Ice screw having breakaway or flexing crank handle
First Claim
1. An ice screw for use in ice climbing, said ice screw comprising:
- a hollow shaft having a plurality of screw threads formed thereon for securing said ice screw to a body of ice;
a hanger coupled to said hollow shaft for receiving a carabiner and supporting a climber; and
a flexing crank handle coupled to said hanger in a substantially stationary manner, said flexing crank handle functioning as a crank arm for screwing said ice screw into said body of ice, said flexing crank arm also displacing or flexing from a resting position to one or a plurality of flexed positions in response to a load induced thereon.
6 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
The present invention features an ice screw for use in ice climbing, wherein the ice screw comprises: a hollow shaft having a plurality of screw threads formed thereon for securing the ice screw to a body of ice; a hanger coupled to the hollow shaft for receiving a carabiner and supporting a climber; and a flexing crank handle coupled to an aperture or eye formed within the hanger, wherein the flexing crank handle functions as a crank arm for screwing the ice screw into the body of ice, and wherein the flexing crank arm displaces or flexes from a resting, cranking position to a plurality of flexed positions in response to a load induced thereon. The flexing crank handle reduces the chance for cross-loading of an attached carabiner due to the existence of a crank handle without requiring any manual manipulation (e.g., folding) of the crank handle once the ice screw is inserted into the ice structure.
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Citations
33 Claims
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1. An ice screw for use in ice climbing, said ice screw comprising:
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a hollow shaft having a plurality of screw threads formed thereon for securing said ice screw to a body of ice;
a hanger coupled to said hollow shaft for receiving a carabiner and supporting a climber; and
a flexing crank handle coupled to said hanger in a substantially stationary manner, said flexing crank handle functioning as a crank arm for screwing said ice screw into said body of ice, said flexing crank arm also displacing or flexing from a resting position to one or a plurality of flexed positions in response to a load induced thereon. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A flexing crank handle for use with an ice screw, said flexing crank handle comprising:
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a crank support means for attaching said flexing crank handle to a hanger of an ice screw; and
a flexing member operable with said crank support means, said flexing member allowing said flexing crank handle to flex and displace in response to an induced load. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32)
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33. A method for correcting existing and potential cross-loading of a carabiner coupled to an ice screw inserted into a body of ice, said method comprising the steps of:
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obtaining an ice screw, said ice screw comprising;
a hollow shaft having a plurality of screw threads formed thereon for securing said ice screw to a body of ice;
a hanger coupled to said hollow shaft for receiving a carabiner and supporting a climber; and
a flexing crank handle coupled to said hanger in a substantially stationary manner, said flexing crank handle functioning as a crank arm for screwing said ice screw into said body of ice, said flexing crank arm also displacing or flexing from a resting, cranking position to one or a plurality of flexed positions in response to a load induced thereon;
grasping said flexing crank handle and screwing said ice screw into said body of ice; and
coupling a carabiner to said hanger, said flexing crank handle is caused to displace and flex in the event of cross-loading of said carabiner, wherein said flexing allows said carabiner to disengage and free itself from said flexing crank handle to assume a normal operating orientation.
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Specification