US3077175A

US3077175A - Boat bumper

Info

Publication number: US3077175A
Application number: US54700A
Authority: US
Inventors: Albert O Johnson
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1960-09-08
Filing date: 1960-09-08
Publication date: 1963-02-12
Anticipated expiration: 1980-02-12

Description

Feb. 12, 1963 A. o. JOHNSON 3, 7 5

BOAT BUMPER Filed Sept. 8. 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 11 Fig.

Albert 0. Johnson INVENTOR.

wi away 3m Feb. 12, 1963 A. o. JOHNSON BOAT BUMPER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 8, 1960 Albert 0. Johnson INVENTOR.

Q BY Wm.

amfiuwy Em United States Patent 3,077,175 BOAT BUMPER Albert 0. Johnson, 301 Gorge, Ketchikan, Alaska Filed ept. 8, 1960, Ser. No. 54,700 2 Claims. (Cl. 114--219) This invention relates to a .novel and useful boat bumper and specifically to .a boat bumper adapted to be secured to the side of a boat for fending the boat from a dock or from upstanding pilings and the like.

In the past, boat bumpers or fenders for relatively small craft have been in the form of old tires or elongated padded members which were hung suspended over the side of a boat. Boat bumpers of this type are unsightly, awkward and unwieldy and also are apt to be lost overboard during the movement of the boat through rough waters when the bumpers are normally moved to an inoperational position and placed upon a deck surface.

The present invention resides in the provision of a mounting base adapted to be secured to the side of a boat with one end of an elongated .arm member pivotally secured to the mounting base for movement about a substantially horizontally disposed axis extending substantially transversely of the boat with the arm thus pivoted to the base for movement through a substantially vertically disposed plane extending longitudinally of the boat. When the arm is rotated to a depending position, it may be utilized to engage the side of a dock along which the boat is positioned should the dock flooring be disposed below the gunwale of the boat to which the bumper of the instant invention is secured. If the dock flooring is disposed substantially in horizontal alignment with the boat bumper, the arm may be rotated to a horizontal position wherein it may be utilized to engage either an upstanding piling of the dock or one of the longitudinal stringers along the edge of the dock. If the flooring of the dock is disposed above the gunwale of the boat to which the boat bumper comprising the present invention is secured, the arm may be retained in a horizontally disposed position to engage one of the upstanding pilings of the dock or may be pivoted to an upstanding position above the base in order to engage the side of the dock along which the boat is disposed.

Thus, it may be seen that the boat bumper of the instant invention is readily adaptable for fending a boat from upstanding pilings for a dock regardless of the height of the dock flooring relative to the gunwale of the boat.

The main object of this invention is to provide a boat bumper which will be capable of fending a boat from upstanding pilings or from the side of a dock.

A further object of this invention, in accordance with the immediately preceding object, is to provide a boat bumper which may be utilized to fend a boat from an upstanding piling or a dock regardless of the height of the flooring of the dock relative to the gunwale of the boat to which the boat bumper is secured.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a means for retaining the arm of the boat bumper in adjusted rotated positions relative to its base.

A further object of this invention is to provide a means whereby the bumper arm may be slightly cocked relative to its axis of rotation whereby it will be able to absorb a portion of the shock encountered when a boat abuts against a pier.

A final object to be specifically enumerated herein is to provide a device which will conform to conventional forms of manufacture, be of simple construction and easy to operate so as to provide a device that will be economically feasible, long lasting and easy to use.

These together with other objects and advantages ice 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 a portion of a dock shown with a boat secured therealong and the boat bumper of the instant invention secured to the side of the boat, some of the alternate positions of the arm of the boat bumper being shown in dotted lines;

FIGURE ,2 is a side elevational View of the boat bumper;

FIGURE 3 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially upon the plane indicated by section line 33 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary exploded perspective view of the mounting base and one end of the arm of the boat bumper; and

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary transverse sectional view taken through a portion of the side of the boat showing the manner in which the boat bumper is secured thereto.

