Abstract:
This collapsible rope storage and cleat apparatus having a folding cleat shaft for easy removal of stored cordage provides a method of storing or tying off a rope to mount surface in a manner that is both simple in its construction and operation and which eliminates the problems associated with the use of standard tie off cleats.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention relates to an improvement in the devices employed to store or tie off ropes in work shops, boats, and other similar applications. More specifically, to a cleat or rope storage device which has the capability of being collapsed when not in use or expanded when needed thereby providing a secure point at which to store or tie off rope that does not suffer from the limitations common in the cleats or other similar apparatuses in use today. 
   The use of cleats for gathering, storing, or tying off ropes is common in many applications. Cleats offer a way to secure a rope in a designated location and manner that allows for their storage and quick and easy removal. It is these characteristics that makes the use of cleats so prevalent in many applications including the boating industry for such purposes as the storing of unused rope, securing ropes, or other similar purposes. However, this discussion should not be interpreted as limiting its scope to the specific content as the characteristics described herein apply equally as well in all possible applications that employ the use of rope storage or tie off cleats. 
   While storage or tie off cleats work well in their intended purpose, they do suffer from short comings. The most obvious of these stems from the fact that, due to their intended purpose, they are necessarily objects that extend into an area where they may come into contact with unintended objects. Additionally, the nature of their intended use also requires that they be constructed of a strong and durable material such as a metal and are thus capable of causing damage to property and even injury. This circumstance is also exacerbated due to the fact that cleats are also often constructed with relatively sharp edges or protruding elements. Finally, the devices in common use today do not provide an adequate amount of space to allow for the storage of long length of rope. 
   As a result of these circumstances, there have been many efforts to provide a storage or tie off cleat apparatus that overcomes these problems. The most common of these consist of cleat apparatuses which are designed in a manner that allows them to be retracted below the surface on which they are being employed. These cleat apparatuses generally consist of a base which is fixedly attached to the desired surface, a well which extends below the surface, and a cleat member that is capable of being extended above the surface for use or retracted into the well when not in use. The cleat member is generally spring loaded in such a manner so that pressure placed on its upper surface will either force it into and lock it within the well or release it and allow the spring tension to force it up above the employed surface. These systems offer a means of providing a mechanism for storing or tying off a rope while avoiding the problems that unused cleats pose. 
   While the retractable cleats described provide a solution for the problems described above, they also suffer deficiencies that affect their overall performance. The first of these is that their manner of construction is relatively complex and therefore subject to failure. Not only does this complexity create the potential for problems in and of itself, but it also creates opportunities for apparatus failure due to debris interfering with the function of their more sensitive components. Additionally, the complex nature of their construction also drives the cost of these tie off cleats to a level that makes the implementation difficult for some of the public. This is an especially significant problem in boating applications requiring the use of a large number of cleats. Finally, these devices also are typically of such a small storage capacity that they do not provide a means of storing longer than average lengths of rope. 
   Therefore, from the foregoing discussion it can be seen that it would be desirable to provide a tie off cleat apparatus which is capable of being collapsed when not in use and expanded when needed. Additionally, it can be seen that it would be desirable to provide such a storage or tie off cleat apparatus that does not suffer from the complexity and cost problems which are common to those offered by the prior art. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   It is the primary objective of the present invention to provide a rope storage or tie off cleat apparatus which is capable of being collapsed or expanded as needed. 
   It is an additional objective of the present invention to provide such a rope storage or tie off cleat apparatus that is simple both in its manner of construction and operation thereby avoiding the problems of complexity and high cost. 
   It is a further objective of the present invention to provide such a rope storage or tie off cleat apparatus that does not pose a threat to property or health whether it is expanded for use or collapsed for storage. 
   It is a still further objective of the present invention to provide such a rope storage or tie off cleat apparatus that is capable of storing a long length of rope in a manner that will allow for its easy removal when needed. 
