Rat guard for ship

Abstract

A rat guard for a ship, installed on a rope which connects a quay and a ship, to prevent hygiene-threatening animals, such as rats, snakes and cats from boarding the ship. The rat guard comprises a first plate defined with a first rope groove in a center portion of a right end thereof to be placed on one side in a lengthwise direction of the rope; a second plate defined with a second rope groove in a center portion of a left end thereof to be placed on the other side in the lengthwise direction of the rope; and a hinge part for hingedly coupling the first and second plates with each other using a hinge pin which is passed through the first and second plates at a position above and spaced apart from the first and second rope grooves by a predetermined distance.

1 . A rat guard for a ship, installed on a rope which connects a quay and a ship, to prevent hygiene-threatening animals, such as rats, snakes and cats, from boarding the ship, the rat guard comprising:
 a first plate defined with a first rope groove in a center portion of a right end thereof to be placed on one side of the rope in a lengthwise direction of the rope;   a second plate defined with a second rope groove in a center portion of a left end thereof to be placed on the other side of the rope in the lengthwise direction of the rope; and   a hinge part for hingedly coupling the first and second plates with each other using a hinge pin which is passed through the first and second plates at a position above and spaced apart from the first and second rope grooves by a predetermined distance.   
   
   
       2 . The rat guard according to  claim 1 , wherein respective connection holes are defined through a left upper portion of the first plate and a right upper portion of the second plate, adjacent to outer peripheries of the first and second plates, and an operation cord is connected through the connection holes, so that rotation of the first and second plates can be controlled by moving the operation cord upwards and downwards. 
   
   
       3 . The rat guard according to  claim 1 , wherein a guide projection is formed on one of the first and second plates, which can be rotated around the hinge part, and a guide slot is defined through the other of the first and second plates, so that the guide projection is inserted through and moved along the guide slot to guide rotation of the first and second plates. 
   
   
       4 . The rat guard according to  claim 1 , wherein position-fixing protuberances are projectedly formed on edges of the first and second rope grooves, which face the rope, so that, when the first and second plates are positioned around the rope with the rope extending through the first and second rope grooves, the position-fixing protuberances are driven into the rope to fix an installation position of the rat guard. 
   
   
       5 . The rat guard according to  claim 1 , wherein the hinge part is provided with a washer which has protuberances on an outer surface thereof to be driven into the rope extending through the first and second rope grooves. 
   
   
       6 . The rat guard according to  claim 1 , wherein a weight is provided to a lower end of at least one of the first and second plates so that the first and second plates are prevented from being released from the rope by external shock. 
   
   
       7 . The rat guard according to  claim 1 , wherein, in order to prevent the first and second plates from being rotated beyond a predetermined angle, an engagement piece is projectedly formed on the first plate at a position such that it is engaged with the left end of the second plate to restrain rotation of the second plate or on the second plate at a position such that it is engaged with the right end of the first plate to restrain rotation of the first plate. 
   
   
       8 . The rat guard according to  claim 1 , wherein an engagement tab is formed adjacent to a lower end on the left end or the right end of one of the first and second plates, which is not formed with the engagement piece, to project toward the other of the first and second plates, which is not formed with the engagement tab.