Abstract:
The present invention is direct to an ice toggle for establishing a removable anchor in a body of ice during ice climbing activities. One embodiment of the ice toggle is comprised of a flexible stem, a toggle that is pivotally attached to one end of the stem, a trigger mechanism for rotating the toggle relative to the flexible stem, and an engagement surface in the form of a loop that is associated with the other end of the flexible stem and capable of receiving a carabiner or runner.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The present invention relates to an apparatus for use in establishing a removable anchor in a body of ice during ice climbing activities. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    Ice climbing is a sport that typically involves ascending a high angle mass of ice, typically in the form of a frozen waterfall or face of a glacial structure. Special tools are required for ice climbing. To facilitate the climber&#39;s movement over high angle ice surfaces, the climber typically uses two ice axes, one associated with each hand of the climber, and crampons that are attached to the climber&#39;s boots. Most ice climbers also utilize equipment that is designed to limit the length of the climber&#39;s fall in the event that the climber should become dislodged from the ice surface. This equipment includes anchors that can be placed in or attached to the ice, a rope, and carabiners for attaching the rope to the anchors. One type of anchor is an “ice piton” that includes a shaft and hangar that is attached to one end of the shaft and has an opening for receiving a carabiner that is also used to engage a rope. Generally, for the climber to feel that the ice piton is unlikely to become dislodged from the ice under a loading condition (e.g., such as a fall), the climber wants to be able to drive the ice piton into ice of sufficient depth that the shaft can be driven into the ice until the hangar is immediately adjacent the surface of the ice. Further, the climber wants to feel that the shaft is engaging ice of a relatively dense consistency. 
         [0003]    Ice pitons have evolved of the years. Presently, the ice pitons that are most commonly used are ice screws. The typical ice screw is comprised of a hollow shaft with a thread that is associated with the external surface of the shaft, teeth associated with an open end of the shaft, and a hangar structure associated with the other end of the shaft. In operation, the climber places the teeth of the screw against an ice surface and then applies a twisting force to the hangar end of the screw to drill the screw into the ice. Removal of the screw involves applying a reverse twisting force to the hangar end of the screw. Due to the hollow nature of the screw, removal of the screw leaves a hole in the ice. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0004]    Generally, in ice climbing, the ice that is being climbed is relatively opaque. Consequently, when the climber is placing an ice piton into the ice, the climber typically is not able to visually inspect the contact between the portion of the piton that has been driven into the ice and the ice or the lack of ice immediately adjacent to the driven portion of the ice piton. However, the climber typically is able to sense, during the driving of the piton into the ice, whether the piton is passing through an air pocket, rotten ice, or snow. Typically, the screwing or hammering of the piton becomes much easier when an air pocket, rotten ice, or snow is encountered than when the piton is being driven into ice having a relatively dense consistency. Sensing that a piton being driven into ice is passing through an air pocket or engaging rotten ice or snow is sometimes referred to as “hitting air.” In many instances, the ability of an ice piton that is “hitting air” to adequately perform in the event of a fall by the climber is substantially compromised. 
         [0005]    An ice climber that is driving an ice piton into ice and “hitting air,” has several options. If the climber feels that the ice piton that is “hitting air” is of little value in the event of a fall, the climb may attempt to place another ice piton in a nearby but different location and hope that the ice is better in that location. Under this option, the climber is required to expend additional energy in driving a second anchor into the ice without any assurance that the second ice piton also will not “hit air.” Another option, if the climber feels that the portion of the ice piton that was driven into the ice before “hitting air” provides a meaningful amount of protection, the climber can cinch a runner (a loop of rope or webbing) around the portion of the shaft of the ice piton that is adjacent to the ice surface. A carabiner can then be attached to the runner. The use of the runner reduces the lever arm and chances of dislodging the ice piton in the event of a fall relative to the use of carabiner to engage the hangar, which is separated from the surface of the ice. One other option available to the climber is to continue climbing and endeavor to place an ice piton or other form of protection higher up on the climb. This option, however, increases the distance that the climber may fall and the risk of injury in the event of a fall. Nonetheless, ice climbing is a very strenuous sport and, in some cases, the risk of proceeding up the climb versus the expenditure of energy in trying to place an anchor of potentially marginal value may be acceptable. 
