Patent Application
20080029009
In
More or less evenly-spaced along the luff 24 are slugs 27 which engage a track (not shown) in a mast (not shown). On larger sailboats, batten cars are sometimes used in place of slugs 27 to reduce friction in the mast track. Between the tack 22 and the lowermost (i.e., the one nearest the foot 26) of the slugs 27 are attachment points 28. For this embodiment the attachments points 28 are in sets of two forming a single column at or near the luff 24 and substantially parallel with the luff 24. For other embodiments, the sets might be comprised of more than two attachment points 28.
Each set of attachment points 28 is joined by a segment of elastic cord material 29 of suitable length and strength. Sets of attachment points 28 can be joined by more than one segment of elastic cord material 28 if beneficial for a given application.
In a simple embodiment of the present invention, the attachment points 28 can be just cringles (reinforced holes) or thimbles in the sail through which the segment of elastic cord material 29 is reeved. (A knot in the end of the segment of elastic cord material 29 on the other side of the mainsail 20 will keep the segment of elastic cord material 29 in place.) Alternatively, a loop of rope sewn to the mainsail 20 would also work; the segment of elastic cord material 29 could then be tied to the loop. More sophisticated embodiments can employ attachment points 28 constructed in one or more pieces from metal or a high-strength plastic. These could then be sewn or glued to the sail. Any suitable material is acceptable for the attachment points 28, as is any suitable means or method for fastening the attachment points 28 to a boat sail.
Similarly, each segment of elastic cord material 29 can be tied, clipped, or otherwise attached to its set of attachment points 28 by any acceptable means or method. The primary consideration is that the attachment points 28 are both: (i) capable of being affixed to a sail; and (ii) capable of receiving resilient band/elastic cord material.
The size and shape of a particular sail, or the conditions in which the sail is to be put to use, might dictate the configuration and/or construction of the attachment points 28, as well as the means or method of attaching each segment of elastic cord material 29 to its attachment points 28.
Returning to
As the halyard (not shown) for the mainsail 20 is eased, the luff 24 will begin to slacken and each segment of elastic cord material 29 will begin to pull its set of attachment points 28 towards one another. This is illustrated in
The flaked mainsail 20 can then be tied to the boom with sail ties or gaskets.
The sets of attachment points 39 are situated between the hanks 31 and alternate from side-to-side on the sail 30. (There is also a set of attachment points 39 between the tack 34 and the lowermost of the hanks 31 and between the uppermost of the hanks 31 and the head 33.) Generally, a set of attachment points 39 is placed at each location where a fold in the sail 30 is desirable when the sail 30 is flaked. Each set of attachment points 39 is joined by resilient band material 40. (More than one segment of resilient band material 40 can join a set of attachment points 39 if deemed appropriate for a given application.)
When the sail 30 is all the way down as illustrated in
In
The preferred embodiments are also compatible with stay-mounted sails having a boltrope along the luff that is fed into a luff foil, as opposed to hanks. As a sail of this type of sail is lowered the portion of the sail below the bottom end of the luff foil will flake on the sailboat's deck by action of the resilient band/elastic cord material. As long as the sail is luffing, the crew lowering the sail need only pull the sail down from the luff foil; the preferred embodiments will flake the sail.
Other modifications to the present invention are possible. For example, the lengths of resilient band or elastic cord can also be enveloped within panels of a flexible membrane affixed to the sail to minimize the possibility of the resilient band/elastic cord material snagging, or becoming otherwise fouled, on an extraneous obstruction.
Although the description above contains several specificities, these should not be construed as limits on the scope of the present invention. The details given are intended merely to provide illustrations of some of the presently preferred embodiments. It is to be therefore understood that many changes and modifications by one of ordinary skill in the art are considered to be within the scope of the invention. Thus, the full scope should be determined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents, rather than by examples given.