   These objectives are accomplished by the use of a collapsible rope storage and cleat apparatus having a cleat body and pivotal cleat members. The cleat body is a generally rectangularly shaped component having two cleat body sides that have curved upper surfaces in their longitudinal profiles. Additionally, the two parallel body sides are separated by a cleat well. The cleat well is a depression in the cleat body which runs longitudinally down its center. The cleat well provides the point of attachment for the pivotal cleat members and also serves to protect it when it has been stored in the cleat well when the collapsible cleat apparatus is not being used. 
   The present invention is made up of a pair or more of the rope storage and cleat apparatuses as described above which are employed to facilitate the storage or securing of a rope to a desired surface. To accomplish this, the cleat bodies are fixedly attached to the desired surface by any number of methods the most common of which is the use of a plurality of screws that pass through the cleat body and into the surface. This provides a solid base for the operation of the present invention allowing the cleat members to be rotated up and out of the cleat body&#39;s cleat well and locked into place in the proper position. Once the cleat members of a pair or more of the cleat apparatuses have been thus prepared, the user may then store or secure a rope to them by passing it around the alternating cleat members in a desired pattern, generally a straight loop, to store or secure the rope in the desired location. The use of the loop pattern allows for the quicker removal of the rope from the cleat apparatus as it allows one of the cleat members to be lowered while the rope is engaged and for the easy removal of the rope in a circular loop configuration. Other rope looping patterns may also be employed but the above described method is preferred with the present invention. 
   The pivotal attachment of the cleat member to the cleat body is critical to the operation of the present invention. As previously stated, the cleat member is mounted within the cleat well in a pivotal manner. This mounting is accomplished by the use of a pivot pin which laterally spans the cleat well between the inner surfaces of the two cleat body sides in a location where it may properly engage the proximal end of the cleat member. To facilitate the pivotal connection of the cleat member, its proximal end is equipped with a pin mount hole. The pin mount hole passes through the proximal end of the cleat member from side to side and is elongated in the horizontal plane with reference to the cleat member. The elongated nature of the pin mount hole allows the position to alter relative to the pivot pin which is critical to the operation of the present invention and will be further discussed below. 
   The proximal end of the cleat member is also constructed in a manner that facilitates its pivotal operations. This construction is such that, as viewed from the side, the proximal end of the cleat member has a curved form resembling a slightly more than 180 degree circle and when viewed either from the top or bottom is flat. This flat surface forms the engagement surface of the cleat member which engages the base of the cleat body when the cleat member is extended for use. The cleat member also has a cleat shaft which extends outward from the point of pivotal attachment and terminates at the cleat head at its distal end. The cleat head is a spherically shaped component which functions to help retain a tie off rope when the cleat member is deployed for use. 
   The elongated construction of the pin mount hole is critical to the operation of the present invention as it allows the cleat member&#39;s position relative to the mount pin to be altered during its operation. The altering of the position of the cleat member also varies its position relative to the cleat body which in turn facilitates its abilities to be stored within the cleat well, to rotate around the pivot pin, and to lock into the extended position for use with a rope. 
   Operating in conjunction with the mount hole, the proximal end of the cleat member also has a spring mounted within an internally positioned spring cavity. The spring is biased towards contraction thereby tending to pull the distal end of the spring cavity towards the pivot pin. The spring cavity is essentially an extension of the pin mount hole extending forward within the cleat member from its distal end. The spring in turn is connected on its proximal end to the pivot pin and on its distal end to a spring pin which passes through a spring pin hole positioned within the cleat member so that the spring pin passes through the distal end of the spring cavity. This manner of placement of the spring allows it to operate on the cleat member to ensure that it is capable of being rotated between the extended and collapsed positions. 
   In the collapsed position, the spring holds the cleat member in a position so that the pivot pin is maintained slightly towards the proximal end from the center of the pin mount hole. To begin the rotation of the cleat member from its collapsed position, the user simply grasps the cleat head at its distal end and places an upward force thereon. This serves to rotate the cleat member around its pivotal attachment to the pivot pin. When the cleat member nears a vertical orientation relative to the cleat body, its engagement surface comes into contact with the cleat base thereby ending its rotational ability. This situation is overcome by placing an outward force on the cleat head which further expands the spring and moves the cleat member so that the pivot pin slides to the extreme proximal end of the pin mount hole. This action in turn increases the distance between the cleat member&#39;s engagement surface and the cleat base allowing for the further rotation of the cleat member into the fully expanded position. 
