Rope clutch
AssigneeLewmar Marine Limited
InventorPeter J. Coe
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A rope clutch having a plurality of apertured pivoted plates which grip or release a rope passing through their apertures according to the angle they make to the rope, has a mechanism for initiating release of the rope which includes a variable toggle linkage.
Claims6
A rope clutch having at least one pivotally mounted clamping member movable between a first pivoted attitude in which a channel is formed for a rope to pass through at least one clamping member and a second pivoted attitude in which the channel is narrowed so as to grip said rope by the at least one clamping member, and having a release mechanism including an actuating lever for causing pivotal movement of the at least one said clamping member towards the first attitude upon movement of said actuating lever, said release mechanism further including a toggle mechanism having a link with an aperture, which aperture engages between the actuating lever and the at least one clamping member, wherein the aperture has a plurality of engagement position, so as to allow a variety of relationships between the angle of the clamping member is said second attitude and the position of the actuating lever at which said pivotal movement in initiated.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.