Abstract:
A mooring device including two telescoping tubes, a pair of ropes for securing a boat to a dock or piling, and a spring biasing the ropes and/or tubes with respect to one another to adjust to changes in waves and/or tides, while maintaining the boat at a safe distance from the dock or piling.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention relates to mooring devices for securing a boat to a piling, cleat, or other element of a dock, and more particular, to a spring line assembly, which is easy and convenient to handle and enables a boater to quickly moor and secure a boat. 
   Operators of boats are often faced with the task of safely and easily bringing boats to a stop adjacent to a dock and then trying to moor the boat with suitable docking lines or ropes. In the past, a boater had to often cast or throw a loose line to a person on the dock or attempt to throw a loop formed at the end of the line around the post or piling in order to secure the boat to the dock. As an alternative, boaters can use boat hooks to grapple for a post, while at the same time, attempt to keep the boat from smashing against the post. These prior methods are unreliable and often result in damage to the operator&#39;s boat or other boats that may be docked nearby. 
   Additionally, when the boat is moored to a dock and/or piling, via a rope around one of the boat&#39;s cleats attached to the dock, the rope generally has limited stretching capabilities. Thus, if the boat rocks and moves away from the dock, then the rope may become taut and pressure may be then put on the hull of the boat, especially at the location of the tied cleat. This may cause undesirable stress and fractures in the hull. Additionally, if the boat is secured too tightly, the boat will have greater and more frequent impacts with the dock. If the boat is secured too loosely to the dock, it is able to gain momentum before collision with the dock, allowing damage to the boat and/or dock. Wakes created by passing boats, persons moving about on the boat, or waves, will generally cause the boat to impact the docking object and/or place stress on the rope. 
   Marine bumpers may be used to cushion the boat from impact with the dock and/or pilings. These bumpers are generally placed between the boat and the docking object to dampen the impact between the two objects. However, there may still remain some stress applied to the boat cleats or some damage due to the impact of the boat, despite the use of marine bumpers. 
   To further explain the force that a boat receives while docked, a great deal can be explained by examining the mooring line used to moor a boat. It is very well known that the wake from a passing vessel or waves causes the mooring lines of the boat to first relax, gather some slack, and then, as the wave ebbs, the lines become taut, imparting a shock in the line, which is transmitted to the boat itself. The shocks applied are disruptive, as well as having deleterious effects on the mooring lines, boat, and dock. Repeated applications of impact loads gradually stretch and weaken the mooring lines, and can damage the boat and docking objects. 
   Therefore, there is a current need for an apparatus that is easy to use and has shock-absorbing qualities to help facilitate the safe mooring of a boat to a dock. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   One aspect of the present invention relates to a mooring device that includes a first tube and a second tube telescopingly received within the first tube and extendable between a retracted and an extended position. A spring member operably couples the first tube and the second tube and biases the second tube towards the retracted position. A rope is attached to the first end of the first tube and a second rope is attached to the spring member, both ropes being used to moor a boat to an associated dock and/or piling. 
   Another aspect of the present invention relates to a mooring device that includes a first tube and a second tube telescopingly received within the first tube with a longitudinally extending hollow interior space within the second tube. A first rope is attached to the first tube and operably coupled to a coil spring. A second rope is operably coupled to the coil spring, such that the coiled spring biases the second rope towards the first rope, while the second rope extends through the interior space of the second tube. The ropes are used to moor the boat and the spring coil allows the device to compensate for changes in waves while maintaining the moored boat at a safe distance from the dock. 
   The present inventive mooring device provides an inexpensive device that allows for easy docking of a boat and maintains the boat at a safe distance from the dock, despite changes in waves. The assembly is easy to utilize, by even an unskilled person, is economical to manufacture, capable of a long operating life, and is particularly well adapted for the proposed use. 
   These and other features, advantages, and objects of the present invention will be further understood and appreciated by those skilled in the art by reference to the following specification, claims and appended drawings. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a spring line assembly; 
       FIG. 2  is a longitudinal and cross-sectional view of the spring line assembly embodying the present invention; and 
       FIG. 3  is a fragmentary top perspective view illustrating a boat that has been moored to a dock using the spring line assembly. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
   For purposes of description herein, the terms “upper,” “lower,” “right,” “left,” “rear,” “front,” “vertical,” “horizontal,” and derivatives thereof shall relate to the invention as oriented in the figures. However, it is to be understood that the invention may assume various alternative orientations and step sequences, except where expressly specified to the contrary. It is also to be understood that the specific devices and processes illustrated in the attached drawings and described in the following specification are exemplary embodiments of the inventive concepts defined in the appended claims. Hence, relative dimensions and other physical characteristics relating to the embodiments disclosed herein are not to be considered as limiting, unless the claims expressly state otherwise. 
