U.S. patent application number 12/398588 was filed with the patent office on 2010-07-01 for safety hook.
Invention is credited to Rong-Der HONG.
Application Number | 20100162531 12/398588 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 42261367 |
Filed Date | 2010-07-01 |
United States Patent
Application |
20100162531 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
HONG; Rong-Der |
July 1, 2010 |
SAFETY HOOK
Abstract
A safety hook includes a hook body, a pivotable safety retainer
biased to a locking position, and a pivotable latch member biased
to abut against a distal end of a hook portion of the hook body to
thereby close a hook mouth defined by the hook body. The safety
retainer includes a stop portion and an abutment face unit. When
the safety retainer is disposed in the locking position, the stop
portion abuts against the latch member, and the abutment face unit
is adjacent to and spaced apart from a stop block of the hook body.
In the locking position, if an external force is applied to pivot
the latch member away from the distal end of the hook portion, the
abutment face unit will come into contact with the stop block to
prevent further pivoting movement of the latch member.
Inventors: |
HONG; Rong-Der; (Taichung
City, TW) |
Correspondence
Address: |
FROMMER LAWRENCE & HAUG
745 FIFTH AVENUE- 10TH FL.
NEW YORK
NY
10151
US
|
Family ID: |
42261367 |
Appl. No.: |
12/398588 |
Filed: |
March 5, 2009 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
24/265H |
Current CPC
Class: |
Y10T 24/45366 20150115;
Y10T 24/4755 20150115; Y10T 24/4534 20150115; Y10T 24/45351
20150115; F16B 45/02 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
24/265.H |
International
Class: |
A44B 13/00 20060101
A44B013/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Dec 25, 2008 |
TW |
097223285 |
Claims
1. A safety hook comprising: a hook body having a positioning ring
portion, a hook portion opposite to said positioning ring portion,
and a connecting section connected between said positioning ring
portion and said hook portion, said hook portion being U-shaped and
having a distal end cooperating with said positioning ring portion
to define a hook mouth therebetween, said connecting section having
an inner side and an outer side opposite to said inner side and
farther from said hook mouth than said inner side, said connecting
section being formed integrally with at least one stop block
disposed adjacent to said outer side; a safety retainer unit
including a safety retainer and a first resilient member, said
safety retainer having a pivot end disposed pivotally on said
connecting section, at least one abutment face unit disposed at an
end of said safety retainer opposite to said pivot end of said
safety retainer and biased toward said stop block by said first
resilient member, and a stop portion, said safety retainer being
biased by said first resilient member to a locking position such
that said abutment face unit is adjacent to and spaced apart from
said stop block by a small distance, said safety retainer being
pivotable against biasing action of said first resilient member to
a release position to thereby move said abutment face unit away
from said stop block, said stop portion of said safety retainer
being spaced apart from said inner side of said connecting section
by a large distance larger than said small distance when said
safety retainer is disposed in said locking position so as to allow
for engagement of said abutment face unit with said stop block
while preventing engagement of said stop portion and said inner
side of said connecting section of said hook body during pivoting
movement of said safety retainer relative to said hook body; and a
latch unit including a latch member having a pivot end disposed
pivotally on said connecting section and a free end, and a second
resilient member for biasing said free end of said latch member to
abut against said distal end of said hook portion, said latch
member further having at least one limiting portion abutting
against said stop portion of said safety retainer to thereby
prevent removal of said free end of said latch member from said
distal end of said hook portion when said safety retainer is
disposed in said locking position, said stop portion of said safety
retainer being removed from said limiting portion of said latch
member so that removal of said free end of said latch member from
said distal end of said hook portion is allowed when said safety
retainer is disposed in said release position; wherein, when said
safety retainer is disposed in said locking position, upon
application of an external force to said latch member, said
limiting portion of said latch member pivots said stop portion of
said safety retainer, thereby allowing said abutment face unit of
said safety retainer to come into contact with said stop block.
2. The safety hook as claimed in claim 1, wherein said abutment
face unit of said safety retainer has a pair of first and second
faces generally perpendicular to each other, said stop block having
two side surfaces confronting respectively said first and second
faces of said safety retainer when said safety retainer is disposed
in said locking position such that said free end of said latch
member is pivotable away from said distal end of said hook portion
as a result of application of the external force to said latch
member, so that said limiting portion of said latch member pivots
said stop portion of said safety retainer, thereby allowing said
first and second faces of said abutment face unit of said safety
retainer to come into contact with said side surfaces of said stop
block, respectively.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims priority of Taiwanese Application
No. 097223285, filed on Dec. 25, 2008.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] This invention relates to a hanging hook, and more
particularly to a safety hook for hanging a heavy load.
