Patent Application
20120125247
1. Field of the Invention
The invention generally relates anchoring devices and methods, and particularly to a ratcheting boat anchor.
2. Related Art
Anchoring boats and other vessels is required to keep such vessels stationary. Watercraft may be easily moved by currents and waves. Without anchoring, such craft may move uncontrollably, become lost, or be damaged. Various anchoring systems have been developed over the years. Some anchors utilize weight to anchor a craft. Others may be inserted into the seabed, riverbed, lakebed, shore, beach, or other ground such that they penetrate the ground to secure into position.
Unfortunately, weighted anchors are exceedingly heavy and as such are not convenient for smaller watercraft. In addition, such anchors are inefficient because their weight must be carried by a watercraft, when the anchors are not in use. Embedded or penetrating anchors may be lighter, however, the installation of such anchors typically requires tools, such as mallets or levers. Even with such tools considerable effort is required to penetrate a seabed, shore, or the like with such anchors. In addition, removing such anchors may be just as difficult as inserting or installing them.
From the discussion that follows, it will become apparent that the present invention addresses the deficiencies associated with the prior art while providing numerous additional advantages and benefits not contemplated or possible with prior art constructions.
A ratcheting boat anchor and method of anchoring therefore is disclosed herein. The ratcheting boat anchor increases the safety and easy by which objects, such as boats, other watercraft, or other objects may be anchored. Embedding an anchor into the ground or other surface typically requires significant force. The ratcheting boat anchor allows a user to drive the anchor through the ground or other surface without requiring the user to manually rotate the anchor 360°. This is highly advantageous in that it allows the anchor to be embedded and removed with ergonomic and natural body movements that allow the user's body strength to be optimally applied to embedding and removing the anchor.
The ratcheting boat anchor may have various configurations. For example, in one embodiment, the ratcheting boat anchor may comprise a body having a first end and a second end, one or more arms attached to the body and extending outward from the body, a shaft extending outward from the second end of the body, and one or more blades attached to the shaft outside the body. One or more anchor points may be at an exterior location of the body.
A ratcheting mechanism having a first portion attached to the body and a second portion attached to the shaft may also be provided. The second portion may be freely rotatable relative to the first portion in a first direction and not freely rotatable relative to the first portion in a second direction. The ratcheting mechanism may have a switch configured to cause the second portion to be freely rotatable relative to the first portion in a second direction and not freely rotatable relative to the first portion in a first direction.
A bearing having a ring shape and located within the body may be included. The shaft may extend through an opening of the bearing. A seal having a ring shape and located at the second end of the body may be included as well. The seal may comprise an elastic material that extends between the shaft and an interior surface of the body. Like the bearing, the shaft may extend through an opening of the seal.
Components of the ratcheting boat anchor, such as a bearing or a seal, may be secured to the shaft in various ways. For example, one or more grooves may be on the shaft. One or more snap rings configured may engage the one or more grooves to hold an internal component of the ratcheting boat anchor in position along the shaft.
In another exemplary embodiment, the ratcheting boat anchor may comprise a tubular body having a first end and a second end, one or more arms mounted to the body and extending outward from the tubular body, and a ratcheting mechanism located within the tubular body and having a first portion and a second portion. The first portion may be coupled to the one or more arms via the tubular body. The second portion may be freely rotatable relative to the first portion in a first direction and not freely rotatable relative to the first portion in a second direction. The ratchet mechanism may be at the first end of the body. An anchor point (such as one comprising a loop) may be attached to an exterior portion of the body.
A rod extending from the second portion of the ratcheting mechanism and outward from the body at the second end may be provided. One or more angled blades may be attached to the rod at a location outside the tubular body. The rod may extend along a distinct axis from the one or more arms. It is noted that the one or more arms may be substantially perpendicular to the rod. One or more bearings may be between the ratcheting mechanism and the second end of the body. The one or more bearings may be configured to rotatably hold a portion of the rod within the body.
A ring shaped gasket extending outward from the rod to an interior surface of the tubular body may be used to form a seal around the rod. Alternatively or in addition, a seal assembly comprising an elastic gasket and a rigid support ring may be provided to seal the rod. The rigid support ring may extend between an interior surface of the tubular body and the rod. The elastic gasket may extend outward from the rod to engage a portion of the rigid support ring.
