ROPE PRODUCTS, SYSTEMS, METHODS AND APPLICATIONS
Embodiments of the present invention include rope products, systems, processes, and related applications as disclosed herein.
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This application is a non-provisional application of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/993,703, filed May 15, 2014, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONRope products, such as winches and slings, may have numerous applications, and previous types of rope products are known in the art. The present invention relates generally to novel rope products, systems, processes, and related applications.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONIn an embodiment, the invention includes novel rope products, systems, processes, and related applications as disclosed herein. Generally, in one embodiment, the invention includes a rope system. The rope system includes a woven cover having at least one channel and two terminal ends, and the woven cover also includes a plurality of warp threads and a plurality of weft threads and wherein the warp thread and weft threads are interwoven together. The rope system also includes a bundle of fibers that form a continuous loop, and the bundle of fibers is at least partially disposed within the woven cover such that a portion of the bundle of fibers extends beyond the two terminal ends of the woven cover and are exposed as loops.
In another embodiment, the invention includes a linked rope system. The linked rope system includes (1) a fiber material configured in a loop with joined ends to form a first bundle of fiber in a continuous loop, wherein the first bundle of fiber is at least partially encased within a first cover and (2) a second fiber material in a loop with joined ends to form a second bundle of fiber in a continuous loop, wherein the second bundle of fiber is at least partially encased within a second cover. In addition, the first bundle of fiber and the second bundle of fiber are interlinked.
In yet another embodiment, the present invention includes a method of making a linked rope system. The method includes the steps of looping a first fiber material and joining two terminal ends of the first fiber material to form a first bundle of fiber in a continuous loop, and at least partially enclosing the first bundle of fiber is at least partially encased within a first cover. The method also includes the steps of looping a second fiber material and joining two terminal ends of the first fiber material to form a second bundle of fiber in a continuous loop, and at least partially enclosing the second bundle of fiber is at least partially encased within a second cover. Furthermore, the method includes interlinking the first bundle of fiber that is at least partially encased within a first cover and the second bundle of fiber that is at least partially encased within a second cover.
The present invention may be better understood by reference to the description and figures that follow. It is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the specific details as set forth in the following description and figures. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or carried out in various ways
A full and enabling disclosure of the present invention is set forth in the specification, which refers to the appended figures.
Reference now will be made in detail to the embodiments of the invention, one or more examples of which are set forth below. Each example is provided by way of explanation of the invention, not a limitation of the invention. In fact, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention. For instance, features illustrated or described as part of one embodiment, can be used on another embodiment to yield a still further embodiment.
Thus, it is intended that the present invention covers such modifications and variations as come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents. In addition, the use of reference characters with the same two ending digits as other reference characters in the present specification and drawings, without a specific discussion of such structure, is intended to represent the same or analogous structure in different embodiments. Other objects, features and aspects of the present invention are disclosed in or are obvious from the following detailed description. It is to be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that the present discussion is a description of exemplary embodiments only, and is not intended as limiting the broader aspects of the present invention.
The present invention includes rope systems. In some embodiments, such rope systems may include a bundle of fibers displaced, partially or fully, within a cover. By way of example and with reference to an illustrative embodiment,
In another exemplary embodiment, as shown in
In still another embodiment, as shown in
By further way of example, in still other embodiments, a divider may be formed by joining separate covers together, such as by weaving or sewing, such that the two joined covers join to form a single cover having two channels separated by a divider, such as shown in
In some embodiments, multiple dividers may be present. By way of example, as shown in
In some embodiments, such as shown in
In some embodiments, a rope system may be folded into a more compact form. By way of example,
In some embodiments, a cover may extend along the entire length or substantially the entire length of a winch or rope system. In other embodiments, a cover may extend to or slightly beyond any hardware at an end of the rope system. As shown in the foregoing illustrative embodiments, a cover may extend over an entire fiber bundle except for the loops of the fiber bundle that extend from each longitudinal end of a cover. In some embodiments, the cover may alternatively extend substantially over the entire fiber bundle except the loops. In other embodiments, a cover may also extend over the loops. In still other embodiments, a cover may surround the loops and have an open portion on the interior of the loop, in which case hardware may still be readily attached within the open portion.
