Patent Publication Number: US-2013248790-A1

Title: Apparatus for Spooling An Anchor Line

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to raising and lowering of marine anchors, and more particularly, to an apparatus for guiding an anchor line as it is being spooled to an onboard winch. 
     For centuries marine vessels have utilized anchors. In general an anchor is a device designed to engage the bottom of a body of water and resist misplacement forces acting on the marine vessel. The anchor is secured to the vessel by an anchor line, which can be a cable, chain, or rope. The anchor line is traditionally wound (or “spooled”) onto flanged drums and barrels for storage and to facilitate paying out of the line, as it is needed. Most vessels have bow chocks, which are fittings usually on the rail of the bow of a vessel, which serve as fairleads for the anchor line, or anchor rode. Typically, two bower anchors are used on the vessel, each operationally connected to a respective windlass. 
     The anchor line of each anchor is distributed evenly along the length of the spool drum or spool barrel so that the maximum amount of line can be wound onto a single barrel. While in larger boats, spooling gear is used to guide the line onto the barrel surface in the desired position along the length of the barrel smaller boats rely on manual guiding. A deckhand uses a crow bar to guide the anchor line and prevent overlapping of the line in one location of the spool drum. As the spool is rotated the deckhand moves the crow bar parallel to the axis of the drum to gradually move the anchor line and cause it to wind on the spool barrel in a spiral fashion. 
     When the anchor line reaches the end of the drum and comes in contact with the flange the deckhand reverses his position and guides the anchor line to the opposite flange. The second anchor line has to be spooled in the same fashion on a separate spool on the opposite side of the boat. Such process is not only time consuming but is also labor intensive. The present invention contemplates elimination of drawbacks associated with the conventional spooling methods and provision of an apparatus for anchor line spooling that distributes the anchor line in a spiral fashion along the length of the winch drum to achieve a level wind of the anchor line. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method for spooling an anchor line in a spiral manner over a winch drum. 
     It is another object of the invention to provide an apparatus for spooling an anchor line that can be easily disengaged when the anchor is being paid out such as during freespooling. 
     It is a further object of the invention to provide an anchor line spooling apparatus that is equipped with a disengaging clutch for releasing the rode during freespooling. 
     These and other objects of the invention are achieved through a provision of a spooling assembly is mountable between a marine anchor and a rotatable winch spool to facilitate spiral winding of the anchor line of the spool. The spooling assembly has an independent power source, which moves a chain and a trolley connected to the chain along a path substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of the spool. The trolley has rotating element, between which the anchor line is engaged. The anchor line is oriented in a direction substantially transverse to the longitudinal axis of the spool. When the trolley moves to and fro along set tracks the anchor line is guided to wind on the winch spool in a spiral manner. An emergency release air clutch allows freespooling of the anchor. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Reference will now be made to the drawings, wherein like parts are designated by like numerals, and wherein 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic view illustrating position of the apparatus of the present invention on a boat. 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the anchor line spooling apparatus according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 3  is top view of the anchor line spooling apparatus according to the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAIL DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Turning now to the drawings in more detail, numeral  10  designates the apparatus for spooling an anchor line according to the present invention. The apparatus  10  comprises a base plate  12  configured for mounting on a deck  14  of a boat  16 . The base plate  12  has a generally L-shaped configuration, with a first longer portion  18  extending a direction generally parallel to an axis of rotation of a winch drum or winch barrel  21  of a winch  20 . A second shorter portion  22  of the base plate  12  extends at a right angle to the first portion  18 . The base  12  can be formed from a variety of rigid materials. 
     A support frame  24  is configured for mounting on the base plate  12 ; the support frame  24  is mounted within the borders defined by the base plate  12 , as shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3 . The support frame  24  acts as a lower travel guide for a sliding trolley assembly  30 , which is adapted to move in a direction substantially parallel to the axis of rotation of the winch drum  20 . The support frame  24  can be formed from an angle iron or similar material and have a rectangular configuration extending along a major part of the first portion  18  and into the second portion  22  of the base plate  12 . 
     An adjustable stanchion plate  26  is secured to the base plate  12  adjacent the support frame  24 . The stanchion plate can be secured to the base plate  12  using bolts, screws and the like. The stanchion plate  26  supports stanchions of the chain assembly, as will be explained below. 
     The trolley assembly  30  comprises four rollers  32 ,  34 ,  36 , and  38 , which are rotatably mounted between a lower travel guide  40  and an upper travel guide  42 . The travel guides  40  and  42  can be formed from Teflon if desired. The rollers  32 ,  34 ,  36 , and  38  are positioned in pairs, with the roller  36  being in front of the roller  32 , and the roller  38  being in front of the roller  34 . The rollers are spaced from each other to a distance sufficient for an anchor cable  50  to pass between them from an anchor  52  to the winch drum  20 . It will be understood that a second spooling apparatus  10  is mounted for use with the second winch mounted on the boat  16  for spooling the cable  50  from the second anchor  51  to the second winch drum  21 . 
     The lower travel guide  40  slides along the path defined by the support frame  24 . The longitudinal dimensions of the support frame  24  are substantially equal to the longitudinal dimensions of the winch drum  20 ,  21  so that the trolley assembly  30  moves back and forth in front and parallel to, the winch drum  20 ,  21  when spooling the rode  50 . The upper travel guide  42  engages a chain assembly  54 , which is mounted above the base plate  12  using stanchion blocks  60 ,  62 ,  64 , and  66 . 