Various methods of anchoring with a ratcheting anchor are also disclosed herein. For example, in one embodiment the method for anchoring one or more objects with a ratcheting anchor may comprise inserting at least a portion of a rod of the ratcheting anchor into an anchoring material, and contacting the surface with one or more blades attached to the rod.
A body of the ratcheting anchor may be rotated less than 360° in a first direction without rotating the rod, and rotated less than 360° in a second direction to rotate the rod. The rotation of the body less than 360° in the first direction and less than 360° in the second direction may be repeated one or more times to drive the one or more blades through the anchoring material. One or more objects, such as watercraft or other objects, may be attached to the ratcheting anchor to anchor the one or more objects to the anchoring material.
One or more arms of the ratcheting anchor may be grasped by a user, and the user may rotate the body of the ratcheting boat anchor by moving the one or more arms. For example, a first arm of the ratcheting anchor may be grasped with a user's left hand and a second arm of the ratcheting boat anchor may be grasped with the user's right hand. Once established the user's grasp on the first arm and second arm may not be released prior to completing at least one 360° rotation of the rod.
A switch to reverse a direction of rotation for the ratcheting anchor. Then, rotating the body of the ratcheting boat anchor less than 360° in the second direction may rotate the rod, while rotating the body of the ratcheting boat anchor less than 360° in the first direction would not rotate the rod.
It is noted that rotating the body of the ratcheting anchor less than 360° in the first direction may consist of rotating the body less than 180° in the first direction. Likewise, rotating the body of the ratcheting anchor less than 360° in the second direction may consist of rotating the body less than 180° in the second direction.
Other systems, methods, features and advantages of the invention will be or will become apparent to one with skill in the art upon examination of the following figures and detailed description. It is intended that all such additional systems, methods, features and advantages be included within this description, be within the scope of the invention, and be protected by the accompanying claims.
The components in the figures are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the principles of the invention. In the figures, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the different views.
In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a more thorough description of the present invention. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art, that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known features have not been described in detail so as not to obscure the invention.
In general, the ratcheting boat anchor herein is configured to provide secure anchoring while allowing a user to easily install and remove the anchor. As will be discussed further below, a ratcheting mechanism included in the ratcheting boat anchor allows the anchor to be easily, safely, and conveniently rotated. This rotation may be used to embed the anchor and to remove the anchor. The ratcheting boat anchor takes into account the natural movements and structure of a user's body. This allows the anchor to be rotated one or more times without requiring a user to contort or inconveniently position his or her body when using the anchor.
The ratcheting boat anchor generally provides a secure structure to which various objects, such as watercraft, may be attached. As discussed above, this prevents such objects from moving about. If anchoring is not longer desired, the ratcheting boat anchor may be removed to allow an object to move freely once again. Because the ratcheting boat anchor is relatively light weight (especially compared to weighted anchors), the ratcheting boat anchor may be moved, installed, and removed by a single user in most embodiments. In addition, the reduced weight increases efficiency, by reducing energy consumption on both manually and motor powered watercraft in transporting the ratcheting boat anchor.
Though referred to herein as a ratcheting boat anchor, it is contemplated that various watercraft, vessels, and other vehicles may be anchored by the ratcheting boat anchor. In addition, the vehicles need not be water based or aquatic. For example, it is contemplated that road-going or wheeled devices/vehicles may be anchored as well, such as to prevent the wind or other force from moving them. In addition, other objects may be anchored by various embodiments of the anchor. For example, a tent, furniture, fishing pole, kite, or other item may be anchored. Typically, the object(s) that are anchored will be those that may undesirably move as a result of external forces, such as wind, waves, currents, vibration, physical impact, shaking, earthquakes, and the like. The object(s) anchored may also be those that may otherwise be stolen were it not for anchoring.
The ratcheting boat anchor will now be described with regard to
The arms 112A,112B may be attached to the body by one or more mounts 116A,116B, while the anchor rod 120 may be attached to the body by a rotating mechanism, such as a ratcheting mechanism, as will be described further below. In general, the arms 112A,112B may be used to rotate the body 108 and/or anchor rod 120 to embed and remove the anchor rod into and from a surface, respectively. For instance, the anchor rod 120 may have one or more inclined blades 124 or the like, that allow the anchor rod to “screw” into and out of a surface, such as a beach, dirt, mud, clay, a lakebed, a riverbed, a seabed, and other penetrable anchoring material, ground or surface.