In the embodiments discussed above, each fiber bundle is formed by continuously wrapping one or more continuous fibers and then joining the free ends. In some embodiments, such free ends of the fiber bundle may be joined by a knot. In other embodiments of the illustrative embodiments herein, such free ends of a fiber bundle may be taped, glued, or joined using any other suitable methods. In some embodiments, the free ends of a fiber bundle ends are not sewn, spliced, clipped, or clamped. Furthermore, a space or gap may exist between the inside of a cover and the fiber bundle, such as shown, by example, in
Covers used in the present invention may be comprised of any suitable material for a particular embodiment. For example, in some embodiments, the fibers of a woven cover may comprise any suitable natural or synthetic material known in the art or combinations thereof. In some embodiments, the fibers comprise meta-, para-aramid fibers, para-aramid fibers, meta-aramid fibers, cotton, rayon, Teflon®-coated fibers, shaped fibers, glass fibers, basalt fibers, carbon fibers, high modulus polyethylene fibers, liquid crystal polymer fibers, hollow fibers, nylon, polyesters, polypropylene, polyethylene, polyphenylene sulfide, polyetheretherketone, polyolefins, high modulus polyethylene (HMPE), amide polymers or copolymers, other aramids, metal yarns, other suitable materials, and combinations thereof. According to some embodiments, such fibers may be heat-shrinkable or have elasticity. By way of example, and without limitation, in some embodiments a cover may include nylon and polyester fibers. In some embodiments, any materials noted herein for a cover may be used for a fiber bundle and any materials noted for a fiber bundle may be used for a cover and vice versa. In addition, any materials used for a cover or a bundle of fibers may be treated or coated to improve the properties of the material for a particular application.
In some embodiments, materials included in a cover may have one or more of high tensile strength, high thermal resistance, high abrasion resistance, low shrinkage at high temperatures, high fatigue resistance, ultraviolet radiation resistance, high chemical and heat stability, and low moisture regain. In some embodiments, spun or texturized fibers or yarns may be used to limit abrasion. Also, the fibers may be coated with polymers, paraffin waxes, non-paraffin waxes, and/or other substances to improve abrasion, ultraviolet resistance, water and chemical resistance, improve moisture wicking, provide improved heat transfer, fire resistance, and other desirable properties for a particular embodiment.
In some embodiments, a cover used in embodiments of the present invention may be a woven webbing. The term “woven”, as used herein, means interlacing individual fibers in a regular order. Any method of weaving known in the art may be utilized in this invention. Similarly, any weave pattern known in the art may be utilized in the webbing including, but not limited to, a plain weave, a twill weave, a satin weave, a tabby weave, a taffeta weave, a matt weave, a basket weave, a rib weave, computer-generated interlacings, and combinations thereof. The fibers of a cover may have any configuration known in the art. For example, the configuration of the fibers may be circular, ovular, elliptical, or flat. Additional configurations of woven material are included in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/078,211, which is published as U.S. Published Patent Application No. 2014/178,615 and which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference. In some embodiments, covers may have a construction and/or composition other than a woven construction, such as a film cover, coated fabrics, or combinations of different constructions.
In addition, in some embodiments, covers of the present invention may include one or more spaced longitudinal ribs, such as shown, by way of example, in
By way of example, and without limitation, covers in some embodiments of the present invention may include warp yarns and weft yarns having any suitable denier for a particular application. For example, in some embodiments, warp yarns in the range of about 840 denier to about 2,700 denier may be used. In some embodiments, warp yarns having greater than 2700 denier may be employed, such as in the range of about 2,700 denier to about 5,000 denier. In some embodiments, warp yarns having less than 3,000 denier may be used. In some embodiments fill (or weft) yarn having a denier in the range of about 500 denier to about 1,000 denier may be used. With the foregoing exemplary ranges each intermittent value is specifically included.
For embodiments employing a woven cover, any suitable weaving parameters may be employed. By way of example, a cover may have a tight plain weave, such as in the range of about 4.75 picks per inch to about 50 picks per inch, including each intermittent value therein. In some embodiments, a woven cover may have a pick count of at least about 17.5 picks per inch. In some embodiments, a woven cover may have a plain weave of about 2.5 to about 7.5 picks per inch, including each intermittent value therein. In other embodiments, an outer sleeve may have a pick count of at least about 12.5 picks per inch. In some embodiments, a cover may include an inner cover and an outer cover as previously described, wherein an inner and outer cover may have the same woven configuration or differing woven configurations. For example, in some embodiments an inner cover may have a plain weave configuration and an outer cover may have either a twill weave or a plain weave configuration. For reference, a plain weave may also be referred to as a basket weave.
