WO2002068260A1

WO2002068260A1 - Boat cover support member

Info

Publication number: WO2002068260A1
Application number: PCT/US2002/003304
Authority: WO
Inventors: Jeff Te Pastte; Mike Howard
Original assignee: Jeff Te Pastte; Mike Howard
Priority date: 2001-02-07
Filing date: 2002-02-06
Publication date: 2002-09-06

Abstract

A support member that provides additional support for a boat cover in relation to the middle portion of a boat hull, that increases the surface area of the portion of the support member that interacts with the boat cover when it is in its open position and that is easily storable when it is in its closed position is disclosed. More specifically, the boat cover support member includes an arm member support assembly adjustably and removably attached to a first end of a telescoping pole, which may be extended to various lengths. A plurality of arm members are attached to the arm member support assembly, and a plurality of link members are attached at one end to the mid-section of the arm members and at the other end to a link member support assembly. The link member support assembly is also adjustably and removeably attached to the telescoping pole.

Description

BOAT COVER SUPPORT MEMBER

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates generally to covers for boats and, more particularly, to a support member for boat covers, which are comprised of flexible material.

A common problem for boat owners is that many boats have open tops and therefore, these boats are susceptible to the elements such as rain and snow. To solve this problem boat owners typically cover their boats with flexible covers or taφs. These boat covers serve to deflect rain and snow from the inside of the boat to the outside of the boat. However, one common problem associated with these covers is that the middle portion of the boat cover sometimes achieves a position that is lower than the sides of the boat or becomes wrinkled in certain areas. In either of these two events, water or snow begins to pool in the low area or wrinkle of the boat cover. This may cause the boat cover to shift thereby allowing water or snow to enter the interior of the boat hull.

To avoid this problem, manufacturers have designed boat cover supports that lift the middle portion of the boat cover up and create a slope on which the water or snow may flow. These boat cover supports allow boat owners to protect their boats with boat covers, while also alleviating the pooling problem discussed above. Hence, it is less likely that water or snow will leak into the interior of the boat hull. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,979,457 to Powers et al. (the "457 Patent"), describes a support apparatus for a protective covering comprised of a plurality of adjustable support members which are positioned in supporting relation relative to the cockpit of a boat and which form an arch over the center of the boat hull. The arch formed by this support apparatus in connection with the boat cover creates a slope on which water and snow flow and keeps the interior of the boat relatively dry. While the boat cover disclosed in the 457 Patent provides a support apparatus that maintains the boat cover at a higher elevation with respect to the center of the boat hull, the support members are bulky and difficult to store when they are not in use. Another method for preventing pooling of water atop the boat cover is to place a pole or rod, which has a height that is greater that the side of the boat, underneath the boat cover near the center of the boat hull. Again, this creates a slope on which water and snow flows. The problem with this approach is that a large amount of tension will be exerted at a single point on the boat cover. This may cause the boat cover to rip or tear at the point of intersection between the pole and the boat cover, and therefore, an opening may be created through which the water or snow may enter the interior of the boat hull.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION To overcome the disadvantages noted above, the present invention is directed to a boat cover support member with an arm member support assembly that increases the surface area of the portion of the support member that interacts with the boat cover when it is in its open position and is easily storable when it is in its closed position. More specifically, the arm member support assembly is adjustably and removably attached to a first end of a telescoping pole, which may be extended to various lengths. A plurality of arm members are attached to the arm member support assembly, and a plurality of link members are attached at one end to the mid-section of the arm members and at the other end to a link member support assembly. The link member support assembly is also adjustably and removeably attached to the telescoping pole below the arm member support assembly. By attaching the arm members, the arm member support assembly, the link members and the link member support assembly in the above-described manner, the arm members may be extended upwardly and outwardly in axial relation to the telescoping pole by locking the arm member support assembly in place and moving the link member support assembly closer to the arm member support assembly before locking it into the desired position. In this manner, a boat owner may create a larger surface area for supporting the boat cover. A better understanding of the objects, advantages, features, properties and relationships of the invention will be obtained from the following detailed description and accompanying drawings which set forth an illustrative embodiment and which are indicative of the various ways in which the principles of the invention may be employed. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS For a better understanding of the invention, reference may be had to a preferred embodiment shown in the following drawings in which:

Figure 1 shows a perspective side view of a support member embodying the inventive aspects of the present invention in actual use;

Figure 2 shows a perspective view of the support member in an open position; Figure 3 shows a perspective view of the support member in a closed position; Figure 4 shows a top view of the support member;

Figure 5 shows a sectional side view of the support member along line a'-a'; Figure 6 shows a side view of an arm member of the support member shown in

Figure 2;

Figure 7 shows a front sectional view of the arm member shown in Figure 8 along line c-c;

Figure 8 shows a top view of the arm member shown in Figure 6; Figure 9 shows a bottom view of the link member of the support member shown in Figure 2;

