Patent Application
20240367764
This invention relates in general to boat fenders.
A boat fender may be desired to prevent or buffer direct contact between a boat and other structures, such as another boat or a boat dock. The present inventor recognized the need for an improved boat fender.
A boat fender is disclosed. In some embodiments, the fender has a body having a a width, a depth, an elongated first bumper, and an elongated second bumper. The first and second bumpers have an enlarged intermediate portion. The first bumper is width adjacent the second bumper.
In some embodiments, the fender has a body having a width, a depth, an attachment portion, a spherical first bumper, and a spherical second bumper. The first bumper is width adjacent the second bumper. The width at the first and second bumper is greater than the depth. The attachment portion is above the first bumper and the second bumper and narrower than the width at the first and second bumper.
Numerous other advantages and features of the present invention will become readily apparent from the following detailed description of the invention and the embodiments thereof, from the claims, and from the accompanying drawings.
The following description is presented to enable any person skilled in the art to make and use the invention. For the purposes of explanation, specific nomenclature is set forth to provide a plural understanding of the invention. While this invention is susceptible of embodiment in many different forms, this description describes and the drawings show specific embodiments of the invention with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the invention to the specific embodiments illustrated.
The upper portion comprises an aperture or tunnel 22 adjacent the a top 24. The aperture 22 is surrounded by a perimeter 25 that defines the aperture. The upper portion may be beveled 27 about the perimeter 25. An connector, such as a rope 25, may be fixed at or through the aperture to connect the fender to a boat or other object.
In some embodiments, the first bumper 16 extends from an upper boundary 26 to a lower end 28. The second bumper 18 extends from an upper boundary 30 to a lower end 32. In some embodiments, the first bumper 16 extends upward beyond the upper boundary 26 and the second bumper 18 extends upward beyond the upper boundary 30. The upper boundaries 26, 30 meet at a vertical sagittal mid-plane 34. The first bumper 16 and second bumper 18 merge laterally at the sagittal mid-plane 34.
In some embodiments, the curvature changes from convex to concave at inflection lines 36, 38, for the first and second bumpers respectively. Therefore, the lower portion is concave in the area 42 between inflection lines 36, 38 and convex outside of the inflection lines. In some embodiments, the first and second bumpers are convex to the mid-plane 34. In some embodiments, the boundary 26, 30 and lines 36, 38 are not line-marked on the fender 10.
In some embodiments, the first bumper 16 and the second bumper 18 each are spherical or substantially spherical. In some embodiments, the first and second bumpers are spherical or substantially spherical below the upper boundary 26, 30 and outside of the area 42 between the inflection lines 36, 38. In some embodiments, the first and second bumpers are spherical or substantially spherical below the upper boundary 26, 30 and to the sagittal mid-plane 34.
In some embodiments, the first bumper 16 and the second bumper 18 each are elliptical or substantially ellipsoidal. In some embodiments, the first and second portion are elliptical or substantially ellipsoidal below the upper boundary 26, 30 and outside of the area 42 between the inflection lines 36, 38. In some embodiments, the first and second bumpers are elliptical or substantially ellipsoidal below the upper boundary 26, 30 and to the sagittal mid-plane 34.
In some embodiments, the lower portion 14 comprises a lower protrusion 20. At least a portion of the lower protrusion extends below the first bumper 16 and the second bumper 18 as shown in
The upper portion 12 narrows from the upper boundary 26, 30 of the lower portion to or adjacent the top 24. For example, as shown in
The fender 10 is laterally wider, as shown in
In some embodiments, the fender comprises an aperture (not shown) on the back side of the fender in the upper portion or in the bumpers. In some embodiments, the fender comprises a hollow interior that is inflatable by injecting a gas, such as air, into the inflation aperture, such as with an inflation needle (not shown) using an air pump (not shown). The hollow interior extends into and comprise the interior of the first bumper and the second bumper and the upper portion. In some embodiments, the fender may be composed of an elastic or soft material, such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC) or rubber. The gas in the fender and or the construction of the fender may provide the fender with buoyancy that allows the fender to float in liquid, such as water.
Each of the first and second bumpers comprise a teardrop shape comprising an enlarged intermediate portion 75, 77 between the top 82, 84 and the bottom 86, 88. Each of the first and second bumpers narrow from the intermediate portion 75, 77 to the top 82, 84 and bottom 86, 88, but narrows more from the intermediate portion 75, 77 to the top 82, 84 than to the bottom 86, 88. In some embodiments, each of the first and second bumpers is horizontally widest between right and left sides 78, 80 at about 60 percent of the distance between the top 82, 84 and the bottom 86, 88 of each bumper. Therefore, the horizontally widest plane 90 of the fender is between right and left sides 78 and 80. Further a depth of the fender, between a front 91 and a back 93, is greatest at the plane 90. In some embodiments, the first and second bumpers 72, 74 meet, such as at a middle 76 and at a sagittal mid-plane 77, which bi-sects the right and left sides 78, 80 of the fender.
An upper bridge 92 is between and connects the first and second bumpers. In some embodiments, the upper bridge comprises a tab 94. The tab extends above the main portion 96 of the upper bridge and above the first and second bumpers 72, 74. The tab comprises an attachment aperture 98. A connector, such as a rope 25 (
The upper bridge comprises an inflation aperture 105 on the back side of the fender as shown in
A lower bridge 104 is between and connects the first and second bumper 72, 73 at a lower portion of the fender. The fender has a bottom 106 comprising a bottom 86 of the first bumper and a bottom 88 of the second bumper and a bridge bottom 109. In some embodiments, the bottom 106 comprises a flat surface. The flat surface may be parallel to the horizontally widest plane 90 of the fender. The flat bottom allows the fender to free stand up right on an external surface, such as the ground, a boat dock, or a boat floor, seat, or other surface.
In some embodiments, the first and second bumpers have a curved transition 116, 118 between the bumpers and the upper and lower bridges and between the bumpers as shown at least in
The top of the fender comprises the tops 82, 84 of the first and second bumpers and the top 108 of the tab 94. The top 82, 84 comprises a wider flat portion than the top 108 of the tab as shown in
In some embodiments, the fender and the first and second bumpers are symmetric about a vertical frontal mid-plane 110 that bi-sects the fender and the first and second bumpers between equal front and rear portions 112, 114.
In some embodiments, each of the bumpers comprise a plurality of circular cross-sections. Three circular cross-sections 120, 122, 124, 126, 128, 130 for each bumper 72, 74 are identified in broken lines in
In some embodiments, the bumpers have elliptical or compound curve cross-sections instead of circular cross-sections.
The boat fender 10, 70 can be deployed on one or more sides of a boat to buffer impact and contact with exterior objects, such as another boat and/or a boat dock.
The fender 70 is laterally wider between the left and right sides 78, 80, as shown in
In some modes of use, the fender 10, 70 is deployed on a side of a boat 21 by hanging the fender 10, 70 via a rope fixed to the fender 10, 70 and fixed to an anchor 27 on the boat, such as shown in
From the foregoing, it will be observed that numerous variations and modifications may be affected without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is to be understood that no limitation with respect to the specific apparatus illustrated herein is intended or should be inferred. For example, one or more component embodiments may be combined, modified, removed, or supplemented to form further embodiments within the scope of the invention. Further, steps could be added or removed from the processes described. Therefore, other embodiments and implementations are within the scope of the invention.
