Not Applicable
1. Field of Invention
This invention pertains to a watercraft in which the hull folds into a suitcase shape. More particularly, this invention pertains to a watercraft in which the hull is formed of a planar sheet that is divided into sections that are joined at integral hinges. The planar sheet is a corrugated material and the hinges are cut or formed into the material. In various configurations, the watercraft includes a canopy, a paddle drive system, a folding built-in seat with integral rudder control, and various hull shapes.
2. Description of the Related Art
Boats, or more generally, watercraft or water vessels, have been in use throughout the history of mankind. Traditionally, boats are big and bulky, typically sized to hold one or more persons. By their nature, boats are rigid, or sufficiently so, to maintain their shape when in the water carrying persons and/or cargo. With the advent of more leisure time, recreational use of boats has increased. To facilitate recreational use, there is a desire to have boats that are easily transportable.
Various attempts have been made to have boats that are useable in the water and collapsible or foldable for easy transport to the water. The following patents describe some of these attempts:
U.S. Pat. No. 2,880,429, titled “Collapsible boats,” discloses a boat formed from a single sheet. The sheet includes multiple members hinged together such that the members fold into a boat. In the example given in the patent, the members are sandwiched between inner and outer sheets 29, 30. The gap between the members acts as a hinge.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,771,180, titled “Collapsible portable boat and its method of assembly,” discloses a light weight, high buoyancy boat made of corrugated thermoplastic synthetic resin sheets 10, 20, 30. Lines or creases are pressed onto the sheets for folding. In addition to the sheets 10, 20, 30, reinforcing materials 41 are used. The boat includes a vessel portion or a main body. Attached to the main body is a float portion.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,225,551, titled “Boat hulls,” discloses a process for forming a thermoplastic sheet material into a boat hull. The process forms fold lines in a sheet 10. The fold lines have memory and cause the sheet 10 to assume a folded shape. The sheet 10 is readily rolled into a compact package for transportation. When it is unrolled it again tends to assume its folded shape from the memory built into the fold lines.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,697,540, titled “Collapsible foldaway dinghy,” discloses a synthetic single skin 12 having panels joined by flexible watertight webs. The dinghy 10 can be folded into a small package that fits in a car trunk.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,706,597, titled “Seamless foldable boat,” discloses a boat hull formed from a one piece mold. The hull is a plastic or elastomeric material with foam core construction. The hull bottom includes intrinsically hinged bottom areas 23 between foamed core members. The sides of the hull includes foam cored sides 26 connected to side membranes 25. To provide rigidity, various other members 28, 29, 30 are attached to the one piece hull.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,203,276, titled “Suitcase boat,” discloses a pontoon boat 10 having four sections 16, 18 connected by hinges 22. The boat 10 folds into a suitcase-type configuration with the pontoons, or floats, 24 fitting inside the folded boat sections. U.S. Pat. No. 5,257,584, is a continuation-in-part of the suitcase boat 10 patent application.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,651,706, titled “Collapsible pontoon pedal boat,” discloses a watercraft with a body, two inflatable flotation members, a drive assembly, a steering assembly, and a seat. The body portion folds to form a compact storage case that accommodates all the elements of the watercraft.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,957,080, titled “Folding portable boat,” discloses a boat 10 with four rigid hull sections 12, 13, 14, 15 that are hingedly connected to fold together or to open into a boat 10. The sections are made of flotation material 61 that is covered with a skin, such as fiberglass, aluminum, thermoplastic, or from a woven structure/resin transfer molding other than fiberglass.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,975,005, titled “Foldable boat,” discloses a boat having an outer hull plate 1 and a waterproofing member 2 that covers the outer hull plate 1. Hull-forming members 10a-h are plank-like members that are connected together by flexible members 3. Tightening the flexible members 3 causes the hull-forming members 10 to form a rigid hull, and loosening the flexible members 3 allows the hull-forming members 10 to fold together accordion-like.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,615,762, titled “Foldable boat with light weight hull construction system,” discloses a boat made with extruded corrugated plastic. The boat hull 47 is formed of sections 8-15 that are flat blank hull sections with fastener holes 49 and hinge score lines 50. The flat blank hull section is folded into the desired shape at the score lines 50, which form living hinges.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,766,758, titled “Folding boat,” discloses a folding boat 10 having a deck 12, safety fences 26, and pontoons 28. The deck 12 includes two main panels connected with a hinge 14 and several drop leaf panels 16 that are hingedly connected to the main panels. Folding the two halves of the deck 12 forms a compact structure.