Figure 10 shows a side view of the link member shown in Figure 9; Figure 11 shows a front sectional view of the link member shown in Figure 9 along line B-B; Figure 12 shows a top view of the arm member support assembly of the support member shown in Figure 2; and

Figure 13 shows a side view of the arm member support assembly shown in Figure 12.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Turning now to the figures, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements, there is illustrated a support member 20 comprised of a telescoping pole with a plurality of extendable arm members 22. The improved support member 20 is particularly advantageous as it allows users to extend the arm members 22 upwardly and outwardly in an axial direction away from the telescoping pole, thereby creating a larger surface to support boat covers and the like. As shown in Fig. 1, the support member 20 may be placed under the boat cover 10 to raise the center portion of the boat cover 10 to a higher level than the sides of the boat hull. This will create sloped areas on the boat cover 10 on which water, snow or similar elements may flow, while also alleviating the problem associated with prior art support poles, namely, putting excessive pressure on the portion of the boat cover that interacts with the support poles.

As shown in Fig. 2, the support member 20 is comprises of a plurality of arm members 22, each with a first end 22a and a second end 22b. The first end of the arm members 22a is removably and rotatably attached to an arm member support assembly 24. The arm member support assembly 24 is attached to a first end of a pole 40a. A base member may be attached to the second end of the pole 40b, and the base member 42 may be made of rubber or similar material to protect the boat hull from being scratched or abraded by the second end of the pole 40b. In addition, the base member 42 is designed to frictionally engage the boat floor to prevent movement of the support member 20 when the support member 20 is placed under a boat cover 10 or the like.

For attaching the arm members 22 to the arm member support 24 and as shown in Figs. 4 through 8 and Fig. 12, the first end of each of the arm members 22a forms an arm member attachment slot 26 and the arm member support assembly 24 includes a plurality of arm member attachments rods 28. The arm member attachment slot 26 and the arm member attachment rod 28 are designed to be connected by snap fitting the arm member attachment rod 28 into the arm member attachment slot and each may be manufactured using standard injection molding techniques. It should also be understood, however, that the arm members 22 may also be attached to the arm member support 24 in a variety of other manners, such as, by replacing the arm member attachment slot 26 with an aperture and securing the arm members 22 to the arm member support 24 with a removable rod or screw.

For adjusting the arm members 22 to different axial positions in relation to the pole 40 and as shown in Fig. 5, the arm members 22 are also attached to a plurality of corresponding link members 30. Each of the link members 30 includes a first end 30a and a second end 30b. The first end of each of the link members 30a is removably and rotatably attached to one of the arm members 22 and the second end of each of the link members 30b is removably and rotatably attached to a linlc member support assembly 36. The arm member support assembly 24 and the link member support assembly 36 include arm member attachment rods 28 and link member support rods 38 that correspond to the number of arm members 22 and link members 30, but it should be understood by those with skill in the art that the arm member support assembly 24 and the linlc member support assembly 36 may also include more arm member attachment rods 28 and linlc member support rods 38 than arm members 22 and linlc members 30, respectively. This would allow users to alter the placement of the arm members as needed. The first link member attachment slot 22c and the link member attachment rod

32 are connected by snap fitting the first link member attachment slot 22c together with the link member attachment rod 32. The second link member attachment slot 34 and the link member support rod 38 are connected by snap fitting the second link member attachment slot 34 together with the link member support rod 38. The link member attachment slots 22c, 34, the linlc member attachment rod 32 and the link member support rod 38 may each be manufactured using standard injection molding techniques. It is also possible that the link member 30 could be attached to the arm member 22 and the link member support assembly 36 in a variety of other manners, such as, by replacing the link member attachment slots 22c, 34 with apertures and securing the link member 30 to the arm member 22 and the link member support assembly 36 with a removable rod or screw.

