ADJUSTABLE PIVOTING HANGER

Abstract

A hanger for retaining a portion of line associated with watercraft is disclosed. The hanger comprises a tower, an arm extending outwardly from the tower and coupled for pivotal rotation thereto. A dampening mechanism is mounted to the tower and coupled to the arm. The dampening mechanism retards the pivotal movement of the arm relative to the tower. Furthermore, a cleat is coupled to the arm at a distal end thereof.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/225,267, filed Jul. 14, 2009 and entitled “Adjustable Pivoting Hanger”, the contents of which are incorporated by reference in their entirety herein for all purposes.

BACKGROUND

Watercraft such as boats, jet skis, and the like are typically secured to a dock, piling or mooring via a line (i.e., a rope or cable) when not in use. Prior to moving away from the dock or mooring, the line is disengaged from the watercraft and either thrown back onto the dock, onto a piling, or left in the water where it must later be retrieved from the watercraft.

Retrieval often requires the use of a hook or other device to reach onto the dock, piling or mooring or into the water to engage a portion of the line. This can prove difficult as well as dangerous, particularly when reaching over the side of the watercraft, leaving the watercraft to retrieve the line, or when a person responsible for retrieving the line is also operating the watercraft.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side view of an adjustable hanger and a base.

FIG. 2 is a partial side view of an adjustable hanger.

FIG. 3 illustrates a portion of a dampening mechanism.

FIG. 4 illustrates a portion of a dampening.

FIG. 5 illustrates a portion of a dampening mechanism.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 illustrates a hanger 100 that is removably engaged to a base 106. The hanger 100 relates to positioning a section of line (not shown) within reach of an occupant of a boat during docking or mooring. The hanger 100 comprises a tower 102 and an arm 104 coupled to the tower 102 for movement relative thereto. The tower 102 comprises a two section telescoping tower having a first section 103 positioned for telescopic movement relative to a second section 105. The first section 103 is fixed relative to the second section 105 via a locking collar 112 that prevents rotation of the first section 103 within the second section 105. The locking collar 112 comprises a set screw 110 that threadably engages and extends through the locking collar 112 to engage the first section 103 thus inhibiting the first section 103 from turning within the second section 105.

The tower 102 has a first end that is removably engaged to the base 106 via a fastener 108 and a second end that is coupled to a cap 133. When securing the tower 102 to the base, the tower 102 is placed into the base 106 and is then secured to the base 106 by fastener 108. The base 106 is mounted to a dock, slip, or piling such that when the hanger 100 is removed for storage, the base remains coupled to the dock, slip, or piling. The fastener 108 comprises any known fastener, such as, but not limited to, a spring clip, a stop pin, a peg, a cotter pin, a screw, or a bolt, that facilitates coupling of the first end to the base 106.

The arm 104 is rotatably coupled to the first section 103 via a collar 132. The collar 132 is circumscribed around the tower 102. In the illustrated embodiment, the arm 104 comprises a three section telescoping arm extending substantially perpendicular to the tower 102. A second telescoping section 140 is telescopically movable relative to a first telescoping section 134 and can be fixed in position via a twist clutch lock 142. Similarly a third telescoping section 144 is telescopically movable relative to the second telescoping section and can also be fixed in position via another twist clutch clock 143. The arm 104 is coupled to the collar 132 via a swivel joint 128 to provide a degree of freedom of movement of the arm 104 about the tower 102. The collar 132 is prevented from moving up or down on the tower 102 via a fastener 130 and a fastener 126. Furthermore, a distal end of the arm 104 is coupled to a cleat 146 upon which a portion of line can be attached. The hanger 100 may be folded for storage. For example, the collar 132 may be uncoupled from the tower 102 allowing the arm 104 to move such that the arm is substantially parallel to the tower 102.