[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0005] Referring to FIG. 1, a conventional safety hook for hanging
a heavy load includes a hook body 1 defining a hook mouth 101, a
safety retainer unit 2, and a latch unit 3. The safety retainer
unit 2 includes a safety retainer 201 pivotable between a locking
position and a release position, and a first torsion spring 202 for
biasing the safety retainer 201 toward the locking position. The
safety retainer 201 has a pivot portion 203 disposed pivotally on
the hook body 1, a stop portion 204 in the form of a rod, and an
operating portion 205. The latch unit 3 includes a latch member 301
disposed pivotally on the hook body 1, and a second torsion spring
302 for biasing the latch member 301 to close the hook mouth 101.
The latch member 301 has a limiting portion 303.
[0006] When no external force is applied to the safety retainer 201
and the latch member 301, the safety retainer 201 is disposed in
the locking position, and the hook mouth 101 is closed by the latch
member 301 such that the stop portion 204 of the safety retainer
201 is in contact with the limiting portion 303 of the latch member
301. In this state, due to contact between the stop portion 204 and
the limiting portion 303, a resistance is provided to prevent
pivoting movement of the latch member 301. When it is desired to
open the hook mouth 101, the operating portion 205 of the safety
retainer 201 is pressed inwardly in a direction (A) to remove the
stop portion 204 from the limiting portion 303, thereby allowing
for pivoting movement of the latch member 301 relative to the hook
body 1.
[0007] The aforesaid conventional safety hook has a drawback. That
is, when a greater external force is applied to pivot the latch
member 301 to thereby result in impact of the stop portion 204 on
the hook body 1, the stop portion 204 may be broken. This poses
safety risks during use.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] The object of this invention is to provide a safety hook
that has enhanced safety features.
[0009] According to this invention, a safety hook includes a hook
body, a pivotable safety retainer biased to a locking position, and
a pivotable latch member biased to abut against a distal end of a
hook portion of the hook body to thereby close a hook mouth defined
by the hook body. The safety retainer includes a stop portion and
an abutment face unit. When the safety retainer is disposed in the
locking position, the stop portion abuts against the latch member,
and the abutment face unit is adjacent to and spaced apart from a
stop block of the hook body. In the locking position, if an
external force is applied to pivot the latch member away from the
distal end of the hook portion, the abutment face unit will come
into contact with the stop block to prevent further pivoting
movement of the latch member.
[0010] As such, impact of the stop portion of the safety retainer
on the hook body can be prevented due to the presence of the stop
block and the abutment face unit.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0011] These and other features and advantages of this invention
will become apparent in the following detailed description of a
preferred embodiment of this invention, with reference to the
accompanying drawings, in which:
[0012] FIG. 1 is a partly sectional side view of a conventional
safety hook;
[0013] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of
a safety hook according to this invention;
[0014] FIG. 3 is a partly sectional side view of the preferred
embodiment when a safety retainer and a latch member are disposed
respectively in a locking position and a mouth-closing
position;
[0015] FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line IV-IV in FIG.
3;
[0016] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the latch member of the
preferred embodiment; and
[0017] FIG. 6 is a partly sectional view of the preferred
embodiment when the safety retainer and the latch member are
disposed respectively in a release position and a mouth-opening
position.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0018] Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the preferred embodiment of a
safety hook according to this invention includes a hook body 10, a
safety retainer unit 20, and a latch unit 30.
[0019] The hook body 10 has a positioning ring portion 11, a hook
portion 12 opposite to the positioning ring portion 11, and a
connecting section 13 connected between the positioning ring
portion 11 and the hook portion 12. The hook portion 12 is
U-shaped, and has a proximate end 121 connected to the connecting
section 13, and a distal end 122 opposite to the proximate end 121.
The distal end 122 cooperates with the positioning ring portion 11
to define a hook mouth 14 therebetween, and is curved in a known
manner to define a retaining groove 123. The connecting section 13
has an inner side 131, an outer side 132 that is opposite to the
inner side 131 and that is farther from the hook mouth 14 than the
inner side 131, and a recess 133 disposed in the outer side 132. A
first pivot 134 is disposed on the connecting section 13 of the
hook body 10, and is connected to the safety retainer unit 20. The
connecting section 13 is formed integrally with two aligned stop
blocks 135 disposed adjacent to the outer side 132. Each of the
stop blocks 135 has an adjacent pair of first and second side
surfaces 137, 138. A second pivot 136 is disposed on the connecting
section 13 of the hook body 10, and is connected to the latch unit
30. With further reference to FIG. 4, the stop blocks 135 extend
respectively and integrally from two opposite sides of the
connecting section 13 away from each other.