By attaching the arm members 22 to the arm member support assembly 24 and the link members 30, and by also connecting the link members 30 to the link member support assembly 36 in the above-described manner, the arm members 22 may be extended upwardly and outwardly in axial relation to the telescoping pole 40 by moving the link member support assembly 36 closer to the arm member support assembly 36. This allows the user to create a larger surface area for supporting the boat cover 10. It should also be understood by those skilled in the art that that support member 20 could also be used in connection with trailer covers, truck covers and other covers or taφs that require the center of the cover to be elevated higher than the sides of the article being covered. As shown in the contrast between Figs. 2 and 3, the position of the arm members 22 is directly related to the positioning of the link member support assembly 36 in relation to the arm member support assembly 24. For example, when the link member support assembly 36 is closer to the arm member support assembly 36, the arm members 22 are extended in a outward manner similar to that shown in Fig. 2. On the other hand, when the link member support assembly 36 is farther from the arm member support assembly 24, the arm members 22 achieve a closed position similar to that shown in Fig. 3. The closed positioning of the arm members 22 is particularly important because it allows the support member 20 to be more easily stored. For allowing the arm member support assembly 24 and the link member support assembly 36 to achieve various positions between the first end and the second end of the pole 40a, 40b and as exemplified in Figs. 2 and 4, the arm member support assembly 24 and the linlc member support assembly 36 may each include an aperture in the center of their respective structures. Thus, the pole 40 may be inserted within the arm member support aperture 50 and the link member support aperture 52. The arm member support aperture 50 and the link member support aperture 52 allow the arm member support assembly 24 and the link member support assembly 36 to slide on the pole 40 between the first end of the pole 40a and the second end of the pole 40b, while still maintaining an adjustable connection to the pole 40. For locking the arm member support assembly 24 and the link member support assembly into the desired position, the arm member support assembly 24 and the link member support assembly 36 may include an arm member adjustment screw 44 and a link member adjustment screw 46, respectively. The arm member adjustment screw 44 and the link member adjustment screw 46 are standard thumbscrews, but it should also be understood that equivalent means for locking the arm member support assembly 24 and the link member support assembly 36, such as locking pins or the like, may also be used. Thus, users can slide the arm member support assembly 24 and the link member support assembly 36 on the pole 40 to the desired position and then lock them in place by tightening the arm member adjustment screw 44 and the link member adjustment screw 46, respectively. For adjusting the length of the telescoping pole 40, the telescoping pole includes a extension adjustment screw 48. Similarly to the arm member adjustment screw 44 and the link member adjustment screw 46, the extension adjustment screw 48 is simply a thumbscrew that allows users to position the telescoping pole 40 to the desired length and then to lock the telescoping pole 40 in place by tightening the extension adjustment screw 48. The adjustability of the telescoping pole 40 may also be achieved by using other means, such as locking pins or the like.

Although portion of the arm members 22 near the second end of the arm members 22b of the present invention have been shown with a curved end, it is also envisioned that the arm member 22 can be substantially straight or flat. Therefore, when the support member 20 is in its open position, the top of the support member 20 would be flat. This is inapposite to the arm members 22 shown in Fig. 2 which form an umbrella shape.

While specific embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various modifications and alternatives to those details could be developed in light of the overall teachings of the disclosure. Accordingly, the particular arrangement disclosed is meant to be illustrative only and not limiting as to the scope of the invention which is to be given the full breadth of the appended claims and any equivalents thereof. It should also be understood that all patents discussed in this document are to be incoφorated herein by reference in their entirety.

Claims

CLAIMS What is claimed is:

1. A support member for elevating a center portion of a boat cover relative to the side walls of a boat hull, comprising: a telescoping pole capable of extending and retracting, and having a first end and a second end, the telescoping pole also including an extension adjustment screw located between the first end and the second end of the telescoping pole for allowing the telescoping pole to achieve various lengths; an arm member support assembly that is adjustably and removably attached to the first end of the telescoping pole, the arm member support assembly also including an arm member support adjustment screw for allowing the arm member support to be removed or shifted in relation to the first end and the second end of telescoping pole; a plurality of arm members each with a first end and a second end, the first end of the arm members being pivotally attached to the arm member support assembly; a plurality of link members each with a first end and a second end, the first end of each of the link members being pivotally attached to a selected one of the arm members and the second end of each of the link members being pivotally attached to a link member support assembly, the link member support assembly being adjustably and removably attached to the telescoping pole between the first end and the second end of the telescoping pole; a linlc member support adjustment thumbscrew being integrally attached to the link member support assembly for allowing the link member support assembly to be removed or shifted in relation to the telescoping pole, thereby allowing the arm members to be extended upwardly and axially away from the pole when the link member support assembly is positioned closer to the arm member support assembly; and a base member attached to the second end of the telescoping pole for protecting the boat hull from scratching and abrasion by the telescoping pole.

2. A support member as defined in Claim 1, wherein the support member further comprises an arm member attachment slot formed on the first end of each of the arm members and a plurality of arm member attachment rods on the arm member support, the arm members being removably and rotatably attached to the arm member support assembly by connecting the arm member attachment rods to the respective arm member attachment slots.

3. A support member as defined in Claim 1 , wherein the support member further comprises a first link member attachment slot displaced between the first and second end of the arm member, a link member attachment rod on the first end of each of the link members, a second link member attachment slot on the second end of each of the link members and a plurality of link member support rods on the linlc member support assembly, the linlc members being removeably and rotatably attached to the respective arm members by connecting one of the link member attachment rods to one of the first link member attachment slots and the link members being removeably and rotatably attached to the link member support assembly by connecting each of the second link member attachment slots to one of the linlc member support rods.

4. A support member as defined in Claim 1, wherein the arm member forms a downward curve near the second end of the arm member.

5. A support member as defined in Claim 1 , wherein the arm member is substantially straight.