Anchor winch

Claim 2

A winch for reeling a line comprising: a mounting base; a drive means supported on said base; a drum shaft extending from said base and rotatably driven by said drive means in a reeling direction; a restraining means adapted to prevent rotation of said drum shaft in an unreeling direction when said drive means is deactivated; a drum means rotatably journalled on said drum shaft and having a hub extending from one end thereof with a circumferentially extending peripheral clutch engaging surface thereon; a torque transmitting helical coiled torsion spring clutch, having a lesser inside diameter than said hub clutch engaging surface when said torsion spring clutch is in a relaxed condition and having one end thereof fixed to said drum shaft and having a second end frictionally engaging said hub clutch engaging surface to drive said drum in a reeling direction; and a release means arranged to adjustably release the frictional engagement between the torsion spring clutch and the hub to permit said drum to rotate in an unreeling direction and to provide a varied rate of unreeling of the line.

Claim 3

The winch of claim 1 wherein said drum shaft includes an enlarged diameter portion being generally equal in diameter, axially aligned and in juxtaposed relationship to said hub and having a non-disengaging clutch surface thereon.

Claim 4

The winch of claim 2 wherein said enlarged diameter portion comprises a driving collar, having a recess at one end thereof to receive said one end of the torsion spring and being of a diameter to frictionally engage said torsion spring.

Claim 5

The winch of claim 3 wherein said release means comprises a rotatable member secured to the second end of said torsion spring and being rotatable to adjustably reduce the frictional engagement between the torsion spring and said hub.

Claim 6

The winch of claim 4 wherein the rotatable member is cup-shaped with a closed end portion mounted for relative rotatable movement on said drum shaft and having a rim portion keyed to said second end of said torsion spring.

Claim 7

The winch of claim 5 wherein the rotatable member further includes a sleeve portion connecting the closed end portion to the rim portion and which extends over and around said torsion spring.

Claim 8

The winch of claim 6 wherein the rotatable member sleeve portion comprises a finger grip for rotating said rotatable member.

Claim 9

The winch of claim 7 wherein the restraining means comprises a second torsion spring having frictional engagement with said drum shaft and said second torsion spring having one end thereof fixed to prevent rotation with said drum shaft, whereby reeling rotation of said drive shaft releases the restraining frictional engagement therebetween.

Claim 10

The winch of claim 8 wherein the drive means includes a gear case, rotatably supporting said drum shaft, an electric motor mounted to said case, and a gearing means interposed between said motor and said drum shaft to rotate said shaft when said motor is activated.

Claim 11

The winch of claim 9 wherein said mounting base includes a formed plate providing a closure cover for said gear case and having an aperture therein to secure said one end of said second torsion spring against rotation and further including a supporting surface for motor control components.

Claim 12

In a winch construction of the type having a motor drive unit for rotatably driving a take-up reel of the type adapted to take up chain, rope and cable type elongated material, the improvement of a driven hub on the take-up reel having a circumferentially extending peripheral friction surface, a driver hub longitudinally adjacent thereto, a cup-shaped release means having wall portions adapted to be spaced radially outwardly of said friction surface and said driver hub, a helically coiled torsion spring interposed between said wall portions and said friction surface and being connected in driven relationship with said driver hub, said spring normally being frictionally engaged with said surface of said driven hub, thereby to rotate the driven hub when the driver hub is rotated, and an end portion on the opposite end of said torsion spring extending outwardly into mechanical coupling engagement with the wall portions whereby upon rotating the cup-shaped release means to unwind the helical coils of the torsion spring the driving relation with said friction surface may be selectively released to pay out the elongated material.

Claim 13

In a winch construction of the type having a motor drive unit for rotatably driving a take-up reel of the type adapted to take up chain, rope and cable type elongated material, the improvement of a driven hub on the take-up reel having a circumferentially extending peripheral friction surface, a driver hub longitudinally adjacent thereto, a cup-shaped release means having wall portions adapted to be spaced radially outwardly of said friction surface and said driver hub, a helically coiled torsion spring interposed between said wall portions and said friction surface and being connected in driven relationship with said driver hub, said spring normally being frictionally engaged with said surface of said driven hub, thereby to rotate the driven hub when the driver hub is rotated, and an end portion on the opposite end of said torsion spring extending outwardly into mechanical coupling engagement with the wall portions whereby upon rotating the cup-shaped release means to unwind the helical coils of the torsion spring the driving relation with said friction surface may be selectively released to pay out the elongated material.

Claim 14

The structure of claim 11 wherein the motor drive unit includes a drive motor operably connected to said driver hub, by means of a drive shaft to rotate said driver hub in a take-up direction, said drive shaft having a driven shaft collar remote from said driver hub with a second helically coiled torsion spring, which is fixed from rotation, frictionally engaged with said driven shaft collar, whereby activating the drive motor unwinds the helical coils of the second torsion spring to release the frictional engagement with said drive shaft driven shaft collar.