Patent ID: 8256981
Filing Date: 2012-09-04
Classification: B66C,D07B,F16G,Y10T

Abstract:
1. A wire rope thimble, comprising a u-shaped member shaped to form a first leg portion, a second leg portion, and an arch portion connecting the first leg portion to the second leg portion; an outer peripheral groove defining a wire rope receiving surface; an enclosed thimble eye defined by an inner surface of the thimble; and an element retaining feature coupled to one of the first or second leg portion and disconnected from the other of the first or second leg portions, wherein the element retaining feature is a substantially triangular plate and configured to permanently retain a component separate from the wire rope thimble within the thimble eye, the first leg portion, second leg portion, arch portion and element retaining feature forming part of an integral structure to fully enclose any rigging element passing through the thimble eye, the element retaining feature including a first edge substantially parallel to the first leg portion of the thimble, a second edge substantially parallel to the second leg portion of the thimble, and a third edge positioned to extend between the first and second leg portions, the two leg portions converging toward one another to a vertex such that the inner surface has no opening, the element retaining feature filling greater than 50% of the space between the first and second leg portions.