Oh, patents! Chouinard Hexentric chocks

Copyright © Françoise Herrmann

Yvon Chouinard, founder of Patagonia Inc., the company that helped to write the book on B-certified corporations(1), was awarded, together with the recently deceased, famous mountain climber, and photographer, Thomas Frost,  a mountain climbing chock patent. in 1976. The patent, US3948485A, titled Irregular, polygonal mountaineering chock, disclosed an irregular hexagonal chock invention, in series of increasing sizes, designed to be wedged between the cracks and openings of mountain rock of varying widths. In particular, the irregular polygonal shape was designed to accommodate cracks that tend to gently and variously converge, whereas the varying lengths of the chock series was designed to accommodate cracks of variable width. (See below, the photograph taken by Frost, where  Chouinard is wearing the chocks around his neck and across his body.)

The invention addressed the problematic situation of rock scaring (flaking or splintering) caused when spikes (called pitons) were hammered into the rock to support climbers. The irregular polygonal shape of the chocks, with side faces of two different widths, also offered more than one attitude for positioning the chock within a crack.  (See the technical drawing above, showing the various attitudes of a chock position within a crack.)

According to the patent, mountaineering chocks were originally ordinary machine nuts collected near the Snowdon Railway,  at the Clogwgn du'r Arddu cliffs, in the North West of Wales, one of the most renowned mountaineering sites. However, because ordinary machine nuts are regular in size, they could not be fitted properly inside irregular, and variously sized cracks that tend to converge. 

Anecdotally, Thomas Frost, who had a mechanical engineering background, made dies for mass production of the invention chocks and other mountaineering equipment, such as carabiners and pitons, some of which Chouinard originally blacksmithed himself. and sold from his car (Patagonia Inc., history). A hardware business that initially operated as Chouinard Equipment, prior to the establishment of the more lucrative "software" sports clothing company Patagonia Inc. A sports clothing company for mountain climbers that trailblazed both the layering of clothes (moisture transport against the skin, middle layer for insulation, and outer shell for protection against wind and moisture), and the use of synthetic fabric (Synchella® and Capilene®), instead of wool and cotton for mountain climbing. A sports clothing company that was also steered at the helm of environmental, community and social activism, including philanthropy. Patagonia Inc., offers 1% of sales for the Planet, for projects involving preservation and restoration of the natural environment.  

The abstract for this invention is included below, together with the patent Figure 1, showing an irregular polygonal invention chock wedged into the crack of a mountain rock. Specifically, the patent Figure 1 depicts a perspective view of the novel irregular polygonal invention chock 10, with a large cavity 42 at the center, in view of minimizing the weight of the larger size chocks. The invention chock 10 is further depicted wedged between opposing walls  14 and 16, and  supporting a portion of a rope sling 12.

A polygonal mountaineering chock with at least two sets of opposed faces in which extensions of each set of faces defines an acute angle, and the median distances between the two sets of opposed faces are unequal, whereby the chock can be received in holding position in cracks or openings of two different widths. A series of such chocks in graduated sizes is provided, with the distances between the sets of opposed faces being uniformly increased, such that at least one position of one chock of the series will fit into any crack of a width between the smaller end of the narrower set of faces of the smallest chock and the larger end of the wider set of faces of the largest chock. 
 [Absract US3948485A]

Note

(1) Certified B Corporations are “do-gooder” companies. They are legally required to consider all the consequences of their decisions, in terms of social, and environmental impact.  B-certified companies “meet the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose”. 

References

1972 - Y. Chouinard by T. Frost

BCertification https://bcorporation.net/

Patagonia Inc.  https://www.patagonia.com/

Patagonia Inc. Company History  https://www.patagonia.com/company-history/

Paumgarten, N. (Nov. 12, 2016) Patagonia’s philosopher-king. The New Yorker.
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/09/19/patagonias-philosopher-king

Slotnik, D. E. (Sept. 12, 2018) Tom Frost, mountaineer who designed a cleaner climb, dies at 82. NYTimes.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/12/obituaries/tom-frost-dead.html