Patents Assigned to Wichard
  • Patent number: 9175717
    Abstract: The safety carabiner includes a body including a central portion extended at the ends thereof by a first hook-shaped branch provided with a retaining portion and a second branch, respectively, the first branch having a retaining portion, and a closing finger pivotably mounted on the second branch of the body around a pivot axis, between closed and open positions of the carabiner; where retaining portion includes a slender end portion that is generally tapered seen from the side and the retaining portion is configured so that, when the carabiner extends substantially perpendicular to said flat support, and the first and second branches of the carabiner are bearing on said flat support, the free end of the end portion forms the bearing zone of the first branch on said flat support.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2015
    Assignee: WICHARD
    Inventor: Sebastien Tardif
  • Patent number: 9027493
    Abstract: A bearing for a sail furling apparatus includes a spherical body having a longitudinal axis and containing a cylindrical longitudinal through-opening for receiving a cable of the furling apparatus. The body is freely rotatable on the cable and protects the furled sail from abrasive contact with the cable. The body contains a plurality of spaced longitudinal channels in the outer surface to define a plurality of spaced flutes to further space the furled sail from the cable and to facilitate smooth furling and unfurling of the sail.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2015
    Assignee: Wichard Inc.
    Inventor: Vernon Hultzer
  • Patent number: 8955203
    Abstract: The carabiner includes a body delimiting a basic frame, a closing finger pivotably mounted on the body between closed and open positions of the basic frame, locking means movably mounted on the closing finger between locked and unlocked positions of the closing finger, and actuating means arranged to move the locking means between the locked and unlocked positions thereof, where the actuating means include a handling member connected to the locking means and movably mounted on a portion of the carabiner body opposite the closing finger, between a first position in which the locking means are in the locked position and a second position in which the locking means are in the unlocked position, the handling member being arranged so that moving the latter between the first and second positions thereof causes the locking means to move between the locked and unlocked positions thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 17, 2015
    Assignee: Wichard
    Inventor: Sebastien Tardif
  • Publication number: 20140060410
    Abstract: A bearing for a sail furling apparatus includes a spherical body having a longitudinal axis and containing a cylindrical longitudinal through-opening for receiving a cable of the furling apparatus. The body is freely rotatable on the cable and protects the furled sail from abrasive contact with the cable. The body contains a plurality of spaced longitudinal channels in the outer surface to define a plurality of spaced flutes to further space the furled sail from the cable and to facilitate smooth furling and unfurling of the sail.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 31, 2012
    Publication date: March 6, 2014
    Applicant: Wichard Inc.
    Inventor: Vernon Hultzer
  • Publication number: 20130177350
    Abstract: The connection device according to the invention comprises a first element (3) designed to be connected to the support and a second element (4) designed to be connected to the load. The second element (4) includes a tubular portion (9, 15) adapted to receive the first element (3), locking means (24) movable between locking and unlocking positions of the first and second elements (3, 4), a control ring (25) movable between a first position in which it immobilizes the locking means (24) in their locked position, and a second position in which it allows the locking means (24) to move toward their unlocked position, and a control button (42a, 42b) movable between a first position in which the control button cooperates with the tubular portion so as to immobilize the control ring (25) in its first position, and a second position in which it allows the control ring (25) to move toward its second position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 10, 2013
    Publication date: July 11, 2013
    Applicant: WICHARD
    Inventor: WICHARD
  • Publication number: 20130056696
    Abstract: The guiding device (2) according to the invention comprises an essentially U-shaped guiding groove for guiding a first rope (6), two guiding lumens (7) for guiding a closed loop of a second rope (8) for securing the guiding device on a fixed attachment point (9) or on a mobile part to be handled, the two guiding lumens (7) extending on both sides of the plane defined by the guiding groove (5), and a fixation tab (11) of the closed loop of the second rope (8) on the guiding device. The guiding device (2) also comprises first and second passage openings (15) each respectively emerging in one of the guiding lumens (7), each of the first and second passage openings (15) being arranged to allow the insertion of the second rope (8) into the corresponding guiding lumen.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 29, 2012
    Publication date: March 7, 2013
    Applicant: WICHARD
    Inventor: Mathieu GUIHARD
  • Publication number: 20120317761
    Abstract: The carabiner includes a body delimiting a basic frame, a closing finger pivotably mounted on the body between closed and open positions of the basic frame, locking means movably mounted on the closing finger between locked and unlocked positions of the closing finger, and actuating means arranged to move the locking means between the locked and unlocked positions thereof, where the actuating means include a handling member connected to the locking means and movably mounted on a portion of the carabiner body opposite the closing finger, between a first position in which the locking means are in the locked position and a second position in which the locking means are in the unlocked position, the handling member being arranged so that moving the latter between the first and second positions thereof causes the locking means to move between the locked and unlocked positions thereof.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 14, 2012
    Publication date: December 20, 2012
    Applicant: WICHARD
    Inventor: Sebastien TARDIF
  • Publication number: 20120317762
    Abstract: The safety carabiner includes a body including a central portion extended at the ends thereof by a first hook-shaped branch provided with a retaining portion and a second branch, respectively, the first branch having a retaining portion, and a closing finger pivotably mounted on the second branch of the body around a pivot axis, between closed and open positions of the carabiner; where retaining portion includes a slender end portion that is generally tapered seen from the side and the retaining portion is configured so that, when the carabiner extends substantially perpendicular to said flat support, and the first and second branches of the carabiner are bearing on said flat support, the free end of the end portion forms the bearing zone of the first branch on said flat support.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 14, 2012
