GB2189709A - Rappelling device - Google Patents

Abstract

A rappelling device 10 comprises three integral eyes 12, 16 and 14 joined end to end for receiving a doubled back segment of a line 28 such that the line becomes wrapped around the device to frictionally slow the rate of descent of the device, and a person attached to it, down the line. The line 28 can be attached to the device in several manners, all of which include passing the doubled back line segment through one or more of the eyes 12, 16, 14, and then wrapping it around the device so that it cannot be a pulled back through the eyes. In addition to being easily attached to the line 28 intermediate its ends the device attaches symmetrically to the line so that the line does not hock as it is played through the device. By turning the device upside down and attaching it to a fixed anchor it can be used to lower a load attached to one end of the line. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Rappeling device Background ofthe invention This invention relates to a rappeling device and in particularto such a device which does not have any moving parts and still can be attached to the middle of the line with which it is being used.

Many devices are known for slowing the rate at which a person descends a line. In addition many of these devices are arranged to allow them to be attached to the line at an intermediate point. Such devices are used in recreational activities and rescue work, such as in rock climbing, as well as for commercial endeavours, such as building maintenance and window washing.

The prior art devices of this type have two shortcomings, however, which limit their usefulness. First, such prior art devices are capable of being attached to the line at their centers by having moving parts which allow the devices to be opened to admitthe line into them orto clamp onto the line. Not only does this increase the complexity ofthe device, which increases its cost, but it makes it difficult to attach the device to the line since the user mustclosethe movable elements and insurethat they are locked in the closed position before using it.

This difficulty in attaching the device to the line increases the likelihood that the device will be dropped when it is being attached, as well as slowing down the attachment process. Furthermore, the existence of moving parts on the device makes the possibility of failure greater, which lessens the confidence of users in it. Another shortcoming of the prior art rappeling devices ofthe type which can be attached to a line intermediate its ends is that the line generally is wrapped onto the device in one direction only. Thus the line tends to hock as it playsthrough the device which results in fouling as well as causing the line to become unbraided.

Summary ofthe invention The present invention seeks to overcome the foregoing shortcomings and limitations ofthe prior art rappeling devices by providing at least in preferred embodiments, three linearly interconnected eyes upon which a line can be wrapped intermediate its endswithoutthe device being openable or having any moving parts whatsoever.

In such preferred embodiments the first and third eyes, located at each end ofthe device, are smaller than the second eye located in the center. Thus a shoulder is formed between the second and third eyes. Atang extends upwardlyfrom the top ofthe first eye and a finger extends out from the side ofthe second eye. Located on one side of the device, behindthefirsteye, isa lineguidewhich is attached to the first eye at one end and is separated from the other end by a distance which is slightly more than the width ofthe line.

Such device normally is attached to a line by doubling a segment of the line over into a loop which is passed through the first eye. The loop then is wrapped around the device and passed through the second eye in the same direction as it was passed through the first eye. Finally, the loop is wrapped around the third eye which acts as a catch to prevent it from being pulled back through the device. The loop is engaged by the shoulder located between the second and third eyes to prevent it from passing up around the second eye and thereby binding against itself. The user attaches himself to the rappeling device by securing a hook to the third eye.Once attached to the line in this mannerthe rappeling deviceservestoslowthe rate atwhich the user descends the line due to the friction between the line and the device as the line is pulled through it.

Alternate methods ofwrapping the line on the device will achieve relatively faster and slower rates of descents. In some of these methods the loop is wrapped around the second eye rather than the third and in this instance the finger acts to prevent the loop from passing up overthesecond eye.

Finally, the line can be locked immovablethrough the device, regardless ofthe particular method of wrapping, by iooping the free downwardly extending portion of the line back up and around the device so that it passes between the catch and the upwardly extending portion of the line and thus becomes wedged therebetween.

The device also can be used to lower a load by turning it upside down and attaching the third eye to a fixed anchor. The device is wrapped in the same manner as above, however, one end of the line is attached to the load andthe line isthen played through the device in order to lower the load. As above the friction between the device and the line serves as a brake to slow the rate at which the load descends.

Regardless of whether the device is used for rappeling orfor lowering a load, and regardless of the particular method used to wrap the line onto the device, the device can be attached to the middle of the line merely by doubling the line over, passing it through one or more ofthe eyes and then wrapping it around the device to prevent it from being pulled backthrough. Thus the attachment is quick and positive so that there is little likelihood that the device will be dropped while it is being attached or that it inadvertently will become disengaged once it has become attached. In addition, since the line is wrapped symmetrically onto the device, it does not hock when it is drawn through the device and thereby become tangled or unraveled.