Referring now more specifically to the drawings the numeral 10 generally indicates the boat bumper of the instant invention which is shown in FIGURE 1 of the drawings secured to the side 12 of a boat generally desig nated by the reference numeral 14. The boat 14 is shown moored by means of line 16 to the side of a dock generally designated by the reference numeral 18 and the boat bumper 10 is shown in solid lines in position to fend the boat from one longitudinal side of the clock 18.

With attention now directed to FIGURES 2 and 3 of the drawings, it will be seen that the boat bumper 10 includes an arm member generally referred to by the reference numeral 20 and a mounting base generally referred to by the reference numeral 22.. The mounting base includes a generally hemispherical mounting member 24 provided with a mounting face 26 which is adapted to abut the side 12 of the boat 14. A plurality of radially extending and apertured mounting lugs 28 are provided and a plurality of suitable fasteners 30 are passed through the mounting lugs and secured through the side 12 of the boat 14 by means of fasteners 32, see FIGURE 5.

The base member 24 is provided with a centrally disposed bore 34. The arm 20 has one end portion provided with a transversely extending aperture 36 and the arm 20 is pivotally secured to the mounting base 22 by means of a pivot bolt 38 secured to the registered bore 34. The inner end of the pivot bolt 38 is externally threaded as at 40 and projects into the recess 42 formed by the member 24. A stop member in the form of a nut 44 is threadedly engaged on the threaded end portion of the bolt 38 a spaced distance from the adjacent end of the bore 34 and a coil spring 46 is disposed between the inner surface of the member 24 adjacent the bore 34 and a washer 48 abutting the adjacent face of the nut 44.

The opposite ends of the aperture 36 are outwardly flared as at 50 and 52 whereby the end of the arm 20 having the aperture 36 formed therein may be canted relative to the longitudinal axis of the pivot bolt 38 by which it is secured to the mounting base 22.

The confronting surfaces of the arm 20 and the base 22 are disposed in surface-to-surface frictional engagement and the outer surface of the member 24 is provided with a plurality of circumferentially spaced and outwardly projecting lugs 54 disposed about the outer ends of the bore 34. The inner face of the arm 20 adacent the base 22 is provided with a pair of outwardly

projecting stops

56 and 58 which extend diametrically of the aperture 36. The

stops

56 and 58 are receivable between adjacent lugs 54 upon rotation of the arm 20 relative to the base for retaining the arm 20 in selected adjusted rotated positions.

The end of the arm 20 remote from the base 22 is provided with a resilient covering '60. The covering 60 is adapted to engage either an upstanding piling or the edge of the dock and to absorb a portion of the shock etfected upon engagement of the bumper with the piling or dock.

As the pivot bolt 38 is resiliently mounted by means of coil spring 46 and the opposite ends of the aperture 36 are outwardly flared as at 50 and 52, the arm 20 may be canted slightly relative to its axis of rotation upon engagement of the resilient covering 60 with an upstanding piling or the side of a dock.

In operation, with attention to FIGURE 1 of the drawings, the arm 20 may be disposed in depending relation whereupon the covering 60 will be adapted to engage the side of the dock 18 which is disposed below the deck of the boat 14. If the arm 20 is positioned as indicated at A, it may be utilized to engage either the side of the dock 18 or an upstanding piling. When the arm 20 is positioned as indicated at B, it is adapted to engage any type of upstanding support such as a piling in addition to the side of the dock 18 should it be disposed in the same horizontal plane.