To limit the collar 132 from rotating freely around the tower 102, a dampening mechanism 114 is employed. The dampening mechanism 114 comprises a lower portion 115 and an upper portion 116. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the upper portion 116 is urged toward the lower portion 115 by a spring 118. The upper portion 116 can move up and down along the tower as well as can rotate around the tower while the lower portion 115 is a fixed-position portion. The spring 118 is used for biasing the upper portion 116 towards the lower portion 115. The spring 118 comprises, but is not limited to, a coil spring, a disc spring, a hydraulic based device, or the like. The spring 118 is compressed between a stationary collar 120 and the dampening mechanism 114.

The upper portion 115 of the dampening mechanism 114 is coupled to a support arm 124 via a swivel joint 122. The support arm 124 is moveably positioned between the arm 104 and the tower 102. The swivel joint 122 allows the support arm 124 to pivotally move relative to the dampening mechanism 114. The support arm 124 is further coupled to arm 104 via another swivel joint 123 and a rotatable sleeve 136 where the rotatable sleeve 136 is slidable axially along the arm 104. A collar 138 is coupled to the arm 104 to limit axial movement of the sleeve 136. If the arm 104 is lifted in a direction away from the base 106, the arm may be lifted as far as being substantially parallel to the tower.

The support arm 124 extends between and is pivotally connected for rotational movement relative to the upper portion 116 and the sleeve 136. The support arm 124 transfers forces generated by tension in the line that is transferred therefrom, to the cleat, from the arm 104 to the dampening mechanism 114. Furthermore, the support arm 124 reduces deflection of the arm 104 caused by the weight of or tension on the line on the cleat 146.

Each of the lower portion 115 and the upper portion 116 of the dampening mechanism 114 comprises a plurality of teeth 156 and 158 respectively, that are urged together via the spring 118. However, when the arm is moved (i.e., a force is applied to the arm 104) the upper portion 116 temporarily disengages from the lower portion 115 if the force is strong enough to cause the teeth 158 associated with the upper portion 116 to be lifted from the plurality of teeth 156 associated with the lower portion 115. If the upper portion 116 becomes disengaged from the lower portion 115, the spring 118 will continue to urge the upper portion 116 towards the lower portion 115 to limit rotation of the arm 104 around the tower 102. Furthermore, the two sets of teeth 156 and 158 further restrict movement of the arm 104 by providing lateral resistance.

When docking a boat, if the boat or a person associated with the boat inadvertently bumps the arm 104, the dampening mechanism 114 operates so that the arm 104 will deflect instead of spinning around the tower 102. By only deflecting, the potential for damage to the hanger 100 or injury to the person and/or the boat is minimized and a line associated with the hanger 100 remains untangled and within the reach of an occupant of the boat after the arm 104 has been bumped.

The hanger 100 is installed by securing the base 106 to a dock, piling or mooring via any known methods of securing such that the arm 104 is positioned generally towards a direction from which a boat would approach. The cleat 146 is positioned to provide easy access to an occupant of the boat by making vertical and horizontal adjustments to the tower 103 and arm 104, respectively. An occupant of the boat can release the boat from the dock, piling or mooring by untying a portion of the line tied to a fixture on the boat and then positioning the portion of the line on the cleat 146. In doing so, the line is held by the cleat 146 and can be safely reached by the occupant when the boat returns. During docking, if the boat should inadvertently come in contact with the cleat 146 or the arm 104, the dampening mechanism 114 minimizes rotational movement of the arm 104 so that the line continues to be positioned within easy access of the occupant. Thus, the occupant can safely grasp the line from the cleat 146 and secure the boat to the dock, accordingly.

Now referring to FIG. 3, FIG. 4, and FIG. 5, the lower portion 115 and the upper portion 116 of the dampening mechanism 114 are illustrated. The lower portion 115 is substantially circular shaped defining a top surface comprising a plurality of teeth 156. The upper portion 116 defines a recess 148 to couple and/or store at least a portion of the spring 118. A collar 120 is coupled to a top surface of the upper portion 116 to compress the spring 118 into the recess 148. The upper portion 116, as illustrated, comprises a substantially circular portion and an extension portion. The substantially circular portion comprises a plurality of teeth 158 and the extension portion defines an opening 149 to be coupled to the support arm 124.

