Abstract
A rope-climbing machine that has a simplified frame that reduces the cost of manufacture without sacrificing safety and overall strength. The machine is made of three parts-a mast, a base structure and a braking system. The mast is a length of pipe. The endless rope passes through this pipe as part of the operation of the device. There is a guide pulley attached to the top of the mast that directs the rope downwards. The braking system for the rope is attached to the base of the mast. The mast is attached to the back portion of the base, which holds the mast and provides a stable base for the device.
Claims
1. A rope climbing apparatus comprising: a) a back frame; and b) a pair of leg members, attached to said back frame and extending outwardly therefrom; c) a mast, attached to said back frame and extending upwardly therefrom, said mast being a cylindrical tube having a diameter, said mast further having an open top, a bottom portion, and an open bottom; d) a guide pulley attached to the top of said mast; and e) an endless rope having a diameter slightly smaller than the diameter of said mast, being threaded through said mast; and f) a braking system, attached to said mast, said braking system being in operative communication with said endless rope.
2. The rope climbing apparatus of claim 1 wherein each of said pair of leg members includes a curved bracket attached to said leg member.
3. The rope climbing apparatus of claim 1 wherein the guide pulley directs the endless rope downwardly from said mast.
4. The rope climbing apparatus of claim 1 wherein the braking system is attached to the bottom portion of said mast.
5. The rope climbing apparatus of claim 4 wherein said endless rope enters said mast at said open bottom after engaging said braking system.
6. The rope climbing apparatus of claim 1 wherein said braking system includes: a) a frame; b) a secondary pulley, attached to said frame and being in operative communication with said endless rope; c) a drive pulley, having a rotating capability, attached to said frame and being in operative communication with said endless rope and having a rotating capability; and d) a brake, attached to said frame and being in operative communication with said drive pulley.
7. The rope climbing apparatus of claim 6 wherein said brake includes a hydraulic motor.
8. The rope climbing apparatus of claim 7 wherein said hydraulic motor provides resistance to the rotating capability of said drive pulley, thereby increasing the force required to move said endless rope over said drive pulley.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
(1) FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of the invention fully assembled.
(2) FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of the base frame.
(3) FIG. 3a is a rear perspective view of one of the base frame legs.
(4) FIG. 3b is a front perspective view of one of the base frame legs.
(5) FIG. 3c is a detail of the leg joined to the base frame.
(6) FIG. 4 is a detail view of the mast and braking system.
(7) FIG. 5 is a detail view of the braking system and the parts used to attach it to the mast.
(8) FIG. 6 is a detail view of the right side of the braking system attached to the mast.
(9) FIG. 7 is a detail view of the left side of the braking system attached to the mast.
(10) FIG. 8 is a side detail view of the pulley at the top of the mast.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
(11) Referring now to FIG. 1, a front perspective view of the invention 10. The invention consists of a mast 11, a base frame 12 a pair of front leg members 13, a braking system 14, a top pulley 15 and an endless rope 16. As noted above, the endless rope is made by splicing the ends with a splice 17, which is described in our copending application Method Of Splicing A Rope, which is incorporated herein by reference. The most important aspect of the splice 17 is that it is the same diameter as the rope 16 so that it can freely pass through the mast and the braking system 14 without impairing the movement of the rope. Note that in this figure, the breaking system 14 is shown in the front view.
(12) FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view base frame 12. Note that in this rear view, two brackets 12a are shown. These brackets are curved to accept the mast 11, which is placed against them and secured in place with appropriate fasteners (not shown).
(13) FIG. 3a is a rear perspective view of one of the base frame leg members 13. FIG. 3b is a front perspective view of one of the base frame leg members 13. Each of the two leg members 13 has a curved bracket 13a attached to it, as shown. The brackets 13a have holes 13b that are used to hold the leg members 13 to the rear frame 12. The brackets 13a are welded to the leg members 13 with welds (13c on FIG. 3c, in one example). As shown in FIG. 3c, the brackets 13a are then joined to the rear frame 12 with fasteners 13d. Once the leg members 13 are properly set, the fasteners 13d are tightened and the brackets are locked onto the base frame 12.
(14) FIG. 4 is a detail perspective view of the mast 11 attached to the braking system 14. This figure also shows the rope 16 and splice 17 as well as the top pulley 15. This figure also shows the path of the rope 16, which is independent of the leg members 13 and base frame 12.
(15) As shown in FIG. 4, the mast 11 is bolted to the braking system 14. FIG. 5 shows the parts that make up the braking assembly 14 as well as the parts used to attach the mast. The braking system 14 has a bracket 18 that has mounting holes 19. A pair of U-bolts 20, a pair of curved brackets 21 and nuts 22 make up the rest of the components that attach the mast to the braking system. This is done by placing the braking system 14 onto the mast 11 (see FIG. 6) and then placing the curved brackets 21 on the backside of the mast such that the curved portion is abutting the mast. The brackets are aligned with the holes 19 on the bracket 18. The U-bolts 20 are placed through the curved brackets so that the threaded ends of the U-bolts pass through the bracket 18. The nuts 22 secure the U-bolts and the mast to the bracket 18.
(16) Assuming the user is looking at the machine from the front (i.e., standing in front of the rope), FIG. 5 shows details of the braking system 14 from the right side. This system uses a hydraulic motor 23 with hose 24 and control valve 25 that is attached to a large drive pulley 26. A swing arm 27 is hingeably secured by a nut 27a, which allows the swing arm to pivot, and tension the rope against the drive pulley 26. A secondary guide pulley 28 is attached to the swing arm 27. The rope 16 is passed over and between these pulleys (see FIG. 4). The hydraulics control the ease of turning of the large drive pulley 26, which provides a resistance to the user when climbing the rope in a simulated rope climb. In actual practice, the rope descends and goes over the secondary pulley then onto the drive pulley before entering the bottom of the mast.
(17) FIG. 6 is another detail view of the right side of the braking system attached to the mast. Here, a slightly larger view of the braking system 14 is shown. The swing arm 27 and nut 27a the secondary pulley 28 as well as the rope 16 and the mast 11 are shown. Note too, the bolts 22 are shown securing the mast to the bracket 18. Note that this bracket is an integral part of the frame 18a that holds the motor, the drive pulley and the swing arm 27.
(18) FIG. 7 is a detail view of the left side of the braking system attached to the mast. Here, the U-bolts 20 are shown attaching the mast 11 to the bracket 18, as part of the overall bracket 18a. Note both the drive pulley 26 and the secondary pulley 28 are shown. Note too, the exact routing of the rope 16 is shown. Of course, the braking system 14 is only one example of systems that can be used to add resistance to the rope. Although preferred, any of a number of similar systems could be used as well.
(19) FIG. 8 is a side detail view of the top pulley 15 at the top of the mast 11. Note that the top pulley 15 is secured to the mast with a bracket 29, which is welded to a collar 30 that is attached to the mast 11. The top pulley brings the rope up from the mast, over the pulley and back down the front of the device.
(20) In practice, and in the preferred embodiment, the device is partially assembled at the factory, including running the rope through the mast and splicing it at the factory. Although the rope can be spliced in the field, field splices are only used in the rare instance that the rope breaks in the field.
(21) The present disclosure should not be construed in any limited sense other than that limited by the scope of the claims having regard to the teachings herein and the prior art being apparent with the preferred form of the invention disclosed herein and which reveals details of structure of a preferred form necessary for a better understanding of the invention and may be subject to change by skilled persons within the scope of the invention without departing from the concept thereof.