         [0006]    The present invention provides the ice climber with another option when an ice piton that the climber is trying to place in the ice “hits air.” To elaborate, the present invention provides an ice toggle that includes a flexible stem, a toggle pivotally attached to the stem, a trigger mechanism for rotating the toggle relative to the flexible stem, and a surface associated with the stem that defines a hole or loop for receiving a carabiner or runner. The ice toggle can be inserted through a hole established in the ice by an ice piton or a naturally occurring opening in the ice. Assuming that a hole produced by an ice piton (typically, 20 mm in diameter) is present, the trigger mechanism is used to cause the toggle to rotate relative to the stem such that the longitudinal axis of the toggle is brought closer into alignment with the longitudinal axis of the stem to allow the toggle and a portion of the stem adjacent to the toggle to be inserted into the hole. The toggle and portion of the stem are inserted into the hole. This insertion continues at least until the point at which the toggle is in the air pocket, rotten ice, or snow and can be rotated so that the longitudinal axis of the toggle become more transverse to the longitudinal axis of the stem. The climber can then pull the stem outward (i.e., away from the ice surface) to “set” the toggle against the interior ice surface associated with the air pocket, rotten ice pocket or snow. A carabiner or runner is passed through the hole or loop associated with the stem. 
         [0007]    In one embodiment, the ice toggle includes a toggle with a U-shaped cross-section that defines a cavity. The ice toggle further includes a trigger mechanism with a cable that is attached to the toggle. Actuation of the trigger causes the toggle to rotate such that a portion of the flexible stem and a portion of the cable mechanism are located within the cavity defined by the toggle. When the toggle is in this position, the longitudinal axis of the toggle is substantially aligned with the longitudinal axis of the stem. 
         [0008]    Yet a further embodiment includes a trigger mechanism that includes a spring. The spring cooperates with the cable so that when the spring is in an uncompressed state, the cable of the trigger mechanism positions the toggle such that the longitudinal axis of the toggle is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the stem. In contrast, when the spring is in a compressed state, the spring cooperates with the cable to cause the toggle to rotate to a position at which the longitudinal axis of the toggle is more aligned with the longitudinal axis of the stem. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0009]      FIG. 1  is a plan view of an embodiment of an ice toggle with the toggle substantially perpendicular to the stem; 
           [0010]      FIG. 2  is a side view of the embodiment of the ice toggle shown in  FIG. 1  with the toggle substantially in alignment with the stem; 
           [0011]      FIGS. 3-6  are perspective views of the embodiment of the ice toggle shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0012]      FIG. 7  is an exploded view of the embodiment of the ice toggle shown in  FIG. 1 ; and 
           [0013]      FIGS. 8A-8C  illustrate the use of the embodiment of the ice toggle shown in  FIG. 1  to establish an anchor in a mass of ice. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0014]    With reference to  FIGS. 1-7 , an embodiment of an ice toggle  20  that can be used to establish an anchor in a mass of ice is described. Generally, the ice toggle  20  is comprised of a flexible stem  22 , a toggle  24  that is pivotally attached to the stem  22 , and a trigger mechanism  26  for use in causing the toggle to rotate relative to the stem. 
         [0015]    The stem  22  is comprised of a wire cable  28  with ends that are swaged together with a sleeve  30 . The stem  22  if further comprised of a sleeve structure  32  that hold two portions of the cable  28  in close proximity to one another, forms a third portion of the cable  28  into a first loop  34 , and forms a fourth portion of the cable  28  into a second loop  36 . The sleeve structure  32  is comprised of a first ferrule  38  that is located adjacent to the first loop  34 , a second ferrule  40  located adjacent to the second loop  36 , a third ferrule  41  located between the first ferrule  38  and the second ferrule  40 , and a flexible plastic sleeve structure  42  that extends between the first ferrule  38  and the third ferrule  41 . The flexible plastic sleeve structure  42  is comprised of three, separate plastic sleeves  43 A- 43 C that are each a different color. This color coding provides markers that allow the climber to assess the depth of the ice between the toggle  24  and the exterior surface of the ice when the toggle  20  is being used as an anchor. It should be appreciated that other forms of flexible stem are feasible. For instance, a flexible stem can be realized using a wire cable with the ends of the cable each swaged to intermediate portions of the cable so as to form first and second loops but with a single strand of cable extending between the loops, rather than two strands of cable extending between the loops. 
