US3321816A

US3321816A - Rope tying device

Info

Publication number: US3321816A
Application number: US465523A
Authority: US
Inventors: Harry C Monroe
Original assignee: CAPRE CO
Current assignee: CAPRE CO
Priority date: 1965-06-21
Filing date: 1965-06-21
Publication date: 1967-05-30
Anticipated expiration: 1984-05-30

Description

May 30, 1967 H, C, MONROE 3,321,816

ROPE TYING DEVICE Filed June 21, 1965 I N VENTOR. HAP/@Y K. MOM/@0f United States Patent O 3,321,816 RPE TYING DEVICE Harry C. Monroe, Gun ilain Township, Aliegan County, Mich., assignor to Capra Company, Kalamazoo, Mich., a partnership Fiied June 21, 1965, Ser. No. 465,523 4 Claims. (Cl. 24-130) This invention relates to a rope tying device and, more particularly, relates to a device for releasably fixedly engaging the end of the rope so as to make it unnecessary to tie a knot in the rope in order to secure another object in place with the rope.

The tying of knots in ropes in order to secure another object into position can be an awkward and time-consuming operation. Inexperienced persons frequently do not tie knots properly and, thus, the knot can become loose so that the object is no longer properly held. An example of this is in the use of ropes to moor boats. Obviously, the boat should be firmly moored and while knots are known for doing this in a reliable manner, many times the person who moors the boat either does not know the proper knot to use or ties the knot carelessly. Hence, there exists a need for a simple, inexpensive and easy-to-use device for fixedly securing the end of a rope in place so that the rope can be used for securing objects in place.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide an improved device into which a rope can be placed and which will releasably fixedly hold the free end of the rope in place.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a device, as aforesaid, which is of one-piece construction and substantially oval in cross section, and which has at least one axially extending substantially V-shaped slot into which the free end of the rope can be received in order that said free end can be releasably fixedly engaged with the edges defining the slot.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent to persons acquainted wtih devices of this type upon reading the following disclosure and inspecting the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

FIGURE l is a plan view of the device to which the invention relates shown in association with a rope and an object to which the rope is to be secured.

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view taken along the line II--II of FIGURE 1.

The rope tying device 10 to which the invention relates consists of a one-piece member, preferably made of a cadmiumplated steel, and having a flat base wall 11, a pair of arcuate opposed end walls 12 and 13 and a front wall 15, which here consists of a pair of

coplanar flanges

14 and 16 which extend from said end walls toward each other substantially parallel with the base wall. The opposing edges of the

flanges

14 and 16 each have two end portions 17 which extend at a relatively large angle of from about 20 to 25 degrees, preferably about 23 degrees, to the longitudinal centerline 20 of the device. The flange edges also have two intermediate portions 18 which extend at a smaller angle of from about to about degrees, preferably about 8 degrees, to the longitudinal centerline 20 of the device, and a central portion 19 which ypreferably extends substantially along the centerline of the device. The two central portions 19 of the flange edges are at least close to each other and preferably are substantially contiguous with each other. The

portions

17 and 18 of the flange edges define two substantially V-

shaped slots

21 and 22 which open in opposite directions from the central portion of the device 10 through the opposite ends thereof.

The device 10 is substantially oval-shaped in cross sec- 3,321,816 Patented May 30, i967 tion and the base wall 11 thereof has openings 23 therethrough so that screws can be received in the openings 23 in order to secure the device 10 to a suitable base, if desired.

In use, a rope R extends through the device 10 and around the object O to be secured in place by the rope. The free end of the rope is extended back into the device 10 and then is bent into and through the slot which is remote from the object O, here the slot 22. A tug on the free end of the rope R to cause it to move toward the axial center of the device will cause the rope to be engaged by the intermediate edge portions 18 of the flanges so that it is firmly, but releasably, held thereby. This engagement will be sufficiently secure, particularly where a compressible and preferably braided rope is used, that the rope will not slip along the edges.

