Supports – Brackets – Adjustable
Reexamination Certificate
1999-11-12
2001-10-02
Ramirez, Ramon O. (Department: 3632)
Supports
Brackets
Adjustable
C248S297310
Reexamination Certificate
active
06296218
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to the recreational and commercial boat industry and, in particular, to the mounting of marine bilge pumps and their associated float switches.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
As is known and understood to most marine engineers and technicians, the mounting of a bilge pump is often in the harshest environment of the boat for purposes of servicing. As is also well appreciated, even though the bilge pump is one of the most frequently serviced apparatus on the vessel, ifs placement frequently requires a service technician to be somewhat of a contortionist in order to remove a defective pump, and to replace it where the need arises. In single-engine, or twin-engine boats of 14-40 foot mid-size length, for example, the bilge pump commonly is some 4 feet away, under the oil pan (in single-engine designs) or at a location offering only some 6-8 inches of working space (in a twin-engine design). As will be understood, the service technician typically works “blind” by “feel” in such environments, wasting time and energy in what otherwise should be a simple servicing procedure. As will be recognized by those in this industry, the situation is commonly dealt with by just cutting the wires and the hosing, and inserting instead a whole new installation when a bilge pump problem exists—“dead-ending” the old location, and bending pieces of aluminum to fit in mounting a new bilge pump to a different location at the bulkhead, engine stringer bed, etc., and drilling further holes to secure the bilge pump in place using alternative fasteners.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention, therefore, to provide a new and improved marine bilge pump mounting configuration which allows for simple repairs to be made—swiftly, easily and inexpensively.
It is an object of the invention, also, to provide such a mounting arrangement which could be utilized as original equipment manufacture, or as something which can be added in the after-market.
It is another object of the invention to provide such a bilge pump mounting arrangement which can be employed independent of the size and dimensioning of the bilge pump employed—whether it be for the smaller (i.e. 12 foot) boat or up to the larger (100 foot or so) models available in the recreational boat industry.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a bilge pump mounting arrangement of this type which continues to retain the bilge pump, once inserted, in a plane parallel with the bottom of the boat in which it is incorporated, so as to optimize its operation in ridding the boat of rainwater which collects and of seawater which seeps into the boat during use.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
As will become clear from the following description, a marine bilge pump mount according to the invention secures to a bulkhead, stringer bed or deck brace of a boat, and employs a top plate for removable fastening to the boat and a bottom plate for receiving the bilge pump. A center section is provided, coupled at a first end to the top plate and at a second end to the bottom plate—, with the center section being angularly adjustable with respect to the position of at least one of the top and bottom plates. As will be described, the center section is adjustable in length to vary the distance between the top and bottom plates. In a preferred embodiment, the center section is hinged to both the top and bottom plates at the first and second ends of the center section, respectively.
In this embodiment, the center section includes a front piece coupled to the bottom plate and a rear piece coupled to the top plate, with both front and rear pieces being joined together in adjusting the length of the center section. One manner of accomplishing this, to be described, utilizes a rear piece of the center section having a plurality of apertures in it, to receive the shaft of a knob, for example, extending through the front piece into an aperture at a desired location, with the knob being rotatable to then tighten the front piece against the rear piece. To further strengthen the join, the shaft of a second knob is employed, to likewise extend through the front piece to the apertures of the rear piece—and to facilitate this in one construction of the invention, the front piece of the center section is slotted. As will be seen, the front piece of the center section is hingeably coupled to the bottom plate, while the rear piece of the center section is hingeably coupled to the top plate.
As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the bottom plate is selected of a dimension to receive and support the marine bilge pump, and the hinge coupling allows for the pump to rest in a plane parallel with the bottom of the boat. As will also be appreciated, with the center section being adjustable in length, the distance between the upper and bottom plates of the marine bilge pump mount can be set for the particular sized pump being used.
A second embodiment of the invention will be noted to employ a somewhat different center section—which includes two or more tubular sections nesting together, which contain a plurality of apertures in each, and in which the shafts of the pair of rotatable knobs are inserted through overlying apertures in alignment to set the length of the center section according to the size of the bilge pump being supported. In this second embodiment, a first bracket is provided for receiving a first end of the center section, and is hingeably coupled to the top plate which fastens to the boat. A second bracket is provided for receiving the second end of the center section, and is hingeably coupled to the bottom plate upon which the bilge pump is supported. As with the first embodiment of the invention, the center section here is thus likewise angularly adjustable with respect to the position of the top and bottom plates. In this embodiment, the shafts of the knob securements extend between aligned apertures of the inner and outer tubular sections in setting the length of the center section and the desired distance between the top and bottom plates. With the bottom plate again being selected of a dimension to receive and support the marine bilge pump in a plane parallel with the bottom of the boat, this second assembly will similarly be seen to allow for a removable fastening to the boat, and an ease in being able to reach the pump for servicing it, if and when the need arises.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2920853 (1960-01-01), Bufogle
patent: 2986366 (1961-05-01), Wesson
patent: 3673828 (1972-07-01), Jones
patent: 3945227 (1976-03-01), Reiland
patent: 4024737 (1977-05-01), McInturff
patent: 4073455 (1978-02-01), Gunther
patent: 4079604 (1978-03-01), Anderegg
Brodsky Charles I.
Ramirez Ramon O.
Wujciak A. Joseph
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