Abstract:
A boat cleat with retractable line. A retractable line is wound around a spool that is rotatably mounted within a line encasing. A cleat is rigidly attached to the outside surface of the line encasing. A spring is operably coupled to the spool and urges rotation of the spool in a line take-up direction. In a preferred embodiment, a locking device is connected to the spool for preventing unwanted rotation of the spool.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    Boats are very well known and have played an extremely important role throughout history. In modem society, boats come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Boats can be very small (for example a rowboat or a small one-man sailboat) or they can be very large. For example, an aircraft carrier is a large boat (also referred to as a ship) that can support thousands of people, airplanes and equipment. A submarine is a boat that can operate below the surface of the sea.  
           [0002]    Despite their differences in size and function, boats have one thing in common. A boat is typically secured to a pier by a mooring line that has one end wrapped around a cleat on the boat and the other end wrapped around a cleat on the pier. When there is ample storage space on a boat for the mooring line (such as for a large ship), the mooring line can be stowed while the boat is underway. However, small boats (such as personal recreational watercraft, small sailboats, small speedboats, and rowboats) do not have significant storage space. Often, an individual operating the small boat will not bring a mooring line underway with him because he has nowhere to stow it. If he does bring it with him, he may have to coil it on the deck where it can get tangled and interfere with boating operations and become a safety hazard.  
           [0003]    What is needed is a better boat cleat.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0004]    The present invention provides a boat cleat with retractable line. A retractable line is wound around a spool that is rotatably mounted within a line encasing. A cleat is rigidly attached to the outside surface of the line encasing. A spring is operably coupled to the spool and urges rotation of the spool in a line take-up direction. In a preferred embodiment, a locking device is connected to the spool for preventing unwanted rotation of the spool. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0005]    [0005]FIG. 1A shows a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0006]    [0006]FIG. 1B shows a portion of a preferred retractable line connected to a preferred rubber-coated lead weight.  
         [0007]    [0007]FIG. 2 shows a top view of a preferred lower encasing.  
         [0008]    [0008]FIG. 3 shows a side view of a preferred upper and lower encasings.  
         [0009]    [0009]FIG. 4 shows a preferred spool.  
         [0010]    [0010]FIG. 5 shows a side view of a preferred spool.  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 6 shows a top view of the lower section of the preferred spool of FIG. 4 and FIG. 5.  
         [0012]    FIGS.  7 - 8  and  10  show a preferred retractable line and a preferred coil spring connected to the preferred spool of FIGS.  4 - 6 .  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 9 shows a preferred spool cap.  
         [0014]    [0014]FIGS. 11A, 13A and  14 A show a top views of preferred internal components of the present invention.  
         [0015]    [0015]FIGS. 11B, 13B, and  14 B show details of the operation of a preferred locking device.  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 12 shows a preferred spool engaged with a preferred star wheel.  
         [0017]    FIGS.  15 - 21  show a sequence of events depicting the operation of a preferred embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 22 shows the present invention attached to a recreation watercraft.  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 23 shows the present invention connected to a speedboat.  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 24 shows the recreational watercraft of FIG. 23 moored to a pier utilizing a preferred embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 25 shows details of the preferred embodiment shown in FIG. 24.  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 26 shows another preferred embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 27 shows a top view of a deck having pre-drilled holes.  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 28 shows a base plate mounted to the deck of FIG. 27.  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 29 shows a preferred embodiment of the present invention mounted to the base plate of FIG. 28.  
         [0026]    [0026]FIG. 30 shows another preferred embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0027]    [0027]FIG. 31 shows another preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
     The First Preferred Embodiment  
       [0028]    [0028]FIG. 1A shows a perspective view of the first preferred embodiment of the present invention and FIG. 11A shows a top view of bottom encasing  3  and internal components of the first preferred embodiment. Cleat  60  is rigidly attached to the top of upper encasing  6 . Spool  10  (FIG. 11A) is rotatably mounted inside bottom encasing  3  and is biased via coil spring  12  (FIG. 7) to urge rotation of spool  10  in the line take-up direction. An operator utilizes the present invention by pulling out an appropriate amount of line  15  for mooring his vessel to a remote cleat. Then, the operator secures a section of line  15  to cleat  60 , as shown in FIGS. 24 and 25. When getting underway, the operator releases the line from both cleats. Coil spring  12  rotates spool  10  so that line  15  is wound around spool  10  so that boat cleat  2  appears as it is shown in FIG. 1A.  
