U.S. patent application number 14/750343 was filed with the patent office on 2015-10-15 for stowable bimini top.
The applicant listed for this patent is COMMERCIAL SEWING, INC.. Invention is credited to Nicholas Cegelka, Brian DeLisle, Joseph Hamilton, Timothy Hamilton, Michael Hissong, David Mazzarelli, Gregory Perosino.
Application Number | 20150291259 14/750343 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 49156488 |
Filed Date | 2015-10-15 |
United States Patent
Application |
20150291259 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Perosino; Gregory ; et
al. |
October 15, 2015 |
Stowable Bimini Top
Abstract
Disclosed is a slide piece for a stowable bimini frame
associable with a tower structure of a watercraft, the slide piece
including a slide piece body portion, at least one frame
association structure extending from the body portion, the at least
one frame association structure being configured to slidingly
associate the bimini frame with the slide piece body portion, and
an affixing surface of the slide piece body portion, the affixing
surface being positioned and configured for associating the slide
piece body portion with the tower structure of the watercraft.
Inventors: |
Perosino; Gregory;
(Torrington, CT) ; Hamilton; Joseph; (Sweetwater,
TN) ; Hamilton; Timothy; (Lenoir City, TN) ;
Mazzarelli; David; (Torrington, CT) ; Cegelka;
Nicholas; (Torrington, CT) ; Hissong; Michael;
(Torrington, CT) ; DeLisle; Brian; (Barkhamsted,
CT) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
COMMERCIAL SEWING, INC. |
Torrington |
CT |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
49156488 |
Appl. No.: |
14/750343 |
Filed: |
June 25, 2015 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
13611696 |
Sep 12, 2012 |
9096291 |
|
|
14750343 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
114/361 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F16B 2/185 20130101;
F16B 1/00 20130101; B63B 17/02 20130101; F16C 11/10 20130101; Y10T
403/32254 20150115; E04H 15/06 20130101 |
International
Class: |
B63B 17/02 20060101
B63B017/02 |
Claims
1-16. (canceled)
17. A slide piece for a stowable bimini frame associable with a
tower structure of a watercraft, the slide piece comprising: a
slide piece body portion operably coupled to the tower structure;
at least one frame association structure extending from said body
portion, said at least one frame association structure being
configured to slidingly associate the bimini frame with said slide
piece body portion; and an affixing surface of said slide piece
body portion, said affixing surface being positioned and configured
for associating said slide piece body portion with the tower
structure of the watercraft, wherein said slide piece encloses a
portion of the bimini frame to support the bimini frame and limit
separation of the bimini frame from said tower structure.
18. A stowable bimini frame associable with a tower structure of a
watercraft, the bimini frame comprising: a first frame portion; a
second frame portion; a hinge associating said first frame portion
and said second frame portion, said second frame portion being
foldable in a direction of said first frame portion via rotation
about said hinge; a slide piece in sliding association with said
first frame portion via at least one frame association structure
extending from said slide piece; and an affixing surface of said
slide piece, said affixing surface being positioned and configured
for associating said slide piece with the tower structure of the
watercraft, wherein said slide piece is configured to enclose a
portion of the bimini frame to support the bimini frame and to
limit separation of the bimini frame from said tower structure.
19. A bimini top system for a watercraft, the system comprising: a
tower structure extending the watercraft; a stowable frame
including a first frame portion and a second frame portion; a hinge
associating said first frame portion and said second frame portion,
said second frame portion being foldable in a direction of said
first frame portion via rotation about said hinge; and a slide
piece affixed to said tower structure and in sliding association
with said first frame portion via at least one frame association
structure extending from said slide piece, said slide piece being
configured to enclose a portion of the stowable frame to support
the bimini frame and to limit separation of the stowable frame from
said tower structure; wherein said sliding association allows said
stowable frame to be configured between an openable position
extended relatively away from said tower structure and a stowable
position disposed in relative proximity to said tower structure via
a sliding of the stowable frame relative to said slide piece and
said tower structure to which said slide piece is affixed.
20. A slide piece for a stowable bimini frame associable with a
tower structure of a watercraft, the slide piece comprising: a
slide piece body portion operably coupled to the tower structure;
at least one frame association structure extending from said body
portion, said at least one frame association structure being
configured to slidingly associate the bimini frame with said slide
piece body portion; and an affixing surface of said slide piece
body portion, said affixing surface being positioned and configured
for associating said slide piece body portion with the tower
structure of the watercraft such that said first frame portion is
slidable relative to said slide piece while the stowable bimini
frame is coupled to the tower structure.
