Patent ID: 6182946
Filing Date: 2001-02-06
Classification: A01M,B66D

Abstract:
A hoist assembly, comprising:(a) a casing having a pair of identical mateable front and rear casing halves, each of said front and rear casing halves including(i) a main wall having an exterior surface, an interior surface and a periphery,(ii) a side wall mounted to and extending outwardly from said interior surface at and about said periphery of said main wall,(iii) means for fastening said front and rear casing halves together with said side walls thereof disposed in a mated relationship with one another so as to form an interior chamber in said casing between said main walls and mated side walls of said front and rear casing halves and a lower end of said casing with said interior chamber being open through said mated side walls at said lower end of said casing,(iv) first means mounted on said main walls thereof for mounting a pulley mechanism within said interior chamber between said main walls and said mated side walls of said front and rear casing halves, and(v) second means mounted on said main walls thereof adjacent to said first means for mounting a latch mechanism within said interior chamber between said main walls and said mated side walls of said front and rear casing halves;(b) a pulley mechanism including(i) a pulley rotatably mounted to said first means of said casing and disposed within said interior chamber between said main walls and mated side walls of said front and rear casing halves of said casing, and(ii) a cable having opposite first and second end portions and being entrained over said pulley and extending downwardly through said interior chamber and exteriorly of said lower end of said casing, said first opposite end portion for attachment of an item thereto and said second opposite end portion for a user to grip for pulling said second opposite end portion downward to thereby rotate said pulley in a first direction and raise the item attached to said first opposite end portion; and(c) a latch mechanism including(i) a latching pawl pivotally mounted to said second means of said casing and disposed within said interior chamber between said main walls and mated side walls of said front and rear casing halves of said casing and being movable between a locked position and an unlocked position, said latching pawl in said locked position engaging and wedging said cable against said pulley so as to prevent said cable and therewith said pulley from moving in a second direction opposite said first direction and thereby retain the item attached to said first opposite end portion of said cable in place, said latching pawl in said unlocked position being shifted away from said cable such that said cable and the item are thereby free to move, and(ii) means for moving said latching pawl between said locked position and said unlocked position.