IF Austraiia 0 6 APR 2006 P&S AUSTRALIA Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION STANDARD PATENT STRUCTURAL IMPROVEMENT OF EASY ONE-DIRECTIONAL ROPE TIGHTENING DEVICE The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me: I TITLE: EASY ONE-DIRECTIONAL ROPE TIGHTENING DEVICE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION (a) Technical Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a one-directional rope tightening device, 5 and more particularly to a rope tightening device which can tightly bind any object, can be used to tighten a rope along a specific direction, is convenient to use, and can be suitable for a situation where an object needs to be fastened to prevent from getting loose. (b) Description ofthe Prior Art 10 Being a long and soft object, a rope is suitable for fastening an object to prevent from getting loose. It is most common to tie a knot to fasten the object with the rope; however, the object is extremely easy to get loose accidentally after tying the knot to the rope. Therefore, there is a kind of one-directional tightening device which can be assembled with the rope to 15 form a quick tightening to the object. There has already been a one-directional rope tightening device in the market, wherein the rope is passing through an interior of the tightening device; therefore, the rope can be successfully pulled out when it is pulled at one end, whereas the rope is stopped from moving due to a locking mechanism in the 20 interior of the tightening device upon pulling the rope at the other end along an 2 opposite direction, and it will not be released unless being switched by using another switching knob. Therefore, how to design an easy structure of rope tightening device is a motivation of the present invention. Accordingly, a simpler structure of one-directional rope tightening device 5 is invented, so as to facilitate a tightening of object with the rope during a camping wherein the rope can be getting tighter when it is pulled along one direction, thereby providing a convenience device to a general consumer.
3 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The primary object of the present invention is to provide an easy one-directional rope tightening device which is provided with fewer parts, is easy to assemble, is provided with a lower manufacturing cost, and is capable 5 of truly tightening a fixed point of rope to achieve a tightening and positioning effect. Another object of the present invention is to provide an easy one-directional rope tightening device, wherein a lock bolt is assembled at a front section of the tightening device to facilitate a connection to a fixing part 10 which is locked at the other end, which is more convenient to use. Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an easy one-directional rope tightening device, wherein a hook is assembled at a front section of the tightening device to facilitate a connection to a fixing part which is hooked at the other end, which is more convenient to use. 15 Accordingly, the tightening device of present invention includes an outer casing which is assembled by a seat and a housing, wherein an interior enclosed by the seat and the housing is provided with a roller and a shaft seat. Stop pieces are located at side edges of the shaft seat which is connected to and controlled by a knob located at an exterior of the housing for rotating. 20 The knob is connected by a spring, such that the shaft seat can be elastically 4 restored after being rotated. A rope is entered from a rope entrance groove at one side of bottom part of the tightening device, is passing through the shaft seat, is reeved around the roller, and is then passed out from a rope exit groove at the other side of bottom part of the tightening device. Therefore, the rope 5 can successfully pass through the tightening device when it is pulled along a counterclockwise direction; whereas, when the rope is pulled along a clockwise direction, it cannot be moved due to a restriction of the stop pieces of shaft seat; thereby forming a one-directional rope tightening device. A lock bolt can be assembled at a front end of the tightening device to be in 10 connection with another fixing end. Accordingly, the entire device can facilitate a rope binding effect. The foregoing object and summary provide only a brief introduction to the present invention. To fully appreciate these and other objects of the present invention as well as the invention itself, all of which will become 15 apparent to those skilled in the art, the following detailed description of the invention and the claims should be read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Throughout the specification and drawings identical reference numerals refer to identical or similar parts. Many other advantages and features of the present invention will become 20 manifest to those versed in the art upon making reference to the detailed 5 description and the accompanying sheets of drawings in which a preferred structural embodiment incorporating the principles of the present invention is shown by way of illustrative example.
