US2264555A - Capstan - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 2, 1941 I ROGERS 2,264,555

. CAPSTAN" Filed March 14, 1941 2 .Fa WIN J EOGEfQS ATTORNEY.

Patented Dec. 2, 1941 UNETED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CAPSTAN Edwin J. Rogers, Oakland, Calif.

Application March 14, 1941, Serial No. 383,287

5 Claims.

This invention relates to capstans as used principally on shipboard for winding ropes therearound, and the invention has for its principal object an improvement in such capstans which obviates the present necessity of holding the free end of the rope while the main run of the rope is being wound upon the drum of the capstan by revolving the same either by hand or by power.

Other objects of the invention are simplicity of construction whereby the principal object is carried out. The various features and advantages of the invention will be set out in detail in the following description and accompanying drawing.

In the drawing- Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a capstan embodying my improvements and with a portion broken away to show the ratchets,

Fig. 2 is a vertical central section of the capstan showing the internal construction.

Fig. 3 is an upper end view or plan of the upper end of the capstan showing the form of the upper flange and the four-armed rope cleat which revolves with the capstan when the latter is turned.

Before describing the invention in detail it may be said that the ordinary capstan has a vertically positioned tapered drum with a smaller diameter at the outer end and which. outer end is bounded by the upper flange. In using the capstan to wind a rope, the rope is first pulled taut by hand and wound around the capstan drum with several turns and, while then holding the loose end of the rope or having another person hold it, the capstan is revolved to put as great a tension on the work-rope as is desired or wind it up to the desired extent. After winding up the rope to the required degree around the capstan, the loose end is fastened to a rope cleat on the deck or other fixed portion of the ship.

When desiring to slack off on the rope the party holding the lose end of course slacks off on it and the turns around the capstan will gradually unwind, but will stop at any time when the loose end is again pulled.

Applicants invention provides means on the capstan itself for frictionally holding the loose end of the rope so that one man may conveniently handle the entire job; that is, he may pull volved. By this means the rope is held taut and may be revolved by the hand ratchet in the usual way to wind up as much as desired. The ratchet of course will hold the capstan in any position with the rope wound upon it, and at any time the same operator.,may release the rope from the cleat to the degree desired to let the rope play out again. 7

This simpleconstruction requires no manipulation other than the normal manipulation required and there are no loose parts on the capstan except those already in use on it.. p

In the drawing, l denotes a solid foundation such as the, deck of the ship. 2 denotes the base or fixed portion of' the capstan which is, in the present showing, a round disk bolted through its margin to the foundation or deck I by means of countersunk bolts 3. This basemember 2 is formed integral with or is permanently affixed to a central vertical shaft 4 centeredupon, and revolvable around which is the capstan drum 5. This capstan drum is of the usual tapered form in being relatively large at the bottom and tapered smaller to its upper end, where the smallest diameter 6 terminates in an outwardly directed upper flange 1 as is common in most capstans. Internally the drum 5 is hollow and formed with a downwardly extending elongated hub 8 which embraces the vertical shaft 4. At the base of the capstan is provided means for revolving it by hand, and ratchet means for holding it in any position afterturning. This is common incapstan construction, though the details of the ratchet may be novel in the present showing. The base member 2 is formed with a step in its marginal edge. Such step is designated 9 in the drawing and revolvably mounted in this step is a looseratchet ring ID. The ring has an outwardly projecting lug H at one point and over which lug is fitted a detachable handle l2 normally held by a pin or set screw l3 so that it will not slip off the lug H. The use of such a pin or set screw is, however, optional as the handle may be held in place by pushing it toward the ratchet ring in use. This ratchet ring'carries a plurality of vertically slidabl'e ratchet pins 14 which move freely up and down in holes I5 drilled in the upper side of the ratchet ring, and the pins are normally urged upward by springs [6.