It will be noted that any pull exerted on the rope by the object O in a direction away from the device 10 will merely pull the free end of the rope more tightly into the slot 20 so that the rope will more firmly hold. On the other hand, a movement of the object toward the device 10 will not free the rope from the slot although it will create some slack in the rope. In order to free the rope, it is necessary to move the free end of the rope away from the object O and outwardly of the slot until the free end of the rope is moved out of engagement with the edges of the

flanges

14 and 16 which define the slot.

The V-shape of the

slots

21 and 22 makes it possible yfor the device to handle ropes of different diameters. The angular relationships, particularly of the intermediate edge portions 18, are of major importance. If the angular relationship of these edge portions 18 is smaller than the range described above the ability of the device 10 to handle ropes of different diameters is reduced and it is more difficult to achieve a proper seating of the free end of the rope in the slot. If the angular relationship is larger than the range described above, the free end of the rope is not firmly held. By constructing a device as described above, said device is capable of firmly holding the free end of the rope so as to secure it in place but same permits a rapid release of the rope when desired.

While a particular preferred embodiment of the invention has been described, the invention contemplates such changes or modifications therein as lie Within the scope of the appended claims.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. A rope tying device, comprising:

a one-piece member of substantially oval cross section having a wide, flat base wall, two relatively short, arcuate, opposed end walls and a wide, fiat front wall substantially parallel with said base wall, the front wall being dened by two coplanar anges which extend from said end walls toward each other, said flanges having opposing edges defining at least one substantially V-shaped slot therein with the widest part of the slot opening through one end edge of said front wall so that the free end of a rope can be received in said slot and secured against movement by engagement with the edges of said slot.

2. A rope tying device according to claim 1, in which said slot has a relatively wide outer portion whose edges define an included angle of between about 40 and about 50 degrees and has a narrower inner portion whose edges define an angle of between about l0 and about 20 degrees.

3. A rope tying device, comprising:

a one-piece member of substantially oval cross section having a base wall, two arcuate opposed end walls and a front wall substantially parallel with said base wall, said front wall being defined by two coplanar flanges which extend from said end walls toward each other, said flanges having opposing edges deining two aligned substantially V-shaped slots which open in opposite directions through the end edges of said front wall so that the free end of a rope can be received in said slots and secured against movement by engagement with the edges of said slots, each said slot having a relatively wide outer portion whose edge portions deiine an included angle of between about 40 and about 50 degrees and having a narrower inner portion whose edge portions define an `angle of between about 10 and about 20 degrees.

. A rope tying device, comprising:

tubular member having a wall defined by two wall portions which extend toward each other, said wall portions having opposing edges, deiining two aligned substantially V-shaped slots which open in opposite directions through the ends of said tubular member, each said slot having a relatively wide outer portion 4 whose edges define an included angle of between about 40 and about 50 degrees and having a narrower inner portion whose edges define an angle of between about 10 and about 20 degrees.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 394,817 12/1888 Blanchard. 926,986 7/ 1909 Hulbert. 1,132,571 3/1915 Forsgard 24--18 1,663,104 3/1928 Wales 24--130 1,751,762 3/ 1930 Schoenberger 24-130 FOREIGN PATENTS 50,486 9/ 1910 Switzerland.

BERNARD A. GELAK, Primary Examiner.

Claims

1. A ROPE TYING DEVICE, COMPRISING: A ONE-PIECE MEMBER OF SUBSTANTIALLY OVAL CROSS SECTION HAVING A WIDE, FLAT BASE WALL, TWO RELATIVELY SHORT, ARCUATE, OPPOSED END WALLS AND A WIDE, FLAT FRONT WALL SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL WITH SAID BASE WALL, THE FRONT WALL BEING DEFINED BY TWO COPLANAR FLANGES WHICH EXTEND FROM SAID END WALLS TOWARD EACH OTHER, SAID FLANGES HAVING OPPOSING EDGES DEFINING AT LEAST ONE SUBSTANTIALLY V-SHAPED SLOT THEREIN WITH THE WIDEST PART OF THE SLOT OPENING THROUGH ONE END EDGE OF SAID FRONT WALL SO THAT THE FREE END OF A ROPE CAN BE RECEIVED IN SAID SLOT AND SECURED AGAINST MOVEMENT BY ENGAGEMENT WITH THE EDGES OF SLOT.