Patent Abstract:
A mobile winching system is provided, whereby a motorized winch, battery, and controller are mounted on a metal plate that is attached to and may be enclosed within a bag, wherein the metal plate has attachment points for coupling an anchor component to fix the winch system in position during a winching operation. The mobile winch in a bag system provides a way to transport and operate a winch in areas that are otherwise inaccessible by traditional vehicle mounted winches without the necessity of separately transporting the components of the system and with reduced setup of the components for use.

Full Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention generally relates to a mobile winching system whereby a motorized winch and power source are mounted to a metal plate that is secured inside a carrying bag or other similarly bag-shaped enclosure. This mobile winch in a bag system provides a way to easily transport and operate a winch in areas that are otherwise inaccessible by traditional vehicle-mounted winches and situations where carrying multiple separate components would be inconvenient. 
     A winch is a mechanical device commonly used for lifting or pulling loads by means of a rope or cable that is wound around a cylinder turned by an engine, a motor, or by hand. A winch is typically comprised of a bi-directional motor, which drives a cable drum around which a cable is wrapped. One end of the cable is secured to the drum while the free end of the cable includes a hook or other hook-like device. A typical winch has a cable made of wound metal strands, rope, chain, or other similar material having high tensile strength wound around the drum. Thus when the motor turns in one direction, the cable can be fed outwardly, and conversely, while the motor turns in the opposite direction, the cable is pulled inwardly, creating a pulling force on the cable and the hook. 
     A winch may be used in situations where a pulling force on an item is required and the winch is relatively fixed with respect to another object. Typically, a winch can be attached to a vehicle such as all terrain vehicle (ATV), snowmobile, four-wheel drive vehicle and the like. The winch can be used in a variety of ways to provide assistance to the vehicle driver. For example, one end of the cable may be attached to a stationary object and the winch used to help move or extricate the vehicle from a stuck position. Additionally, one end of the cable may be attached to an object in order to hoist or haul it, or to remove an obstacle from the road in order for the vehicle to pass. Additionally, a winch may be used in tree rigging and removal whereby the winch is attached to a tree to facilitate pulling the tree in the desired direction in which to fall. 
     While the vehicle mounted winch has multiple attributes, the shortcoming is that the winch is permanently coupled to the vehicle, and the winch can only be used in conjunction with the vehicle, or where the vehicle may maneuver. Moreover, as the winches are hardwired and powered by the vehicle&#39;s battery, extended use of the winch can reduce vehicle battery voltage to below starting requirements and may strand the operator without sufficient battery power. 
     While a person could transport a winch and power source separately to a location where a wench is necessary but inconvenient to take a vehicle mounted winch, the shortcoming is that transporting, assembling, using, and disassembling such a system is an inconvenience. Moreover, even if all of these components were transported together in an enclosure, they would require removal and setup before use. 
     Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a convenient, portable system and method of operating a winch in areas inaccessible by current vehicle-mounted winches that reduces the inconvenience of separate transport or setup of the components. Additionally, having an independent power source operating the winch avoids the problem of draining a vehicle battery. Further, it would be desirable to provide a small winch system that may be easily moved and handled by a single person, and which would be particularly useful for logging operations and other types of jobs that are necessarily located in remote places that provide challenges for positioning a vehicle with a mounted winch. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In accordance with one aspect of the invention, a mobile winch system in a bag shaped enclosure is provided. The winch system, in a preferred embodiment, generally comprises a metal plate; an anchor component affixed to the plate which is used to anchor the system in a fixed position; a battery power source mounted on or affixed to the plate; a switch and/or controller optionally mounted to the plate; and a motorized winch operatively coupled to the battery, switch, and/or controller and mounted on the plate, the winch comprising a motor or engine; a drum or winding mechanism; and a cable, rope, or the like, all positioned within an encloseable bag. 
