Climbing aid

Abstract

A climbing aid in the form of a camming device comprising two support arms rotatably mounted about an axis, each arm having at its free end at least two pivotally mounted cams, and locking means for preventing rotation of the arms on reaching a predetermined angle with respect to each other.

1 . A climbing aid comprising:
 two support arms rotatably mounted about an axis, each arm having at its free end at least one pivotally mounted cam, and at the other end a disc located on opposing sides of each arm to enable the discs to abut together when in use, wherein each disc is pivotally mounted with respect to each other and each disc further comprises a groove or slot such that when the discs and hence grooves or slots are aligned a locking means slidably mounted with respect to the discs, rests in the aligned grooves and thereby locks the arms automatically in position with respect to each other upon reaching a predetermined angle thereby preventing further rotation.   
   
   
       2 . A climbing aid as claimed in  claim 1  wherein each arm carries two cams. 
   
   
       3 . A climbing aid as claimed in  claim 2  wherein the cams lie parallel to each other. 
   
   
       4 . A climbing aid as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the cams are spring-mounted and lie in the same plane as the arms. 
   
   
       5 . A climbing aid as claimed in  claim 1  wherein the arms are locked in position when the intended lower faces of the arms are at an angle of approximately 180 degrees. 
   
   
       6 . A climbing aid as claimed in  claim 5  wherein the maximum length of the climbing aid (i.e. with the arms in their locked position) is at least 100 mm. 
   
   
       7 . A climbing aid as claimed in  claim 1  wherein the intended upper face of each arm is angled such that, in the locked position, the upper face lies parallel with the definitive bracing angle of the cam. 
   
   
       8 . A climbing aid as claimed in  claim 1  wherein each arm comprises a limb having at one end a cylindrical spindle extending transversely thereto for the mounting of a cam and a circular disc at the other end, the ends of the spindle extending beyond the edges of the limb. 
   
   
       9 . A climbing aid as claimed in  claim 8  wherein each disc is approximately half the breadth of the limb and is provided with a groove or slot in the intended upper region thereof. 
   
   
       10 . A climbing aid as claimed in  claim 8  wherein each disc is provided with a bore through the centre thereof for receiving an axle. 
   
   
       11 . A climbing aid as claimed in  claim 1  wherein the locking means comprises a stop member that is slidably mounted with respect to the discs. 
   
   
       12 . A climbing aid as claimed in  claim 11  wherein the stop member is slidably located within a housing that bridges the arms of the device, the housing having two legs that lie parallel with the face of the discs and a crosspiece that lies above the top of the discs, each leg having a longitudinal slot for passage of the stop member. 
   
   
       13 . A climbing aid as claimed in  claim 11  wherein the stop member is biased towards its lowered or locked position. 
   
   
       14 . A climbing aid as claimed in  claim 12  wherein an axle upon which the arms are mounted extends between the legs of the housing, being secured by suitable means. 
   
   
       15 . A climbing aid as claimed in  claim 1  wherein means is provided for affecting rotating of the cams. 
   
   
       16 . A climbing aid as claimed in  claim 15  wherein a cable or strapping is attached to each cam to allow manual rotation of the cams. 
   
   
       17 . A climbing aid as claimed in  claim 1  wherein the profile of the periphery of the cams is ribbed or spiked. 
   
   
       18 . A climbing aid as claimed in  claim 1  constructed from Aerospace Grade 7075 stem alloy. 
   
   
       19 . A climbing aid as claimed in  claim 1  wherein at least the arms or cams are provided with weight-saving holes therethrough.