Ships – Watercraft with means used in providing sailpower – Multiple hulls
Reexamination Certificate
1999-08-17
2001-06-05
Sotelo, Jesus D. (Department: 3617)
Ships
Watercraft with means used in providing sailpower
Multiple hulls
C114S061100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06240865
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to sailing vessels and sailing kits and, more particularly, to a multi-purpose sailing kit assembly which incorporates one or more hull convertible hulls.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The prior art is well documented with examples of small sail or manually driven watercraft and which are capable of being converted from one operating configuration to another. U.S. Pat. No. 4,524,709, issued to McKenna, discloses a collapsible and wind propelled water craft including three equidistantly spaced support members arranged in a tetrahedral frame and including a pair of sails supported upon the frame.
Examples of catamaran-style boats with collapsible frames are illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 3,986,219, issued to Michowski, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,766,830, issued to Kunz. In the example of Michowski, a rectangular shaped frame supports the first and second hull portions. In the example of Kunn, the rectangular frame includes a covering member and an attachment for supporting an upwardly extending mast and sail.
Additional examples of wind sailing devices with first and second surfboards supported by a frame are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,024,177, issued to Winter, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,930,433, issued to Tirez. In each case, a pair of integral planar boards are supported by the frame structure, which also anchors the mast and sail extending upwardly therefrom.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,061,100, issued to Muhlfeld, discloses a sailboat conversion kit capable of reconfiguring a conventional sailboat for traversing a hard surface such as ice. The kit includes an elongated spar assembly mounted transversely on the hull of the sailboat intermediate its ends and which are spaced from the port and starboard sides of the sailboat. First and second surface engaging structures, in the form of blades, mount to outboard ends of the spar assembly and a third surface engaging structure is coupled to a tiller of the sailboat beneath its stern end. The hull assembly in Muhlfeld is likewise of an integral and one-piece design.
SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
The present invention is a multi-purpose sailing kit assembly which, in addition to certain convertibility capabilities known in the prior art, teaches a novel assembly for reconfiguring a cross sectional profile of a hull or hull assemblies of the sailboat. Additionally, the present invention provides a much wider potential range of conversion designs for the sailing kit assembly than is taught or suggested by the prior art.
The kit assembly according to the present invention includes at least one, and preferably two, hulls. Each of the hulls is constructed as first and second elongate, buoyant and self-contained halves. Each of the hull halves extends in an elongate, longitudinal direction and further includes a three dimensional cross section defining in part a first planar surface and a second perpendicularly extending planar surface connected to the first planar surface along a longitudinally and common edge.
The halves of each hull are pivotally secured together and are capable of being converted from a first cross sectional hull profile and in which the a first selected planar surface of each halve is pivoted in an abutting relationship to a second cross sectional hull profile in which the hull halves are pivoted so that a second selected planar surface of each halve is in the abutting relationship and the first selected planar surfaces now define a continuous upwardly facing platform surface. First and second pluralities of spaced apart and longitudinally extending sleeve portions are formed along common connecting edges of the first and second hull halves and, upon aligning the halves together, receive one or more elongate pins for pivotally associating the halves together.
The hull halves are capable of being secured according to the desired cross sectional profile by specified circular openings formed in the first and second planar surfaces of each hull halve. Upon pivoting the halves to a desired profile, coupling mechanisms are insertably engaged with aligning circular openings and are tightened to anchor the halves together in a seal-tight and water-resistant manner. Rubber plugs are provided for sealing circular openings not employed for purposes of anchoring the halves together and additional plugs are provided which are configured for either supporting in horizontally extending fashion elongate tubular members making up a frame of the sailing kit assembly or for supporting in upwardly extending fashion a sailing mast.
Additional variants are provided in which a single hull, both first and second hulls, or a selected one of first and second hulls, are separated into its distinctive halves by disengaging the pin from the aligning sleeve portions. The elongate tubular frame may be constructed so as to support the first hull in a canoe or kayak arrangement or, alternatively, to construct the first and second hulls in any further desired spatial arrangement, such as exhibited by a catamaran style boat. Additional variants made possible by the kit assembly of the present invention include skate supports which may secured to remote extending ends of the tubular frame assembly to permit the kit to operate on an ice covered surface. Also, a canopy constructed of forward and rearward spaced portions may be attached upon a selected pair of first and second planar surfaces of a configured hull, a seat being installed upon the hull in an aperture defined between the forward and rearward spaced portions.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3986219 (1976-10-01), Michowski
patent: 4061100 (1977-12-01), Muhlfeld
patent: 4337543 (1982-07-01), Van Ulzen
patent: 4524709 (1985-06-01), McKenna
patent: 4557210 (1985-12-01), Gerwin
patent: 4681333 (1987-07-01), Rouge et al.
patent: 4706597 (1987-11-01), Figone
patent: 4730573 (1988-03-01), Koon
patent: 4740000 (1988-04-01), Moessner
patent: 4753183 (1988-06-01), Jira
patent: 4766830 (1988-08-01), Kunz
patent: 4771723 (1988-09-01), Friesen
patent: 4821666 (1989-04-01), Ingram
patent: 4829925 (1989-05-01), Haanen
patent: 4838196 (1989-06-01), Ingram
patent: 4926774 (1990-05-01), Winner
patent: 4930433 (1990-06-01), Tirez
patent: 5024177 (1991-06-01), Winter et al.
patent: 5042411 (1991-08-01), Krolczyk
patent: 5285742 (1994-02-01), Anderson
patent: 5331916 (1994-07-01), Martin
patent: 5377607 (1995-01-01), Ross
patent: 5450809 (1995-09-01), Melton
patent: 5592892 (1997-01-01), Kerckhoff
patent: 5642686 (1997-07-01), Jeswine
patent: 5680828 (1997-10-01), Kayaks
patent: 5704305 (1998-01-01), Winter
patent: 5887538 (1999-03-01), Cruz
Gifford, Krass, Groh Sprinkle, Anderson & Citkowski, P.C.
Sotelo Jesus D.
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