Buckles – buttons – clasps – etc. – Cord and rope holders
Reexamination Certificate
1999-07-06
2001-04-24
Brittain, James R. (Department: 3626)
Buckles, buttons, clasps, etc.
Cord and rope holders
C024S12900C, C024S570000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06219888
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to an anchor device which is adapted to engage a cord along a cord segment. More particularly, the present invention relates to an anchor device for use to interconnect a cord with a support structure so that the cord is indirectly secured to the support structure.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Tents and canopies have been used for decades to provide temporary and portable shelters for equipment and personnel. Generally, a tent or a canopy is a flexible covering suspended over an area to be protected and secured directly or indirectly to an earthen support surface usually by tethers. The tethers are each connected at one end to and along various locations at margin edges of the flexible covering and at an opposite end to stakes embedded into the earthen surface. The margin edges of the flexible covering extend peripherally around the flexible covering and often include a sewn seam or a welting. Metal eyelets are usually secured either directly into the seam or proximate to the welting. These eyelets act to reinforce the flexible covering at the locations of attachment thereby minimizing chances of tearing the flexible covering when the tether is pulled taunt to secure it over the protected area.
Sometimes an earthen support surface is not available when erecting a tent or canopy. In these cases, the tethers must be secured to some other type of support such as a post embedded in concrete or a fastener connected to a wall. Since such supports are often not movable, occasionally the tent or canopy must be raised and then re-positioned in order to align the metal eyelets at more optimum positions for tethering to the supports. If these supports are not appropriately position, the tent or canopy might appear distorted which distracts from any aesthetic appeal that modern tents and canopies provide.
Flexible cord is used in many types of applications in order to secure an article to a support. One of these many applications occurs in the sport of sailing. For example, sails are slidably retained on booms by loops of cord threaded through the eyelets in the seam of the sail and around the boom. Occasionally, severe windy conditions can cause the main body of the sail to tear away from its seam. Presently, the only option available to the sailor is to collapse the sail and stow it around the boom until repairs can be made.
Sails, tents and canopies are just a few samples of articles that are include flexible cords. Flexible cords can be either a cord itself or a flexible sheet of material having a welting. The welting could be standard whereby a margin edge of the flexible sheet of material is folded around a cord then sewn to itself. Sometimes the welting could be the margin edge of the flexible sheet of material rolled around itself numerous times then stitched along the centerline of the roll. In other instances, the welting could be numerous small folds of the margin edge about itself and sewn along its centerline. In all circumstances, these weltings are flexible and act similarly as a cord connected to the margin edge of the flexible sheet material.
There is a need in the industry for an anchor device to engage a cord along a cord segment. Specifically, there is a need for an anchor device to interconnect a flexible cord with a support structure. It would be advantageous if such anchor device could be connected to the welting or a cord and slide therealong so that the point of interconnection between the flexible cord structure and the support can be changed, if desired, without removing it from the cord. This feature would resolve the problem associated with erecting tents and canopies on certain surfaces where the tent or canopy must be oriented strategically relative to fixed supports. There is another need for an anchor device that could be used to interconnect a torn portion of a sail with a support so that the torn sail could continue to be employed during sailing without worry of further destruction. It would be advantageous of this anchor device would be simple and inexpensive to manufacture as well as easy to use. The present invention satisfies these needs and provides these advantages.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and useful anchor device adapted to engage a cord segment to interconnect a cord and a support structure so that the cord and the support structure can be indirectly secured to each other.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an anchor device that can be used to retain a segment of a margin edge of tents, canopies, sails or other flexible sheets of materials having a welting for interconnecting the same to a support structure.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an anchor device for slidably retaining the cord segment so that the anchor device could move along the cord, when desired, without having to be disconnected therefrom.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide an anchor device whereby, after being connected to the cord segment, the anchor device can slide along the cord in order to change the point of interconnection without having to removed the anchor device from the cord.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an anchor device which is simple in construction, easy to use and inexpensive to manufacture.
Accordingly, an anchor device of the present invention is hereinafter described. In it broadest form, the anchor device of the present invention which is adapted to engage a cord segment includes a body poriton and first and second opposed jaw portions. Each jaw portion has an inner surface with the inner surfaces being in a spaced-apart facing relation to one another to define a cavity therebetween. The cavity has a forwardly-disposed mouth opening and a pair of side openings disposed opposite one another and in communication with the mouth opening.
First and second retainers are disposed in the cavity and are laterally spaced from one another to define a passageway extending therebetween along a longitudinal axis. The first retainer is secured to the first jaw portion and has a first upper slide surface spaced from the inner surface of the second jaw portion; the second retainer is secured to the second jaw portion and has a second upper slide surface spaced from the inner surface of the first jaw portion. Each of the first and second retainers forms a channel portion opposite the mouth opening of the cavity. The channel portions are transversely aligned to the passageway to form a locking channel.
Thus, the body member may be advanced onto a length of the cord segment with the first and second jaw portions positioned on opposite sides thereof. The length of the cord segment accordingly enters the mouth opening and slides along the side openings and across the retainers and into the locking channel. When the cord segment is received in the locking channel, opposite end portions of the cord segment extend from respective ones of the side openings with the cord segment being slidably retained within the channel portions. Each of the first and second upper surfaces of respective ones of the first and second retainers inclines upwardly from respective inner surfaces of the first and second jaw portions. The inclination of each first and second upper surfaces commences proximate to the mouth opening and extends toward the channel portions.
One embodiment of the anchor device of the present invention incorporates a block member for each of the first and second retainers. It is preferred that these first and second retainers are formed as a unitary construction with respective ones of the first and second jaw portions. Each block member is configured with a first edge extending along and parallel to the channel portion, a second edge connected to the first edge in a perpendicular relationship and extending along and parallel to the passageway and a third edge. The third edge is arcuate and is connected to and between the first and second edges. For this embodim
Brittain James R.
Henson Michael R.
Martin Timothy J.
Weygandt Mark H.
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