     A sprocket  61  is supported by the stanchions  60 ,  62 , and a sprocket  65  is supported by the stanchions  64 ,  66 . The sprocket  65  is operationally connected to a power source  70 , which can be a hydraulic or electric motor. A top chain tray  72  extends between the stanchions  60 ,  62  and  64 ,  66  supporting the chain assembly  54  above the trolley assembly  30 . 
     The top chain tray  72  can have a generally H-shaped cross section with upwardly and downwardly extending flanges, so that a chain  55  of the chain assembly  54  travels within a trough defined in part by the upwardly extending flanges. In this manner, a possibility of the chain displacement with respect to the top chain tray  72  is minimized. The chain  55  wraps almost entirely around the chain tray  72  and is attached, at it&#39;s opposite ends, to retaining blocks  31 ,  33  of the trolley assembly  30 . If desired, a Teflon wear pad can be positioned between the top chain tray  72  and the chain  54  to minimize wear on the top chain tray  72 . 
     A power assembly  72  comprises the motor  70  having a rotating drive shaft  74  extending therefrom. A distant end  76  of the drive shaft  74  has a generally square cross section. The distant end  76  is configured for engaging a male jaw clutch  78 , which forms a part of a clutch assembly  80 . The clutch assembly  80  is mounted between the sprocket  65  and the power source  70  and is configured to disengage the chain assembly from the power source during freespooling. A female jaw clutch  82  is configured for mating engagement with the male jaw clutch  78 . The female jaw clutch is stationary, while the male jaw clutch is configured for co-axial movement between an engaged position with the female jaw clutch and a disengaged position. 
     A clutch assembly  83  is operatively mounted between the chain assembly  54  and the power source  70 . The clutch assembly comprises an air cylinder  84 , which is provided with a reciprocating arm  86 . A free end of the reciprocating arm  86  is connected to a pivotal arm  88 . The reciprocating arm  86  extends in a substantially parallel relationship to the drive shaft  74 , while the pivotal arm extends at a right angle thereto. The pivotal arm  88  is engaged by a pivot pin to a bracket  90  through which the reciprocating arm  86  extends. The pivotal arm  88  carries a yoke  92 , which supports the male jaw clutch  78 . 
     When the reciprocating arm  86  of the clutch assembly  83  is activated by the clutch air cylinder  84  the male jaw clutch  78  moves into engagement with the female jaw clutch to transmit torque from the drive shaft  74  to the drive sprocket  65  and thus to the chain assembly  54 . During freespooling, the air clutch assembly is disengaged, and the male jaw clutch is moved out of engagement with the stationary female jaw clutch  82 . The torque is then is no longer transmitted to the drive sprocket  65  and the chain assembly  54 , allowing the anchor  51 ,  52  to lower unto the water in a freespooling style. 
     The power assembly  72  and the clutch assembly  83  are operationally connected to an onboard control  100 . An operator  102  can operate the starboard or port spooling apparatus  10  by synchronizing movement of the trolley assemblies  30  mounted between the winches  20  and the bower anchors  51 ,  52 . When the anchors  51 ,  52  need to be lifted the winches  20  are energized by separate power means (not shown). The drums begin to rotate winding the cable or rode  50  onto the drums. Contemporaneously, the operator  102  activates the spooling assembly  10  by engaging the air clutch assembly  30  to the power source assembly  70  and delivering movement to the chain assembly  54 . The operator  102  can set the speed of to and fro movement of the trolley, synchronized with rotation of the drum of the winch. 
     The trolley assembly  30  is activated by the movement of the chain assembly  54 , pulling the trolley back and forth along the tracks of the support frame  24 . As the rollers  32 - 38  rotate, the anchor cable  50  is guided for winding on the winch drum  21  along the drum&#39;s entire length, not just on top of each other, moving in a direction substantially transverse to the longitudinal axis of the winch drum. Since the length of the tracks of the support frame  24  is substantially equal to the length of the winch drum  21 , the rode  50  is wound in a spiral fashion along the entire length of the winch drum  21 . The direction of the trolley is reversed 180 degrees once the operator sees that the rode  50  reached one or the other of the flanges  23  or  25  of the winch drum  21 . Once the anchor rode has been spooled, the spooling assembly  10  can be de-energized. 
     When the anchor  50 ,  51  needs to be lowered into the water the spooling assembly  10  can be energized again and the anchor gradually lowered into the water. During freespooling the apparatus  10  is deactivated by the clutch assembly  83  allowing the anchor line  50  to quickly move between the rollers as it is being pulled by the anchor. The clutch assembly offers a safety feature when the anchor line needs to be release in an emergency. 
     The spooling apparatus of the present invention provides an easy to operate and efficient guiding assembly for controlling direction of the anchor line as it is being paid out or pulled for winding on a winch spool. It can be modified in both arrangement and detail. For example, a sensor assembly could be provided for synchronizing rotation of the winch drum and the trolley movement. Any number or combination of panel mounted and handheld control circuits can be used on the control  100 . They may be all connected to the same sensor assembly so that the winches and the spooling assemblies will all work in unison. 
     Many other changes and modifications can be made in the design of the present invention without departing from the spirit thereof. I, therefore, pray that my rights to the present invention be limited only by the scope of the appended claims.