US3088287A

US3088287A - Automatically adjustable mooring structure for vessels

Info

Publication number: US3088287A
Application number: US51214A
Authority: US
Inventors: Vivion C Berry
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1960-08-22
Filing date: 1960-08-22
Publication date: 1963-05-07
Anticipated expiration: 1980-05-07

Description

V. C. BERRY May 7, 1963 AUTOMATICALLY ADJUSTABLE MOORING STRUCTURE FOR VESSELS 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 22. 1960 INVENTOR.

w m B c m W W May 7, 1963 v. c. BERRY 3,088,287

AUTOMATICALLY ADJUSTABLE MOORING STRUCTURE FOR VESSELS Filed Aug. 22, 1960 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 May 7, 1963 V.C.BERRY AUTOMATICALLY ADJUSTABLE MOORING STRUCTURE FOR VESSELS Filed Aug. 22, 1960 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 "I" wz//o/v c. BERRY INI/E NToR,

` TTOE/VEY .ilrrited States 3,083,287 AUTMATICALLY ADJUSTABLE MOQRlNG STRUCTURE FOR VESSELS Vivien C. Berry, Bull Shoals, Ark.

Filed Aug. 22, 1969, Ser. No. 51,214 2 Claims. (Cl. 61--4-8) This invention relates to mooring structures for floating vessels and particularly to automatically adjustable mooring structures for vessels ailoat in a water body which is subject to changing levels.

Most water bodies are subject to iiuctuation in their water levels, as by variations in river heights, tides, and the like.

In many inland lakes, particularly those artificially created by dams, the surface level of the impounded water may uctuate very widely due to influx of water from surrounding areas or inlet streams and to the discharge of water through controlled sluice-ways and the like in the course of ood control and power generation. These fluctuations may be from a few inches to many feet and may occur at various rates. This wide fluctuation creates a great deal of diiculty in effectively mooring boat docks, loading docks or platforms, and other oating structures or vessels in such a manner that they may be safely secured to the shore during the variations in water level and maintained in ready accessibility to the shore throughout the changes in level of the water body. Thus a boat dock or other floating dock, if secured to a mooring structure at a low level, and even though permitted to rise and fall vertically with the change in water level, may be found many feet from the shore or margin of the water body when the water level rises a few feet, the distance depending, of course, upon the slope of the shore or bank of the water body.

The present invention, therefore, has for its primary object the provision of a mooring structure for securing a ioating vessel in such a manner that it may rise and fall automatically with the change in water level, while at the same time maintaining the vessel at a uniform distance from the mooring structure and the marginal shore or bank of the water body.

In accordance with this invention, the mooring structure comprises a guide member, such as a rail or rails, secured to the marginal shore or bank of the water body and supported thereon to extend downwardly thereon at an angle to the surface of the water. T'ne guide member is made to a length such that it will usually extend from a point below the lowest anticipated low Water level to a point above the maximum anticipated high water level. Connection members are provided which are slidable longitudinally of the rails and are connected to the floating vessel in such a manner that as the vessel rises and falls with the change in water level, the vessel will be caused to move longitudinally along the guide rails by means of the movable connection. The movable connection may comprise a roller mounted bracket which is rollable along the rails, thus reducing the frictional forces and permitting free movement of the connection member and the attached vessel along the rail. The connection member includes a pivoted arm connection between the bracket and the vessel to allow the vessel to swing in a vertical plane about the pivot in response to wave motion occurring in the water surface.

The lguide structure may extend between several landings at dierent elevations on the shore or land margin of the water body, and a stairway may also be mounted on the guide structure to provide ready access from the several landings to the vessel at whatever point it may be located along the guide rails. Since the vessel will be secured, as described, at a fixed distance from the rails, it will be always at the same distance therefrom and by providing a stairway, as mentioned, the vessel will always be readily accessible to the shore irrespective of the water level.

Various other objects and advantages of this invention will become more readily apparent from the following detailed description when read in connection with the accompanying drawings which illustrates useful embodiments in accordance with this invention.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational, partly perspective, view showing the mooring structure in accordance with one embodiment of this invention;

PIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken generally along line 2 2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of one of the connection members movably securing the vessel to the guide rails;

FIG. 4 is a transverse cross-sectional view taken along line 4--4 of FIG. 3; and

LFIG. 5 is a partial elevational View of a mooring structure in accordance with another embodiment of this invention.

