AU2009225271A1

AU2009225271A1 - A Transom Mechanism

Info

Publication number: AU2009225271A1
Application number: AU2009225271A
Authority: AU
Inventors: John Phillip Berg
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2008-10-15
Filing date: 2009-10-05
Publication date: 2010-04-29

Description

AUSTRALIA Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE PATENT SPECIFICATION Name of Applicants: John Phillip Berg Actual Inventor: John Phillip Berg Address for Service: Cullens Patent & Trade Mark Attorneys Level 32, 239 George Street Brisbane QLD 4000 Australia Invention Title: A Transom Mechanism The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it, known to the applicants: A TRANSOM MECHANISM FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a transom mechanism and to a watercraft having such a transom mechanism. BACKGROUND Many water-going vessels, such as luxury yachts or similar watercraft, have dedicated storage space for an outboard-driven dinghy. One consideration in the design of such vessels having these storage spaces is to allow easy and user-friendly stowing and deployment of a dinghy. It is also often necessary to store watercraft in relatively small spaces, such as lock-up facilities where cost of space can be high. A problem with such storage spaces is that they are often not long enough to accommodate the outboard motor fixed to the dinghy. In such cases, it becomes necessary to demount the motor and place it in the dinghy. This is regarded as highly inconvenient. SUMMARY It is to be appreciated that reference to the term "dinghy" includes reference to any small boat or watercraft able to use an outboard motor for propulsion. Similarly, reference to the term "transom" refers to that part of a stern portion of a watercraft on which an outboard motor is usually mounted. According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a transom mechanism including: a mount for attachment to a transom of a dinghy; 1 a tilting member for pivotal attachment relative to said mount so that the tilting member is tiltable between an upright position and a storage position in which an upper portion of the tilting member can be tilted towards a prow of the dinghy; and a carrier for mounting in a displaceable manner relative to the tilting member so that the carrier can be displaced towards the prow when the tilting member is in the storage position, said carrier for carrying an outboard motor such that the outboard motor can be tilted and subsequently displaced towards the prow. It follows that this invention provides for a mechanism to facilitate stowing of a dinghy in areas where storage space length is at a premium. An example of such a storage space is that of luxury watercraft. The mount may include a substantially U-shaped frame for mounting inside a suitable aperture defined in the transom. The mount may include a hinged arrangement at a bottom of the U-shaped frame for pivotally attaching the tilting member to said mount. The mechanism may include adjustment means configured to adjust a range of tilt allowed by the hinged arrangement. The mechanism may include securing means configured to secure the tilting member in the first and storage positions, respectively. According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided a transom mechanism including: a tilting member for pivotal attachment relative to a transom of a dinghy; and a carrier for carrying an outboard motor and for mounting in a displaceable manner relative to the tilting member so that the outboard motor can be tilted and subsequently displaced towards a prow of the dinghy. According to a third aspect of the invention there is provided a dinghy having: a tilting member for pivotal attachment relative to a transom; and 2 a carrier for carrying an outboard motor and for mounting in a displaceable manner relative to the tilting member so that the outboard motor can be tilted and subsequently displaced towards a prow of the dinghy. The invention is now described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings. The following description is intended to illustrate particular embodiments of the invention and to permit a person skilled in the art to put those embodiments of the invention into effect. Accordingly, the following description is not intended to limit the scope of the preceding paragraphs or the claims in any way. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the drawings: Figures 1.1 to 1.3 show a transom mechanism, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention, used to move an outboard motor from an operative position into a storage position; Figure 2 shows a closer view of the transom mechanism of Figure 1; Figure 3 shows a hinged arrangement with adjustment means for the transom mechanism of Figure 1; Figure 4 shows securing means of the transom mechanism shown in Figure 1; Figure 5 shows the transom mechanism of Figure 1 in a storage position, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention; Figure 6 shows the transom mechanism of Figure 5 with a carrier of the mechanism in a storage position; and Figure 7 shows an upper perspective view of the mechanism shown in Figure 6.