Camming cleat member for rope

• US 5,070,805 A
• Filed: 05/25/1990
• Issued: 12/10/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Wilfred M. Plante
• Original Assignee: Wilfred M. Plante
• Inventors: Plante, Wilfred M.
• Primary Examiner(s): SWINEHART, EDWIN L
• Application Number:
  US07/528,845
• Time in Patent Office: 564 Days
• Field of Search: 114/199, 114/218, 24/132 R, 24/134 R, 24/134 P, 24/134 L, 24/134 N, 24/134 KB, 24/134 KA, 188/65.1-65.5, 182/5-7
• US Class Current: 114/218
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 21/08 Clamping devices in general F16B; means for fastening cables or ropes to one another or to other objects in general F16G11/00
• CPC Class Codes: F16G 11/101 deforming the cable by moving a part of the fastener
• CPC Class Codes: F16G 11/106 using a toothed surface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 24/3951 Dual cam

Abstract

A camming cleat for securing a length of line or rope to a boat or other such object, with the camming cleat being designed to simultaneously retain and hold one or a pair of lines in cleated relationship. The device includes a generally conically arranged base plate with a pair of rope receiving slots formed chordally therewithin and having a spring-biased camming plate disposed and received coaxially within the base plate and arranged for rotation relative to the plate. The camming plate is provided with a pair of generally "U" shaped channels each with a profiled depth which decreases as the camming radius increases, and furthermore may be provided with retainer prongs which are curved arcuately in a direction so as to be more generally normal to the axis of the cleated rope.

Claims

1. Rope cleat and snubber means for simultaneous snubbing of up to a pair of ropes and comprising a generally conical base plate with a pair of rope receiving slots formed chordally therewithin and having a spring-biased camming plate disposed and received coaxially within said base plate and arranged for rotation relative thereto, said rope cleat and snubber means being characterized in that:

(a) said base plate includes a pad surface along an undersurface thereof and with said pair of rope receiving slots arranged generally chordally along an upper surface of said base plate and in generally oppositely disposed relationship to a central axis of said base plate, said base plate further having a camming plate receiving bore extending inwardly from the upper surface thereof;

(b) said camming plate having an upper generally rectangular plate with arcuately shaped ends adapted for rotation within said base plate bore, and with a major axis of said rectangular plate having a length which exceeds a diameter of said camming plate receiving bore, and with a minor axis having a length substantially less than the diameter of said camming plate receiving bore so as to permit ingress of a length of a rope into said pair of rope receiving slots when said camming plate is rotatably positioned within said base plate with said rope receiving slots generally parallel to said major axis; and

(c) said camming plate having a pair of generally oppositely disposed rope camming surfaces having an increasing radius, and arranged to snub a rope captured within said rope receiving slots and to force said captured rope against an outer surface of said rope receiving slots, said rope camming surfaces having a generally "U" shaped channel with a profiled depth which decreases as the camming radius increases.

2. The rope cleat and snubber means as defined in claim 1 being particularly characterized in that the rope camming surfaces of said camming plate include a plurality of generally conically shaped teeth arranged to grip a rope surface held therewithin, and wherein the axes of said conically shaped teeth are raked so as to meet said rope camming surfaces at an angle which is acute relative to the increasing camming radius of said camming surfaces.

3. Rope cleat and snubber means for snubbing of ropes and lines comprising a generally conical base plate having at least one rope receiving slot formed chordally therewithin and having a spring-biased camming plate disposed and received coaxially within said base plate and arranged for rotation relative thereto, said rope cleat and snubber means being characterized in that:

(a) said base plate includes a pad surface along an undersurface thereof and with at least one rope receiving slot arranged generally chordally along an upper surface of said base plate, said base plate further having a camming plate receiving bore extending inwardly from the upper surface thereof;

(b) said camming plate having an upper plate adapted for rotation within said base plate bore, and with at least one dimension of said plate having a length which exceeds the diameter of said camming plate receiving bore, and having means for permitting ingress of a length of line or rope into said rope receiving slot when said camming plate is rotatably positioned within said base plate with the axis of said rope receiving slot being generally parallel to said ingress permitting means;

(c) said camming plate having at least one rope camming surface having an increasing radius and arranged to snub a rope captured within said rope receiving slot and to force said captured rope against an outer surface of said rope receiving slot, said rope camming surface having a generally "U" shaped channel with a profiled depth which decreases as the camming radius increases; and

(d) said rope camming surface of said camming plate includes a plurality of generally conically shaped teeth arranged to grip a rope surface held therewithin, and wherein the axes of said conically shaped teeth are raked so as to meet said rope camming surface at an angle which is acute relative to the increasing camming radius of said camming surface.

4. The rope cleat and snubber means as defined in claim 3 being particularly characterized in that the length of said camming plate provides a portion arranged in overhanging relationship to said rope receiving slot when a rope is being retained within said rope receiving slot so as to capture and retained rope within said rope receiving slot.

5. Rope cleat and snubber means for snubbing ropes comprising a base plate having a spring-biased camming plate disposed and received generally coaxially within said base plate and arranged for rotation relative thereto, said rope cleat and snubber means being characterized in that:

(a) said base plate includes a pad surface along an undersurface thereof and at least one rope receiving slot arranged generally chordally along an upper surface of said base plate, said base plate further having a camming plate receiving bore extending inwardly from the upper surface thereof;

(b) said camming plate having means for permitting ingress of a length of rope into said rope receiving slot when said camming plate is rotatably positioned within said base plate with an axis of said rope receiving slot generally parallel to said ingress permitting means;

(c) said camming plate having at least one rope camming surface having an increasing radius and arranged to snub a rope captured within said rope receiving slot and to force said captured rope against an outer surface of said rope receiving slot, said rope camming surface having a generally "U" shaped channel with a profiled depth which decreases as the camming radius increases; and

(d) said rope camming surface of said camming plate includes a first plurality of teeth arranged to grip a rope surface disposed in said rope receiving slot.

6. The rope cleat and rubber means as defined in claim 5 wherein the teeth are raked so as to meet said rope camming surface at an acute angle relative to the radius of said camming surface.

7. The rope cleat and snubber means as defined in claim 6 wherein said outer surface of said rope receiving slot comprises a second plurality of teeth disposed generally opposite said first plurality of teeth.