Referring rst to the embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 4, there is shown a water body W, such as a lake, river, tidal-inlet, or the like, confined by a marginal bank or shore B, which will usually slope downwardly to the water surface. The surface or level of the water body is indicated at L. A vessel, such as a boat dock D, or the like, is shown afloat in the water body being supported on lioats F, of any suitable or well-known form. It will be understood that the term vessel is herein employed in a broad or generic sense to include any floating structure which it is desired to moor to the bank along a water body.

The mooring structure, as illustrated, comprises a rectangular frame, indicated generally at 10, formed by three transversely spaced parallel rails 11 secured together at their upper ends by a cross member 12, the frame being laid to slope downwardly along the bank B and to extend generally from a point above the maximum anticipated high ywater level to a point generally below the lowest anticipated low water level. `Frame 19 is supported from the bank in any suitable manner adapted to fixedly secure the frame to the bank or shore embankment. The frame is shown supported upon a base 13 mounted on a shelf S dug into the bank at a point intermediate the high and low water levels. Base 13 comprises a horizontally disposed rectangular base frame 14, constructed of suitable structural members which are laid on the shelf S, and a plurality of uprights 15 which extend from base 14 to the underside of the respective rails 11, being suitably connected thereto in any Well-known and appropriate manner. In the case of a steel structure, these supporting elements will usually be .Welded or bolted to the guide rails and to the base frame. If other types of structural materials are employed, such as wood or concrete, suitable and conventional connections will be provided to effectively secure the guide frame to the bank.

A stairway 16 is constructed between two of the guide rails and in a plane parallel to but slightly below the tops of the rails, as illustrated. The provision of the stairway will permit people to walk up and down the guide frame between various levels of the bank and the vessel. A top landing 17 in the form of a shelf or platform may be provided at the upper end of the frame and base l14, or shelf S may provide a second landinU at a lower level. As illustrated, base 14 is suitably floored at 1S to provide this second landing platform at an intermediate point down the bank between the 'water surface and the upper landing.

Each of the guide rails 11 may be of a conventional structural shape, such as an I-beam, H-beam, channel, or

the like, each comprising a web 19 and longitudinal, laterally extending edge anges 126. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. l, rails 1v1 are I-beams, having the top and

bottom flanges

20 and 21, respectively. The boat dock D is movably secured to the rails by means of connection members C which, as best seen in FIGS. 3 and 4, comprise the inverted generally U-shaped bracket or carriage dened by a top Wall 22 and depending side walls 23 which are adapted to span the -lianges 20 of rail 11 and extend downwardly along the opposite sides thereof.

Each of the brackets or carriages C has journalled there- 1n a pair of upper rollers 25-25. These are rollably mounted on transverse shafts 26-26 located at longitudinally spaced points along the interior of the carriages and extending transversely lbetween the side walls 23-23. Rubber bearings 27 are provided between the roller hubs and the shafts 26 and the periphery may also have a rubber tire 28a. This pair of upper rollers '25 is positioned in the upper portion of carriage C to roll on the upper surface of anges 20 of the guide rails. Sets of paired rollers 22S- 2S are provided in the lower portion of carriage C journalled on shafts 29-29 extending inwardly from the opposite side walls 23-23 toward web 19 and below the flanges. One pair of the rollers 28 is thus mounted on opposite sides of web 19 below each of the upper rollers 25, being so positioned with respect to the latter that when the upper rollers ride along the top of anges 20, the lower rollers will engage beneath the lower faces of ange 20 on opposite sides of web 19. Rollers 28 may also be provided with rubber bearings 3b and rubber tires 31. These rubber bearings are suitable for operation under water, since they -will be water-lubricated and will move freely and without wear over the surface of the guide rails. 'Ihe arrangement of the upper and lower rollers embracing between them flanges 26 and webs 19 of the guide rails prevents displacement of the carriages `from the rails, and when the carriages are secured to the vessel, serve to constrain the vessel to move longitudinally along the rails and also to reduce lateral movement. An arm 32 extends through opening 33 in top wall 22 of the carriage and is pivoted at one end on a shaft 34 which extends transversely of the bracket, whereby arm 32 may swing in a fvertical plane parallel to the longitudinal axis of the carriage and the rail on which it rides. The opposite end of arm 32 is rigidly secured to an end of the boat dock D. In the illustrative embodiment employing three of the rails 11 in the guide frame, three of the carriages C will be employed and the arms 32 connected to the outermost carriages will normally be secured to the opposite corners of the boat dock nearest the mooringV frame. The intermediate carriage will be similarly secured to a mid-point along the front end of the boat dock.

