BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
For a better understanding of the present invention, as well as other aspects and further features thereof, reference is made to the following description which is to be used in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, where:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view, taken from a front, right side, of a personal watercraft in accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a top view of the personal watercraft of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a left side elevation view of the personal watercraft of FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is a right side elevation view of the personal watercraft of FIG. 1;
FIG. 5 is a front elevation view of the personal watercraft of FIG. 1;
FIG. 6 is a rear elevation view of the personal watercraft of FIG. 1;
FIG. 7 is a partial cross-sectional view, taken from a front, right side, of a front portion of a personal watercraft having a prior art storage bin and hood arrangement with the hood in a closed position;
FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view, taken from a right side, of the front portion of the personal watercraft of FIG. 7;
FIG. 9 is a close-up view of portion 9-9 of FIG. 8 showing the layout of the seals disposed between the storage bin and the hood;
FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view, taken from a right side, of the front portion of personal watercraft of FIG. 7 with the hood in an opened position;
FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view, taken from a right side, of a front portion of a personal watercraft having a storage bin in accordance with the present invention with the hood in an open position;
FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view, taken from a right side, of the front portion of the personal watercraft of FIG. 11 with the hood in the open position and the storage bin partially removed from the opening in the deck of the personal watercraft;
FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view, taken from a front, left side, of the front portion of the personal watercraft of FIG. 11 with the hood removed for clarity;
FIG. 14 is a close-up view of portion 14-14 of FIG. 13 showing the layout of the seals and the manner in which the storage bin in supported on the deck of the personal watercraft;
FIG. 15 is a perspective view, taken from a front, right side, of the front portion of the personal watercraft of FIG. 11 with the hood removed for clarity showing the storage bin latched to the deck;
FIG. 16 is a close-up view of portion 16-16 of FIG. 15 showing the latch used to latch the storage bin;
FIG. 17 is a perspective view, taken from a front, right side, of the front portion of the personal watercraft of FIG. 11 with the hood removed for clarity showing the storage bin unlatched and partially removed from the deck;
FIG. 18 is a perspective view, taken from a front, right side, of a personal watercraft storage bin in accordance with the present invention with the lid in a closed position;
FIG. 19 is a perspective view, taken from a top, front side, of the personal watercraft storage bin of FIG. 18;
FIG. 20 is a close-up view of section 20-20 of FIG. 19 showing details of one of the locks of the personal watercraft storage bin of FIG. 18;
FIG. 21 is a perspective view, taken from a front, right side, of the personal watercraft storage bin of FIG. 18 with the lid in an open position;
FIG. 22 is a perspective view, taken from a front, right side, of the personal watercraft storage bin of FIG. 18 with the lid separated from the container; and
FIG. 23 is a top perspective view, taken from a rear, left side, of the personal watercraft storage bin of FIG. 18 with the lid removed from the container and showing some of the internal features of the container.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
FIGS. 1 to 6 illustrate a personal watercraft 2 in accordance with the present invention. The personal watercraft 2 is made of two main parts. These parts are the hull 4 and the deck 6, which is disposed on the hull 4. The hull 4 buoyantly supports the watercraft 2 in the water. The deck 6 is designed to accommodate a rider and, in some watercraft, one or more passengers. The hull 4 and deck 6 are joined together at the bond line 8 by an adhesive. Rivets or other fasteners may also be used to join the hull 4 to the deck 6. A bumper 10 generally covers the bond line 8, which helps to prevent damage to the outer surface of the watercraft 2 when the watercraft 2 is docked. The volume created between the hull 4 and the deck 6 is known as the engine compartment. The engine compartment accommodates the engine 12 (schematically illustrated in FIG. 3) as well as the muffler, exhaust pipe, gas tank, electrical system (battery, electronic control unit . . . ), air box, storage bins (such as storage bin 50 schematically illustrated in FIG. 4) and other elements required by or desired for the watercraft 2.
The deck 6 has a centrally positioned straddle-type seat 14 placed on top of a pedestal 16 to accommodate a rider in a straddling position. A grab handle 15 is provided between the pedestal 16 and the straddle-type seat 14 at the rear of the straddle-type seat 14 to provide a handle onto which a passenger may hold on. The seat 14 is preferably removably attached to the pedestal 16 by a hook and tongue assembly (not shown) at the front of the seat 14 and by a latch assembly (not shown) at the rear of the seat 14, or by any other known attachment mechanism. The seat 14 covers an engine access opening (not shown), defined by a top portion of the pedestal 16, which provides access to the engine 12. A glove box 23 is provided in front of the straddle type seat 14.