According to one embodiment of the present invention, a boat that is constructed such that the boat folds into a self-contained shape is provided. In one embodiment, the boat has four modules: the hull, the seat, the paddle assembly, and the canopy. The modules are separable and collapsible. When deployed, in one embodiment, the hull assumes the general shape of pram, and, in another embodiment, the hull has a more pointed, blunt-nosed, bow. When folded, the boat assumes the shape of box with two open ends that are opposite each other.
In one embodiment, the hull, when deployed, has the general shape of a pram, that is, it has a flat-bottom, a square stern, and a forward sloping square bow. The hull is made of a single corrugated plastic sheet, which in one embodiment is an extruded twin-wall plastic sheet of high impact polypropylene copolymer, such as Coroplast. The various joints formed in the copolymer resin allows the hull material to flex and act as a hinge without breaking or cracking.
The hull is formed from a single corrugated plastic sheet with various connectors attached to the sheet. Three types of fold lines, or joints, are formed in the sheet. The first type of joint is a channel cut joint in which one surface or wall of the sheet is cut away and the length of the exposed flutes are reduced by approximately one-half. The second type of joint is a half-cut joint in which one surface of the sheet is cut such that the opposite surface is the only connection between the two halves of the sheet. The half-cut joint includes a parallel flute half-cut joint in which the one surface is cut parallel with the flutes. Another type of half-cut joint is a cross-flute half-cut joint in which the cut in the one surface of the sheet crosses the flutes, which are also cut down to the opposite surface of the sheet. The third type of joint is a face cut joint in which one surface of the sheet is removed and the flutes between the removed surface and the opposite surface are also removed, leaving only the opposite surface of the sheet.
The hull has various joints to allow a single sheet to fold to form the hull and to also fold into a box-shape. A face cut joint is made at each of the four corners of the sheet forming the hull. A pair of fore-to-aft parallel flute half-cut joints are made to allow the port and starboard walls of the hull to fold up. A channel cut joint is made in the bottom of the sheet at the bottom of the transom across the width of the sheet. Four additional channel cut joints parallel to the transom channel cut joint are made on the bottom of the sheet. To form the hull, the transom is lifted up to form approximately a right angle with the remainder of the sheet, the port and starboard walls are lifted up to form approximately a right angle with the sheet portion that forms the deck, and the bow section of the deck is lifted up until the extreme forward end is even with the tops of the port and starboard walls. Each of the four top corners of the open hull are then fixed. In one embodiment, a pair of studs protrude from each top corner and the studs are held in fixed relation to each other with a linking member.
The seat attaches to the hull and allows the operator to maintain a comfortable position in the vessel. The seat includes a frame that attaches to connectors on the hull. The frame, in one embodiment, supports arm rests and the seat back. The seat bottom rests on the bottom inside surface of the hull. The arm rests, seat back, and seat bottom are formed of a foam that provides support and comfort to the seat occupant. In addition, the foam provides flotation when the boat is deployed.
In one embodiment, a tiller is attached to the seat. The tiller has a hand-grip at one end that allows the tiller to rotate. The opposite end of the tiller from the hand-grip is attached to a rudder that is mounted to the side of the hull. The rudder has a shaft that fits in a sleeve bearing mounted on the hull. The top of the shaft includes a link that connects to the tiller.
In the folded position, the seat bottom folds flat against the seat back and the two rotate to be substantially parallel with the arm rests. With this configuration, the seat occupies minimal space.
The paddle assembly provides motive force for the boat. The paddle assembly includes a crankshaft with pedals positioned in front of the seat. The crankshaft rotates within bearing assemblies attached to connectors mounted on the hull. The ends of the crankshaft have paddles that rotate with the crankshaft. In one embodiment, each paddle includes two struts, each with a blade on each end. The outboard strut attaches to an inside shaft and the inboard strut attaches to a hollow shaft. The inside shaft rotates within the hollow shaft. The inside and hollow shafts attach to one end of crankshaft, and they are fixed to the crankshaft by a pin that engages an opening in the inside and hollow shafts and the crankshaft end. The openings are aligned such that, with the pin in place, the struts are substantially perpendicular to each other when viewed from the side. In another embodiment, each paddle includes a single strut with a blade on each end of the strut.
