Rope pulling device

My invention is a device for pulling and securing rope. It includes a power driven disk with annular groove having a V-shaped cross section. Bearing surfaces are transversally spaced around the periphery of the inner faces of the grooves. Gripping, without slippage occurs when a taut rope wedges into the groove and against the bearing surfaces.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
My improved device is structured for use in lineal movement or securing of 
a load attached to a rope. The present method of pulling such rope is with 
a winch. The well-known disadvantages of a winch may now be avoided. For 
example, the application of manual labor to keep tension on a rope is not 
needed. Slippage of the rope is obviated with my assembly. Pulling a rope 
of any length for any distance may now be accomplished without winding the 
same on a drum or the like. Use in power-take-offs on trucks; pulling wire 
through conduits and hoisting loads of great weights for various distances 
are examples of the use of my device. When it is used to secure rope under 
tension, disk rotation of only 120 degrees is sufficient for all 
requirements. 
DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART 
All prior art depends on friction reducing means. For example Benedict U.S. 
Pat. No. 3,078,074, has ridges and grooves which radiate from the center 
area of a "pulley." This may be effective for the stated use as a boat 
anchor windlass. 
Other V-type pulleys are used to continuously run mechanisms in place and 
instead of belts or chains. These do not have transverse ridges and 
grooves. The ridges and grooves are not positioned to take advantage of 
the twists of ropes. Such pulleys would permit the rope to slip if 
subjected to the lineal pulls demanded of my device. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
A disk-shaped member is provided with a groove completely around the 
periphery thereof. Tapered inner walls of the groove have semi-cylindrical 
recesses channeled out of the surfaces thereof. These recesses are spaced 
equi-distance from each other. They are positioned transversely in respect 
to a shaft through the center of the member. A power source is secured to 
said shaft for rotating the disk-shaped member. A rope engages with the 
recesses in the groove and follows an arcuate path around the major 
portion of the disk-shaped member. An idler wheel helps guide the rope 
into the groove and a finger helps disengage the rope from the recesses. A 
load attached to the end of the rope is pulled in the direction of 
rotation of the member as it is driven by the power source.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
In FIG. 1 the numeral 1 represents a disk-member with an annular groove 
having a V-shaped cross section. It is preferably made of a light metal 
such as aluminum. Its center is secured to a shaft (not illustrated) 
disposed at a 90 degree angle to the surface thereof for rotation in 
unison therewith. The shaft is journaled in a suitable support 8. The 
support may be of various sizes and shapes and may retain other members of 
my novel assembly as is shown in FIG. 2. 
A conventional power source, item 14 of FIG. 10, rotates the shaft and 
disk. Such power source may be an electric motor with worm gear. An 
optimum speed of approximately 15 r.p.m. may then be maintained. 
.[.One or both of the inner faces of the groove are transversally channeled 
out, semi-cylindrically, to form a series of ribs 2 completely around the 
inner periphery of the groove. The ribs have a wave-like appearance with 
grooves or troughs 2A and flattened crests 10, best seen in FIG. 6. An 
optimum angle of approximately 45 degrees exists between the sides of each 
rib and the radius of the disk. The ribs are uniform in size and shape. 
They are equi-distant apart. The size of the disk determines the number of 
ribs, the twists of the rope determine their size and angle. They are 
straight rather than arcuate. They are more tangential than radii 
vectors..]. 
.[.When the form of my invention having a dual series of annular ribs is 
employed, I find that the top or crest of one rib is best formed to align 
with, and be oppositely disposed to, the crest of a rib channeled out of 
the other groove face. See FIG. 6. This reduces the danger of rope 
slippage on heavy pulls, as described later. This alignment utilizes the 
"twist" feature of the rope strands..]. 
.[.A rope 3 is an essential part of my novel combination. I prefer to use 
nylon rope with twisted strands as shown. This is available on the open 
market. Woven or other rope may be used without departing from the scope 
of my invention. Rope of three-fourths or one-half inch diameter is chosen 
for frequent use..]. 
.Iadd.As is evident from the drawings and the description herein, the 
groove 7 extends around the entire periphery of the disk member 1 with a 
sufficient depth and lateral faces having a sufficient angle with respect 
to a plane normal to the axis of rotation of disk member 1 so that rope 3 
does not contact the bottom thereof during operation of the combination as 
discussed below. As shown in one specific embodiment, the angle of the 
lateral faces is 15 degrees to the plane normal to said axis of 
rotation..Iaddend. 
.Iadd.As shown in the first embodiment of FIGS. 1-5, troughs or recesses 2 
are laterally spaced with respect to each other to form ribs on the 
portions of the inner lateral face between troughs 2. Troughs 2 are 
involute and have parallel straight edges as shown. In this first 
embodiment, the ribs and troughs 2 are on only one of the lateral faces of 
the annular groove 7 and the other inner lateral face is smooth as shown. 
More particularly, the involute troughs 2 have a concave cross-section as 
best shown in FIG. 5 and extend at an angle with respect to the radius of 
disk member 1..Iaddend. 
.Iadd.Considering both embodiments herein, the ribs and troughs 2,2A are 
uniform in size and shape with troughs 2,2A being equidistant apart with 
respect to each other. Ribs 10 together with troughs 2,2A provide a 
wave-like appearance as best seen in FIG. 6. As shown in the embodiments 
of this invention, ribs 10 are flattened crests. Troughs 2,2A constitute 
bearing surfaces for gripping rope 3 without slippage when a taut rope 3 
wedges into groove 7. The size of disk member 1 determines the number of 
troughs 2,2A to be placed along the lateral faces and the twist or strands 
of rope 3 determine the size and angle of troughs 2,2A. The troughs 2,2A 
are straight rather than arcuate and are more tangential than radii 
vectors..Iaddend. 
