The present invention relates to a safety hook of the kind which cαπprises a curved hook body having a hook opening which is defined by a U-shaped part, said hook body being pivotally connected to a hook head which carries a pivotal shackle device and which hook body in a first open position is held pivoted relative to the hook head so the hook opening is open, therewith enabling a load to be hooked onto the hook body, and wherein the hook body in a second, closed position is pivoted relative to the hook head such as to block the hook opening by means of an outwardly projecting barrier part of the hook head, and wherein a latching device is provided for releasably securing the hook body essentially in said second position.

Safety hooks this general kind are known to the art. However, no hook which provides an attractive solution with regard to its function and manufacture and which is adapted to enable a load to be placed on the hook in a simple and secure fashion and which allows the hook to be releasably secured is not known to the art at this present time. The present invention relates to such a solution.

Thus, the invention relates to a safety hook of the kind which include a curved hook body which is provided with a hook opening defined by means of a generally U-shaped part and which is pivotally connected to a hook head which carries a pivotal or swingable shackle device or like device, and wherein the hook body, in a first, open position is held swung relative to the hook head so as to leave the hook opening open and thereby allow a load to be readily hooked onto the hook body, and wherein the hook body in a second, closed position is swung relative to the hook head so that the hook opening will be blocked by means of a barrier part projecting out from the hook head, and wherein latching devices are provided for releasably securing the hook body from being moved unintentionally from essentially said second position.

Ωie hook is mainly characterized in that the hook body is held in said first position by means of a spring force, wherein the weight distribution on the hook is such that the U-shaped part will open

essentially horizontally in a vertical plane when no load acts on the hook and the hook hangs substantially freely, and wherein when the U- shaped part is subjected to a downwardly acting load, said part will swing against a spring force towards and into said second, closed position, said spring force striving to return the hook body to said first position.

The invention will now be described in more detail with reference to an exemplifying embodiment thereof and with reference to the accom- panying drawings, in which

Figure 1 is a schematic sectional view of a first eiubodi ent of an inventive hook taken essentially centrally and transversely of the pivot axes occurrent on said hook; - Figure 2 is a sectional view taken on the line A-A in Figure 1;

- Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on the line B-B in Figure 1;

- Figure 4 is a schematic sectional view of a second embodiment of an inventive hook, said view being essentially the same as that presented in Figure 1; - Figure 5 is a sectional view taken on the line C-C in Figure 4; and

Figure 6 is a sectional view of a part of the hook shown in Figure 4 and shows said part in a position I in said Figure.

Illustrated in the Figures is a safety hook 1 which comprises a hook body 4 which has a hook opening 3 defined by means of an essentially U-shaped part 2 and which is pivotally connected, for example by means of a pivot axle 5, with a hook head 6 which carries a shackle device or like device 8 which is pivotally mounted, for example by means of a pivot axle 7, and from which the hook 1 is intended to hang. The hook body 4 is intended to be held swung in relation to the hook head in a first, open position, shown in broken lines in Figures 1 and 4, so as to leave the hook opening 3 open and therewith enable a load to be readily hooked onto the hook body, and to be swung relative to the hook head in a second, closed position, shown in full lines in Figures 1 and 4, such that the hook opening 3 will be blocked by means of a barrier part 9 projecting out from the hook head 6. The hook arrangement also includes latxihing devices, which

will be described in detail herebelow and which are intended to releasably secure the hook body against unintentional release of the hook body essentially in said second position.

The hook body 4 is held in said first position by means of a spring force, and, accordingly, in the illustrated embodiments a tension spring 10 acts between an attachment 11, 12 on the hook head and the hook body respectively.

The hook weight distribution is such that when no load is attached to the hook, the hook will hang freely downwards and the opening defined by the U-shaped part will be generally horizontal in a vertical plane. When the U-shaped part is subjected to a downwardly acting force, the U-shaped part is intended to swing against a spring force towards and to said second position. The spring force strives to return the hook body to said first position. The distribution of weight on the hook in said second position is preferably such that the pivot axle 7 of the shackle device and the pivot axle 5 of the hook body will lie on an essentially vertical line.

