Retractable Docking Line

Abstract

A device for storing and dispensing line for mooring a boat to a dock includes a user interface, an auto-retracting reel assembly, and optionally, a conduit connecting the user interface to the reel assembly. The user interface comprises a canister mounted on a gunwale, or the like, for storing the distal, looped end of a mooring line, a top lid that slides horizontally between an open and closed position, a rail support engaged by the top lid, and a bottom lid having a hole defined therein. The extended mooring line may be locked into place by frictional engagement between the spring loaded top lid and the rail support. To retract the mooring line, a user may open the top lid of the user interface for automated retraction, winding around the reel, until the stopping collar prevents the distal, looped end of the mooring line from passing therethrough.

Claims

1. A retractable mooring line assembly for storing and dispensing line used to moor a boat or the like, comprising: a mooring line having a loop on a distal end thereof a user interface comprising a canister including a top lid and a bottom lid, wherein said top lid is slidably engaged with an upper portion of said canister, and wherein said bottom lid defines a hole through which a mooring line may pass; and an auto-retracting reel assembly for windably storing said mooring line, said reel assembly having a spool rotatably attached to a base, and further including a spool spring operatively engaged between said spool and said base to provide a constant force for automatically winding said mooring line onto said spool.

2. The retractable mooring line assembly set forth in claim 1, further including a conduit that is operatively connected between said canister and said auto-retracting reel assembly, wherein said conduit provides an unobstructed passageway for said mooring line to connect said reel to said user interface.

3. The retractable mooring line assembly set forth in claim 1, further including a rail support including a pair of parallel rails disposed in a generally horizontal orientation and a centralized hole defined by said rail support, wherein said rail support is disposed on a top portion of said canister and directly underneath said top lid.

4. The retractable mooring line assembly set forth in claim 3, wherein said top lid includes a pair of grooves on an underside thereof for engagement with said pair of rails on said rail support for slidable engagement therewith in a generally horizontal direction

5. The retractable mooring line assembly set forth in claim 3, wherein said rail to support further includes a catch and button for holding said top lid in an open position and at least one lid spring operatively engaged to said rail support and said top lid for biasing said top lid toward a closed position.

6. The retractable mooring line assembly set forth in claim 1, wherein said user interface further includes a locking nut and stopping collar disposed on said bottom lid, wherein said stopping collar allows said mooring line to pass therethrough, but prevents said distal, looped end of said mooring line from being pulled through said bottom lid of said canister.

7. The retractable mooring line assembly set forth in claim 5, wherein said lid spring is a flat rolled stainless steel coil spring.

8. The retractable mooring line assembly set forth in claim 1, wherein said mooring line runs from said auto-retracting reel, through said bottom lid of said user interface and the looped end of said mooring line is stored in said canister until ready for use.

9. The retractable mooring line assembly set forth in claim 1, wherein said top lid further includes an indentation on one side of said top lid, which defines an opening for a user to pull said mooring line out when ready to dock a vessel.

10. The retractable mooring line assembly set forth in claim 9, further including a set of teeth disposed on said indentation on said one side of said top lid for engaging said mooring line to lock said mooring line into desired position due to frictional engagement between said teeth and an inner portion of said hole defined by said rail support.

11. The retractable mooring line assembly set forth in claim 1, further including a conduit that is operatively connected between said bottom lid of said user interface and said auto-retracting reel assembly, so that said mooring line runs through said conduit.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0037] These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with regard to the following description, appended claims, and accompanying drawings where:

[0038] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a retractable docking line, wherein the retractable docking line includes a user interface canister, an auto-retracting reel assembly, and a mooring line.

[0039] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a user interface, wherein the user interface includes a canister with a top lid with locking teeth and a bottom lid.

[0040] FIG. 3 is an exploded view of one embodiment of a user interface, wherein the user interface includes a canister with a top lid with locking teeth, a catch, and a button, a rail support between the top lid and the canister which includes lid springs, and a locking nut and stopping collar between the canister and a bottom lid.

[0041] FIG. 4 is side perspective view of one embodiment of a user interface canister, wherein the top lid is closed.

[0042] FIG. 5 is a side view of the top portion of a user interface canister, wherein the lid is in the open position, the catch is disengaged, the button is pressed down, and the springs are engaged in order to shut the lid or pinch the rope.

[0043] FIG. 6 is a side view of the top portion of a user interface canister, wherein the lid is in the open position, the catch is engaged, the button is up, and the springs are disengaged, allowing potential energy to be stored.

[0044] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the auto-retracting reel assembly, wherein the auto-retracting reel assembly includes a base, a spool with a free end and a spring end, and a spring.

[0045] FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the mooring line stored around the auto-retracting reel assembly connecting to the user interface and stored inside the canister of the user interface.

[0046] FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the top lid of the canister in the open position, with the mooring line pulled out of the canister ready for use.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0047] The present invention includes, in a first embodiment, a retractable mooring line assembly storing and dispensing line used to moor a boat 10, and includes a user interface 12 having a canister 14 with a top lid 16 and a bottom lid 18, an auto-retracting reel assembly 20 which windably stores mooring line 22, and optionally, a conduit 24 that connects the reel assembly 20 to the user interface 12. Between the top lid 16 and canister 14 is the rail support 26. The top lid 16 slides along the parallel rails that are horizontally disposed on a top portion of the rail support 26 to open and close the canister 14. The mooring line 22 feeds from the reel assembly 20 upwardly through a hole defined by the bottom lid 18, and into the canister 14. The looped end 28 of the mooring line 22 is stored in the canister 14 until ready for use.

