Girth hitching mechanism

• US 5,082,318 A
• Filed: 10/26/1990
• Issued: 01/21/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/1990
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: the united states of america as represented by the secretary of the navy
• Original Assignee: the united states of america as represented by the secretary of the navy
• Inventors: Reich, Ronald S., Held, Jimmy L., Tallerino, Charles E.
• Primary Examiner(s): CHERRY, JOHNNY DAN
• Application Number:
  US07/604,727
• Time in Patent Office: 452 Days
• Field of Search: 294/19.1, 294/66.1, 114/221 R, 114/230, 119/151, 119/153, 289/6, 289/8, 289/17, 289/18.1
• US Class Current: 294/191
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 21/54 Boat-hooks or the like , e.g. hooks detachably mounted to a pole
• CPC Class Codes: B63C 7/20 using grabs cable grapnels with grabs B63C11/50

Abstract

A girth hitch is secured about an object by a girth hitching mechanism hag a rotatable actuator gate which displaces a latch gate that has a parrot hook that loosely supports a portion of a closed girth loop. A latch ring joined to the girth loop by a latch ring bite is engaged by the parrot hook when the latch gate and actuator gate are rotatably displaced as the object enters the throat of a fork which supports the latch gate, actuator gate and latch ring. After the parrot hook engages the latch ring and the latch gate is rotated in the opposite direction by the object to disengage the latch ring, the girth loop is pulled from its loose support on the parrot hook into a girth hitch configuration about the object to enable its recovery via an attached lift line.

Claims

1. An apparatus for making a girth hitch from a girth loop on an object comprising:

means for supporting provided with a throat sized to receive said object therein between one side surface and an other side surface;

means rotatably mounted at said one side surface of the supporting means for responsively rotating when displaced in one direction by said object;

means provided at said other side surface of said supporting means for releaseably holding a latch ring element;

means mounted on the responsively rotating means having a hook element for engaging said latch ring element of the releaseably holding means when said responsively rotating means is displaced in said one direction by said object entering said throat; and

a girth loop carried on said supporting means having a latch ring bite portion connected to said latch ring element and a hook bite portion supported on said engaging means, whereby as said object displaces said engaging means in a different direction, said hook element of said engaging means disengages said latch ring element from said releaseably holding means, said hook bite portion of said girth loop is pulled free of said engaging means and said girth loop is pulled from said supporting means to form said girth hitch on said object.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1 in which said supporting means is configured to move toward said object to cause said object to displace said responsively rotating means in said one direction as said object enters said throat and said supporting means is configured to move away from said object to cause said object to displace said engaging means in said different direction as said object leaves said throat and as said girth loop is pulled from said supporting means to form said girth hitch on said object.

3. An apparatus according to claim 2 in which said engaging means includes a lift bracket connected to said hook element and a line secured to said lift bracket to allow recovery after said girth hitch has been made on said object.

4. An apparatus according to claim 3 in which lift bracket is provided with a hook slot, said engaging means is provided with at least one nipple leaf spring and said hook element is releaseably held in said engaging means by said at least one nipple leaf spring engaging said hook slot until said girth hitch is formed on said object and a tensile force is transmitted through said girth loop to pull said hook element from said nipple leaf spring.

5. An apparatus according to claim 4 in which said hook element is provided with a hook pin that extends through said hook slot to permit the rotation of said lift bracket to align said lift bracket so that said tensile force is transmitted through said hook element during said recovery of said object.

6. An apparatus according to claim 5 in which said supporting means is a U-shaped member with said one side surface and said other side surface being its two legs which are spaced apart sufficiently to accommodate said object.

7. An apparatus for making a girth hitch from a girth loop on an object comprising:

a fork provided with a throat sized to receive said object therein between one side surface and an other side surface;

an actuator gate rotatably mounted at said one side surface of said fork for responsively rotating when displaced in one direction by said object;

a latch ring keeper provided at said other side surface of said fork for releaseably holding a latch ring element;

a parrot hook assembly mounted on the actuator gate having a hook element for engaging said latch ring element of latch ring keeper when said actuator gate is displaced in said one direction by said object entering said throat; and

a girth loop carried on said fork having a latch ring bite portion connected to said latch ring element and a hook bite portion supported on said parrot hook assembly, whereby as said object displaces said parrot hook assembly in a different direction, said hook element of said parrot hook assembly disengages said latch ring element from said latch ring keeper, said hook bite portion of said girth loop is pulled free of said parrot hook assembly and said girth loop is pulled from said fork to form said girth hitch o said object.

8. An apparatus according to claim 7 in which said fork is configured to move toward said object to cause said object to displace said actuator gate in said one direction as said object enters said throat and said fork is configured to move away from said object to cause said object to displace said parrot hook assembly in said different direction as said object leaves said throat and as said girth loop is pulled from said fork to form said girth hitch on said object.

9. An apparatus according to claim 8 in which said parrot hook assembly includes a lift bracket connected to said hook element and a line secured to said lift bracket to allow recovery after said girth hitch has been made on said object.

10. An apparatus according to claim 9 in which lift bracket is provided with a hook slot, said parrot hook assembly is provided with at least one nipple leaf spring and said hook element is releaseably held in said parrot hook assembly by said at least one nipple leaf spring engaging said hook slot until said girth hitch is formed on said object and a tensile force is transmitted through said girth loop to pull said hook element from said nipple leaf spring.

11. An apparatus according to claim 10 in which said hook element is provided with a hook pin that extends through said hook slot to permit the rotation of said lift bracket to align said lift bracket so that said tensile force is transmitted through said hook element during said recovery of said object.

12. An apparatus according to claim 11 in which said fork is a U-shaped member with said one side surface and said other side surface being its two legs which are spaced apart sufficiently to accommodate said object.

13. A method for making a girth hitch from a girth loop on an object comprising:

supporting one side surface and an other side surface having a throat sized to receive said object therein between;

rotatably displacing an actuator gate on said one side surface by said object as said object travels in one direction as it enters said throat;

releaseably holding a latch ring element at said other side surface;

engaging said latch ring element by a hook element after said rotatably displacing and said object entering said throat; and

withdrawing said one side surface and said other side surface to remove said object from said throat;

tying said girth hitch on said object with a girth loop carried between said one side surface and said other side surface having a latch ring bite portion connected to said latch ring element and a hook bite portion supported on said hook element, whereby as said object displaces said hook element in a different direction, said hook element disengages said latch ring element from said other side surface, said hook bite portion of said girth loop is pulled free of said hook element and said girth loop is pulled from said supporting to form said girth hitch on said object.

14. A method according to claim 13 in which said one side surface and said other side surface are configured to move toward said object to cause said object to displace said actuator gate in said one direction as said object enters said throat and said one side surface and said other side surface are configured to move away from said object to cause said object to displace said hook portion in said different direction as said object leaves said throat and as said girth loop is pulled from said one side surface and said other side surface to form said girth hitch on said object.

15. A method according to claim 14 further including:

lifting said object via a lift bracket connected to said hook element and a line secured to said lift bracket to allow recovery after said girth hitch has been made on said object.

16. A method according to claim 15 further including:

providing a hook slot in said lift bracket and at least one nipple leaf spring in said hook element and

releaseably holding said hook element by said at least one nipple leaf spring engaging said hook slot until said girth hitch is formed on said object and a tensile force is transmitted through said girth loop to pull said hook element from said nipple leaf spring.