Mid-span winch with a reel-enclosing support frame

• US 8,360,399 B2
• Filed: 07/21/2009
• Issued: 01/29/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brian E. Lundrigan
• Original Assignee: Brian E. Lundrigan
• Inventors: Lundrigan, Brian E.
• Primary Examiner(s): MARCELO, EMMANUEL MONSAYAC
• Application Number:
  US12/458,709
• Publication Number:
  US 20100072443A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,288 Days
• Field of Search: 254/342, 254/329
• US Class Current: 254/342
• CPC Class Codes: B66D 3/02 Manually-operated, e.g. lever-actuated, devices operating on ropes, cables, or chains for hauling in a mainly horizontal direction B66D3/04, B66D3/12 take precedence

Abstract

The mid-span winch has a support frame, a reel mounted in this support frame and a handle affixed to the support frame. The mid-span winch has a longitudinal axis extending horizontally from the reel and a vertical axis intersecting the longitudinal axis at a point on the reel. The handle is mounted to the support frame at a location on the support frame which is coincidental with the vertical axis. Wobbling and twisting motions in the winch body are thereby readily perceived with a true amplitude. A corrective action can then be applied to the winch body without using an excessive or a shy force. In another aspect of the present invention, the handle has a hand grip which extends obliquely from the longitudinal axis, whereby both a wobbling motion and a twisting motion on the winch body can be stabilized at once in a same grasp.

Claims

1. A mid-span winch having a support frame, a reel mounted in said support frame;

a handle affixed to said support frame;

a longitudinal axis extending from said reel, and a vertical axis intersecting said longitudinal axis at a right angle at a point on said reel;

said handle being affixed to said support frame at a location on said support frame that is coincidental with said vertical axis;

said location being aligned with said longitudinal axis, and said handle having a hand grip extending obliquely from said longitudinal axis.

2. The mid-span winch as claimed in claim 1, wherein said support frame has a base portion extending under said reel, a curved front portion extending from said base portion in front of said reel and a roof portion extending from said front portion over said reel, and said reel being mounted to said base portion and said handle being mounted to said roof portion.

3. The mid-span winch as claimed in claim 2, further comprising a hand guard affixed to said curved front portion of said support frame.

4. The mid-span winch as claimed in claim 2 wherein said reel is supported to side plates extending from said base portion, said side plates being integral to and bent from said base portion.

5. The mid-span winch as claimed in claim 4 further comprising a shaft and a hand crank mounted to said shaft, and said roof portion has mounting holes therein for mounting said handle near said hand crank.

6. The mid-span winch as claimed in claim 5, wherein said shaft extends on both sides of said support frame, and said mounting holes comprise mounting holes for mounting said handle near either one of said both sides.

7. The mid-span winch as claimed in claim 1, wherein said handle has a stem affixed to said support frame and two hand grips each extending obliquely from said stem.

8. The mid-span winch as claimed in claim 1, wherein said handle has a stem affixed to said support frame, a hand grip, and an adjustable joint mounted between said hand grip and said stem.

9. A mid-span winch having a support frame, a reel mounted in said support frame, a handle affixed to said support frame;

a towline extending from said reel and a longitudinal axis extending along said towline;

said handle having a hand grip extending obliquely from said longitudinal axis.

10. The mid-span winch as claimed in claim 9, wherein said handle is mounted to said support frame at a location that is aligned with said longitudinal axis.

11. The mid-span winch as claimed in claim 10, further having a vertical axis intersecting said longitudinal axis at a right angle at a point on said reel where said towline is tangent to said reel;

said handle is affixed to said support frame at a location on said support frame that is coincidental with said vertical axis.

12. The mid-span winch as claimed in claim 9, wherein said support frame has a base portion extending under said reel, a curved front portion extending from said base portion in front of said reel and a roof portion extending from said front portion over said reel, and said reel being mounted to said base portion and said handle being affixed to said roof portion.

13. The mid-span winch as claimed in claim 12, wherein said handle has a stem and two hand grips each extending obliquely from said stem.

14. The mid-span winch as claimed in claim 12, further comprising a hand guard affixed to said curved front portion of said support frame.

15. The mid-span winch as claimed in claim 14 wherein said reel is supported to side plates extending from said base portion, said side plates being integral to and bent from said base portion of said support frame.

16. The mid-span winch as claimed in claim 15 further comprising a shaft extending on both sides of said support frame, and a hand crank mountable to said shaft on either one of said both sides, and wherein said roof portion has mounting holes therein for mounting said handle near said either one of said both sides.

17. The mid-span winch as claimed in claim 9, wherein said handle comprises a stem;

a hand grip, and an adjustable joint mounted between said hand grip and said stem.