Accordingly it is a principal object of the present invention to provide a rappeling device which can be attached to a line intermediate its ends quickly and easily.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide in preferred embodiments such a device which is one piece, which can be attached to a line without the necessity of any moving parts, and which is simple and inexpensive to construct.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a method for wrapping q line onto such a device intermediate its ends.

It is a still further object of the present inventionto provide in preferred embodiments such a method where the line is wrapped symmetrically so that it does not hock when played through the device.

The foregoing objectives, features and advantages ofthe present invention will be more readily understood upon consideration ofthefollowing detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Brief description ofthe drawings Figure lisa perspective view of a rappeling hook embodying thefeatures of the present invention.

Figure2 is a pian view of the rappeling hookof Figure 1.

Figures 3-6 are plan views of the rappeling hook showing the sequence upon which a iinetypically is attached to it.

Figure 7 is a side elevationai view showing the line in a locked configuration on the device.

Figures 8-10 are plan views of the hook showing alternate ways in which the line can be wrapped thereon.

Figure 11 is a plan view ofthe device turned upside down and attached to a fixed anchor, shown in dashed line, in order to lower a load.

Detailed description of preferred embodiment Referring to Figures 1 and 2 ofthe drawings, these show in accordance the present invention with a rappeling device 10 which has three eyes that are interconnected to one another in a linear array. The first eye 12, which normally is at the top ofthe device, and the third eye 14, which normally is at the bottom ofthe device, are smallerthan the center or second eye 1 which forms the body of the device. The second eye is tapered from bottom to top, however, so that at its pointofjoinderwith the first eyethey haveapproximatelythe same width, and it is considerably wider than the third eye at its point of joinder thereto forming a shoulder 18 between them.

As will be more fully explained later, the first and second eyes receive a doubled-oversegmentofline through them, whereas in normal operation the third eye serves as a catch about which the loop in the line is engaged to prevent itfrom being pulled back through the other eyes, and as the point to which the device is attached to the user. In an alternate use of thedeviceto lower a load, the third eye is used to attach itto a grounded anchor.

Extending upwardly from the top of the first eye 12 is a tang 20 which is straight and preferably is approximately one inch long. Extending sideways from the middle of the second eye is a finger 22 which cu rves downwardly toward the third eye.

Finally, a line guide 24, which is joined to one side of the first eye, extends rearwardlyfrom the device and curves backtoward the other side ofthe first eye terminating slightly more than one line width from it.

In orderto minimizewearofthe lines used with the device, its various elements preferably are round in cross-section. While in the embodiment illustrated the individual elements are shown as being joined together by welding, the device also can be integrally formed by forging or by casting.

The use ofthe device is best shown in Figures 3-6 which illustrate the sequence of a typical manner of wrapping a line onto the device. Starting with Figure 3, the line 26 first is doubled over intermediate its ends to form a loop 28 which is passed through the first eye 12 from back to front After the loop is passed through the first eye it is wrapped around the device, Figure 4, and is passed through the second eye in the same direction as it was passed through the first eye, Figure 5. The loop then is wrapped around the third eye 14which acts as a catch to prevent it from being pulled backthrough the first and second eyes. The shoulder 18 formed between the second and third eyes prevents the loop from being pulled up over the second eye where it could become jammed against itself and bind.Once attached to the rappeling device in this mannerthe line can still be played linearlythrough the device but it will encounter considerable resistance while doing so and thus it acts as a brake to slow the descent of someonewho is attached to the device. While not shown, attachmentto the device isthrough conventionally known means, such as a snap hook, to the third eye 14.

If desired the line can easily be locked to prevent it from being played through the device bywrapping the portion ofthe line which extends below the device, and thus is not undertension, upwardly between the tang 20 between the portion of the line extending upwardlyfrom the device, and then back down behind the device, as shown in Figure 7. Thus the tang causes the wrapped portion of the line and the upwardly extending portion of the line to be wedged together where relative movement between them is prevented. In the embodiment illustrated the wrapped portion ofthe line is placed behind the line guide 24to prevent it from accidentally being pulled out ofthe locked configuration.

An even more permanent lock can be obtained by forming a loop in the wrapped portion ofthe line after it has been wrapped betweenthetang andthe upward extending line portion, pulling this loop through the second eye and then wrapping it around the tang 20. Unlike the previously described method oflockingtheline,this permanent lock cannot be shaken loose and it will not come loose if device is turned over.

The above described manner ofwrapping the device is utilized for normal rates of descent, however, the line can be wrapped in other manners if desired to give faster or slower rates of descent. For example, in Figure 8, afterthe loop 28 is passed through thefirst eye it iswrapped around thefinger 22 and behind the second eye 16. Thus the line is wrapped much more looselythan with the normal wrap and accordingly will play through the device much more freely. As a resultthe device has much less braking effect with this wrap than it has with the normal wrap.

