Back to results
US 4,630,562 AGranted
Adjustable mast step
AssigneeAtecs Corporation
InventorsRichard W. Grant, Ronald D. Sciulli
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Loading patent…
Loading patent…
AssigneeAtecs Corporation
InventorsRichard W. Grant, Ronald D. Sciulli
Estimating the term…
A mast step is mounted on a traveler having two parallel linear bearings which ride in lateral grooves on a central track. The central track has downward enlarged vertical holes on 2-inch centers which hold detent balls. The detent balls are locked in their upper active position with a contact and lock the traveler in a preselected position. Depressing an operator pedal moves a slider bar within the track to align detent receivers with the openings in the track. As the detent balls drop into the receivers in the slider bar, the platform is released to move toward a new location. When the pedal is released, a spring tends to return the slider bar to misalign the receivers with the track openings. The detent balls are ramped upward out of the receivers into their upper operative position in contact with the downward opening locking recesses in the traveler.
Adjustable apparatus comprising track means, connecting means connected to the track means for connecting the tract means to a sailboard on which the adjustable apparatus is to be mounted, traveler means connected to the track means for moving along the track means, and detent means movable through the track means into the traveler means for securing the traveler means in a selected position on the track means, wherein the detent means further comprises slider means connected to the track means for sliding adjacent the track means, and wherein the detent means further comprises abutment means mounted in the track means and wherein the slider means further comprises receiver means for receiving the abutment means, whereby the abutment means may be moved into the receiver means and out of contact with the traveler means.
An adjustable apparatus comprising,
The method of repositioning an adjustable mast step comprising stepping on a pedal, moving a slider and releasing detent abutments from engagement with a traveler, moving a traveler along a track to a new position on the track, releasing the pedal and moving the detents into contact with the traveler and preventing further motion of the traveler, wherein the step of releasing the detent abutments from contact with the traveler comprises sliding a sliding bar beneath a track and aligning receivers in the sliding bar with detent openings in the track, whereby detents move from a first operative upward position extended from the track to a second inoperative lower position within the track and the receiver and wherein the releasing of the pedal further comprises camming the detents with cam surfaces on the receiver upward out of the receiver through the track and into the upper operative position.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.