In still other embodiments, covers may include non-woven material that is sewn or otherwise connected in a tubular shape. For example, in some embodiments, covers may be sewn, bonded, or otherwise prepared using the same materials as discussed for woven constructions or alternative materials. By way of example, in some embodiments, a cover may be formed using weldable materials, By way of example, a cover of some embodiments may be formed by coating a webbing material, film, fabric, or other material (which may be, by way of example, woven, spun bond nonwoven, nonwoven laminates, films, perforated films, or combinations thereof) with a weldable plastic, such as, for example, polyvinyl chloride or polyurethane. In such weldable embodiments, any suitable weldable materials may be employed, such as films, fibers, or nonwovens coated or uncoated so long as the material can be joined by heat, ultrasonic, radio frequency, welding, or the like.
By way of example, a rope system with a weldable cover may be formed as shown in the illustrative embodiment of
In some embodiments, and as illustrated in
As shown in
In some embodiments, additional materials, such as a distinct weft strand or a distinct warp strand of a different material than the other weft and/or warp strands, may be incorporated into a rope to provide an indication of a threshold being met or neared. For example, in one embodiment, such distinct weft strands or a distinct warp strands may be of a weaker material than the remaining weft or warp strands of the rope, such that when the weaker distinct weft strand and/or distinct warp strands are broken an indication is provided. In still other embodiments, an additional material, such as a yarn that does not otherwise serve as a weft strand or warp strand, may be incorporated into a rope to provide an indication of a threshold being met or neared.
In addition, to provide even greater indications of breakage, some or all weft yarns and warp yarns may be of various colors such that a user may determine when a particular breaking point is reached or is being reached. For example, in some embodiments, some weft yarns may be of a different color, for example red, than the other materials, such as white, utilized in the rope construction. As load conditions are being reached, those red weft yarns, optionally selected to break before the entire rope system reaches a maximum breaking weight, will start to break and will thereby provide the user with a clear indication of possible breakage.
With regard to fiber bundles employed in embodiments of the present invention, such fiber bundles may include any suitable fibers or any other material suitable for a particular embodiment. By way of example, such fibers and materials may include, without limitation, polyester, nylon, meta- para-aramid fibers, para-aramid fibers, meta-aramid fibers, cotton, rayon, Teflon®-coated fibers, shaped fibers, glass fibers, basalt fibers, carbon fibers, high modulus polyethylene fibers, liquid crystal polymer fibers (such as, by way of example, those available from Vectran Fiber, Inc.), hollow fibers, polypropylene, polyethylene, polyphenylene sulfide, polyetheretherketone, polyolefins, high modulus polypropylene, amide polymers or copolymers, other polyolefins, other aramids, metal yarns, other suitable materials, and combinations thereof. In addition, by way of example, the fiber bundle may have any suitable structure, such as, without limitation, twisted or untwisted continuous filaments, parallel strands, filament bundles comprised of mono-filament yarns, filament bundles comprised of films, twisted rope, braided rope (including, without limitation, solid braided rope and hollow braided rope), liquid crystal polymer rope, woven rope, kernmantle rope, woven ropes with components that may be twisted or braided, braided or twisted ropes using components that are woven or of another format, and combinations thereof. By way of example, and without limitation, such fibers in some embodiments may include twisted, cabled, braided, or woven yarns, or combinations thereof. In some embodiments, spun or texturized fibers or yarns may be used to limit abrasion. According to some embodiments, such fibers may be heat-shrinkable or have elasticity. Also, the fibers may be coated with or otherwise include, such as by using nano-coatings through vapor deposition or other suitable means, with polymers, paraffin waxes, non-paraffin waxes, and/or other substances to improve abrasion, ultraviolet resistance, water and chemical resistance, improve moisture wicking, provide improved heat transfer, fire resistance, and other desirable properties for a particular embodiment. In addition, such materials and/or alternative materials may be used in other non-woven covers that are also within the scope of the present invention.
Any size of fibers may be used as is suitable for a particular embodiment. Furthermore, any fibers employed may be monofilament, multifilament, or tapes. In addition, the size of the bundles shown in the figures herein are exemplary and are not limiting. The fiber within a bundle may also be more tightly packed within a bundle than shown in the depicted embodiment, as well as bound, joined, braided twisted, or otherwise connected if desired. In other embodiments, smaller or larger bundles may be employed. In addition, in some embodiments, multiple bundles may be employed within a single cover and, in some embodiments, even within a single channel within a cover.
