GB2377685A

GB2377685A - Vehicle-towing rope structure with fluorescent and anti-slip properties

Info

Publication number: GB2377685A
Application number: GB0115280A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Yueh-Chou Cho
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2001-06-22
Filing date: 2001-06-22
Publication date: 2003-01-22
Anticipated expiration: 2021-06-22
Also published as: GB2377685B; GB0115280D0

Abstract

A vehicle-towing rope structure with fluorescent and anti-slip properties, comprising a rope body 10 provided at its two ends with hanging books 20 and characterised by the rope body being formed by weaving a plurality of cords, wherein the weaving structure includes a fluorescent string 12 wrapped around a predetermined number of resilient cords 11. This provides resilience and is fluorescent at night or in a poor light to warn pedestrians and drivers to pay attention to the rope. In addition, a binding sheath 14 is provided on each of the two ends of the rope body, and a tape 15 protrudes the binding sheath to wrap around the end of the rope body and help secure it. An end 151 of the tape 15 locks into a hole 141 in the binding sheath 14.

Description

Vehicle-towing Rope Structure with Fluorescent and Anti-slip Properties The present invention relates a vehicle-towing rope, and more specifically, to a vehicle-towing rope structure with fluorescent and anti-slip properties.

When a vehicle has broken down it is generally dragged to a maintenance depot by a trailer to get it repaired.

Alternatively, some vehicle owners use a vehicle-towing rope, such as the one shown in Fig. 1, i. e. another vehicle is hooked by a hanging hook provided on the end of the vehicle-towing rope to drag the broken-down vehicle to a maintenance depot for repairing. This is unlikely to cause risk during the daytime as the rope is visible. However, at night or in poor light the vehicle-towing rope between the two vehicles may not be seen clearly and thus cause a traffic accident or cause a rider to stumble over it and be injured. Such a situation can be very dangerous.

Furthermore, the vehicle-towing rope can often come off because the binding sheaths are liable to become loose and lead to loss of rope strength, thereby causing danger.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a vehicle-towing rope structure which is easy to assemble, safe to use and can remedy the defects of the prior art.

The present invention includes an improved vehicletowing rope structure which comprises a rope body with

hanging hooks provided on its two ends. The rope body may be formed from a plurality of weaved cords, wherein the weaved cords may include a fluorescent string wrapped around a predetermined number of resilient cords. This provides strength and resilience, and the rope is fluorescent at night or in poor light to warn pedestrians and drivers of its presence. In addition, a binding sheath can be provided on each of the two ends of the rope body and a detaining tape may protrude from a head of a corresponding binding sheath and is wrapped around the end of the rope body to help prevent it from slipping off.

Whilst the invention has been described above, it extends to any inventive combination of the features set out above or in the following description.

The invention may be performed in various ways, and, by way of example only, an embodiment thereof will now be described, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which :- Fig. 1 is a schematic view of the prior art; Fig. 2 is a three-dimensional schematic view of part of a vehicle towing rope structure according to a preferred embodiment; Fig. 3 is a further partial schematic view of the preferred embodiment; Fig. 4 is a schematic view of the weave of the rope;

Fig. 5 is a schematic view of the preferred embodiment in use, and Fig. 6 is a schematic view detailing the end of the rope structure.

First, referring to Figures 2 and 3, the vehicle-towing rope comprises a rope 10, which is provided with hanging hooks 20 on its two ends. The rope 10 is formed by weaving a plurality of cords 11. The weaved cords include a fluorescent string 12 and a predetermined number (depending upon the required resilience) of resilient cords 13.

Thus, the rope has strength and resilience and its fluorescence can be useful at night or in a poor light to warn pedestrians and drivers to pay attention to the rope.

In addition, a binding sheath 14 is provided on each of the two ends of the rope body. A detaining tape 15 protrudes from an end of each binding sheath 14. The tape 15 is wrapped around the end of the rope body 10 and is connected to a point on the sheath 14 which is diametrically opposed to the starting point of the tape 15. A locking protrusion 151 is provided on the free end of each detaining tape 15 to lock into holes 141 provided n the binding sheath 14.

During assembly of the towing-rope structure, (referring further to the schematic views in Fig. 2 and 3) the rope body 10 is formed firstly by weaving cords 11 in a weaving pattern. In the assembling process, the fluorescent string 12 is woven and becomes a part of the rope body 10.

Moreover, said resilient cords 13 are woven after the rope body 10 has been completed, and extend in a direction parallel to the rope body 10. Then, after the weaving of the rope body 10 and the inserting of the resilient cords 13, a hanging hook 20 is provided at each of the two ends of the rope body 10. Each end of the rope body 10 is tied with a binding sheath 14. The detaining tape 15 is then wrapped around the end of the rope body 10 and connected to the opposing side of the sheath 14. The structure of the vehicle-towing rope is then completed.

In operation, referring to the schematic views of Fig.

4 and 5 in conjunction with Fig. 2 and 3, the rope body 10 of the present invention has a predetermined tension resilience. As shown in Fig. 4, due to the inner resilient cords 13, the rope body can bear a tensile force. Further, when the present invention is used to tow a vehicle as shown in Fig 5 at night or in poor light, the rope body is fluorescent and can warn pedestrians and drivers that there is an obstacle, so as to avoid causing risk.

In addition, the binding sheaths 14 can provide a restraining effect on the two ends of the rope body 10. More specifically, the detaining tapes 15 protruding from the binding sheaths 14 wrap around the axial heads of the rope body 10, and the locking protrusions 151 on the free ends of the detaining tapes 15 are engaged and locked in the holes 141 in the binding sheaths 14 as shown in Fig 6

so that the binding sheaths 14 and the rope body 10 can be prevented from slipping off.

It should be noted that the number of the fluorescent strings 12 can be increased to correspond to an increase in the predetermined number of woven cords 11, so that the tension resilience of the entire of the vehicle-trailing rope is not affected.

The following advantages can be deduced from above description: - the fluorescence can provide safety benefits; - easy, convenient and quick to assemble; - convenient to use and easy to manipulate; - easy to produce and economical; and able to avoid the rope body slipping off and reinforces the strength of the rope structure.

The resilient cords may be wrapped in the inner circumference of the of the resilient cords.

Claims

Claims 1. A vehicle-towing rope structure comprising a rope body having hanging hooks at its two ends, the vehicle-towing rope structure characterised by: the rope body being formed of a plurality of weaved cords, wherein the weaved cords include one or more fluorescent strings wrapped around a predetermined number of resilient cords; a binding sheath provided on each of the two ends of the rope body, and a tape protruding from each said binding sheath, each said tape being wrapped around a corresponding end of the rope body.
2. A vehicle-towing rope structure according to Claim 1, characterised in that the number of the fluorescent strings correspond to the number of woven cords.
3. A vehicle-towing rope structure according to Claim 1, characterised in that a locking protrusion is provided on the free end of the tape of each said binding sheath, for locking in a hole in the binding sheath.
4. A vehicle-towing rope structure according to Claim 3, wherein the hole is located on a point on the binding sheath which is diametrically opposed to the point from which the tape protrudes.