Ships – Fenders
Reexamination Certificate
2002-05-16
2003-05-13
Swinehart, Ed (Department: 3617)
Ships
Fenders
Reexamination Certificate
active
06561111
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a portable boat dock.
2. Description of the Related Art
Boating is one of America's favorite past times. Whether it be boating on the ocean or sailing a small sailboat on a manmade lake, people from all demographic locations can enjoy some form of boating. It is also one of the most expensive American past times that requires proper equipment and skill. Safely docking and getting off of a boat and onto dry land is a basic and important skill that any boater has to learn. So is docking the boat so as to not damage the front of the boat. A portable dock can be an important piece of equipment in order to achieve this.
Portable docks and protective devices for boats are well-known in the related art. U.S. Pat. No. 2,940,414 issued to Moore, outlines the use of a boat protective device that can be used as both a bumper and a rest for a boat that has been beached. This device will also protect the vertical span of the hull above the waterline. The device is typically known as a boat bumper as opposed to a portable boat dock.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,696,250 issued to Antonides, outlines the use of a portable boat ramp having a frame supporting a cradle having protective support pads. The frame also includes ground stakes for securing the ramp in a temporary position on the water. A boat may be temporarily moored with the forward position of the hull in a cradle in a position near the shoreline, but with the boat out of contact with the water, thereby preventing damage to the boat hull from such contact and the buffeting and wave action normally encountered when the boat is beached.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,803,942 issued to Dren et al., outlines a landing apparatus for use during the landing or beaching of a boat, vessel or the like to protect the keel and hull bottom from damage and abrasions. The apparatus employs an elongated semi-rigid member disposed longitudinal to the bottom surface of the boat. Rigid and resilient upper support blocks are provided and are angled in such a way as to accept and cradle the keel of a boat and have surface contact with the hull so as to offer complete protection during beaching of the hull.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,067,428 issued to Dickerson et al., outlines a portable boat dock with a modified H-shaped platform adapted to reside substantially underwater, the platform having attached to it two upwardly protruding arms with cradle members attached to engage opposite sides of a boat to be docked. The platform lower portion has a pair of spaced apart angled legs adapted to penetrate a distance into the lake bottom to secure the platform.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,267,811 issued to Evans, outlines a portable dock with a raised V-shaped structure, with a rectangularly shaped horizontal base with attached spaced apart angled platforms situated above the base, the dock adapted to reside substantially underwater. The raised V-shaped structure has an open medial channel which enables the platforms to act as cradle members to engage opposite sides of a water craft, as the water craft to be docked is maneuvered into the open medial channel bow first.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,398,631 issued to Miller, outlines a portable boat landing device and more particularly to water craft landing devices for protecting the keel and hull of water craft, such as boats, jet skis and other waterborne craft from damage during beaching operations, and which is useable by a user of or a crew member of the boat to traverse across the muddy or rocky shoreline adjacent to the waterline as they pass between the shore and the water craft, without the user or crew member having to tread through the muddy or rocky soil of the bank.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,454,341 issued to Bensley et al., outlines a protective hull line made up of a mat having a generally rectangular configuration. The mat has an upper surface and a lower surface. The upper surface is made of foam rubber material, while the lower surface is made up of a puncture resistant rubber material. The mat has a first edge and a second edge. The upper surface has a hook and loop material strip secured inward of the first edge of the mat. The lower surface has a hook and loop material strip secured inward of the second edge of the mat.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,577,455 issued to Dvorak, outlines a water craft protection mat that is to be placed on the shoreline prior to beaching of the water craft. The water craft, when being beached, is to have its hull to be maneuvered onto the mat. The mat is to include appropriate openings to facilitate its connection with a plurality of fasteners that function as a tie down arrangement to secure the mat in the position of the shoreline. The heads of the fasteners are to be covered by a covering flap when the mat is in use. The mat is to include appropriate weights so that it will sink within the water. The weights are each to include loose particulate matter that will conform to irregular shapes located at the shore insuring that the mat will rest evenly on the shore.
Each of the patents outline a device that is useful as a portable boat dock or a protectant for the keel and hull bottom of a beached boat. However, none of the previously discussed inventions can be easily and conveniently stored and are “over engineered” and complicated to use. If such a device were easier to store and use, it would be well received by the marketplace and produce improved performance.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singularly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed. Thus a portable boat dock solving the aforementioned problems is desired.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention is a portable boat dock that is a rectangularly shaped and planar sheet of thermoplastic material, that is set between the bottom surface of a shoreline and a hull and keel of a boat beaching and docking on the shoreline. The thermoplastic material has a first set of evenly distributed apertures that allow the thermoplastic material to sink to the bottom of the shoreline, and can be secured to the shoreline with stakes or rope and can be anchored with small portable anchors that can be attached and removed with releasable clips. The thermoplastic material is light, durable and easy to store, and can be tied together to accommodate larger boats.
Accordingly, it is a principal object of the invention to provide a portable dock that will prevent costly damages to the hull of a boat.
It is another object of the invention to allow easy, safe and clean entrance and exits to and from a boat.
It is a further object of the invention to protect people from mud and sharp objects in the water.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a portable boat dock that will be easy to store and easy to use.
It is an object of the invention to provide improved elements and arrangements thereof for the purposes described which is inexpensive, dependable and fully effective in accomplishing its intended purposes.
These and other objects of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2940414 (1960-06-01), Moore
patent: 4696250 (1987-09-01), Antonides
patent: 4803942 (1989-02-01), Dren et al.
patent: 4815412 (1989-03-01), Cassaro, Jr.
patent: 4962719 (1990-10-01), Hughes et al.
patent: 5067428 (1991-11-01), Dickerson et al.
patent: 5267811 (1993-12-01), Evans
patent: 5398631 (1995-03-01), Miller
patent: 5454341 (1995-10-01), Bensley et al.
patent: 5577455 (1996-11-01), Dvorak
Litman Richard C.
Swinehart Ed
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