Ships – Boats – boat component – or attachment – Hull construction
Reexamination Certificate
2001-08-18
2002-05-28
Swinehart, Ed (Department: 3617)
Ships
Boats, boat component, or attachment
Hull construction
C114S347000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06394020
ABSTRACT:
FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH
Not Applicable
SEQUENCE LISTING OR PROGRAM
Not Applicable
BACKGROUND
1. Field of Invention
This invention relates generally to transparent kayaks and canoes with hulls unitarily formed from transparent thermoplastic sheet in a configuration requiring no internal support, specifically resulting in the following characteristics: extreme impact resistance, flexibility, light weight, optical clarity, and seamless below the waterline.
2. Description of Prior Art
Human powered watercraft, specifically canoes and kayaks, are a popular recreational activity. The use of canoes and kayaks range from casual recreational, hunting, fishing, to death defying white water exploits. The canoe and kayak, both ancient designs, must possess the ability to be agile, strong, impact resistant, and easily transported; light weight.
Having the ability to see beneath the surface of water is a popular recreational activity as demonstrated by the large numbers of persons engaging in snorkeling and scuba diving activities as well as the popularity of glass-bottom tour boats. The common denominator in seeing underwater is providing an air barrier between the eye and the water. In snorkeling and scuba this is accomplished via use of a mask with a plane of glass or plastic separating the eyes from the water via a volume of air. The same principle applies to glass-bottom boats.
Consequently, combining the ability to view underwater while seated in a canoe or kayak is widely desired. Prior art has not yielded a means by which to accomplish both while in a canoe or kayak without undesirable tradeoffs in one or more of, structural integrity, weight, impact resistance, safety, guidance/tracking, and optical clarity.
Various attempts to yield underwater views while paddling have been made. Generally, doing so requires one to use expensive underwater remote cameras (yielding two dimensional views), or the use of potentially leaky transparent panels embedded or affixed to the canoe and kayak hull and supporting structure, or alternatively, the use of a folding kayaks with flexible hulls encompassing a transparent plastic film subject to optical distortion, tearing, and sunlight degradation.
One prior solution to transparent kayak hulls result in the hull of the boat being a flexible film material as is the case in U.S. Pat. No. 4,841,899. The extreme flexibility of the material described therein inherently distorts underwater views and renders the kayak useless without the means of internal supports. Additionally, the flexible, transparent materials described therein are easily cut and are subject to tearing if impacted on sharp objects such as coral, rock, or shell. Lastly the use of film material requires an internal supporting structure for the canoe or kayak.
The prior art for glass bottom or transparent kayaks and canoes is extremely limited, thus consideration of all prior art relating to “glass bottom boats”, canoes and kayaks, as well as vessel hull construction was made. Subsequently, a number of “glass bottom boats” were found, however, none of which were suitable for kayaks and only one having a unitarily constructed hull: it was for a recreational, outboard motor powered craft.
In general, there are multiple attempts to solve the problem of underwater visibility through panels placed in the hull of a boat. While this method does solve the problem of underwater visibility in a human powered craft, it is not seamless and provides the opportunity for water to permeate the abutments of the hull panels. As is the case with kayaks, lateral and longitudinal stress and flexing provide the opportunity for water intrusion when abutments of panels are placed at or below the waterline.
Having a rigid framework within a plastic hull is one of many solutions previously sought for glass bottom boats. However, rigid frames do not provide for the necessary flexing of a kayak hull, and in the case of aluminum frames a severe impact could collapse the frame around the paddler thus entrapping the paddler. In the case of wood or other materials that could break in a severe impact, the paddler of the kayak could potentially be impaled.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,337,692 to Troiani addresses the problem of transparency as well as frameless design by forming a single transparent sheet of acrylic into a recreational boat hull with sponsons to stiffen the longitudinal axis of the hull as well as raise the transparent viewing plane above the surface of the water when not laden. This prior art states that the use of Lexan (a General Electric Company registered trademark for it's brand of polycarbonate) is unsuitable for any boat which is propelled by power means due to polycarbonates' sensitivity to acids and petroleum products. However, the use of acrylic as described by Troiani does not lend itself to canoes or kayaks due to its inability to withstand the severe shock and impacts encountered frequently by such craft. Additionally, canoes and kayaks are generally stored hull side up when not in use. Since acrylic is a combustible material and capable of solar magnification combustion especially when formed in parabolic shapes such as would be the case in a kayak hull it is not desirable for use as a kayak hull material.
The use of sponsons described in Troiani's patent do not adapt well to canoes or kayaks in so far as a canoe and kayak must be able to be rotated about a vertical axis very rapidly to enable the paddler to maneuver around rocks and other obstacles. Additionally, sponsons as described by Troiani only increase maneuverability at high speeds. Canoes and kayaks travel by paddle propulsion and thus are limited to slow speeds. Sponsons as described by Troiani would increase the depth of draw of the canoe or kayak thus decreasing maneuverability and improving its ability to become grounded in shallow water. Fleckless (U.S. Pat. No. 4,841,899) describes a transparent film skin on a frame-supported folding kayak. Rheney (U.S. Pat. No. 5,000,106) shows a wooden boat, not a canoe or kayak, with a skin of multiple polycarbonate plates. Reha (D341,565) shows the ornamental design for a transparent row boat. Troiani (U.S. Pat. No. 5,337,692) claims a unitarily formed transparent acrylic power boat invention with a sponson laden tunnel hull design clearly not related to a canoe or kayak, and of an unsuitable material for canoes and kayaks. Wortham (D343,380) shows the ornamental design for a transparent peddle boat, not related to canoes or kayaks. Dust (application 20010001941) describes a non-transparent boat that can be configured as either a canoe or kayak. Cochois (France FR2612447) describes a mold which can be split into two halves to form a canoe or kayak. Laplane (France FR2633892) describes a boat with a non-unitarily formed transparent polycarbonate plate; the boat is a dismantleable sailboat.
None of the references claim the use of unitarily formed transparent thermoplastic, specifically polycarbonate, in canoes or kayaks. No references found or cited claim the method, material, or design included in this applicants invention; specifically, a transparent unitarily formed canoe hull and a transparent unitarily formed kayak hull, both obtainable from the same molded thermoplastic sheet, and with a plurality of keels and chines in a configuration that increases stability, aids in tracking, aids in turning, and protects the viewing plane externally from abrasion and internally from collecting water.
The prior art for “glass bottom boats” is replete with various designs, but no single design addresses canoes or kayaks providing seamlessness, transparency, lightness, impact resistance, flexibility, ease of turning and straightness of tracking when paddled. Nor do the prior arts reveal the use of seamless, transparent thermoplastics in canoe or kayak hulls.
OBJECTS AND ADVANTAGES
It is a particular object of the invention to enhance the enjoyment of canoes and kayaks by providing optically clear transparent hulls.
Further objects and advantages of the present invention are:
(a) to provide a
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