The present invention relates to portlights, or opening ports, for use with a marine vessel or the like, and more particularly to such a portlight that provides for simplified installation into the hull of a vessel.
Portlight assemblies for marine vessels and other vehicular bodies are well known in the art and are available from numerous sources. Such port assemblies typically include an aluminum or plastic frame, a transparent window of either glass or polycarbonate and an inner mounting structure through which screws are inserted, which then pass through the hull and are threaded into the outer frame.
One difficulty associated with conventional portlight assemblies has been the common requirement of at least two workers to install each unit. Conventionally, one worker inserted the frame, along with its gasketing and sealing material, through an opening in the side of the hull or cabin of the vessel, and then a second worker on the inside of the vessel inserted a retaining structure over the portion of the frame extending through the vessel wall and inserted and tightened screws through the inner ring into the outer frame. This requirement for the use of two persons to assemble each portlight onto the vessel has substantially increased both assembly time and, most notably, the expense of requiring two workers for each installation. Substantial savings could be realized if such a portlight assembly were structured to permit its installation by a single worker.
The present invention comprises a portlight assembly for installation in combination with an opening in the wall of a vessel, in which the portlight assembly comprises an outer frame having a flange and a cylindrical wall portion extending from that flange, with the flange overlying a portion of the outer surface of the vessel wall surrounding the opening, and the cylindrical wall portion extends through the opening and includes a threaded section distal that flange. The assembly further comprises a window mounted to the outer frame and having an inner surface and an outer surface, an inner securing ring threadedly received onto a threaded portion of the cylindrical wall portion distal the flange and overlying a portion of the inner surface of the vessel wall, such inner securing ring included threads engaging the threaded section of the cylindrical wall portion. The outer frame includes initial attachment means for holding the outer frame in place within the vessel wall opening pending threaded receipt of that inner securing ring onto the cylindrical wall portion.
A particularly preferred embodiment of the portlight assembly of this invention is illustrated in the figures, in which:
An exploded view of the components of one embodiment of a port assembly according to this invention is shown in FIG. 1. In general, the assembly comprises an outer frame 10 having a flange 12 and a cylindrical wall portion 14 extending from the flange. This assembly may be fabricated of any convenient rigid material, including, without limitation, stainless steel, aluminum, or a generally rigid synthetic resin. A window 16 is mounted to the frame, suitably by means of a pin 18 extending through holes in bosses on the frame 10 and the window 16. An inner securing ring 20 is received onto the cylindrical wall portion 14 of the outer frame 10 and includes threads 22 engaging corresponding threads 24 on the cylindrical wall portion 14 of the outer frame. There is also provided initial attachment means 26, suitably in the form of a double-faced adhesive material, which may take the form of a gasket that engages both a portion of the flange 12 of the outer frame 10 and the vessel wall at the time of installation, for holding that outer frame in place within an opening in the vessel wall pending threaded receipt of that inner securing ring 20 onto the cylindrical wall portion. An additional resilient gasket 28 may also be provided for engagement between the inner surface of the vessel wall and the inner securing ring 20, and a window sealing gasket 30 may be received within the outer frame for sealing engagement against the frame 32 of the window assembly 16. The manner of installation of this portlight assembly is shown in
To assist in retaining the inner securing ring 20 in position, there preferably is provided a locking structure, suitably including a first component carried by the cylindrical wall portion and a second component carried by the inner securing ring and engaging that first locking structure component to permit rotation of the inner securing ring in a first direction to tighten engagement between the inner securing ring 20 and the vessel wall, while resisting rotation in a second, opposite direction. Suitably, this first locking structure component carried on the cylindrical wall portion 14 of the outer frame may comprise a first portion of a ratchet mechanism, such as a groove or slot, shown in phantom and identified by reference numeral 44 in
As noted above, the window frame assembly 16 is pivotally mounted to the outer frame by pivot pin 18. This permits pivotal movement of the window about a pivot axis, such as defined by the pivot pin 18, between a closed position shown in FIG. 7 and an open position, shown in FIG. 8.
In order to selectively and releaseably hold the window in the closed position, there is provided at least one latch assembly 46, as shown in
As shown in
The outer frame 10 includes around its radially inner periphery a lip 60 for engaging the window in the frame 32 when that window is in its closed position. This lip also may have mounted to it a sealing gasket 30 for establishing a generally watertight seal between the outer frame lip 60 and the window, when the window is in the closed position.
While the foregoing describes a particularly preferred embodiment of the portlight assembly of the present invention, it should be understood that such description is illustrative only of the principles of the invention and is not be considered limitative thereof. Accordingly, since numerous variations and modifications of the specific structure, all within the scope of the invention, were readily occurred to those skilled in the art, the scope of this invention is to be limited solely by the claims appended hereto.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
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7927 | Goodrich | Feb 1851 | A |
552536 | Mackenzie et al. | Jan 1896 | A |
631292 | Fyte et al. | Aug 1899 | A |
922508 | Puffer | May 1909 | A |
4095640 | Beckerer | Jun 1978 | A |
4376418 | Childs | Mar 1983 | A |
4976212 | Camaruta | Dec 1990 | A |
5150943 | Gold | Sep 1992 | A |
6105320 | Boor et al. | Aug 2000 | A |
6451398 | Sylvester | Sep 2002 | B1 |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20040244666 A1 | Dec 2004 | US |