The inclined blades 124 may extend radially outward from the anchor rod 120 in one or more embodiments. The inclined blades 124 may be integrally formed with the anchor rod 120 or may be attached or bonded thereto, such as through one or more welds. In some embodiments, such as the one shown, the inclined blades 124 may wrap 360° around the anchor rod 120. In other embodiments, the inclined blades 124 may wrap 180°, 90°, 45°, or other amounts around the anchor rod 120. It is contemplated that the inclined blades 124 may wrap several times around the anchor rod 120. For example, the inclined blades 124 may wrap 720° around the anchor rod 120 in some embodiments.
The inclined blades 124 may be various widths, but will typically be relatively thin to “cut” into the surface into which they are embedded. The inclined blades 124 may have a narrowed or sharpened leading and/or trailing edge for this reason as well. In this manner, the resistance to embedding or removing the inclined blades 124 (by rotating the blades) may be reduced. It is contemplated that the inclined blades 124 may have various surface areas depending on the watercraft to be anchored. For example, a larger surface area may provide increased anchoring force for larger watercraft. A larger surface area my be created by increasing the distance an inclined blade 124 extends from the anchor rod 120 and/or by increasing the number of times or amount the blade wraps around the anchor rod. Inclined blades 124 of a smaller surface area may be more easily transported (i.e., convenient) and lighter weight, and may be used for smaller watercraft. It is noted that the anchor rod 120, inclined blades 124, or both may be replaceable or selected based on the characteristics of the watercraft to be used with the ratcheting boat anchor 104.
In one embodiment, the inclined blades 124 may be removable to allow replacement with the same or different blades. For example, the inclined blades 124 may be fastened by one or more screws or other threaded fasteners. The inclined blades 124 may slide over the anchor rod 120 and be secured in position by one or more pins or screws in some embodiments. For example, the inclined blades 124 may be connected to a central hub or have a central opening that slides over the anchor rod 120.
As can be seen from
The anchor rod 120 may be an elongated member or shaft configured to extend from the body 108 of the ratcheting boat anchor 104. The anchor rod 120 may have a circular or round cross sectional shape to reduce resistance as the rod is being rotated into or out of the ground. The anchor rod 120 may also or alternatively have a faceted cross sectional shape such as to allow the inclined blades 124 to “lock” to the anchor rod. For example, in embodiments, with removable/replaceable inclined blades 124, the anchor rod 120 may be hexagonal or have hexagonal sections. The inclined blades 124 may have a hexagonal shaped hub, mount or opening which engages or locks to a faceted anchor rod 120.
It is contemplated that the anchor rod 120 may be various shapes including the straight configuration illustrated. For example, the anchor rod 120 may be a corkscrew or other twisted shape to allow it to be twisted into and out of the ground. In such embodiments, the shape of the anchor rod 120 may secure it in the ground and thus, inclined blades 124 may not be provided. The anchor rod 120 may have a narrowed or sharpened tip 128 in some embodiments, such as to allow the anchor rod be more easily embedded into the ground or other surface.
In one embodiment, the anchor rod 120, or a portion thereof, may be detachable from the body 108. For example, a detachable connecter or coupling may be at the proximal end of the anchor rod 120 to allow the anchor rod to be attached and detached from the body 108, or the proximal end of the anchor rod may be attached and detached from the remainder of the anchor rod by a connector or coupling. This permits the body 108 to be separated from the detachable portion of the anchor rod 120, or the entire anchor rod. Another anchor rod 120 may then be connected to the body 108 and inserted into the ground.
In some embodiments an anchor rod 120 may have its own anchor point 132. In this manner, a single body 108 may be used to embed and remove multiple anchor rods 120 allowing a watercraft or other object to be anchored at multiple points. Alternatively, multiple objects could be anchored each with one or more anchor rods 120. The individual anchor rods 120 may be removed when desired by reconnecting them to the body 108 to rotate or twist them out of the ground. It is contemplated that the anchor rods 120 may be left in the ground for future use as well.