.Iadd.When the form of my invention incorporates a dual series of troughs 
2,2A around the lateral faces of annular groove 7, the top or crest of one 
rib 10 is aligned with and oppositely disposed to a trough 2,2A channeled 
out on the opposing lateral face. See FIG. 6. This configuration reduces 
the danger of rope slippage on heavy pulls as described below. The 
alignment of ribs 10 and troughs 2,2A on opposing lateral faces of groove 
7 utilizes the "twist" feature of the rope strands..Iaddend. 
.Iadd.Rope 3 is sufficiently non-compressible to effect the meshing of its 
strands between one of the lateral faces of the annular groove and the 
troughs 2 disposed on the opposed other lateral face of the annular 
groove. See particularly FIGS. 5 and 6 for the two different embodiments 
of this combination. Preferably, nylon rope having twisted strands is used 
as shown. Such a rope is commercially available on the open market. Other 
types of woven rope having twisted strands may be used without departing 
from the scope of my invention. Rope 3 may have any desired diameter with 
this specific embodiment having a rope diameter of from 3/4 inch to 1/2 
inch. .Iaddend. 
A rope retainer 6, being preferably an idler wheel or roller, is associated 
with the disk as can be seen in the first two figures of the drawings. It 
prevents the rope from leaving the groove too soon. 
Proximate thereto is a rope guide 4. This guide may be of various forms. 
All are tapered in shape to fit into the V-groove. .Iadd.Thus, rope guide 
4 extends into the annular groove to cause unmating of rope 3 from the 
ribs and troughs 2,2A as disk member 1 rotates. .Iaddend. 
I find that a shoe or finger 12 secured to support 8 is an excellent guide 
for loads or pulls of great resistance. 
One end of the rope 3 is secured to a load to be hoisted or to an object to 
be pulled. A section of the rope is placed in the V-groove in an arcuate 
path to the point of contact with guide 4 or 12. This is more than 
one-half the circumference of the disk. As power is applied to the disk 
the load resistance causes the rope to become taut. It tends to seat in 
the groove. The pitch of the V-section of the groove and the diameter of 
the rope are so related that the rope fits into the groove without 
reaching the bottom. Attention is directed to item 9 of FIG. 4 showing the 
rope position as it enters the groove and item 7 showing its position as 
force is applied. Continued power moves the disk and rope in the direction 
of the arrows. .[.As in FIG. 6, each flattened crest 10 abuts a "twist" of 
rope 3 at 3A forcing it into a recess or trough 2A of the opposite rib. 
The rib's lateral face 3B moves the resisting rope by positive, non-slip 
abutment. Because of the twisted and non-compressible form of rope the 
crest 10 of one side of the groove forces the strands of the approaching 
"twist" of the rope into the preceding trough on the opposite side of the 
groove. The taper of the groove tends to cause the "twist" to move in the 
direction of arrow 11 of FIG. 7. As any particular portion of the rope 
completes more than one-half the distance around the circle it comes into 
contact with the guide at point 5 of FIG. 1. The resulting contact of the 
rope on guide surface 13 (as in FIG. 9) lifts the rope from the groove. In 
this manner the resistance of the load is overcome in manner substantially 
equivalent to that taking place when gears are meshed..]. 
.Iadd.As in FIG. 6, each flattened crest or rib 10 abuts a "twist" of rope 
3 at 3A forcing it into a recess or trough 2A on the opposite lateral face 
of the groove. The trough's lateral face 3B moves the resisting rope by 
positive, non-slip abutment. That is, the troughs 2 and 2A are effective 
to be operatively meshed with strands of rope 3 when the rope is 
operatively mounted in the groove, as shown. As is evident, troughs 2 and 
2A have straight edges, are uniform in size and shape and are laterally 
spaced an equidistant measure apart with respect to each other. Thus, ribs 
or crests 10 are formed between edges of adjacent troughs 2 on one lateral 
face and troughs 2A on the other lateral face of the groove. As shown, 
ribs or crests 10 are uniform in size and shape on the portions of the 
inner lateral faces between the troughs..Iaddend. 
.Iadd.Because of the twisted and non-compressible form of rope 3, the rib 
or crest 10 of one lateral face of the groove forces the strand of the 
approaching "twist" of the rope into the preceding trough 2A on the 
opposite lateral face of the groove. The taper of the groove tends to 
cause the "twist" to move in the direction of arrow 11 of FIG. 7. As any 
particular portion of rope 3 completes more than one-half the distance 
around the circle, it comes into contact with the guide at point 5 of FIG. 
1. The embodiment of FIG. 9 has rope 3 coming into contact with rope guide 
or finger 12 along guide surface 13 as the disk member 1 rotates. 
Consequently, as is evident, the action of the rope guide in each 
embodiment unmates the rope strands meshed with the ribs and troughs to 
lift rope 3 from the groove. The resistance of the load is overcome in 
this operation in a manner substantially equivalent to that taking place 
when gears are meshed and unmeshed. .Iaddend. 
Although preferred embodiments of my invention are shown and described, it 
is understood that one skilled in the art may make modifications thereof 
which will fall within the scope of my subjoined claims.