US2720662A - Boat structure, including wheel mount and air tank chambers - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 18, 1955 J B QBANNON 2,720,662

BOAT STRUCTURE, INCLUDING WHEEL MOUNT AND AIR TANK CHAMBERS Filed 001;. 29, 1952 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig. 8

John B. 0 'Bannon INVENTOR.

BY WW Anomqs Oct. 18, 1955 J. B. O'BANNON 2,720,662

BOAT STRUCTURE, INCLUDING WHEEL MOUNT AND AIR TANK CHAMBERS Filed Oct. 29, 1952 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 John B. O'Bannon INVENTOR.

BY M mq,

Oct. 18, 1955 OBAN NON 2,720,662

J. B. BOAT STRUCTURE, INCLUDING WHEEL MOUNT AND AIR TANK CHAMBERS Filed Oct. 29, 1952 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 J oh n B. 0 'Bannan IN V EN TOR.

BY my 3% United States Patent BOAT STRUCTURE, INCLUDING WHEEL MOUNT AND AIR TANK CHAMBERS John B. OBannon, Pampa, Tex., assignor of forty per cent to Bruce L. Parker, Pampa, Tex.

Application October 29, 1952, Serial No. 317,433

3 Claims. (Cl. 9-1) This invention relates to new and useful improvements in boat structures and the primary object of the present invention is to provide a boat structure involving novel and improved wheel mounting means so that the boat structure may be applied to a towing vehicle and hauled to a desired location.

Another important object of the present invention is to provide a boat structure having a false bottom that is divided into a plurality of compartments or chambers that receive air filled cans for the purpose of adding to the buoyancy of the boat structure.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide boat structure including vertically slidable wheel supporting slides with novel and improved means for selectively retaining the slides raised and lowered.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a boat structure having a hollow U-shaped forward end portion that will accommodate a plurality of air filled containers or tanks increasing the buoyancy of the boat structure while adding to the stability thereof.

A still further aim of the present invention is to provide a. boat structure of the aforementioned character that is extremely simple and practical in construction, strong and reliable in use, compact in structure, and otherwise well adapted for the purposes for which the same is intended.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of the present invention and shovw'ng the ground wheels in their raised position;

Figure 2 is a top plan view of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a rear elevational View of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is an enlarged transverse vertical sectional view taken substantially on the plane of section line 4-4 of Figure 2;

Figure 5 is a longitudinal sectional view taken substantially on the plane of broken section line 55 of Figure 1;

Figure 6 is an enlarged detailed vertical sectional view taken substantially on the plane of section line 6-6 of Figure 2;

Figure 7 is a view similar to Figure 6 but showing the ground wheel in its lowered position;

Figure 8 is a horizontal sectional view taken substantially on the plane of broken section line 8-8 of Figure 6;

Figure 9 is an enlarged horizontal sectional view taken substantially on the plane of section line 9-9 of Figure 6;

Figure 10 is an enlarged fragmentary view of Figure 7 showing the manner in which the slides are retained in their lowered position;

Figure 11 is a vertical sectional view of the outer portion of one of the slides and showing a stub axle attached thereto;

Figure 12 is a perspective of the outer portion of one of the slides; and,

Patented Oct. 18, 1955 Figure 13 is an enlarged detailed vertical sectional view taken substantially on the plane of section line 1313 of Figure 7.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, wherein for the purpose of illustration, there is disclosed a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the numeral 10 represents the boat structure generally having a socket 12 at its forward end which is capable of being engaged over a ball hitch element (not shown) on a towing vehicle. The sides 14 of the boat structure 10 are provided with vertical slots 16 at their rear portions that receive the relatively parallel flanges of forward and rear angle iron guide strips 18 and 20. The outer flanges of the strips 18 and 20 are secured to the sides 14 and against the outer faces of the sides 14 by fasteners 22.

A vertical guide or tube 24 is secured to each side 14. The guides 24 are provided with spaced attaching flanges 26 located on opposite sides of vertical slots 28 in the guides that register with slots 16. The flanges 26 are secured against the inner faces of sides 14 by the fasteners 22.

