Expanded – threaded – driven – headed – tool-deformed – or locked-thr – Externally threaded fastener element – e.g. – bolt – screw – etc. – Hook head – e.g. – j-bolt – etc.
Reexamination Certificate
2001-03-23
2003-08-19
Saether, Flemming (Department: 3679)
Expanded, threaded, driven, headed, tool-deformed, or locked-thr
Externally threaded fastener element, e.g., bolt, screw, etc.
Hook head, e.g., j-bolt, etc.
C411S409000, C248S231900
Reexamination Certificate
active
06607340
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a removable securing device, and more specifically, a removable ice screw securing device equipped with a quickdraw.
The use of tubular ice pegs for belaying mountaineers in icy terrain is well known. The body of the metal tube generally presents the same diameter from the head down to the bit. The same is true for the spiral thread which has the same external diameter over the whole threaded length of the first part of the tube. Such a structure requires rotational driving forces appreciably proportional to the hardness of the ice. On ice slopes of maximum hardness, these forces become extremely great and it is indispensable to screw the peg in and out by hand, preferably by means of the attachment lug or by means of the ice-axe acting as leverage arm.
In
FIG. 1
, the ice peg according to the document FR-A-2,709,972 (Charlet-Moser) comprises an elongate tube
12
or body of cylindrical cross-section extending along a longitudinal axis
14
. A hollow head
16
equipped with an attachment lug
18
is located at the upper part of the tube
12
, which lug comprises a driving base-part
20
mounted with clearance on a flat surface
21
of the head
16
, and a twisted extension
22
provided with at least one hole
24
for a snap-hook or a means for driving the peg
10
in rotation to pass through. A gripping knob in the form of a wheel can be mounted rotating freely on a spindle securedly affixed to the extension
22
of the attachment lug
18
, and the driving base-part
20
extends perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis
14
of the tube
12
. The bottom end of the hollow tube
12
comprises a hollow cylindrical bit
32
equipped with a plurality of sharp cutting teeth designed to bore a circular hole in the ice when the peg
10
is screwed in. A self-tapping spiral thread
36
extends along a first part
12
a
on the bottom portion of the tube
12
, in the extension of the bit
32
. The other second upper part
12
b
of the tube
12
, situated between the beginning of the thread
36
and the head
16
, presents a smooth external lateral surface. Screwing of the peg into the ice is performed by a manual rotation action of the attachment lug
18
, by means of the gripping knob, or of a leverage arm formed by inserting an ice-axe into the hole
24
. The inside of the tube
12
is hollow from the head
16
down to the bit
32
so as to enable the ice core to be removed upwards as the peg
10
is progressively screwed into the ice.
To attach the rope to the ice wall, the mountaineer screws the peg in by hand and then fits a joining quickdraw between the attachment lug
18
and the rope.
Such a technique for screwing ice pegs into the ice presents two drawbacks:
(1) during the driving-in travel of the thread
36
into the ice, the mountaineer has to let go of the peg
10
at each half-turn of the attachment lug
18
in the absence of a knob;
(2) to avoid twisting of the quickdraw in the course of rotation of the attachment head
18
, it is standard practice to fit the quickdraw when the peg has reached the end of its screwing-in travel. If the mountaineer accidentally lets go of the attachment head
18
at the beginning of screwing-in, nothing will stop the peg
10
from falling and being lost. The same risk exists when performing unscrewing of the peg which requires the snap-hook to be removed from the quickdraw.
To overcome the first drawback, it has been proposed to continuously actuate either the wheel of the document FR-A-2,709,972, or as shown in
FIG. 2
, a retractable finger
23
articulated on the attachment lug and forming a crank-handle in the raised position. The latter technique is described in detail in the document FR-A-2,758,992 (Black Diamond). Other manufacturers propose a crank-handle able to be fitted on the attachment lug when screwing-in is performed, and which can be detached after screwing-in has been completed.
The second drawback has not been overcome, as the attachment point of the quickdraw or of its snap-hook is formed by the hole
24
arranged in the fixed extension
22
of the attachment lug
18
.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the invention is to overcome the two above-mentioned drawbacks and to achieve a securing device which is easy to fit and to retrieve, and which remains captively secured during the screwing-in and unscrewing operations.
The securing device according to the invention is characterized in that the attachment lug comprises a movable fixing means designed to prevent any twisting effect of the quickdraw when rotation of the Ice peg takes place. The continuous presence of the quickdraw provides total safety for the user right from the moment he begins screwing the securing device in.
According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the fixing means is formed by a stud mounted rotating freely on a spindle fixedly secured to the attachment lug, said stud acting at the same time as operating handle for driving in rotation. The support spindle of the stud extends parallel to the longitudinal axis of the tube with a transverse offset corresponding to the leverage arm of the attachment lug.
According to one feature of the invention, the stud comprises a smooth cylindrical surface around which a loop of the quickdraw is fitted.
According to another feature of the invention, the rotating stud is equipped with a hole for insertion of a snap-hook of the quickdraw, said hole being orthogonal with respect to the longitudinal axis of the tube.
According to another feature of the invention, an additional base-part Is mounted rotating freely on the spindle and is provided with a hole to receive either a snap-hook inserted in the hole or the strap of a quickdraw directly fitted around the stud.
REFERENCES:
patent: 1170344 (1916-02-01), Ryan
patent: 4074519 (1978-02-01), Garrett
patent: 4918784 (1990-04-01), Cude
patent: 5118061 (1992-06-01), Byrne
patent: 5183360 (1993-02-01), Freeman
patent: 5433394 (1995-07-01), Brozio
patent: 5782442 (1998-07-01), Kwak
patent: 6022164 (2000-02-01), Tsui
patent: C1 43 04 618 (1994-03-01), None
patent: U1 297 12 009 (1997-10-01), None
patent: A1 2 568 131 (1986-01-01), None
patent: A1 2 709 972 (1995-03-01), None
Hede Jean Marc
Petzl Paul
Saether Flemming
Zedel
LandOfFree
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