Any suitable denier of fiber may be used. In one embodiment, the fibers of the woven rope may be in the range of about 10,000 denier to about 100,000 denier, including each intermittent value therein. In some embodiments, fibers may have a denier of or greater than about 10,000 denier. In still other embodiments, fibers of or less than about 100,000 denier may be employed.
Fiber bundles may be wrapped as many times as suitable for any particular embodiment or application. A predetermined length of fiber may be selected based on the ultimate number of wrappings desired and the desired length of the rope system. In some embodiments, an increased number of wrappings may reduce the impact on the connection of the ends of the fiber bundle, such as any impact (such as from tension) at a knot joining the free ends of a fiber bundle. In addition, although ends of a fiber bundle are joined as a knot in the embodiments described above, other suitable connections may be used such as taping, gluing, air splicing, and other suitable connections. In some embodiments, the knot or other connection may be disposed within a cover of a rope system.
In some embodiments, a fiber bundle may include a fiber optic cable, a sensor wire, and/or other materials, such as for load or temperature sensing. Such materials may be included within a fiber bundle as described above or may be included as a separate fiber bundle.
In some particular embodiments, rope systems of the present invention may be used as a winch rope. In such embodiments, such as shown in
In other embodiments, rope systems of the present invention may be used to form or function as a round sling. Round sling embodiments may be prepared from any of the embodiments discussed herein. Such slings may be used to harness or support heavy objects in applications such as, for example, aircraft, rigging, engine, shipbuilding, or other industrial or construction-related tools and parts. In some embodiments, a bundle of fibers may be continuously wound and then partially or wholly encased within a cover, such as by forming or joining a cover around the bundle of fibers. By way of example, and with reference to
In other embodiments, the present invention further includes a chain or linked rope system. Such linked rope systems may include a plurality of a bundle of fibers in a continuous loop, optionally encased wholly or partially within a cover, interlinked with other bundles of fiber formed in a continuous loop and also optionally encased wholly or partially within a cover. By way of example,
Linked rope systems of the present invention may be formed using any suitable procedure for a particular application. For example, as shown with reference to
Rope systems of the present invention may be used for any other suitable purpose, such as other types of slings, harnesses, and ropes. Although particular embodiments of the invention have been described using specific terms, devices, and methods, such description is for illustrative purposes only. The words used are words of description rather than of limitation. It is to be understood that changes and variations may be made by those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the spirit or the scope of the present invention, which is set forth in the following claims. In addition, it should be understood that aspects of the various embodiments may be interchanged in whole or in part. Therefore, the spirit and scope of the appended claims should not be limited to the description of the preferred versions contained therein.
Claims
1. A rope system comprising:
- a cover having at least one channel and two terminal ends; and
- a bundle of fibers that form a continuous loop, wherein the bundle of fibers is at least partially disposed within the cover and wherein a portion of the bundle of fibers extends beyond the two terminal ends of the cover and are exposed as loops.
2. The rope system of claim 1 wherein the bundle of fiber comprise a length of material formed in a loop and having two terminal ends of the material joined together to form the continuous loop.
3. The rope system of claim 1 wherein the cover is a woven cover comprising a plurality of warp threads and a plurality of weft threads and wherein the warp thread and weft threads are interwoven together.
4. The rope system of claim 1 wherein the cover is comprised of meta-, para-aramid fibers, para-aramid fibers, meta-aramid fibers, cotton, rayon, Teflon®-coated fibers, shaped fibers, glass fibers, basalt fibers, carbon fibers, high modulus polyethylene fibers, liquid crystal polymer fibers, hollow fibers, nylon, polyesters, polypropylene, polyethylene, polyphenylene sulfide, polyetheretherketone, polyolefins, high modulus polyethylene (HMPE), amide polymers or copolymers, other aramids, other suitable materials, and combinations thereof.
5. The rope system of claim 4 wherein one or more of the warp threads and weft threads comprise polymers, paraffin waxes, non-paraffin waxes, or combinations thereof.
6. The rope system of claim 1 wherein the bundle of fibers are comprised of polyester, nylon, meta- para-aramid fibers, para-aramid fibers, meta-aramid fibers, cotton, rayon, Teflon®-coated fibers, shaped fibers, glass fibers, basalt fibers, carbon fibers, high modulus polyethylene fibers, liquid crystal polymer fibers, hollow fibers, polypropylene, polyethylene, polyphenylene sulfide, polyetheretherketone, polyolefins, high modulus polypropylene, amide polymers or copolymers, other polyolefins, other aramids, and combinations thereof.