       Upper and Lower Encasings  
       [0029]    [0029]FIG. 2 shows a top view of bottom encasing  3  of boat cleat  2 . FIG. 3 shows an exploded side view of upper encasing  6  and bottom encasing  3 . Cleat  60  is rigidly attached to upper encasing  6 . In the first preferred embodiment, upper encasing  6 , cleat  60  and bottom encasing  3  are fabricated from aluminum. Slotted cylinder  9  is rigidly attached to the bottom of bottom encasing  3  and extends upward.  
       The Spool  
       [0030]    A top view of spool  10  is shown in FIG. 4 and a side view is shown in FIG. 5. Spool  10  has teeth  11  around its circumference. FIG. 6 shows a top view of the bottom portion of spool  10 . Metallic coil spring  12  is inserted inside the interior portion of spool  10  and looped around tab  14  (FIG. 6). It is then wound around the interior of spool  10  in the clockwise direction as shown in FIG. 7. In a similar fashion, line  15  is looped around post  13  and wound around the exterior portion of spool  10  in the counter clockwise direction. In the preferred embodiment, line  15  is nylon and is approximately 16 feet long, ⅜ inch wide and {fraction (1/16)} inch thick. Rubber coated lead weight  1  (preferably weighing approximately ¼ lb.) is attached to the end of line  15 .  
         [0031]    After line  15  and coil spring  12  have been wrapped around spool  10 , spool  10  appears as it is shown in FIG. 8. Spool cap  16  (FIG. 9) is then snap fitted over the top of the interior portion of spool  10  (FIG. 10) to prevent coil spring  12  from popping out of the interior portion of spool  10 .  
       Inserting the Spool Inside the Lower Encasing  
       [0032]    Spool  10  is slid over slotted cylinder  9  and is free to rotate around slotted cylinder  9 , as shown in FIG. 11A. The end of coil spring  9  is slid through the slot in slotted cylinder  9 . Line  15  is directed out through opening  20  of bottom encasing  3 . Rotatably connected star wheel  21  is engaged with teeth  11  of spool  10  (FIG. 12).  
       Attaching the Upper Encasing to the Lower Encasing  
       [0033]    Upper portion  6  (FIG. 3) is then lowered onto bottom encasing  3 . Bottom encasing  3  has mounting holes  4  and threaded screw holes  5 . Upper encasing  6  has mounting holes  7  and threaded screw holes  8 . When upper encasing  6  is lowered onto bottom encasing  3 , mounting holes  7  align with mounting holes  4  and threaded screw holes  8  align with threaded screw holes  5 . After upper casing  3  has been attached to lower casing  6  with screws  30 , boat cleat  2  appears as it is shown in FIG. 1A.  
       Mounting the Boat Cleat  
       [0034]    The present invention may be mounted to a variety of sea going vessels. FIG. 22 shows boat cleat  2  mounted to the starboard side of recreational watercraft  32  and FIG. 23 shows boat cleat  2  mounted to the bow of speed boat  33 . Boat cleat  2  is preferably mounted by running bolts through pre-drilled holes mounting holes  7  in boat cleat  2  (FIG. 1A) that are aligned with pre-drilled mounting holes on the vessel.  
       Size of the First Preferred Embodiment  
       [0035]    Boat cleat  2  is approximately 8 inches long and approximately 4 inches wide. The distance from the top of upper encasing  6  to the bottom of lower encasing  3  (FIG. 1A) is approximately 2 inches. The diameter of outer rim  90  (FIG. 5) is approximately 3 inches and the diameter of inner cylinder  92  is approximately 1¾ inches. By virtue of using a thin nylon line  15  that is only approximately {fraction (1/16)} inch thick, approximately 16 feet of line  15  can be wound around a small spool  10 . By keeping spool  10  small, boat cleat  2  can also be made so that it is relatively small. For example, a recreational watercraft is considered to be a small motor powered watercraft. The first preferred embodiment is ideal size for attachment to a small recreational watercraft. FIG. 1B shows rubber coated lead weight  1 . By attaching lead  1  to the end of light weigh line  15 , it becomes easier to throw from the boat to a line handler on the pier.  
