GB2270109A

GB2270109A - Rope holding device

Info

Publication number: GB2270109A
Application number: GB9218471A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Michael John Hooper
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1992-08-29
Filing date: 1992-08-29
Publication date: 1994-03-02
Also published as: GB9218471D0

Abstract

A holding device e.g. for releasably tethering an animal, which has a tubular form through which a rope 9 secured to the animal, is passed and by virtue of a slit 2 and opening 3 in the wall thereof it will hold the rope securely until such time as a predetermined load is exerted on the rope by the animal at which time the rope will release from the device and become free and thus at the same time the tethered animal will also be free from the tether. The facility afforded by this device to enable the animal to self-release at a predetermined load may avoid the injury or damage to animal or tack (head collars or the like) that often occurs when a non-releasable tethering device is used. <IMAGE>

Description

HOLDING DEVICE TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a device for releasably holding a rope or similar element, e.g. in tethering animals. Although one of the main uses of the device is in tethering horses and ponies, and the horse is used in the following description by way of example, it will be appreciated that the device could be used to tether a variety of animals including donkeys, cattle and other livestock. Other possible applications lie in rock climbing and sailing.

BACKGROUND When a horse is tethered, a weak point should be incorporated in the tether so that if the horse is startled placing a strain on the tether, the weak point will give way to prevent injury to the horse or handler, or damage to bridle or halter.

One commom way of providing such a weak point is to include a short loop of weaker string or twine for example, between the tethering rope and its anchoring point. Often baler twine is used, but this is unsuitable since it is far too strong, generally having a breaking strain of at least 150 lb. A further disadvantage of forming a weak link using a length of string is that two hands are required to tie the lead rope to the string, which is not always easy, particularly if the horse is fidgity or of a nervous disposition.

An aim of the present invention may be viewed as being to provide a form of weak link which normally allows the horse to be securely tethered but which reliably releases the horse when subjected to a sharp tug of sufficient magnitude.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention proposes a device which provides a weak link for use in holding a rope or similar element, the device including jaw means which are resiliently biassed together to resist passage of said element therebetween, the arrangement being such that when the element is subjected to a sharp pull of sufficient magnitude it can pass between the jaw means to come free of the device.

The device preferably includes an aperture through which a free end of the element can be fed freely.

The jaw means may be provided by a resilient wall portion which defines at least part of the aperture.

The said wall portion may have a notch for receiving the portion of the element which is remote from said free end, the sides of the notch converging to the jaw means through which the element can pass when subjected to a sharp pull of sufficient magnitude. The jaw means may comprise a narrow slit through which the element may pass.

The device may conveniently be of substantially cylindrical form. The end face of the device which contains the notch is preferably inclined towards the notch in order to guide the element towards the notch.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The following description and the accompanying drawings referred to therein are included by way of non-limiting example in order to illustrate how the invention may be put into practice. In the drawings: Figure 1 is a general front view of a device of the invention illustrating one way in which it may be used to tether a horse, Figure 2 is a side view of the device, Figure 3 is a plan view of the device, and Figures 4 and 5 are general views of the device illustrating two further ways in which it may be used.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Referring to Fig.s 1 to 3, the device is formed of a length of slightly resilient plastics tube 1 of circular transverse section. (The device could also be formed of other springy materials, e.g. spring metal.) The wall of the tube is divided by a V-shaped notch 2 extending from one end 10 of the tube and leading into a slit 3, the walls of which are closely opposed. Part way along the slit 3, the opposed walls of the slit define an aperture 4, following which the slit extends to the opposite end 5 of the tube. It will be noted in Fig. 3 that that the inner corners 11 and 12 of the notch 2 are formed at an acute angle.

At the top end of the tube 1, a hole 6 is provided in the wall of the tube, diametrically opposite the Vshaped notch 2. A length of rope 7, or a similar flexible element such as a spring or chain, is inserted through the hole 6 to secure the device to any convenient anchorage point 8. It will also be noted in Fig. 3 that the end face 10 of the tube lies on a plane which is downwardly inclined from the region of the hole 6 to the notch 2.

In use of the device, the free end of a tethering rope 9 secured to the bridle, head collar or halter of a horse is fed axially down through the tube 1, so that the free end of the rope 9 hangs out of the bottom end of the tube. This is achieved in a simple one handed operation. The inclined top end face of the tube 1 tends to guide the rope 9 into the notch 2 when a moderate pull is applied to the rope. The combined frictional and wedging effect on the tether 9 in the bottom end of the notch 2, assisted by the acute corners 11 and 12, has the effect of securing the tether within the tube 1 up to a pull of about 151b.

This is sufficient to hold the horse under normal circumstances. Should the horse become frightened however, and exert a sharp tug on the tether 9, the rope is pulled through the bottom of the notch 2 into the slit 3, whereupon it enters the aperture 4. The dimensions of the aperture 4 will normally be less than the external dimensions of the rope 9 so that the resilience of the tube will cause the walls of the aperture to grip the rope. Often this will be sufficient to keep the horse tethered, but any further pulls on the tether will cause the rope to be pulled out of the aperture 4, hence freeing the tether from the anchoring device 1.

The opposed walls of the slit 3 could be slightly separated by a small gap or they could make point contact at one region along the slit 3. Alternatively, if the walls of the slit are arranged to touch over a substantial distance, or practically so, the movement of the tether 9 through the slit into the aperture 4 may cause the walls to move together with an audible snap, thus giving an audible warning that the tether is free and the animal is loose.

The aperture 4 could be omitted if desired, so that the tether will immediately come free from the device 1 when a sharp pull of sufficient magnitude is exerted.

The free end of the tether 9 could also be passed through the tube 1 several times, so that on each pull of the tether 9 one of loops thus formed will pass through the slit 3, thereby allowing several sharp pulls to be exerted before the tether comes completely free of the device.

The tethering rope 9, as illustrated, has a stronglydefined surface profile, which assists in retaining the rope in the notch 2, but the device could equally well be used with other forms of tether such as a chain. It is also possible to use the device with a relatively smooth leather rein or lead rope. Should such a tether be insufficiently gripped in the notch 2, this can be overcome by tying a knot 13 in the free end of the tether, as shown in Fig. 4, or by tying the free end back to an intermediate portion of the tether 9, as shown in Fig. 5.

The device can be utilised for tethering other livestock by changing the material used to form the device and, hence, adjusting the strength of pull required to free the tether to an appropriate value for the specific application. The strength of the required pull can also be increased by placing a C-shaped spring element of the required strength about the outside of the tube.

It will also be appreciated that the device could be used in any application where it is required to releasably hold a rope or other flexible element. In rock climbing, for example, it is often necessary to temporarily hold a rope in position on a rock face.

The present device could thus be secured to the rock face so that the rope can be fed through the device and released therefrom when required by application of a sharp pull on the rope in the appropriate direction.

Claims

1 A holding device in the form of a tube with an arrangement of notches and holes for releasably holding a rope or similar element.

2 A holding device as claimed in Claim 1 whereby at a predetermined load the rope will come free from the device.

3 A holding device as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2 wherein the rope can be secured in the device by the user with one hand only.

4 A holding device as claimed in any preceeding claim whereby the predetermined load can be increased by placing one or more C-shaped spring elements about the outside of the tube.

5 A holding device substantially as described herein with reference to Figures 1-5 of the accompanying drawings.