Ships – Fenders
Reexamination Certificate
2000-10-18
2001-07-24
Swinehart, Ed (Department: 3617)
Ships
Fenders
C405S001000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06263820
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to landing a boat on shore and more specifically to a boat landing apparatus which may be used to easily land and retain a boat without removing thereof from the water.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
There are numerous boating landing devices such as U.S. Pat. No. 2,658,354 to Lee, U.S. Pat. No. 5,449,247 to Smith, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,460,112 to Travioli. All three of the these patents have the same drawback. Only a small length of the boat is guided when the boat is in contact with the boat landing device. A boat landing device which only contacts a small length of the boat lacks stability.
Accordingly, there is a clearly felt need in the art for a boat landing apparatus which provides greater stability when landing a boat than that of the prior art.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a boat landing apparatus which is easier to use than that of the prior art. The boat landing apparatus includes a pair of roller assemblies, a pair of cross members, four cross member brackets, and at least two retention stakes. Each roller assembly includes a plurality of rollers pivotally retained in a roller frame. Each cross member bracket is mounted to substantially each end of each roller assembly. A wedge spacer may be mounted to a bottom of the roller frame before attachment of the cross member bracket. The wedge spacer enables the roller assembly to have an inward tilt. An opening is formed through substantially a center of the bracket and the roller frame. Each cross member bracket is sized to slidably receive the perimeter of the cross member. Each cross member has a plurality of openings formed along a length thereof. The width of the boat landing apparatus may be adjusted by aligning the opening in the roller frame with one of the openings in the cross member. A single stake is then inserted through the openings in the roller assembly and cross member into the mounting surface.
A height spacer may be used to tilt the boat landing device. The height spacer allows the boat landing apparatus to be tilted for raising or lowering either end of the boat. The rear of the boat may be tilted downward to drain water therefrom, if necessary. The height spacer preferably includes a post retainer, a tubular post, and a flange retainer. A single post retainer is attached to a bottom of each end of each roller assembly. The tubular post is retained by the post retainer. The flange retainer is clamped to the tubular post to prevent thereof from sinking into the lake bottom.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a boat landing apparatus which provides greater stability when landing a boat than that of the prior art.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a boat landing apparatus which may be tilted to adjust to a sloped lake bottom.
Finally, it is another object of the present invention to provide a boat landing apparatus which has an adjustable width to accommodate different size boats.
These and additional objects, advantages, features and benefits of the present invention will become apparent from the following specification.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2658354 (1953-11-01), Lee
patent: 5449247 (1995-09-01), Smith
patent: 5460112 (1995-10-01), Travioli
patent: 5961139 (1999-10-01), Nichols, II
patent: 6092961 (2000-07-01), Kilgore
Crifase Joy P.
Crifase Philip A.
Ersler Donald J.
Swinehart Ed
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