     The metal plate is preferably rectangular in shape, fits inside the bag, and has attachment points for an anchor component, which protrude outside of the bag. The attachment points, in one embodiment, may take the form of a pair of protrusions, integrally formed with the metal plate, that extend outwardly through slits in the bag. The protrusions may define a hole therein, which may be used to attach a strap, cable, or the like, in order to secure the apparatus to a fixed object (such as a tree or stump, for instance). In a preferred embodiment, the metal plate is attached to the bag so that it serves as the floor of the bag for easy transport of the winch system. The winch and controller are preferably bolted to the metal plate to prevent movement and the battery is removably attached to the metal plate to allow for the interchangeability of batteries. An anchor component, such as a strap, and a switch may also be transported and stored within the bag. The bag may also define pockets for a switch, anchor strap, or other desired objects or accessories. The bag may also have handles to allow the winch system to be comfortably carried and a zipper or other means for closing the bag in order to enclose and protect the winch system. The winch system may be used independently of any additional vehicle or motorized transportation means, by a single person. The winch comprises a spool or drum around which a cable may be wrapped; a winding mechanism to wind the cable inward or feed the cable outward; and a motor that is coupled to and powered by battery. The free end of the cable may include a hook or similar attachment device for securing the cable to the item that is to be winched. Numerous winches are commercially available, and it should be understood that any suitable winch may be used as preferred by the user. 
     The mobile winch in a bag system further comprises a means for anchoring the system in a fixed position. This means preferably includes an anchor component such as a cable, strap, rope, or the like that may be removably affixed to the aforementioned protrusions extending from the metal plate in a location best suited for the winching operation; preferably such that the anchoring means provides a securing force that is opposite the pulling direction of the winch. This anchor component may be wrapped around or secured to a fixed object and secured to the present apparatus to stabilize the winch and maximize pulling force. In one embodiment, a heavy duty nylon strap may be removably attached to the metal plate, and may further wrap around or attach to a fixed object, like a large rock, stump or tree, in order to secure the winch system in place for a winching operation. This anchor component may be removably affixed to the metal plate with a clevis fastener, U-bolt(s), or any other suitable device. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with regard to the following description, appended claims, and accompanying drawings where: 
         FIG. 1  is a top view of one embodiment of the mobile winch system in accordance with one aspect of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a front view of one embodiment of the mobile winch system in accordance with one aspect of the present invention; 
         FIG. 3  is an back view of one embodiment of the mobile winch system in accordance with one aspect of the present invention; and 
         FIG. 4  is a cross sectional view at line  4 - 4  of the embodiment of the mobile winch system of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 5  is perspective view showing one embodiment of the mobile winch system in use during a winching operation, in accordance with one aspect of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       FIG. 1  illustrates one embodiment of a mobile winch in a bag system  10  generally comprising an anchor component  18  for anchoring the system  10  in a fixed position and a bag  12  enclosing the components of the winch system  14 , preferably comprising a metal plate  16  attached to the floor of the bag  12 , a battery  22  mounted on or affixed to the metal plate  16 , a motorized winch  28  mounted on the metal plate  16 , and a controller  24  mounted on the metal plate  16 . 
       FIG. 1  shows a generally rectangular shaped metal plate  16  inside a bag  12 , the metal plate  16  acting as a base for the winch  28 , a controller  24 , and a battery  22 . The metal plate  16  may also define attachment points  20  that protrude through slits or openings in the bag, and extend outside the bag  12 . These attachment points  20  may allow connection of the anchor component  18  to the apparatus. A single person can easily move the mobile winch in a bag system  10  to any physical location required by simply transporting the bag  12 . To aid in transport of the bag  12 , the bag  12  may have handles, wheels, straps, or other useful items. The bag may also have zippers, buttons, or other features to aid in enclosing and securing the winch system  14  within. 
     In a preferred embodiment, the battery  22 , controller  24 , and winch  28  may be mounted to the metal plate  16  inside the bag  12 . In a preferred arrangement, the winch  28  may be operatively connected to the battery  22 , a controller  24 , and mounted to the metal plate  16 . The winch  28  may be comprised of a motor  30 , winch drum  32 , and winch cable  34 . The winch drum  32  may be facing in an opposite direction from the attachment points  20  on the metal plate  16  such that the free end of the winch cable  34  may be pulled or extended in an outward direction relatively straight away from the winch  28  and attachment points  20 . The drum  32  may have a release mechanism, so that a user can simply release the drum  32  from the gears for unspooling the cable  34  therefrom. In that case, the drum  32  must be re-engaged with the gears (taken out of “neutral”) after the cable  34  has been spooled out as desired, and before commencing a winching operation. 
     Additionally, the bag  12  may feature an opening on the side closest to the winch drum  32  so that the winch cable  34  can be pulled through the side of the bag  12 . The cable slit in the side of the bag  12  allows the winch  28  to be utilized without removal of the winch  28  or the metal plate  16  it is mounted on from the bag  12 . The winch  28 , controller  24 , and battery  22  may be mounted or affixed to the metal plate  16  with bolts or the like. In a preferred embodiment, the battery  22  may be removably mounted to the metal plate  16  to allow the battery  22  to be replaced as necessary. Alternatively, a battery mount may be affixed to the metal plate, and the battery may be removably secured to the battery mount. 
