Patent Application
20210129950
These teachings relate generally to marine navigational aids.
Marine navigational aids are known in the art. Generally speaking, a marine navigational aid provides helpful information to mariners to help the mariner avoid dangers, to safely traverse a particular body of water, to locate a particular desired service, to be informed of local laws and regulations pertaining to boating, and so forth.
Accordingly, marine navigational aids can contribute significantly to safe and convenient boating. Unfortunately, many marine navigational aids are relatively expensive to manufacture and/or to install or maintain. As a result, fewer such aids may be deployed in a given body of water than might otherwise be useful or helpful.
The above needs are at least partially met through provision of the marine navigational aid apparatus and method described in the following detailed description, particularly when studied in conjunction with the drawings, wherein:
Elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale unless indicated otherwise. For example, the dimensions and/or relative positioning of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of various embodiments of the present teachings. Also, common but well-understood elements that are useful or necessary in a commercially feasible embodiment are often not depicted in order to facilitate a less obstructed view of these various embodiments of the present teachings. Certain actions and/or steps may be described or depicted in a particular order of occurrence while those skilled in the art will understand that such specificity with respect to sequence is not actually required. The terms and expressions used herein have the ordinary technical meaning as is accorded to such terms and expressions by persons skilled in the technical field as set forth above except where different specific meanings have otherwise been set forth herein. The word “or” when used herein shall be interpreted as having a disjunctive construction rather than a conjunctive construction unless otherwise specifically indicated.
Generally speaking, these various embodiments provide a marine navigational aid for use with a piling. This marine navigational aid comprises a flexible wrap, at least one affixment mechanism coupled to the flexible wrap, and a plurality of alphanumeric characters disposed on an exterior side of the flexible wrap.
The flexible wrap is configured to be substantially conformally wrapped around the circumference of the piling though without forming a waterproof seal. By one approach this flexible wrap is at least substantially comprised of a non-padded wrap formed of a waterproof material. By one approach the flexible wrap comprises a substantially non-resilient flexible wrap and may further comprise an acrylic-based fiber.
The aforementioned affixment mechanism is configured to affix the flexible wrap in an installed disposition around the piling at least partly above a corresponding water line such that at least part of the flexible wrap is ordinarily visible to an observing mariner using ordinary vision. These teachings are highly practical in use and will accommodate a variety of different affixment mechanisms including, but not limited to, ties, snaps, and hooks-and-loops fasteners.
The aforementioned plurality of alphanumeric characters are disposed on an exterior side of the flexible wrap when the flexible wrap is in the aforementioned installed disposition around the piling. These alphanumeric characters impart marine navigational aid content to the observing mariner. If desired, non-alphanumeric characters can be additionally provided to suit the needs and/or opportunities presented by a given application setting.
So configured, long-lasting and easily-deployed marine navigational aids are realized. Relatively speaking, these marine navigational aids represent a minimal economic cost in that the aids are relatively inexpensive to manufacture and procure, to install, and to maintain. Such features, in turn, make it reasonable to install as many such marine navigational aids as may be useful in a given application setting to thereby help ensure safe and convenient motor boating.
These and other benefits may become clearer upon making a thorough review and study of the following detailed description. Referring now to the drawings, and in particular to
With reference to
At block 101, this process 100 provides a marine navigational aid 200 that comprises a flexible wrap 201. This flexible wrap 201 is configured to be substantially conformally wrapped around a circumference of the aforementioned piling without forming a waterproof seal.
In this context, the expression “substantially conformally wrapped” will be understood to mean that at least 50 percent of the flexible wrap 201 is in contact with the piling when in an installed disposition around the piling. In many application settings a greater percentage of the flexible wrap 201 may be in physical contact with the piling, such as at least 60 percent of the flexible wrap 201, at least 70 percent of the flexible wrap 201, at least 80 percent of the flexible wrap 201, or even at least 90 percent of the flexible wrap 201. Generally speaking, there is enough of the flexible wrap 201 in physical contact with the piling to hold the flexible wrap 201 in place on the piling via friction during ordinary expected use (wherein the expected use includes contact with moving water and floating objects such as boats or driftwood as well as environmental factors such as wind and various forms of precipitation).
Although the flexible wrap 201 will be sufficiently tight on the piling to hold the flexible wrap 201 in its installed position, the flexible wrap 201 is not designed to form a waterproof seal between itself and the piling. In particular, it is expected that water can and will make its way between at least parts of the flexible wrap 201 and the piling (especially given the irregular surface features of a typical wooden piling). This lack of a waterproof seal is acceptable because this flexible wrap 201 is neither designed nor intended to protect the piling from moisture or water-borne organisms.
