GB2488181A

GB2488181A - Horse blanket storage bar and hoist

Info

Publication number: GB2488181A
Application number: GB1102997.2A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Kate Newell; John Newell; Christopher Newell; Sarah Newell; Hannah Johnson
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2011-02-21
Filing date: 2011-02-21
Publication date: 2012-08-22
Anticipated expiration: 2031-02-21
Also published as: GB201102997D0; GB2488181B

Abstract

A hoist 1 for equine rugs includes a supporting bar 7 with notches or grooves 8 spaced along its length at specific intervals, a supporting rope 4, a double pulley 6 incorporating a clutch and single pulleys 5a 5b and 5c which allow the bar 7 to be raised and lowered by hand. The hoist may include hooks 9 located in the notches 8 for supporting rugs. The notches 8 prevent the rug hooks 9 moving from designated positions or sliding in the event of an inclined rug support bar 7. Wall brackets 2, 3 may offset the equine rug hoist 1 from a mounting surface. The rope 4 may be secured via a cleat 10 which is attached to a supporting wall or member.

Description

Title: Equine Rug Hoist

Description

This invention relates to a device used for storing and managing equine rugs.

Background

When storing equine rugs in a stable environment, the current method is to manually hang the rugs from various points usually over improvised supports or lines in a stable or rug room in order to prevent the rug from being damaged or causing injury to stable occupants.

However, the rugs in this way are often draped over stall partitions or hung from unsafe and impractical points attached to stable walls. This practice leads to a number of issues; 1. Weight of rug. An equine rug can weigh up to 12kg each (wet) and are often contaminated with mud, faeces and urine. Lifting them to a hanging pokit is time consuming and difficult for a significant percentage of domestic or commercial users.

2. Accessibility. When stored in the manner described above the rugs are stored in close proximity they are unable to dry thoroughly and if stored in layers of one rug over another there is also difficulty accessing a specific rug when needed.

3. Safety. From observation, the hanging points are insecure, prone to the failure of fixing or suspending twine and therefore liable to compromise the welfare and safety of horse and or groom.

Statement of Invention

To overcome these issues, the proposed invention comprises means of supporting a number of equine rugs and also provides the means to raise and lower the rugs in a controlled manner using a series of ropes and pulleys operating on a notched bar and fabricated hooks threaded through the securing points of an equine rug.

The pulleys, via a rope, supports a wooden beam that has a series of notches set at specific intervals that relate to the pitch of the supporting hooks. The notches form a series of grooves of sufficient depth to permit the secure placement of the hooks even when the beam is inclined at an angle.

Preventing the laden hooks from sliding to the lowest point of the beam in the event of uneven raising of the beam enables the spacing of rugs on the bar to be maintained.

This has the advantage of: 1. Facilitating airflow to encourage drying of each rug.

2. Reducing cross-contamination of one rug to another 3. Reducing the wear and tear incurred during rough handling of the rugs 4. Avoiding close user contact with soiled rugs The use of a rope pulley hoist enables a single user to manage between one up to a maximum number of rugs depending upon the size of the supporting bar and strength of component parts of the solution. The anticipated maximum number of equine rugs for a 1.8 metre supporting bar is 5.

The use of a pulley with incorporated clutch mechanism prevents the uncontrolled descent of the supporting bar.

Detachable rug hooks allows the user to engage the rug hook with the equine rug minimising the user contact with the potentially soiled rug. Once attached to the rug the rug hook is then placed over the supporting bar prior to the equine rug hoist being further loaded or raised to an appropriate height by means of the rope through the pulleys. For further security the rope is tied of to a wall cleat and the excess rope stowed above the reach of the stable occupant.

The equine rug hoist will now be descrrneci ry exampie and in conjunction with accompanying drawings (sheets 1 and 2) in which Figure 1 shows the assembled equine rug hoist (1) and 3 rugs, Figure 2 shows a detail of the notched or grooved supporting bar (7) with rug hook (9) and notches (8) and Figure 3 shows an example equine rug hoist supporting bracket (2) and attached double pulley with clutch (6). The rope has been omitted for clarity from this Figure (Figure 3).

In Figure 1 an equine Rug Hoist (1) includes brackets (2,3) that attach to a vertical wall or partition by means of fixings suitable for the purpose. Attached to the brackets is single pulley (Sb) and double pulley with incorporated clutch (6). These pulleys are attached to the supporting bar (7) by means of a continuous rope (4) which is threaded through the pulleys (Sa, Sc) and secured to a cleat (10). The raising and lowering of the supporting bar (7) is by means of shortening and lengthening of the rope (4) threaded through the pulleys (Sa, Sb, Sc, 6). Equine rugs are supported by means of hooks (9). The hooks (9) engage with notches (8) set into the supporting bar (7).