SPOOL FOR LIFE-LINE

TAMBOUR D'ENROULEMENT POUR CORDE DE SECURITE

English Abstract

This invention relates to a life-line spool. The life-line has always played an
important role in life-saving. To manage large quantities of line during transport or
during rescue work, a line reel, a line box or a line bag is used. I have found that a
life-line spool is an alternative to the box, the bag or to the reel. With this spool, the
life-line is easy to transport, easily uncoiled when pulled out on the rescue and can
be just as easily coiled back on the spool during or after the rescue. The spool is
made of one long bar with two smaller parallel bars fixed perpendicular to it so as
to divide the long bar in three sections. The two parallel bars serve both as handles
and as line support-bars. The center section of the long bar serve as the frame of the
spool and the two end section serve as line retainer-bars to hold the line so the coils
of line do not fall off the line support-bars. To coil the life-line, the line is tied to
one of the support-bars; the spool is held by the end of the two support-bars which
serve as handles; the life-line is coiled around the support-bars by executing a long
circular movement of the spool from side to side and by catching the line with the
retainer-bars which extend pass both handles. To carry the life-line, the spool is
held with the line support-bars pointing up so the line does not fall off the spool.
To unwind the life-line, the spool is held by the long frame-bar with the two
parallel line support-bar pointing in the direction the line needs to be pulled out.
When the line is pulled, it freely uncoils from the spool. To stop and to recoil the
line, the spool is simply reversed and held by the two handles.

Claims

CLAIMS
The embodiment of the invention in which an exclusive property or
priviladge is claimed are defined as fallow:
A line spool, comprising two parallel line support-bars fixed perpendicular to along frame-bar which prolongs beyond the line support-bars to form two line
retainer-bars, designed so as to be able to wind the line around the line support-bars
and hold the line onto the line retainer-bars when held by the end of the two line
support-bars, and designed so as to uncoil the line freely when held by the frame-
bar and the line is pulled away in a direction parallel to the two line support-bars.

Description

SPECIFICATION 211~ 0 9 2
This invention relates to a life-line spool.
Ropes have always played an important role in life-saving. The use of ropes as
life-line was gradually introduced with the growing popularity of ocean bathing in
the 1800's. When families went for ocean bathing, a strong male swimmer would
tie a rope to shore and the other end around his shoulder and would walk out into
chest deep waters to provide a line support for the ocean bathers. An anchor or a
post later replaced the male swimmer. Finally, the life-line, as support for bathing,
was replaced by a buoy-line tied to shore and anchored in deeper waters. Before
life-guarding was ever organized on ocean beaches, the life-line was also used as a
10 rescue aid. When a person was seen in distress, a strong swimmer would tie a rope
around the waist and swim out to catch the victim; the rescuer and the victim would
then be pulled back to shore by one or more bystanders. The Australians developed
the team line rescue technique to it's fullest with the addition of the reel and belt.
The Australian reel and line with belt and the portable reel and line used with a
shoulder loop and the American swimming rescue buoy are the more popular line
rescue systems. Nevertheless, the line box and the line bag are also used instead of
the reel. The box, the bag and the reel all have common objectives, management of
large quantities of line and prevention of line entanglement during transport, or
during rescue work. It should be noted that the life-line rescue
20 requires a minimum of two life-savers: one to carry the line out to the victim and a
second to feed the line out and reel in the victim and the f1rst life-saver.
I have found that a line spool is an alternative to the box, the bag and to the
reel. With this spool, the life-line is easy to transport, easily uncoiled when pulled
out on the rescue and can be just as easily coiled back on the spool during or after
the rescue. The spool is made of one long bar with two smaller parallel bars fixed
perpendicular to it so as to divide the long bar in three sections. The two parallel
bars serve both as handles and as line support-bars. The center section of the long
bar serve as the frame of the spool and the two end section serve as line retainer-
bars to hold the line so the coils of line do not fall off the line support-bars. A
30 brace installed between the two line support-bars also serve as a spool carrying
handle. To coil the life-line, the line is tied to one of the support-bars between the
brace and the frame-bar, the spool is held by the end of the two support-bars which
serve as handles; the life-line is coiled around the support-bars by executing a long
circular movement of the spool from side to side and by catching the line with the
retainer-bars which extend pass both handles. To carry the life-line, the spool is
held with the support-bar pointing up so the line does not fall off the spool. To
unwind the life-line, the spool is held by the long frame-bar with the two parallel
line support-bar pointing in the direction the line needs to be pulled out. When the
line is pulled, it freely uncoils from the spool (figure 3). To stop and to recoil the
40 line, the spool is simply reversed and held by the two handles again (figure 4).
In drawing which illustrate embodiment of the invention,
Figure 1 is a side plan view of the spool for life-line,
Figure 2 is a front plan view of the spool for life-line,
Figure 3 is an embodiment of the spool with the life-line being pulled out,
Figure 4 is an embodiment of the spool with the life-line being pulled in.
The spool for life-line illustrated comprises of two parallel line support-bars (1
and 2) and a long frame-bar (3) that extend into two line retainer-bars (4 and 5). A
brace (6) may be added to solidify the structure. This brace also serves as a handle
to carry the spool. The life-line (7) is tied to a line support-bar between the brace
50 and the frame-bar then coiled around the two line support-bars. The line is also held
on the spool by the two line retainer-bars.
The embodiment of the invention in which an exclusive property or priviledge
is claimed are def1ned as follow:
A line spool, comprising two parallel line support-bars f1xed perpendicular to along frame-bar which prolongs beyond the line support-bars to form two line
retainer-bars, designed so as to be able to wind the line around the line support-bars
and hold the line onto the line retainer-bars when held by the end of the two line
support-bars, and designed so as to uncoil the line freely when held by the frame-
bar and the line is pulled away in a direction parallel to the two line support-bars.

Representative Drawing