21. A stowable bimini frame associable with a tower structure of a
watercraft, the bimini frame comprising: a first frame portion; a
second frame portion; a hinge associating said first frame portion
and said second frame portion, said second frame portion being
foldable in a direction of said first frame portion via rotation
about said hinge; a slide piece in sliding association with said
first frame portion via at least one frame association structure
extending from said slide piece; and an affixing surface of said
slide piece, said affixing surface being positioned and configured
for associating said slide piece with the tower structure of the
watercraft such that said first frame portion is slidable relative
to said slide piece while the stowable bimini frame is coupled to
the tower structure.
22. A bimini top system for a watercraft, the system comprising: a
tower structure extending the watercraft; a stowable frame
including a first frame portion and a second frame portion; a hinge
associating said first frame portion and said second frame portion,
said second frame portion being foldable in a direction of said
first frame portion via rotation about said hinge; and a slide
piece affixed to said tower structure and in sliding association
with said first frame portion via at least one frame association
structure extending from said slide piece; wherein said sliding
association allows said stowable frame to slide relative to the
slide piece and the tower when the slide piece is affixed to the
tower structure such that the stowable frame is configured to slide
between an openable position and a stowable position while coupled
to the tower structure.
23. A stowable bimini frame associable with a tower structure of a
watercraft, the bimini frame comprising: a first frame portion; a
second frame portion; a cover portion extending from said first
frame portion to said second frame portion; a hinge associating
said first frame portion and said second frame portion, said second
frame portion being foldable in a direction of said first frame
portion via rotation about said hinge; a slide piece in sliding
association with said first frame portion via at least one frame
association structure extending from said slide piece; and an
affixing surface of said slide piece, said affixing surface being
positioned and configured for associating said slide piece with the
tower structure of the watercraft such that when the stowable frame
is in an openable position, the cover portion is supported solely
by the first frame portion, the second frame portion, and the tower
structure.
24. A bimini top system for a watercraft, the system comprising: a
tower structure extending the watercraft; a stowable frame
including a first frame portion, a second frame portion, and a
cover portion extending between the first frame portion and the
second frame portion; a hinge associating said first frame portion
and said second frame portion, said second frame portion being
foldable in a direction of said first frame portion via rotation
about said hinge; and a slide piece affixed to said tower structure
and in sliding association with said first frame portion via at
least one frame association structure extending from said slide
piece; wherein said sliding association allows said stowable frame
to be configured between an openable position and a stowable
position via a sliding of the stowable frame relative to said slide
piece and said tower structure to which said slide piece is
affixed, wherein when the stowable frame is in said openable
position, the cover portion is supported solely by the first frame
portion, the second frame portion, and the tower structure.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 13/611,696, filed on Sep. 12, 2012, which is
related to and claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent
Application Ser. No. 61/533,574 filed on Sep. 12, 2011 and U.S.
Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/665,701 filed on Jun.
28, 2012, the entire contents of which are herein incorporated by
reference.
FIELD
[0002] The disclosure relates generally to a bimini top, and more
particularly to a stowable bimini top.
BACKGROUND
[0003] Stowing a bimini top for a tower structure that is
associable with a watercraft can be difficult and inefficient from
a standpoint of both a time and storage space. Accordingly, a need
exists in the art for a bimini top that can be easily and
efficiently stowed.
SUMMARY
[0004] Disclosed is a slide piece for a stowable bimini frame
associable with a tower structure of a watercraft, the slide piece
including a slide piece body portion, at least one frame
association structure extending from the body portion, the at least
one frame association structure being configured to slidingly
associate the bimini frame with the slide piece body portion, and
an affixing surface of the slide piece body portion, the affixing
surface being positioned and configured for associating the slide
piece body portion with the tower structure of the watercraft.
[0005] Also disclosed is a stowable bimini frame associable with a
tower structure of a watercraft, the bimini frame including a first
frame portion, a second frame portion, a hinge associating the
first portion and the second portion, the second portion being
foldable in a direction of the first portion via rotation about the
hinge, a slide piece in sliding association with the first frame
portion via at least one frame association structure extending from
the slide piece, and an affixing surface of the slide piece, the
affixing surface being positioned and configured for associating
the slide piece with the tower structure of the watercraft.
