Ships – Building – Sectional
Patent
1996-07-08
1997-03-04
Avila, Stephen
Ships
Building
Sectional
14 26, B63B 302
Patent
active
056069294
ABSTRACT:
Accordingly, the preferred embodiment of the present invention includes ft and second pontoons; a plurality of removable connector modules located in pockets on each end of the pontoons for absorbing impacts and for locking together joined pontoons; a plurality of retractable, resilient alignment pins located in the ends of the pontoons for initial alignment of the pontoons; and a winch operated bridal line attached to the alignment pins, via guide bores, for drawing together the pontoons in a joined fashion. Each connector module includes, on one end, a compressible locking pin that may be slidably located in the extended position (for joining and locking together with another pontoon) or in the retracted position (for storage). The other end of the connector module includes a receiver bore for receiving the locking pin of a mating pontoon. The removable connector modules may be installed in a "regular" fashion, with the locking pin adjacent the deck of the pontoon or in the "inverted" fashion, with the locking pin adjacent the sea surface. Once joined together, two pontoons are locked together via the locking pins. The locking pins also may compress to absorb impacts from a mating pontoons due to misalignment of the pontoons in rough, undulating seas. The alignment pins are resilient to initially guide and absorb forces between bumping pontoons as the pontoons are drawn together. Several pontoons may be joined, in succession, to form an array of pontoons of desired length by repositioning the bridal line to attach to the next pontoon to be joined. Pontoons may also be joined, for example, at the side to form other combinations of structures.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3651528 (1972-03-01), Behrmann et al.
patent: 3805721 (1974-04-01), Robishaw
patent: 3983830 (1976-10-01), Morgan
patent: 4487151 (1984-12-01), Deiana
Avila Stephen
Billi Ron G.
Kalmbaugh David S.
Sliwka Melvin J.
The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of
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