BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a side view of the boat support stand incorporating our present invention pith the beds shown in the horizontal position.
FIG. 2 is a fragmentary side view of the bottom portion of the stand of FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the bottom portion of the stand shown in FIG. 2 with the riser base plate mounted thereon.
FIG. 4 is a side view of the stand without the beds pivotally mounted thereto.
FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary side view of one of the beds.
FIG. 6 is an end view looking in the direction of arrow 6-6 of FIG. 5
FIG. 7 is an end view looking in the direction of arrow 7-7 of FIG. 5.
FIG. 8 is an enlarged fragmentary side view of the bed of FIG. 5 with the stretch member mounted to the bed axle.
FIG. 9 is the same view as FIG. 1 only showing a boat resting upon the beds.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles of the invention, reference will now be made to the embodiment illustrated in the drawings and specific language will be used to describe the sane. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby intended, such alterations and further modifications in the illustrated device, and such further applications of the principles of the invention as illustrated therein being contemplated as would normally occur to one skilled in the art to which the invention relates.
Referring now more particularly to FIG. 1, there is shown a boat support stand 20 having a flat base plate 21 upon which is mounted an inverted unshaped base plate seat 22. Seat 22 (FIG. 3) has a pair of outwardly tried bottom flanges 23 and 24 that may be affixed to base plate 21. In the preferred embodiment, flanges 23 and 24 are welded to base 21. Seat 22 includes a pair of converging walls 5 and 26 that extend upwardly from flanges 23 and 24 to a horizontally extending center wall 42. An inverted c-shaped channel 27 forming a riser tube base plate is mounted atop wall 42. In the preferred embodiment, a conventional fastening bolt 28 extends through channel 27 and center wall 42 thereby securing the channel to the base plate seat 22. In order to maximize the stability of the boat stand, base plate 21 has a greater length than the length of base plate seat 22 which has a length longer than the c-shaped channel 27.
A plurality of base plate seat braces 29, 30 and 31 (FIG. 2) are fixedly mounted atop base plate 21 and to the interior surface of side walls 25 and 26 of the base plate seat 22. Thus, braces 29-31 are trapezoidal in shape. Base plate seat 22 is fragmented in areas 32-34 in FIG. 2 to illustrate the positioning of braces 29-31. Braces 29 and 31 are positioned towards the outer ends of seat 22 whereas brace 30 is positioned equi-distant between the ends of seat 22.
A pair of upwardly extending risers or uprights 35 and 36 (FIG. 4) form a riser means fixedly mounted atop riser tube base plate 27. Risers 35 and 36 may be fastened to riser tube base plate 27 in any number of ways. For example, the bottom ends of the risers may be welded to plate 27. Further, risers 35 and 36 may be formed in a variety of configurations. In the preferred embodiment, each riser 35 and 36 is a closed channel having four sides with the bottom ends fixed to the plate 27. Each riser 35 and 36 has a top end having a flat surface and an inwardly facing radius surface. For example, riser 35 includes a flat surface 37 and a radius surface 38. Each riser includes a hole 39 through which an axle is extended pivotally mounting beds 40 and 41 (FIG. 1) there atop.
Bed 41 (FIGS. 5-8) will now be described it being understood that an identical description applies to bed 40. Bed 41 has an inverted c-shape with a pair of side walls 43 and 44 integrally joined to a top horizontal wall 45. Wall 44 is fragmented at area 46 and 47 (FIG. 5) to illustrate the positioning of respectively stop 48 and round 49. Hole 50 (FIG. 5) extends through wails 44 and 43 to allow the bed to be mounted by an axle to riser 36.
A rectangular block or stop 48 is fixedly mounted interiorly to the sidewalls 43 and 44 of bed 41. The stop supports the bed when the bed pivots down atop riser tube base plate 27, thereby limiting the amount of downward pivotal movement of the bed.
A round or cylindrical member 49 extends immediately beneath wall 45 having its opposite ends attached to the inside surfaces of side walls 43 and 44. Member 49 provides a round surface upon which a line or a cable may slide.