An intermediate wrap, shown in Figure 9, provides a rate of descent between the fast descent wrap shown in Figure 8 and the normal descent wrap shown in Figure 6. In this configuration, after the loop 28 is passed through the first eye 12 it immediately is passed through the second eye 16 ratherthan first being wrapped behind the device as was done with the normal wrap. Thus the loop passes through the two eyes in opposite directions rather than in the same direction as with the normal wrap. The loop isthen wrapped around thethird eye to prevent it from being pulled back through thefirst and second eyes.

Afinal wrap, shown in Figure 10, gives a rate of descentwhich is slower than is the case with the normal wrap. In this wrap, the loop is passed through the first and second eyes in opposite directions, as with the wrap shown in Figure 9.

However, rather than then wrapping it around the third eye it first is wrapped around the second eye and passed backthrough it again in the opposite direction. Thus the loop passes through the second eye twice before it is wrapped around the third eye.

Of course other wraps too numerous to illustrate here are possible to achieve different rates of descent. As is the case with the normal wrap, the line can be locked with any of the wraps bywrapping its downwardly extending portion around the device and between the tang 20 and its upwardly extending portion. Also, with all of the wraps the line is attached to the device by doubling it over intermediate its ends and passing the resulting loop through one or more ofthe eyes. Thus the device is attached to the line as an integral unit without the need to open any portion of it or the necessity to use clamps or other attachment devices.

In addition to being used for rappeling a line, the device can be used to lower a load by reversing it as shown in Figure 11 and attaching the third eye to a fixed pointwherethe load isto be lowered from. In this case the line is attached to the device in the manner described above exceptthat it is done near one end of the line which is attached to the load. The load then is lowered by playing the line slowly through the device. Again the rate of descent depends on the manner in which the line is wrapped.

The terms and expressions which have been employed in the foregoing specification are used therein as terms of description and not of limitation, and there is no intention in the use of such terms and expressions of excluding equivalents of the features shown and described or portions thereof, it being recognized thatthe scope of the invention is defined and iimited only bythe claims which follow.

Claims (14)

1. A rappeling deviceforfrictionallycontrolling the passage of a line therethrough comprising: (a) first eye means for receiving a doubled back loop formed medially in the line; (b) a body portion having second eye means defined therein for receiving said loop after it has been passed through said first eye means; (c) catch means located across said body portion from said first eye meansforengaging said loop after it has been passed through said second eye means and prevent it from being pulled back therethrough; (d) meansforpreventing said loopfrom passing around said body portion when it is engaged over said catch means; and (e) means for attaching the device to an object to be rappeled.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein said catch means includes said means to attach the device to an object to be rappeled.

3. The device of claim 1 wherein said means for preventing said loop from passing around said body portion comprises a shoulder defined in said body portion at its point of attachment to said catch.

4. The device claim 1 wherein said meansfor preventing said loop from passing around said body portion comprises a finger which projects from said body portion intermediate said first eye means and said catch to prevent said loop from passing around said body portion when it has been wrapped therearound without having been passed therethrough.

5. The device of claim 1, including locking means for securing said line immovablytherethrough.

6. The device of claim 5 wherein said locking means includes a tang which is oriented generally parallel with said line as itextends awayfrom said device in one direction.

7. The device of claim 6 wherein said tang is spaced apartfrom said line by a distance equal to slightly less than the thickness of said line.

8. The device of claim 1 wherein said catch means include third eye means for attachment of a line thereto.

9. A rappeling device substantially as herein described and illustrated with reference to the accompanying drawings.

10. The method of connecting aflexible line to a rappeling device having three linearly interconnected eyes for controlling the rate at which the line passes through said device, comprising: (a) doubling the line over and passing the resulting loop through a first eye at one end of said device; (b) thereafter passing said loop through a second eye in the center of said device; and (c) thereafter wrapping said loop around athird eye atthe other end of said device to prevent said loop being pulled back through saidfirstand second eyes.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein said loop is wrapped around said device after it has passed through said first eye so that it passes through said second eye in the same direction that it passed through said first eye.

12. The method of claim 9 including the steps of wrapping said loop around said device after it has passed through said center eye and then passing it through said center eye again before wrapping it around said third eye.

13. The method of anyone one claims 10to 12 wherein the rappeling device is constructed as defined in any one of claims 1 to 9.

14. A method ofconnecting aflexible lineto a rappeling device as defined in any one of claims 1 to 9, said method being carried out substantially as herein described and illustrated with reference to Figures 1 to 6, Figure 8, Figure 9 or Figure 10 ofthe accompanying drawings.