Patent ID: 7275492

Claim:
An anchor rope lock, comprising: a stationary base plate having an upper surface for passage of an anchor rope in a generally horizontal direction thereover; a pivoting locking shoe for engaging said anchor rope so that said shoe pivots about a generally horizontal axis towards a locked position in response to tension applied to an anchor end of said rope and towards an unlocked position in response to tension applied to a free end of said rope, said locking shoe comprising: a body portion having said axis proximate an upper end thereof; a lower surface on a lower end of said body portion that moves towards said upper surface of said base plate so as to compress said rope as said shoe pivots towards said locked position and that moves away from said upper surface of said plate so as to release said rope as said shoe pivots towards said unlocked position; a passage extending generally normal to said lower surface that moves towards a vertical orientation so as to force said rope into a bend as said shoe pivots towards said locked position, and that moves towards a horizontal orientation so as to straighten said bend as said shoe pivots towards said unlocked position; and a toe portion that projects from said lower end of said body portion and that has said passage formed therein; and a fairlead that directs said anchor rope from said passage in said shoe towards said anchor end of said rope; said passage in said shoe being located on a side of said body portion that is towards said fairlead when said shoe is in said locked position, so that said rope passes under said lower end of said body portion and is directed towards said fairlead from an upper end of said passage, and a greatest portion of weight of said body portion of said shoe being located on a side of said body portion that is away from said fairlead when said shoe is in said locked position, so that said weight of said body portion urges said shoe to pivot downwardly from said unlocked position towards said locked position.