There are known and used various forms of hooks having a releasable lock piece in the hook opening to prevent the unintentional release of the hook from its fastening point or from objects attached to the hook.

From Norwegian patent no. 79926 there is known a hook for use as a hoisting hook, for example, of the type mentioned above.

In cases where a hook of this type is used as a mooring hook for engagement with a mooring post, ring, or the like, the hook must be attached to the end of a mooring hawser, hooked into a mooring ring or post with said locking piece in opened position so that said post/ring may be passed into the hook opening which is then closed by the lock piece which pivots back into locking position and is held there with the aid of a release means which, in this known hook embodiment, must be manipulated manually on the hook itself for release of the lock piece in disengaging the hook from the ring or post. Even if this known hook were to be altered such that the release means could be actuated from a distance with the aid of a line, it would not be possible to disengage the hook from the mooring post or ring, since it would still maintain its orientation, so that when tension is imparted to the mooring hawser or release line, the hook would continue to hang onto the post or ring.

In mooring systems for boats it may be necessary in many instances to disengage the mooring hook and hawser from the mooring post or ring while at a distance therefrom, i.e., by remote release of the mooring hook from the operator's place

in the boat. This enables a single person, from his locatio at, for example, the helm where he has full control of th motor and steering, to release the forward and aft moorin hawsers, depending on weather, wind and other conditions, and draw them on board the boat while simultaneousl maneuvering the boat with the rudder and motor to come out o a difficult situation caused by waves, wind and current.

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a hook, particularly a mooring hook, which can be used inter alia in the above described manner in a mooring system, which according to the present invention is achieved by means of the features disclosed in the characterizing clause of the following independent claim 1 and the subsequent dependent claims.

The invention will be described in more detail with the aid of the following embodiment examples and with reference to the following drawings, where

Figure 1 shows in perspective an embodiment form of the hook according to the invention, in use as a mooring hook with a mooring hawser and release line, attached to a mooring post.

Figures 2 and 3 show the same in two different operational stages during release of the mooring hook from the mooring post.

Figure 4 shows the hook positioned on the mooring post but with unfastened lock piece, which will be brought into active locking position over the hook opening by tension imparted to the mooring hawser.

Figure 5 shows an embodiment form of the hook seen from the side with the hook cover removed to show the interacting hook components with the lock piece in locked position.

Figure 6 shows the same as Figure 5, but with the lock piece in open (released) position.

Figures 7 and 8 show another embodiment of the mooring hook with the lock piece in, respectively locked position and free, open position.

Figure 1 thus shows a hook having in the hook opening le thereof a pivotably mounted and releasable lock piece 3 which in active position closes the opening le of the hook 1. The hook 1 is shown in use as a mooring hook for engagement with a mooring post, ring or the like A, having an attachment point lc for a hawser 2 at one end la of the hook 1. A release means 4 for lock piece 3 is disposed between the hawser attachment point lc and the free end lb of hook 1. Release means 4 Is movably disposed within, and projects out from, the back Id of hook 1 opposite opening le in hook 1, and is provided at the free end thereof with fastener 4a for release line 6. Fastener 4a is situated at a distance from line B through the hawser attachment point lc and the central part of the inner contact surface If of hook 1. Pulling on release line 6 in the direction of tension (C) for the mooring hawser (2) imparts a torsional moment on hook 1 for rotation and displacement thereof on mooring post A, whereby said mooring post A slides on contact surface If toward and into opening le of hook 1 for release. This assumes that lock piece 3, when hook 1 is in said pivotal position, has already been or will be, with continued pull on release line 6, released by release means 4, and disengages from mooring post A.

The rotation of hook 1 when release line 6 is pulled is shown in Figure 2, where mooring post A rests against the inner surface of lock piece 3 in hook opening le. ^" With an extra tug on release line 6, release means 4 will be rotated on its pivot point 4b in hook back Id for actuation of lock

piece 3, which then pivots freely outward from hook 1 an disengages with mooring post A, as shown in Figure 3.

Release means 4, in its locking position for lock piece 3, as shown in Figure 1, can rotate in only one direction about its pivot point 4b, viz. away from release line 6. In this manner hook 3 will be rotated about post A by the pulling tension on release line 6, as mentioned above. When hook 1 is rotated into the position as shown in Figure 2 with the post in contact with lock piece 3, it will be possible for the release means to be rotated in its releasing direction due to the displacement of pivot point 4b during said rotation of hook 1 over to the opposite side of the direction of pull in release line 6, imparting a rotational moment to releasing means 4 in its direction of rotation.

To facilitate the rotation of hook 1 on mooring post A when release line 6 is pulled, the inner limiting surface of hook 1, at least from the contact surface If and outward toward the free end section lb of hook 1, is concavely curved, preferably in a circular arc.

