Power driven winding device with spool axially movable to engage a clutch
OwnerRobert Ritzenthalerinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A rope winding device having a spool rotatably coupled to the device for receiving the rope, a drive motor attached to the device for rotating the spool to wind the rope on the spool and a solenoid coupled between the device and the spool for selectively moving the spool axially into and out of engagement with the drive motor for selectively rotating the spool. A switch is provided in the rope eyelet for automatically causing the motor to stop when the line is reeled in to its maximum extent. The device includes a stop member on the ski rope for preventing the weight of the towed load to be placed on the spool and includes a friction member for braking the spool and preventing free rotation thereof.
Claims14
A cord winding device comprising:
- a base;
- a motor attached to the base, said motor having a drive shaft with an outer end extending in a direction away from said base;
- a hollow spool open at one end and having a plate closing the other end, said spool surrounding said motor and being rotatably mounted on said base, said drive shaft extending through an orifice in said end closing plate of said spool;
- clutch means for selectively engaging said motor to said spool, said clutch means being attached to the outer end of said drive shaft and having a first position with respect to said spool in which said drive shaft is coupled to the spool for rotation thereof in one direction by said motor and a second position with respect to said spool in which rotation of said spool in the opposite direction is resisted;
- first protrusions on one side of said end closing plate facing said clutch means;
- second protrusions on one side of said clutch means facing said end closing plate;
- a first friction disc on the other side of said clutch means;
- a second plate attached to said other end of said spool, said second plate having a second friction disc on the side facing said first friction disc;
- and
- means for moving said spool axially with respect to said motor from a first position in which said first protrusions engage said second protrusions for rotating said spool by said motor in one direction and to a second position in which said first and second protrusions are disengaged and said first and second friction discs are engaged so as to resist rotation of said spool with respect to said motor in the opposite direction.
A water ski system including a water ski rope winding device mounted on a boat having a dashboard, the combination comprising:
- a rotatable hollow spool for receiving a water ski rope on the outside thereof;
- drive motor inside said hollow spool having a drive shaft for rotating said spool to wind the said rope on said spool;
- power means inside said hollow spool and arranged between said drive motor and said spool for axially moving said spool relative to said motor to selectively engage and disengage said spool with said drive shaft thereby selectively rotating said spool;
- a base fixedly attached to the boat;
- said drive motor being rigidly attached to said base and driven by a power source;
- a first clutch plate rigidly attached to the inside of said spool and having first protrusions thereon;
- and
- a second clutch plate attached to said drive shaft having second protrusions thereon for selectively engaging said first protrusions on said first clutch plate when said spool is moved axially in one direction so as to rotate said spool to wind in said rope and for disengaging said first protrusions on said first clutch plate when said spool is moved in the opposite direction to allow said spool to rotate as rope is pulled from said spool.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.