With this arrangement, it will be seen that as the boat dock tends to rise and fall with the change in water level, the carriages C will be moved up and down along the guide rails in conformance to the movement of the boat dock. The pivoted connection between the boat dock and carriages will permit the boat dock to swing in a vertical plane about the pivots 34 in response to the passage of waves beneath the boat dock toward the shore.

As noted, the arrangement of the carriages about the rails to embrace the flanges in the manner described, will greatly reduce any side-wise lateral movement of the boat dock with respect to the guide frame.

The end of the boat dock which is secured to the guide frame may be provided with a landing stage or platform 35 which extends from the boat dock toward the guide frame. Ibis landing platform 35 is pivoted on a transverse shaft 36 (FIG. 5) at its inner end adjacent the boat dock and its forward or outer end is mounted on sets of rollers 37 which ride on the respective rails 11. Thus as the boat dock moves up and down along the guide frame, platform 35 similarly moves up and down the guide frame and Will always be closely adjacent stairway 16, and thus readily accessible to persons passing between the mooring structure and the boat dock. As noted previously, stairway 16 is located in a plane slightly below the level of the upper flanges of the guide rails so that the boat dock and landing platform `35 will be unobstructed in their movement along the rails.

FIG. 5, which illustrates a modification of the support structure for the mooring frame, shows frame 10 provided with two or more longitudinally spaced transverse tie bars 38-38 secured transversely of the underside of the frame. A supporting foundation is provided for the guide frame and is in the form of a concrete slab 39 laid on the surface of =bank B and provided with concrete footings 4t) extending downwardly into the bank. Tie rods 41 are embedded in the concrete of footings 4t) and project upwardly therefrom above the surface of slab 39 in position to be rigidly secured to tie bars 38, as by welding or other suitable fastening means, in order to thereby ixedly secure the guide frame to bank B. In all other respects, the structure is the sameras that previously described, including the connecting carriages C and the pivoted connecting arms 32 `for securing boat dock D to the guide rails.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that the present invention provides an automatically adjustable mooring structure for vvessels which are afloat in water bodies subject to wide changes in the water level. The adjustment, as noted, will be automatic, and at the same time, as the vessel moves up and down with the change in water level, its position relative to the mooring structure will remain iixed so that the vessel is at all times equally accessible to the mooring structure and the :bank or shore, irrespective of the location of the vessel along the guide rails.

In some instances, only a single guide rail may be einployed, or in other cases, two guide rails may be employed instead of the three, as illustrated. The roller and pivot connection means between the vessel and the guide rails may be made of widely varying construction which will be readily evident to those skilled in the art, while retaining the desired features for constraining movement of the vessel longitudinally along the guide rails automatically in response to the changes in level of the water body.

It will be understood that various other alterations and modifications may be made in the detai-ls of the illustrative embodiments within the scope of the appended claims, but without departing from the spirit of this invention.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. In combination, a boat enclosure having flotation means for buoyantly supporting the enclosure on the surface of a water body which is subject to changing levels and defined by a shore sloping downwardly at an angle to the surface of the water body, and an automatically adjustable mooring structure for said boat enclosure, said mooring structure comprising an elongate guide member ixedly supported on said shore to extend downwardly along the shore between elevations on the shore respectively above and below the high and low levels of the water body, said guide member comprising a guide rail having a web and longitudinal laterally extending flanges, carriage means rollably mounted on the guide member, arm means pivotally connecting the shoreward end portion of said enclosure to said carriage means and arranged to constrain swinging movement of the enclosure in` a generally vertical plane relative to the guide member, a landing stage extending from the shoreward end of said enclosure toward the guide member, said landing stage having pivoted connection about a horizontal axis at one endv to said shoreward end of the enclosure, roller means supporting the forward end of the landing stage on said guidemember, and a stairway mounted on the guide member to extend longitudinally thereof and substantially parallel thereto to be continuously adjacent said landing stage as the latter moves along the guide member, said carriage means including an inverted generally U-shaped housing having a top wall and parallel side plates depending from the top wall on opposite sides of the guide rail, top roller means journalled in the side plates beneath :the -top wall to roll on top of said anges, and a pair of lower roller means supported by said side plates beneath said flanges on opposite sides of said web.