Slides 3!) are slidably received by the guides 24 and the strips 18 and 20. Each slide 30 includes an inner tubular portion 32 and a flat outer portion 34. The portions 32 and 34 are removably secured together by fasteners 36. Portions 32 are vertically slidably received in the guides 24 and the outer portions 34 are vertically slidably received between the strips 18 and 20 and in the slots 28, as shown in Figure 9.

The lower off-set ends 38 of the outer slide portions 34 are formed with horizontal apertures 40 that receive fasteners 42 securing stub axles 44 to the ends 38. Preferably pneumatic ground wheels 46 are mounted on the axles 44 and will be raised and lowered with their associated slides 30.

Guides 24 are provided with upper and lower transversely extending horizontal apertures 48 and 50. A removable pin 52 is received in either the upper or lower apertures in each guide 24. The guides 24 receive coil springs 54 which engage the upper ends of the slide portions 32. The springs 54 are disposed under the pins 52 when the latter are located in the apertures 50 with the slides 30 in their lowered position (Figures 7 and 10) in order to yieldingly urge the slides downwardly and for cushioning upward movement of the slides as the wheels 46 move over irregular or rough surfaces.

Slide portions 32 are formed with horizontal apertures 56 at their upper ends that will receive the pins 52 when the pins are extended through the apertures 48 with the slides raised (Figure 6) in order to lock the slides and the wheels raised as shown in Figure 1.

Means is provided for selectably raising and lowering the slides 30. This means comprises an open bottom casing 58 secured over each guide 24 and to the transverse transom member 60 extending between the sides 14. Each casing 58 rotatably supports upper and lower horizontal shafts 62 and 64 that are connected together by gears 66. The inner ends of shafts 64 project into the interior of the boat structure 10 and fixedly support crank handles 68, whereas the outer ends of the shafts 62 project outwardly from the casings 58 and fixedly support spools or drums 70. The upper ends of flexible elements 72 are fixed to the drums and the lower ends of these elements are attached to eyes 74 secured to the slide portions 34.

When the pins 52 are removed from the guides 24, the crank handles 68 may be rotated to either raise or lower the slides 30 and the wheels attached thereto. After the slides 30 have been raised, the pins 52 are extended through the apertures 48 and 56 to retain the slides and wheels raised, and after the slides are lowered, the pins 3 52 are extended through apertures 50 over the springs 54 to retain the slides lowered.

' 'Bo'at structure includes a bottom wall 76 to which are fixed the upper reinforced edges of spaced parallel,

' longitudinally extending, vertical partition walls 78.

The lower edges of the partition Walls 78fixedlysupport T-s haped rails 80. The horiiontal platforms 8'2 which extend between adjacent partition walls 78 include bottom rails 84 that rests upon the rails 80 of adjacent partition' walls. Compartments '86 are defined by adjacent partition walls, the bottom wall 76 and the platforms '82.

Air sealed cans 88 are disposed in the compartments 86. with their bottoms resting on platforms 82 and with their upper ends engaged against the reinforcing strips 90 at the upper edges of adjacent partition walls.

Doors 92 are provided at'the rear ends of the cornpartments 86 and these doors may be individually opened so that cans in a selected eompartment'may be removed by removal of the platforms 82 to which the cans are suitably secured, as by cement or the like.

The two innermost parallel partition walls 94 and 96 do not hav'e'a platform disposed therebetween since the propellerlshaft (not shown) of the boat structure is to extend between these walls, and as the walls 76 is to be provided with drainage apertures 98' over the space between the walls 94 and 96, it being noted that bottom wall 76 will-be above the surface of the water so that water entering the boat structure may drain through apertures 98.

