Patent Application
20150217630
None.
This invention pertains to the pleasure boating field. Most pleasure boats, both sail and power, are equipped with portholes that allow light into the living quarters of the vessel, and allow the vessel's occupants to see outside. Many of these portholes have a cover that is hinged on top of the porthole, and that opens and closes from inside the boat (see for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,095,640 by Frank S. Berkey, Jr., dated Jun. 20, 1978 and U.S. Pat. No. 2,466,549 by Peter N. Landine, dated Jan. 25, 1945). When in the open position, the porthole cover allows ventilation into the living quarters, in addition to the light. Typically, the covers are closed and tightly latched when the vessel is underway to prevent water from entering the living quarters to maintain the beauty of the living quarters, and to prevent the boat from filling with water and sinking. At port or at anchor, the occupants typically open the porthole covers, partially or fully, to provide ventilation to the living quarters.
To provide shade and privacy for occupants, some vessels are equipped with blinds, shades or curtains over the portholes in one of two ways. Either the blinds or shades are mounted directly over the glass, fixed to the rim of the porthole cover via a gasket, in a semi-permanent fashion (see U.S. Pat. No. 5,608,990 by James H. Kyle, dated Mar. 11, 1997), or they are mounted to the interior of the boat above the porthole.
In the first manner cited above, the blind or shade must be custom fitted over the glass, increasing the cost of the product. Further, to have a clear view out of the porthole window, the blind or shade must either be removed, or the porthole cover must be opened.
In the second method, the blind, shade or curtain hangs from hardware that is installed directly to the boat's interior with snaps, screws, glue or other method. These products derive from window treatments in the home and are not particularly adapted to a boating environment. Within the seconds method are retractable blinds with a locking mechanism, fixed above the porthole, rolled down for shade and privacy and up to see outside; horizontally pleated blinds, affixed above the porthole, unsnapped to be in the shade/privacy position and folded up and snapped to be in the open view position; and vertically pleated blinds or curtains that hang from hardware affixed above the porthole.
While these products allow the occupants to see outside when they are in the opened position, they require permanently installed hardware, that not only mars the interior of the boat, but is also subject to corrosion and must be maintained. These products require less customization than those mounted directly over the glass, but they are also relatively expensive, they add weight to the vessel, and they are not particularly attractive. The roller blinds and the horizontally pleated blinds, if not well rolled or secured, are subject to tearing in rough seas, as the vessel rolls and pitches.
What is needed is a blind or shade that, when installed in the “open” position over a closed porthole, allows a clear view to outside; that for installation and use requires no hardware; and that fits a variety of porthole covers therefore avoiding the high cost of customization. Further, it should be lightweight, yet durable. Finally, the device needs to be easy to install and use and should be attractive for the pleasure-boating community.
My invention is a simple-to-install, simple-to-use, inexpensive, sea-worthy, hardware-free, non-marking shade assembly for square or horizontally-elongated portholes with top-hinged covers on boats. The devices of the invention include a rectangular light-limiting panel that can be rolled, bunched or folded onto itself, ties that are mildew resistant, that can withstand chafing and that can hold a knot, and the method and kit for assembling, installing and using (including removing) the invention.
This hardware-free, non-marking shade assembly for controlling privacy and light in a vessel with top-hinged, square or horizontally-elongated portholes, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, includes a panel 13, a long tie 14, and short ties 15.
The panel 13, 13a, 13b covers the porthole cover frame 16 and glass 17 in the interior of the vessel, and is anticipated to be made of any lightweight, opaque, or partly opaque material that is flexible enough to be rolled onto itself. In the preferred embodiment, the panel 13, 13a, 13b is made from a plurality of bamboo sticks 19, held together with stitching 2 to form a flat panel. The width of the panel 13, 13a, 13b is anticipated to coincide with the width of the porthole 10 for which it is intended, where the tolerance for fit is one to two inches, or more. It is anticipated that a panel 13, 13a, 13b twelve inches wide will fit many standard small porthole covers, and a panel eighteen to twenty inches wide will fit many standard larger porthole covers. The length of the panel is anticipated to be approximately fifteen to twenty inches, for a porthole cover measuring five to seven inches from top to bottom. The extra length gives weight to the shade so that it does not fly about when in the “closed” position (
The short ties 15, 15a, 15b are used to attach the panel 13, 13a, 13b to the hinges 11 of the porthole 10. In the preferred embodiment, the short ties 15, 15a, 15b are loose, and must be inserted through holes at the top of the panel before the panel 13, 13a, 13b is tied to the hinges 11. In another embodiment, the ties are sewn to the panel 13, 13a, 13b. In the preferred embodiment, the exact positions of the hinges 11 does not need to be known, whereas in the latter embodiment, knowing the positions of the hinges 11 is necessary prior to manufacture.
The long tie 14, 14a, 14b is used to adjust the position of the panel 13, 13a, 13b.
The ties 14, 14a, 14b, 15, 15a, 15b are anticipated to be ribbons approximately ⅝″ wide, made of satin. The short ties 15, 15a, 15b are anticipated to be twelve inches long, and the long tie is anticipated to be thirty-six inches long.
The method for installing and using the preferred embodiment consists of the following steps: holding the panel up to the porthole to estimate the position of the short ties in the panel with respect to the hinges of the port cover; inserting the short ties through the spaces between the top two bamboo sticks in the panel corresponding to the position previously estimated; releasing the dogs (latches) of the porthole cover and opening slightly said cover; with the short ties inserted through the spaces of panel, holding the panel flat against the porthole cover with the short ties positioned against the porthole cover hinges; passing one end of a short tie behind the corresponding hinge (see
While the embodiments herein are at present considered to be preferred, it will be understood that numerous variations and modifications may be made therein by those skilled in the art, and it is intended to cover in the appended claims all such variations and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.
