There is known in the art various devices and methods for terminating ropes that allows the terminated end of the rope to be fixed into an attachment means for connection to various fixtures.

10 Of these, one of the most commonly used methods is that of forming the end of the rope into a loop and then splicing the strands of the rope into itself. The resultant loop may then be used for connection purposes. If required, for added strength, a thimble may be

15 introduced into the inner surface of the loop before the rope is spliced. Clearly, this type of terminating device is unacceptable if it is required that the attachment means is able to be opened to facilitate connection or disconnection.

20 To meet this need, various shackles and snap shackle devices have been employed, the shackles being generally made of stainless steel. However, in all cases, the method of connection of the rope to the shackle results in an overall loss of strength of the rope generally of the

25 order of about 20%. It is also a -feature of these devices that generally they cannot readily be detached from a fixture.

A field in which many of these devices are used is that involving boats, in particular sailing craft where

30 many ropes are employed in the form of various halyards V and sheets to control the sails of the craft. In these uses, there is the additional difficulty that the craft may be pitching and generally in an unstable condition whilst the connection is being made or broken.

35 The present inventor has recognised that there exists

a need for a rope terminating device that is capable of being easily connected to a rope.

The present inventor has also recognised that there exists a need for a rope terminating device having attachment means whereby the attachment means may be quickly and easily detached from a connection.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide in a first aspect a rope terminating device having a novel means to secure the rope to the device that minimises the loss in strength of the rope. In a second aspect, the invention provides an attachment means for use with the terminating device wherein the attachment means may be rapidly connected and disconnected from a fixture.

The present invention consists in a rope terminating device comprising an attachment means, a first member having an outer surface and an inner surface on which there is disposed a boss, a second member connected at one end to the attachment means and having a channel portion adapted to accept a rope, which rope extends away from said end, and in a side opposite an open side, a slot, the open side being adapted to cooperate with the first member to permit said boss to project into the channel; and a cover member having an inner surface adapted to cooperate with the first and second members in a manner such that the boss urges the rope into the slot, thereby securing said rope to said device.

It is preferred that the attachment means comprises an arm having an end connected to the one end of the second member and a free end resiliently biassed away from said end and, which end has a second channel to receive the free end, and wherein the cover member retains said free end in said second channel.

In order to achieve maximal strength in the attachment means, the preferred attachment means may be provided with a boss on the free end, which has a width

greater than that of the second channel. The bo.ss is received into an enlarged portion of the channel and bears against a raised portion on the one end of the second member. In this embodiment, when the free end is retained in the channel, the boss is retained under the cover member. The advantage of this arrangement is that any pulling force acting on the attachment means will be resisted by the force applied to the channel and the cover member by the boss. The cover member is adapted to cooperate with the first end second members such that a rope is secured in a device of the invention. Cooperation of the members may be provided by any means known in the art. However, a particularly advantageous means is to provide the inner surface of the cover member and the outer surface of the first and second members with a thread,. such that the thread of the cover member is engageable with the thread of the first and second members. The provision of threads in this way produces a device in which as the cover member is secured on to the first and second members, the rope is gradually forced by the boss into the slot.

Preferably, the cover member has a cut-out dimensioned to permit the free end to move out of cooperation with the second channel in the one end of the second member by rotating the said cover member in a manner that causes the alignment of the cut out with the free end of the attachment means. The advantage of this arrangement is that it allows the attachment means to be opened and closed with ease. A terminating device of the invention is used by passing a rope along the channel of the second member. The first member is then placed in cooperation with the second member to form a complete threaded portion. The cover member is then slid over the rope and screwed onto the threaded portion thus causing the rope to be forced by

the boss into the slot.

In a preferred embodiment, the attachment means may be opened by unscrewing the cover member sufficient to allow the alignment of the other end of the attachment means with a cut out on the cover member.

The advantage of the present invention lies firstly in that a rope is secured in the device readily without the need for tools or special skills. Secondly the manner in which the attachment means may be readily opened and closed. Particularly, in preferred embodiments of the invention, the attachment means is normally biased open, thus facilitating the rapid disconnection of the attachment means from fixtures.

It will be appreciated that in order for a rope to be firmly held, the passage formed by bringing the first member into cooperation with the second member will have a diameter substantially that or more of the diameter of the rope. Preferably, the diameter will be slightly more than the diameter of the rope. In order to ensure that the maximum retaining force is applied to a rope, the dimensions of the first slot ^' and boss may be varied to optimize the applied force. Such dimensions being best determined experimentally determined. In embodiments where the cover member has a threaded inner surface that allows it to be- screwed onto the second member with the first member in place, until the boss is brought into cooperation with the slot, preferably, the threaded part of the cover extends along the inner surface of the cover and terminates before reaching the cut out in the cover member.

The strength of the attachment means will be determined by a number of factors including the relevant strength of the material from which is is formed, and the thickness thereof, and the dimensions., in preferred embodiments of the free end.

In the latter case, the dimensions of the free end boss may be varied in accordance with the strength requirements of a particular attachment means. It will be appreciated that the corresponding dimensions of the channel into which the boss is received would also have to be varied accordingly.

In relation to the material from which the device is to be formed, it is preferred that all of the members are formed from the same material, preferably a synthetic plastics material having an appropriate strength. In a particularly preferred embodiment, nylon 66 is used to form the devices whereby each of the members is formed in an injection moulding process.

Synthetic fibres such as carbon fibres and boron fibres may be added to the aforementioned synthetic plastics material to provide additional strength, particularly in the attachment means.

The present inventor believes that in particular, a preferred device of the invention would be most useful in sailing craft. Those features of the present invention that provide the greatest advantage in use are:-

(a) the device is not subject to corrosion when made from synthetic plastics material;

(b) it is easy to use and requires no particular skill in its operation,

(c) when a preferred attachment means is used, the device may be readily connected and disconnected from a fixture,

(d) a range of variously dimensioned devices may be produced to suit various rope and fixture dimensions. Hereinafter by way of example only there is described with reference to the accompanying drawings, an embodiment of the present invention in which:

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of the present invention with the cover member removed; Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the present

invention with the cover member in place, and

Fig. 3 is a rear elevational view of the present invention with the cover member in place.

The rope terminating device 10 comprises a first member 11 having a threaded outer surface 12 and a boss 13. A second member 14 comprises a channel portion 15 having a slot 16 disposed therein, and an attachment means 18. The portion 15 has a threaded outer surface 17. The attachment means 18 has one end 19 connected to the first member 11 and a channel (not shown) adapted to accept a rope 20. The free end 21 of the attachment means 18 is biased away from the end 19 and has a boss 24 dimensioned to cooperate with the channel 25.

The cover member 22 has a threaded inner surface (not shown) and a cut out 23 which penmits the boss 24 to move out of cooperation with the channel 25 when the cover member is located to align the cut out with the free end 21.

The rope terminating device 10 is used by passing a rope 20 along the channel portion 15 until it projects in the attachment means 18. The first member 11 is brought into cooperation with the rope 20 in a manner such that the boss 13 forces a portion of the rope into the slot 16. The cover member 22 is then screwed over the channel portion 15 and the member 11. Before the cover member 22 contacts the free end 21 of the attachment means 18, the free end is closed bringing the boss 24 into cooperation with the channel 25. The cover member is then further rotated until the free end 21 is out of alignment with the cut out 23.

To open the attachment means 18, the cover member 22 is unscrewed until the cut out 23 aligns with the free end 21 whereby the resilient bias of the free end causes the attachment means to open.