WO1995005339A1

WO1995005339A1 - Locking means for halters

Info

Publication number: WO1995005339A1
Application number: PCT/SE1994/000748
Authority: WO
Inventors: Sven Staffan Persson; Kent Magnus Ljung
Original assignee: Sven Staffan Persson; Kent Magnus Ljung
Priority date: 1993-08-18
Filing date: 1994-08-17
Publication date: 1995-02-23
Also published as: SE9302674L; AU7510794A; SE9302674D0; SE501637C2

Abstract

A locking means for halters comprises a clasp which is mounted in a strap included in the halter, usually the crownpiece. The clasp comprises a pin portion (2) and a sleeve portion (1). These two portions are provided with cooperating locking elements (7, 14) for releasably interconnecting the pin and sleeve portions. According to the invention, the locking means is also provided with a safety release device (5, 6, 13) which can be activated and deactivated by shifting the positions of the pin and sleeve portions (1, 2) relative to each other. The safety release device comprises a locking tongue (5) included in the pin portion (2), and a recess (12) formed in the sleeve portion (1) and adapted to receive the locking tongue. The locking tongue (5) has an enlarged tip (6), and the recess (12) is provided with at least one locking projection (13). The enlarged tip (6) of the locking tongue and the locking projection (13) together constitute a snap lock (6, 13). This is arranged to keep the pin and sleeve portions interconnected by yieldable action, until a separating force acting in the strap overcomes said yieldable action. In the deactivated position of the safety device, the pin and sleeve portions (1, 2) are interconnected at least by means of the locking elements (7, 14), and in the activated position thereof, the pin and sleeve portions are interconnected merely by means of the snap lock formed by the locking tongue (5) and the locking projection (13).

Description

LOCKING MEANS FOR HALTERS

The present invention relates to a locking means for halters, and a halter fitted with such a locking means.

A serious problem when handling horses is that they may have an accident while strolling in an enclosed field, halter round the head, and also while being tied- up by means of the halter in, for instance, the stable. A horse which gets caught or gets itself entangled in some unpleasant manner always tries to back out of the situa¬ tion. This may cause great strain on the horse's cervical spine and the nerve-paths extending in the upper part of the neck, which is located just behind the head and on which the halter exerts pressure. If the halter does not break, the horse will lie down from exhaustion and then the strain on the cervical spine may cause such serious -injuries that the horse may have to be emergency-slaugh¬ tered. It sometimes also happens that the horse is stran¬ gled or dies of shock.

The halters which are available on the market are fitted with a locking means which may be designed as e.g. a common strap lock according to US patent specification 4,852,336. Other types of locking means may be, for in¬ stance, a snap hook or a common belt buckle.

In view of the above-mentioned risks of injuries caused to the horses when they run freely fitted with a halter and when they are tied up in the stable or some other place by means of the halter, there is a need of a safety device which may reduce the risks of injuries on e.g. the above-mentioned occasions.

The halters which at present are commercially avail- able thus have no special means which permits the halter to come loose easily when subjected to a strong jerk. This is probably due to the fact that one wants to safely lead the horse by the halter, without the horse being able to break loose by tossing its head, thereby allowing the halter to open.

It thus constitutes a problem that a halter is de¬ sired, which can easily come loose if the halter catches on some object when the horse is not kept under surveil¬ lance, at the same time as it is necessary that the halter holds properly when leading the horse by the halter, such that the horse will not be able to break loose. One object of the present invention therefore is to satisfy this need.

