Device for increasing visibility of guy lines at night

#Most modern tents used in recreational camping are supported with ropes or wires attached to stakes driven into the ground. Said ropes or wires are commonly referred to as guy wires or guy lines. Guy lines are typically taunt angled low to the ground providing support and stability to a freestanding structure, such as a tent. However, guy lines may cause problems when navigating around the tent or other structure as people can trip on the taunt guy lines. This is especially a problem at night, as the stakes and lines around a tent are farther out than the perimeter of the tent itself. Additionally, due to their small size, guy lines are near invisible at night making them hazardous. Therefore, there is a need for a solution for increasing the visibility of guy lines at night to reduce the probability of someone tripping over the lines and potentially becoming injured.

#Currently disclosed is a safety device for increasing visibility of a guy line at night. The device comprises a housing, a light emitting source, a power source, and an on/off switch. The housing comprising an internal portion, external portion, and an attachment mechanism located on the external portion of the housing locking in place the housing to the guy line. The light emitting source is located within the housing and powered by the power source. The on/off switch is in contact with the power source and provides for readily activation of the light emitting source.

#The attachment mechanism may comprise of at least one hook portion and a tension mechanism, wherein the tension mechanism comprises at least one offset portion. The at least one hook portion attaches to the guy line. The offset portion pushes the guy line into the hook portion providing tension to the guy line and locking in place the device to the guy line; thus, preventing the device from sliding down the guy line. The device may be held in place at any point along the length of the guy line.

#Further features of the inventive embodiments will become apparent to those skilled in the art to which the embodiments relate from reading the specification and claims with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

#FIG. 1 illustrates a device for increasing visibility of a guy line;

#FIG. 2 illustrates an exploded view of a device for increasing visibility of a guy line;

#As illustrated in FIGS. 1-9, currently disclosed is a device 10 for increasing visibility of a guy line 12 at night. The device comprises a housing 14, a light emitting source 16, a power source 18, and an on/off switch 34. The housing 14 comprises an internal portion 20, an external portion 22, and an attachment mechanism 24. The attachment mechanism 24 is located on the external portion 22 of the housing. The light emitting source is located within the housing and is powered by the power source. The on/off switch 34 is in contact with the power source 18.

#The attachment mechanism locks in place the housing to the guy line. In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the attachment mechanism may comprise at least one hook portion 26 and a tension mechanism, wherein the tension mechanism comprises at least one offset portion 28. As illustrated in FIG. 4, the attachment mechanism may comprise two hook portions 26 and a tension mechanism, wherein the tension mechanism comprises two offset portions 28, each offset portion located in close proximity to a hook portion 26. In another embodiment, the attachment mechanism may comprise a screw down mechanism. In yet another embodiment, the attachment mechanism may comprise a clamping mechanism, for example, a clip/flip mechanism or clothespin mechanism. In another embodiment, the attachment mechanism may comprise a chemical attachment mechanism, for example, adhesive.

#As indicated above, the attachment mechanism may comprise at least one hook portion 26 and a tension mechanism, wherein the tension mechanism comprises at least one offset portion 28. As illustrated in FIG. 4, the hook portion 26 attaches to the guy line 12. The offset portion 28 pushes the guy line 12 into the hook portion 26 providing tension to the guy line locking in place the device to the guy line; thus, preventing the device from sliding down the guy line. In this manner, the device 10 can be held in place at any point along the length of the guy line 12. For example, the device may be located and held in place at the bottom of the guy line near the stake driven into the ground, or the device may be located and held in place at the center of the guy line. Alternatively, multiple devices 10 may be placed along the length of a single guy line to further increase the visibility of the guy line at night.