US2339034A - Mooring bitt - Google Patents

Description

Jan. 11, 1944. H, c, slsKA 2,339,034

MOORING BITT Filed Nov. 3, 1941 HENRV c. SISKA INVENTOR B V ATTORNEY Patentecl Jan. 11, 1944 i UNITED STATES l9ATENT OFFICE MOORING BITIl Henry C. Siska, Grosse Pointe Park, Mich.

Application November 3, 1941, Serial No. 417.729

4 Clams.

This invention refers to fastening devices, and, particularly, that type of device known broadly as a mooring bitt or cleat. My herein disclosed bitt is particularly useful for mooring purposes on a small sailboat, although it can be used for many other similar purposes, wherever it is desired to moor a line without danger of fouling when the boat is under way.

The principal object of this invention is to provide a bitt or cleat for use as above indicated which will hold a line securely and yet which may, by a simple operation, be rendered non-fouling.

A further object of this invention is to provide a cleat or mooring bitt which will hold a line securely fastened thereto and yet which by a simple operation will free the said line for removal therefrom when the line is otherwise difficult to manipulate by reason of being wet or frozen.

The hereinafter described and disclosed cleat or mooring bitt, together with the particular features thereof, as described and claimed, are directed toward the accomplishment of the foregoing named purposes together with other objects and purposes which will be obvious upon inspection thereof.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a top view of the bitt assembled for operation. Figure 2 is a side view partially in section of the bitt assembled for operation.

There has been for a long time a sorely felt need in the operation of a small sailboat for a cleat which can be placed on or near the stern of the boat for fastening a line thereto which will securely hold the same and yet which cleat can,

by a simple operation, be rendered non-fouling 13- so that as the sailboat is being operated and the boom thereof swings from one side to the other, a line or loop hanging from said boom cannot catch or foul upon the cleat to cause inconvenience or serious difficulty to the operator of the sailboat. There have been many types of fastening devices suggested to answer this purpose, but they have universally been rejected as being either inoperative for the purpose or too complicated to be practical.

There has also been for a long time felt a serious need of a mooring bitt or cleat which, by a simple operation, will immediately release the line from the said fastening when the line is difficult to manipulate by reason of being wet or frozen. For this purpose also there have been many devices suggested, but they have universally een rejected as either incapable of serving the proposed function or as being too complicated to be practical.

Lit

Accordingly, I have developed and herein described and disclosed a simple device for accomplishing both of the abovementioned major purposes, which is both entirely effective to accomplish either of said purposes and is sufficiently simple to be negligible in cost and certain in operation.

Turning now to the drawing, there is shown at I the body part of my improved bitt having a lateral opening I-a therethrough. Into this opening l-a there is fitted a pin 2 which is provided with a circumferential groove 'l at its midportion, and an opening 8 near one end. Body part i is also fitted with a threaded opening at I b for the reception of partially threaded stud 3, which is of length convenient to hold firmly body part l onto whatever object it is to be fastened, such as the deck of a sailboat. The sides of body part l are sloped at l-c and the top rounded as at I-d. Body part l on the top thereof has an opening l-e which extends from the extreme topmost portion of body part I axially through to the opening I a, leaving, however, a small fiange 9 at the inner extremity of the opening i-e.

Into the innermost end of said opening I-e is fitted stop member 5, which is preferably of generally conical form and has a rounded end. Behind stop 5 is fitted spring 4 and the plug 6, which latter is conveniently held in proper relationship With body part l by being threadedly associated therewith.

The operation of the bitt is obvious from a mere inspection of the drawing. Body part i is fastened firmly to any suitable base, such as a dock or the deck of a sailboat, by member 3, which may be fully threaded for reception into a mounting plate (not shown) or other mo-unting means. Pin 2 is inserted into position as shown in the drawing and held against sliding in either clirection by stop member 5 fitting into circumferential groove 'I and being held tightly in said groove by spring 4.

As thus assembled, the bitt functions as any ordinary cleat. It is obvious, further, that to render the same non-fouling or to release a line which has been fastened to the bitt, it is necessary merely to remove the pin 2 by pulling it out from the opening |-a. Any line which has been fastened to the cleat will then be immediately released regardless of how wet and stiff it may be. Further, the pin 2 may be laid aside and as the sheet line of the boat swings back and forth across the stern of the boat as the boom swings back and forth, it will merely strike the sloped sides or the rounded top of body part I and pass on Without being caught or fouled as in presently known cleats. The opening 8 has been provided through pin 2 in order that said pin may conveniently be hung on a hook or held by a cord to prevent it from being lost while disassociated from body part i. When it is desired again to moor a line to this improved fastener, pin 2 is merely re-inserted into the opening l-a Where it causes the stop member 5 to move against the spring until the groove 'l is in position for said stop member, under the urging of said spring, to move into said groove by which again to hold said pin against some accidental movement out of the body part l.

It is obvlous that the iiange is intended to keep stop member Ei in position Within the opening I-e when the pin has been removed from body part l.

There are, obviously, many Variations which may be made in my device which will still embody the substance of my invention. The herein disclosed and described device, however, has been selected for the purpose of general illustration and it will be apparent to anyone skilled in the art Wherein Variations can best be made to adapt this article to various desirable specific uses.

Having thus fully disclosed and described my improved device, what I claim as my invention is as follows:

l. A mooring bitt coniprising in combination: e body part having syinrnetrically sloping sides and a rounded top; a ve 4ical threaded axial opening in t' e lower portion thereof .for the threaded re en of iastening stud; a horirough for the reception of the hereinaiter mentioned pin member; an axial partially threaoed opening extending from p of body part to said horiand last named axial opentop rnein of at ieast partially conilocated within said last named assaoss 2. A mooring bitt comprising in combination: a body part provided With means for fastening the same to a base support and said body part being provided with symmetrically sloping sides and a rounded top; a horizontal opening extending through said body part; a pin provided with a circumeferential groove lying snugly within said horizontal opening; an opening of one diameter in said body part, the aXis of Which is perpendicular to the axis of said horizontal opening and communicating through at least a portion of its diameter with said horizontal opening; a member located within said last named opening of at least partially conical configuration and extending therefrom into said horizontal opening to engage the above mentioned circumferential groove in the above mentoned pin; means associated with said body part for preventing said partially conical memember from moving entirely into said horizontal opening when said pin is removed therefrom; means contained within said opening Which contains said partially conical member for yieldably urging said partially conical member towards said horizontal opening.

3. A mooring bitt comprising: a body part having an opening therethrough and means fastening said body part to a base, a pin within said opening and said pin being provided with a oircumierential groove, a second opening in said body part communicating with said first named opening, a Iesiliently backed second pin Within said second opening normally extending into said circumferential groove to hold said firstnamed pin in normal position, said groove or said second pin being beveled to facilitate withdrawal of said first-named pin from said body part, means limiting the movement of said second pin when said first pin is removed.

4. A mooring bitt comprising: a body part provided With means fastening same to a base; a horizontal opening extending through said body part; a pin having a oircumferential groove received within said opening in Operating position; a second opening in said body part communicating with said horizontal opening and having a reduced diameter in one portion thereof; a stop member Within said last-named opening and eX- tending therefrom into said first-named opening and engaging the'above-mentioned circumferential groove; said stop member cooperating by a portion tbereof With the reduced diameter portion of the second above-named opening by Which said stop member is limited against movement out of said opening when said pin is not in operating position; resilient means urging said stop member toward said horizontal opening.

I-IENRY C. SISKA.

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