Abstract:
A carabiner provided with a load bearing apex portion having a rubber sleeve for preventing side-to-side slippage of said carabiner on a rounded handle of a mobile vehicle such as a stroller or shopping cart.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0002]    This invention relates to a carabiner, and more particularly, to a carabiner in the form of a C-shaped structure having an articulated gate member which may be opened and closed to form a secure, hook-like hanger or carrier for a plurality of articles. 
         [0003]    2. Description of the Prior Art 
         [0004]    Carabiners have long been used in climbing, for example, to hang and hold ropes from used in the climbing process, as shown for example shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,095,316; 4,811,467; 5,005,266; 5,329,675; and 6,606,769; and 6,622,354. 
         [0005]    Recently, the function of a carabiner has been expanded to hang articles from a clothing belt, such as keychains, restrain dogs on a leash, or even hang packages, diaper bags, camera bags, or shopping bags from a mobile vehicle such as a baby stroller, shopping cart, or the like, having a cylindrical handle. However, the carabiner has the tendency to slip from side to side on the handle, under the weight of the article being hung from the carabiner and/or because of the motion imparted to the held article. While U.S. Pat. No. 6,606,769 shows a webbing sewn around the bottom straight portion of a carabiner to preclude slippage of an article, such as a dog leach strap attached to it, it does not teach the use of an anti-slip device on a carabiner attached to a cylindrical or tubular handle on which the carabiner is mounted or attached. Such a device would preclude shifting of the load held on the carabiner and damaging the load and possibly hitting a child in the stroller or shopping cart or the person using the mobile vehicle. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    Accordingly, it is the object of this invention to provide an economical, simple to manufacture, easily adjustable, non-slip device on an apex, or load supporting portion of a carabiner which is adapted to be hung universally on different types of round-handled carriers in order to provide security and safety for a person needing to hang items from the carrier. 
         [0007]    This is accomplished by forming the carabiner with an apex on the upper end of the C-shaped, gated carabiner, forming a discrete load bearing surface for hanging the carabiner from a rounded handle on the carrier and covering the apex with a non-slip rubber sleeve. The sleeve fits over the apex of the carabiner, which then hangs on the carrier handle and with the hung load, frictionally prevents side to side movement of the carabiner along the handle. In one specific embodiment, the sleeve extends substantially to the pivot of the hinge of the carabiner, to ensure its extended frictional engagement with the support member on which the carabiner is reposed. 
         [0008]    Alternatively, the sleeve can extend from the apex adjacent the gated member to cover the other leg of the C-shaped carabiner to prevent non-slippage of the items hung on the carabiner. 
         [0009]    In another embodiment, the rubber sleeve can also be provided with finger grips, so the carabiner may function as a carrying handle or used in the conventional manner to hang articles, but with a finger grip at the apex to prevent slippage as the finger grip “cups” the handle. 
         [0010]    Of course, it is possible to use the carabiner on handled carriers whose handles are non-rounded or provided with irregular shapes, such as pegs mounted on a wall and the non-slip material may be a suitable plastic. Even a knurled surface formed on the underlying metal of the carabiner is within the scope of the invention. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0011]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the carabiner of the present invention; 
           [0012]      FIG. 2  is a cross-sectional view of the carabiner of  FIG. 1  taken substantially along the plane indicated by line  2 - 2  of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0013]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the carabiner of  FIG. 1  in open position; 
           [0014]      FIG. 4  is a front view in elevation of the gate member of the carabiner of  FIG. 3 ; 
           [0015]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the carabiner of  FIG. 1  with the non-slip sleeve surrounding the apex and opposite leg of the carabiner; 
           [0016]      FIG. 6  is a side view in elevation of still another embodiment of the carabiner of the present invention, which can be used as a carrying handle; 
           [0017]      FIG. 7  is a perspective view of the carabiner of  FIG. 1  in use on a rounded handle of a shopping cart or stroller; and 
           [0018]      FIG. 8  is a perspective view of the carabiner of  FIG. 6  illustrated as being used as a carrying handle. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0019]    Referring now to the drawings in detail, wherein like numerals indicate like elements throughout the several views,  FIG. 1  illustrates one embodiment of the carabiner  10  of the present invention. 
         [0020]    As shown, carabiner  10  is formed of an essentially C-shaped member  12 , and includes a gate member  14 , articulated about a pivot pin  16 . C-shaped member  12  and gate member  14 , when gate member  14  is in closed position as indicated in  FIG. 1  are generally oval in configuration, except that the upper portion of C-shaped member  12  is formed with a rounded, shortened, apex portion  18  to serve as a load-bearing surface when the carabiner  10  is hung on a rounded handle  20 , as indicated in  FIG. 7 . 
         [0021]    A rubber sleeve  22  extends about the C-shaped member  12  from a point adjacent to pivot pin  16  and encompassing at least the apex portion  18  of the member  12  as shown in  FIG. 1 . The sleeve  22  when the carabiner  10  is hung from a rounded handle  20 , generates sufficient friction under load to preclude side-to-side movement of the carabiner  10  on the handle  20 . 
         [0022]    If desired, the sleeve  22  can extend about the bottom portion  24  of the C-shaped member  12  to further preclude slippage of the items loaded onto this portion of the carabiner  10 , as shown in  FIG. 5 . 
         [0023]    Further, as shown in  FIGS. 6 and 8 , the carabiner  10  may be used as a carrying handle in its own right, by providing finger grips or indentations  26  in the sleeve  22 . 
         [0024]    During manufacture, the sleeve  22 , may be slid on the apex portion  18  by opening the articulated gate member  14 , by pivoting the member  14  inwardly about pivot pin  16  and sliding the sleeve  22  along the tubular or cylindrical gate member  14 , until fully seated on the C-shaped member  12 . The upper and lower opposed ends  28 ,  30 , respectively, of the C-shaped member  12  are flattened to receive the tubular end  32  of gate member  14  and pivot pin  16  therethrough. A leaf spring  34  is received in tubular end  32  and in the end  28  of C-shaped member  12  on a bias or angle between the ends  28 , 30  so that when the gate member is opened inwardly about the pivot pin  16 , the leaf spring  34  will exert a force on the tubular gate to return it to a closed position where the opposite end  36  having a pin  38  therethrough of the tubular gate member  14  is received beneath a flattened hook  40  extending above end  30  of C-shaped member  12  to latch the gate member  14  in closed position under the urging of leaf spring  34 .