As best seen in FIG. 6, the watercraft 2 has a pair of generally upwardly extending walls, known as gunwales or gunnels 24, located on either side of the watercraft 2. The gunnels 24 help to discourage the entry of water in the watercraft 2, provide lateral support for the rider's feet, and also provide buoyancy when turning the watercraft 2, since personal watercraft roll slightly when turning. Towards the rear of the watercraft 2, the gunnels 24 extend inwardly to act as heel rests 25. Heel rests 25 allow a passenger riding the watercraft 2 facing the towards the rear, to spot a water-skier for example, to place his heels on the heel rests 25, thereby providing him with a more stable riding position. It should be noted that heel rests 25 could also be separate from the gunnels 24.
Located on either side of the seat 14, between the pedestal 16 and the gunnels 24, are a pair of footrests 26. The footrests 26 are designed to accommodate a rider's feet in various riding positions. To this effect, the forward portions 28 of the footrests 26 are angled such that the front portions 28a of the forward portions 28 are higher than the rear portions 28b of the forward portions 28. The remaining portions of the footrests 26 are generally horizontal. The footrests 26 may be covered by carpeting made of a rubber-type material to provide additional comfort and feet traction for the rider. A reboarding platform 32 is provided at the rear of the watercraft 2 to allow the rider or a passenger to easily reboard the watercraft 2 from the water. Carpeting may also cover the reboarding platform 32. A retractable ladder may be affixed to the transom 60 to facilitate boarding the watercraft 2 from the water onto the reboarding platform 32.
As best seen in FIGS. 2 to 4, a helm assembly 34 is positioned forwardly of the straddle-type seat 14. The helm assembly 34 has a central helm portion 36 that may be padded, and a pair of steering handles 38. One of the steering handles 38 is provided with a throttle lever 40 allowing the rider to control the speed of the watercraft 2. The central helm portion 36 may also have buttons that allow the rider to modify what is displayed (speed, engine rpm, time . . . ) on the display cluster 44 located forwardly of the helm assembly 34 or to change a condition of the watercraft 2 such as trim (the pitch of the watercraft). The helm assembly 34 may also be provided with a key receiving post, preferably located near a center of the central helm portion 36. The key receiving post is adapted to receive a key attached to a lanyard so as to allow starting of the watercraft 2. It should be noted that the key receiving post may be placed in any other suitable location on the watercraft 2.
The watercraft 2 is provided with a hood 48 located forwardly of the helm assembly 34. A hinge 52 (FIG. 11) is attached between a forward portion of the hood 48 and the deck 6 to allow hood 48 to move between an open position (shown in FIG. 11) providing access to the storage bin 50 and a closed position (shown in FIG. 4) preventing access to the storage bin 50, as will be discussed in greater detail below. A latch 53 (FIG. 11) located at a rearward portion of hood 48 locks the hood 48 into a closed position.
The hull 4 is provided with a combination of strakes 54 and chines 56. A strake 54 is a protruding portion of the hull 4. A chine 56 is the vertex formed where two surfaces of the hull 4 meet. It is this combination of strakes 54 and chines 56 that will give the watercraft 2 its riding and handling characteristics.
Sponsons 58 are located on either of the hull 4 near the transom 60. The sponsons 58 have an arcuate undersurface, which give the watercraft 2 both lift while in motion and improved turning characteristics.
A hook 62 is located at the bow 64 of the watercraft 2. The hook 52 is used to attach the watercraft 2 to a dock when it is not in use.
The watercraft 2 is generally propelled by a jet pump 76. It is contemplated that other types of propulsion systems, such as propellers, could also be used. The jet pump 76 pressurizes water and accelerates it to create thrust. The water is first scooped from under the hull 4 through an inlet grate (not shown). The inlet grate prevents large rocks, weeds, and other debris from entering the jet pump 76 since they may damage it or negatively affect its performance. Water then flows through the water intake ramp (not shown). The top portion of the water intake ramp is preferably formed by hull 4 and the ride shoe (not shown) forms its bottom portion. Alternatively, the intake ramp may be a single piece to which the jet pump 76 attaches. In such cases, the intake ramp and the jet pump unit 76 are attached as a unit in a recess in the bottom of hull 4. From the intake ramp, water then enters the jet pump 76. The jet pump 76 is located in what is known as the tunnel 75. The tunnel 75 is opened towards the rear, and is defined at the front, sides, and top by the hull 4, and at the bottom by the ride plate 77. The ride plate 77 is the surface on which the watercraft 2 rides or planes. The jet pump 76 is made of two main parts: the impeller (not shown) and the stator (not shown). The impeller is coupled to the engine 12 by one or more shafts 78, such as a driveshaft and an impeller shaft. The rotation of the impeller pressurizes the water, which then moves over the stator that is made of a plurality of fixed stator blades (not shown). The role of the stator blades is to decrease the rotational motion of the water so that most of the energy imparted to the water is used for thrust, as opposed to swirling the water. Once the water leaves the jet pump 76, it goes through the pump nozzle (not shown). Since the pump nozzle's exit diameter is smaller than its entrance diameter, the water is accelerated further, thereby providing more thrust. A steering nozzle 82 is pivotally attached to the pump nozzle through a vertical pivot point. The steering nozzle 82 is operatively connected to the helm assembly 34 via a push-pull cable (not shown) such that when the helm assembly 34 is turned, the steering nozzle 82 pivots, redirecting the water coming from the pump nozzle, so as to steer the watercraft 2 in the desired direction. In some watercraft, the steering nozzle 82 may be gimbaled to allow it to move around a second horizontal pivot axis. The up and down movement of the steering nozzle 82 provided by this additional pivot axis is known as trim, and controls the pitch of the watercraft 2.
