Patent Application
20250206419
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The disclosure relates to navigation aid and more particularly pertains to a new navigation aid for reminding a user of proper positioning of buoys relative to a watercraft.
The prior art relates to navigation aids. Some navigation aids are designed to provide information about the proper positioning of one boat relative to another boat, for example to indicate which boat has the right of way. Other navigational aids are used as training devices, particularly for aircraft pilots attempting to track a course while flying in windy conditions. Still other navigation aids are designed to illuminate waterway markers as a watercraft travels along the waterway. Being able to properly identify waterway markers is extremely important to determining safe routes through waterways. These waterway markers typically take the form of colored buoys. For example, waterways typically use colored buoy systems to mark out a safe passage through the waterway. The vessel is supposed to stay in between the differently colored buoys to avoid hazards. For example, when travelling upstream, green buoys are typically supposed to be positioned on the left side of the waterway and the port side of the vessel, while red buoys are supposed to be positioned on the right side of the waterway and the starboard side of the vessel. In some waterways, the positioning of the buoys relative to the vessel may change, for example as one waterway merges with another or the cardinal direction of the waterway changes. However, the prior art lacks disclosure of a navigation aid device that can be used to remind a user of the vessel which side of the vessel the colored buoys should be positioned.
An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a figurine having a front portion and a rear portion. The front portion is a first color on the top side, such as green. The rear portion is a second color on the top side, such as red. The front portion is configured for positioning facing a port side of a vessel when the vessel is travelling upstream whereby the front portion is configured to indicate a first side of the vessel on which a green buoy should be positioned when passing the green buoy. The rear portion is configured for positioning facing a starboard side of the vessel when the vessel is travelling upstream whereby the rear portion is configured to indicate a second side of the vessel on which a red buoy should be positioned when passing the red buoy.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure.
The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:
With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to
As best illustrated in
The first 24 and second 26 colors are generally configured to correspond to the colors of buoy navigation aids in a waterway 60. The figurine 12 is configured to remind a user of the proper positioning of a vessel 50 relative to the buoy navigation aids. For example, in United States waterways, a system of green and red buoys are typically used to indicate safe passage through a channel or other portion of the waterway 60. When travelling upstream, green buoys will typically be placed on the left side of the waterway 60 and red buoys 62 will typically be placed on the right side of the waterway 60. The vessel 50 should maneuver through the waterway keeping the green buoys to the port side 52 of the vessel 50 and the red buoys 62 to the starboard side 56 of the vessel 50. Conversely, when travelling downstream or toward the sea, red buoys 62 should be kept to the port side 52 and green buoys should be kept to the starboard side 56.
The navigation aid device 10 is configured to provide an at-a-glance reminder to the Capitan or other user of where the vessel 50 should be positioned relative to the red or green buoys. Accordingly, the front portion 20 is configured for positioning facing a port side 52 of the vessel 50 when the vessel 50 is travelling upstream in the waterway 60, whereby the front portion 20 is configured to indicate a first side 54 of the vessel 50 on which a green buoy should be positioned when passing the green buoy. The rear portion 22 is configured for positioning facing a starboard side 56 of the vessel 50 when the vessel 50 is travelling upstream in the waterway 60, whereby the rear portion 22 is configured to indicate a second side 58 of the vessel 50 on which a red buoy 62 should be positioned when passing the red buoy 62.
In the embodiments shown, the figurine 12 has a shape that is configured to resemble a crocodile. Specifically, the front portion 20 is configured to resemble a head of the crocodile and the rear portion 22 is configured to resemble a tail of the crocodile.
A front leg member 28 may be coupled to the bottom side 16 of the front portion 20. In other embodiments, the front leg member 28 may be coupled to the peripheral side 18 of the front portion 20. The front leg member 28 extends outwardly from the figurine 12. The front leg member 28 may include a pair of arrows 30 that are positioned on opposite sides of the figurine 12. As shown, the pair of arrows 30 may be curved toward the rear portion 22.
A rear leg member 32 may be coupled to the bottom side 16 of the rear portion 22. In other embodiments, the rear leg member 32 may be coupled to the peripheral side 18 of the rear portion 22. The rear leg member 32 extends outwardly from the figurine 12. The rear leg member 32 may include a pair of straight lateral edges 34 and a pair of curved lateral edges 36. The pair of straight lateral edges 34 may be positioned between the pair of curved lateral edges 36. For example, the pair of curved lateral edges 36 may be convexly arcuate between the pair of straight lateral edges 34.
The navigation aid device 10 may further include a logo 38. In embodiments, the logo 38 may be printed on the bottom side 16, for example between the front leg member 28 and the rear leg member 32. In other embodiments, the logo 38 may be positioned on the top 14 or peripheral sides 18. The figurine 12 may be relatively small, so that the figurine 12 fits easily at the helm of the vessel 50, as shown in
In use, the navigation aid device 10 may be positioned at the helm of the vessel 50. The user may observe a color of a buoy positioned in the waterway 50. For example, when heading upstream, the user may observe a red buoy 62 on the right side of the waterway 60. The user may therefore position the navigation aid device 10 with the rear portion 22 facing toward the starboard side 56 of the vessel 50 as a reminder that the vessel 50 should maneuver through the waterway 60 keeping the red buoy 62 to that side of the vessel 50.
As explained in the example above, when travelling upstream, green buoys should generally be on the left side of the waterway 60. Accordingly, the front portion 20, which may be green, can be positioned facing the port side 52 of the vessel 20. When travelling upstream, red buoys 62 should generally be positioned on the right side of the waterway 60, so the rear portion 22, which may be red, can be positioned facing the starboard side 56 of the vessel 50. The figurine 12 can thus remind the user to keep the green buoys to the left, or port, side of the vessel 50 and the red buoys to the right, or starboard, side of the vessel 50. Conversely, when travelling downstream or out toward the sea, green buoys should be on the right side of the vessel 50. The front portion 20 can therefore be positioned facing the starboard side 56 to remind the user to keep the green buoys on that side of the vessel 50. Because red buoys 56 should be on the left side of the vessel when travelling upstream, the figurine 12 can be positioned with the rear 22, red portion facing the port side 52. Whenever the boat turns around, or the positioning of the buoys relative to the vessel changes, the figurine 12 can be repositioned to remind the user which side of the vessel 50 each color of buoy should be positioned.
When the logo 38 is printed on the figurine 12, the navigation aid device 10 can also be used as a promotional and marketing tool. For example, a marina or dealership logo 38 could be printed on the bottom side 16 of the figurine 12. The marina or dealership associated with that logo 38 can sell or gift the figurine 12 to consumers as a means of advertising their business.
With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure.
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.