7. The rope system of claim 1 wherein the bundle of fibers comprises one or more of the structures selected from the group comprising twisted continuous filaments, untwisted continuous filaments, parallel strands, filament bundles comprised of mono-filament yarns, filament bundles comprised of films, twisted rope, braided rope, woven rope, kernmantle rope, woven ropes with twisted or braided components, braided or twisted ropes with woven components, and combinations thereof.
8. The rope system of claim 6 wherein at least a portion of the bundle of fibers is coated with polymers, paraffin waxes, non-paraffin waxes, or combinations thereof.
9. The rope system of claim 1 wherein the cover comprises and inner cover and an outer cover.
10. The rope system of claim 1 wherein the cover comprises a divider.
11. The rope system of claim 10 wherein the bundle of fibers that form a continuous loop are disposed around the divider.
12. The rope system of claim 10 wherein a bundle of fibers is disposed on each side of the divider.
13. The rope system of claim 1 wherein the cover comprises a plurality of dividers and a plurality of channels.
14. The rope system of claim 13 wherein the cover comprises three or more channels and a bundle of fibers is at least partially disposed in at least three channels of the cover.
15. The rope system of claim 10 wherein the cover encases at least a portion of a plurality of bundles of fibers.
16. The rope system of claim 15 wherein at least more than one of the bundle of fibers is at least partially disposed within the cover and extends beyond the two terminal ends of the cover and are exposed as loops.
17. The rope system of claim 1 further comprising a joining component configured to connect the loops of the bundle of fibers that are exposed.
18. The rope system of claim 17 wherein a plurality of rope systems are interlaced to form a linked rope system.
19. The rope system of claim 17 wherein the terminal ends of the cover are adjoined to entirely encase the bundle of fibers.
20. The rope system of claim 1 wherein the cover is at least partially disposed within a second cover and wherein the cover and the second cover are unattached.
21. The rope system of claim 1 wherein the cover is configured to have one or more properties selected from the group consisting of high tensile strength, high thermal resistance, high abrasion resistance, low shrinkage at high temperatures, high fatigue resistance, ultraviolet radiation resistance, high chemical and heat stability, and low moisture regain.
22. The rope system of claim 1 wherein the cover is configured to provide an alert as a total breaking weight of t is approached, wherein the cover comprises indicator yarns displaced within the cover, wherein the indicator yarns have maximum load weights that are less than the total breaking weight of the entire rope.
23. A linked rope system comprising:
- a fiber material configured in a loop with joined ends to form a first bundle of fiber in a continuous loop, wherein the first bundle of fiber is at least partially encased within a first cover;
- a second fiber material in a loop with joined ends to form a second bundle of fiber in a continuous loop, wherein the second bundle of fiber is at least partially encased within a second cover;
- wherein the first bundle of fiber and the second bundle of fiber are interlinked.
24. The linked rope system of claim 23 wherein the second fiber material is selected from the group consisting of a fiber material having the same composition as the first fiber material and a fiber material having a distinct composition from the first fiber material.
25. The linked rope system of claim 23 wherein the first bundle of fiber is entirely encased within a first cove and the second bundle of fiber is entirely encased within a second cover.
26. A method of making a linked rope system, the method comprising:
- looping a first fiber material and joining two terminal ends of the first fiber material to form a first bundle of fiber in a continuous loop,
- at least partially enclosing the first bundle of fiber is at least partially encased within a first cover;
- looping a second fiber material and joining two terminal ends of the first fiber material to form a second bundle of fiber in a continuous loop,
- at least partially enclosing the second bundle of fiber is at least partially encased within a second cover;
- interlinking the first bundle of fiber that is at least partially encased within a first cover and the second bundle of fiber that is at least partially encased within a second cover.
27. The method of claim 26 wherein the first fiber material is looped through the first cover wherein the first cover has two open terminal ends, and joining the two terminal ends of the first cover together after the two terminal ends of the first fiber material are joined, and wherein the second fiber material is looped through the second cover wherein the second cover has two open terminal ends and wherein the second fiber material is also looped through the interior of the loop formed by the first bundle of fiber that is at least partially encased within a first cover, and joining the two terminal ends of the second cover together after the two terminal ends of the second fiber material are joined.
Type: Application
Filed: May 15, 2015
Publication Date: Nov 26, 2015
Applicant: SOUTHERN WEAVING COMPANY (Greenville, SC)
Inventors: Cecil Curtiss Burdette, III (Easley, SC), David Andrew Broadway (Anderson, SC)
Application Number: 14/713,967