Alternatively or in addition, an anchor point 132 may be provided on the body 108 to allow various watercraft or other objects to be anchored or attached to the ratcheting boat anchor 104. It is contemplated that the anchor point 132 may be on the anchor rod 120 in some embodiments. The anchor point 132 may be a loop or similar structure, such as shown, to which one or more ties, ropes, chains, wires, locks, other moorings, or other securing apparatus may be secured.
It is contemplated that the anchor point 132 may also be a mount or other attachment point. For example, an anchor point 132 may comprise one or more clips, clamping devices, or the like that may be manipulated to clip onto or clamp onto a watercraft or associated securing apparatus. To illustrate, the anchor point 132 may clip or clamp onto a portion of the hull (or other section) of a watercraft directly. It is contemplated that the clamp may be shaped to conform to a portion of the watercraft in these embodiments. Alternatively, the anchor point 132 may clip or clamp onto a mooring of the watercraft. Other objects to be anchored may also be anchored in this manner.
In addition, an anchor point 132 may comprise one or more threaded or unthreaded openings on or attached to the body 108 of the ratcheting boat anchor 104. Such openings may accept threaded or unthreaded fasteners, such as pins, screws, or the like to anchor a watercraft or associated securing apparatus. For example, a mooring of a watercraft may be pinned or screwed to the ratcheting boat anchor 104 may such an anchor point 132. It is contemplated that the ratcheting boat anchor 104 may have one or more anchor points 132 and that the anchor points may be different to allow various moorings, watercraft, or other objects to be attached to the ratcheting boat anchor.
Additional details regarding the body 108 of the ratcheting boat anchor 104 will now be described with regard to
The body 108 may be a tubular structure having an open or hollow interior portion in one or more embodiments. In this manner, components of the ratcheting boat anchor 104 may be held within the tube of the body 108, as will be described below. In addition, a tubular structure is strong and provides a protective enclosure for internal components of the ratcheting boat anchor 104.
The body 108 may be a cylindrical shape, such as shown. In such an embodiment, the body 108 may have a circular or round cross sectional shape. Alternatively, the body 108 may be rectangular, square or various other cross sectional shapes having one or more lines, curves, and/or angles. The body 108 may be faceted, such as by having a pentagonal or hexagonal cross sectional shape. In one or more embodiments, various sections of the body may have different cross sectional shapes. For example, a portion of the body 108 at the first end 208 may have a hexagonal cross sectional shape while a portion at the second end 212 may have a round or circular cross sectional shape. It is contemplated that various portions of the body 108 may have various diameters in some embodiments.
As can be seen, one or more mounts 116A,116B may be positioned at the first end 208 of the body 108. The mounts 116A,116B may also be at other locations along the body 108. For example, the mounts 116A,116B may be at a central location or at the second end 212 of the body 108. As stated above with regard to
The mounts 116A,116B may be tubular structures, such as shown in
It is contemplated that the mount 116 itself may have an interior thread or an exterior thread. The arm 112 may have a corresponding thread to allow the arm to be secured onto the mount 116 by turning the arm relative to the mount. One or more locking pins or the like may be inserted to prevent the arm 112 from twisting out. Various other fasteners may be used as well. For example, a spring loaded bearing or pin may be forced into a detent or opening on the surface of the mount 116 or arm 112. The bearing or pin may be depressed to allow the arm 112 to be removed from to the mount 116.
Though illustrated with multiple arms 112A,112B, it is contemplated that the ratcheting boat anchor may have one arm in some embodiments. Likewise, the body 108 may only comprise a single mount 116 in some embodiments. As will become apparent from the disclosure below, the ratcheting boat anchor may provide convenient and secure anchoring even with one arm 112. For example, a user may “ratchet” the single arm to rotate an anchor rod into and out of the ground or other surface. This may be accomplished with one hand grasping the arm 112 and the other (optionally) stabilizing the body 108 of the ratcheting boat anchor to guide the anchor.
