Snap-hook holder

Abstract

Snap-hook holder having a handle attached thereto and which has a cavity to receive the snap-hook. The mouth of the cavity is located in an upwardly inclined plane and the holder has a snap-hook engaging member arranged on at least one side thereof. The engaging member is held firmly at one end thereof, and at the other end thereof, has a stud-like member which is arranged to co-act with a corresponding recess in the snap-hook.

Description

The present invention relates to a snap-hook holder having a handle attached thereto, and more particularly to a snap-hook holder for use with boat mooring devices.

Boat mooring lines and ropes are often provided with attaching members such as snap-hooks, to facilitate and to expedite mooring of the boat to a mooring station. The task of attaching a snap-hook to the boat securing device of the mooring station, such as a mooring ring for example, can be very problematic, however, especially when the mooring station has the form of a buoy.

The object of the present invention is to provide a snap-hook holder having a handle attached thereto, thereby affording a much greater reach for the person securing the snap-hook to the boat securing device and to simplify considerably attachment of the hook to said device.

The object is achieved by the snap-hook holder of the present invention, which is mainly characterized by the fact that the holder has disposed therein a cavity which is arranged to accommodate a base portion of the snap-hook and includes at least one spring engagement means for detachably holding the snap-hook in its inserted position in said cavity, the holder being adapted to prevent rotation of the snap-hook in the direction in which external forces applied thereto attempt to turn the same during the attachment of said snap-hook to a securing device.

The just described embodiment of the holder enables a snap-hook inserted therein to be attached to a securing device without risk of the hook being loosened from the holder as said hook is attached to said device. In accordance with the invention, the snap-hook can be removed from the holder by lightly pulling on the holder handle, whereupon the snap-hook is drawn out of the cavity in said handle in a direction generally parallel to the longitudinal direction of the handle. The holder may also be designed to enable the hook to be separated therefrom by turning the handle in a direction opposite to the aforementioned direction in which the snap-hook is locked against rotation.

Retention of the snap-hook in the holder can be ensured solely by friction acting between the engagement means and the hook. The engagement means, however, is preferably designed to retain the snap-hook by "snap - in" engagement therewith.

With a preferred embodiment of the invention, the holder has two opposing engagement means arranged to engage the snap-hook on opposite sides thereof.

So that the invention will be more readily understood and further features thereof made apparent, a snap-hook holder according to the invention having a handle attached thereto, will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which

FIG. 1 is a perspective view, partially in section, of a snap-hook holder with a handle attached thereto according to a preferred embodiment of the invention,

FIG. 2 is a side view on a larger soale and partially in section of the main or head portion of the holder, and

FIG. 3 is another view on a still larger scale of the holder seen obliquely from above in the direction indicated by arrows III--III in FIG. 2.

The snap-hook holder shown in the drawing comprises a head or main portion 1 preferably made of a light-metal by injection moulding or compression moulding techniques, and having attached thereto a tubular handle 2. The handle 2 may have the form of a light-metal tube and is arranged to be mounted to a peg 3 projecting from the head portion 1, to which peg the handle is fixed by pressing said handle into a peripheral groove (not shown). The head portion 1 and the handle 2 may both be provided with an outer layer of plastics material. The end of the handle 2 remote from the head portion 1 has fitted thereto a sleeve-like grip member 4, which may be made of rubber for example. Thus, the handle 2 is closed at both ends so as to form a buoyant body, thereby ensuring that it will float should it be dropped in the water during a boat mooring operation for example.

The head portion 1 of the snap-hook has arranged therein a cavity 5, the opening of which is located in an upwardly inclined end surface of the head portion 1. The cavity 5 is arranged to accommodate a base portion of a snap-hook generally indicated by the reference numeral 6 and shown with chain lines in FIGS. 1 and 2. The snap-hook shown in the drawing is of the type sold under the trademark MERX. The snap-hook 6 comprises a curved hooked portion 7 and a latching arm 8 which is pivotally mounted at the base portion of the hooked portion and which is spring biassed in a direction towards the position shown in the drawing, in which position the latching arm engages the tip 9 of the hooked portion, thereby preventing said portion from being unintentionally released when attached to a securing device.