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT With reference now to the accompanying drawings, a transom mechanism, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention, is generally indicated by reference numeral 10. Figures 1.1 to 1.3 provide an overview of the operation of the transom mechanism 10. The figures show a transom 12 of a dinghy. In the embodiment shown, the transom 12 is not attached to a dinghy; however a prow of the dinghy would generally be located in the direction of arrow 20, as shown pointing to the right in Figures 1.1 to 1.3. The transom mechanism 10 is used to attach an outboard motor 24 to the dinghy. Referring to Figure 1.1, the outboard motor 24 is held in an upright position for propelling the dinghy through water in a conventional manner. Figure 1.2 shows the outboard motor 24 tilted and approaching a general storage position by the operation of the transom mechanism 10, where an upper portion 18 of a tilting member 16 is tilted towards a prow 20 of the dinghy. Figure 1.3 shows the motor 24 in a storage position in which said motor 24 is titled backwards and substantially moved inside the dinghy through an action of the transom mechanism 10. It is to be appreciated that the outboard motor 24 is still attached to the mechanism 10 when in the storage position. Figure 2 shows a closer view of the transom mechanism 10. The transom mechanism 10 includes a mount 14 configured for attachment to the transom 12. In the embodiment shown, the mount 14 includes a substantially U-shaped frame for mounting inside a suitable aperture defined in the transom 12. In other embodiments (not shown), the mount 14 may include any suitable mount for mounting the mechanism 10 to the transom 12, such as a clamp assembly, a bracket with fasteners, or the like. 4 The transom mechanism 10 also includes the tilting member 16 which is pivotally attached to the mount 14, so that the tilting member 16 is tiltable between an upright position, in which the tilting member 16 is generally coplanar with the transom 12, and a storage position, in which an upper portion 18 of the tilting member 16 is tilted towards the prow 20 of the dinghy. Figure 2 shows the tilting member 16 in the upright position, and Figure 5 shows the tilting member 16 in the storage position. The transom mechanism 10 also includes a carrier 22 which is mounted in a displaceable manner on the tilting member 16, so that the carrier 22 is slidable towards the prow 20 when the tilting member 16 is in the storage position. In the embodiment shown, the carrier 22 is telescopically received by the tilting member 16, however other embodiments may feature different mounting arrangements. The carrier 22 is configured to receive the outboard motor 24, typically via a clamp arrangement, mounting fasteners, or the like. The mechanism 10 allows the outboard motor 24 to be held in an operative position when the tilting member 16 is in the upright position, and in a storage position where the motor 24 is stored substantially inside the dinghy. As mentioned above, in the storage position the motor 24 is held in a position where it is tilted backwards and slid toward the prow 20. It is to be appreciated that by the mechanism 10 holding the motor 24 in the storage position facilitates stowing of the motor 24 inside the dinghy, minimizing a length of space required for storing the dinghy. In the embodiment shown, the mount 14 includes a hinge arrangement 26 at a bottom of the U-shaped frame of the mount 14 for pivotally attaching the tilting member 16 to said mount 14, as shown. Figure 3 shows a closer view of one embodiment of the hinge arrangement 26. The mechanism 10 also includes adjustment means 28 configured to adjust a range of tilt allowed by the hinge arrangement 26. In the embodiment shown, the adjustment means 28 includes a bracket 32 positioning an adjusting screw 5 34. By adjusting a length of the screw 34 extending through the bracket 32, the range of tilt is adjustable. The adjustment means 28 finds particular application in limiting the range of tilting of the tilting member 16 in relation to the transom 12. This is especially useful in circumstances where the motor 24 must not be tilted through a certain angle, for example to prevent petrol or lubricants from spilling out of the motor, or the like. Figure 4 shows securing means 30 configured to secure the tilting member 16 in the first and storage positions, respectively. In the embodiment shown, the securing means 30 includes brackets 36 and fasteners 38 for securing the tilting and carriers 16 and 22, respectively, in the upright position. Similar arrangements may be used to secure the tilting and carriers 16 and 22, respectively, in the storage position. Otherwise, a weight of the motor 24 may be used to ensure that the mechanism is held in the storage position. As mentioned above, Figure 5 shows the tilting member 16 in the storage position, with the carrier 22 slidably received by the tilting member 16 and in an unextended position. Figures 6 and 7 show the carrier telescopically extending from the tilting member 16 so that the mechanism is in the storage position. The Inventor regards it as an advantage that the transom mechanism 10 provides a means whereby an outboard motor can be quickly, safely and conveniently stowed inside a dinghy without having to remove the motor from the dinghy. The above description is intended to guide a person skilled in the relevant art in performing the invention. As such, it is to be appreciated that the invention may include alterations and additions not specifically described herein but that nonetheless lie within the general ambit of the invention as will be reasonably understood by the skilled person. In addition, 6 features commonplace in the relevant art are not described in any detail, as such features will be understood to be part of the invention by the skilled person. 7