In one embodiment, in the folded position, the pair of paddles detach from the crankshaft. The struts of each paddle rotate such that they are positioned in one plane.
In another embodiment, the boat does not use a paddle assembly for motive power and the connectors mounted on the hull to which the crankshaft would attach receive a support strut or cross-member. The support strut adds rigidity to the deployed hull by maintaining the sidewalls at a fixed distance and relationship, that is, parallel sidewalls perpendicular to the deck. In one such embodiment, the transom of the hull is configured to receive an outboard motor.
The canopy, when deployed, attaches to the hull to protect the operator and/or passengers from the elements. The canopy is formed from a single corrugated plastic sheet with two channel cut joints positioned between the fore and aft portion of the canopy. The two joints allow the canopy to fold with each of the outboard panels adjacent opposite sides of the center panel when the canopy is in the folded position. The fore and aft ends of the canopy have a support pole at each corner that attach to a mating connector mounted on the hull. In one embodiment, the pair of support poles at each end are hingedly connected to a crosspiece such that the support poles fold flat adjacent the crosspiece. The canopy includes a pair of side curtains that provide rigidity to the top of the canopy.
The steps to fold the boat include separating the four modules. The next step is to disconnect the sidewalls from adjacent sidewalls. The sheet forming the hull is then folded such that the port and starboard walls are folded inward and positioned adjacent the deck. One of the modules, other than the hull module, is folded and placed on the partially folded hull sheet next to the bow panel. The bow panel is folded over the module. The other two modules are folded and placed adjacent the first folded module and the portion of the hull sheet enclosing the first module is folded over the other modules. The pair of studs associated with the top of the transom are connected to another pair of studs by connecting links to secure the hull in the folded position with the other modules clamped inside the folded hull. A handle is attached to the outboard end of the transom, which forms the top of the box-shape.
In one embodiment, the folded boat includes a pair of wheels and a pair of legs opposite the handle. The wheels are adapted to allow the folded boat to be rolled. The legs are positioned to allow the boat in the folded position to rest on the legs and the wheels.
The above-mentioned features of the invention will become more clearly understood from the following detailed description of the invention read together with the drawings in which:
An apparatus that operates on water as a vessel and is capable of folding into a compact, portable box-shape is disclosed. Water sports would be enjoyed by many more people of it were possible to easily transport a boat to the water. Many prior art boats and water vessels have rigid hulls that assume only a single shape.
The present invention is a vessel with modular construction that is very compact, totally self-contained, and lightweight.
In the illustrated embodiment, the hull 102 is in the deployed position and has the general shape of a pram with a flat bottom or deck 316, a square stern 310, and a square bow 304. Attached to the stern of the boat 100 is a handle 114 for use when the boat 100 is folded. Also attached to the hull 102 is a rudder assembly 112, a pair of wheels 116, and a pair of legs 118. With the boat 100 in the folded position, the wheels 116 and the legs 118 allow the folded boat 100 to be easily maneuvered by grasping the handle 114 and rolling the folded boat 100. In another embodiment, the wheels 116 and legs 118 are not attached to the hull 102 and the folded boat 100 is maneuvered by picking up and carrying the boat 100 by the handle 114.
The illustrated seat 104 includes a seat back 122 between a pair of arm rests 124. A tiller 126 is positioned adjacent one of the arm rests 124 and is releaseably and operatively connected to the rudder assembly 112. The seat back 124 and arm rests 124 are supported by a seat frame 224. Attached to the seat back 124 is a seat bottom 222 that rests on the inside bottom surface of the hull 102 when the seat 104 is in the deployed position.
The illustrated paddle assembly 106 includes a crankshaft 134 with a pair of foot-operated pedals 132. The crankshaft 134 rotates the paddles 136 positioned on opposite sides of the hull 102. In another embodiment, a hull cross-member 216 illustrated in
The illustrated canopy 108 extends from the stern of the boat 100 to near the paddle assembly 106. The canopy 108 covers the occupant of the seat 104. The canopy 108 includes side curtains 238 and a back curtain 236. Extending from the canopy 108 are four support posts 232 that attach to the hull 102. In other embodiments, the canopy 108 has a different shape and configuration and provides coverage of only a portion of the occupant of the seat 104.