   Reference numeral  2  generally designates a spring line assembly embodying the present invention. In the illustrated example, the spring line assembly  2  comprises a first rope  10  with a spliced loop  12  at one end to loop around a piling  28  ( FIGS. 1-3 ). The first rope  10  passes through a hole drilled in a 1-inch end cap  8  of the device and is spliced around a 5/16-inch bolt  14 . The bolt  14  passes through one side of the end cap  8 , through a larger telescoping tube  4 , through a loop  20  on one end of a spring  16 , through the other side of the larger telescoping tube  4 , and lastly, through the other side of the end cap  8 , and is held in place with a 5/16-inch lock nut  30  on the threaded end of the bolt  14 . Thus, the spring loop  20 , the portion of the bolt  14  through which the loop  20  passes and the portion of the first rope  10  that is placed around the cleat or piling are concealed within the inside of the larger telescoping tube  4 . For the illustrated embodiment, the larger telescoping tube is a 1-inch PVC pipe. 
   While the spring  16  is held in position by the 5/16-inch bolt  14 , the opposite end of the spring  16  has a loop  22 , which is attached to a second rope  18 . The second rope  18  is spliced to that spring loop  22  and passes through the center of a smaller telescoping tube  6 . In the illustrated embodiment, the smaller telescoping tube  6  is a ½-inch PVC pipe and is approximately 48 inches in length. The smaller telescoping tube  6  passes through a ⅝-inch hole drilled into the 1-inch end cap  26  of the other end of the larger telescoping tube  4 . The smaller telescoping tube  6  acts as a protective sleeve to prevent the second rope  18  from chafing as it slides in and through the end cap  26  of the larger telescoping tube  4  while in use. As illustrated, the smaller telescoping tube  6  may be coupled to the spring  16  by the splicing of second rope  18  to spring loop  22 . In this manner, the smaller telescoping tube  6  extends between a retracted position and an extended position in addition to protecting the second rope  18  from chafing. 
   The spliced loop  12  of the first rope  10  is looped around a piling  28 , for quick and easy docking of a boat  34  to a dock  36  or piling  28  (see  FIG. 3 ). The spliced loop  12  of the first rope  10  can be utilized to lasso the piling  28  or dock cleat  38 . The second rope  18  is tied to a rear cleat  32  of the boat  34  and may also be tied to a dock cleat  38  with some tension applied by pulling on the second rope  18 , while keeping the boat  34  at a safe distance away from the dock  36 . The tension on the device will keep the boat  34  away from the dock  36  throughout the tidal range. When properly setup, two spring line assemblies, one on each side of the boat  34 , are sufficient to keep the boat  34  docked (see  FIG. 3 ). There is no need for additional ropes when docking in this manner. 
   If the person utilizing the spring line assembly  2  chooses to tie a loop in the second rope  18  at the correct location, he or she will only need to unhook the tied loop of the second rope  18  at cleat  32  when leaving the dock  36  and rehooking the tied loop of the second rope  18  when returning to the dock  36 . This process makes docking simple, safe, and secure without having to worry about retying lines during storm tides or flood tides. When properly setup, the device will compensate for tides, waves, or wakes, keeping the boat  34  away from the dock  36  and/or piling  28 . As illustrated, the spring line assembly  2  is completely self-contained and portable. 
   In the foregoing description, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that modifications may be made to the invention without departing from the concepts disclosed herein. Specifically, different sizes and types of pipe may be utilized for the telescoping tubes, and therefore, different sizes and types of bolts, springs, bungee cords and other tensioning devices, lock nuts, and end caps will be a part of the invention without departing from the concepts disclosed herein. In addition, the smaller telescoping tube  6  may be attached directly to the spring loop  22 , or may be entirely independent of the spring  16 , such that it only protects the second rope  18  from chafing. Such modifications are to be considered as included in the following claims, unless the claims, by their language, expressly state otherwise. 
   The above description is considered that of the preferred embodiments only. Modifications of the invention will occur to those skilled in the art and to those who make or use the invention. Therefore, it is understood that the embodiments shown in the drawings and described above are merely for illustrative purposes and not intended to limit the scope of the invention, which is defined by the following claims as interpreted according to the principles of patent law, including the doctrine of equivalents.