US 6,182,946 B2Granted

Tree stand hoist assembly and casing therefor having identical mating halves

OwnerDarin Rutherfordinventor

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Abstract

A hoist assembly includes a casing, a pulley mechanism and a latch mechanism. The casing has a pair of identical mating front and rear casing halves. The casing has an aperture formed therethrough and an interior chamber formed therein between said front and rear casing halves. The aperture receives a fastener member therethrough for supporting the casing on a tree at a predetermined height. The casing also has a centering recess formed therethrough in communication with the aperture for receiving a portion of the fastener member therein for balancing the casing thereon. The pulley mechanism includes a pulley and a cable. The pulley is rotatably mounted to and disposed within the interior chamber of the casing. The cable is entrained about the pulley and extends downwardly through the interior chamber and spaced apart openings defined at a lower end of the casing to exteriorly of the casing. A first opposite end portion of the cable is for attachment of an item thereto and the second opposite end portion of the cable is for a user to grip for pulling the second opposite end portion downward to thereby raise the item attached to the first opposite end portion. The latch mechanism includes a latching pawl pivotally mounted to and disposed within the interior chamber of the casing and being movable between a locked position and an unlocked position relative to the cable on the pulley. The latching pin is for moving the latching pawl between the locked and unlocked positions.

Claims34

Dependent claims

A hoist assembly, comprising:

(a) a casing having a pair of identical mateable front and rear casing halves, each of said front and rear casing halves including
(i) a main wall having an exterior surface, an interior surface and a periphery,
(ii) a side wall mounted to and extending outwardly from said interior surface at and about said periphery of said main wall,
(iii) means for fastening said front and rear casing halves together with said side walls thereof disposed in a mated relationship with one another so as to form an interior chamber in said casing between said main walls and mated side walls of said front and rear casing halves and a lower end of said casing with said interior chamber being open through said mated side walls at said lower end of said casing,
(iv) first means mounted on said main walls thereof for mounting a pulley mechanism within said interior chamber between said main walls and said mated side walls of said front and rear casing halves, and
(v) second means mounted on said main walls thereof adjacent to said first means for mounting a latch mechanism within said interior chamber between said main walls and said mated side walls of said front and rear casing halves;
(b) a pulley mechanism including
(i) a pulley rotatably mounted to said first means of said casing and disposed within said interior chamber between said main walls and mated side walls of said front and rear casing halves of said casing, and
(ii) a cable having opposite first and second end portions and being entrained over said pulley and extending downwardly through said interior chamber and exteriorly of said lower end of said casing, said first opposite end portion for attachment of an item thereto and said second opposite end portion for a user to grip for pulling said second opposite end portion downward to thereby rotate said pulley in a first direction and raise the item attached to said first opposite end portion;
and
(c) a latch mechanism including
(i) a latching pawl pivotally mounted to said second means of said casing and disposed within said interior chamber between said main walls and mated side walls of said front and rear casing halves of said casing and being movable between a locked position and an unlocked position, said latching pawl in said locked position engaging and wedging said cable against said pulley so as to prevent said cable and therewith said pulley from moving in a second direction opposite said first direction and thereby retain the item attached to said first opposite end portion of said cable in place, said latching pawl in said unlocked position being shifted away from said cable such that said cable and the item are thereby free to move, and
(ii) means for moving said latching pawl between said locked position and said unlocked position.

10 more elements

A hoist assembly, comprising:

(a) a casing having a lower end, an aperture formed through said casing and an interior chamber defined in said casing, said aperture for receiving a fastener member therethrough for supporting said casing on a tree at a predetermined height, said interior chamber being open at said lower end of said casing, said casing also having a pair of identical mating front and rear casing halves, each of said front and rear casing halves including
(i) a main wall having an exterior surface, an interior surface, a pair of diagonally opposite first and second corners, a pair of diagonally opposite third and fourth corners and a periphery,
(ii) a continuous side wall mounted to and extending outwardly from said interior surface at said periphery of said main wall,
(iii) a pair of opposite first and second seats each defining an opening, said first seat formed on and extending inwardly from said exterior surface spaced from but disposed adjacent to said first corner of said main wall, said second seat formed on and extending inwardly from said exterior surface spaced from but disposed adjacent to said second corner diagonally opposite from said first corner of said main wall,
(iv) a pair of opposite first and second lugs each defining an opening, said first lug formed on and extending outwardly from said interior surface spaced from but disposed adjacent to said first corner of said main wall and adjacent to said first seat such that said opening of said first lug is aligned with said opening of said first seat, said second lug formed on and extending outwardly from said interior surface spaced from but disposed adjacent to said second corner opposite from said first corner of said main wall and adjacent to said second seat such that said opening of said second lug is aligned with said opening of said second seat, and
(v) a pair of opposite first and second receptacles each defining an internally threaded hole, said first receptacle formed on and extending outwardly from said interior surface spaced from but disposed adjacent to said third corner of said main wall, said second receptacle formed on and extending outwardly from said interior surface spaced from but disposed adjacent to said fourth corner opposite from said third corner of said main wall, said internally threaded holes of said first receptacles of each of said front and rear casing halves being alignable with said openings of said first lugs and said first seats of the other of said front and rear casing halves, said internally threaded holes of said second receptacles of each of said front and rear halves being alignable with said openings of said second lugs and said second seats of the other of said front and rear casing halves;
(b) a pulley mechanism including
(i) a pulley rotatably mounted to and disposed within said interior chamber of said casing between said aperture and said lower end of said casing, and
(ii) a cable having opposite first and second end portions and being entrained over said pulley and extending downwardly through said interior chamber and exteriorly of said lower end of said casing, said first opposite end portion for attachment of an item thereto and said second opposite end portion for a user to grip for pulling said second opposite end portion downward to thereby rotate said pulley in a first direction and raise the item attached to said first opposite end portion;
and
(c) a latch mechanism including
(i) a latching pawl pivotally mounted to and disposed within said interior chamber of said casing and being movable between a locked position and an unlocked position, said latching pawl in said locked position engaging and wedging said cable against said pulley so as to prevent said cable and therewith said pulley from moving in a second direction opposite said first direction and thereby retain the item attached to said first opposite end portion of said cable in place, said latching pawl in said unlocked position being shifted away from said cable such that said cable and the item are thereby free to move, and
(ii) means for moving said latching pawl between said locked position and said unlocked position.