According to the invention, this and other needs are satisfied by a locking means according to claim 1 and a halter according to claim 6. The dependent claims define particularly advantageous embodiments of the invention. Briefly, the present invention thus relates to a locking means for halters, comprising a clasp which is mounted in a strap of the halter, usually the crownpiece. The clasp comprises a pin portion and a sleeve portion. These two portions are provided with cooperating locking elements for releasably interconnecting the pin and sleeve portions. According to the invention, the locking means further comprises a safety release device which can be activated and deactivated by changing the positions of the pin and sleeve portions relative to each other. The safety release device comprises a locking tongue included in the pin portion, and a recess formed in the sleeve portion and adapted to receive the locking tongue. The locking tongue has an enlarged tip, and the recess is provided with at least one locking projection. The en¬ larged tip of the locking tongue and the locking projec¬ tion together constitute a snap lock. This is arranged to keep the pin and sleeve portions interconnected by yield¬ able action, until a separating force acting in the strap overcomes said yieldable action. In the deactivated posi¬ tion of the safety device, the pin and sleeve portions are interconnected at least by means of the locking ele- ments, and in the activated position of the safety de¬ vice, the pin and sleeve portions are interconnected merely by means of the snap lock formed by the locking tongue and the locking projection. Although EP-A-0,289, 328 discloses a safety device to be used when animals are tied up in the stable, the safety device according to this publication is designed to be mounted in the tether and not in a halter strap and thus cannot be used when the animal is running freely in, for example, an enclosed field. The prior-art safety de¬ vice is intended to be released if the animal pulls suf¬ ficiently strongly at the tether and, when released, to completely disconnect the animal with^' the halter fas¬ tened, or, when released, to extend the tether, thereby minimising the risk of injuries. Therefore, this safety device has a function different from a safety device according to the present invention, which is mounted in the halter strap.

In contrast to all prior-art locking means for halters, and also in contrast to the safety device ac¬ cording to EP-A-0,289, 328, the inventive locking means

» has two setting positions, viz. a safety position, in which the safety release device is activated and the release can take place in case of strong jerks or strain, and a locking position, in which the safety release device is deactivated and in which the user must inten¬ tionally actuate the locking means to shift to the acti¬ vated position. In a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, the shifting between the activated and the deactivated position takes place by moving the pin and sleeve portions axially relative to each other, whereas in a further preferred embodiment the shifting takes place by turning the pin and sleeve portions relative to each other, i.e. like in a bayonet joint. The inventive locking means is preferably mounted in the crownpiece of the halter. The reason for this is that the crownpiece is the critical strap to make it easy to put on and take off the halter, and besides this is the strap that acts on the cervical spine and exerts pressure on the nerve-paths extending in the upper part of the neck just behind the head, if the halter should get caught on some object.

The locking elements which are included in the locking means and which are used to activate and deacti¬ vate the safety release device of the locking means are, in a preferred embodiment of the invention, designed as a locking engagement surface on one of the sleeve and pin portions and a spring-loaded hook formed on the other of the sleeve and pin portions and adapted to cooperate with the locking engagement surface. The spring-loaded hook preferably comprises a spring hook which is integrated with the sleeve or pin portion. In order to reduce, in such a case, the stress on the resilient parts of the spring hook, the locking means preferably comprises a swing-limiting abutment which is arranged to limit the swinging of the spring-loaded hook out of engagement with the locking engagement surface.

Preferred embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. These embodiments must not be considered restrictive to the scope of the present invention. Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a first embodiment of the invention, the safety release device of the locking means being activated;

Fig. 2 is a side view of the means in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view along line III-III in Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a sectional view along line IV-IV in Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a sectional view of the locking means corresponding to Fig. 4, the safety release device being deactivated; Fig. 6 is a top plan view of a second embodiment of the locking means, partly in section, and illustrates the safety release device in its activated state in the upper half of the Figure, and in its deac¬ tivated state in the lower half of the Figure; Fig. 7 shows three different views of a lock spring included in the locking means, viz. an end view A, a top plan view B and a side view C; and

Fig. 8 illustrates an inventive halter fitted with a locking means, in this case designed as the locking means in Figs 1-6. The embodiment of the locking device according to the present invention as illustrated in Figs 1-5 com¬ prises a sleeve portion 1 and a pin portion 2 having mounting holes 3 and 4, respectively, to make it possible to mount the locking means in a strap of a halter 22, preferably the crownpiece 23, as illustrated in Fig. 8. The locking means is suitably made of a tough, impact- resistant plastics material. The sleeve portion 1 can be manufactured in two halves (a partition line is indicated in Fig. 3) , which are joined by gluing, welding or in some other way depending on the material chosen. The pin portion 1 may, however, be made in one piece.

