Apparatus for gripping and pulling

Claim 1

A LINE PULLING APPARATUS COMPRISING A PAIR OF OPPOSED ROTARY MEMBERS; MEANS MOUNTING EACH OF SAID MEMBERS FOR ROTATION ABOUT A RESPECTIVE AXIS, SAID AXES OF ROTATION BEING ENDWARDLY ADJACENT AND SLIGHTLY ANGULARLY RELATED, EACH OF SAID MEMBERS HAVING A HUB, A WEB RADIALLLY EXTENDED FROM THE HUB AND CARRYING A CIRCUMFERENTIAL GRIPPING SURFACE GENERATED ABOUT THE RESPECTIVE AXIS OF EACH MEMBER AND BEING CONCENTRIC THEREWITH A PLANE SUBSTANTIALLY NORMAL TO THE MEMBERS'' RESPECTIVE AXES, SAID MOUNTING MEANS INCLUDING MEANS ADAPTED SELETIVELY TO MAINTAIN THE GRIPPING SURFACES OF THE RESPECTIVE MEMBERS IN OPPOSED AXIALLY SPACED RELATIONSHIP TO DEFINE AN INTERVAL THEREBETWEEN OF THE GRADUATE DAXIAL DIMENSION CIRCUMFERENTIALLY THEREABOUT, A CIRCUMFERENTIAL PORTION OF SAID INTERVAL BEING AT A PREDETERMINED MINIMUM DIMENSION TO RECEIVE THEREIN A LINE OF PREDETERMINED DIAMETER WHICH IF FRICTIONALLY ENGAGED BY SAID SURFACES; DRIVE MEANS FOR ROTATING SAID MEMBERS ABOUT THEIR RESPECTIE AXES IN THE SAME DIRECTION OF ROTATION OF EFFECT SUBSTANTIALLY EAUAL PERIPHERAL SPEEDS OF SAID GRIPPING SURFACES; AND GUIDE MEANS RADIALLY SPACED FROM SAID GRIPPING SURFACES TO FACILITATE ENTRY OF THE LINE THEREBETWEEN WHEREIN RELEASE MEANS IS OPERATIVELY ASSOCIATED WITH SAID MOUNTING MEANS AND IS SELECTIVELY OPERABLE TO EFFECT RADIAL MOVEMENT OF THE LINE FROM BETWEEN THE GRIPPING SURFACES.