Now referring to FIG. 6, the cleat 146 is illustrated and comprises a rounded portion 150, a nested portion 152, and a flange portion 154. The rounded portion 150 facilitates a line being placed onto the cleat 146 while the nested portion 152 facilitates securing the line between the rounded portion 152 and the flange portion 154. The rounded portion 150 comprises a ball or oval shaped object and the nested portion 152 comprises a concave surfaced dowel. The flange portion 156 reduces the likelihood of a portion of line from moving onto the arm 104.

While the invention has been described with reference to various exemplary embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from the essential scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed as the best mode contemplated for carrying out this invention.

Claims

1. A hanger for retaining a portion of line associated with watercraft, the hanger comprising:

a tower;

an arm extending outwardly from the tower and coupled for pivotal rotation thereto;

a dampening mechanism mounted to the tower and coupled to the arm, the dampening mechanism for retarding the pivotal movement of the arm relative to the tower; and

a cleat coupled to the arm at a distal end thereof.

2. The hanger of claim 1, wherein the cleat comprises:

a concave portion that extends between a rounded portion and a flange portion.

3. The hanger of claim 1, wherein the arm is coupled to the dampening mechanism via a support arm coupled to the arm and the dampening mechanism.

4. The hanger of claim 3, wherein the support arm is coupled to the arm via a sleeve slidably position on the arm.

5. The hanger of claim 3, wherein the dampening mechanism includes a first portion mounted to the tower, and a second portion mounted to the tower and engageable with the first portion;

at least one of the first and second portion being movable relative to the other;

biasing means for urging one of the first and second portion toward the other of the first and second portion; and

wherein the first and second portions and the biasing means cooperate to minimize rotation of the arm relative to the tower in response to a force applied thereto.

6. The hanger of claim 5, wherein the first and second portion each define a plurality of teeth; and

wherein the teeth defined by the first portion matingly engage the teeth defined by the second portion.

7. The hanger of claim 1, further comprising:

a base, the base being mountable to the tower and a structure for securing the tower to the structure.

8. The hanger of claim 1, wherein the tower includes a least two sections telescopically engaged with one another.

9. The hanger of claim 1, wherein the arm includes at least two sections telescopically engaged with one another.

10. The hanger of claim 5, wherein the biasing means includes a coil spring positioned over the tower and abutting at one end against the upper or lower portions defined by the dampening mechanism.

11. A hanger system for securing a watercraft comprising:

a base coupled to a dock; and

a hanger removably coupled to the base, the hanger comprising: a tower; an arm extending outwardly from the tower and coupled for pivotal rotation thereto; a dampening mechanism mounted to the tower and coupled to the arm, the dampening mechanism for retarding the pivotal movement of the arm relative to the tower; and a cleat coupled to the arm at a distal end thereof.

12. The hanger system of claim 1, wherein the cleat comprises:

a concave portion that extends between a rounded portion and a flange portion.

13. The hanger system of claim 11, wherein the arm is coupled to the dampening mechanism via a support arm coupled to the arm and the dampening mechanism.

14. The hanger system of claim 13, wherein the support arm is coupled to the arm via a sleeve slidably position on the arm.

15. The hanger system of claim 13, wherein the dampening mechanism includes a first portion mounted to the tower, and a second portion mounted to the tower and engageable with the first portion;

at least one of the first and second portion being movable relative to the other;

biasing means for urging one of the first and second portion toward the other of the first and second portion; and

wherein the first and second portions and the biasing means cooperate to minimize rotation of the arm relative to the tower in response to a force applied thereto.

16. The hanger system of claim 15, wherein the first and second portion each define a plurality of teeth; and

wherein the teeth defined by the first portion matingly engage the teeth defined by the second portion.

17. The hanger system of claim 11, further comprising:

a base, the base being mountable to the tower and a structure for securing the tower to the structure.

18. The hanger system of claim 11, wherein the tower includes a least two sections telescopically engaged with one another.

19. The hanger system of claim 11, wherein the arm includes at least two sections telescopically engaged with one another.

20. The hanger system of claim 15, wherein the biasing means includes a coil spring positioned over the tower and abutting at one end against the upper or lower portions defined by the dampening mechanism.