Winch assembly
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A winch assembly comprising:
- a one-piece frame having at least one side, said one piece frame comprising;
a first pair of apertures having a winch drum shaft held therein;
a second pair of apertures having a drive gear shaft held therein;
a pawl aperture having a pin assembly held therein; and
a plurality of spokes arranged to suspend said first pair of apertures;
a drive system located within said frame, said drive system comprising;
a winch drum; and
at least one drive gear capable of engagement with said winch drum.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The present invention is directed to apparatus for a winch assembly. The winch assembly may be secured to a towing trailer and arranged to assist in loading and unloading cargo from the trailer. The winch assembly may include mechanisms, systems, and features to make the winch assembly easy to assemble and use, increase the service life of the winch assembly, and improve the consistency of the performance of the winch assembly. Embodiments of a winch assembly disclosed include novel drive systems, novel ratchet and pawl systems, novel systems for guiding a winch strap, novel systems for securing the winch assembly to a towing trailer, and a novel frame member for a winch assembly.
53 Citations
37 Claims
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1. A winch assembly comprising:
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a one-piece frame having at least one side, said one piece frame comprising; a first pair of apertures having a winch drum shaft held therein; a second pair of apertures having a drive gear shaft held therein; a pawl aperture having a pin assembly held therein; and a plurality of spokes arranged to suspend said first pair of apertures; a drive system located within said frame, said drive system comprising; a winch drum; and at least one drive gear capable of engagement with said winch drum. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A winch assembly comprising:
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a frame; a drive system located within said frame, said drive system comprising; a winch drum including two drum gears; a drive shaft; two outer drive gears located on said drive shaft and capable of engagement with said drum gears; and a pin located through said frame, wherein said pin is capable of engagement with a feature of said drive system other than said two outer drive gears, and wherein said engagement limits rotation of said drive system. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. A winch assembly comprising:
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a frame; a drive system located within said frame, said drive system comprising; a winch drum including two drum gears; a drive shaft; and two outer drive gears located on said drive shaft and capable of engagement with said drum gears; a ratchet and pawl assembly connected to said frame, said ratchet and pawl assembly comprising; a pin, wherein said pin is movable to engage said drive system to limit rotation of said drive shaft; a biasing member engaging said pin to bias said pin in a direction; and a knob connected to said pin to adjust said pin between a forward position to allow rotation of said drive shaft in a first direction, a reverse position to allow rotation of said drive shaft in a second direction opposite said first direction, and a neutral position to allow rotation of said drive shaft in either said first or second directions. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28)
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29. A winch assembly comprising:
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a frame having at least two sides and a front face positioned between said two sides; a drive system located within said frame, said drive system comprising; a winch drum including two drum gears; a drive shaft; and two outer drive gears located on said drive shaft and capable of engagement with said drum gears; a pin connected said frame, wherein said pin movable to engage said drive system to limit rotation of said drive shaft; and a handle connected to said drive shaft to facilitate manual rotation of said drive shaft; wherein said pin is located on said front face and approximately centered between said two sides of said frame. - View Dependent Claims (30, 31)
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32. A winch assembly comprising:
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a frame; a drive system located within said frame, said drive system comprising; a winch drum including two drum gears; a drive shaft; and two outer drive gears located on said drive shaft and capable of engagement with said drum gears; a handle connected to said drive shaft to facilitate rotation of said drive shaft, wherein said handle includes a plurality of attachment features positioned along its length for selective attachment of said handle to said drive shaft at any attachment feature position. - View Dependent Claims (33, 34)
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35. A winch assembly comprising:
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a frame; a drive system located within said frame, said drive system comprising; a winch drum including two drum gears, each of wherein said drum gears includes a plurality of teeth; a drive shaft; and two outer drive gears located on said drive shaft and capable of engagement with said drum gears; a strap connected to said winch drum and capable of being wound on itself about said winch drum; a strap guide connected to said frame, said strap guide positioned to overlap said teeth of said drum gears to prevent said strap from contacting said teeth. - View Dependent Claims (36, 37)
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Specification