The body 108 may comprise other mounts as well, such as mounts or structures which secure internal components of the ratcheting boat anchor. For example, as shown in
In one or more embodiments, the ratchet assembly 308 may be directly attached to the anchor rod 120. Alternatively the ratchet assembly 308 may be attached to the anchor rod 120 by one or more intermediary elements. For example, the ratchet assembly 308 may be attached to the anchor rod 120 by a coupler 312, such as shown. Attachment or coupling of the ratchet assembly 308 to the anchor rod 120 permits the anchor rod 120 to be rotated by a “ratcheting” motion rather than a rotating motion from a user. To illustrate, a user may perform one or more extension and retraction motion, such as with the user's arm or arms, to rotate the anchor rod 120 one or more full rotations. The user need not manually rotate the anchor rod 120 360° because of the ratchet assembly 308.
This is highly advantageous as applied to the ratcheting boat anchor. For one, a user's safety is increased because the ratcheting motion is more natural than a rotating motion. Unlike a 360° rotation, a user need not contort his or her body or arms in order to accomplish the back and forth or reciprocating motion used to ratchet an anchor rod 120. Ratcheting and the ratcheting motion as applied to the ratcheting boat anchor will be described in further detail with regard to
Without the ratchet assembly 308 user would have to engage in a much more complex motion, likely including repeatedly repositioning the user's footing and/or body, to rotate an anchor rod 120 360°. The risk to safety and the inefficiency of such motion is only exacerbated by the need for the anchor rod 120 to be rotated a number of times when being embedded or extracted from the ground or other surface. Moreover, considerable force may need to be applied to embed or extract the anchor rod 120. This adds to the risk of injury and to the strain in having to manually rotate an anchor rod 120 a full 360° multiple times while exerting considerable force to overcome the resistance generated in rotating the anchor rod into or out of a surface.
Referring to
As can be seen, the outer ring 320 may be toroidal in shape and the inner support 324 may be circular in shape to rotate within the outer ring. The inner support 324 may be rotatably held in the outer ring 320 by various structures. For example, the outer ring 320 may have a groove configured to receive a snap ring 344A. When the inner support 324 is within the outer ring 320, the snap ring 344A may be installed to secure the inner support within the outer ring. It is noted that one or more spacers 340A may (but need not) be used as well to help ensure the inner support 324 is held snugly within the outer ring 320 such that the inner support rotates smoothly relative to the outer ring 320. The spacers 340A may also serve as bearings to assist the smooth rotation of the inner support 324 within the outer ring 320. For example, the spacers 340 may have a smooth surface to reduce friction. In one or more embodiments, the one or more spacers 340A may be positioned between the inner support 324 and the snap ring 344A to help ensure there is no space between the snap ring and inner support 324.
The outer ring 320 may have one or more teeth 348A on its inner surface, such as illustrated in the embodiment of
The pawl 328 may have multiple sets of one or more teeth 348B in one or more embodiments. In addition, the pawl 328 may be rotatable by a switch 332 to present its various sets of teeth 348B to the teeth 348A of the outer ring 320. One set of teeth 348B may be configured to lock the inner support 332 to the outer ring 320 when moved in a first direction while another set of teeth may be configured to lock the inner support to the outer ring when moved in a second direction (distinct from the first direction). In this manner, the switch 332 may be used to control in which direction the inner support 324 rotates with or is locked to the outer ring 320.
The inner support 324 may be coupled or connected to the anchor rod. For example, in one or more embodiments, the inner support 324 may have a mount or member used to couple the inner support 324 to the anchor rod. To illustrate, in the embodiment of
For example, as shown in
It is noted that the coupler 312, inner support 324, and anchor rod may have various mating connectors or mounting mechanisms to connect the anchor rod to the ratchet assembly 308. In addition, the connectors or mounting mechanisms may allow the anchor rod 120 to be disconnected in one or more embodiments. For example, a square drive member and mating connector may permit the anchor rod 120 to be removed by pulling the anchor rod away from the ratchet assembly 308. The anchor rod 120 may be reconnected with the ratchet assembly 308 may re-engaging the drive member to the mating connector.