    Publication date: December 20, 2012
    Applicant: WICHARD
    Inventor: Sebastien TARDIF
  • Publication number: 20090320732
    Abstract: The invention relates to a braking device (4) for braking the boom of a sail boat, comprising a body (12) with fixation means (5) mainly to the boom or a control rope, and means for braking a main rope (6) having its ends connected or guided at two points on both sides of the central longitudinal axis of the sail boat, characterised in that the braking means include at least a first passage opening (14, 15, 16) formed in the body (12) for a loop (20) of the main rope (6), and a second opening (18) formed in the body (12), essentially parallel with the first opening (14, 15, 16) and inside which protrudes a member (19) for retaining the loop (20) that passes around it.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 29, 2007
    Publication date: December 31, 2009
    Applicant: WICHARD
    Inventor: Sebastien Tardif
  • Patent number: 7621509
    Abstract: The invention relates to a device for guiding the bolt rope of a sail. The inventive device (6) comprises two curved jaws (9, 10) which are fixed to one another around a pivot point (11). The first jaw (9) is equipped with an inward-facing extension (12) comprising a flat portion (13) and a recess (14). The second jaw comprises a U-shaped locking buckle which is mounted such that the ends thereof can pivot around a position of equilibrium. According to the invention, when the device is in the closed position, the middle portion of the buckle is engaged in the recess so that the jaws are held together and, when the device is in the open position, the middle portion of the buckle rests on the flat portion of the extension so that the jaws are kept at a distance from one another.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2009
    Assignee: Wichard
    Inventor: Sebastien Tardif
  • Publication number: 20090072208
    Abstract: The invention relates to a device for guiding the bolt rope of a sail. The inventive device (6) comprises two curved jaws (9, 10) which are fixed to one another around a pivot point (11). The first jaw (9) is equipped with an inward-facing extension (12) comprising a flat portion (13) and a recess (14). The second jaw comprises a U-shaped locking buckle which is mounted such that the ends thereof can pivot around a position of equilibrium. According to the invention, when the device is in the closed position, the middle portion of the buckle is engaged in the recess so that the jaws are held together and, when the device is in the open position, the middle portion of the buckle rests on the flat portion of the extension so that the jaws are kept at a distance from one another.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 7, 2005
    Publication date: March 19, 2009
    Applicant: WICHARD
    Inventor: Sebastien Tardif
  • Patent number: 7464656
    Abstract: The device includes a planar body (3) secured to a harness bar (2), a hook (10) pivotably mounted on the front portion of the body (3) about a pin (9) transversal to the body, wherein said hook comprises a pointed end (13) on the rear side thereof, a hairpin spring (15) with the facing ends of the branches thereof engaged in apertures (16) of the body that are offset so as to rotate the entire spring unit forwards, and such that the central portion of the spring (15) locks the hook (10) by engaging same at the rear of the pointed end (13) thereof, and a lever (11), hinged to the body (3) about a pin (17) parallel to the pin (9) of the hook (10) and located above same, comprising an upper portion (18), above the pin (17), facing upwards and forwards and a lower portion (19) facing downwards and rearwards, the lower end of which engages the forward-facing surface of the branches of the hairpin spring (15).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 16, 2008
    Assignees: Wichard, Ecole Nationale de Voile
    Inventors: Arnaud Garin, Florence Lebrun, Philippe Delhaye
  • Patent number: 6343561
    Abstract: The line jammer device is a device for jamming a line which is under tension upstream of the device when it is in a locked state and releasing the line when it is in an unlocked state. The device has a first line gripping member and a second line gripping member. The first line gripping member has a circular surface around which the line is wound between a fraction of a turn corresponding to an angle of more than 180° and at least one turn. The second line gripping member is arranged in such a way that the grip it exerts on the line is exerted once the line has been wrapped around the first gripping member between a fraction of a turn corresponding to an angle of at least 180° and at least one turn.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2000
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2002
    Assignee: Wichard
    Inventor: Pierre Mihailovic
  • Patent number: 5937490
    Abstract: A safety snap hook comprising a so-called "hairpin" pawl including a rod of elastically deformable material, bent to form an open loop. Bent-over ends of the rod, about which the pawl pivots with respect to the body of the snap hook, are not coaxial. The snap hook being characterized in that the pawl is shaped in such a way that its bent-over ends are normally kept in spaced-apart position in which they are situated some distance from one another preventing pivoting with respect to the body. The pawl may be deformed in such a way as to bring the bent-over ends into a position in which they are closer together, in order to make pivoting possible. The body of the snap hook comprises an aperture in which one of the bent-over ends is engaged and can slide, while the other bent-over end is mounted so that it can pivot on the body about a fixed axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 1998
    Date of Patent: August 17, 1999
    Assignee: Wichard
    Inventor: Pierre Mihailovic
  • Patent number: D515914
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2004
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2006
    Assignee: Wichard S.A.
    Inventor: Jacques Aspert
  • Patent number: D465405
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2002
    Date of Patent: November 12, 2002
    Assignee: Wichard
    Inventor: Jean-Loup Becquevort
  • Patent number: D407297
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 1997
    Date of Patent: March 30, 1999
    Assignee: Wichard
    Inventor: Pierre Mihailovic
  • Patent number: D431448
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 1999
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2000
    Assignee: Wichard
    Inventor: Pierre Mihailovic
  • Patent number: D431449
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 1999
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2000
    Assignee: Wichard
    Inventor: Pierre Mihailovic
  • Patent number: D813652
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2018
    Assignee: WICHARD
    Inventor: Thibaut Deveraux