       Utilizing the Present Invention  
     Unlocking the Spool  
       [0036]    [0036]FIG. 11A shows lower casing  3  and some of the internal components of the present invention. When boat cleat  2  is installed on a vessel and is not being use to secure the vessel, star wheel  21  is preferably locked in place so as to prevent rotation of spool  10 . In this manner, line  15  is prevented from accidentally unwinding and becoming tangled while the boat is in operation.  
         [0037]    To release spool  10 , star wheel  21  must be unlocked. FIG. 11A shows bar  36  engaged with star wheel  21 , locking it in place. Bendable metal bar  39  connects button  37  to bar  36 . FIG. 11B shows an enlarged view with button  37  drawn in relief. Button  37  is in the up position in FIGS.  11 A- 11 B. Tab  35  is rigidly connected to button  37  and in engaged in slot  38  (FIG. 11 B).  
         [0038]    In FIGS. 13A and 13B an operator has pressed button  37  downward. This has cause bendable metal bar  39  to bend downward and tab  35  to clear slot  38 .  
         [0039]    In FIGS. 14A and 14B the operator has slid button  37  to the right and has released button  37 . Bendable metal bar  39  has bent back upwards and tab  35  is engaged inside slot  40 . Bar  36  has slid clear of star wheel  21  so that star wheel  21  is now free to rotate. Spool  10  is now unlocked.  
       Unwinding the Mooring Line  
       [0040]    [0040]FIG. 15 shows a simplified view of boat cleat  2  in the position depicted earlier in FIG. 11A. FIG. 15 shows coil spring  12  of boat cleat  2  loosely wound around slotted cylinder  9  in the counterclockwise direction. Line  15  is wound around the exterior portion of spool  10  in the counterclockwise direction.  
         [0041]    To unlock spool  10 , the operator presses button  37  and slides it to the right, as shown in FIG. 16 and as described above under the heading “Unlocking the Spool”.  
         [0042]    As shown in FIG. 17, as the operator pulls on line  15 , line  15  begins to unwind and spool  10  rotates in the counterclockwise direction. The rotation of spool  10  in the counterclockwise direction causes coil spring  12  to begin to wind tightly around slotted cylinder  9  in the counterclockwise direction.  
         [0043]    In FIGS.  18 - 20 , the operator continues to pull on line  15  until he has pull out a required amount for mooring. In one example, the operator needs approximately 14 feet of line to safely moor his recreational watercraft to a pier.  
         [0044]    [0044]FIG. 20 shows line  15  pulled out to approximately 14 feet. Coil spring  12  has become would very tightly around slotted cylinder  9  in the counterclockwise direction.  
         [0045]    In FIG. 21, the operator has pressed button  37  inward and slid it to the left and then released it so that bar  36  has engaged star wheel  21  to prevent it from rotating. Spool  10  is locked in place.  
       Mooring the Vessel  
       [0046]    After boat cleat  2  is in the position shown in FIG. 21, it can be used to moor a boat to a pier. FIG. 24 shows recreational watercraft  32  moored to a pier and FIG. 25 shows a detailed view of boat cleat  2  as shown in FIG. 24. In FIG. 24, after button  37  was adjusted to lock spool  10  (see discussion above) lead weight  1  was tossed to a person standing on pier  50  who secured the end of line  15  to cleat  52 . Then, taking advantage of the slack in line  15 , the operator on recreational watercraft  32  secured line  15  to cleat  60  of boat cleat  2 .  
       Getting Underway  
       [0047]    Referring to FIGS. 24 and 25, to get underway, the end of line  15  would be unwrapped from cleat  52 . The operator would then unwrap line  15  from cleat  60  of boat cleat  2 . The operator would then press and slide button  37  to unlock spool  10  so that boat cleat  2  would appear as shown in FIG. 20. Note that in FIG. 20 energy has been stored in coil spring  12  and it is wound tightly around slotted cylinder  9 . By pressing and sliding button  37  to unlock spool  10 , the energy stored in coil spring  12  causes it to unwind from around slotted cylinder  9 , thereby rotating spool  10  in the clockwise direction. The rotation of spool  10  in the clockwise direction causes line  15  to become wound around spool  10  so that boat cleat appears as shown in FIGS. 16 and 1. Preferably, button  37  is then adjusted so that bar  36  engages star wheel  21  so that spool  10  is locked. Recreational watercraft  32  is then ready to get underway.  
