Unidirectional detent for flexible elongated members

Abstract

In a system for retrieving a deployed boat anchor, a buoyant structure is slidably attached to the anchor line by means of a snap fastener while the anchor line is slack. The boat is then moved away from the buoyant structure to take up the slack in the anchor line. Frictional drag exerted by the water on the buoyant structure prevents the structure from following the anchor line. When the anchor line is taut, the floating buoyant structure serves to redirect downward the pulling force generated by the motion of the boat. As the boat is moved further from the buoyant structure, the anchor is raised. A one-way hook on a portion of the anchor line near the anchor prevents the anchor from sinking when the boat is no longer pulling on the anchor line.

Parent Case Text

This is a division of application Ser. No. 409,661 filed Oct. 25, 1973.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention concerns a method and apparatus for retrieving deployed boat anchors. Known prior inventions employ buoyant anchor line attachments to provide resilient mooring systems and to provide buoyant lift for deployed anchors. A need exists for a simple and inexpensive apparatus for raising boat anchors without resorting to power winches or submergible buoys.

A collection of devices of the type known in the prior art is found in the Official United States Patent Office Classification of Patents, particularly in class 114, subclass 206 and class 294, subclass 66. Examples of such devices are found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,094,095; 3,407,775; and 3,726,247.

In U.S. Pat. No. 3.094,095, a buoyant device is attached to an anchor line and the boat is run in the direction of the anchor, causing the buoyant device to move downward along the anchor line due to drag in the water. When the buoyant device hits the bottom it slides along the anchor shaft. Further movement of the boat frees the anchor, and the buoyant device lifts the anchor to the surface where it may be recovered.

In U.S. Pat. No. 3,407,775, a combination of a winch and forward motion of a boat are employed to pull a deployed anchor.

In U.S. Pat. No. 3,726,247, a buoy and a sinker are attached at different places on an anchor line to provide a resilient mooring.

A need exists for an inexpensive system for retrieving anchors which can be used by all boat owners. The system must harness a source of power sufficient to dislodge a heavy boat anchor from the bottoms of bodies of water and raise the anchor in such a way that it can be recovered and placed in or on the boat.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention concerns an apparatus and method for raising and retrieving deployed boat anchors attached to a boat by an anchor line. In the invention a buoyant structure is slidably attached to the anchor line while the anchor line is slack. The anchor line is then pulled taut, and the floating buoyant structure serves to redirect the pulling force downward to raise the anchor from the bottom.

A preferred embodiment of the present invention is a method for raising and retrieving a deployed anchor comprised of several sequential steps. First, the boat is moved to a position almost directly above the deployed anchor. This movement slackens the anchor line. The buoyant structure is then slidably attached to the anchor line and floated on the water. The boat is moved to a point distant from the point directly above the deployed anchor. The buoyant structure tends to remain in the position where it was placed due to the frictional drag of the water. The net effect of the motion of the boat is to remove the slack from the anchor line. As the boat is moved further from the buoyant structure, the pull on the anchor line raises the anchor from the bottom. The boat is moved a sufficient distance to raise the anchor to the surface.

In one form of the present invention, the anchor line is then drawn into the boat to recover the buoyant structure and anchor. This may be accomplished by the hand over hand method or be a small power winch. In another form of the invention, the anchor line is equipped with a unidirectional detent which engages the means attaching the anchor line to the buoyant structure and prevents the anchor from dropping to the bottom when the force on the anchor line is relieved. This permits the boat to move back toward the buoyant structure after the anchor is raised. The anchor and buoyant structure can then be lifted directly into the boat.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the buoyant structure consists of an inflated floatation device and a tethering line. The floatation device is of sufficiently great dimensions to exert a buoyant force greater than any expected vertical force necessary to dislodge the anchor from the bottom. Thus, the buoyant structure is capable of remaining afloat during the entire operation of retrieving the anchor. The floatation device is also dimensioned to provide sufficient frictional dragging force when placed in the water, so that the buoyant structure is not pulled out of position as the anchor line is drawn taut. This requires a frictional drag force equal to or exceeding the opposing frictional force exerted by the sliding of the anchor line through the attachment means.

