Ships – Boats – boat component – or attachment
Reexamination Certificate
2000-07-11
2001-10-16
Swinehart, Ed (Department: 3617)
Ships
Boats, boat component, or attachment
C224S406000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06302051
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to method of releasably securing coolers, or locker for power boats, and particular, to portable storage onto the swim grid or platform of power boats.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The transom trunk of the present invention is intended to satisfy two needs: i) the overall shortage of secure and weatherproof storage recreational boats including so-called run-abouts, ski-boats and cruisers; and ii) to provide a place to land and store fish in those same recreational boats and cruisers given the widespread trend toward better interior boat finishes and materials—one of which are designed to accommodate fishing without risk of stains, permanent odors and damage to the interior.
Those who wish to spend some time fishing must usually choose either a more expensive full fiberglass interior option with or without snap-in carpet or buy a boat outfitted for fishing (e.g. live wells, bait wells, fiberglass lined in-floor storage, etc.). The first option is expensive and the latter option means that comfortable tasteful interior design, seating and materials which are intended to accommodate cruising, skiing, family boating and camping are mostly sacrificed.
In the prior art, Applicant is aware of U.S. Pat. No. 4,805,859 which issued Feb. 21, 1989 to Hudson for an Apparatus for Securing Containers to Moving Platforms. Hudson discloses anchoring a tackle box to a boat by means of a frame upon which are two parallel interlocking rails which mate with corresponding interlocking grooves provided within the tackle box or within an attachment affixed to tackle box's exterior surface. Applicant is also aware of U.S. Pat. No. 5,050,526 which issued Sep. 24, 1991 to Nelson for a Boat Attachment. Nelson teaches an elongated container having a cross section of the approximate cross section of a fishing boat wherein the container has a plurality of straps attached to each end of the elongated container. The straps are adapted, by means of hook brackets, for mounting over each side of the boat gunnel. What is neither taught nor suggested, and that which it is an object of the present invention to provide, is mounting a container onto the aft transom swim platform of, for example, a pleasure boat by using a rail and track system where several rails, secured to the underside of the storage container, can be slidably mated with several relatively short tracks secured to the swim platform of a boat without the need to vertically raise the storage container to engage the rails and tracks. Further, use of the swim platform when the storage container is removed is not impeded since the short tracks are spaced apart, can be manufactured from softer plastic material and are contoured to eliminate sharp edges in a ‘foot friend manner’. The short tracks of the present invention allow the storage container to be aligned with the swim platform mounted rails with minimal lateral offset requiring only minimal movement for full engagement, a decided advantage when mounting a fully packed container. A single locking lever which is accessible to either the finger or toe of a boater secures the storage container and permits easy removal by a single person.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The transom trunk to the present invention may be described as a container and container mounting apparatus for releasably securable mounting of the container onto a generally horizontal rigid platform on a boat, such as swim platform, where the platform is adjacent and aft of a transom on the boat. The container and container mounting apparatus includes a container, sized to stably rest adjacent the transom on the generally horizontal rigid platform, and fasteners, for releasably securable mounting of the container to the transom. The storage container fasteners include first elongate members secured to the underside of the storage container extending parallel to the longitudinal sides of the container mating with second members secured to the swim platform positioned for sliding engagement with the first members.
In summary, the container and container mounting apparatus of the present invention for releasably securable mounting of the container onto a generally horizontal rigid platform on a boat, where the platform is adjacent and aft of a transom on the boat, includes a container sized to stably rest, adjacent the transom on the general horizontal rigid platform, a female receiver rail mountable to the platform, and a male coupling rail. The male coupling rail is mounted or mountable to a lower surface of the container along a rail axis. The male coupling rail is for sliding interlocking into and along the female receiver rail when the female receive rail is mounting to the platform and the male coupling rail is mounted to the lower surface of the container.
The female receiver rail has a first length, which is less than, for example one half, the length of a corresponding dimension of the container along the rail axis. The male coupling rail has a length which without intending to be limiting, may be the same as the length of the female rail. The male rail is coaxial with the rail axis when the male coupling rail is interlockingly coupled with the female receiver rail.
To use the rails for mounting the container onto the platform, the male coupling rail is offset along the rail axis by a distance at least equal to the first length that is, it is offset the length of the female rail so as to engage or disengage the male coupling rail from the female receiver rail. This avoids having to cantilever the container off the edge of the platform by, for example, any more than one half the length of the container when engaging or disengaging the male and female rails, thus minimizing the amount of bending overboard of user mounting or dismounting the container from the platform. Thus the first length may be less than half the length of the corresponding dimension of the container. In another embodiment the first length is less than one third the length of the corresponding dimension of the container. The shorter the first length, the less the container has to be cantilevered overboard to mount or dismount the container from the platform. However, if the first length is too short, the container may not be securely mounted to the platform. That is, in rough weather a too short female rail may deform and release the male rail.
Advantageously the upper surface of female receiver rails are bevelled to remove sharp protrusions or projecting sharp edges.
In preferred embodiment the rail axis is a lateral axis of the platform extending laterally across the platform behind and substantially parallel to the transom.
The container mounting apparatus of the present invention may also include a second male coupling rail mounted or mountable to the lower surface of the surface of the parallel to and spaced a first distance form the first male coupling rail. It will also then include a second female receiver rail mountable to the platform parallel to and spaced the first distance from the first female receiver rail when mounted to the platform.
The first and second male coupling rails may be substantially identical and mounted or mountable in spaced apart side-by-side relation on the lower surface of the container. The first and second female receiving rails may be substantially identical and mountable in spaced apart side-by-side relation on the platform for co-operative sliding mating with the first and second male coupling rails respectively.
In one aspect of the present invention the first and second male coupling rails are mounted or mountable at a first end of the lower surface of the container and the first and second female receiver rails are mountable to a first side of the platform offset from a centerline of the boat. A third rail may be mountable to the platform on a second side of the platform, opposite to the first side, for supporting a second end of the container opposite the first end. Alternatively the third rail may be mounted or mountable to the lower surface of the container on a second end
Reid John S.
Reidlaw, L.L.C.
Swinehart Ed
LandOfFree
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