In the case of the illustrated eπfoodiments, the hook head includes two, mutually essentially parallel side walls 13, 14, between which the hook body 4 is pivotally mounted by means of an axle 5 which extends between the side walls, said side walls forming the aforesaid barrier part 9.

In the embodiment illustrated in Figures 1-3, the latching devices comprise a pivotal crook 15 which includes a shoulder part 16 which function to coact positively with a shoulder part 17 on the hook body 4. This mutual coaction of the shoulder parts ensures that the crook 15 is unable to pivot and also that the hook part is essentially prevented from pivoting from the second position to the first position.

The crook 15 of the illustrated embcdiment is intended to coact, through the intermediary of a latching shoulder 18, with a latching member 19 which is pivotal together with the shackle devices and the extension of which varies transversely to the pivot axle 7 of said shackle devices, wherewith the crook is prevented from leaving its

hook securing position by means of said latching member 19 when the hook head and the hook body hang essentially freely from the shackle devices in a hanging position and take said second position, but are able to leave this securing position subsequent to pivoting of the shackle devices and therewith said latching device to a predeter¬ mined extent from said hanging position, as illustrated in Figure 1.

The hook body 4 is preferably pivotally mounted on an axle 5 by means of a hub 20 which carries the shoulder part 17 of said hook body which projects outwards in a generally radial direction, as shown in Figure 1, said shoulder part 17 preferably being located on the opposite side of the axle 5 to said U-shaped part. In the case of the illust¬ rated embodiment, the crook 15 is swung from the securing position by means of the hook body, under the action of said spring force, said crook and said hook body being swung in mutually different directions. Embodiments are conceivable, however, in which these two hook com¬ ponents swing in mutually the same direction.

In the case of the embodiments illustrated in Figures 4-6, the latching devices include a radial wedge element 21 with a given axial extension of the pivot axle 5 of the hook body and connected to the hook head, and latching and guiding parts 22 of a hub part 23 forming part of the hook body 4 and pivotal about the pivot axle 5. The hook part 23 forms a substantially radial track or slot 24 of predetermined radial extension for said wedge element and coacts with said wedge element in a safe and secure fashion, wherein in their mutually coacting positions, the wedge element 21 is located in said track or slot such that the hook body is generally prevented from pivoting from the second position to the first position.

In this embodiment, the hook body is constructed with a clearance a in a direction which coincides substantially with the radial direction of the track, thereby enabling the hook body to be displaced trans¬ versely to the axle to a new position in which the track can be moved past the wedge element and in which the aforesaid securing coaction ceases and the hook body is able to pivot from the second position to the first position.

The latching and guiding parts 22 are preferably arranged, seen radially, in a manner to guide the wedge element internally so that the hook body will be retained in said new position relative to the axle when pivoting from said second position. It is also preferred that, in said second position, the track will extend substantially along the line that connects the respective pivot axes of the shackle devices and the hook body.

In both of the illustrated embodiments, the latching devices are provided with a given clearance s with regard to pivoting of the hook body in said second position, so that when the hook body hangs freely in a loaded state, said body is able to swing wiidin the limits of said clearance before the latching devices become active under load.

The manner in which the inventive hook functions will be understood in all essentials from the aforegoing. Subsequent to atteching a load to the hook in said first hook position, the hook body is swung under the influence of said load and against a spring force to the second position in which the hook body is automatically secured again pivotal movement in the return direction. In order to release the hook from its secured state, it is necessary, in the case of the embodi-ment illustrated in Figures 1-3, to first pivot the. shackle devices in order to release the crook and, in the case of the embodi- ment illustrated in Figure 4-6, it is necessary to displace the hook body in the direction of said track, beyond the wedge element, so as to release the hook body, this displacement of the hook body preferabl being effected by lowering the hook onto an underlying foundation surface.

It will be understood from the aforegoing that the invention provides an extremely purposeful safety hook.

Although the invention has been described with reference to various embodiments thereof, the invention is not restricted to these embodi- ments and that minor changes and modifications can be made without departing from the inventive concept.