Handling: hand and hoist-line implements – Contact lens applicator
Reexamination Certificate
1999-06-11
2001-06-05
Cherry, Johnny D. (Department: 3652)
Handling: hand and hoist-line implements
Contact lens applicator
C267S069000, C280S480000, C294S026000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06241296
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to devices and methods adapted for freeing vehicles bogged in deep, loose snow, and, more particularly, relates to apparatus and methods for aiding extrication of an entrenched snowmobile.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The recreational use of snowmobiles has increased significantly in recent years. The development of this recreation has led to the use of ever more powerful and heavy machines (many typically weighing 600 lbs. or more). Any snowmobile can become mired in deep or soft snow when the vehicle's drive track loses traction and the snowmobile settles in the snow. The advent of larger vehicles and the capability of travel further afield (where ungroomed or previously untracked terrain is often encountered) has made such entrenchment of snowmobiles an even more difficult problem for riders to resolve.
When so entrenched, the snowmobile's rear body, including the drive track, is typically settled deeper into the snow than is the front end of the vehicle (including the skis) due to the significant weight differential of the vehicle from front to rear. Heretofore, by far the most common way to free the snowmobile at this point has been to have someone assist by standing at the front of the vehicle and pull forward on a ski as best possible given the tractionless environment. Thus, the only assisting force (i.e., in addition to the operation of the entrenched vehicle itself) is often that usually uneven and non—constant force such a person can develop directly at the front of the snowmobile working from the same deep and/or soft snow that has trapped the vehicle in the first place. The task, as may be appreciated, is often not a simple one, taking many attempts to extract the snowmobile. Moreover, it is not unheard of for the assisting person to become an obstacle or even be run over as the vehicle is freed.
Various devices and apparatus have heretofore been suggested and or utilized to provide a more reliable, safe and/or simplified process of extrication of snowmobiles when thus bogged in deep and/or soft snow. Such devices have included winching and/or ratcheting mechanisms (see, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,560,441 and 5,697,597), and standard ropes, cables, tow straps and the like. However, some such apparatus are cumbersome to carry and/or utilize, and may be unduly complex for application in the field and under widely varying conditions.
Many of the others, such as standard fiber cordage, cable, straps and the like, while moving the assistant away from the front of the snowmobile and/or allowing use of a companion's vehicle to provide a pulling force, do little to overcome the problem of developing sufficient assisting force to move a typical 600 lb. entrenched snowmobile in a tractionless environment. These approaches also include no means of evening out the assisting force (i.e., providing constancy of tension) as the vehicle begins to move, and thus backsliding remains a problem. Further consideration of the particular problems and task of freeing entrenched snowmobiles could thus still be utilized.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention provides improved apparatus and methods for extrication of snowmobiles bogged in deep and/or soft snow. The apparatus is compact, lightweight, and avoids the undue complexity of application in the field and under widely varying conditions that has characterized some heretofore known devices.
The apparatus and methods of this invention allow an assisting party to provide a significant pulling force at a distance away from the front of the snowmobile while using the companion's vehicle to provide additional significant pulling force. Moreover, improvement is achieved in developing assisting forces sufficient to reliably aid movement of a typical 600 lb. entrenched snowmobile in tractionless environments and in providing constancy of assisting forces as the vehicle begins to move.
The apparatus and methods both make use of elastic (i.e., significantly stretchable) cords to allow an assisting party to transfer his or her body weight and/or the weight of a companion's snowmobile into a pulling force of several hundred pounds over a significant distance. The kinetic energy of the cords provides superior tensioning and improved pulling force development over substantially non-elastic materials such as typical cables, fiber robes, straps and the like.
The apparatus of this invention provides a unit including such stretchable cord with first and second implements joined to the stretchable cord at positions spaced from one another. A flexible jacket is provided around but unconnected to the stretchable cord and intermediate the first and second implements. The jacket is of material that is relatively more rigid than the stretchable cord. The implements are preferably either first and second couplers or a coupler and a graspable member such as a handle, depending upon application.
The preferred apparatus for extricating a bogged snowmobile of this invention includes first and second units each including a stretchable cord. One of the units has first and second couplers joined to the stretchable cord at positions spaced from one another while the other unit has a third coupler and a graspable member joined to the stretchable cord at positions spaced from one another. The first and third couplers are securable at the snowmobile while the second coupler is securable at an anchoring location, the graspable member being provided for use by one applying a stretching force to the second unit.
The method for extricating a snowmobile bogged in snow of this invention includes connecting one position of an elastic cord capable of significant elongation with the snowmobile and stretching the elastic cord between the one position and a second position of the elastic cord held at an anchoring location. The bogged snowmobile is then operated to, in combination with the pulling force of the stretched elastic cord, extricate the snowmobile. The stretching of the elastic cord develops up to about 400 lbs. of pulling force and maximum cord elongation of up to at least about 90%.
Additional pulling force is developed by connecting one end of a second elastic cord with the snowmobile and manually pulling on the other end of the second elastic cord to stretch the second elastic cord. An additional pulling force of up to at least about 200 lbs. is thus developed.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide improved apparatus and methods for extrication of snowmobiles bogged in deep and/or soft snow.
It is another object of this invention to provide snowmobile extricating apparatus that are compact, lightweight, and safe and simple to utilize in the field and under widely varying conditions.
It is another object of this invention to provide snowmobile extricating apparatus and methods that allow an assisting party to provide a significant pulling force at a distance away from the front of the snowmobile while using the companion's vehicle to provide additional significant pulling force.
It is still another object of this invention to provide snowmobile extricating apparatus and methods for developing sufficient assisting force to reliably aid movement of a typical entrenched snowmobile in a typical tractionless environment.
It is another object of this invention to provide snowmobile extricating apparatus and methods enabling the evening of assisting forces over distance to provide improved constancy of applied tension as the vehicle begins to move from its entrenchment.
It is still another object of this invention to provide a unit for extricating a snowmobile bogged in snow including a stretchable cord, first and second implements joined to the stretchable cord at positions spaced from one another, and a flexible jacket around but unconnected to the stretchable cord and intermediate the first and second implements, the jacket being relatively more rigid than the stretchable cord.
It is yet another object of this invention to provide an apparatus for extricating a bogged snowmob
Crabtree Richard W.
Reed Dana M.
Burdick Harold A.
Cherry Johnny D.
Snobunje Incorporated
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