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US 4,358,146 AGranted
Release mechanism
AssigneeMassachusetts Institute of Technology
InventorClifford A. Goudey
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A release mechanism which is releasable from the direction of the load and requires that two levers be pulled in sequence and held from the direction of the load for release. Hook-up may be achieved manually with one hand.
Claims10
Apparatus comprising:
- (a) an elongate generally Y-shaped body in which the two legs of the Y form a slot portion adapted to accept a hook-up ring from an external load;
- (b) a pivotable gate load bearing member adapted to pivot in and across said slot and having a latch surface at one side of said gate;
- (c) bearing means urging said gate to pivot away from the slot whereby said ring may be hooked-up by sliding the ring in the slot past the gate;
- (d) a pivotable catch lever having (i) a catch surface at one end of said lever adapted to oppose the latch surface of said gate to latch said gate across said slot and (ii) a latch surface at another end of said lever;
- (e) a pivotable release lever having (i) a first catch surface on one side adapted to oppose the latch surface of the catch lever and (ii) a second catch surface on another portion of said lever;
- (f) a pivotable safety lever having a latch surface adapted to engage the second catch surface of the release lever;
- (g) biasing means biasing said release lever and safety lever toward a position in which opposing catch and latch surfaces are engaged.
4 more elements
A release mechanism comprising:
- (a) a slotted body member;
- (b) a gate member;
- (c) a catch lever;
- (d) said gate member being pivotally supported on said body member adjacent the slot so that said gate member closes the slot when the gate member is latched by said catch lever and said gate lever opens the slot to allow release of an object within the slot by pivoting outwardly away from the slot when unlatched by said catch lever, said gate member also opening into the slot and allowing insertion of an object into the slot by pivoting the gate member toward the slot;
- (e) said catch lever being pivotally supported on said body member on the opposite side of said slot from the pivot for said gate member;
- (f) a first pivotable release means for controlling the rotation of said catch lever about its pivot, and a second pivotable release means for controlling the rotation of said first release means about its pivot, such that the gate member may only be unlatched when the second release means is pivoted first and then the first release means is pivoted
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.