The pin portion 2 is formed with a forwardly pro¬ jecting locking tongue 5 whose tip is formed with a head 6 or a thickened portion, either by making recesses imme¬ diately behind the actual tip (as is the case in the embodiment illustrated) or by making the dimensions of the tip greater than those of the shaft of the locking tongue. In the embodiment shown, the pin portion is also provided with two locking hooks 7 which are integrated with the locking tongue of the pin portion via a portion 8 constituting a pull-back spring. To permit swinging of the hooks 7, they are formed with a bevelled portion 9 on their side facing the locking tongue, and besides the lugs 10 of the locking hooks are formed with a bevelled portion 11 for swinging the hooks outwards, when deacti- vating the safety release device of the locking means. The sleeve portion 1 is provided with a recess 12 for receiving the locking tongue 5 of the pin portion when moving the pin and sleeve portions together. In the recess 12 there are two locking projections 13 whose tips are positioned at a shorter distance from one another than the maximum thickness or width of the head 6 of the locking tongue 5, the head 6 and the locking projections 13 thereby forming a snap lock. The force which is re¬ quired to pull the pin and sleeve portions 1, 2 apart and, thus, release the safety release device 6, 13 formed by the snap lock is dependent on the material chosen, as well as the mutual dimensional relations between the head 6 and the space between the tips of the locking projec¬ tions 13. By choosing suitable parameters, the expert can dimension the locking means so as to obtain a suitable value of the maximum tractive force that can be exerted without releasing taking place. In more sophisticated embodiments, one of or both locking projections 13 can be designed to be adjustable, thereby allowing variation of the required force of relea^'se.

To permit locking of the locking means and deactiva- tion of the safety release device 6, 13, the sleeve por-. tion 1 is provided with locking engagement surfaces 14 which are adapted to cooperate with the locking hooks 7 of the pin portion. The sleeve portion recess for the locking hooks 7 is formed with a bevelled portion 15 for cooperating with the bevelled portions 11 of the locking hooks and swinging out the locking hooks as the pin and sleeve portions are pressed together in axial direction. To counteract any unintentional swinging-away of the locking hooks 7 and, thus, activation of the safety release device, the sleeve portion recess for the locking hooks is formed with an abutment surface 16 which limits the swinging-out of the locking hooks to precisely the extent required to make them go clear of the abutment surface. This means that it is necessary to swing out the locking hooks and at the same time exert a separating force in order to activate the safety release device. The limiting of the swing-out angle of the locking hooks also implies that the springs 8 are not unnecessarily sub¬ jected to bending and, consequently, the risk of fatigue fracture in the springs 8 is reduced.

The function of the embodiment illustrated in Figs 1-5 thus is that the bringing-together of the pin and sleeve portions 1, 2 to the position shown in Figs 1-4 activates the safety release device (snap lock) 6, 13 which in the activated position of the device is the only connection between the pin and sleeve portions. The clasping capacity of the snap lock and, consequently, its resistance to release are determined by the engagement between the head 6 and the locking projections 13 and by the properties of the material. If the safety release device should then be deactivated, for example when leading the horse by the halter, the pin and sleeve portions 1, 2 are simply pressed together to the position shown in Fig. 5, in which the lugs 10 of the locking hooks have come into engagement with the locking engagement surfaces 14. In this position, the pin and sleeve portions are thus connected with the locking means 7, 14 as well as with the safety release device 6, 13. If the safety release device should then be engaged or activated, the outer ends of the locking hooks are pressed inwards such that the hooks 7 are stopped by the abutment surfaces 16, and the pin and sleeve portions are pulled apart until they reach the position shown in Fig. 4. If the locking means should instead be pulled apart and opened, the force of pulling apart must be so much greater that the clasping force is overcome. If desired, the pin portion 2 may be provided with some sort of marking to indicate whether the locking means is in the position in which the safety release device is activated, or in the position in .which it is deactivated. This marking may be, for instance, a colour marking in red or orange or some other colour on the part of the pin portion, which is uncovered in the activated position, but covered in the deactivated position. Figs 6-7 illustrate a second embodiment of the locking means according to the present invention. Also in this case, the shifting between the activated and the de¬ activated position of the safety release device is car- ried out by axial displacement of the pin and sleeve por¬ tions relative to each other. The upper part of Fig. 6 shows the locking means in the position in which the safety release device is activated, whereas the lower part of the Figure shows the locking means in the posi- tion in which the safety release device is deactivated. The locking means is symmetrical about the dash-dotted horizontal line.