[0048] The rail support 26 is a generally circular collar that is disposed on a top portion of the canister 14, and includes a pair of parallel horizontal rails 54 for engaging a pair of grooves 56 on the underside of the top lid 16 so that the top lid 16 may slide horizontally between an open and closed position. The rail support 26 defines a centrally disposed hole 58 that the mooring line 22 passes through, and further includes a catch 30 and lid springs 34 which allow for the mooring line 22 to be locked into the desired position. The top lid 16 further includes a button 32 which is used in connection with the catch 30 and lid springs 34 to lock the mooring line 22 into the desired position. A spring 64 is positioned underneath the catch 30 such that when the catch 30 is engaged and the button 32 is not pressed down, the spring 64 is disengaged and potential energy is stored. When the catch 30 is disengaged and the button 32 is pressed down, the spring 64 is engaged in order to lock the mooring line 22 into the desired position.

[0049] The top portion of the canister 14 may include a threaded collar 62 to allow for attachment to a boat. At the bottom of the canister 14 a locking nut 36 and a stopping collar 38 are provided, and include a portal 60 through which the mooring line 22 may pass. The locking nut 36 and stopping collar 38 are preferably placed between the canister 14 and the bottom lid 18, as shown in FIG. 3. The top lid 16 opens by sliding horizontally along the rail support 26 until the catch 30 engages in order to maintain the top lid 16 in the open locking position, which causes the button 32 to be pushed upwardly while the top lid 16 is locked into the open position, as shown in FIG. 6. When the top lid 16 is open, the canister 14 is exposed and the looped end 28 of the mooring line 22 is visible and accessible to a user. The mooring line 22 may be pulled outwardly from the canister 14, unwinding from the auto-retracting reel assembly 20 for securing the vessel to a dock, pier, another boat, or the like. To lock the extended mooring line 22 into desired position so that the mooring line 22 does not retract back onto the auto retracting reel assembly 20, the button 32 is pressed down to disengage the catch 30, which allows the lid springs 34 to pull the top lid 16 toward a closed position. The top lid 16 may include an indentation having locking teeth 40, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. These locking teeth 40 press against the mooring line 22 in combination with the force of the springs 34 to pinch the mooring line 22 securely into a desired position (or length), so that the mooring line 22 is pinched between the locking teeth 40 of the top lid 16 and the inner edge of the hole defined by the rail support 26. To unlock the mooring line 22 from this locked position and release the mooring line 22 so that it may be retracted back to its original storage location on the auto-retracting reel assembly 20, the top lid 16 is opened and the mooring line 22 is removed from the dock cleat or other securing mechanism on the dock, pier, or the like. The mooring line 22 automatically retracts until the stopping collar 38 prevents the looped end 28 of the mooring line 22 from passing therethrough. The mooring line 22 is wound onto the reel assembly 20 and the looped end 28 of the mooring line 22 is disposed within the canister 14 when not in use, preferably with the top lid 16 in a closed position. It should to be understood that any type of stopping mechanism may be used to prevent the looped end 28 of the mooring line 22 from pulling through the bottom portion of the canister 14. Additionally, any suitable locking mechanism may be used to prevent the mooring line 22 from retracting back onto the auto-retracting reel assembly 20, including clamps, mechanical stops that engage gears, or any other suitable locking mechanism.

[0050] The auto-retracting reel assembly 20, in one embodiment, includes a spool 42, a base 44 with a free end 46 and a spring end 48, and a spring 50. The spring 50 is a flat rolled steel coil spring that provides the storage for the energy required to spin the reel assembly 20 and retract the mooring line 22. When the mooring line 22 is extended, the spring 50 winds up more tightly, causing the spool 42 to be biased toward a wound position. The spool 42 sits inside of the base 44 wherein one end of the spool 42 attaches to the spring end 48 and the other end of the spool 42 attaches to the free end 46. The spool 42 rotates along the horizontal axis 52 in order to extend and retract the mooring line 22. It should be understood that the auto-retracting reel assembly 20 may take any form that is suitable for retracting a boat mooring line, and such auto-retracting reel assemblies are commercially available in various forms with different types of assemblies and components.

[0051] In a preferred embodiment, the user interface 12 is installed on the outside or gunwale of the boat near where a cleat would be placed for tying an external rope, and the auto-retracting reel assembly 20 is installed in a hidden place such as the inside of the boat near the wall of the boat. In an alternate embodiment, the retractable mooring to line assembly 10 may be mounted onto a dock, pier, or the like, so that the mooring line 22 may be extended therefrom and secured to a boat, rather than extending from the boat to the dock. The auto-retracting reel assembly 20 may also include a locking mechanism for locking the spool 42 in place. An example of a suitable locking mechanism can be seen in U.S. Pat. No. 9,694,878, which is incorporated herein by reference (see FIG. 12, Elements 16, 62 and 64). This arrangement is particularly useful when the mooring line 22 needs to be replaced. To replace an old line on the spool 42, a user can pull the mooring line 22 until most of the line has been disengaged from the spool, lock the spool in place using the locking mechanism, replace the mooring line 22, and then release the locking mechanism for auto-retraction. It should be noted that while the locking mechanism cited above is a suitable locking mechanism for incorporation into this retractable mooring line assembly, other types of locking mechanisms may be used, instead, and such locking mechanisms are well known in the art.

[0052] The conduit 24 connects the auto-retracting reel assembly 20 to the user interface 12 and functions as a channel for the mooring line 22 to pass through unobstructed between the reel assembly 20 and the user interface 12.

[0053] Although the present invention has been described in considerable detail with reference to certain preferred versions thereof, other versions are possible. Therefore, the spirit and scope of the appended claims should not be limited to the description of the preferred versions contained herein. All features disclosed in this specification may be replaced by alternative features serving the same, equivalent or similar purpose, unless expressly stated otherwise. Thus, unless expressly stated otherwise, each feature disclosed is one example only of a generic series of equivalent or similar features.