Claims

1. A transom mechanism including: a mount for attachment to a transom of a dinghy; a tilting member for pivotal attachment relative to said mount so that the tilting member is tiltable between an upright position and a storage position in which an upper portion of the tilting member can be tilted towards a prow of the dinghy; and a carrier for mounting in a displaceable manner relative to the tilting member so that the carrier can be displaced towards the prow when the tilting member is in the storage position, said carrier for carrying an outboard motor such that the outboard motor can be tilted and subsequently displaced towards the prow.

2. A transom mechanism as claimed in claim 1, wherein the mount includes a U-shaped frame for mounting inside a complementary aperture defined in the transom.

3. A transom mechanism as claimed in claim 2, wherein the mount includes a hinged arrangement at a bottom of the U-shaped frame for pivotally attaching the tilting member to said mount.

4. A transom mechanism as claimed in claim 3, further including adjustment means configured to adjust a range of tilt allowed by the hinged arrangement.

5. A transom mechanism as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, further including securing means configured to secure the tilting member in the upright and storage positions, respectively.

6. A transom mechanism as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the tilting member in the upright position is generally coplanar with the transom. 8

7. A transom mechanism as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the carrier is telescopically mounted to the tilting member.

8. A transom mechanism including: a tilting member for pivotal attachment relative to a transom of a dinghy; and a carrier for carrying an outboard motor and for mounting in a displaceable manner relative to the tilting member so that the outboard motor can be tilted and subsequently displaced towards a prow of the dinghy.

9. A transom mechanism as claimed in claim 8, further including adjustment means configured to adjust a range of tilt allowed by the tilting member.

10. A transom mechanism as claimed in claim 8 or claim 9, further including securing means configured to secure the tilting member relative to the transom.

11. A transom mechanism as claimed in any one of claims 8 to 10, wherein the tilting member can be tilted to be coplanar with the transom.

12. A transom mechanism as claimed in any one of claims 8 to 11, wherein the carrier is telescopically mounted to the tilting member.

13. A dinghy having: a tilting member for pivotal attachment relative to a transom; and a carrier for carrying an outboard motor and for mounting in a displaceable manner relative to the tilting member so that the outboard motor can be tilted and subsequently displaced towards a prow of the dinghy.

14. A dinghy as claimed in claim 13, further including adjustment means configured to adjust a range of tilt allowed by the tilting member.

15. A dinghy as claimed in claim 13 or claim 14, further including securing means configured to secure the tilting member relative to the transom. 9

16. A dinghy as claimed in any one of claims 13 to 15, wherein the tilting member can be tilted to be coplanar with the transom.

A dinghy as claimed in any one of claims 13 to 16, wherein the carrier is telescopically mounted to the tilting member.

18. A transom mechanism substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings. * * * * John Phillip Berg By the patent attorneys for the applicant(s) CULLENS 5 October 2009 10