         [0016]    Generally, the toggle  24  is an open-ended body that has U-shaped cross-section and defines a cavity  44  capable of accommodating a portion of the stem  22  and a portion of the trigger mechanism  26 . The toggle  24  extends from a first end  46  to a second end  48 . Further, the toggle  24  has a first side  50 , a second side  52  that is separated from and substantially parallel to the first side  50 , and a third side  54  that connects the first and second sides to one another. Respectively associated with the first and second sides  50 ,  52  are ice engaging edges  56 ,  58 . The third side  54  defines a hole  60  that reduces the weight of toggle and facilitates removal of ice or snow from the cavity  44 . The first and second sides  50 ,  52  also respectively define holes  62 A,  62 B that are used to receive a pin that is used in establishing a pivot connection between the toggle  24  and the stem  22 . Holes  64 A,  64 B are used to receive a pin that is used to establish a connection between the toggle  24  and the trigger mechanism  26 . The toggle  24  is made by milling an ingot of metal rod having a circular cross-section. However, other methods of making the toggle known to those skilled in the art are also feasible. Typically, the metal employed is an aircraft-grade aluminum or chrome-moly steel. However, other suitable metals or alloys can be employed. In the illustrated embodiment, the toggle  24  is approximately 5.8 mm in length and 16 mm in diameter. It should be appreciated that a toggle with a different cross-sectional shape can be employed. Further, a toggle with a different length is feasible. It should, however, be noted that increasing the length of the toggle requires a correspondingly larger cavity in the ice that will allow the toggle to rotate and engage the interior surface of the cavity. Additionally, a toggle with a different maximum cross-sectional dimension can be employed to accommodate different size holes in the ice. 
         [0017]    A pivot connector  66  is used to establish a connection between the stem  22  and the toggle  24  that allows the toggle  24  and the stem to rotate relative to one another. The pivot connector  66  is comprised of a cylinder  68  and a pin  70 . The cylinder  68  has an outer surface  72 , first and second end surfaces  74 A,  74 B, and defines a hole  76  that extends between the first and second end surfaces  74 A,  74 B and is capable of accommodating the pin  70 . The outer surface  72  has a groove that forms a seat for receiving the first loop  34 , thereby establishing a connection between the cylinder  68  and the flexible stem  22 . The distance between the first and second end surfaces  74 A,  74 B is slightly less than the distance between the interior surfaces of the first and second sides  50 ,  52  of the toggle  24 . The pin  70  connects the toggle  24  to the cylinder  68 . More specifically, the pin  70  is accommodated in the holes  62 A,  62 B respectively defined by the first and second sides  50 ,  52  of the toggle  24  to establish an interference fit between the pin  70  and the toggle  24 . Further, pin  70  is accommodated in the hole  76  defined by the cylinder  68  to establish an interference fit between the pin  70  and the cylinder  68 . It should be appreciated that other structures can be used to establish a rotational connection between the stem  22  and the toggle  24 . For example, a cylinder can be employed that facilitates the brazing or welding of the cable to the cylinder, thereby eliminating the need for the first loop  34 . 
