Abstract
A carabiner includes a (a) a hook, (b) a gate including a cantilever spring and (c) a first pivot connecting the gate to the hook. A second pivot also connects the distal or free end of the cantilever spring to the hook.
Claims
1. A carabiner, comprising: a hook including a first receiver and a second receiver; a gate including a cantilever spring, extending along a longitudinal axis of the gate, said cantilever spring including a second pivot received and held in said second receiver; and a first pivot held in said first receiver thereby connecting said gate to said hook.
2. The carabiner of claim 1, wherein said first pivot is integral with said gate.
3. The carabiner of claim 2, wherein said first pivot is parallel to said second pivot.
4. The carabiner of claim 3, wherein said first pivot and said second pivot are perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of said gate.
5. The carabiner of claim 4, wherein said first pivot and said second pivot are aligned with said longitudinal axis of said gate.
6. The carabiner of claim 5, wherein said first pivot is a first cantilevered shaft and said second pivot is a second cantilevered shaft.
7. The carabiner of claim 4, wherein said first pivot is aligned with said longitudinal axis of said gate and said second pivot is offset from said longitudinal axis of said gate.
8. The carabiner of claim 7, wherein said second pivot is offset toward said hook.
9. The carabiner of claim 8, wherein said first pivot is a first cantilevered shaft and said second pivot is a second cantilevered shaft.
10. The carabiner of claim 9, wherein said gate, said cantilever spring, said first pivot and said second pivot comprise an integral one-piece body.
11. The carabiner of claim 1, wherein said first pivot is a first cantilevered shaft.
12. The carabiner of claim 11, wherein said second pivot is a second cantilevered shaft.
13. The carabiner of claim 12, wherein said gate, said cantilever spring, said first pivot and said second pivot comprise an integral one-piece body.
14. The carabiner of claim 1, wherein said hook includes a mounting boss.
15. The carabiner of claim 14, wherein said hook includes a locating rib.
16. The carabiner of claim 15, further including a fastener received in said mounting boss.
17. The carabiner of claim 16, further including a concave housing receiving and holding said hook in a trim panel.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES
(1) The accompanying drawing figures incorporated herein and forming a part of the specification, illustrate several aspects of the carabiner and together with the description serve to explain certain principles thereof.
(2) FIGS. 1a-1e are various views of a first possible embodiment of the new and improved carabiner
(3) More particularly, FIG. 1a is a side elevational view.
(4) FIG. 1b is a front elevational view.
(5) FIG. 1c is a rear elevational view.
(6) FIG. 1d is a front perspective view.
(7) FIG. 1e is a partially cut-away front perspective view illustrating the gate of the carabiner in respective closed and opened positions.
(8) FIGS. 2a-2c are three detailed views of the gate of the carabiner illustrated in FIGS. 1a-1e.
(9) More particularly, FIG. 2a is a front elevational view.
(10) FIG. 2b is a front perspective view.
(11) FIG. 2c is a side elevational view.
(12) FIG. 3a is a side elevational view of an alternative embodiment of the carabiner incorporating a different gate than that illustrated in the previous figures.
(13) FIGS. 3b-3d are a series of different, detailed views of the gate of the alternative embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3a: that gate incorporating an offset pivot on the end of the cantilever spring.
(14) FIG. 3b is a front elevational view.
(15) FIG. 3c is a front perspective view.
(16) FIG. 3d is a side elevational view.
(17) FIG. 4 is a detailed front elevational view of yet another alternative embodiment of gate that may be incorporated into the carabiner wherein the first and second pivots of the gate comprise respective first and second cantilevered shafts.
(18) FIG. 5 is a detailed cross sectional view of the carabiner illustrated in FIGS. 1a-1e mounted by means of a fastener within a concave housing in a trim panel of a motor vehicle.
(19) FIG. 6a is a detailed perspective view of an optional locking tab provided on the end of the hook.
(20) FIG. 6b is a detailed perspective view of a cooperating locking tab receiver provided on the distal end of the gate.
(21) FIG. 6c shows how the locking tab nests in the locking tab receiver when the gate is closed.
(22) Reference will now be made in detail to the present preferred embodiments of the carabiner, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawing figures.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
(23) Reference is now made to FIGS. 1a-1e illustrating a first possible embodiment of the new and improved carabiner 10. The carabiner 10 comprises a hook 12, a gate 14 and a first pivot 16 connecting the gate to the hook. As should be appreciated from viewing FIGS. 2a-2c, the gate 14 includes a cantilever spring 18. The cantilever spring 18 extends along the longitudinal axis A of the gate 14 and has a free or distal end 20 oriented toward the first pivot 16.
(24) The hook 12 includes a first receiver 22 adapted to receive and hold the first pivot 16 that is carried on the proximal end 24 of the gate 14. The hook 12 also includes a second receiver 26. In the illustrated embodiment, the first receiver 22 is adjacent to the second receiver 26. The cantilever spring 18 includes a second pivot 28 provided at the distal end 20. The second pivot 28 is received and held in the second receiver 26.