10 more elements

A hoist assembly, comprising:

(a) a casing having a pair of identical mating front and rear casing halves defining a lower end of said casing and an interior chamber of said casing and being open at said lower end of said casing, each of said front and rear casing halves including
a main wall having an exterior surface, an interior surface, a pair of diagonally opposite first and second corners, a pair of diagonally opposite third and fourth corners and a periphery,
(ii) a continuous side wall mounted to and extending outwardly from said interior surface at said periphery of said main wall,
(iii) a pair of opposite first and second seats each defining an opening, said first seat formed on and extending inwardly from said exterior surface spaced from but disposed adjacent to said first corner of said main wall, said second seat formed on and extending inwardly from said exterior surface spaced from but disposed adjacent to said second corner diagonally opposite from said first corner of said main wall,
(iv) a pair of opposite first and second lugs each defining an opening, said first lug formed on and extending outwardly from said interior surface spaced from but disposed adjacent to said first corner of said main wall and adjacent to said first seat such that said opening of said first lug is aligned with said opening of said first seat, said second lug formed on and extending outwardly from said interior surface spaced from but disposed adjacent to said second corner opposite from said first corner of said main wall and adjacent to said second seat such that said opening of said second lug is aligned with said opening of said second seat, and
(v) a pair of opposite first and second receptacles each defining an internally threaded hole, said first receptacle formed on and extending outwardly from said interior surface spaced from but disposed adjacent to said third corner of said main wall, said second receptacle formed on and extending outwardly from said interior surface spaced from but disposed adjacent to said fourth corner opposite from said third corner of said main wall, said internally threaded holes of said first receptacles of each of said front and rear casing halves being alienable with said openings of said first lugs and said first seats of the other of said front and rear casing halves, said internally threaded holes of said second receptacles of each of said front and rear halves being alignable with said openings of said second lugs and said second seats of the other of said front and rear casing halves;
(b) a pulley mechanism including
(i) a pulley rotatably mounted to and disposed within said interior chamber of said casing between said front and rear casing halves, and
(ii) a cable having opposite first and second end portions and being entrained over said pulley and extending downwardly through said interior chamber and exteriorly of said lower end of said casing, said first opposite end portion for attachment of an item thereto and said second opposite end portion for a user to grip for pulling said second opposite end portion downward to thereby rotate said pulley in a first direction and raise the item attached to said first opposite end portion;
and
(c) a latch mechanism including
(i) a latching pawl pivotally mounted to and disposed within said interior chamber of said casing between said front and rear casing halves and being movable between a locked position and an unlocked position, said latching pawl in said locked position engaging and wedging said cable against said pulley so as to prevent said cable and therewith said pulley from moving in a second direction opposite said first direction and thereby retain the item attached to said first opposite end portion of said cable in place, said latching pawl in said unlocked position being shifted away from said cable such that said -cable and the item are thereby free to move, and
(ii) means for moving said latching pawl between said locked position and said unlocked position.

10 more elements

A casing for a hoist assembly, said casing comprising:

(a) a pair of identical mateable front and rear casing halves, each of said front and rear casing halves including
(i) a main wall having an exterior surface, an interior surface and a periphery, and
(ii) a side wall mounted to and extending outwardly from said interior surface at and about said periphery of said main wall;
and
(b) means for fastening said front and rear casing halves together with said side walls thereof disposed in a mated relationship with one another so as to form an interior chamber in said casing between said main walls and mated side walls of said front and rear casing halves;
(c) said front and rear casing halves with said side walls thereof in said mated relationship also forming a lower end of said casing such that said interior chamber is open through said mated side walls at said lower end of said casing;
(d) said front and rear halves also including
(i) first means mounted on said main walls thereof for mounting a pulley mechanism within said interior chamber between said main walls and said mated side walls of said front and rear casing halves, and
(ii) second means mounted on said main walls thereof for mounting a latch mechanism within said interior chamber between said main walls and said mated side walls of said front and rear casing halves.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.