       Base Plate  
       [0048]    In another preferred embodiment the present invention is utilized in conjunction with a base plate. When boat owners replace a boat cleat, often they will try to replace their old cleat with a same sized new cleat so that they can avoid drilling new holes into the deck of their boat. FIG. 27 shows a top view of deck  201  with pre-existing holes  203 . FIG. 28 shows base plate  205  bolted onto deck  201 . Bolts  207  have been inserted into holes  203  (FIG. 27). Base plate  205  has holes  209  corresponding to the mounting holes for boat cleat  2  (FIGS.  1 - 3 ). FIG. 29 shows bolt cleat  2  screwed onto the top of base plate  205  utilizing screws  211 .  
         [0049]    By utilization of base plate  205 , the boat owner is able to avoid having to drill new holes in his boat deck when installing the present invention.  
       Latch  
       [0050]    [0050]FIG. 30 shows a preferred embodiment of the present invention in which spring-loaded latch  213  is attached to the end of line  15 . Utilizing spring-loaded latch  213  allows the user to easily secure his boat to objects other than a cleat mounted on a pier. For example, latch  113  can be used to secure the boat to a post or hook on a pier, or a tree growing on the side of a river or lake.  
         [0051]    While the above description contains many specifications, the reader should not construe these as limitations on the scope of the invention, but merely as exemplifications of preferred embodiments thereof. For example, although the above preferred embodiments described the present invention having a locking device for locking spool  10 , it is possible to have an embodiment that does not include a locking device. For example, FIG. 26 shows boat cleat  80  with no locking device. An operator utilizes boat cleat  80  by first pulling out an appropriate amount of line  115 . He then secures the free end of line  115  to a remote cleat while holding line  115  in his hand to prevent it from winding back inside boat cleat  80 . Then he secures line  115  to the cleat attached to boat cleat  80 . To get underway, the operator releases line  115  from both cleats and coil spring  112  winds line  115  around spool  110 . Also, although the first preferred embodiment discussed utilizing a thin (approximately {fraction (1/16)} inch) nylon line  15 , the present invention could be made utilizing a variety of line sizes. For example, the thickness of line  15  could be increased to a variety of thicknesses (for example, ⅛ inch, ¼ inch or ½ inch). Also, conventional mooring lines having circular cross sections of various diameters and made of various materials could be utilized. It should be noted that as the diameter and length of the line increases, so must the size of spool  10  increase as well to accommodate the larger line. The size of boat cleat  2 , could therefore be made even smaller (for example, to moor a small rowboat) or much larger with a larger line. For example, to moor a large yacht or sailboat a mooring line with a circular cross section and having a 2½ inch diameter would be preferred. Also, although boat cleat  2  was described as being attached to a boat, it would also be possible to attach boat cleat  2  to a pier. It could then be used to moor vessels that visit the pier. Also, although the first preferred embodiment showed rubber coated lead weight  1  attached to the end of line  15 , various types of weights could be attached to the end. Or, the end of line  15  could be tied into a heavy knot (for example, a monkey fist). It is also possible to have no weight at the end of line  15 . Although it would be harder to throw a line with no weight, the line could be handed to a line handler. Or, in embodiments in which line  15  is of a larger diameter, the weight of the line would be sufficiently heavy so that an additional weight would not be necessary to aid line throwing. Also, although it was disclosed how the present invention is used to moor a boat to a pier, the present invention could also be used to maintain a boat in position next to another boat. Also, although the above preferred embodiments described in detail how coil spring  12  is configured to urge rotation of spool  10  in a line take-up direction, spool  10  could also be spring biased utilizing a variety of other methods. Also, for larger vessels (such as a large ship or large sailing yacht), it may be desirable to utilize a motor to control the rotation of the spool. FIG. 31 shows electrically powered motor  215  operably connected to spool  217 . Motor  215  is configured to rotate spool  217  so that line  219  can be wound or unwound as desired. Therefore, the attached claims and their legal equivalents should determine the scope of the invention.