In this embodiment, the spring-loaded hooks 7' are positioned on the sleeve portion 1, and the' locking en- gagement surfaces 14' are positioned on the pin portion 2. The hooks 7' are, however, not integrated with the sleeve portion, but are connected thereto by means of pivot pins 17. Separate pull-back springs 18 are used in¬ stead of the springs 8 in the embodiment according to Figs 1-5.

The embodiment in Figs 6-7 differs from the embodi¬ ment in Figs 1-5 also in respect of the design of the . safety release device or snap lock. Thus, the locking projections 19 are formed by a spring yoke 20 which may be in the shape of a closed, bent ring formed like a dumbbell. The spring yoke 20 has a hole 21 whose cross- sectional area is slightly larger than the cross-sec¬ tional area of the thickened tip 6 of the locking tongue 5. In the case illustrated, the locking tongue 5 and the tip 6 are of circular cross-section, and the hole 21 is also circular. Other cross-sectional shapes and corre¬ sponding openings may, of course, be used. The snap lock function or the safety release function is. in this case achieved by the engagement between the inwardly directed ridges 19 of the locking yoke and the locking tongue 5. By selecting a suitable stiffness of the spring yoke or locking yoke 20 and by selecting suitable relations of the space between the locking projections or ridges 19 to the maximum thickness of the head 6 of the locking tongue, a suitable minimum amount of tractive force for releasing the safety release device is obtained. In the embodiments illustrated, the locking means is designed such that a shifting between the deactivated and the activated position of the safety release device is carried out by axial displacement of the pin and sleeve portions relative to each other. As mentioned above, the shifting between these two positions can be accomplished by rotating or turning the pin and sleeve portions rela¬ tive to each other and by the locking hooks and the lock¬ ing engagement surfaces in this case being designed in the same manner as in a bayonet joint. In such a case, it is not necessary to use any spring elements in the lock¬ ing means.

In the shown embodiments of the invention, the lock¬ ing means is made symmetrical about an axial centre line, thereby doubling all the locking engagement components. Within the scope of the invention, the locking means can be made unsymmetrical such that only one locking hook 7, 7', one locking engagement surface 14, 14', one locking projection 13, 19 and/or one engagement surface on the enlarged tip 6 of the locking tongue 5 are used. Finally, Fig. 8 illustrates an example of a halter

22 according to the present invention. An inventive lock¬ ing means has thus been mounted in the crownpiece 23 of the halter. In this case, the embodiment illustrated in Figs 1-5 is used, but it is of course also possible to use other embodiments of the locking means according to the invention. In addition, the crownpiece is fitted with the usual buckle 24 for the normal putting on and taking off of the halter, thereby avoiding unnecessary wear of the locking means and the safety release device according to the invention owing to frequent putting on and taking off of the halter. The inventive locking means may, how¬ ever, be mounted in some other strap of the halter, but as mentioned by way of introduction, the locking means is preferably mounted in the crownpiece.

Claims

1. A locking means for halters, comprising a clasp which is adapted to be mounted in a strap included in the halter, especially the crownpiece, and which comprises a sleeve portion (1) and a pin portion (2), these two por¬ tions having cooperating locking elements (7, 7', 14, 14') for releasable interconnecting of the pin and sleeve portions, c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that the locking means further comprises a safety release device (5, 6,

13, 19) comprising a locking tongue (5) included in said pin portion (2) and having an enlarged tip (6), and a re¬ cess (12) formed in the sleeve portion (1) and adapted to receive the locking tongue (5) , said recess having at least one locking projection (13, 19) which is designed to engage behind the enlarged tip (6) of said locking tongue (5) and, together with said tip, to constitute a snap lock (6, 13, 19) which is arranged to keep the pin and sleeve portions (1, 2) interconnected by yieldable action, until a separating force acting in said strap overcomes said yieldable action, and that on the one hand said locking elements (7, 7', 14, 14') of the pin and sleeve portions (1, 2) and, on the other hand, the lock¬ ing tongue (5) and the locking projections (13, 19) of said safety release device (5, 6, 13, 19) are arranged relative to each other in such a manner that the locking elements (7, 7', 14, 14') are, in a mutually engaging po¬ sition of said pin and sleeve portions (1, 2), intercon¬ nected at least by means of said locking elements (7, 7', 14, 14') and, in a further mutually engaging position, interconnected merely by means of the locking tongue (5) and the locking projections (13, 19) of said safety re¬ lease device (5, 6, 13, 19) .