The ability to disconnect the anchor rod 120 is advantageous in that it allows the anchor rod to be replaced if damaged or if a different anchor rod is desired. For example, an anchor rod 120 with fewer or more inclined blades 124 may be more desirable depending on the type of ground or other surface in which the anchor rod will be embedded. To illustrate, additional inclined blades 124 may be desirable to anchor watercraft where the ground comprises loose soil or the like. Likewise, an anchor rod 120 with more aggressive or less aggressive inclined blades 124 may be more desirable in some situations. To illustrate, aggressively angled inclined blades 124 may be too difficult to embed into dense or hard ground. In such case, an anchor rod 120 with less aggressive inclined blades 124 may be attached to the ratchet assembly 308.
As can be seen from
The ratchet assembly 308 may be attached to the body 108 in other ways as well. For example, in one or more embodiments, the outer ring 320 may have one or more threads at its perimeter, and the body 108 may have one or more mating threads on its inner surface. In this manner, the ratchet assembly 308 may be secured to the body 108 by rotating the assembly along the threads. One or more locking pins, screws or other fasteners 380 may be inserted, such as through an opening 216 in the body 108 to prevent the ratchet assembly 308 from loosening or rotating out of the threads. In this configuration, the ratchet assembly 308 may also be removed and/or replaced if desired.
It can be seen from
Further details regarding the bearing assemblies 304 will now be described with regard to
As can be seen, the bearing 352 may be circular in one or more embodiments. In this manner, the bearing 352 may rotate unhindered within the body or about the anchor rod 120. It is contemplated that the bearing 352 may be sized to correspond to the inner diameter of the ratcheting boat anchor's body. In this manner, the bearing 352 holds or aligns the anchor rod within the body allowing the anchor rod to rotate within the body without moving laterally within the body. This is advantageous in that it prevents the anchor rod from wobbling as it is rotated into or out of the ground or other surface.
It is noted that the outer periphery of the bearing 352 need not be circular in some embodiments. For example, the outer periphery may be square or other polygonal shapes, such as to correspond to any non-circular cross-sectional shape of the ratcheting boat anchor's body. The central opening of the bearing 352 may be circular in such embodiments, to allow the anchor rod to rotate smoothly within the bearing.
The bearing 352 may be formed from a low friction material(s). For example, low friction plastic such as Teflon (trademark of DuPont) or Delrin (trademark of DuPont) may be used in one or more embodiments. It is contemplated that the bearing 352 may include a mechanical assembly in some embodiments. For example, the bearing 352 may comprise one or more ball bearings within an inner and outer ring where the outer ring may be adjacent the body of the ratcheting boat anchor and the inner ring may be adjacent or hold the anchor rod 120.
Mounting the bearing 352 to the anchor rod may occur in various ways. For example, the bearing 352 may comprise one or more portions which may be connected to one another to wrap around the anchor rod. To illustrate, two or more semicircular portions of the bearing 352 may be connected to form a circular bearing around the anchor rod. Alternatively, the bearing 352 may comprise a malleable material which may stretch to accept the anchor rod and contract around the anchor rod to secure the bearing to the anchor rod. It is contemplated that one or more mating grooves and protrusions may be on the anchor rod and bearing 352 to hold the bearing at a particular position on the anchor rod.
In one embodiment, the bearing 352 may be held in position on the anchor rod by one or more snap rings 344. The snap rings 344 may be on either or both sides of the bearing 352. The snap rings 344 may engage one or more grooves 384 on the anchor rod to remain in position relative to the anchor rod 120. It is noted that the grooves 384 may be at various locations on an anchor rod 120 to allow bearings 352 or other components to be secured at various locations along the anchor rod. It is contemplated that the grooves 384 may be arranged in pairs to allow pairs of snap rings 344 to hold components therebetween in one or more embodiments.
Where two snap rings 344 are used, the bearing 352 may be held between the rings. For instance, the bearing 352 may be between a first and second snap ring 344B,344C such as shown in
As stated one or multiple bearing assemblies 304 may be used. For example,
One or more seal assemblies 316 may also be mounted to the anchor rod 120. In general a seal assembly 316 prevents particles, debris, and other unwanted material from entering the body. Such material may be corrosive, abrasive, or otherwise damaging to components of the ratcheting boat anchor. In addition, the infiltration of such material is inconvenient as it may require the internals of the anchor to be cleaned more often than desired. The seal assembly 316 may be configured to allow the anchor rod 120 to rotate while providing a seal that prevents unwanted material from entering the body. It is noted that the seal assembly 316 may also keep material within the body. For example, one or more lubricants may be prevented from escaping the body by a seal assembly 316.
