Ships – Mooring device – Whip or whip base
Reexamination Certificate
2002-09-18
2003-12-16
Morano, S. Joseph (Department: 3617)
Ships
Mooring device
Whip or whip base
Reexamination Certificate
active
06662740
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to devices used to maintain a boat in spaced relation from a dock, such devices being known in the art as boat whips, and more particularly to a boat whip assembly that is longitudinally adjustable along the length of the dock to accommodate boats having varying lengths.
Boat whips are well known in the art.
FIG. 1
illustrates the use of a conventional boat whip
10
. As shown, a boat
12
is tied to a dock
14
by means of a pair of ropes, each indicated at
16
. Each rope
16
is attached at one end thereof to a cleat
18
, which is mounted on the boat
12
, and at its other end to a vertically oriented post
20
, which is secured in a suitable manner to the dock
14
. It is understood that the boat
12
can be secured to the dock
14
in any number of ways, and that the manner illustrated in
FIG. 1
is for illustration purposes only. For example, the boat can be secured to a cleat (not shown) mounted on the top surface of the dock or on the post.
Without boat whips
10
, the boat
12
has a tendency to bang into the dock
14
and/or the posts
20
when waves move the boat
12
into and away from the dock
14
. During especially rough conditions where the waves greatly effect the movement of the boat
12
, such conditions can cause extreme damage to the boat
12
since nothing prevents the boat from engaging the dock. Prior to the introduction of boat whips, bumpers (not shown) were employed to protect the boat from banging into the dock.
Presently available boat whips
10
stand the boat
12
away from the dock
14
, thereby preventing damage to the boat. More specifically, as illustrated in
FIG. 2
, the boat whip
10
comprises a base
22
, which is secured to the dock
14
by any suitable means, including wood screws
24
. The base includes an annular receptacle
26
for receiving a flexible (and typically cylindrical) rod
28
, which has one end seated therein and an opposite end having a thin line or tether (not shown) attached thereto. This thin line is secured at its other end to the cleat
18
provided on the boat
12
. The arrangement is such that the flexible rod
28
, since it extends over the body of the boat
12
, maintains the boat
12
in a spaced relation away from the dock
14
, thereby allowing the boat to move slightly toward and away from the dock, but never in contact with the dock.
The boat whip
10
described above, while effective in achieving its intended purpose, i.e., maintaining the boat
12
away from the dock
14
, does suffer from significant limitations. For example, when employing the boat whip
10
, it must be secured on the dock
14
typically by means by the permanent fastener
24
in a position generally adjacent to the boat's cleats
18
. It is very important that the spacing of the boat whips
10
be nearly identical to the spacing of the cleats
18
so that the boat whips
10
maximize their effect on the boat
12
by extending perpendicularly away from the dock
14
over the body of the boat.
One disadvantage of this arrangement is that boat whips
10
can only accommodate boats having identical or nearly identical spacing between cleats
18
. Once permanently affixed to the dock
14
, the boat whips
10
cannot be easily removed and reattached to accommodate boats having more or less spacing between the cleats
18
. Thus, another boat tied to a dock having a cleat spacing different than the cleat spacing of the boat for which the boat whips were employed could not take advantage of the boat whips since they would not keep the boat away from the dock. There is presently a need in the art for an adjustable boat whip assembly that can accommodate boats having varying sizes, especially having varying distances between their cleats.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, among the several objects of the present invention is the provision of an adjustable boat whip that can be easily adjusted to accommodate boats having varying spacing between cleats.
In general, an adjustable whip of the present invention for maintaining a boat in spaced relation to a dock comprises a boat whip, an elongate base member having means for mounting the base member on the dock, a whip support member having means for receiving the boat whip in a generally upright position, and interconnecting means for attaching the support member to the base member so that the support member can move along the length of the base member. Locking means is further provided for locking the support member to the base member.
In one embodiment of the invention, the base member of the boat whip assembly comprises a structural tubular body having an upwardly extending top flange that is received in a slot provided in the support member. The arrangement is such that the support member is movable along the length of the base member.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2771053 (1956-11-01), Gustafson
patent: 3196824 (1965-07-01), Howard
patent: 3636908 (1972-01-01), Feldman et al.
patent: 4040377 (1977-08-01), Olsen
patent: 4250827 (1981-02-01), Booker et al.
patent: 4356783 (1982-11-01), Myklebust et al.
patent: 4992015 (1991-02-01), Florence
patent: 5036784 (1991-08-01), Wagner
patent: 5154132 (1992-10-01), Brushaber
patent: 5282434 (1994-02-01), Hart et al.
patent: 5361716 (1994-11-01), Cotton
patent: 5494327 (1996-02-01), Derecktor
patent: 5575234 (1996-11-01), Dysarz
Noe Forrest Edward
Noe Keith Forrest
Morano S. Joseph
Wright Andrew
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