When the watercraft 2 is in movement, its speed is measured by a speed sensor 83 attached to the transom 60 of the watercraft 2. The speed sensor 83 has a paddle wheel which is turned by the flow of water passing by the watercraft, therefore the faster the watercraft 2 goes, the faster the paddle wheel turns. An electronic control unit (not shown) connected to the speed sensor 83 converts the rotational speed of the paddle wheel to the speed of the watercraft 2 in kilometers or miles per hour, depending on the rider's preference. The speed sensor 83 may also be placed in the ride plate 77 or any other suitable position. Other types of speed sensors, such as pitot tubes, could also be used.
Some watercraft 2 have the ability to move in a reverse direction. To do this a reverse gate (not shown) is used. The reverse gate is pivotally attached to the sidewalls of the tunnel 75, directly on the pump nozzle, or directly on the steering nozzle 82. To make the watercraft 2 move in a reverse direction, the rider pulls on a reverse handle (not shown) operatively connected to the reverse gate. The reverse gate then pivots in front of the steering nozzle 82 and redirects the water leaving the jet pump 76 towards the front of the watercraft 2, thereby thrusting the watercraft 2 rearwardly.
Turning now to FIGS. 11 to 17, it can be seen that the storage bin 50 is made of a container 100 and a lid 102, both of which are preferably made of plastic. The purpose of the lid 102 is to discourage water (or other things, such as sand, when the storage bin 50 is removed from the watercraft 2) from entering an interior of the container 100.
The lid 102 is hinged to the container 100 via a hinges 104 located on a front of the storage bin 50. It is contemplated that the hinges 104 could be located on another side of the storage bin 50 and that more or less hinges 104 could be provided. It is also contemplated that the lid 102 could be attached to the container 100 by using other means such as, but not limited to, fasteners or by having the container 100 and the lid 102 shaped such that the lid 102 can be manually pressed on the container 100 and be retained thereon by a press fit.
The storage bin 50 is disposed under the hood 48 in an opening provided in the deck 6 forwardly of the steering handles 38. The storage bin 50 can be accessed by moving the hood 48 to an open position, as shown in FIG. 11. As best seen in FIG. 14, the container 100 has a lip 106 protruding from an upper end thereof which rests on a contour 108 of the opening. The upper edge of the container 100 is angled such that when the lip 106 rests on the contour 108, the bottom of the container 100 is generally horizontal. It is contemplated that the lip 106 could only be provided on a portion of the upper end of the container 100. The contour 108 is raised relative the portions of the deck 6 adjacent to it to help providing protection from water infiltration inside the engine compartment. When the hood 48 is opened, a handle 110 provided on the lid 102 allows the storage bin 50 to be easily removed from the opening, and therefore the watercraft 2, as shown in FIG. 12.
As seen in FIG. 14, a seal 112 is attached inside a groove 114 under the lip 106 around the periphery of the container 100. The seal 112 is pressed against the contour 108 when the storage bin 50 is disposed in the opening in the deck 6 to discourage water from entering the engine compartment by the opening. It is contemplated that the seal 112 could be attached to the contour 108 of the opening instead of to the lip 106, or any other suitable location for accomplishing its intended purpose. Another seal 116 is attached inside a groove 118 around the periphery of the lid 102. When the lid 102 is closed, the seal 116 is pressed against the top of the lip 106 of the container 100 to discourage water from entering the interior of the container 100, thus preventing items stored in the storage bin 50 from getting wet. It is contemplated that the seal 116 could be provided on the top of the lip 106 around a periphery thereof instead of on the lid 102. Thus, it is no longer necessary to provide seals between the hood 48 and the storage bin 50, as was the case in the prior art, since the lid 102, and seals 112 and 116 provide the necessary protection against water infiltration inside the container 100 and the engine compartment.
As best seen in FIGS. 14 to 17, the storage bin 50 is retained onto the deck 6 at the front and rear of the storage bin 50. At the front, a notched tongue 120 extends from the container 100. When the storage bin 50 is placed in the opening in the deck 6, the notched tongue 120 is slid into openings 122 located in the fixed portion 124 of the hinge 52 of the hood 48. This restricts vertical movement of the front portion of the storage bin 50.
