Safety hook

• US 7,444,723 B2
• Filed: 03/23/2007
• Issued: 11/04/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Usang Industrial Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Usang Industrial Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Lin, Yu-Wen
• Primary Examiner(s): Brittain; James R
• Application Number:
  US11/727,056
• Publication Number:
  US 20080127465A1
• Time in Patent Office: 592 Days
• Field of Search: 245/995, 246/001, 294/82.2
• US Class Current: 24/600.1
• CPC Class Codes: F16B 45/02 Hooks with pivoting or elastically bending closing member
• CPC Class Codes: F16B 45/023 the closing member pivoting about an axis perpendicular to the plane of the hook
• CPC Class Codes: F16B 45/026 and including a coil type spring
• CPC Class Codes: F16B 45/028 the position-locking means being pivotally connected
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 24/45366 Locking-means pivotally connected

Abstract

A safety hook includes: a hook body defining a hook mouth; a latch unit including a latch plate pivoted to the hook body so as to be rotatable between locked and unlocked positions, the latch plate having a blocking plate portion; a releasing unit including a releasing plate pivoted to the hook body, the releasing plate having a driving plate portion; and a safety lock unit including a bent safety plate disposed between the latch plate and the releasing plate, pivotable between restraining and releasing positions, and having a restraining end portion abutting against the blocking plate portion, and a driven end portion abutting against the driving plate portion.

Claims

1. A safety hook comprising:

a hook body defining a hook inner space therein and a hook mouth in spatial communication with said hook inner space;

a latch unit including a latch plate that is pivoted to said hook body so as to be rotatable relative to said hook body between locked and unlocked positions, said latch plate having a blocking plate portion that blocks said hook mouth when said latch unit is disposed at the locked position, thereby denying access into said hook inner space;

a releasing unit including a releasing plate that is pivoted to said hook body so as to be rotatable relative to said hook body, said releasing plate having a driving plate portion opposite to said blocking plate portion of said latch plate; and

a safety lock unit including a bent safety plate that is disposed between said latch plate and said releasing plate and that is pivoted to said hook body so as to be rotatable relative to said hook body between restraining and releasing positions, said bent safety plate having a pivoting middle portion pivoted to said hook body, a restraining end portion extending from one end of said pivoting middle portion to abut against said blocking plate portion of said latch plate, and a driven end portion extending from the other end of said pivoting middle portion to abut against said driving plate portion of said releasing plate so as to permit said bent safety plate to be driven by said releasing plate to rotate from the restraining position to the releasing position, said restraining end portion of said bent safety plate being perpendicular to said blocking plate portion of said latch plate when said bent safety plate is disposed at the restraining position, thereby preventing rotation of said latch plate from the locked position to the unlocked position, said restraining end portion of said bent safety plate being inclined to said blocking plate portion of said latch plate at an angle less than 90 degrees when said bent safety plate is disposed at the releasing position, thereby permitting rotation of said latch plate from the locked position to the unlocked position;

wherein said restraining end portion of said bent safety plate and said driven end portion of said bent safety plate form an angle less than 180 degrees and greater than 90 degrees.

2. The safety hook as claimed in claim 1, wherein said hook body has a base segment with a front end, and a hook end segment that cooperates with said front end of said base segment to define said hook mouth, said latch plate being pivoted to said front end of said base segment, said latch unit further including a first urging member that urges said blocking plate portion of said latch plate to abut against said hook end segment of said hook body.

3. The safety hook as claimed in claim 2, wherein said safety lock unit further includes a second urging member that urges said restraining end portion of said bent safety plate to abut against said blocking plate portion of said latch plate.

4. The safety hook as claimed in claim 1, wherein said latch plate is pivoted to said hook body about a first axis, said releasing plate being pivoted to said hook body about a second axis, said bent safety plate being pivoted to said hook body about a third axis that is parallel to said first and second axes, said second axis being disposed between said first and third axes.

5. A safety hook comprising:

a hook body defining a hook inner space therein and a hook mouth in spatial communication with said hook inner space;

a latch unit including a latch plate that is pivoted to said hook body so as to be rotatable relative to said hook body between locked and unlocked positions, said latch plate having a blocking plate portion that blocks said hook mouth when said latch unit is disposed at the locked position, thereby denying access into said hook inner space;

a releasing unit including a releasing plate that is pivoted to said hook body so as to be rotatable relative to said hook body, said releasing plate having a driving plate portion opposite to said blocking plate portion of said latch plate; and

a safety lock unit including a bent safety plate that is disposed between said latch plate and said releasing plate and that is pivoted to said hook body so as to be rotatable relative to said hook body between restraining and releasing positions, said bent safety plate having a pivoting middle portion pivoted to said hook body, a restraining end portion extending from one end of said pivoting middle portion to abut against said blocking plate portion of said latch plate, and a driven end portion extending from the other end of said pivoting middle portion to abut against said driving plate portion of said releasing plate so as to permit said bent safety plate to be driven by said releasing plate to rotate from the restraining position to the releasing position, said restraining end portion of said bent safety plate being perpendicular to said blocking plate portion of said latch plate when said bent safety plate is disposed at the restraining position, thereby preventing rotation of said latch plate from the locked position to the unlocked position, said restraining end portion of said bent safety plate being inclined to said blocking plate portion of said latch plate at an angle less than 90 degrees when said bent safety plate is disposed at the releasing position. thereby permitting rotation of said latch plate from the locked position to the unlocked position;

wherein said latch plate is pivoted to said hook body about a first axis, said releasing plate being pivoted to said hook body about a second axis, said bent safety plate being pivoted to said hook body about a third axis that is parallel to and that is disposed between said first and second axes.