U.S. patent application number 10/527764 was filed with the patent office on 2007-07-26 for boat.
Invention is credited to John William Hall, Kevin Hayes.
Application Number | 20070170327 10/527764 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 9943966 |
Filed Date | 2007-07-26 |
United States Patent
Application |
20070170327 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Hayes; Kevin ; et
al. |
July 26, 2007 |
Boat
Abstract
A display device 8 such as a flat screen television may be
stowed away out of sight within a cabin by partly recessing into a
moulded coaming 3 forming part of the boat's superstructure 1 in
addition to being partially received in a special housing 7. In
this way, the fact that a display device 8 is hidden out of view is
made less obvious because the housing 7 does not conform to the
shape of the display device 8.
Inventors: |
Hayes; Kevin; (West
Midlands, GB) ; Hall; John William; (Worcestershire,
GB) |
Correspondence
Address: |
DUANE MORRIS LLP
PO BOX 5203
PRINCETON
NJ
08543-5203
US
|
Family ID: |
9943966 |
Appl. No.: |
10/527764 |
Filed: |
September 12, 2003 |
PCT Filed: |
September 12, 2003 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/GB03/03981 |
371 Date: |
February 24, 2006 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
248/286.1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B63B 29/04 20130101;
B60R 11/0229 20130101; B63B 17/00 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
248/286.1 |
International
Class: |
E04G 3/00 20060101
E04G003/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Sep 12, 2002 |
GB |
0221204.1 |
Claims
1. A boat comprising: a hull having a deck; a superstructure which
is above the deck and includes a cabin having a door leading
thereinto from the deck and a coaming up at least part of a side of
the door; a housing attached to the superstructure inside the cabin
by the door; and an elongate display device which has first and
second opposite ends and a display screen and is slidably mounted
on a sliding mechanism inside the housing and the coaming such that
the display screen is hidden and the first end of the display
device is within the coaming and the second end is within the
housing, wherein the display device is slidable out of the coaming
and at least partially out of the housing so as to expose the
display screen for viewing.
2. A boat according to claim 1, wherein the sliding mechanism
incorporates a latch which is releasable by pushing on the second
end and biasing means for sliding out the unlatched display device
to expose the display screen.
3. A boat according to claim 1, wherein the cabin includes a
horizontal surface below the housing, and the display device is
arranged to slide out just above the surface without touching the
surface.
4. A boat according to claim 1, wherein the coaming curves into the
cabin in the upward direction and the housing in the sliding
direction of the display device is deeper at the bottom of the
housing than at the top of the housing.
5. A boat according to claim 4, wherein the housing is generally
triangular when viewed perpendicular to the sliding direction of
the display device.
6. A boat according to claim 1, wherein the display device is
arranged to slide fully out of the housing.
7. A boat according to claim 1, wherein the sliding mechanism is
provided on a rear face of the display device remote from a front
face which has the display screen.
8. A boat according to claim 7, wherein the rear face of the
display device faces an adjacent cabin wall or window when the
display device is extended into the cabin.
9. (canceled)
10. A boat according to claim 2, wherein the cabin includes a
horizontal surface below the housing, and the display device is
arranged to slide out just above the surface without touching the
surface.
11. A boat according to claim 10, wherein the coaming curves into
the cabin in the upward direction and the housing in the sliding
direction of the display device is deeper at the bottom of the
housing than at the top of the housing.
12. A boat according to claim 2, wherein the coaming curves into
the cabin in the upward direction and the housing in the sliding
direction of the display device is deeper at the bottom of the
housing than at the top of the housing.
13. A boat according to claim 3, wherein the coaming curves into
the cabin in the upward direction and the housing in the sliding
direction of the display device is deeper at the bottom of the
housing than at the top of the housing.
14. A boat according to claim 2, wherein the display device is
arranged to slide fully out of the housing.
15. A boat according to claim 3, wherein the display device is
arranged to slide fully out of the housing.
