Loop-supporting Device

Abstract

A loop-supporting device is provided by an elongated handle and a resiliently deformable, elongated frame member of generally rectilinear configuration in its open position. A clasp is provided for disengagably securing the frame member in closed position of generally circular configuration, and the frame member has a plurality of line support elements spaced along the length thereof. With the frame member in its closed position, the loop of a line may be supported thereby, after which the loop and frame member may be positioned about a piling, as in a boat mooring operation. Drawing the frame member against the piling releases the engagement by the clasp and allows the frame member to return to its open, generally rectilinear position. This, in turn, permits release of the line and removal of the device with the loop remaining about the piling.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A high level of skill (or luck) is usually required to position a loop of a rope or line about a remote or relatively moving object without the aid of a mechanical device. Lassoing is a frequently employed and often frustrating technique. As will be appreciated, the difficulty in part results from the lack of inherent rigidity in conventional ropes and lines which, if present, would readily enable placement in the position desired.

One area in which the problem is significant is in the mooring of boats, and the problem has been magnified due to the increased popularity of boating and to changes that have consequently occurred in the manner in which the boats are moored. Previously, a boat was customarily docked by bringing it alongside and parallel to the wharf, in which position a crew member could easily jump ashore and make lines fast, fore and aft; alternatively from such a position the lines could be easily tossed to available dock attendants. As a result of the ever-increasing scarcity of shorefront property and the overcrowding of mooring waters, the practice of docking vessels perpendicular to the wharves has become popular because it permits the docking of many more craft along a given length of pier frontage. However, this practice has necessitated securing at least one of the lines (normally aft of the vessel) about a piling in the water outwardly from the dock, the accomplishment of which can prove a most difficult feat, especially in rough or choppy waters or in high winds. Indeed, attempting to lasso a piling under such conditions of instability can be dangerous to personnel, and can involve even more serious problems when the boat is being single-handed.

A number of devices have previously been suggested in the art for use as aids in securing a rope or line about a remote object. However, it is typical of such prior art devices that they are quite complex in construction and operation, relatively expensive to manufacture, and often deficient in the measure of support which they provide for the loop.

Accordingly, it is the primary object of the present invention to provide a novel loop-supporting device that is of relatively simply and inexpensive construction, that provides a wholly adequate level of support while maintaining a line loop in a desirable configuration for placement over a remote object, and that operates readily to effect the release of the line when desired.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a device of the foregoing type which is constructed so as to provide a compact unit for convenient storage and which is yet easily and speedily assembled for use.

Another object is to provide such a device that includes other functional elements such as a conventional boat hook, and which possesses sufficient buoyancy for flotation and retrieval if dropped overboard.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It has now been found that the foregoing and related objects of the invention can be readily attained in a loop-supporting device comprising a resiliently deformable, elongated frame member of generally rectilinear configuration in its open position, an elongated handle affixed to the frame member, and clasp means for disengageably securing the frame member in a closed position providing a generally circular configuration. The frame member has a plurality of releasable line-support elements spaced along the length thereof that are engageable with a line loop at a plurality of points thereabout to maintain the loop in an open position with the frame member in the closed position providing the generally circular configuration thereof. The line is releasable from the line support elements upon disengagement of the clasp means and return of the frame member to its open position.

In the preferred device the support elements on the frame member comprise a multiplicity of spring-biased clips, under which the line is engageable, and the clasp means is on the frame member adjacent one end thereof. In such a device, the other end of the frame member is frictionally retained by the clasp means to maintain the frame member in the generally circular configuration thereof.

The frame member and handle are desirably disengageable from one another, and the handle may have a transverse channel extending across one end thereof that is dimensioned and configured for seating of a portion of the frame member therein. A retaining member that is disengageably securable on the channelled end of the handle is used to secure the frame portion against relative rotation in the channel of the handle. Most desirably, the handle has a hollow portion providing a cavity therein that opens at the channelled end thereof, and that is dimensioned and configured to house the frame member. The retaining member employed in such a structure is appropriately a cap releasably engaged upon the end of the handle to close the cavity therein. It is especially preferred that the handle be tubular and that the end thereof at which the cavity opens be threaded. A cap with a generally cylindrical cooperatively threaded sidewall is threadably engaged upon the end of the handle and the cap has an end wall with a pin extending coaxially beyond the sidewall thereof. The frame portion in such a case is provided with an aperture through which the pin extends to substantially prevent relative transverse movement between the handle and frame member.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a loop-supporting device embodying the present invention, with the frame member in the closed position providing a generally circular configuration;

FIG. 2 is an exploded, fragmentary perspective view of the device of FIG. 1, drawn to a slightly enlarged scale, illustrating the manner of assembly of the frame member and handle and showing the frame member in the open position providing a generally rectilinear configuration.