The gunwales 206 of the hull 102 are the topmost edge of the hull 102 and include several connectors 204, 226, 234. The frame 224 of the seat 104 attaches to seat connectors 226 amidships. The paddle assembly 106 includes a connector half 202 that mates with a corresponding connector 204 positioned toward the bow 304. The illustrated embodiment shows a set of three paddle connectors 204 attached to each side of the hull 102. By connecting the paddle assembly 106 to one of the three pairs of connectors 204, the distance between the seat 104 and the pedals 132 on the crankshaft 134 is adjustable to fit the size of the occupant of the seat 104. In the illustrated embodiment, the three pairs of connectors 204 are angled toward the stern of the hull 102 because of the forward pressure exerted on the crankshaft 134 through the pedals 132.
The hull cross-member 216 connects to the same connectors 204 when the paddle assembly 106 is not attached to the hull 102. The cross-member 216 bridges the sidewalls 314 to maintain the sidewalls 314 in a substantially fixed position relative to each other. The paddle assembly 106 includes a crankshaft 134 that is a cross-member and serves the same purpose as the hull cross-member 216. The seat 104 also includes members that connect to the gunwales 206 and serves the same purpose as the hull cross-member 216. The support posts 232 of the canopy 108 attach to the canopy connectors 234 at the stern 310 and near the bow 304.
The transom 302 has a pair of studs 516 and each wall 314 of the hull 102 has a stud 514. With the transom 302 and side walls 314 positioned in the deployed position, each pair of studs 516, 514 are linked together with a connector (not illustrated). Between the side of the transom 302 and the bottom of the side wall 314 is a brace 512 that rigidly supports the lower portion of the transom 302 relative to the rest of the hull 102.
At the bow 304, the forward end of each side wall 314 has a stud 522 and the forward bottom panel section 404 of the hull 102 has a stud 524. When the forward panel section 404 is tilted up, the two studs 522, 524 are brought near each other and they are linked together with a connector (not illustrated).
The transom 302 includes bars 602 running along the gunwale 206 of the transom 302. In the middle of the top of the transom 302 is a cut-out 604 for receiving a mount for an auxiliary motor, such as an outboard or trolling motor. Those skilled in the art will recognize that the shape, size, and need for a cut-out will vary depending upon the requirements of the auxiliary motor and can vary without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
The channel cut joint 412 allows the sheet 700 to fold such that the first surface 702 is adjacent to itself and to also fold such that the second surface 704 is adjacent to itself. That is, the joint 412 is a hinge that allows one portion of the sheet 700 to fold in either direction. The channel cut joint 412 is used in the boat 100 where the sheet 700 is folded upon itself and the double layer of sheet 700 is then folded.
Also illustrated in
Also illustrated in
The illustrated joints 412, 1000, 1100, 1300, 1400 in the corrugated sheet 700 allow the various components of the boat 100 to assume the deployed shape as illustrated in
The seat back 122 and seat bottom 222 has a hinge joint 1504 that includes two closely spaced cross-flute joints 1100 that allow the seat back 122 and bottom 222 to hinge in two directions. In one direction, the seat 104 is deployed and in the other direction, illustrated in
The seat frame 224 has four connectors 1512 that mate with the connectors 226 on the hull 102. The two connectors 1512 attached to the arm rest 124 adjacent the tiller 126 have bushings that allow the tiller 126 to rotate. The tiller 126 is illustrated in various rotated positions in
The second shaft 2404 has a slot 2412 and the first shaft has a opening 2416 and a threaded fastener 2414 that engages the opening 2416. When the first and second shafts 2402, 2404 are engaged, the threaded fastener 2414 secured to the first shaft 2412 is within the confines of the slot 2412 in the second shaft 2404, thereby preventing the second shaft 2404 from rotating beyond a certain point relative to the first shaft 2402. In other words, the slot 2412 and fastener 2414 combination function as a rotation stop and as a keeper to ensure that the two shafts 2402, 2404 do not separate.
In one embodiment, the blades 1904, 2106 are not perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the boat 100 when the blades 1904, 2106 are at their lowest point and in the water. The blades 1904, 2106 are angled such that any spray kicked up by the blades 1904, 2106 as they are operated is directed away from the boat 100 and its occupant.
The canopy 108 has two channel cut joints 412 athwartships that divide the canopy 108 into thirds. Each channel cut joint 412 is on opposite sides of the sheet 700 making the canopy 108. Between the center of the canopy 108 and the side curtains 238 are parallel flute joints 1000 and between the center of the canopy 108 and the aft curtain 236 is a cross-flute joint 1100.