Further details regarding the seal assembly 316 will now be described with regard to
The gasket 376 may be configured to form a seal around the anchor rod while permitting the anchor rod to rotate relative to the body. The gasket 376 may be formed from a resilient material, such as rubber, that can stretch, contract, or be otherwise manipulated to form a seal between the anchor rod and the body. The gasket 376 may have a tapering shape in one or more embodiments, such as to taper from the wider body to the narrower anchor rod, thus spanning the space between the body and the anchor rod. It is noted that one or more gaskets 376 may be used to ensure a tight seal.
It is contemplated that a gasket 376 may extend directly from the body to the anchor rod in some embodiments. In other embodiments, the seal assembly 316 may also comprise a retaining ring 372. The retaining ring 372 may be formed from a rigid material to provide a structure which supports at least a portion of a gasket 376. When a seal assembly 316 is assembled, the retaining ring 372 may support an outer periphery of the gasket 376. The opening or inner portion of the gasket 376 may be supported by the anchor rod.
The retaining ring 372 may have a raised border on one or both sides such as to accept a portion of a gasket 376. The gasket 376 may be attached to the retaining ring 372 by one or more fasteners, adhesives, or by a friction fit. It is contemplated that a gasket 376 may be supported on one or both sides of the retaining ring 372. For instance, in
In some embodiments, the retaining ring 372 may have an O-ring around its periphery. The O-ring may be used to form a tight seal between the retaining ring 372 and the inner surface of the ratcheting boat anchor's body. The O-ring may be placed in a groove located on the outer peripheral surface of the retaining ring 372. Such groove may hold the O-ring in place. One or more O-rings may be used to ensure a tight seal. In fact, in some embodiments, an O-ring seal may be used to ensure that the seal assembly 316 provides a watertight seal to prevent infiltration of unwanted elements into the ratcheting boat anchor's body. This is beneficial in that water may carry or contain corrosive, abrasive, or other particles into the body wearing down the internal components of the ratcheting boat anchor.
It is noted that the second gasket 368 of
The seal assembly 316 may be held in place on the anchor rod between one or more snap rings 344 and grooves 384, such as described above. It is contemplated that the seal assembly 316, or bearing assemblies 304 may share one or more snap rings 344. For example, referring to
Various embodiments of the ratcheting boat anchor may have differing sizes. For example, in one embodiment, the body 108 may be 12 in long and have an outside diameter of 1.75 in and an inside diameter of 1.5 in. The anchor rod 120 may be 36 in long and 0.75 in in diameter and made out of 304 stainless steel. The one or more bearing assemblies 304, seal assemblies 316, and ratchet assemblies 308, or portions thereof may be sized accordingly to be mounted to or operate with the body 108 and/or anchor rod 120 as discussed above. For example, a bearing assembly 304 (or other component of the anchor) may have an outside diameter of 1.5 in to match the inside diameter of the body 108, and an inside diameter of 0.75 in to accept the anchor rod 120. It is noted that these measurements are exemplary and that the ratcheting boat anchor may be enlarged or shrunken, such as for anchoring objects of various sizes/configurations.
A seal assembly 316 may be at the second end 212 to prevent dirt, debris, water, and/or other unwanted elements from entering the body 108. It is noted that the ratchet assembly 308 may seal the first end 208 of the body 108, such as can be seen from
It is noted that the anchor rod 120 may have one or more marks or indicators thereon to indicate how far the anchor rod has been embedded in the ground. For example, inch, centimeter, or other markings may be on the anchor rod 120. In addition or alternatively, one or more marks indicating ideal distances to embed the anchor rod 120 may be provided. Once a mark is positioned near or at the surface of the ground 504, the user may know that the anchor rod 120 is secure.