FIG. 3 is an exploded, fragmentary perspective view of the interengageable portions of the frame member and handle, drawn to a greatly enlarged scale and more clearly illustrating the manner of assembly;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of one embodiment of handle that may be utilized in the present device, the scale being reduced from that of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of the device of FIG. 1 drawn to a slightly enlarged scale and illustrating the manner in which the loop of a line is supported within the frame member; and

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 5 showing, in full line, the loop and frame member placed about a fragmentarily illustrated piling just prior to release and, in phantom line, the frame member in its generally rectilinear position following release of the clasp and of the line therefrom.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENT

Turning now in detail to FIGS. 1-4 of the drawings, therein illustrated is a loop-supporting device embodying the present invention and consisting of a handle or pole, generally designated by the numeral 10, and a frame member generally designated by the numeral 12. The pole 10 comprises a generally hollow tubular body portion 14 that has a mooring or boat hook 16 of conventional design affixed to one end, and a knurled cap 18 disengageably secured upon the opposite end thereof.

In the normally open position illustrated in FIG. 2, the frame member 12 is of rectilinear configuration and may be stored in a cavity 19 within the handle 14. Conveniently, the cavity 19 is defined in the body 14 between the disengageable cap 18 and the core spacer 20 which is rigidly affixed within the body 14 intermediate the ends thereof. The frame member 12 consists of a length or strap 22 of resiliently deformable material such as spring steel, and secured thereto at spaced locations along the length thereof are a multiplicity of line clips 24. A buckle 26 of generally rectangular cross section has one side secured in a channel defined by a reversely bent portion 28 at one end of the strap 22. The buckle 26 is dimensioned to provide a space between its opposite side and the outer side of the strap 22, in which space the tongue portion 30 provided by the opposite end of the strap 22 is received and frictionally engaged. A small aperture 32 is provided in the strap 22 at an intermediate location for a purpose to be more fully explained hereinafter.

A diametrically extending slot 34 is cut or otherwise formed in the open or hollow end of the pole 10, onto which is secured the cap 18. The slot 34 is dimensioned to snugly seat the width of the strap 22, and the end portion of the body 14 is provided with external threads 36 that threadably engage with the internal threads 38 on the sidewall of the cap 18. The cap 18 has a pin or stud 40 projecting axially from the end wall thereof and the pin 40 extends outwardly of the sidewall to pass through the aperture 32 in the strap 22 when assembled therewith.

As will now be apparent, the pole 10 and frame member 12 are assembled by seating the strap 22 within the slot 34 with the aperture 32 thereof aligned with the axis of the pole body 14. Threadably engaging the cap 18 on the body 14 clamps the strap 22 against the body 14 to prevent relative axial and rotational movement, and engagement of the pin 40 in the aperture 32 prevents transverse movement of the strap 22 in the slot 34.

Operation of the device is readily illustrated by reference to FIGS. 5 and 6. As can be seen, the tongue 30 of the strap 22 of the frame member 12 is frictionally engaged within the buckle 26 to secure the ends of the strap 22 together in the closed position thereof, providing a generally circular configuration. With the strap 22 so configured, the loop of a mooring line 44 is disengageably secured therein at several points under the retaining lips 42 of the line clips 24, thus supporting the loop in an open configuration. With the line 44 so arranged within the frame member 12, the frame member 12 and the loop of the line 44 are brought downwardly about a piling 46 or other mooring post, and thereafter the handle is pulled sharply towards the operator to cause the far end of the frame member 12 to strike the piling. The force exerted overcomes the frictional resistance between the buckle 26 and tongue 30, causing the release of the tongue 30 and permitting return of the frame member 12 to its open position in which it is generally rectilinear. The resultant relative movement occurring between the line 44 and the frame member 12 pulls the line 44 from the line clips 24, allowing removal of the device with the line 44 remaining encircled about the piling 46.

Various resiliently-deformable materials may be used to provide the frame member, including metal, fiberglass reinforced plastics, polyamides, polyolefins and polycarbonates; generally, the strap and the clips that are provided at spaced locations along the length thereof are conveniently and desirably provided by an appropriately resilient metal. The clips may be spot welded or otherwise bonded to the strap, and a simple loop of metal or plastic clamped adjacent one end of the strap may serve as the buckle under which the opposite end of the strap may be inserted and frictionally retained.

