An Improved Cam-cleat.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 24th Jan., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 26th Oct., 1891--Accepted, 28th Nov., 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Cam-cleat.
I, WILLIAM HENRY MUNNS, of Victoria Chambers, 55 and 56 Chancery Lane,
in the County of London, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this inven-
tion (a communication to me from abroad by Albert McClure, of Sedalia, Missouri,
U.S.A. Inventor,) to be as follows:-
This invention has reference to an improved cam cleat, and it consists of a
standard which projects upwardly from the base-plate, and is bent over at its
upper end in the form of a hook. This standard has a biting surface.
A cam is pivoted in the standard, and is connected with a spring. A hand-hold
or lever is connected with the cam, and adapted to turn it, and thus slacken or ease
the line which passes through the cleat, at will.
COMPLETE
SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Cam-cleat.
'
I, WILLIAM HENRY MUNNS, of 106, 107, and 108 Victoria Chambers, Chancery
Lane, in the County of London, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention (a communication to me from abroad by Albert McClure, of
Sedalia, Missouri, U.S.A. Inventor,) and in what manner the same is to be
performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
My invention relates to an improvement in cam-cleats, designed to secure
ropes, hawsers, or cords, as may be desired, the size of the cleat depending upon
the use for which it is intended; and the object of my invention is to produce
a cam-cleat which will not only secure the rope, cord, or hawser automatically at
any desired point, but which also may be released from its grip on the rope or cord
quickly and without trouble.
I will now describe my invention, so that others skilled in the art may manu-
facture and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,
forming a part of this Specification, in which-
Figure 1 is a front elevation of my improved cleat.
Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same.
Fig. 3 is a plan view of a modification.
Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the same.
Fig. 5 is a plan view of another modification.
Like letters of reference indicate like parts wherever they occur.
In the drawings a represents a base-plate, which may be secured to the deck of
a vessel by suitable bolts b, to the side of a window-frame, or to any other place
where it is desired to use the cleat. Extending from this base-plate a are two
standards or supports cd, the standard-plate c being extended upwardly to a point
above the top of the standard d, and curved down over the same, leaving a space
between the end of the standard e and the end of the standard d, which ends
are designated as c¹ d'. Journalled transversely between the lower portion to
the standards ed is a shaft e, mounted upon which is a cam f, the upper edge
of which may be, preferably, serrated, and also may be provided with a con-
cavity g. Extending from this cam is a spiral spring, which spring may
encircle the shaft e, and at the other end may be connected to the base-plate a
Price 6d.

page_text: on its
by a rivet or screw j. The curved portion of the standard-plate c
lower face may also be serrated. Connected with the cam f is a handle or
lever, which may be either integral with the cam or may be a handle or lever
passing through sockets I m formed on the edges of the cam, as is shown in
Figs. 1 and 2.
The operation of this device, in so far as I have described it, is as follows: In
securing the rope, line, or hawser, it passes through the cleat between the
standard and the cam f, over the concavity in the cam, and the cam is
compressed on the rope by the spring i. When the hawser, rope, or cord has
been secured in the cleat, the action of the spring i keeps the cam f in position
toward the standard-plate e. As soon as the part of the rope is drawn taut binding
force is exerted by the action of the cam, which binding force becomes greater with
the increased strain on the part of the rope, owing to the action of the cam. For
this reason, when a rope becomes taut in the cam-cleat it is often difficult and
impossible to feed out the same. This may, however, be easily accomplished by
the use of the lever or hand-hold k, which allows the grip of the cam to be slackened
for withdrawing the rope from the cleat.
It is often desirable to fasten a hawser or rope by a cleat and lead it thence
at an angle to the line of the rope. This I accomplish by the modifications shown
in Figs. 3, 4, and 5, which I will now proceed more particularly to describe.
In the modification shown in Figs. 3 and 4, a standard c is fixed to the base-
plate a, and projects vertically therefrom, and a bearing face or projection c³
extends over the base-plate a transversely from the standard. The cam f is con-
structed as shown in these figures, and is pivoted on a pin e in a recess in the
base-plate a The spring encircles the shaft e, its ends 2 and 3 bear on
the base-plate and on the cam, and the cam is adapted to engage the rope between
its end and the face of the projection c*. A handle or lever is fixed to the cam,
and projects therefrom in the manner illustrated, and at its end is provided with
a hook or loop &, through which the taut part of the rope may be passed, and
from which it may be led at the desired angle, as shown in Fig. 4. The free end
of the rope passes over or is coiled upon the hook n, which projects from the
plate a. To disengage the cam from the rope, the lever k¹ should be grasped and
moved in the direction of the arrow A, the effect of which is to turn the cam on
its axis and to release the rope. The modification shown in Fig. 5 is the same as
that shown in Figs. 3 and 4, except that instead of having the lever k project from
the middle of the cam fit is fixed to the shaft e at the side of the base-plate a.
In this modification the cam should be keyed to the shaft e, whereas in the
forin shown in Figs. 3 and 4 it is not necessary that the cam should be so
keyed.
In the modification shown in Fig. 5 I show the lever provided with a single branch
loop instead of a double branch loop, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4.
I am aware that cam-cleats, either with or without a spring, are not new, and I
do not desire to claim the same broadly; but,
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :
The combination of a standard or plate having a biting-surface, a pivoted cam,
a spring connected therewith, and a hand-hold or lever connected therewith the
cam and adapted to turn the cam and slacken or ease the line through the cleat,
substantially as and for the purposes described.
Dated this 24th day of October 1801
W. H. MUNNS,
Applicant.