Claims
- 1. A threaded access cover plate construction for the deck of a boat, comprising in combination:
- (a) a deck fitting,
- (b) a screw closure receivable in the deck fitting,
- (c) said fitting and screw closure having cooperable, mating buttress-type threads adapted to engage one another when the closure is screwed into the fitting,
- (d) means defining a rim on the fitting,
- (e) means defining a centering shoulder on said closure, cooperable with said rim,
- (f) said cooperable buttress-type threads being dimensioned to provide excessive slop and looseness of enabling lateral shifting of the closure with respect to the fitting, whereby the centering shoulder of the closure can precisely seat into the rim of the fitting when the closure is screwed into the latter, and
- (g) mounting means on the fitting, engageable with the boat deck, for securing the fitting thereto in sealing relation therewith,
- (h) said rim being constituted as an upstanding annular skirt of deformable material, defining with other outer portions of the fitting, a substantially annular groove such that portions of the skirt can be shifted radially outward and into the groove by an extent, due to their engagement by the centering shoulder of the closure,
- (i) said radially outward shifting of the skirt into the groove enabling improved seating of the centering shoulder on the annular skirt, thereby giving rise to an effective seal between the two parts.
- 2. The invention as defined in claim 1, wherein:
- (a) said centering shoulder has a substantially conical configuration, adapted to seal against said rim when the closure is screwed into the fitting.
- 3. The invention as defined in claim 1, and further including:
- (a) a gasket, carried in said groove,
- (b) said closure having an annular sealing surface engagement with the gasket to provide a supplementary seal therewith when the closure is screwed into the fitting.
- 4. The invention as defined in claim 3, wherein:
- (a) said gasket is deformed and flattened somewhat by the closure sealing surface as the closure is tightened,
- (b) the engagement of said rim and centering shoulder limiting the deformation of the gasket by the sealing surface, so as to minimize the likelihood of the gasket taking a set.
- 5. The invention as defined in claim 1, and further including:
- (a) means on said closure providing a finger-engageable notch to facilitate its installation or its removal from the fitting.
- 6. The invention as defined in claim 1, wherein:
- (a) said fitting comprises a tubular body adapted to be received in a hole in the deck,
- (b) said fitting securing means comprising an annular mounting flange engageable with the upper surfaces of the deck which surround said hole.
- 7. The invention as defined in claim 6, wherein:
- (a) said mounting flange comprises multiple sealing beads on its underside, adapted to receive sealing compound, for engagement with the deck surface.
- 8. The invention as defined in claim 1, wherein:
- (a) said centering shoulder has a substantially conical configuration adapted to seal against said skirt when the closure is screwed into the fitting,
- (b) said groove being disposed generally outside the location of said fitting skirt,
- (c) a gasket disposed in said groove,
- (d) said closure having an annular sealing surface engageable with the gasket to provide a supplementary seal therewith when the closure is screwed into the fitting,
- (e) said fitting comprising a tubular body adapted to be received in a hole in the deck,
- (f) said fitting securing means comprising an annular mounting flange engageable with the upper surfaces of the deck which surround said hole.
- 9. The invention as defined in claim 1, wherein:
- (a) the buttress thread on the fitting comprises a single thread formation, extending circumferentially through an angle of substantially 360.degree..
- 10. The invention as defined in claim 1, wherein:
- (a) said skirt lies generally along a cylindrical surface,
- (b) said radial shifting occurring in directions generally transverse to said cylindrical surface.
- 11. The invention as defined in claim 1, wherein:
- (a) said skirt has a curved upper surface, providing a small, generally circular contact area for high pressure engagement with cooperable surfaces of the centering shoulder, when the closure is screwed in place on the deck fitting.
- 12. A threaded access cover plate construction for the deck of a boat, comprising in combination:
- (a) a deck fitting, having an annular mounting flange provided with mounting holes to enable the fitting to be secured to the deck of a boat,
- (b) a screw closure receivable in the deck fitting,
- (c) said fitting and screw closure having cooperable, mating buttress-type threads adapted to engage one another when the closure is screwed into the fitting,
- (d) means defining a rim on the fitting,
- (e) means defining a centering shoulder on said closure, cooperable with said rim,
- (f) said cooperable buttress-type threads being dimensioned to provide excessive looseness for enabling lateral shifting of the closure with respect to the fitting, whereby the centering shoulder of the closure can precisely seat into the rim of the fitting when the closure is screwed into the latter,
- (g) said buttress thread on the fitting being constituted of solely a single buttress thread formation, extending circumferentially through an angle of substantially 360.degree. whereby the fitting can be molded in a single, two-part cavity with the parting line extending through the crest of the thread from its beginning to its end, the provision of said single buttress thread formation making for less difficulty in keeping the fitting clean since dirt on the thread can be quickly wiped away with a cloth while the fitting is secured in place.
CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
The present application is a continuation-in-part of my copending application, U.S. Ser. No. 909,396 filed May 25, 1978, entitled COVER PLATE CONSTRUCTION FOR BOAT DECKS, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,246,859.
US Referenced Citations (9)
Foreign Referenced Citations (3)
Number |
Date |
Country |
352226 |
Mar 1961 |
CHX |
24338 OF |
Jan 1889 |
GBX |
1488850 |
Sep 1976 |
GBX |
Continuation in Parts (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
909396 |
May 1978 |
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