These pins in moving upward engage in any of a series of ratchet openings l'l formed in the outer marginal underside of the drum 5 as best indicated in the broken away portion of Fig. 1. The ratchet openings or notches as they may be called are slanted at one side so that the drum may be revolved one way only and will lock against reverse direction as indicated by the drawing. By pulling the ratchet arm I2 toward the observer in Fig. 1 the drum will be revolved clockwise by the action of the ratchet pins [4 engaging the recesses I! of the drum. However, the ratchet ring will be free to return again for a new position of engagement providing the drum 5 is held in the position to which it was turned. To so hold the drum against reverse action a second row of ratchet openings or notches I8 is formed in the upper inner stepped margin 19 of the drum and into which notches other ratchet pins 20'(formed like the ratchet pins l4) are slidably mounted in holes 2| bored in the upper margin of the base member 2 and urged upwardly by springs 22.

A particular feature of novelty of applicant's construction is the provision of rope notches 23 cut through the flange I at the upper end of the drum. In the showing there are four of these notches as best seen in Fig. 3 and through any of which the free end of the rope may be passed upward and then engaged around the tapered base of rope cleat 24 which is rigidly secured to the upper end of the drum 5 either by fastening thereto or by integrally casting thereto as shown in the drawing. This rope cleat 24 is formed with four prongs instead of the usual two used on most rope cleats, set at right angles to one another, and each of which tapers down underneath as shown at 25 to a rope compressing crevice adapted to keep the rope from slipping when wound around it in the manner of winding any rope around a cleat.

This four-armed cleat has a countersunk open- 4 ing 26 in its upper end and which countersunk opening continues as a bore downwardly through the hub 8, of the drum to act as a bearing around the vertical shaft 4. Within this countersunk portion of the cleat is a large countersunk screw 2'! shouldered as at 28 to fit tightly against the upper end of the shaft 4 and hold the drum operatively against its base yet permit it to freely revolve. The thread of the screw being right hand, any friction upon the screw in revolving the drum under working pressure will of course tend to keep it tight.

In Fig. 1 of the drawing an operating rope is shown in position and designated 29. The free end of the rope is designated 29' and is shown passing up through one of the slots 23 in the upper flang I and wound around the cleat with a partial turn, and passed over the top of the cleat for an additional winding about the same as may be desired.

From the above description the operation will be readily understood and the merits and advantages of the device, especially when incorporated in small capstans as used on yachts which must be operated by one person, will be appreciated.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. A capstan comprising a base plate adapted for securing to a boat, a shaft rigidly secured to and projecting from said base plate, a ropedrum revolvably mounted on said shaft and having a projecting flange at its outer end, and a rope cleat rigidly secured to and extending transversely of th outer end of said drum arranged for frictionally securing the free end of a rope extended from said drum.

2. A capstan comprising a base plate adapted for securing to a boat, a shaft rigidly secured to and projecting from said base plate, a ropedrum revolva-bly mounted on said shaft and having a projecting flange at'its outer end, an open notch in the edge of said flange through which a rope may readily pass from the drum and a rope cleat rigidly secured to and extending transversely of the outer end of said drum arranged for frictionally securing the free end of a rope extended from said drum after passing through said notch.

3. In a capstan having a base plate adapted for securing to a boat, a rope drum rotatably mounted on said base plate and hand-operated ratchet means for turning the drum, the improvement which comprises providing a rope wedging rope cleat secured to the outer end of said drum and having at least two arms extending transversely of the drum.

4. In a capstan having a base plate adapted for securing to a boat, a rope drum rotatably mounted on said base plate and a projecting flange at the outer end of the drum and handoperated ratchet means for turning the drum, the improvement which comprises providing a rope wedging rope cleat secured to the outer end of said drum and having at least two arms extending transversely of the drum and a plurality of notches open through the edge of said flange to freely pass a rope from said drum to said cleat.

5. In a capstan having a base plate adapted for securing to a boat, a rope drum rotatably mounted on said base plate and hand-operated ratchet means for turning the drum, the im-- provement which comprises providing a rope wedging cleat secured to the outer end of said drum and having four rope wedging arms extending transversely of the drum and open notches through the edge of said flange, one between each pair of cleat arms to freely pass a rope from the drum to said cleat.

EDWIN J. ROGERS.

Images