The forwardend portion of theboat structure 10 is provided with a, hollow U-shaped portion 100 whose rear stepped ends 102 form steps whereby persons may ascend or descend from the boat structure. The hollow portion 100 may be provided with doors 104 at its forward or rear 7 ends whereby cans 88a may be inserted into the portion 108 is mounted on the boat 10 adjacent the deck portion 106 and extends rearwardly therefronn An awning 110 extends rearwardly from the wheel housing 108 and over-' lies the rear portion vof the boat 10. The awning 110'may be secured at its forward end to the wheel housing 108 l by means of cables 112 which are attached to hand-grips 114 secured to the wheel housing108. A plurality of supports 116 extend upwardly from the stern 118 of the boat 10 and support the rear end of the awning 110. Suitable, supports 120 extend upwardly from the sides 14 of the boat to support the sides of the awning 110.

. What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. In a boat structure having sides whose rear portions are each provided with a vertical slot, vertical guide strips secured to the sides and disposed in the slots, a vertical guide secured to the inner face of each side, said guides each having a vertical slot in registry with theslots in said sides, a pair of slides each having inner and outer portions that areremovably secured together, said inner portions being slidable in said guides and said outer portions extending through the slots in said'sides and being slidably engaged with said guide strips, a stub axle fixed to the outer portion of each slide, a ground wheel on each axle for supporting the rear end of the boat structure when the slides are lowered in the guides, means for This means may comprise suitably seal selectively retaining the slides raised and lowered in the guides, and means connected to the slides for selectively raising and lowering the slides.

2. In a boat structure having sides whose rear portions are each provided with a vertical slot, vertical guide strips secured to the sides and disposed in the slots, a vertical guide secured to the inner face of each side, said guides each having a vertical slot in registry with the slots in said sides, a pair of slides each having inner and outer portions that are removably secured together, said inner portions being slidable in said guides and said outer portions extending through the, slots in said sides and being slidably engaged with said guide'strips, a' stub axle fixed to the outer portion of eachslide, a ground wheel on each 'axle for supporting the rear end ofthe boat structure when the slides arelowered in the guides, each of said guides having an upper horizontal aperture and a lower horizontal aperture, a pair of retaining pins received in either the upper or lower apertures, and a coilspring in each guide over the inner portions of the slides and adapted to be engaged under the pins to yielding1y urge the slides downwardly when the pins are disposed in said lower apertures, said inner portionsof said s'lid'eseach having a horizontal aperture for receiving the pins when the slides are raised retain the slides raised.

3. In a boat structure having sides whose rear portions are each provided with a vertical slot,'vertical guide strips. secured to the sides and disposed in the slots, a vertical 7 guide secured to the inner face oi each side, said guides each having a vertical slot in registry with the slots in said sides, a pair of slides each having inner and outer portions that are removably secured together, said inner portions being slidablein said guides and said outer portions extending through the slots insaid sides and being slidably engaged with said guide strips, a stub axle fixed to the outer portion of each slide, a ground wheel on' each axle for su porting the rear end of the boat structure when the slides are lowered in the guides, each of said guides having an upper horizontal aperture and a lower horizontal aperture, a pair of retaining pins. received in' either -the upper or lower apertures, and a coil springin each. guide 'over the inner portions of the'slides and adapted to be "engaged under: the pins to 'yieldingly urge the slides downwardly when the pins are disposed in' said lower apertures, said inner portions of said slides each References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATESPATENTS I 1,067 Francis 1.. a Jan. 11, 1839 642,622 Mulie et al. Feb. 6, 1900 1,355,937 Brosnan Oct. 19, 1920 1,809,306 Miller June 9, 1931 1,944,185 Langer Jan. 23, 1934 2,049,702 Howe Aug. 4, 1936 r 2,115,864 Livermon May 3, 1938 2,190,091 Wolfe Feb. 13, 1940 2,190,358 Henn'chsen et al. Feb. 13, 1940 2,21l,083 Smith Aug. 13, 1940 2,283,648 Sarndahl May- 19, 1942 2,444,231 Sanford Q June 29, 1948 2,500,602 Christensen Mar. 14, 1950 2,622,893 Wasserlein Dec. 23,1952 7 2,632,655 King et a1. a Mar. 24, 1953 and when the pins are disposed in the'upper apertures to

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