Abstract:
A line length adjustment device includes a strap having a rope loop attached to one end, the other end wound up on a winder core in a housing which has a rope loop at an end opposite a slot receiving the strap. A gripper element normally engages the strap to lock it in any adjusted length, which is manually releasable to allow unwinding of the strap.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    This invention concerns winding devices for adjusting the effective length of flexible tethers or supports such as mooring lines used to secure boats to docks or pilings, clothes lines, tent guy lines, etc. 
         [0002]    Traditionally, the length of such lines has been adjusted with the use of knots. This necessitates the need for tying the knots properly in order to insure that unintended loosening will not occur, and is relatively time consuming. In addition, the excess length of the lines is left exposed and creates a tripping hazard in the case of mooring lines left on a dock, or requires time consuming coiling up of the excess length of the lines. 
         [0003]    While various adjustment devices have been devised in the past, most of these are bulky, complex and inconvenient to use. Such adjustment devices when applied to boating use must have sufficient strength to secure the boat in heavy weather. In addition, boaters generally prefer an attractive traditionally nautical look of any equipment which will provide a “ship shape” storage of lines without requiring an inordinate amount of effort. Prior adjustment devices did not adequately provide such qualities 
         [0004]    It is an object of the present invention to provide a line length adjustment device which is compact, reliable and convenient to use, and which has an attractive appearance and enables neat stowage of excess line. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0005]    The above recited object of the invention is as well as other objects which will be understood upon a reading of the following claims are achieved by a winding device including a compact housing attachable to a fixed anchoring with a rope loop having ends fixed to one end of the housing. 
         [0006]    A wind up core is rotated within a storage chamber defined within the housing by a finger engagable rotator disc attached to the windup core and recessed into the outside of the housing to present a trim appearance. A strap is inserted into a slot at another end of the housing and received in entrance slot in the wind up core to be wound thereon upon rotation of the windup rotator disc by the user. 
         [0007]    A gripper element is loosely disposed in a convergent cavity in the housing adjacent to the entrance slot and opposite a fixed surface over which the strap passes in extending to the wind up core. 
         [0008]    The gripper element has a release feature protruding out through a hole in the case. A main body of the gripper element has a toothed edge normally positioned to engage the strip passing over the fixed surface Any attempted pull out or unwinding of the strap causes movement of the gripper element further into the convergent cavity, creating a wedging action strongly resisting pull out of the strap. A deflectable wing feature extends from the main body disposed engaging a fixed shoulder formed in the housing interior. The deflectable wing positions the locking element toothed edge so as to engage the strap. 
         [0009]    The gripper element feature can be moved by pushing on the release feature so as to deflect the wing feature in a direction to advance the gripper element in a direction away from the convergency of the cavity so as to allow disengagement of the toothed edge from the strap and allow the strap to be pulled past the toothed edge and unwound from the core. This allows the wind up strap to be pulled out of the housing. 
         [0010]    The strap outer end is preferably attached to a rope loop to give an overall nautical look to the device. 
     
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES 
         [0011]      FIG. 1  is a pictorial view of the line length adjustment device according to the present invention. 
           [0012]      FIG. 2  is fragmentary enlarged pictorial view of the opposite side of the adjustment device shown in  FIG. 1 . 
           [0013]      FIG. 3  is an exploded pictorial view of a housing and wind up components included in the device shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 . 
           [0014]      FIG. 4  is an enlarged view of the housing with the top removed depicting internal features a length of strap in phantom lines. 
           [0015]      FIG. 5  is a pictorial further enlarged size view of the housing with the top removed showing a portion of the strap and rope endings. 
           [0016]      FIG. 5A  is a reduced size view of the housing with the top, a winding core and a gripper element removed to more clearly show the inner details of the housing. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0017]    In the following detailed description, certain specific terminology will be employed for the sake of clarity and a particular embodiment described in accordance with the requirements of 35 USC 112, but it is to be understood that the same is not intended to be limiting and should not be so construed inasmuch as the invention is capable of taking many forms and variations within the scope of the appended claims. 
         [0018]    Referring to the drawings, the device  10  according to the invention includes a housing  12  which is generally diamond shaped with rounded corners, generally longer in a lengthwise axis passing through opposite ends than across the width to present a trim appearance. The housing  12  is advantageously made up of molded plastic components, the plastic preferably of high strength such as glass filled nylon or the like. 
         [0019]    A first rope loop  14  has ends fixedly attached to one end of the housing  12  to define an anchoring element for securing the device to an anchoring structure such as a stanchion, dock, piling, etc. 
         [0020]    A high strength strap  16  such as of woven nylon has one end passed into the housing  12  through a slot  18 . 
         [0021]    A second rope loop (preferably of nylon or other durable high strength fiber) is sewn to the free end of the strap  16 . 
         [0022]    The housing  12  may be of a two piece construction, with a hollow base  20  and cover  22  enclosing a storage cavity  24  within which the strap  16  can be wound up. 
         [0023]    This is achieved by a winder core  26  having a slot  28  for receiving a sewn loop  30  of the strap  16  so that when the core  26  is rotated, the strap  16  will be wound up thereon. 
         [0024]    The strap windings will be fit within the generally circular storage chamber  24 . 
         [0025]    A winding spool disc  30  is affixed to one end of the winder core  26  comprising a flat disc having a finger graspable raised bar feature  32  molded thereon enabling manual rotation thereof by a user. 
         [0026]    The winder core  26  passes into chamber  24  through a hole  39  in the base  20  opposite end of the winder core  26  is secured to a retainer disc  34  with a screw  38 . 
         [0027]    The winder disc  30  is received into a recess  38  molded into the bottom of the hollow base  20  to maintain the trim appearance of the device  10 . 
         [0028]    The cover  22  is also formed with a recess  40  receiving the retainer disc  34 . 
         [0029]    The ends  18 A,  18 B of the rope loop  14  pass over a saddle feature  12  molded into the base  20  and the ends are bent down into cavity  44  and a clamped with a saddle feature  46  on the cover  22  when the cover  22  is assembled to the base  20  with pairs of screws  48  and  49 . 
         [0030]    The rope ends  18 A,  18 B are thus secured to the one end of the housing  12  by this clamping action as well as by being held with the ends bent over at 90° by the installed cover  22 . 
         [0031]    A gripper element  50  is received in a convergent cavity  52  defined in the other end of the housing  12  opposite a fixed surface  54  also defined in the housing base  20  by an integral portion  55 . The strap  16  passes over the fixed surface in extending into the storage chamber  24  and onto the winder core  26 . 
         [0032]    The gripper element  50  has a tapering shape complementary to the convergent cavity  52 . A straight, toothed edge  56  extends along the wider end of the gripper element  50  extending across the height of the surface  54  and the portion of the strap  16  overlying the surface  54 . 
         [0033]    The gripper element  50  is normally yieldingly held in the convergent space  52  so as to be wedged therein by a deflectable wing portion  58  which curls out and hooks over a fixed stop  60 . The one end of the gripper element  50  protrudes through a slot opening  62  in the cover  22  which is larger than that end, such that a button feature  64  can be engaged with a finger of the user. 
         [0034]    This allows the gripper element  50  to be shifted manually in a direction out of the convergent cavity  52  by deflection of the wing portion  58  so as to disengage the sharp edge  54  from the strap  16  and create a clearance to allow the wound up length of the strap  16  to be unwound and pulled out of the housing  12  to increase the free length of the strap  16 .