In the illustrated embodiment, the ends are open, exposing the modules 104, 106, 108, which are secured inside the folded hull 102 by the folded configuration of the hull 102. In one embodiment, the fully-folded boat 100 is fitted inside a flexible cover or bag that is secured around the handle 112. In another embodiment, the fully-folded boat 100 includes shoulder straps that allow the fully-folded boat to be carried as a backpack.
The rear link 2804 connects the stud 518 in the hull 102 to the stud 516 in the transom 302, thereby securely wrapping the hull 102 around the other three modules 104, 106, 108. The embodiment illustrated in
The sheet 700 adjacent the channel cut joints 412 where the sidewalls 314 are folding onto the deck 316 are illustrated in a side view in
Those skilled in the art will recognize that the location and position of the channel cut joints 412 in the hull 102 can be varied to accommodate the number and size of the modules 104, 106, 108 desired to be used with the hull 102 without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. For example, if the paddle assembly 106 is not desired, the location of the channel cut joints 412 in the hull 102 can be varied such that the folded boat 100 securely encompasses the remaining modules, which may include the seat 104 and the canopy 108.
The forward connectors 204, 204′, because of the pointed bow 304′, are separated with varying gaps. That is, the forward connectors 204 positioned on the portion of the sidewalls 314 that are parallel have the same athwartship gap that the seat connectors 226 and canopy connectors 234 have. The forward connectors 204′ positioned on the sidewalls 314 in the bow 304′ are progressively closer together the more forward the connectors 204′ are located. The forward connectors are positioned to allow the paddle assembly 106 to be positioned fore and aft relative to the seat 104 in order to accommodate the operator comfortably. In order for the paddle assembly 106 to be secured to the hull 102′, in one embodiment, the connector halves 202 on the paddle assembly 106 are adjustable athwartships to accommodate the varying distance between corresponding connectors 204, 204′.
The boat 100 includes various functions. The function of maintaining a floating hull 102, 102′ is implemented, in one embodiment, by the single corrugated plastic sheet 700 that has integral joints 412, 1000, 1100, 1100′, 1300, 1300′, 1400, 1400′ and an unbroken first surface 702 in the portion of the hull 102, 102′ that is exposed to the water in which the hull 102, 102′ floats.
The function of forming a floating hull 102, 102′ is implemented, in one embodiment, by the corrugated sheet 700 with the various channel cut joints 412, parallel and cross flute joints 1000, 1100, 1100′, and face joints 1300, 1300′, 1400, 1400′ cut into the sheet 700 without puncturing or penetrating one surface 702 of the sheet 700. The function of maintaining the shape of the hull 102, 102′ is implemented, in one embodiment, by the rear link 2804 engaging the aft studs 514, 516 and the forward link 2802 engaging the forward studs 522, 524. The function of maintaining the box-shape of the folded boat 100 is implemented, in one embodiment, by the rear link 2804 engaging the studs 516, 518. The function of bendable joints with lateral stability is implemented, in one embodiment, by the channel cut joints 412, the parallel flute joints 1000, and the cross-flute joints 1100, 1100′.
The function of providing motive force is implemented, in one embodiment, by the paddle assembly 106, 106′. The function of protecting the occupant from the elements is implemented, in one embodiment, by the canopy 108.
From the foregoing description, it will be recognized by those skilled in the art that a folding boat 100 has been provided. The folding boat 100 is formed from a single sheet 700 of corrugated plastic with one intact first surface 702 and an opposing surface 704 that is cut away to form various hinges, or joints, 412, 1000, 1100, 1100′, 1300, 1300′, 1400, 1400′. In some cases the hinges 412 fold in both directions, and in other cases the hinges 1000, 1100′, 1100 fold in one direction, that is, folding the sheet 700 causes only one surface 702 of the sheet 700 to become adjacent to itself.
While the present invention has been illustrated by description of several embodiments and while the illustrative embodiments have been described in considerable detail, it is not the intention of the applicant to restrict or in any way limit the scope of the appended claims to such detail. Additional advantages and modifications will readily appear to those skilled in the art. The invention in its broader aspects is therefore not limited to the specific details, representative apparatus and methods, and illustrative examples shown and described. Accordingly, departures may be made from such details without departing from the spirit or scope of applicant's general inventive concept.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/805,739, filed Jun. 24, 2006.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20080006198 A1 | Jan 2008 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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60805739 | Jun 2006 | US |