679,178 Shillman July 31, 1928 2,159,223 Okun May 23, 1939 2,172,907 Humphrey Sept. 12, 1939 2,249,114 Cotfrnan July 15, 1941 2,391,141 Dour et al Dec. 18, 1945 2,572,856 Hallberg Oct. 30, 1951 2,602,605 Shilling July 8, 1952 2,808,632 Cline Oct. 8, 1957

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