16. A boat according to claim 4, wherein the display device is
arranged to slide fully out of the housing.
17. A boat according to claim 5, wherein the display device is
arranged to slide fully out of the housing.
18. A boat according to claim 2, wherein the sliding mechanism is
provided on a rear face of the display device remote from a front
face which has the display screen.
19. A boat according to claim 3, wherein the sliding mechanism is
provided on a rear face of the display device remote from a front
face which has the display screen.
20. A boat according to claim 4, wherein the sliding mechanism is
provided on a rear face of the display device remote from a front
face which has the display screen.
21. A boat according to claim 5, wherein the sliding mechanism is
provided on a rear face of the display device remote from a front
face which has the display screen.
22. A boat according to claim 6, wherein the sliding mechanism is
provided on a rear face of the display device remote from a front
face which has the display screen.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The invention relates generally to a boat and to improving
the incorporation of a display device such as a television in a
cabin of the boat.
[0002] It is desirable to be able to hide a television out of view
when it is not being used. A television can be hidden in a cabinet,
but the cabinet is almost as visually intrusive as the television
itself, and can be an obvious giveaway that a television is being
hidden out of view.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0003] According to the present invention, there is provided a boat
comprising:
[0004] a hull having a deck;
[0005] a superstructure which is above the deck and includes a
cabin having a door leading thereinto from the deck and a coaming
up at least part of a side of the door;
[0006] a housing attached to the superstructure inside the cabin by
the door; and
[0007] an elongate display device which has first and second
opposite ends and a display screen and is slidably mounted on a
sliding mechanism inside the housing and the coaming such that the
display screen is hidden and the first end of the display device is
within the coaming and the second end is within the housing,
wherein the display device is slidable out of the coaming and at
least partially out of the housing so as to expose the display
screen for viewing.
[0008] The present invention uses the coaming to provide part of
the volume in which the display device, such as a flat screen
television, is hidden. The coaming will be an area of the
superstructure of localised greater thickness than adjacent wall
areas of the superstructure, and the present invention takes
advantage of this localised maximum thickness to hide part of the
stowed display device, with the rest of the display device being
hidden within the housing. The coaming adjacent to the side of the
door may be a fairly substantial structure. It may for example be a
moulding, possibly an integral part of a moulding forming a major
part of the superstructure, with for example the external face of
the moulded coaming incorporating a flight of steps which lead up
from the deck to a raised bridge area above the cabin.
[0009] In our preferred embodiment, the sliding mechanism
incorporates a latch which is releasable by pushing on the second
end and biasing means for sliding out the unlatched display device
to expose the display screen. The biasing means will therefore
automatically deploy the display device once it has been unlatched,
and the display device may be returned to its stowed position by
pushing it back in against the force of the biasing means until the
latch reactivates and locks the display device in its retracted
position.
[0010] Preferably, the cabin includes a horizontal surface below
the housing, and the display device is arranged to slide out just
above the surface without touching the surface. In this way, the
display device appears to be unsupported and to float just above
the surface which may for example be a top surface of a storage
unit up against a side wall of the cabin. The top surface may be at
about waist height, so that when sitting down the deployed display
device has its screen at a comfortable viewing height.
[0011] In our preferred embodiment, the coaming curves into the
cabin in the upward direction and the housing in the sliding
direction of the display device is deeper at the bottom of the
housing than at the top of the housing. This imparts an unusual
shape to the housing and helps to make it even less obvious that
the housing is hiding the display device.
[0012] For example, the housing is generally triangular when viewed
perpendicular to the sliding direction of the display device. This
is a visually attractive shape which is good at hiding the fact
that a display device is concealed out of view.
[0013] In our preferred embodiment, the display device is arranged
to slide fully out of the housing. The sliding may be arranged to
stop at the point where the first end of the display device is just
about to leave the housing. In this way, the display device is
fully extended, but there is not the undesired factor of a gap
being left through which a person inside the cabin can see into the
housing.
