US 12,214,846 B2
Cleat for mooring a watercraft, and mooring assembly having a cleat and a line having a stopper
Sébastien Grall, Saint-Germain-en-Laye (FR)
Assigned to EXAIL, Saint-Germain-en-Laye (FR)
Appl. No. 17/771,942
Filed by IXBLUE, Saint-Germain-en-Laye (FR)
PCT Filed Oct. 27, 2020, PCT No. PCT/EP2020/080161
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Apr. 26, 2022,
PCT Pub. No. WO2021/083883, PCT Pub. Date May 6, 2021.
Claims priority of application No. 1912113 (FR), filed on Oct. 29, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0371692 A1, Nov. 24, 2022
Int. Cl. B63B 21/04 (2006.01); B63B 21/20 (2006.01)
CPC B63B 21/04 (2013.01) [B63B 21/20 (2013.01); B63B 2021/203 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A cleat capable of mooring a watercraft to a thrown end of a line including a rope and at least one stopper, the thrown end of the line comprising the stopper formed by a transverse protuberance across the rope, the cleat including a base surmounted with a body elongated in a main plane and narrow in a direction transverse to the main plane and having two lateral faces, the base being adapted to be fastened to a deck of the watercraft, in such a way that the main plane of the body is substantially vertical when the watercraft is in water, the cleat including an engagement part at a longitudinal end of the body, the engagement part adjoining the base and including a through-opening of a slot for the passage of the rope, the slot extending longitudinally towards the interior of the body and being open on the two lateral faces of the body, the slot having an upper face and a lower face and having a height allowing the longitudinal progression and the transverse movement of the rope, except for the stopper, within the slot from the through-opening towards the interior of the body, said rope being then arranged transversely across the body between the two lateral faces of the body, the through-opening having an outwardly flared shape so as to form a funnel for guiding the rope towards the interior of the slot, within the body, the slot leading to a chamber open on the two lateral faces of the body, the chamber having a minimum size, measured in the main plane of the body, that is greater than the minimum height of the slot, the maximum size of the chamber, measured in the main plane of the body, being smaller than the size of the stopper-forming protuberance, measured transversely to the rope in such a way that the stopper of a line moving transversely across the body can be blocked against a lateral face of the body, both when the rope is engaged in the slot and when the rope is engaged in the chamber,
wherein the upper and lower faces of the slot are ended by upper and lower protuberances entering the chamber.