   Once the cleat member has been so positioned, the outward pressure on its distal end may be released which in turn allows the spring to compress and reposition the pivot pin towards the center of the pin mount hole. This in turn brings the cleat member&#39;s engagement surface back into contact with the cleat base which effectively locks it into the extended position for its intended use. Conversely, the collapsing of the extended cleat member is accomplished simply by reversing the steps described above. 
   An alternative embodiment of the present invention is also contemplated in which flush mount base is employed. The flush mount base is also a generally rectangular shaped apparatus having an outer mount lip surrounding a recessed cleat well. These two components operate together to allow the cleat member to be stored below the employed surface when it is in storage. Additionally, the recessed cleat well is also equipped with a drain hole that is attached to a drain tube. The purpose of the drain hole is to provide a means by which water collecting within the recessed cleat well can be removed thereby eliminating a source of potential damage to the operation components of the present invention. Additionally, the drain hole and tube also provide a means by which any unwanted water may be collected and removed thereby preventing damage to the equipment with which the present invention is being used. In all other aspects of construction and operation, this alternative embodiment of the present invention operates in the same manner as described above for the initial embodiment. 
   For a better understanding of the present invention reference should be made to the drawings and the description in which there are illustrated and described preferred embodiments of the present invention. 

   
     DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the present invention which illustrates the manner in which it is employed in conjunction with a mount surface for the purpose of providing a place of storage or securement for a rope. 
       FIG. 2  is a side elevation view of the present invention of  FIG. 1  illustrating the manner in which it is employed to store or secure a rope. 
       FIG. 3  is a top elevation view of the present invention of  FIG. 1  illustrating the manner in which it is employed to store or secure a rope. 
       FIG. 4  is a side elevation view of the cleat component of the present invention illustrating the orientation of its major components in the extended position. 
       FIG. 5  is a is a top elevation view of the cleat of  FIG. 4  illustrating the orientation of its major components in the collapsed position. 
       FIG. 6  is a side elevation cross sectional view of the present invention of  FIG. 5  taken along line  3  and illustrating the orientation of the cleat member within the cleat well and the manner of construction of the pin mount hole. 
       FIG. 7  is a side elevation cross sectional view of the present invention of  FIG. 5  taken along line  3  and illustrating the position of the cleat member in the extended position and the operations of the engagement surface and pin mount hole. 
       FIG. 8  is a side elevation cross sectional view of the present invention of  FIG. 5  taken along line  4  and illustrating the manner of construction and operation of the spring and related components. 
       FIG. 9  is a side elevation cross sectional view of the present invention of  FIG. 5  taken along line  4  and illustrating the operation of the spring and pivot pin during the rotation of the cleat member. 
       FIG. 10  is a side elevation cross sectional view of the present invention of  FIG. 5  taken along line  4  and illustrating the relative positions of the engagement surface and cleat base when the cleat member is locked in the extended position. 
       FIG. 11  is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the present invention which employs flush mount cleat base to secure the collapsible cleats to the mount surface. 
       FIG. 12  is a side elevation cross sectional view of the alternative embodiment of  FIG. 11  taken alone line  5  and illustrating the position of the cleat member within the recessed cleat well and the configuration of the well drain. 
   

   DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
   Referring now to the drawings, and more specifically to  FIGS. 1 ,  2 ,  3 ,  4 , and  5 , the collapsible rope storage and cleat apparatus  10  is a rope  26  tie off device that is fixedly attached to a mount surface  12  and employed to store or tie off ropes  26 . The present invention is most commonly composed of two cleats  11  (although other configurations are possible) which are attached to the mount surface  12  in opposing orientations and at a desired distance to facilitate the tying off of a rope  26 . The fixed attachment of the cleats  11  to the mount surface  12  is most commonly accomplished by the use of a plurality of mount screws  50  which pass though the cleat body  14  and into the mount surface  12 . 
