Supports – Instrument in panel
Reexamination Certificate
1998-02-10
2001-01-30
King, Anita M. (Department: 3632)
Supports
Instrument in panel
C296S037120
Reexamination Certificate
active
06179253
ABSTRACT:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
Not applicable
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
Not applicable
REFERENCE TO A “MICROFICHE APPENDIX”
Not applicable
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the mounting of marine instruments such as depth finders, Global Positioning System (GPS) plotters, autopilots and the like. Even more particularly, the present invention relates to an improved housing for supporting a marine instrument with a small footprint on a dashboard, wherein any water (such as rainwater, sea spray, etc.) is collected and channeled away from electrical supply cables that power the instrument.
2. General Background of the Invention
Many marine instruments are supported on the dashboard of a boat or vessel so that they can be viewed by the pilot. These marine instruments include depth finders, radios, GPS type plotters and position indicators; autopilots and the like. While many of these instruments provide a water tight or water proof housing, they are all supplied with electrical cables that typically fit sockets on the back of the instrument. Further, these electrical cables must communicate with the electrical system of the boat which is typically behind the dashboard in a dry location.
In order to supply electricity to dashboard mounted marine electronics, an opening must be drilled through the dashboard next to the dashboard location where the marine instrument is attached by bolting, for example.
Many marine instruments are mounted on a U-shaped yoke that affixes to the sides of the marine instrument with thumb wheels, screws, or knobs. The U-shaped yoke or cradle has slots or openings that form a connection with the thumb wheel, thumb screw, bolt, knob or the like. The yoke or cradle is secured to the dashboard of the boat with screws, bolts, or the like. Many of these yolks, cradles, and like supports have a very wide footprint, at least as wide as the instrument and sometimes slightly wider than the instrument. Further, most of these yolks simply provide an opening or port through which wires can pass or in fact no such opening is provided so that the wires or cables must pass through an opening in the dashboard immediately next to the yolk or cradle.
Openings through the dashboard of the boat are a source of concern to a boat owner because water, possibly salt water, can reach the dashboard of the boat during use and enter the area behind the dashboard which typically is covered with crowded electrical components, terminals, and the like.
Most of the yolks and cradles are simply open U-shaped devices that offer no protection whatsoever to the interface that includes the rear of the instrument, the electrical cables that form connections to the instrument at its rear surface, and the opening through which these electrical cables pass.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved marine instrument display mount that minimizes the area or “footprint” that the device makes with the dashboard while at the same time providing a large housing area for receiving an instrument of any size and at the same time protecting the delicate electrical cables and their connections that necessarily power the device.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention thus provides an improved marine instrument display apparatus or mount that can be affixed to the dashboard of a boat and next to an opening through the dashboard through which an electrical cable or cables pass for powering the instrument.
The apparatus includes a small footprint base or foot portion having a perimeter wall and an interior.
The foot includes a bore through which one or more electrical cables can pass for powering the marine instrument. The bore communicates with an opening in the dashboard through which the cable or cables pass.
An enlarged housing is supported above the foot, the housing having a rear wall that is inclined, a top wall, a bottom wall, and opposed side walls. This provides an interior of the housing for holding a marine instrument and wherein the housing as attachments for removably mounting the instrument to the housing at the side walls.
The housing and mount have cooperating drain channel portions so that rain water or sea spray that is collected by the housing interior drains into the foot.
The foot preferably provides a plurality of perimeter walls that intersect at 900° surrounding the interior.
The bore is preferably comprised of a vertically extending conduit mounted to a bottom plate of the foot.
The foot thus preferably provides a bottom wall that connects to each of the side walls of the foot thus supporting the conduit at a position spaced inwardly of the sidewalls.
The foot preferably provides a plurality of drain openings that enable water contained within the foot to drain from the foot interior at multiple positions.
The housing bottom wall defines a plane that intersects the housing side walls to form an acute angle therewith.
The housing bottom wall and rear wall define a trough that channels rain water or sea spray into the interior of the foot.
The housing extends laterally to each side of the foot so that a marine instrument that is much wider than the foot can be supported by the apparatus within the enlarged housing.
The trough preferably extends into the foot and away from the foot on each side thereof. The side wall of the foot preferably conforms to the shape of the trough, namely being of a “V-shape” at the intersection of the foot and housing.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3689013 (1972-09-01), Neugebauer
patent: 4309012 (1982-01-01), Fukunaga
patent: 4858067 (1989-08-01), Rochelle et al.
patent: 5865403 (1999-02-01), Covell
Garvey, Smith, Nehrbass & Doody LLC
King Anita M.
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