[0020] The safety retainer unit 20 includes a safety retainer 21
and a first resilient member 22. The safety retainer 21 has a pivot
end 211 disposed pivotally on the connecting section 13, an free
end 212 opposite to the pivot end 211, a stop portion 213 in the
form of a rod having a circular cross-section, two abutment face
units disposed at the free end 212 and each consisting of a pair of
first and second faces 214, 215 generally perpendicular to each
other, and an operation plate portion 216 pivotable in the recess
133 between a non-pressed position shown in FIG. 3 and a pressed
position shown in FIG. 6. The abutment face units are biased by the
first resilient member 22 toward the stop blocks 135, respectively.
The safety retainer 21 is pivotable relative to the hook body 10
between a locking position shown in FIG. 3 whereat the operation
plate portion 216 is disposed in the non-pressed position, and a
release position shown in FIG. 6 whereat the operation plate
portion 216 is disposed in the pressed position. When the safety
retainer 21 is disposed in the locking position, the first and
second faces 214, 215 confront respectively the first and second
side surfaces 137, 138 of the stop blocks 135.
[0021] The latch unit 30 includes a latch member 31 and a second
resilient member 32. With further reference to FIG. 5, the latch
member 31 has two sidewalls 310, a connecting wall 310'
interconnecting the side walls 310, a pivot end 311 disposed
pivotally on the connecting section 13 of the hook body 10, and a
free end 312 opposite to the pivot end 311. Each of the sidewalls
310 has a limiting portion 313 configured as a curved groove. The
connecting wall 310' has an end formed with an open-ended slot 314.
An engaging rod 315 extends through the sidewalls 310, and is
aligned with the open-ended slot 314. The latch member 31 is
pivotable relative to the hook body 10 between a mouth-closing
position shown in FIG. 3 whereat the free end 312 of the latch
member 31 abuts against the distal end 122 of the hook portion 12
of the hook body 10 to close the hook mouth 14, and a mouth-opening
position shown in FIG. 6 whereat the free end 312 of the latch
member 31 is removed from the distal end 122 of the hook portion 12
of the hook body 10 to open the hook mouth 14. When the latch
member 31 is disposed in the mouth-closing position, the distal end
122 of the hook body 12 extends through the open-ended slot 314 in
the latch member 31 to engage the engaging rod 315 with the
retaining groove 123. The second resilient member 32 biases the
latch member 31 to rotate counterclockwise about the second pivot
136 toward the mouth-closing position.
[0022] With particular reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, when no external
force is applied to the safety retainer 21 and the latch member 31,
the operation plate portion 215 of the safety retainer 21 is biased
to rotate counterclockwise about the first pivot 134 to the
no-pressed position so that the safety retainer 21 is biased to the
locking position, and the latch member 31 is biased to the
mouth-closing position. In this state, the stop portion 213 of the
safety retainer 21 abuts against the limiting portion 313 of the
latch member 31 to prevent pivoting movement of the latch member 31
(i.e., removal of the free end 312 of the latch member 31 from the
distal end 122 of the hook portion 12 of the hook body 10).
[0023] With particular reference to FIG. 6, when it is desired to
hang a heavy load (not shown) on the safety hook, the operation
plate portion 216 of the safety retainer 21 is pressed inwardly in
a direction (B) to the pressed position to thereby rotate the
safety retainer 21 clockwise about the first pivot 314 to the
release position. Hence, the stop portion 213 is removed from the
limiting portion 313 so that the latch member 31 can be pivoted
manually to the mouth-opening position.
[0024] With particular reference to FIG. 3, when the latch member
31 is disposed in the mouth-closing position, and when the safety
retainer 21 is disposed in the locking position, each of the
abutment faces consisting of the first and second faces 214, 215 of
the safety retainer 21 is adjacent to and spaced apart from the
corresponding stop block 135 by a small distance (S1), and the stop
portion 213 of the safety retainer 21 is spaced apart from the
inner side 131 of the connecting section 13 of the hook body 10 by
a large distance (S2) that is larger than the small distance (S1).
As such, if a greater external force is applied to the latch member
31 in a direction (D) to rotate the same clockwise so that the
safety retainer 21 rotates counterclockwise, the abutment face
units will come into contact with the stop blocks 135,
respectively, and impact of the stop portion 213 of the safety
retainer 21 on the inner side 131 of the connecting section 13 can
be prevented. Thus, the object of this invention is achieved.
[0025] With this invention thus explained, it is apparent that
numerous modifications and variations can be made without departing
from the scope and spirit of this invention. It is therefore
intended that this invention be limited only as indicated by the
appended claims.
* * * * *