Patents by Inventor Christopher C. Gates

Christopher C. Gates has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 6651577
    Abstract: A portable marine outhaul has a closed loop of line strung between pulleys attached to a pair of anchors, e.g. sea and land anchors, and used to keep a boat moored off a temporary shore. The outhaul uses a reel rotatably mounted inside a housing. One half or run of the line, preferably fed through one hole in the housing, is wrapped on one half of a spool of the reel. The other half or run is fed through a second hole in the housing, spaced from said first hole a sufficient distance to control tangling. This other run is wound in the same direction onto the other half spool of the reel. In a manually-operated form, a crank turns an axle attached to the center of the spool. Initially attached to either anchor, the outhaul unwinds until reaching the other anchor where it is attached. The two lines of the outhaul are then cleated or otherwise secured, preferably to the side of the container. This completes the outhaul loop. The boat is then attached to the loop and can be pulled off shore and on shore at will.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2002
    Date of Patent: November 25, 2003
    Inventor: Christopher C. Gates