In the figures, hook 1 with a closed lock piece is shown as a circular ring which permits hook 1, under tension in mooring hawser 2, to rotate on mooring post A, bringing it to rest against contact surface If of the hook. At the same time, the above mentioned rotation of hook 1 on post A is facili¬ tated by pulling on release line 6.

Release means 4 is, as shown in Figures 5 and 6, pivotably mounted with pivot point 4b in hook back Id and is with the aid of spring 7 pretensioned into its closed inner position for releasable engagement with lock piece 3 in its locking position for hook opening le. Pivot point 4b is displaced in the direction away from release line fastener 4a toward the free end section lb of hook 1, whereby there arises, through the aforementioned rotation and displacement of hook 1 on

mooring post A with the aid of a pull on release line 6, a torsional moment that causes release means 4 to pivot away from its closed inner position and out of locking engagement with lock piece 3.

Lock piece 3, due to the aforementioned circular configura¬ tion of hook 1, is shaped as a semi-circular arc and is pivotably mounted at its central sector In pivot point 3a near the free end lb of hook 1. The lock piece's inner part 3b and the end 3b' thereof are adapted for locking engagement with a stop surface 4c on the lateral edge of release means 4, facing the inside of hook 1. The free end 4d of release means 4 is swung into closed position, resting against stop surface lg on the inner limiting edge of hook 1, whereby release means 4 is only pivotable in one direction with the aid of release line 6 for releasing of the inside end 3b' of lock piece 3. A spring 8 in the form of a leaf spring is secured at one end thereof in a holding slot in release means 4 at the pivot point 4b thereof, and rests against the inner part of lock piece 3 to cause lock piece 3 to swing out on release from the stop surface 4d on release means 4.

In a practical embodiment of hook 1 with the circular form shown in the figure, the hook is constructed of two outer hook plates 1' and 1'', which are identically shaped and provided with aligned holes by which to bind them together with the aid of pins. These holes and pins may, for example, be pins in pivot points 3a and 4b in addition to, if desired, another hole lh near the attachment point lc for the hawser.

Between said hook plates 1' 1'', are placed spacer pieces such as, for example, 14 and 15 as sfc wn in Figures 5 and 6, thereby to allow room for the movable components such as release means 4 and lock piece 3, as well as pretensloning springs 7 and 8.

Said spacer pieces 14, 15 may either be produced individuall and attached to hook plate 1'', or may be made through filin down a hook plate blank.

On assembly of the hook's components, hook plate 1'' may, fo example, be provided with pins for pivot points 3a and 4b a well as a connecting pin in hole In, whereafter lock piece and release means 4 are mounted pivotably on said pins. Pre tensloning springs 7 may be inserted in groove 15a and pre- tensioning springs 8 may be inserted in a holding slot i release means 4, to rest with the free part thereof in the space between spacer piece 14 and the inner part 3b of lock piece 3 when the latter is swung into closed position. Thereafter the second, or in the figure the top, hook plate 1' is placed over hook plate 1'', aligning the holes therein with the aforementioned pins in pivot points 4a and 4b and hole lh, and the entire assembly may be locked together by clenching or welding the pins or in another expedient way.

Instead of fastening the mooring hawser 2 directly in the hawser attachment point lc, an attachment arm lc' is provided in attachment point lc, onto the other end of which is fastened mooring hawser 2.

Another embodiment form of the hook is shown in Figures 7 and 8, where release means 4 is constructed of an elongate member 4', displaceably mounted in a guide 4' 'running transversely to the back Id of the hook. Release member 4' is provided with a fastener 4a for release line 6 at the outer end thereof and is pretensioned by means of spring 16 toward its inner position for releasable engagement with the inner end 3b' of lock piece 3. To prevent the extraction of release member 4', a projection 4''' is provided at its inner end, to. engage with stop surface 15a in spacer piece 15 on hook plate 1' ' .

When lock piece 3 is swung back from its open position to closed position in both embodiment forms for the hook, the lock piece's inner part 3b .with inner end 3b' will push release means 4/release member 4' back against tension springs 7 and 16, respectively, which release means then snaps into place due to the spring effect and secures lock piece 3 against outward pivoting.

The preferred intended utilization of hook 1 is the use in connection with mooring systems for boats, where mooring hawser 2 and release line 6 run longitudinally to each other during use. To keep the release line from getting entangled with occasional objects while it hangs down loosely from the mooring hawser 2 in a mooring situation, slide-through guides 9 are provided for release line 6 on mooring hawser 2 at a suitable spacing D to ensure mutual free longitudinal movement when release line 6 is actively pulled for release, and to prevent mooring hawser 2 and release line 6 from tangling or winding about each other during use and when being stored/coiled up.

The guide 9 comprises a guide member 10 having two parallel holes 11,12 therethrough, of which one hole 11 constitutes the guide for release line 6, and the other hole 11 is the attachment means for mooring hawser 2 and is provided with a fastening means 13, for example, a set screw.