In a preferred embodiment, the means for attaching the anchor line to the buoyant structure is an annulus attached to the tethering line. The anchor line passes through the central aperture in the annulus. In one configuration, the annulus takes the form of a spring-loaded snap-fastener, whereby the buoyant structure may be attached to the anchor line by encircling the anchor with the snap-fastener. This operation can be performed immediately prior to pulling the anchor line and eliminates the necessity of detaching the anchor line from the boat to connect the buoyant structure.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the anchor line is equipped with a unidirectional detent which takes the form of a one-way hook. The one-way hook is fixed to a portion of the anchor line near the anchor. The one-way hook permits the annulus to move toward the anchor along the anchor line, but prevents the annulus moving away from the anchor along the anchor line once the annulus has passed the one-way hook.

In one form of the present invention, the one-way hook is formed from a hollow, tubular member. The anchor line passes through the hollow center region of a first portion of the tubular member. A means for attaching the anchor line to the first portion of the tubular member constrains the one-way hook to remain in a fixed position on the anchor line. A second portion of the tubular member is bent at an obtuse angle with respect to the first portion. The anchor line exits the hollow, longitudinal center region of the first portion through an aperture in the wall of the second portion of the tubular member. In this configuration, the annulus is free to pass over the first and second portions of the tubular member as it slides along the anchor line toward the anchor, but it is prevented from passing over the tubular member in a reverse direction, because it is caught in an acute angle hook formed by the intersection of the second portion of the tubular member and the segment of the anchor line closest to the anchor.

In a preferred configuration of the present invention, the anchor line is attached to the first portion of the tubular member by a structure of the tubular member which engages an enlargement in the anchor line. In one form, the enlargement in the anchor line is a knot in the anchor line. A screwable annular constriction is removably attached to the end of the first portion of the tubular member on the end of the tubular structure adjacent to the portion of the anchor line traveling toward the boat. The central opening in the annular constriction is formed smaller than the knot to prevent the knot from moving out of the tubular member toward the boat. The aperture in the second portion of the tubular member is made of such dimensions that the knot cannot pass through it. The combination of the annular constriction and aperture serve to engage the knot within the first portions of the tubular member. The position of the one-way hook on the anchor line is easily adjusted by removing the annular constriction, retying the knot at another location, and replacing the annular constriction.

An object of the present invention is to provide a simple and economical method for retrieving a deployed boat anchor by employing the motive power of the boat to raise the anchor from the bottom.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an inexpensive apparatus for retrieving a deployed boat anchor employing a floating buoyant structure to redirect a force applied to pull the anchor line.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an easily fabricated, one-way hook which can be attached to a flexible, elongated member to prevent motion along the elongated member in one direction.

These and other objects and features of the invention are apparent from the disclosure, which includes the specification with the foregoing and ongoing description and with the claims, and which includes the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front elevation of the buoyant structure employed in a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of the one-way hook employed in a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional side elevation of the one-way hook depicted in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the one-way hook and buoyant structure of the present invention showing a mode of operation of the hook.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the apparatus depicted in FIG. 4 showing a second mode of operation of the hook.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Referring to FIG. 1, a buoyant structure is denoted generally by the numeral 2. A floatation device 4 is attached to an annular member 6 by tethering line 12. The tethering line in a preferred embodiment is approximately three feet long. An anchor line 16 passes through the annular member as shown. The floatation device is of such dimensions that it is capable of exerting an upward force on the anchor line equal to or greater than any force anticipated to be necessary to dislodge the anchor from the bottom. The buoyant structure is designed to experience a frictional drag from the water sufficient to constrain the structure to float in a fixed position while slack anchor line is drawn through the annular member.