[0006] Further disclosed is a bimini top system for a watercraft,
the system including a tower structure extending the watercraft, a
stowable frame including a first frame portion and a second frame
portion a hinge associating the first portion and the second
portion, the second portion being foldable in a direction of the
first portion via rotation about the hinge, and a slide piece
affixed to the tower structure and in sliding association with the
first frame portion via at least one frame association structure
extending from the slide piece, wherein the sliding association
allows the stowable frame to be configured between an openable
position extended relatively away from the tower structure and a
stowable position disposed in relative proximity to the tower
structure via a sliding of the stowable frame relative to the slide
piece and the tower structure to which the slide piece is
affixed.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
[0007] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of schematic bimini frame in an
open position;
[0008] FIG. 2 is a schematic partial and exploded view of a hinge
and slide area of the frame shown in FIG. 1, as well as a portion
of a tower structure of a watercraft;
[0009] FIGS. 3-9 are various partial and full perspective views of
a bimini top shown in positions intermediate to the open position
shown in FIG. 1 and a stowed position;
[0010] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a bimini in a stowed
position;
[0011] FIG. 11 is an enlarged end view of the slide piece shown in
FIG. 1 as configured in a first, unlocked configuration; and
[0012] FIG. 12 is an enlarged end view of the slide piece shown in
FIG. 1 as configured in a second, locked configuration
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0013] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a bimini frame
10 that may fold and slide in a manner that allows a bimini top to
be stowed against a tower/arch type structures mounted on any
desirable style of watercraft (such as but not limited to a sport,
ski, wakeboard, fishing, or other watercraft). As is best shown in
FIG. 2, the frame 10 includes a hinge 12, slide piece 14, and cam
locking device 16. These elements of the frame 10 allow the frame
10 to fold, slide, and lock in the manner alluded to above and
discussed in greater detail below. Along with the frame 10, these
elements may be made of any desirable material, such as but not
limited to various metals and hard plastics. The frame 10 and/or
tower 20 are also typically equipped with a cover portion 17 (such
as but not limited to canvas, plastic, etc.) stretching around and
across the bars of the frame 10 and secured via affixing mechanisms
such as but not limited to Velcro, snaps, and ties.
[0014] As shown in the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 2, the slide
piece 14 includes a slide piece body portion 15, which may be
affixed to a handle 18 of a boat tower structure 20 at affixing
surface 19 via any association means such as but not limited to
mechanical fasteners 21. In the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 2, the
body portion 15 is not directly affixed to the handle portion 18,
as spacer 23 is disposed between the affixable surfaces of the
handle 18 and the slide piece 14 to create clearance therebetween.
Of course, embodiments wherein the surface 19 is directly affixed
to the handle 18 and embodiments wherein some or all of the handle
18, slide piece 14, and/or spacer 23 elements are of unitary
construction with each other are also contemplated.
[0015] As shown in FIG. 1, the frame 10 includes a relatively front
portion 22 and a relatively rear portion 30. The front portion 22
of the frame 10 is associated with the slide piece 14 via frame
association structures or slide parts 24. These slide parts 24 may
be affixed to the body 15 of the slide piece 14 via any association
means such as but not limited to mechanical fasteners, welding, and
unitary construction. In use, slide part portion of the piece 14
may be covered with a protective cover of similar material to the
piece 14. When in the open position shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the
cams 16 are locked so as to prevent the front portion 22 (and frame
10 in general) from sliding relative to the slide piece 14 and the
tower structure 20 to which the slide piece 14 is affixed. The
front portion 22 and back portion 30 of the frame may also be
locked in this open position at the hinge 12.
[0016] As is best shown in FIG. 4, which illustrates an upper
portion of a bimini top system 8 (including the frame 10 and a
portion of the tower structure 20 mounted on a watercraft), the
back portion 30 of the frame 10 may be moved towards a folded (and
eventually stowed) position by folding the frame 10 at hinge 12.
This is achieved by disengaging rear legs 32 from the tower
structure 20 and folding the back portion 30 of the frame 10 (which
is fully locked against sliding in a forward position by the cams
16) upwards and onto the front portion 22. As is best shown in
FIGS. 5-7, the front and back portions of the frame 10 may then be
clipped together via clips 34, and the back legs 32 may be stored
under Velcro flaps.
