Ships – Boats – boat component – or attachment – With wheeled buoyant landing or launching aid
Reexamination Certificate
1999-07-26
2001-02-20
Morano, S. Joseph (Department: 3617)
Ships
Boats, boat component, or attachment
With wheeled buoyant landing or launching aid
C280S414200
Reexamination Certificate
active
06189478
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to wheel systems for transportation of boats overland, for launching boats in water, and for recovering boats from water, especially retractable wheel systems attached to small boats.
2. Description of Prior Art
Various wheeled boat carriers have been proposed for manually transporting small boats to and from the water's edge. While these carriers have served a particular purpose in each case, they have all had certain inherent disadvantages as discussed in the following paragraphs.
There are a number of prior boat-attached wheel systems designed for rapid, long distance, overland movement, exemplified by U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,622,893, 3,185,330, 3,733,628, and 4,515,102. These are mechanically complex and high in cost compared to the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,197,405 shows a boat-attached wheel system that positions both wheels as a single unit and stows them behind the transom, with no flexibility in choosing wheel position independently. This causes interference with transom-mounted motors and other apparatus such as “ski ropes”. It is desirable to be able to operate each wheel position independently or together as the situation might dictate as the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,499,177 shows a boat-attached wheel system requiring that the boat be inverted to roll the boat on land or into the water. Since the boat cannot operate inverted in the water, it requires that the boat be inverted prior to water entry. This requires lifting or rolling the boat to an upright position, and carrying or sliding the boat into the water instead of simply rolling the boat into the water such as the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,261,680 shows a boat-attached wheel system that is not adjustable. It only fits one boat width, is not adjustable longitudinally to compensate for longitudinal changes in boat loading, does not have the ability to retract the wheel assemblies into horizontal or vertical positions, and requires storage of wheels inside the boat where they take up passenger space and may get the passenger(s) wet.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,515,102 shows a wheel-axle arrangement with a single operating position along the longitudinal axis of the host boat, due primarily to inflexible or permanent mounting. When a boat is unloaded or loaded from one end, the center of mass moves along its length. While supporting the boat on its wheels, the operator must bear a portion of the weight of the boat and contents, which is proportional to the distance between the boat's center of mass and the axle position of the wheel assemblies. This is not a problem with the present invention since the transverse frame and the wheel assemblies attached thereto can be quickly moved forward or backward, if needed, to reestablish a center of mass above the wheel axles. This prior invention also uses a more complex and expensive wheel suspension and pivot arrangement.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The basic objects of the present invention are to provide a simple, low cost wheel system for conveniently transporting a small boat on land, in an assembly that is quickly attachable to a boat without tools and without penetrating or damaging the boat in any manner, which can be positioned to support the boat at its longitudinal center of mass for manual transport on land by a single person, which has wheels that are retractable by a person in the boat to a position beside the boat, and which provides an additional seat in the boat.
These basic objectives and more are achieved by a wheeled boat carrier
1
having a transverse frame
2
-
2
a
with adjustable width for a range of boat widths, a gunwale clamp
10
at each end of the frame, a seat
11
in the middle of the frame, a telescoping wheel strut
6
-
6
a
pivotally attached to the each end of the frame by pivot attachment
7
that is lockable vertically downward, vertically upward, or horizontally, and a wheel at the end of each wheel strut. A user clamps the frame transversely between the gunwales of a boat at the longitudinal balance point of the boat. The wheels can be locked downward; the boat can be rolled on land by a single person without lifting a significant weight, and can be launched into water. When afloat, a person in the boat can pivot the wheel struts to a horizontal position, placing the wheels beside the boat where they serve as bumpers and stabilizing outriggers. The wheels can optionally be locked upward for rolling the boat inverted on land. The wheel struts telescope to a desired extension to set the boat carrying height. The carrier is designed to become a permanent part of the boat but can be quickly removed if desired. Optionally, oar locks and fishing pole cups can be added to the sides of the frame. The wheels can be removed in an emergency for use as lifesaving floats.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2042598 (1936-06-01), Harvey
patent: 2622893 (1952-12-01), Wasserlein
patent: 2831203 (1958-04-01), Kanarr
patent: 3068024 (1962-12-01), Berliner
patent: 3101203 (1963-08-01), Raymond
patent: 3361441 (1968-01-01), McRae
patent: 3955830 (1976-05-01), Hardwick
patent: 4214774 (1980-07-01), Kluge
patent: 4398489 (1983-08-01), Feola
patent: 4515102 (1985-05-01), Kury
patent: 4538829 (1985-09-01), Horowitz
patent: 4567844 (1986-02-01), Johnson
patent: 4601481 (1986-07-01), Maurice
patent: 4766838 (1988-08-01), Johnson
patent: 4830387 (1989-05-01), Batten
patent: 4936595 (1990-06-01), Cunningham
patent: 5042417 (1991-08-01), Raymond
patent: 5072959 (1991-12-01), Marullo
patent: 5197405 (1993-03-01), King
patent: 5261680 (1993-11-01), Freitus et al.
patent: 5501169 (1996-03-01), Denker
patent: 5547209 (1996-08-01), Vanderlinde
patent: 5560629 (1996-10-01), Allard et al.
MacKensie Norman M.
Myers Clinton S.
Morano S. Joseph
Stewart John V.
Wright Andrew D.
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