   The cleats  11  of the present invention are made up of two primary components. The first of these is the cleat body  14  which is a generally rectangularly shaped device when viewed from the top and an irregularly curved upper surface when viewed from the side. The cleat base  14  is made up of two cleat sides  16  defining the outer edges of the long side of the rectangle which are separated by a centrally located cleat well  20 . The cleat well  20  in turn provides for the point of pivotal attachment for the cleat member  18 . The cleat member  18  is then the component of the present invention which is used to provide the point of securement for the rope  26 . 
   The cleat member  18  is made up of a cleat shaft  24  which is an elongated device that is pivotally attached to the cleat body  14  at its proximal end and having a spherical cleat head  22  at its distal end. The cleat head  22  fits within a head receptacle  28  which is a lateral expansion of the cleat well  20  which corresponds in location to the cleat head  22  when the cleat member  18  is in the collapsed position. The cleat head  22  serves two functions. The first of these is to provide a grasping for the user to facilitate the pivoting function of the cleat member  18 . The second is to form a restraining barrier to ensure that the rope  26  cannot slip off the end of the cleat member  18  during operations. Additionally, the cleat shaft  24  of the cleat member  18  is constructed in a manner so that, when viewed from the side, has a slight S-shape which also aids in the retention of the rope  26  on the cleat members  18 . 
   With a pair of the cleats  11  properly positioned and secured to the mount surface  12  as described above, a rope  26  may be secured to them in any number of ways. The most common method employed is to place a looped end of the rope  26  over one of the extended cleat members  18  and proceed to wrap it around the extended cleat members  18  in a straight loop manner. This not only forms a secure attachment, but also allows the rope  26  to be stored and quickly removed when necessary. The removal of the rope  26  is generally accomplished by collapsing one of the cleat members  18  thereby loosening the rope&#39;s  26  engagement to the other. With this accomplished, the rope  26  can then be easily lifted from the remaining cleat member  18  to complete the removal process. 
   The internal construction of the cleat well  20  and the manner of the pivotal attachment of the cleat member  18  within it are further illustrated in  FIGS. 6 and 7 . As illustrated, the cleat well  20  terminates at its lower end at the cleat base  30  which is also the component of the present invention which facilitates the attachment of the cleats  11  to the mount surface  12 . As illustrated, the pivotal attachment of the cleat member  18  is accomplished by the operation of the pivot pin  34  and the pin mount hole  36 . 
   The pivot pin  34  is a small cylindrical rod that spans the cleat well  20  in a horizontal manner and in a position so that it may engage the central portion of the proximal end of the cleat member. This engagement is accomplished by the pivot pin  34  passing through the cleat member via the pin mount hole  36 . The pin mount hole  36  is specifically designed to receive the pivot pin  34  and as such, it has a width slightly larger than the outside diameter of the pivot pin  34  and is elongated in its length. This method of design serves to hold the pivot pin  34  securely in the vertical plane with reference to the longitudinal axis of the cleat member  18  while allowing it to slide along a determined distance along the horizontal plane. The slidable nature of the attachment is critical to the expandable and collapsible nature of the cleat member  18  which will be more fully described in the text below. 
   These two FIGURES also illustrate the differences between the orientation of the cleat member  18  when it is in the collapsed position and when it is extended. In the collapsed position, the cleat head  22  at the distal end of the cleat member  18  rest in the head receptacle  28  and the engagement surface  38  at the proximal end remains well off of the cleat base  30  due to the nature of the connection formed by the pivot pin  34  and pin mount hole  36 . Conversely, when the cleat member  18  is in the extended position, the operation of the pivotal connection at the pivot pin  34  and the pin mount hole  36  allows the engagement surface  38  to come into contact with the cleat base  30  which in turn serves to lock the cleat member  18  in the extended position required for its designed purpose. 