Spring biased clips of the simple construction illustrated are preferred as the support elements for the loop since they provide secure engagement of the line when desired and readily release it during opening of the frame member. While both simpler and more complex types of support elements may be used, spring biasing is desirable and effective to provide secure engagement of the line and is readily attained in the construction shown. Fewer than four support elements (as illustrated) may be feasible, but is less desirable from the standpoint of holding the loop in an adequately opened position commensurate with a small diameter frame member. Conversely, more than four support elements may be employed but are not necessary.

Although the illustrated embodiment is especially desirable from the standpoint of providing a compact structure which may quickly and readily be assembled prior to use for mooring, and which has the added advantage of providing sufficient buoyancy for flotation, it is not essential to the attainment of the objectives of the invention that the device be disassembable or that the frame member be housed within the handle when not in use. Moreover, the manner in which the several disengageable parts are assembled may vary considerably from that illustrated and discussed hereinabove. Furthermore, although the handle of the device is desirably constructed to include a mooring or boat hook upon the opposite end thereof, this is not essential to the invention and may, in fact, be quite inappropriate when the device is intended for non-marine applications.

The choice of materials for the non-resilient parts will depend to a degree upon the intended use for the device and should not be considered to limit the scope of the invention. In most cases, the pole and associated elements will desirably be constructed of a lightweight material such as aluminum, or synthetic plastic for ease in handling and buoyancy, but heavier materials such as wood may also be used. Parts other than those shown in the drawings may be employed if necessary or desirable, and in the illustrated tubular pole construction gaskets and the like will desirably be employed to prevent leakage.

By the use herein of the term "generally rectilinear" to describe the configuration of the frame member in the open position, it is intended that somewhat curvilinear configurations also be encompassed, as is shown in phantom line in FIG. 6. Although stricter rectilinearity is preferred to enable the frame member to be readily inserted and removed from the handle cavity, substantially any relatively open configuration may be feasible.

Thus, it can be seen that the present invention provides a novel loop-supporting device that is of relatively simple and inexpensive construction, that provides a wholly adequate level of support while maintaining a line loop in a desirable configuration for placement over a remote object, and that operates readily to effect the release of the line when desired. The device may be constructed so as to provide a compact unit for convenient storage which is easily and speedily assembled for use. Moreover, the device of the invention may include other functional elements such as a conventional boat hook, and it may possess sufficient buoyancy for flotation and retrieval if dropped overboard.

Claims

Having thus described the invention, I claim:

1. A loop-supporting device comprising a resiliently deformable elongated frame member of generally rectilinear configuration in its open position and having a plurality of releasable line-support elements spaced along the length thereof; an elongated handle affixed to said frame member; and clasp means for disengageably securing said frame member in a closed position providing a generally circular configuration, said support elements being engageable with a line loop at a plurality of points thereabout to maintain the loop in an open position with said frame member in said closed position providing said generally circular configuration thereof and being releasable from the associated line loop upon disengagement of said clasp means and return of said frame member to its open position.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein said support elements on said frame member comprise a multiplicity of spring-biased clips under which the line is engageable.

3. The device of claim 1 wherein said clasp means is on said frame member adjacent one end thereof, and wherein the other end of said frame member is frictionally retained thereby to maintain said frame member in said generally circular configuration, said open position being attained through force acting upon said frame member from within the circle defined thereby to overcome the frictional forces and thereby to effect the release of said other end by said clasp means.

4. The device of claim 1 wherein said frame member and said handle are disengageable from one another.

5. The device of claim 4 wherein said handle has a transverse channel that extends across one end thereof and is dimensioned and configured for seating a portion of said frame member therein, said device additionally including a retaining member disengageably secured on said end of said handle to secure said frame portion against axial movement and relative rotation in said channel thereof.

6. The device of claim 5 wherein said handle has a hollow portion providing a cavity that opens at said one end thereof and that is dimensioned and configured to house said frame member therein, and wherein said retaining member is a cap releasably engaged upon said one end of said handle to close said cavity therein.

7. The device of claim 6 wherein said handle is tubular and said one end thereof is threaded, wherein said cap has a generally cylindrical, cooperatively threaded sidewall threadably engaged upon said one end said cap also having an end wall with a pin extending coaxially beyond said sidewall thereof, and wherein said frame portion has an aperture therein through which said pin extends to substantially prevent relative transverse movement between said handle and frame member.