By one approach this flexible wrap 201 comprises a substantially non-resilient flexible wrap. If desired, the flexible wrap 201 may exhibit a 100 percent dead-fold behavior (meaning that the material, when folded, does not spontaneously unfold at all). The expression “substantially non-resilient” will be understood to refer to a range extending from 50 percent dead-fold behavior to 100 percent debt-full behavior.
Generally speaking, the flexible wrap 201 comprises a single ply of environmentally-resistant fabric such as a fabric formed of an acrylic-based fiber. (It will be understood that the expression “environmentally-resistant” refers to being resistant to wear and tear ordinarily associated with exposure to various outdoor factors including specifically water (including both fresh and saltwater) and sunlight.) Marine-grade fabrics offered under the brand name Sunbrella by Glen Raven, Inc. are one useful example in these regards.
One or more additional plies of such a fabric may be utilized if desired. As noted above, however, the flexible wrap 201 comprises a non-padded wrap and therefore additional layers are typically unnecessary. Generally speaking, there is no need for the marine navigational aid 200 to be buoyant. Accordingly, the fabric wrap 201 can itself be non-buoy ant.
Referring momentarily to
Referring momentarily to
For many application settings it will be preferable that the exterior side of the flexible wrap 201 (i.e., the side of the flexible wrap 201 that faces outwardly when the flexible wrap 201 is in an installed disposition on a piling) be at least largely a single color such as white, yellow, or red. This is both to help ensure that the marine navigational aid 200 is readily discernible during use and also to present a uniform background for the alphanumeric characters described below that does not conflict with or otherwise inhibit visually discerning those characters.
Referring again to
These teachings will accommodate a variety of affixment mechanisms including, if desired, simultaneous use of an assortment of different affixment mechanisms. Generally speaking, these affixment mechanisms serve to secure one part of the flexible wrap 201 to another part of the flexible wrap 201 and therefore do not serve to directly connect the flexible wrap 201 to the piling. Examples of suitable affixment mechanisms include, but are not limited to, snaps, ties, zippers, and hooks-and-loops fasteners. The affixment mechanism 202 should be generally resistant to the operationally degrading effects of the intended marine application setting.
Referring again to block 101 of
In a typical application setting the plurality of alphanumeric characters 203 are vertically disposed on the flexible wrap 201 and hence are parallel to the edges that represent the height of the flexible wrap 201. By one approach these characters are formed of a same material as the flexible wrap 201 and can be attached to the flexible wrap 201 using, for example, an appropriate adhesive, stitching, or other mechanism of choice.
The characters that comprise the plurality of alphanumeric characters can comprise a uniform color or a plurality of colors can be used to differentiate amongst the characters if desired. Generally speaking, the color or colors that constitute the alphanumeric characters should visually contrast with the color of the flexible wrap 201 so that the plurality of alphanumeric characters 203 are more readily discernible to an observing mariner using ordinary vision.
Referring to
Referring to block 103 of this process 100, the affixment mechanism 202 is now employed to secure the flexible wrap 201 in the installed disposition around the piling 601. More specifically, in this illustrative example, one edge of the flexible wrap 201 overlaps the opposing edge of the flexible wrap 201 to thereby permit engagement of the hooks and loops of the affixment mechanism 202. So configured and disposed, the flexible wrap 201 is now secured by friction in the above-described disposition.
So configured, the informational content conveyed by the plurality of alphanumeric characters 203 (along with any non-alphanumeric characters that may be provided) is ordinarily visible to an observing mariner 703 using ordinary vision (where “ordinary vision” will be understood to mean either uncorrected 20-20 vision or vision corrected with prescription lenses to 20-20).
The described marine navigational aid 200 can be manufactured relatively inexpensively and easily installed by a relatively untrained person. Once installed in a typical marine application setting the marine navigational aid 200 should remain as disposed for any number of seasons while maintaining both an attractive and useful appearance. Although this marine navigational aid 200 does not provide much environmental or impact protection for the piling 601 itself (or for a boat that might impact the aid 201), this apparatus provides inexpensive, clearly discernible and useful navigational information that can greatly increase the ease and accuracy of navigating a boat.
Those skilled in the art will recognize that a wide variety of modifications, alterations, and combinations can be made with respect to the above described embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, if desired, the flexible wrap 201 can include a second plurality of alphanumeric characters disposed on an opposing side of the flexible wrap 201 (when the flexible wrap is in the above-described installed disposition around the piling). This second plurality of alphanumeric characters can also impart navigational aid content, which content may be identical to or different from the marine navigational aid content imparted by the first-described plurality of alphanumeric characters 203. Accordingly, such modifications, alterations, and combinations are to be viewed as being within the ambit of the inventive concept.