2. In combination, a boat enclosure having yiiotation means for buoyantly supporting the enclosure on the surface of a water body which is subject to changing levels and dened by a shore sloping downwardly at an angle to the surface of the water body, and an automatically adjustable mooring structure for said boat enclosure, said mooring structure comprising an elongate guide member fixedly supported on said shore to extend downwardly along the shore between elevations on the shore respectively above and below the high and low levels of the water body, said guide member comprising a guide rail having a web and longitudinal laterally extending flanges, carriage means rollably mounted on the guide member, arm means pivotally connecting the shoreward end portion of said enclosure to said carriage means and arranged to constrain swinging movement of the enclosure lin a generally vertical plane relative to the guide member, a landing stage extending from the shoreward end of said enclosure toward the guide member, said landing stage having pivoted connection about a horizontal axis at one end to said shoreward end of the enclosure, roller means supporting the forward end of the landing stage on said guide member, said carriage means including an inverted generally U-shaped housing having atop wall and parallel side plates depending from the top wall on opposite sides of the guide rail, top roller means journalled in the side plates beneath the top Wall to roll on top of said anges, and a pair of lower roller means supported by said side plates beneath said ilanges on opposite sides of said web.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 712,215 Ttcomb Oct, 28, 1902 1,320,180 Short Oct. 28, 1919 2,625,314 Moyer Jan. 13, 1953 2,743,697 Cooper May 1, 1956 2,808,016 Iarnot Oct. l, 1957 2,873,712 Gossen Feb. 17, 1959 3,050,947 Burton Aug. 28, 1962

Claims

2. IN COMBINATION, A BOAT ENCLOSE HAVING FLOTATION MEANS FOR BUOYANTLY SUPPORTING THE ENCLOSURE ON THE SURFACE OF A WATER BODY WHICH IS SUBJECT TO CHANGING LEVELS AND DEFINED BY A SHORE SLOPING DOWNWARDLY AT AN ANGLES TO THE SURFACE OF THE WATER BODY, AND AN AUTOMATICALLY ADJUSTABLE MOORING STRUCTURE FOR SAID BOAT ENCLOSURE, SAID MOORING STRUCTURE COMPRISING AN ELONGATED GUIDE MEMBER FIXEDLY SUPPORTED ON SAID SHORE TO EXTEND DOWNWARDLY ALONG THE SHORE BETWEEN ELEVATIONS ON THE SHORE RESPECTIVELY ABOVE AND BELOW THE HIGH AND LOW LEVELS OF THE WATER BODY, SAID GUIDE MEMBER COMPRISING A GUIDE RAIL HAVING A WEB AND LONGITUDINAL LATERALLY EXTENDING FLANGES, CARRIAGE MEANS ROLLABLY MOUNTED ON THE GUIDE MEMBER, ARM MEANS PIVOTALLY CONNECTING THE SHOREWARD END PORTION OF SAID ENCLOSURE TO SAID CARRIAGE MEANS AND ARRANGED TO CONSTRAIN SWINGING MOVEMENT OF THE ENCLOSURE IN A GENERALLY VERTICAL PLANE RELATIVE TO THE GUIDE MEMBER, A LANDING STAGE EXTENDING FROM THE SHOREWARD END OF SAID ENCLOSURE TOWARD THE GUIDE MEMBER, SAID LANDING STAGE HAVING PIVOTED CONNECTED ABOUT A HORIZONTAL AXIS AT ONE END TO SAID SHOREWARD END OF THE ENCLOSURE, ROLLER MEANS SUPPORTING THE FORWARD END OF THE LANDING STAGE ON SAID GUIDE MEMBER, SAID CARRIAGE MEANS INCLUDING AN INVERTED GENERALLY U-SHAPED HOUSING HAVING A TOP WALL AND PARALLEL SIDE PLATES DEPENDING FROM THE TOP WALL ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE GUIDE RAIL, TOP ROLLER MEANS JOURNALLED IN THE SIDE PLATES BENEATH THE TOP WALL TO ROLL ON TOP OF SAID FLANGES, AND A PAIR OF LOWER ROLLER MEANS SUPPORTED BY SAID FLANGES, AND A PAIR OF LOWER FLANGES ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID WEB.