[0014] Preferably, the sliding mechanism is provided on a rear face
of the display device remote from a front face which has the
display screen. This helps to hide from view how the display device
is slidably supported, and makes the arrangement more intriguing to
the user. For example, the arrangement may be such that the rear
face of the display device faces an adjacent cabin wall or window
when the display device is extended into the cabin. In this way, a
viewer will not approach the extended display device from the rear
so as to see the possibly unsightly functional nature of the
sliding mechanism.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0015] A preferred non-limiting embodiment of the present invention
will now be described with reference to the accompanying
diagrammatic drawings.
[0016] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of the
invention showing the display device hidden within its housing.
[0017] FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1, but showing the display
device protruding from its housing.
[0018] FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the rear face of the
extended display device.
[0019] FIG. 4 is a front view looking towards the front face of the
display device when stowed in its housing.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0020] FIGS. 1 and 2 are views from within a cabin of a boat in
accordance with the present invention. The cabin is part of a
superstructure 1 of the boat. The boat has a hull (not shown)
having a deck 18 (see FIG. 4) above which the superstructure 1
extends. There is a door having a door aperture 2 which provides
access from the deck into the cabin. The superstructure is mainly a
GRP moulding and includes a moulded coaming 3 up one side of the
door aperture 2. Within the cabin is a storage unit 4 having a top
surface 5 and extending along a side wall 6 of the
superstructure.
[0021] As may be seen from FIGS. 3 and 4, the moulding is such that
the coaming is moulded to have a significant depth in the
longitudinal direction of the boat (the left to right direction in
FIG. 4) and the coaming is considerably thicker than adjacent wall
portions of the superstructure.
[0022] A generally triangular housing 7 projects into the cabin and
is fitted into the gap between the top surface 5 and the coaming 3
which curves forwardly of the boat and into the cabin as it extends
upwards (see FIG. 4). A display device 8 such as a flat screen
television is slidably mounted in the housing 7 and has a screen 9
which faces into the cabin when the display device is extended for
viewing.
[0023] The display device 8 is supported on a sliding mechanism
(see FIG. 3) which comprises upper and lower drawer sliders 10 on
the rear face of the display device 8. The drawer sliders 10
preferably incorporate or are associated with biasing means
operative to push the display device 8 out of the housing 7. There
is also a latching mechanism 11 which pivots about point 12 against
a spring 13 such that, by slightly pushing in the display device 8
from its stowed position shown in FIG. 1, the latching mechanism is
released and the drawer sliders 10 push the display device 8 out of
the housing 7 to its deployed position as shown in FIG. 2 in which
the screen 9 is exposed to be viewed.
[0024] By considering FIG. 4, it may be seen that, when the display
device 8 is stowed, it has a first end 14 within the moulding
forming the coaming 3 and a second end 15 which is within the
housing 7. Thus advantage is taken of the localised significant
depth or thickness of the coaming 3 to accommodate part of the
volume of the display device 8, whilst the rest of the display
device 8 is accommodated in the housing 7. The housing 7 need
therefore be not as big as the display device 8 and can be given a
visible external shape which does not conform to the shape of the
display device itself. In this way, it is possible to disguise that
the display device is hidden away. This is an advantage because the
display device 8 is elongate and generally rectangular as it has
the form of a standard type of flat screen television and any
housing closely conforming to the external shape of the display
device would be likely to give away the fact that the display
device is being hidden therein. The designer of the internal layout
and decor of the cabin is therefore given greater creative
freedom.
[0025] When extended as in FIG. 2, the display device 8 is held
slightly above the top surface 5 such that there is a gap
therebetween in order that the display device will appear to float
above the surface 5.
[0026] The second end 15 of the display device 8 may carry a
decorative panel 16 which is in visual conformity with an adjacent
decorative panel 17 of the housing 7. These panels 16,17 may match
the decorative style elsewhere in the cabin.
* * * * *