6 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG 1 shows a perspective view of the present invention. FIG 2 shows an exploded view ofthe present invention. FIG 3 shows a bottom view of a housing of the present invention. 5 FIG 4 shows a top view of the present invention after being assembled. FIG 5 shows a schematic view of motion of reeving a rope of the present invention. FIG 6 shows as a schematic view of motion of restraining a rope by rotating a shaft seat of the present invention. 10 FIG 7 shows a schematic view of a motion of releasing a rope by rotating a shaft seat of the present invention. FIG 8 shows a schematic view of the present invention being fitted with a fastening belt. FIG 9 shows a side view of an embodiment of the present invention. 15 FIG 10 shows a top view of an embodiment of the present invention.
7 DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The following descriptions are of exemplary embodiments only, and are not intended to limit the scope, applicability or configuration of the invention in any way. Rather, the following description provides a convenient 5 illustration for implementing exemplary embodiments of the invention. Various changes to the described embodiments may be made in the function and arrangement of the elements described without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims. Referring to FIGS. 1 to 4, a tightening device 1 of the present invention 10 comprises primarily a seat 10, a housing 20, a roller 30, a shaft seat 35, and a knob 40. An interior of the seat 10 is provided with a first indentation 11 and a second indentation 12, wherein the first indentation 11 can provide for an emplacement of the roller 30, and is provided with a slot hole 13 at a center 15 thereof; whereas the second indentation 12 can provide for an emplacement of the shaft seat 35 and is provided with a fixing hole 14 thereof One side of a bottom part of the seat 10 is provided with a rope entrance groove 15a and a rope exit groove 15b which penetrate into the first indentation 11 and the second indentation 12. An inner side of the first indentation 1 is formed with 20 an arc-shape slot rail 15c. In the present embodiment, a front end of the seat 8 10 is provided with an assembly member which is a type of lock bolt 16 in the drawings. Screw holes 18a are located at peripheries of the lock bolt 16, and screw holes 18b are located at two sides of the second indentation 12, respectively. The screw holes 18a, 18b can provide for screws 19 to transfix, 5 from top to bottom, into each screw hole 28a, 28b of the housing 20 and to be locked together. Referring to FIG 3, an appearance of the housing 20 can be configured to be the same shape as that of the seat 10, and an interior of the housing 20 is similarly provided with a first indentation 21 and a second indentation 22. A 10 center of the first indentation 21 is installed with a slot hole 23, and the second indentation 22 is provided with a through-hole 24 which is protruded with a tube 27 (as shown in FIG 2) on a top surface of the housing 20. A bottom end of the housing 20 is also provided with two grooves 25a, 25b which penetrate into the second indentation 22 and are connected with the first 15 indentation 21. A front end of the housing 20 is installed with a projection piece 26 on which is provided with screw holes 28a, and two sides of the second indentation 22 are provided with screw holes 28b respectively. The seat 10 and the housing 20 are screwed after being covered together. Referring to FIG 2, the aforementioned through-hole 24 is provided with 20 the tube 27 on the top surface of housing 20. The tube 27 is fitted with the 9 knob 40 and a screw 45, and the screw 45 can pass through the knob 40 to be locked into a screw hole 38 at a top end of the shaft seat 35. A hook 29 is located beside the tube 27 for locking an end of a spring 44. A center of the roller 30 is pivoted with a central hole 31 which is transfixed with a central 5 column 32 to be positioned between two slot holes 13, 23. Two sides of the shaft seat 35 are provided with a stop piece 36 respectively, an exterior wall at a top end thereof is formed with a locking plane 37, and a top end thereof is provided with the screw hole 38. A center of interior of the knob 40 is provided with a shaft hole 41, and an interior of which is installed with a 10 locking block 42. An interior of the knob 40 is provided with the spring 44, and one end of which is fixed into a locking slot 43 in the knob 40 (as shown in FIG 2 and FIG 40), whereas the other end of which is locked to the hook 29. Upon assembling, the roller 30 is installed in the first indentation 11 of 15 seat 10 and the first indentation 21 of housing 20, and a center of the roller 30 is sheathed on the central column 32, so as to enable two ends of the central column 32 to be latched and positioned into the slot holes 13, 23 of the seat 10 and the housing 20, respectively. In the mean time, the shaft seat 35 is emplaced in the second indentation 12 of seat 10 and the second indentation 20 22 of housing 20, such that a bottom end of the shaft seat 35 is put into the 10 positioning hole 14, and a top end of the shaft seat 35 is transfixed into the through-hole 24 of housing 20 and protruded out of a surface of the tube 27. The screws 19 are transfixed, from top to bottom, into the screw holes 28a, 28b of housing 20, and are locked into the screw holes 18a, 18b of seat 10. 