The snap-hook 6 also has a locking lever 10 which is pivotally mounted at the base portion of said snap-hook and the free end of which has the form of a ring to which a mooring line can be attached. The locking lever 10 is mounted on a transversely extending pivot pin 11, which projects outwardly slightly on both sides of the snap-hook. The locking lever is also provided with a camming means (not shown) arranged to co-act with the latching arm 8 too permit inward folding of the hook only when the locking arm occupies the position shown in the drawing, said locking lever effectively holding the latching arm 8 in its illustrated latching position as soon as said locking lever is moved from the illustrated position.

In order to insert the snap-hook 6 into the cavity 5 arranged in the head portion 1, it is necessary to move the locking lever 10 to its inoperative position shown in the drawing. When inserting the snap-hook into said cavity, the base portion of the snap-hook is inserted into the cavity longitudinally of two opposing recesses 12 located in the wall of the cavity, said recesses being arranged to accommodate the outwardly projecting end portions of the pivot pin 11. In the inserted position of the snap-hook, the locking lever 10 will rest against the upper edge 5a of the cavity, while the outwardly projecting portion of the snap-hook 6 on which the latching arm 8 is mounted abuts the lower edge 5b of the cavity 5, whereby the snap-hook rests firmly in the head portion 1.

The snap-hook 6 is detachably held in the head portion 1 by means of two engagement means, at least one of which is preferably sprung and each of which comprises an arm 13 which is fixed at one end and which at its other end has a stud-like portion 15 arranged to protrude into the cavity wall through a hole 14 located therein and to engage a hole 16 arranged in the base portion of the snap-hook. The arms 13 of the engagement means may suitably comprise a plastics material having a high wear resistance, and requisite spring tension of the arms may be provided for by means of metal leaf springs 17 secured together with the arms 13 by means of a transversely extending rivet 18. The springs extend along a large portion of the length of the arms 13. As shown in the drawing, the arms 13 may be sunk into the outer side of the head portion 1, while tthe leaf springs 17 may be arranged in recesses located in said arms 13.

As a result of the aforedescribed embodiment of the head portion 1, the snap-hook 6 will be effectively held against forces which occur when forcing the latching arm against the snap-hook securing device and which attempt to rotate the snap-hook during said securing operation. Subsequent to securely attaching the snap-hook to the securing device, the holder can be released from the snap-hook by lightly pulling the holder handle 2. The holder can also be released from the hook, however, by twisting or swinging the holder relative to the hook around a pivot point adjacent the lower edge 5b of the cavity 5.

As will be seen from the drawing, the head portion 1 also has an outwardly projecting nose 19, which enables the holder to be used as a boat hook.

The invention is not restricted to the described and illustrated embodiment thereof, but can be modified within the scope of the inventive idea. For example, if the holder is to be used for snap-hooks of a design different to that shown on the drawing, it must naturally be modified to suit said snap-hook. For example, the engagement means can be designed to co-act wiith the edge portions of the snap-hook or to retain said snap-hook solely by friction instead of by the "snap-in" engagement means illustrated.

Claims

We claim:

1. A snap-hook holder for connection to one end of an elongated handle and having a cavity for receiving a base portion of a snap-hook therein; at least one engagement means for detachably retaining said base portion within said cavity, to facilitate application of said hook to a distant attaching member by means of said handle and the holder; the latter further comprising rigid portions forming firm abutments arranged to cooperate with selected portions of said hook to prevent any rotation of the hook in a a direction in which external forces tend to rotate the same when applying it to said attaching member; wherein said at least one engagement means includes "snap-in" means for retaining said snap-hook in engagement therewith; and wherein said at least one engagement means includes a spring loaded arm fixed at one end, and which has at its other end a stud arranged to protrude into said cavity.

2. The holder as defined in claim 1, comprising two opposing ones of said engagement means, arranged to engage opposite sides of said snap-hook.

3. The holder as defined in claim 1, wherein said arm is arranged in a recess on the outer surface of the holder, and wherein said stud extends through a hole in the holder wall.

4. The holder as defined in claim 1, wherein said arm is made of a wear-resistant plastic material, further comprising a metal leaf spring secured together with and extending along said arm.

5. The holder as defined in claim 1, further comprising a head portion to which said handle is attached and having said cavity therein, and a nose-like projection on said head portion, said projection enabling the holder to be used as a boat hook.