Rope cleat

Abstract

A rope cleat having a base, a rope abutment structure on the base, a cam, and components for mounting the cam on the base so that the cam can rotate about a rotational axis for purposes of gripping a rope between the cam and the rope abutment structure is configured to better grip truck rope such as that fabricated from monofilament polypropylene. Teeth are provided on at least one of the cam and the rope abutment structure to provide edges disposed generally toward the other one of the cam and the rope abutment structure while a groove is provided to enhance the gripping of a rope having a known diameter against movement between the cam and the rope abutment structure along a path that is generally tangential relative to the rotational axis. The groove has a width less than the known diameter of the rope and it extends transversly to the edges of the teeth so that each edge includes first and second segments separated by the groove, each of the first and second segments of each edge thereby having an end portion disposed toward the groove with which to grip the rope against such movement.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.