At the rear of the storage bin 50, a latch 126 holds the storage bin 50 in place. The latch 126 consists of a deformable retaining member 128, preferably made of plastic, attached to the deck 6 behind the opening, a tongue 130 extending from the back of the container 100, and a lever 132 hinged to the lid 102. As the storage bin 50 is placed in the opening in the deck 6, the tongue 130 pushes the deformable retaining member 128 towards the transom 60 of the watercraft 2. When the tongue 130 clears the end of the deformable retaining member 128, the deformable retaining member 128 springs back to its original position where it extends above the tongue 130, thus restricting vertical movement of the rear portion of the storage bin 50. To unlatch the rear portion of the storage bin 50, the lever 132 needs to be moved in the direction of arrow 134 (FIG. 16). When it is moved in this direction, the lever 132 pushes against the deformable retaining member 128 so that it no longer extends above the tongue 130. The storage bin 50 can then be removed from the opening in the deck 6, as shown in FIG. 17. The lever 132 is preferably hinged to the lid 102 by a living hinge 136, such that the lid 102, lever 132, and living hinge 136 are integrally formed and can be molded as a single part.
It is contemplated that the storage bin 50 could be retained on the deck 6 in other ways. The latch 126 could be located on the front of the storage bin 50 and the notched tongue 120 and openings 122 on the back of the storage bin. Other types of latches could be used. The storage bin 50 could be retained on its sides. The storage bin 50 could also be held in place with straps attached to the deck 6.
Turning now to FIGS. 18 to 23, additional features of the storage bin 50 will be described. Four locks 138 are provided on the storage bin 50 to lock the lid 102 in its closed position. Two locks 138a are provided on the back of the storage bin 50, and one lock 138b is provided on each of the two lateral sides of the storage bin 50. The locks 138 prevent the lid 102 from accidentally becoming opened when the storage bin 50 is carried by the handle 110. The locks 138, when locked, also compress the seal 116 between the lid 102 and the container 100, thus providing better sealing between the two parts.
Each of the locks 138 has a hinged portion 140 hinged to the container 100 via a living hinge 142 (see FIG. 20). Each hinged portion 140 is provided with one or more openings 144 therein. The locks 138a each have one opening 144. The locks 138b each have three opening 144. The lid 102 is provided with a number of tongues 146 extending therefrom. One tongue 146 is provided in alignment with each of the openings 144. When a lock 138 is in its locked position, as shown in FIG. 20, the corresponding tongue 146 extends in the opening 144 of the hinged portion 140, thus preventing the lid 102 to be moved to its open position. A protrusion 148 (FIG. 20) on each tongue 146 keeps the lock 138 in it locked position and prevents the lock 138 from easily becoming unlocked. To unlock a lock 138, the hinged portion 140 is moved in the direction of arrow 150 until the tongue 146 no longer extends in the opening 144. It is contemplated that more or less locks could be used. It is also contemplated that other types of locks could be used. For example, a key lock could be used to allow for secure storage of items inside the storage bin 50.
As best seen in FIG. 22, each of the hinges 104 is made of two parts. A first part, in the form of a hook 152, is attached to the container 100. A second part, in the form of a pin 154, is attached to the lid 102. The pin 154 rotates inside the hook 152 which allows the lid 102 to be moved between an open position, shown in FIG. 21, providing access to an interior of the container 100 and a closed position, shown in FIG. 18, preventing access to the interior of the container 100. Since the hook 152 is opened towards the bottom, the lid 102 can be detached from the container 100 by rotating the lid 102 to the position shown in FIG. 22. This also allows the lid 102 and the container 100 to be easily assembled together.
As seen in FIGS. 21 and 22, a spark plug support 156 is disposed on a side of the lid 102 facing an interior of the container 100 when the lid 102 is closed. The spark plug support 156 allows spare spark plugs (not shown) to be stocked aboard the watercraft 2 in a dry location. The spark plugs are clipped in clips 158 (two clips 158 per spark plug) of the spark plug support 156. The spark plug support 156 illustrated allows three spark plugs to be stocked.
Turning now to FIG. 23, a receptacle 160 is formed in the interior of the container 100 to receive a tool box 162. A bracket 164 is shaped to receive a fire extinguisher 166. The fire extinguisher 166 is held in place by an elastic strap 168 which is removably attached to a tab 170 on the bracket 164. It is contemplated that additional receptacles, brackets, and/or straps could be provided inside the container to accommodate other specific items which could be stored in the storage bin 50.
Modifications and improvements to the above-described embodiments of the present invention may become apparent to those skilled in the art. The foregoing description is intended to be exemplary rather than limiting. The scope of the present invention is therefore intended to be limited solely by the scope of the appended claims.
Patent Application
20080041287
