Patent Publication Number: US-5829377-A

Title: Cleat

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to a cleat for sailboats, motorboats and sailing yachts. 
     Cleats serve for fastening spring ropes or fender ropes and are so designed that they comprise at least a foot and at least a cleat arm laterally projecting over the foot. These cleats have the disadvantage that the protruding cleat arms form stumbling steps on which the boat passengers may injure themselves. Moreover, the ropes necessary for the operation of the sails on board a sailboat or sailing yacht may become unintentionally fastened to the cleats and in this way put into question the smooth running and safety of the sailing operation. In order to eliminate this disadvantage, there have already been proposed cleats which can be sunk into the deck. These may be moved out of the cleat housing which is sunk into the deck by applying an operating member. The disadvantage of these cleats lies in the fact that a flawless dewatering of the cleat housing requires extremely time consuming measures when the installation of the cleat is to be effected subsequently. Moreover, there is the danger of mechanical breakdowns, the repair of which is quite difficult. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is the object of the invention to provide a cleat for sailboats and motorboats, which in the idle condition can be brought into an attitude preventing the danger of injury but for operation can easily be brought into the operational attitude, which in the idle attitude prevents the effective engagement of rope and which comprises only abrasion-poor components as well as requiring no particular additional measures for dewatering. 
     According to the invention this object is achieved by those features specified in the characterizing part of claim 1. Advantageous forms of the invention are described in the dependent claims. 
     The cleat according to the invention comprises two cleat arms which are pivotably mounted on a base plate and which can locked into two end positions by way of a connecting device. The one end position forms the operational attitude in which the cleat arms are folded up. In the other end position the cleat arms are in the resting position and lie on the base plate or on the deck. With a curved design of the surface of the base plate in the region of the links, it is prevented that water may collect here. Additionally, the lower surface of the base plate may be curved upwardly in the region of the links in order to let out water entering the base plate and the deck. In the base plate in the region of the links, it is also possible to design an opening which serves for draining water entering into the cleats above the base plate between the cleat arms. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING 
     The invention is hereinafter described in more detail by way of the embodiment examples of the cleat according to the invention shown in the drawings. These show: 
     FIG. 1 is a lateral view of a cleat in accordance with one embodiment of the invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a plan view of the cleat shown in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 is a transverse view of the cleat shown in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 4 is a lateral view of a base plate of the cleat shown in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 5 is a plan view of the base plate shown in FIG. 4; 
     FIG. 6 is a transverse view of the base plate shown in FIG. 4; 
     FIG. 7 is another lateral view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, showing ball-shaped clamping member; 
     FIG. 8 is a transverse view of the clamping member shown in FIG. 7; 
     FIG. 9 is an exploded view of the clamping member shown in FIG. 7; 
     FIG. 10 is a lateral view of a cleat; 
     FIG. 11 is a plan view of the cleat shown in FIG. 10; 
     FIG. 12 is a transverse view of the cleat shown in FIG. 10; 
     FIG. 13 is a lateral view of another embodiment of a cleat; 
     FIG. 14 is a plan view of the cleat shown in FIG. 13; 
     FIG. 15 is a transverse view of the cleat shown in FIG. 13; 
     FIG. 16 is a lateral view of another embodiment of the cleat, showing a compressed spring shown therein; and 
     FIG. 17 is a lateral view of another embodiment of the cleat, showing cleat arms having toothed-shaped sections. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The cleat 1, 2, 3, is composed of a base plate 4 on which two cleat arms 5 are pivotably mounted and lockable in an upper end position 8 and a lower end position 7 by way of an elastic clamping member 6, whereby the cleat arms 5 in the upper end position 8 are arranged in the operational attitude and in the lower end position 7 lie on the base plate 4. The upper side 9 of the base plate 4 is curved in a crowned manner in the region of the links 10 of the cleat arms 5. The lower side 11 of the base plate 4 is likewise curved in a crowned manner in the region of the links 10. 
     Two middle webs 12 facing each other and each with an opening 13 are formed on the base plate 4. The cleat arms 5 comprise two parallely arranged lateral flanges 15 at a distance from one another, likewise each with an opening 14. A link bolt 16 is guided through the openings 13 and in each case pivotally mounts a cleat arm 5 onto a middle web 12 of the base plate 4. 
     In each case, a recess 18 is designed on the end sections 17, facing one another, of the cleat arms 5. Between these recesses there is arranged an elastic clamping member 6. The cleat 1 comprises a clamping member 6 which is formed as an elongate body 19 with a crowned lateral surface 20. The cleat 1a comprises a ball as an elastic clamping member 6. With the cleat 2, the clamping member 6 is formed as a generally perpendicularly arranged egg-shaped body 21, with which, in the idle position of the cleat arms 5, a section 22 of the body 21 projects over the surface of the cleat arm 5. In order to bring the cleat arms 5 in their operational position, it is only necessary to bring pressure on the projecting section 22 for example by using a foot, whereupon the cleat arms 5 fold upwards. It is possible design the lower located section between the cleat arms 5 ball-shaped as a clamping member 6. The cleat 3 represented in FIGS. 13 to 15 comprises a further clamping member 6 which is formed as a generally horizontally arranged egg-shaped body 23. With this body 23, in the idle position of the cleat arms 5, a flattened body section 24 projects over the surface of the cleat arms 5. This body 23 is led up to the plane of the lateral surface of the cleat arms 5. With this clamping member 6, it is likewise possible to form that section of the clamping member 6 which is located between the cleat arms 6 ball-shaped. The described elastic clamping members 6 may be formed for example of rubber and additionally serve to dampen the noise on opening the cleats 1, 2, and 3. On lifting the cleat arms 5, the elastic clamping members 6 come to rest on the stop surfaces of the lateral flange 15 on the base plate 4, so that on locking, only a muffled sound occurs. This is particularly advantageous when members of the crew or guests are sleeping below deck. 
     With that cleat 30 represented by way of FIG. 16, the elastic clamping member 6 is designed as a compression spring 25 the end section of which comprising shell-shaped spring plates 26. The spring plates 26 in each case are mounted in a recess 18 of the end section 17 of the cleat arm 5. With this cleat 30, the base plate 4 is formed shortened such that the cleat arms 5 project over it. 
     FIG. 17 shows a cleat 13, in which the connecting device arranged between the cleat arms is composed of rigidly formed connecting means which are mechanically engaged with one another. Each rigidly formed connecting means is arranged on the end section 17 of the cleat arm 5 and comprises a toothed section 27. The toothed sections 27 are formed on those surface sections, facing one another on the end face sides, of the lateral flange 15 of the cleat arms 5, and are so aligned that the teeth 28 and teeth recesses facing one another are rigidly engaged with one another. Also with this cleat 31, the base plate 4 is so formed that the cleat arms 5 project over it.