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US 6,550,409 B1Granted
Rat ring
OwnerDamon Eugene Smithinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A rat ring device to attach to hawsers of moored boats or ships for preventing the boarding of rodents. The device has a spindle with a throughbore to frictionally fit the specific hawser and knobbed ends which retain a rotatable cylinder on the spindle and prevent axial movement of the cylinder on the spindle. The rat is readily spun off when attempting to traverse the device to reach the boat or ship. One of the knobbed ends has a loop for attaching a tag line which is attached to the boat or ship.
Claims12
A rat ring device for positioning on hawsers for preventing rats from boarding a vessel, comprising:
- an elongated tubular spindle having knobbed ends, the spindle being made from a material having a coefficient of friction adapted for, and having a throughbore dimensioned and configured for, frictionally engaging a hawser in order to remain stationary on the hawser;
- and
- an elongated tubular cylinder disposed on the spindle and freely rotatable thereon, the cylinder being disposed between said knobbed ends and prevented from moving axially on the cylinder by said knobbed ends;
- whereby a rat ascending the hawser is prevented from continuing past the rat ring device due to rotation of the metal cylinder on the spindle and gravity.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.