If the flooring 62 of the dock 18 were disposed above the deck of the boat 14, the arm 29 would be pivoted to a position diametrically opposite that position illustrated in solid lines in FIGURE 1 of the drawings whereby the resilient covering 60 would then be positioned above the deck of the boat 14 and would be substantially vertically disposed and adapted to engage the side of a dock flooring disposed above the deck of the boat 14.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A boat bumper for fending a boat from a dock or from upstanding pilings, said bumper comprising a mounting base adapted to be secured to a boat along a side thereof, said mounting base having a mounting face adapted to abut the side of a boat and a recess opening outwardly of said face, said base having a bore formed thereth-rough and communicating with said recess, an elongated bumper arm, one end of said bumper arm having an aperture formed transversely therethrough, a pivot bolt secured through said aperture and said bore pivotally securing said arm to the side of said base remote from said mounting face, said bolt including one end portion projecting inwardly of said recess toward said mounting face and completely received in said recess, first abutment means carried by the other end of said portion of said bolt preventing its retraction through said aperture, second abutment means carried by said one end portion of said bolt, a compression spring disposed about said bolt and between the portions of said base defining said bore and said second abutment means, the opposite ends of said aperture being outwardly flared enabling said arm to be cocked relative to said pivot bolt, the opposing surfaces of said arm and said base about said aperture and bore respectively being disposed in sliding contacting relation, said opposing surfaces including a plurality of circumferentially spaced outwardly projecting lugs formed on one of said confronting surfaces releasably engageable with complementary recesses defined in the other of said confronting surfaces for yieldably retaining said arm in adjusted rotated position relative to said base.

2. The combination of claim 1 including a resilient covering secured about at least the other end of said arm.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,230,333 Painter Feb. 4, 1941 2,563,410 Micek Aug. 7, 1951 2,798,756 Corydon July 9, 1957

Claims

1. A BOAT BUMPER FOR FENDING A BOAT FROM A DOCK OR FROM UPSTANDING PILINGS, SAID BUMPER COMPRISING A MOUNTING BASE ADAPTED TO BE SECURED TO A BOAT ALONG A SIDE THEREOF, SAID MOUNTING BASE HAVING A MOUNTING FACE ADAPTED TO ABUT THE SIDE OF A BOAT AND A RECESS OPENING OUTWARDLY OF SAID FACE, SAID BASE HAVING A BORE FORMED THERETHROUGH AND COMMUNICATING WITH SAID RECESS, AN ELONGATED BUMPER ARM, ONE END OF SAID BUMPER ARM HAVING AN APERTURE FORMED TRANSVERSELY THERETHROUGH, A PIVOT BOLT SECURED THROUGH SAID APERTURE AND SAID BORE PIVOTALLY SECURING SAID ARM TO THE SIDE OF SAID BASE REMOTE FROM SAID MOUNTING FACE, SAID BOLT INCLUDING ONE END PORTION PROJECTING INWARDLY OF SAID RECESS TOWARD SAID MOUNTING FACE AND COMPLETELY RECEIVED IN SAID RECESS, FIRST ABUTMENT MEANS CARRIED BY THE OTHER END OF SAID PORTION OF SAID BOLT PREVENTING ITS RETRACTION THROUGH SAID APERTURE, SECOND ABUTMENT MEANS CARRIED BY SAID ONE END PORTION OF SAID BOLT, A COMPRESSION SPRING DISPOSED ABOUT SAID BOLT AND BETWEEN THE PORTIONS OF SAID BASE DEFINING SAID BORE AND SAID SECOND ABUTMENT MEANS, THE OPPOSITE ENDS OF SAID APERTURE BEING OUTWARDLY FLARED ENABLING SAID ARM TO BE COCKED RELATIVE TO SAID PIVOT BOLT, THE OPPOSING SURFACES OF SAID ARM AND SAID BASE ABOUT SAID APERTURE AND BORE RESPECTIVELY BEING DISPOSED IN SLIDING CONTACTING RELATION, SAID OPPOSING SURFACES INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF CIRCUMFERENTIALLY SPACED OUTWARDLY PROJECTING LUGS FORMED ON ONE OF SAID CONFRONTING SURFACES RELEASABLY ENGAGEABLE WITH COMPLEMENTARY RECESSES DEFINED IN THE OTHER OF SAID CONFRONTING SURFACES FOR YIELDABLY RETAINING SAID ARM IN ADJUSTED ROTATED POSITION RELATIVE TO SAID BASE.