         [0018]    The trigger mechanism  26  is comprised of a thumb bar  80 , a finger bar  82 , a spring  84  that extends between the finger bar  82  and the second ferrule  40 , a cable assembly  86  that connects the toggle  24  and the finger bar  82 . The finger bar  82  defines a pair of holes  88 A,  88 B that are provided so that a hook of similar structure can be used to engage the finger bar  82  when the finger bar  82  can not be readily grasped. The cable assembly  86  is comprised of a cable  90 , a cable housing  91  that houses most of the cable  90  and is substantially located within the plastic sleeves  43 B,  43 C, a dumbbell connector comprised of dumbbells  92 A,  92 B attached to one end of the cable  90 , and a trigger connector  94  attached to the other end of the cable  90 . The dumbbell connectors  92 A,  92 B cooperate with the portion of the finger bar  82  that defines the hole  88 A such that the cable  90  can be readily attached to and detached from the finger bar  82 . The trigger connector  94  is comprised of pins  96 A,  96 B that are attached to the cable  90  using ferrules  98 A,  98 B. The pins  96 A,  96 B also engage the toggle  24 . More specifically, the pins  96 A,  96 B are respectively accommodated in the holes  64 A,  64 B respectively defined by the first and second sides  50 ,  52  of the toggle  24 . If the cable  90  should be cut or frayed and require replacement, the pins  96 A,  96 B can be removed from the holes  64 A,  64 B, the cable  90  severed at a point between the ferrule  98 B and the plastic sleeve  43 B, and the dumbbell connector  92  disengaged from the finger bar  82 . At this point, the cable  90  can be removed. A new cable with an attached dumbbell connector can then be attached to the finger bar  82 , new pins inserted into the holes  64 A,  64 B, and the new pins connected to the new cable with new ferrules. It should be appreciated that other trigger mechanisms that facilitate the rotation of the toggle relative to the stem for inserting the toggle through a hole in a body of ice, anchoring of the toggle against the interior surface of an ice cavity, and subsequently extracting the toggle through the hole in the body of ice are feasible. 
         [0019]    The holes  64 A,  64 B that receive the pins  96 A,  96 B of the trigger connector  94  are positioned between the holes  62 A,  62 B that receive the pin  70  and the first end  46  of the toggle  24 . Further, the holes  64 A,  64 B are positioned between the pin  70  and the third side  54  of the toggle  24 . This positioning of the holes  64 A,  64 B is such that, when the trigger mechanism is actuated, the toggle  24  can be rotated such that the longitudinal axis of the toggle  24  is aligned or substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the flexible stem  22 . 
         [0020]    With reference to  FIGS. 8A-8C , an example of the method of using the ice toggle  24  is described. Initially, it is assumed that a climber has placed an ice piton in a body of ice  110 , concluded that ice piton “hit air”  112  during the placement, decided to remove the ice piton from the body of ice, thereby leaving a hole  114  in the body of ice, and has decided to place the ice toggle  20  in the body of ice  110 . Placement of the ice toggle  20  in the body of ice  110  initially involves actuating the trigger mechanism  26  so that the toggle  24  is rotated relative to the stem such that the toggle  24  and portion of the stem adjacent to the stem can be inserted into the hole  114  in the ice. The climber will typically actuate the trigger mechanism  26  by placing their thumb (typically in a glove) on the thumb bar  80 , forefinger on one side of the finger bar  82 , and middle finger on the other side of the finger bar  82  and then drawing the thumb and finger towards one another. The toggle  24  and a portion of the stem  24  are then inserted into the hole  114  in the ice. Typically, the climber can remove their forefinger and middle finger from the finger bar  82  at this point because the ice defining the hole  114  in the ice keeps the toggle sufficiently aligned to allow the continued insertion of the toggle  24 . Once the toggle  24  is no longer constrained by the ice and in the air pocket, rotten ice, or snow, the spring  84  applies a force to the toggle  24  via the cable  90  that causes the toggle  24  to rotate such that the longitudinal axis of the toggle  24  is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the stem  22 . The climber can then pull outward on the stem  22  so that the ice engaging edges  56 ,  58  of the toggle can engage the ice adjacent to the interior end of the hole  114 , thereby establishing the ice toggle  20  as an anchor in the ice  110 . 
         [0021]    Removal of the ice toggle  20  established in the ice  110  involves pushing the stem inwards a sufficient distance so that the trigger mechanism  26  can be actuated to cause the toggle  24  to rotate such that the toggle  24  can pass through the hole  114 . 
         [0022]    The foregoing description of the invention is intended to explain the best mode known of practicing the invention and to enable others skilled in the art to utilize the invention in various embodiments and with the various modifications required by their particular applications or uses of the invention.