Axle 51 (FIG. 8) extends through bole 39 of riser 36 and through holes 50 of bed side walls 43 and 44 thereby pivotally mounting bed 41 atop riser 36. Bed 41 is fragmented in FIG. 8 to illustrate the positioning of axle 51 along with a cable 52 and helical spring 53. Spring 53 has a proximal end 54 extending around axle 51 thereby mounting the spring to the axle. The opposite end of the spring is connected to a closed loop 55, in turn, fixedly connected to end 56 of a line or cable 52. Cable 52 extends axle 51 through a channel 57 or guide formed between the bottom facing round surface 58 of member 49 and the upper surface 59 of stop 48. Cable 52 is shown as fragmented but actually extends from axle 51 through channel 57 across the gap existing between the mutually opposed bed ends (FIG. 1) and through a similar channel formed in bed 40 between its round member 497 and stop 48. The opposite end of the cable is attached to a helical spring and extends around the axle mounting bed 40 to riser 35. In other words, the opposite ends of cable 52 are identically configured each having a helical spring extending around the adjacent axle.
In operation, boat 65 (FIG. 9) is lifted and paced atop the support stand 20. The hull of boat 65 has a pair of outwardly diverging bottom surfaces 66 and 67. To eliminate the necessity for positioning the boat hull exactly in the center of the stand, surface 66 might contact the upwardly facing surface of bed 40 prior to hull surface 67 contacting the upwardly facing surface of bed 41. In such a case, surface 66 contacts bed 40 forcing bed 40 to pivot in a clockwise direction as viewed in FIG. 9. As a result, cable or line 52 will contact the downwardly facing surface 58 of round member 49 of bed 40. As bed 40 pivots downward, the helical springs attached to cable 52 extend; however, cable 52 will contact the upwardly facing end or surface 59 of stop 48 of bed 41 in the event bed 41 has also not pivoted downward. Thus, cable 52 contacting stop 48 will urge bed 41 downwardly to conformingly receive the downwardly facing hull surface 67. Thus, the beds on the stand will automatically be configured to receive the boat hull as the boat is lowered atop the stand.
As the boat is removed from the stand, downward force from the hull will be removed either simultaneously from beds 40 and 41 or first from one bed and then the remaining bed. In any event, the helical springs attached to cable 52 will contract urging the cable upwardly against the downwardly facing surfaces 58 of members 49 urging the beds to the horizontal position as depicted in FIG. 1. In the event one bed pivots upward differently than the remaining bed, then the cable will contact round member 49 of the lower bed urging the bed upward. For example, if bed 40 pivots in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in FIG. 9, cable 52 will contact the upper end 59 of stop 48 affixed to bed 40 urging the cable upward against member 49 of bed 41 thereby also urging bed 41 upwardly. In such a manner, cable 52 will automatically urge the beds to the upward position regardless of how the boat hull is removed from the stand.
Beds 40 and 41 have inner ends 60 and 61 that are at aligned and mutually facing when the beds extend horizontally in the upward position. Beds 40 and 41 also have outer ends positioned outwardly respectively of risers 35 and 36 which, in turn, pivotally mount the beds between their inner and outer ends. Each bed has a pivot axis extending through holes 39 with the pivot axis of beds 40 and 41 being parallel.
The cable or line connected to the pair of helical springs provides a stretch, that is, the cable and springs provide a stretchable device. The cable extends slidably against rounds 49 as the springs expand or stretch causing relative motion between the cable and the rounds eliminating any contact between the cable and any bed sham edge. The line contacts the first round as the downwardly extending first bed pivots to a downward position with the line being contactable against the second stop to urge the second bed to the downward position. Likewise, as the first bed pivots to the upward position, the line contacts the stop on the first bed and also is contactable against the second round mounted to the second bed to urge the second bed to the upward position. In certain cases depending upon the friction between the axle, bed, and riser, the bed may pivot downward due to its own weight since the pivot axis of each bed is located closer to the outer end than the inner end of the bed.
Many variations in the boat storage stand are contemplated and included in the present invention. For example, the boat storage stand is shown in the drawings as having channel 27 mounted atop base plate seat 22; however, the present invention includes eliminating seat 22 and mounting channel 27 directly to a support, such as, a beam. Standard fastening devices, such as, bolts, may be used to secure channel to a beam or other object.
While, the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and foregoing description, the same is to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive in character, it being understood that only the preferred embodiment has been shown and described and that all changes and modifications that come within the spirit of the invention are desired to be protected.
Patent Application
20080011916
