Lifting Hooks

This invention relates to lifting hooks.

Conventional lifting hooks have a generally J-shaped body whose shorter leg has a free end or tip which tapers substantially to a point. The disadvantage of such a tapering tip portion is that, in the event that the hook is pivoted substantially about the eye of the hook, the resistance to disengagement of a cable or rope decreases towards the tip with obvious risk of complete disengagement.

An object of the present invention is to decrease this risk.

Another object is to provide means in such a hook for protecting a spring-loaded safety catch from damage.

According to a feature of my invention, a safety catch pivoted to the longer leg of a generally J-shaped hook body, near an eye formed at the top of that leg, is provided with abutment means coming to rest against the longer leg in the vicinity of its fulcrum in an operative position of the catch, athwart the hook mouth defined by the J, the catch terminating short of the tip of the shorter leg of the J in that operative position so that a cable or other load-lifting member, introduced into the hook mouth and coming to rest on a load-supporting bight portion of the hook, will clear the retracted latch and will let it swing into its operative position under the action of its biasing spring even if that member has a relatively large diameter.

Advantageously, the catch swingable within the hook mouth is bracketed by several protective formations integral with the hook body, such as a progressively widening tip portion of the shorter leg and a pair of lateral, longitudinally extending ribs on the longer leg which are generally parallel to the shorter leg; the catch, in its operative position, may also be overhung by a pair of lateral projections formed by the rim of the eye. The fulcrum of the catch lies between the tip of the shorter leg and the ribs of the longer leg.

According to another advantageous feature of my invention, the catch is fully retractable into a longitudinal depression of the longer leg formed by a boss above its fulcrum and a shoulder below its fulcrum.

Two embodiments of my present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is an elevation of a hook representing a first embodiment of my invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the body of the hook, with omission of a catch seen in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the catch of the hook shown in FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 4 is an elevation of a second embodiment, the catch being shown partially in section, in its operative position; and

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4, but with the catch shown in its retracted position.

In FIGS. 1 to 3 the body of a lifting hook 1 is shown on which a safety catch 2 is swingable about a pivot pin 3, adjacent the eye of the hook.

The catch 2 has a substantially U-shaped cross-section, with a concave side facing the longer leg of the generally J-shaped hook body, so that in a retracted position it straddles that leg as indicated in phantom lines in FIG. 1. A transverse recess 4, formed in the hook-engaging part of the catch, is defined by two ears 5 and is traversed by the pivot pin 3 which is threaded into an aperture 6 of the body 1 and into respective openings 7 of the ears 5. A hairpin spring 8 is seated on the pin 3 and bears with respective limbs upon the body 1 and upon an inner face of the catch 2. The spring thus biases the catch into its operative or retaining position athwart in which an edge 4a of the recess 4 of the catch abuts the hook body in the vicinity of its eye. It will be seen that, in the operative position referred to, the free end of the catch 2 does not abut the tip portion 13 of the hook but lies at a precertain distance from this tip portion. When the catch 2 is moved to its retracted position, the edge 2a swings along a segment of an imaginary cylinder 9 (dot-dash line) of relatively short radius, which enables a cable 10 or other load-lifting member of large diameter to engage the hook. If this cable should tend to become disengaged from the hook, the torque which it exerts on the catch is reduced in comparison with conventional lifting hooks since the lever arm of the catch is small.

Above the pin-receiving aperture 6, the eye of the hook has a rim with two opposite lateral appendices or projections 11 which lie above the ears 5 of the catch and blend progressively into the eye rim. The appendices 11 protect the catch and enable it to have a relatively large transverse dimension or width. As a result, the pin 3 can be long and can have a diameter sufficiently large to resist breakage.

Further, the body 1 of the hook comprises, adjacent to the catch 2, two lateral ribs 12 with sloping flanks 12a adapted to act as ramps or cams. The tip portion 13 of the hook, instead of being pointed as in conventional hooks, is of substantial width in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the hook, i.e., parallel to the axis of the eye, this tip widening progressively from the bight of the J formed by the hook body towards the free end of the shorter leg thereof in a continuous and symmetrical manner with respect to the median plane of the hook (thus to a plane bisecting the catch 2 as viewed in FIG. 1). The maximum dimension (width) of the tip portion 13 exceeds the general thickness of the body of the hook and is at least equal to the height F of the load-bearing section at the bight of the J. Furthermore, the width of the hook at the appendices 11, that is to say its dimension in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the hook, and at the ribs 12 is substantially equal to the maximum width of the tip portion 13.

Thus, the catch 2 is overhung at its front, back and top by the tip portion 13, the appendices 11 and the ribs 12 which thereby enable the hook to be deflected under load in relation to the cable 10 without risk of damage to the catch. The fulcrum 3 of the catch 2 will be seen to lie between the tip 13 and the ribs 12.

Surface grooves 1a are provided in the intermediate portion of the hook body and substantially reduce the weight of the hook without weakening it.

In the embodiment of FIGS. 4 and 5, the tip portion 13 of a modified hook 1' is again enlarged, from the bight of the J towards its free end, the maximum width of this tip exceeding the thickness of the hook body and being at least equal to the height or depth F of the load-bearing section as in the preceding embodiment. The safety catch 2 is of the same shape as that in FIGS. 1 to 3 and operates in the same way.

Here, too, the catch in its retaining position does not abut the tip portion of the hook but is spaced therefrom by a certain gap. When the catch is retracted to its inoperative position, its edge 2a swings again over an arc of an imaginary cylinder 9 of relatively small radius, which enables engagement in the hook of a cable 10' of large diameter. If this cable tends to disengage the hook and bears upon the catch, the torque which it exerts on the catch remains small because of the short length of the lever arm of the catch.

On its internal wall, the body 1' comprises a projection or shoulder 14 which, when the catch 2 is in its retracted position, lies adjacent the edge 2a of the catch, substantially in the plane P of the catch or slightly beyond this plane. This projection 14 thus prevents the cable 10', whose diameter exceeds the distance d separating the tip portion 13 of the hook from the catch in its retracted position and which has been introduced into the mouth of the hook by being slightly flattened, from wedging itself against the wall of the hook body and the edge 2a of the catch. The cable 10' substantially maintains its oval cross-section and can thus be removed through the mouth of the hook in the same manner in which it was introduced.

Further, the body of the hook 1' comprises, on its internal wall, a second projection or boss 15 which lies at the eye 16 of the hook and outwardly of the catch 2. This projection is spaced from the tip of the hook by a distance which is generally of the same size as the clearance d, but which can be a little larger, as shown. If it were attempted to insert a rigid bar 17 of a diameter slightly larger than the distance d into the mouth of the hook, the projection 15 would prevent such introduction. In the absence of this projection, the bar 17 could reach the position 17' and strike the catch which might then be damaged, the boss 15 thus acting as a protective formation extending to the plane P in line with the exposed surface of the retracted catch. Shoulder 14 and boss 15 will therefore be seen to define between them a longitudinal depression into which the catch 2 is fully retractable when swung inwardly from its operative position. As in the preceding embodiment, catch 2 is also shielded by the lateral ribs 12 and the widened tip 13 between which it is bracketed.