Tow rope connector

Claim 1

A CONNECTOR FOR SECURING THE ENDS OF A PAIR OF TOW ROPES TOGETHER AND FOR RELEASING THE ROPES UNDER EXCESSIVE TENSION, COMPRISING A PAIR OF SUBSTANTIALLY IDENTICAL SHELL HALVES CONSTRUCTED OF STIFF BUT RESILIENTLY YIELDABLE MATERIAL, SAID SHELL HALVES HAVING MATCHING AND ABUTTING EDGES AND COOPERATIVELY DEFINING A HOLLOW HOUSING WITH AN OPEN TOW ROPE-RECEIVING FRONT END AND A REAR END WITH MEANS FOR ATTACHING ONE OF THE TOW ROPES THERETO, YIELDABLE MEANS ENGAGING SAID SHELL HALVES AND NORMALLY HOLDING THE SHELL HALVES TOGETHER, AND YIELDING TO PERMIT FORCIBLE PARTING OF SAID SHELL HALVES ADJACENT THE FRONT END OF THE HOUSING, AND AN INSERT CONFINED WITHIN THE HOLLOW HOUSING AND HAVING MEANS FOR ATTACHING THE OTHER TOW ROPE THERETO, SAID SHELL HALVES AND SAID INSERT HAVING COOPERATING ABUTMENT PORTIONS RESPECTIVELY FACING REARWARDLY AND FORWARDLY IN CONFRONTING RELATION WITH EACH OTHER, ONE OF SAID ABUTMENT PORTIONS HAVING A TAPERED SHAPE CONVERGING IN A FORWARD DIRECTION AND ENGAGING THE OTHER OF SAID ABUTMENT PORTIONS TO NORMALLY PRVENT MOVEMENT OF SAID REMOVAL OF THE INSERT IN A FORWARD DIRECTION, AND TO ALSO EFFECT, IN RESPONSE TO EXCESSIVE TENSION APPLIED TO THE REAR END OF THE HOUSING AND TO SAID INSERT WHICH CAUSES FORWARD MOVEMENT OF THE INSERT IN THE HOUSING AND SAID YIELDABLE MEANS, A WEDGING ACTION BETWEEN SAID ABUTMENT PORTIONS AND A CORRESPONDING APPLICATION OF TRANSVERSELY DIRECTED FORCES AGAINST THE INSERT AND HOUSING AND SAID YIELDABLE MEANS FOR CAUSING DEFORMATION THEREOF AND CAUSING PARTING OF SAID SHELL HALVES AND FORWARD REMOVAL OF THE INSERT.