Ships – Motorized self-propelled waterski or waterscooter-type vehicle
Reexamination Certificate
2000-09-25
2002-03-05
Sotelo, Jesus D. (Department: 3617)
Ships
Motorized self-propelled waterski or waterscooter-type vehicle
C440S001000, C440S084000, C180S272000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06352045
ABSTRACT:
PRIORITY INFORMATION
This application is based on and claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 11-271,064, filed Sep. 24, 1999.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This application is directed to an immobilization system for watercraft. In particular, the present invention is directed to an antitheft device having a transponder embedded in a lanyard.
2. Description of Related Art
The popularity of personal watercraft has increased dramatically in recent years. Unfortunately, this increase in popularity has also brought about an increase in personal watercraft theft.
In order to protect against personal watercraft theft, personal watercraft of the past have included a number of antitheft devices. One of these devices is a lanyard switch which also functions as an emergency shutoff device. The lanyard switch includes a stop switch that protrudes from a handlebar assembly and claw-shaped lanyard lock plate that engages the stop switch for allowing an ignition system of an engine to operate. The lock plate includes a cord and a wrist strap for attaching the lock plate to an operator's wrist or a clip for attaching the lock plate to the operator's clothing so that if the operator falls off the watercraft during operation, the lock plate will be disengaged from the stop switch so as to kill the engine.
With reference to
FIGS. 1 and 2
, a conventional lanyard
10
is illustrated therein. As shown in
FIG. 1
, a personal watercraft
12
includes a steering assembly
14
having a pair of grips
16
configured to be grasped by a user
18
. The user
18
rotates the steering assembly
14
in order to steer the watercraft
12
.
Adjacent one of the grips
16
, a kill switch
20
is mounted to the steering assembly
14
and is configured to selectively kill the operation of an engine powering the watercraft
12
. The kill switch
20
is operated by the lanyard
10
.
As shown in
FIG. 2
, the lanyard
10
includes a kill switch button
22
that is spring loaded and mounted in a kill switch assembly
24
. The kill switch button
22
is spring biased towards a kill position. A lanyard locking plate
26
is configured to fit between a lower surface of the kill switch button
22
and an outer surface of the kill switch assembly
24
. The lanyard plate
26
is also attached to a tether
28
which connects the lanyard plate
26
to a wristband
30
, as viewed in FIG.
1
. Thus, during operation, if a user
18
falls from the watercraft
12
, the tether
28
pulls the lanyard plate
26
away from the kill switch assembly
24
, thus allowing the kill button
22
to move inward towards a kill position, thus killing the engine and stopping the watercraft
12
. Typically, the kill switch assembly
24
also includes an additional kill button
32
which the user
18
can activate at any time to kill the engine.
The lanyard switch provides some antitheft protection because the lock plate is required to engage the stop switch in order to start and operate the engine. The problem with using a lanyard switch as the only means of antitheft protection is that other plates and mechanisms can be substituted for the lock plate thus allowing the engine to start and operate without using the lock plate originally supplied with the watercraft. As a result, the lanyard switch alone does not provide significant antitheft protection.
Other conventional personal watercraft has been provided with an ignition key. This key and its corresponding lock cylinder allowed the starter motor, which starts the engine, to be activated by a start switch located on the handlebar assembly of the watercraft. The key helped to protect against theft because without it, the watercraft engine is virtually impossible to start.
One drawback of this type of antitheft ignition key is that the operator is required to carry the ignition key as well as the lanyard safety device. Watercraft users typically wear a bathing suit or a wetsuit which do not usually include reliable means for carrying such a key. Thus, if the operator loses or forgets the key, the watercraft is completely inoperable.
Another type of conventional device that is used has an antitheft device is a lanyard having a unique digital circuit mounted in the lanyard which makes electrical contact with a terminal provided on the handlebar assembly of the watercraft during operation. For example, with reference to
FIGS. 3 and 4
, a conventional lanyard cap
34
is illustrated therein. As shown in
FIG. 3
, the lanyard cap
34
includes a cap-shaped outer housing
36
and a digital circuit
38
. The digital circuit
38
includes two electrical contacts
40
,
42
and a digital password portion
44
.
The lanyard cap
34
is made from molded plastic and the circuit
38
is embedded within the plastic forming the cap
36
. The contacts
40
,
42
are left exposed on their inner surfaces. Additionally, a lower surface
46
of the digital password portion is also left exposed.
The watercraft using lanyard cap
34
includes a lanyard terminal on a kill switch assembly similar to the kill switch assembly
24
illustrated in FIG.
2
. When a user wishes to start the engine of such a watercraft, the user places the lanyard cap
34
onto the terminal at which time the contacts
40
,
42
of the circuit
38
makes contact with corresponding terminals on the lanyard terminal. An engine controller of the watercraft communicates with the digital password portion
44
and determines whether the proper password is stored therein. If the proper password is not stored therein, the engine controller will not allow the watercraft engine to be started. Additionally, if the lanyard cap
34
is removed during operation of the watercraft, the engine will be killed.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to one aspect of the present invention, an immobilization system for a watercraft includes a lanyard system in which a lanyard member includes a transponder embedded therein without having a plurality of electrical contacts exposed on the outer surface of the lanyard member. Additionally, the system includes a communication device which communicates with the transponder to determine if the transponder includes a predetermined security code. By constructing the lanyard member such that a plurality of electrical contacts are not left exposed on the outer surface of the lanyard member, the immobilization system of the present invention is more protected from the corrosive effects of water, such as a body of water in which a watercraft operates, yet provides an antitheft function without requiring the user to carry additional hardware.
Further aspects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description of the preferred embodiments which follow.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4196418 (1980-04-01), Kip et al.
patent: 4471345 (1984-09-01), Barrett, Jr.
patent: 4850906 (1989-07-01), Kanno
patent: 4941854 (1990-07-01), Takahashi et al.
patent: 4949684 (1990-08-01), Gohara
patent: 5171171 (1992-12-01), Tani
patent: 5593330 (1997-01-01), Kobayashi
patent: 5873322 (1999-02-01), Koyanagi
patent: 5952940 (1999-09-01), Matsumoto
patent: 6024068 (2000-02-01), Nakase et al.
patent: 6077133 (2000-06-01), Kojima et al.
Sea Doo Shop Manual, Bombardier, Inc., 1996, Section 07, Sub-section 06 (Digitally Encoded Security System).
Knobbe Martens Olson & Bear LLP
Sotelo Jesus D.
Yamaha Hatsudoki Kabushiki Kaisha
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