5 In addition, the grooves 15a, 15b of seat 10 are aligned with the grooves 25a, 25b of housing 20 to constitute a rope entrance a and a rope exit b. Next, the shaft hole 41 of knob 40 is sheathed on a top end of the shaft seat 35, enabling that the locking block 42 in the shaft hole 41 can be latched with the locking plane 37 of shaft seat 35, so as to allow the shaft seat 35 to rotate in association 10 with a rotation of the knob 40. In addition, the other end of spring 44 installed in the knob 40 is latched to the hook 29 of housing 20, to enable the knob 40 to be elastically restored after being rotated, and to accomplish an assembling of the tightening device 1, by passing the screw 45 through the knob 40 to be locked into the screw hole 38 of shaft seat 35 for forming an 15 integral body. Referring to FIG 5 andFIG 6, a rope 50 is penetrated in from the entrance aof tightening device 1, is passing through the stop piece 36 at one side of the shaft seat 35, is reeved around the roller 30 along a counterclockwise direction, is passing through the arc-shape slot rail 15c and 20 turning its direction, is passing through the stop piece 36 at the other side of I1 the shaft seat 35, and is exiting from the entrance b (as shown in FIG 5). When the rope 50 is pulled at the entrance end a (along a clockwise direction as shown in FIG 6), side edges of two stop pieces 36 will be pressed against the rope 50 to form a locking without letting it to move back from a pulling of 5 the rope clockwise, due to an affect of elastic restoring of the spring 44 on the shaft seat 35, and a dragging of the stop pieces 36 of shaft seat 35 from a surface friction of the rope 50; therefore, the rope 50 cannot be pulled from a rotation along the clockwise direction, thereby forming a one-directional tightening effect. 10 Referring to FIG 7, when the knob 40 is counterclockwise rotated by a hand from an exterior of the casing, the stop pieces 36 at two sides are deflected to prevent from being touched with the rope 50, thereby releasing the rope 50 from a locking condition. Accordingly, the rope 50 can be pulled out from the entrance a. 15 Referring to FIG 8, according to the concrete structure of aforementioned tightening device 1, the present invention is fitted with a fastening belt 60 which includes a woven belt 61 at a tail end a locking slot 62 sewn at a front end. Accordingly, the lock bolt 16 at the front end of tightening device 1 can be connected and locked with the locking slot 62. 20 Referring to FIG 9 and FIG 10, the tightening device 1 of present 12 invention is applied to a ship cover 70 for covering a ship 71. Peripheries at a top of the ship cover 70 are sewn with a plurality of fastening belts 60 which are installed with locking slots 62 at extended tail ends thereof Therefore, when the ship 71 is carried by a transportation cart 72, the rope 50 can be tied 5 on transversal rods 73 at peripheries of the transportation cart 72, wherein the rope 50 is passing through an interior of the tightening device 1, enabling the lock bolt 16 on the tightening device 1 to be quickly locked on the locking slot 62, followed by pulling a rope end X at an exit to quickly and firmly locking the tightening device 1. Accordingly, the fastening belts 60 can firmly 10 stretch the ship cover 70, to prevent it from being blown away by a strong wind when the ship 71 is dragged in a high speed. Accordingly, the easy one-directional rope tightening device of present invention is provided with a simple structure, is capable of effectively enabling the tightening device itself to have a one-directional tightening function, and is 15 capable of releasing the rope in an opposite direction after rotating the knob. It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or two or more together may also find a useful application in other types of methods differing from the type described above. While certain novel features of this invention have been shown and 20 described and are pointed out in the annexed claim, it is not intended to be 13 limited to the details above, since it will be understood that various omissions, modifications, substitutions and changes in the forms and details of the device illustrated and in its operation can be made by those skilled in the art without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention. 5