Ships – Building
Reexamination Certificate
2000-08-04
2001-10-23
Sotelo, Jesus D. (Department: 3617)
Ships
Building
C441S074000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06305305
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Towable watersports devices used for recreational and sport purposes include a water sport device known as a kneeboard, which is used by a kneeling user and typically towed by a motor-operated watercraft. Kneeboards are manufactured by a molding process to prepare an upper and lower contoured polymeric rigid shell filled with a core floatation material like a closed cell, e.g., polyethylene or polyurethane, polymeric foam with the shells secured together to form a peripheral sealing lip.
The kneeboard usually has a contoured upper surface, and may include a depressed knee area, to fit the knees or lower legs of the user, with optional cushioning material, like foam pads, for comfort and optional knee straps to restrain a user may also be used.
One prior art kneeboard is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,700,174, issued Dec. 23, 1997, hereby incorporated by reference. The kneeboard has an upper and lower shell with a lip about a foam core material and has an upper contoured passenger riding area. The kneeboard includes means for strengthening the kneeboard by constructing and arranging the hull and deck with a lip, and wherein the thickness between the dorsal surface of the lip and ventral surface of the lip is less than the average thickness of the shell measured between the dorsal portion of the passenger contact area and the ventral surface of the hull. The kneeboard is also strengthened by combining and integrating a first and second lateral support member, a middle lateral support member and a transverse support member which form contours in the passenger area.
It is desirable to provide an improved kneeboard which avoids the disadvantages of prior art kneeboards and presents a low profile contour, and is internally strengthened without the need for lateral support members, and yet provides good performance, maneuverability and stability properties, and ease and efficiency of manufacture.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a kneeboard of strengthened construction, and a low profile; such as a kneeboard adapted for use behind a watercraft, which kneeboard comprises: a floatation core material, such as a closed-cell foam material; and a polymeric shell of a moldable hard plastic, like high density, cross-linked polyethylene, which encapsulates the core material to form a kneeboard with a top surface, a bottom surface, opposite sides, a front end and a tail end. The kneeboard includes the top surface defining a passenger area which may be generally planar or depressed, and a first and a second fin cable slot in the top surface of the passenger area, and having a one end and another end, one end extending from the said housing and the other end extending toward the tail end. The cable slots extending downwardly and generally parallel for a selected distance and then each cable slot extending outwardly and toward opposite sides at the other end. The kneeboard includes an internal rib or stiffener means from or about the cable slots, such as a generally vertical stiffener rib extending downwardly from the cable slots, in the core material and toward the bottom surface. The kneeboard includes first and second spaced apart fin slots in the bottom surface toward the tail end and in communication with the first and second fin cable slots, and adapted for the installation of first and second fins.
The kneeboard generally and preferably employs typically two or more spaced apart fins extending fixedly or retractably generally longitudinally from the bottom surface of the kneeboard to impart stability in use and to enhance performance. The fins are secured to or inserted in fin slots in the bottom surface. The fins preferably are retractable by the use of a lever, or other means, on the top surface, and available for passenger use, such as a lever in a fin lever housing. The lever is connected by a pair of fin cables resting in the formed cable slots in the top surface to the fins. The retractable fins are arranged and constructed to move mechanically, usually by separate plastic-covered steel fin cables in the cable slots, on operation of a lever between an extended downward use position (e.g., when the lever is pulled back), and a retracted upward non-use position (e.g., when the lever is pushed forward).
It has been discovered that a low profile, low sectional thickness strengthened kneeboard may be manufactured employing a pair of internal vertical longitudinal stiffeners or ribs from the passenger area to strengthen the kneeboard in use. The internal vertical stiffeners are integrally formed with the upper section of the polymeric shell during the molding process and arranged to extend initially spaced apart and parallel beneath the fin cable slots extending from the lever housing opening, and to extend downwardly as the fin cable slots diverge smoothly and generally arcuately outwardly toward opposite sides, and with the fin cable slots ending by being generally close to and generally parallel to opposite sides for a short distance at the rear of the passenger area.
The fin cable slots are slightly depressed slots molded in the upper shell and arranged to receive and permit the slidable movement of the cables beneath the top surface to control the position of the fins in each fin slot on the bottom surface. The vertical stiffeners or rib preferably extend downwardly from the bottom of the fin cable slots toward or to the upper internal surface of the bottom surface of the lower shell and are surrounded by the foam material. The vertical stiffeners preferably run continuously beneath the fin cable slots and are of the same molded polymeric material as the shell; for example, a molded cross-linked polyolefin.
Further, it has been found that the employment of a pair of slightly raised, e.g. up to ½ to 1½ inches in height, rounded side contour members on each side of the kneeboard extending substantially from the tail end to the front end contributes further to the overall strength of the kneeboard, and that increased sectional thickness and transverse members and a high profile are not required, as in the prior art, where contoured overall sectional thickness of the kneeboard often exceeds 3½ to 4 inches.
The passenger area surface of the kneeboard may be surface contoured (e.g., anti-slip and knurled) to fit a passenger's knees or lower legs, as desired. The kneeboard may employ a generally oval or other design, planar or depressed passenger area with a generally flat bottom passenger surface, and usually with a peripheral passenger pad outer ring about the area. The area is optionally covered in whole or in part with a knee or lower leg cushioning material, such as a flexible, resilient soft foam material, such as a fabric-foam-backing pad material.
The invention will be described for the purposes of illustration only in connection with certain illustrated embodiments wherein the kneeboard includes a cover, cables and fins; however, it is recognized that various changes, modifications, additions, and improvements may be made in the illustrative embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. For example, the kneeboard may be used without a lever, fin cables and fins.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4708679 (1987-11-01), Shoeffler et al.
patent: 4883436 (1989-11-01), Oakland
patent: 5700174 (1997-12-01), Churchill et al.
Blodgett & Blodgett, P.C.
Earth & Ocean Sports, Inc.
Sotelo Jesus D.
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