     As shown in  FIG. 1 , the winch  28  may include an electric motor  30 , a drum/axle  32  coupled to and driven by the motor  30 , and a winch cable  34  wound around the drum/axle  32 . The motor  30  is electrically coupled to the battery  22 . The motor  30  drives the drum/axle  32  in either direction, as desired by the user. The winch cable  34  is wound about the drum/axle  32  such that rotation of the drum/axle  32  either retracts or extends the winch cable  32  thereon, as necessary. The free end of winch cable  34  may preferably include a hook attached thereto for attaching to an object to be winched in any suitable manner. When not in use, the free end of winch cable  34  may be pulled inside of the bag  12  to prevent uncontrolled movement of the cable  34 . Additionally, as in  FIG. 2 , a fairlead  36  may be attached to the bag  12  or to the metal plate  16 , over the opening in the side of the bag  12  from which the winch cable  34  exits, in order to preserve the life of the winch cable  34  by reducing the friction of winching operations, particularly between the opening in the side of the bag  12  and the winch cable  34 . As in  FIG. 1 , the winch  28  may be operated by a controller  24 . The controller  24  may be operatively connected to a switch  26 . The switch  26  may be physically attached to the controller  24 , as by a cable, or may be remotely attached. The winch  28  may be any suitable winch, many of which are commercially available, such as the Badland Winches 2500 LB Capacity ATV/UTV Winch or the Rugged Ridge Extreme HD ATV/UTV Winch, for example. 
     As in  FIGS. 3-5 , the metal plate  16  may also preferably include attachment points  20  that protrude through the bag  12  and allow attachment of an anchor component  18  for anchoring the system  10  in a fixed position. In a preferred embodiment, as shown in  FIGS. 1-5 , the anchor component  18  may be a tree trunk protector strap made of tough, high quality nylon, removably affixed to each lateral edge of the metal plate  16  at the attachment points  20  through the use of a clevis fastener and cotter pin. The attachment points  20  may be heavy duty metal rings welded to the metal plate  16  or may be holes defined by metal strips extending from the metal plate  16  either welded, bolted in place, integrally formed with the metal plate  16 , or affixed in any suitable manner, wherein the clevis fastener  16  may be removably attached to the metal ring  18  or holes defined by the metal strips. As shown in  FIGS. 3 and 5 , this arrangement provides that one end of the attachment component  18  may be released from the attachment points  20  allowing the attachment component  18  to be wrapped around a fixed object and re-attached to the attachment points  20 . It should be understood that other suitable removable attachment components may be utilized for anchoring the system  10  in a fixed position, as desired. Additionally, the anchor component  18  may be stored and transported within the bag  12  when not in use. 
       FIG. 5  illustrates the mobile winch in a bag system  10  as it may be used during operation. The system  10  may be manually transported by carrying of the bag  12  to a desired location. An important aspect of this invention is the ability to transport the winch system  10  over terrain and to locations inaccessible by current vehicle-mounted winches. During a winching operation, the anchor component  18  (strap) may be secured to a fixed object, such as a tree or stump, and the winch cable  34  may be extended outwardly and attached to the target object to be winched, as shown in  FIG. 5 . During the winching operation, it is noted that the system  10  may be raised from the ground as the winch cable  34  tightens. This placement depends upon the position and orientation of the end of the winch cable  34  and the anchor component  18 . 
     It is contemplated that the winch cable  34  may also be directed upwardly, toward the top of a tree that is being cut, for instance, and then the force exerted by the winch  28  is at a downward angle toward the winch  28 . In most cases, it will be necessary to use the anchor component  18  to prevent the winch  28  from moving, because otherwise, the winching operation is likely to simply move the winch system  10  toward the target object, rather than moving the target object toward the winch system  10 . 
     Although the present invention has been described in considerable detail with reference to certain preferred versions thereof, other versions are possible. Therefore, the spirit and scope of the appended claims should not be limited to the description of the preferred versions contained herein. All features disclosed in this specification may be replaced by alternative features serving the same, equivalent or similar purpose, unless expressly stated otherwise. Thus, unless expressly stated otherwise, each feature disclosed is one example only of a generic series of equivalent or similar features.

Technology Classification (CPC): 1