   The manner of operation of the pivot pin  34  and the pin mount hole  36  in the expanding and collapsing of the cleat member  18  are further illustrated in  FIGS. 8 ,  9 , and  10 . An additional component involved in these operations is the spring  40  which is contained within the proximal end of the cleat member  18  in the spring cavity  42 . The spring cavity  42  is essentially an internal hole that extends from the distal end of the pin mount hole  36  along the central longitudinal axis of the cleat member  18  terminating at a distance that would provide for the proper positioning of the spring  40 . The spring  40  is then positioned within the spring cavity with its proximal end fixedly attached to the pivot pin  34  and its distal end held in place at the distal end of the spring cavity by the spring pin  32 . The spring pin  32  is so positioned by the use of the spring pin hole  44  which passes through the cleat member  18  in a location so that it intersects the distal end of the spring cavity  42 . Thus, with the spring  40  properly positioned within the spring cavity  42 , the spring pin  32  is forced through the spring pin hole  44  and engages the distal end of the spring  40  thereby holding it securely at the location. 
   The use of the spring  40  in this manner facilitates both the pivoting function of the cleat member  18  in the collapsing and extending operations, but also the locking of the cleat member  18  in the extended position. In the collapsed position, the pivot pin  34  is positioned slightly towards the proximal end of the pin mount hole  36 . In a neutral orientation, the spring  40  is biased towards compression serving to place a force on the cleat member  18  that would tend to retain the pivot pin  34  within the central portion of the pin mount hole  36 . Therefore, the spring  40  operates to maintain the position of the cleat member  18  relative to the pivot pin  34  in the position required to facilitate its pivoting function. 
   The rotation of the cleat member  18  from the collapsed to the extended position is accomplished in the following manner. Initially, the user grasps the cleat head  22  on the distal end of the cleat member  18  and places a rotational force thereon. This causes the cleat member  18  to pivot around the pivot pin  34 . At roughly the midpoint of the rotation of the cleat member  18 , its engagement surface  38  comes into contact with the cleat base  30  thereby limiting any further rotational travel. This situation is overcome by placing outward pressure on the cleat head  22  which in turn expands the spring  40  thereby altering the position of the pivot pin  34  so that it is now located in the extreme proximal end of the pin mount hole  36 . This action increases the distance between the engagement surface  38  of the cleat member  18  and the cleat base  30  which in turn allows the rotation of the cleat member  18  to continue. 
   When the cleat member  18  has been rotated to the point that the clearance between the engagement surface  38  and cleat base  30  is no longer an issue, the spring  40  may be allowed to return to its neutral position returning the pivot pin  34  to the central portion of the pin mount hole  36 . This action serves to allow the engagement surface  38  to come into contact with the cleat base  30  which in turn locks the cleat member  18  in the extended position. This situation is a result of the fact that with the pivot pin  34  so located within the pin mount hole  36 , the cleat member  18  is incapable of being rotated back toward the collapsed position thereby preparing the present invention for use as a rope  26  tie off apparatus. Conversely, to return the cleat member  18  to the collapsed position, the steps described above are simply reversed. 
   An alternative embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in  FIGS. 11 and 12  which is the flush mount collapsible cleat apparatus  46 . The primary difference in this embodiment of the present invention from the previous is that it employs a flush mount base  48  to both secure it to the mount surface  12  and to contain its remaining components. The flush mount base  48  is a generally rectangular device having an outer mount lip  49  surrounding a centrally positioned recessed cleat well  54 . The mount lip  49  contains a plurality of screw holes  52  which allow for the use of mount screws  50  to fixedly attach the flush mount base  48  to the mount surface  12 . 
   The recessed cleat well  54  as the place of pivotal attachment for the cleat member  18  and as such, operates in the same manner as described above for the previous embodiment of the present invention. The one exception to this is that the cleat member  18  when in the collapsed position is maintained below the surface of the mount surface  12 . This positioning of the cleat member  18  ensures that nothing will come into contact with it when it is not being used thereby enhancing the safety features of the present invention. Finally, the lower surface of the recessed cleat well  54  is equipped with a drain hole  56  which is in turn connected to a drain tube  58 . This configuration provides a means by which any water collecting within the recessed cleat well  54  can be drained off before it can interfere with the operation of this embodiment of the present invention&#39;s articulating components. 
   Although the present invention has been described in considerable detail with reference to certain preferred versions thereof, other versions are possible. Therefore, the spirit and scope of the appended claims should not be limited to the description of the preferred versions contained herein.