Winch bar and related winch system
AssigneeAncra International LLC
InventorJoaquim C. da Rosa
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A winch system may include a winch bar and a winch. The winch may have a base, a spool that is rotatable relative to the base, and a drive hub fixed to the spool such that when the drive hub rotates, the spool also rotates. The winch bar may include a winch engagement portion at an end of a shaft, where the winch engagement portion includes a protrusion configured to engage a socket of the drive hub, where the winch engagement portion includes a first contact surface for contacting an outer surface of the drive hub, where the winch engagement portion includes a second contact surface for contacting the outer surface of the drive hub, and where the first contact surface is substantially parallel to the second contact surface.
Claims15
A winch system, comprising:
- a winch, the winch including a base, a spool that is rotatable relative to the base about a drive hub axis, and a drive hub that comprises a drive hub cylindrical outer surface and that is fixed to the spool such that, when the drive hub rotates, the spool also rotates about the drive hub axis;
- and
- a winch bar, the winch bar including a winch engagement portion at an end portion of a shaft, the end portion having a longitudinal axis and an end portion cylindrical outer surface;
- wherein:
- the winch engagement portion comprises:
- a protrusion configured for receipt within a socket of the drive hub when the longitudinal axis is perpendicular to the drive hub axis and the longitudinal axis intersects the drive hub;
- a curved head portion including a support rib, the support rib comprising a flat hook-shaped flange extending out of the end portion cylindrical outer surface in a plane that is coplanar with the longitudinal axis, the support rib connecting the protrusion to the end portion of the shaft in a permanently fixed position and orientation relative to the end portion of the shaft;
- a first contact surface for contacting the drive hub cylindrical outer surface, the first contact surface extending perpendicularly from a curved edge of the support rib flange;
- the protrusion includes a second contact surface for contacting an inner surface of the socket;
- and
- the second contact surface is wider than the support rib in a first direction perpendicular to the plane.
A winch bar, comprising a shaft comprising an end portion having a longitudinal axis and end portion cylindrical outer surface;
- and
- a winch engagement portion at the end portion;
- wherein the winch engagement portion includes:
- a first contact surface for contacting a drive hub cylindrical outer surface of a drive hub of a winch when the longitudinal axis is perpendicular to a drive hub axis about which the drive hub rotates;
- a protrusion configured to engage a socket in the drive hub, the protrusion including a second contact surface for contacting an inner surface of the socket when the longitudinal axis of the end portion intersects the drive hub, and
- a curved head portion including a support rib comprising a flat hook-shaped flange extending out of the end portion cylindrical outer surface in a plane that is coplanar with the longitudinal axis, the support rib connecting the protrusion to the shaft in a permanently fixed position and orientation relative to the shaft, the support rib being narrower than the second contact surface in a first direction perpendicular to the plane;
- wherein the first contact surface extends perpendicularly from a curved edge of the support rib flange.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.