In the preferred embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the annular member is a snap-fastener 8 with a spring loaded arm 10. In this configuration, the buoyant structure can be snapped onto the anchor line prior to lifting the anchor.

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of the one-way hook of the present invention. The hook is denoted generally by the numeral 14. A hollow tubular member 24 is bent at an obtuse angle at 18 to form a first portion 20 parallel to the anchor line 16 and a second portion 22 at an oblique angle to the first portion. The second portion 22 and a segment of the anchor line traveling to the anchor 23 lie along an acute angle 30 forming a hook. An annular constriction 28 is screwed onto the tubular member 24.

FIG. 3 is a side cross-sectional elevation of the one-way hook depicted in FIG. 2. The anchor line 16 passes through the annular constriction 28 into the first portion 20 of the tubular member. The anchor line passes out of the tubular member through aperture 26 in the wall of the tubular member. A knot 34 in the anchor line is constrained to remain inside the tubular member by the annular constriction 28 and the aperture 26 in the tubular member.

The annular constriction is removably attached to the member by means of threads 36 on the annular constriction and corresponding threads 38 on an end of the first portion of the tubular member.

The annular constriction is formed with a tapered nose 40 which can be partially cut away so that the constriction will accomodate larger diameter anchor line.

FIG. 4 shows the operation of the one-way hook when the buoyant structure is moving along the anchor line toward the anchor as indicated by the arrow 104. The annular member 6, freely slides from rope segment 100, over the one way hook 14, and onto a second rope segment 102.

FIG. 5 shows the blocking of the buoyant structure as it moves in a direction away from the anchor as indicated by the arrow 106. The annular member 6 is caught in the acute angle hook formed by the intersection of the second portion 22 of the tubular member and anchor line segment 102. While the invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments, it will be obvious that modifications and variations may be constructed without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The scope of the invention is described in the following claims.

Claims

I claim:

1. A unidirectional detent apparatus for flexible elongated members comprising

an annular member, slidably mounted on the flexible elongated member so that the annular member encircles the elongated member, and

a one-way hook formed from a hollow tubular member wherein the one-way hook further comprises

a. a first portion of the tubular member through which the flexible elongated member passes,

b. a means for attaching the flexible elongated member to the first portion of the tubular member so that a segment of the elongated member is constrained to remain within a hollow longitudinal region in the first portion of the tubular member, and

c. a second portion of the tubular member bent at an obtuse angle with respect to the first portion, which second portion is formed with an aperture in its wall through which a segment of the elongated member exits the hollow longitudinal region in the first portion of the tubular member;

whereby, the annular member is free to pass over the first and second portions of the tubular member when sliding along the flexible, elongated member in one direction, and is prevented from passing over the tubular member in a reverse direction by an acute angle hook formed by an intersection of the second portion of the tubular member and a segment of the flexible, elongated member.

2. The unidirectional detent apparatus of claim 1 wherein the means for attaching the flexible elongated member to the first portion of the tubular member comprises

an annular constriction, removably attached to the first portion of the tubular member, which annular constriction narrows the hollow longitudinal region in the first portion of the tubular member through which the flexible, elongated member passes, and

an enlargement in the flexible, elongated member of a dimension larger than a central opening in the annular constriction and larger than the aperture formed in the second portion of the tubular member, which enlargement is located inside the hollow longitudinal region in the first portion of the tubular member between the annular constriction and the aperture formed in the second portion of the tubular member, so that the enlargement is constrained to remain within the hollow longitudinal region.

3. The unidirectional detent apparatus of claim 2 wherein the enlargement in the flexible, elongated member is a knot in the flexible, elongated member.

4. The unidirectional detent apparatus of claim 2 wherein the annular constriction is formed with threads and the first portion of the tubular member is formed with corresponding threads so that the annular constriction may be screwed onto the tubular member.

5. The unidirectional detent apparatus of claim 2 wherein the annular constriction is formed with a tapered nose which can be partially cut away so that the constriction will accomodate elongated members of different thicknesses.