(25) In the illustrated embodiment, the gate 14, the cantilever spring 18, the first pivot 16 and the second pivot 28 comprise an integral one-piece body: meaning a body that is generated or created as a single piece and not assembled from multiple components. Such a one-piece body may be molded, for example, from plastic, composite or other appropriate material.
(26) In the embodiment of the carabiner 10 illustrated in FIGS. 1a-1e and 2a-2c, the first pivot 16 is parallel to the second pivot 28. Further, the first pivot 16 and the second pivot 28 are perpendicular to the longitudinal axis A of the gate 14. Further, the first pivot 16 and the second pivot 28 are aligned with the longitudinal axis A of the gate 14. FIGS. 2a-2c provide various detailed views of the gate 14 to illustrate the geometry of the cantilever spring 18, the first pivot 16 and the second pivot 28.
(27) Reference is now made to FIG. 3a illustrating a second possible embodiment for the carabiner 10. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3a, the hook 12 is identical to the hook 12 illustrated in the first embodiment of FIGS. 1a-1e. Thus, the hook 12 in FIG. 3a also includes a first receiver 22 and a second receiver 26. Other structural features common to the first embodiment of the carabiner 10 illustrated in FIGS. 1a-1e and 2a-2c and the second embodiment of the carabiner 10 illustrated in FIGS. 3a-3d are identified by common reference numbers plus the prime designation.
(28) The gate 14 of the second embodiment of the carabiner 10 illustrated in FIG. 3a and in greater detail in FIGS. 3b-3d differs from the gate 14 of the first embodiment of the carabiner 10 illustrated in FIGS. 1a-1e and FIGS. 2a-2c. More particularly, the gate 14 also includes a cantilever spring 18, first pivot 16 and a second pivot 28. However, the geometry of the first pivot 16 and second pivot 28 differ from the geometry of the first pivot 16 and second pivot 28 of the first embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1a-1e and 2a-2c. More particularly, the first pivot 16 and the second pivot 28 are still parallel to one another but the first pivot is aligned with the longitudinal axis A of the gate 14 while the second pivot 28 is offset from the longitudinal axis of the gate. More particularly, as illustrated, the second pivot 28 is offset toward the concave or u-shaped portion of hook 12.
(29) FIG. 4 illustrates yet another possible embodiment for the gate 14. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 4, the gate 14 includes a first pivot 16 in the form of a first cantilevered shaft 30 and a second pivot 28 in the form of a second cantilevered shaft 32. As illustrated in FIG. 4, the two cantilevered shafts 30, 32 are oriented in opposed directions: that is, the free ends of the shafts are oriented in opposite directions.
(30) Referring back to the first embodiment of the carabiner 10 illustrated in FIGS. 1a-1e, the hook 12 includes a mounting boss 34, a locating rib 36 and a mounting lug 38. As best illustrated in FIG. 5, the mounting boss 34, locating rib 36 and mounting lug 38 function to allow the carabiner 10 to be secured in a concave housing 40 carried on a trim panel 42 of the type provided in a motor vehicle.
(31) More particularly, the concave housing 40 includes a receiver 44, adapted to receive and hold the locating rib 36 and mounting lug 38, and a socket 46 to receive and hold the mounting boss 34. A fastener 48 in the form of a screw, secures the mounting boss 34 in the socket 46 effectively fixing the carabiner 10 within the concave housing 40. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 5, the entire carabiner 10 rests within the concavity 50 in the concave housing 40 in the trim panel 42.
(32) FIGS. 1e and 5 illustrate the gate 14 in a closed position in full line and in an open position in a phantom line. When opened, one may insert a loop or other attachment feature over the open end 52 of the hook 12. When one releases the gate 14, the resilient cantilever spring 18 functions to bias the gate from the open, phantom line position to the closed, full line position thereby capturing any loop or other attachment feature within the carabiner 10. When one wishes to release the loop or attachment feature, one simply depresses the gate 14 once again in the direction of action arrow A to displace the gate from the closed, full line position to the open, phantom line position. While holding the gate 14 in this open position, one may easily then remove the loop or attachment feature over the open end 52 of the hook 12 as desired. Afterward, when one releases the gate 14, the cantilever spring 18 once again biases the gate back into the closed, full line position.
(33) The foregoing has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the embodiments to the precise form disclosed. Obvious modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 6a, the open end 52 of the hook 12 may include a locking tab 54. In the illustrated embodiment, the locking tab 54 is H-shaped.
(34) As illustrated in FIG. 6b, the distal end 56 of the gate 14 may include a locking tab receiver 58 sized and shaped to receive and hold the locking tab 54 when the gate 14 is closed. Thus, in the illustrated embodiment, the locking tab receiver 58 is also H-shaped.
(35) More particularly, when the gate 14 is closed, the locking tab 54 nests in the locking tab receiver 58 (see FIG. 6c). The horizontal edges 60 resist vertical displacement of the gate 14 while the vertical edges 62 resist horizontal displacement of the hook. As should be further appreciated, the ends 64 of the locking tab 54 are radiused to ensure that attachments freely slide over and do not catch on the locking tab.
(36) All such modifications and variations are within the scope of the appended claims when interpreted in accordance with the breadth to which they are fairly, legally and equitably entitled.