[0017] Referring now to FIGS. 8-10, the fully folded frame 10
(which remains locked against sliding via cams 16 in FIG. 8 is
positioned for sliding into the stowed position. This stowed
position is shown in FIG. 10, wherein the folded front and back
portions of the frame 10 are slid backwards from the folded
position of FIG. 9 to the stowed position. This sliding occurs by
first unlocking the cams 16, and then sliding the front portion 22
of the frame 20 backwards through the slide parts 24. As the slide
parts 24 are in a fixed position relative to the tower structure 20
(via the affixing of the slide piece 14 to the tower 20), the
sliding of the front portion 22 moves the frame 10 backward
relative to the tower structure 20, and into the folded, slid, and
stowed position shown in FIG. 10. The cams 16 are then again locked
to prevent the frame 10 from sliding out of the stowed
position.
[0018] Referring now to FIGS. 11 and 12, an exemplary embodiment of
the slide piece 14 and cam 16 is shown. In FIG. 11 the slide piece
14 and cam 16 are shown in an unlocked configuration. When in this
unlocked configuration, a clearance is present between the front
portion 22 of the frame and the innermost walls of the slide piece
14. In an exemplary embodiment, this clearance is at least 3/8of an
inch on either lateral side of the frame bar.
[0019] In FIG. 12 the slide piece 14 and cam 16 are shown in a
locked configuration. When in this locked configuration, the cam 16
is positioned in a manner that biases the frame bar towards and
into contact with one of the walls (the wall away from slide piece
connection with the handle 18 in the embodiment of FIG. 12),
causing the bar to traverse and close the clearance that is present
on one side of the bar when in the open position of FIG. 11. The
bias caused by the above discussed locking (or any other desirable
locking mechanism) is designed to hold the frame 10 in position
while traveling at any acceptable speeds of highway or water
transportation.
[0020] While the front and back portions of the frame 10 are shown
to be "U" shaped in the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 1, it should
be appreciated that the frame may include any shape conducive to
use with any known tower configuration. In addition, though the
sliding of the frame 10 is shown to occur through the slide parts
24 in the exemplary embodiments of FIGS. 2-10, it should be
appreciated that this sliding may occur via any known mechanical
mechanism, such as but not limited to telescoping portions and
additional hinges.
[0021] It should be noted that though portions 20, 30 of the frame
10 are referred to as "front" and "back" respectively, these
qualifiers are merely provided for descriptive purposes. In fact,
the portions may be positioned in any desirable orientation
relative to a front or back of a watercraft on which the frame is
mounted.
[0022] All references, including publications, patent applications,
and patents cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference to
the same extent as if each reference were individually and
specifically indicated to be incorporated by reference and were set
forth in its entirety herein.
[0023] The use of the terms "a" and "an" and "the" and similar
referents in the context of describing the invention (especially in
the context of the following claims) is to be construed to cover
both the singular and the plural, unless otherwise indicated herein
or clearly contradicted by context. The terms "comprising,"
"having," "including," and "containing" are to be construed as
open-ended terms (i.e., meaning "including, but not limited to,")
unless otherwise noted. Recitation of ranges of values herein are
merely intended to serve as a shorthand method of referring
individually to each separate value falling within the range,
unless otherwise indicated herein, and each separate value is
incorporated into the specification as if it were individually
recited herein. All methods described herein can be performed in
any suitable order unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise
clearly contradicted by context. The use of any and all examples,
or exemplary language (e.g., "such as") provided herein, is
intended merely to better illuminate the invention and does not
pose a limitation on the scope of the invention unless otherwise
claimed. No language in the specification should be construed as
indicating any non-claimed element as essential to the practice of
the invention.
[0024] Preferred embodiments of this invention are described
herein, including the best mode known to the inventors for carrying
out the invention. Variations of those preferred embodiments may
become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading
the foregoing description. The inventors expect skilled artisans to
employ such variations as appropriate, and the inventors intend for
the invention to be practiced otherwise than as specifically
described herein. Accordingly, this invention includes all
modifications and equivalents of the subject matter recited in the
claims appended hereto as permitted by applicable law. Moreover,
any combination of the above-described elements in all possible
variations thereof is encompassed by the invention unless otherwise
indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context.
* * * * *