Typically, at least a portion of the ratcheting boat anchor 104 will not be submerged when in use. For example, when used on dry land, none of the ratcheting boat anchor 104 may be submerged. When used in water, it is contemplated that an upper portion (e.g., the body 108) may not be submerged, such as shown in
In
Operation of an exemplary ratcheting boat anchor will now be described. In an initial position, the anchor rod of the ratcheting boat anchor 104 may be oriented generally perpendicular to the ground (or other surface). Depending on the configuration (e.g., angle) of the inclined blades, rotating clockwise may embed the ratcheting boat anchor 104 while rotating counterclockwise may remove the ratcheting boat anchor, and vice versa. The user may adjust or actuate a switch of the ratchet assembly 308 to change the direction of rotation, as described above.
To embed the ratcheting boat anchor, the tip of an anchor rod 120 may be inserted into the ground and some force may be applied to cause a portion of an inclined blade to contact the ground. The user may then ratchet the ratcheting boat anchor 104 into the ground as will now be described. It is noted that in the description below, rotating the ratcheting boat anchor 104 clockwise embeds the anchor while rotating counterclockwise removes the anchor.
To remove the ratcheting boat anchor 104, a switch 332 of the ratchet assembly 308 may be actuated to cause counterclockwise movement of the arms 116A,116B to rotate the anchor rod. The counterclockwise movement of the anchor rod may cause the inclined blades of the anchor rod to “push” the anchor rod (and ratcheting boat anchor) out of the ground thus removing the anchor 104 from the ground or other surface.
As can be seen, the user need not perform a complete 360° rotation of the to body 108 to embed or remove the boat anchor. In fact, as shown a reciprocating motion of substantially less than 360° may be used to embed or remove the ratcheting boat anchor 104. In one or more embodiments, the user may rotate the arms 112A,112B less than 180, 90, 45, 30 (or other degrees less than 360°) to embed or remove the ratcheting boat anchor 104. This is highly advantageous because it allows the user to remain planted in one position when rotating the ratcheting boat anchor 104. Also, a user may be strongest or stronger within such limited degree of motion due to the structure of the user's arm/hand bones and joints. In addition, this allows the user to rotate the ratcheting boat anchor 104 through safe, convenient, and ergonomic maneuvers. This is because the user may rotate the ratcheting boat anchor 104 by extending and retracting his or her arms (while grasping the arms 112A,112B). Such extension and retraction is a natural movement because the user's skeletal structure, joints, and muscles are designed to make such movements. Because significant force may be required to embed or remove an anchor, the fact that the ratcheting boat anchor 104 allows a user to move and apply force naturally greatly enhances safety and convenience.
The rotation of an anchor 360° is cumbersome and potentially hazardous to one's back and other body structures. A 360° rotation requires a much more complex motion on the part of the user (especially when compared to the straightforward extension and retraction motion used with the ratcheting boat anchor 104). Moreover, after reaching a certain angle, the user's body may not be strong enough to complete a 360° rotation. For example, once a 90° (or other) degree rotation is accomplished, the user's body may not be strong enough to continue the rotation. In such cases, the user would have to reposition his or her footing to orient his or her body such that sufficient force may be applied to rotate the anchor, or seek assistance from another person. During even a small number of 360° rotations, the user may become lazy, overstress his or her body, use hazardous body positions or postures, and become injured.
The ratcheting boat anchor 104 also provides the advantage of allowing a user to center rotation about an axis thus concentrating the user's force on embedding or removing the anchor. This is because the ratcheting boat anchor 104 allows a user to remain at or in his or her current position or footing when rotating the ratcheting boat anchor. In this way, the user may more easily maintain a consistent angle for the anchor rod when embedding the ratcheting boat anchor 104. This allows the ratcheting boat anchor 104 to be embedded without excessively disturbing or loosening surrounding soil or dirt which would weaken the anchoring provided by the inclined blades.
It is contemplated that the ratchet assembly 308 may be physically configured to allow only a limited range of motion (e.g. less than 360° rotation) in some embodiments. For example, to prevent user injury or overexertion the ratchet assembly 308 may limit rotation to at least less than 360°. To illustrate, rotation may be physically blocked by one or more stops such that rotation beyond 180°, 90°, 45°, 30°, or other degrees is prevented.
While various embodiments of the invention have been described, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that many more embodiments and implementations are possible that are within the scope of this invention. In addition, the various features, elements, and embodiments described herein may be claimed or combined in any combination or arrangement.