2. The locking means as claimed in claimed in claim 1, c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that on the one hand the locking elements (7, 7', 14, 14') of said pin and sleeve portions (1, 2) and, on the other hand, the locking tongue (5) and the locking projections (13, 19) of said safety release device (5, 6, 13, 19) are arranged rela¬ tive to each other in such a manner that a shifting between the two mutually engaging positions is perform- able by axial displacement of said pin and sleeve por¬ tions (1, 2)' relative to each other.

I 3. The locking means as claimed in claim 1 or 2, c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that the locking elements (7, 7', 14, 14') are designed as a locking engagement surface (14, 14') on one of said sleeve and pin portions (1, 2) and a spring-loaded hook (7, 7') formed on the other of said sleeve and pin portions and adapted to co¬ operate with the locking engagement surface.

4. The locking means as claimed in claim 1, 2 or 3, c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that the spring-loaded hook

(7) comprises a spring hook (7, 8) which is integrated with the sleeve or pin portion (1, 2) .

5. The locking means as claimed in claim 3 or 4, c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that it comprises a swing- limiting abutment (16) which is arranged to limit the swinging of the spring-loaded hook (7) out of engagement with the locking engagement surface (14).

6. A halter (22) fitted with a locking means com¬ prising a clasp which is adapted to be mounted in a strap included in said halter, especially the crownpiece (23) thereof, and which comprises a pin portion and a sleeve portion (1, 2), these two portions having cooperating locking elements (7, 7, 14, 14') for releasably intercon¬ necting said pin and sleeve portions, c h a r a c - 0 t e r i s e d in that the locking means further com¬ prises a safety release device (5, 6, 13, 19) which com¬ prises a locking tongue (5) included in said pin portion (2) and having an enlarged tip (6), and a recess (12) formed in said sleeve portion (1) and adapted to receive 5 said locking tongue, said recess having at least one locking projection (13, 19) which is designed to engage behind the enlarged tip (6) of said locking tongue (5) and, together with said tip, constitute a snap lock (6, 13, 19) which is adapted to keep said pin and sleeve por¬ tions (1, 2) interconnected by yieldable action, until a separating force acting in said strap overcomes said yieldable action, and that on the one hand the locking elements (7,^' 7', 14, 14') of said pin and sleeve portions (1, 2), and on the other hand, the locking tongue (5) and the locking projections (13, 19) of said safety release device (5, 6, 13, 19) are arranged relative to each other in such a manner that the locking elements (7, 7', 14,

14') are, in a mutually engaging position of said pin and sleeve portions (1, 2), interconnected at least by means of the locking elements (7, 7', 14, 14') and, in a fur¬ ther mutually engaging position, interconnected merely by means of the locking tongue (5) and the locking projec¬ tions (13, 19) of said safety release device (5, 6, 13, 19) .

7. The halter as claimed in claim 6, c h a r a c ¬ t e r i s e d in that on the one hand the locking ele- ments (7, 7', 14, 14') of said pin and sleeve portions

(1, 2) and, on the other hand, the locking tongue (5) and the locking projections (13, 19) of said safety release device (5, 6, 13, 19) are arranged relative to each other in such a manner that a shifting between the two mutually engaging positions is performable by axial displacement of said pin and sleeve portions (1, 2) relative to each other.

8. The halter as claimed in claim 6 or 7, c h a r ¬ a c t e r i s e d in that the locking elements (7, 7', 14, 14') are designed as a locking engagement' surface

(14, 14') on one of said sleeve and pin portions (1, 2) and a spring-loaded hook (7, 7') formed on the other of the sleeve and pin portions and adapted to. cooperate with the locking engagement surface.

9. The halter as claimed in claims 6, 7 and 8, c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that said spring-loaded hook (7) comprises a spring hook (7, 8) which is integrated with said sleeve or pin portion (1, 2) .

10. The halter as claimed in claim 8 or 9, c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that it comprises a swing- limiting abutment (16) which is arranged to limit the swinging of said spring-loaded hook (7) out of engagement with said locking engagement surface (14).