Abstract:
The present invention is a rub rail assembly for mounting on a surface of a vessel, the assembly having a rigid portion having a mounting side facing the surface of the vessel, a wear side facing away from the surface of the vessel, a female recess on said wear side for accepting a complimentary male connector of a mounting clip.

Description:
INDEX TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/844,802, filed Sep. 15, 2006 the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND AND RELATED ART 
       [0002]    The present invention pertains to a rub rail for attaching to a deck and/or hull of a boat, more specifically, to a rub rail with a provision for attaching a strap with a clip thereto. 
         [0003]    Many types of land-based and marine vehicles use some form of energy-absorbing protective strip to reduce the likelihood and extent of body damage in the event of contact with a foreign object. In the case of vehicles such as automobiles, this protective strip is called “body side molding”, while in marine vessels it is called a “rub rail”. 
         [0004]    Rub rails presently in common use are extrusions of aluminum, rigid vinyl, flexible vinyl, or other extrudable materials. Both the aluminum and the rigid vinyl rub rails lay straight when installed on the deck or hull of the boat. 
         [0005]    The disadvantages of a rub rail as described above are they are limited to protecting the hull of the boat and they do not offer any possibility for attaching or fastening of tarp, boat cover, or bimini top. Protective tarps or boat covers are typically held down by bungee cords, snaps, or rope. These types of hold down devices are hard to use and can be dangerous to use. In the case of a bungee cord, it can be quite dangerous to secure the tarp because of the tension applied to the cord and the metal hooks on the ends of the cord. In the case of using snaps, all the snap hardware must be mounted to both the vessel and the tarp and the as the cover and the hardware weather and wear it becomes quite difficult to attach the cover and the snaps can tear out of the tarp due to the forces applied thereon. Additional difficulties arise with alignment of snaps as canvas tops shrink when exposed to the various weather elements. Snaps may also become detached and thus are no longer functional. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    The present invention is a rub rail with an inserted clip that is more versatile and easier to use and overcomes the disadvantages disclosed above. The rub rail includes a groove for receiving a clip that is attached to a strap. 
         [0007]    In a preferred embodiment, the groove incorporated in the rub rail of the present invention is configured to form interlocking relationship with a clip. The interlocking relationship may be any interlock known in the art. In a preferred embodiment the clip includes a flared or ball and that can compress when subjected to pressure and expands to its original shape once inserted in the groove of the rub rail. The expansion of the ball end once it is seated in the clip provides the desired interlock. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
         [0008]    The embodiments of the invention are illustrated by way of example, and not by way of limitation, in the figures of the accompanying drawings in which like reference numerals refer to similar elements. In the drawings: 
           [0009]      FIG. 1  is a cross sectional view of the rub rail according to the invention; 
           [0010]      FIG. 1A  is a close up of the female recess from  FIG. 1 . 
           [0011]      FIG. 2  is cross sectional view of the rub rail according to the invention with the clip attached to the rail; 
           [0012]      FIG. 2A  is cross sectional view of the rub rail according to the invention with the clip compresses before it is attached to the rail; 
           [0013]      FIG. 3  is a plan view of the clip according to the invention; 
           [0014]      FIG. 4  is an enlarged cross sectional view along line B-B of  FIG. 3  of the clip according to the invention; 
           [0015]      FIG. 5  is a sectional view along line C-C of  FIG. 3  of the clip according to the invention; 
           [0016]      FIG. 6  is side elevational view of the rub rail according to the invention with the clip attached to the rail; 
           [0017]      FIG. 7  is side perspective view of the clip according to the invention. 
           [0018]      FIG. 8  is an end view of the clip according to the invention. 
           [0019]      FIG. 9  shows a cross section of a boat (not drawn to scale) with a rub rail on each side and straps connected to the rub rail holding a tarp. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0020]    In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth. However, it is understood that embodiments of the invention may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and techniques have not been shown in detail in order not to obscure the understanding of this description. 
         [0021]    Rub rail  1  includes a groove  4  at the lower portion of rub rail  1 . Grove  4  is a female recess that extends the length of rub rail  1 . Preferably, the recess has a narrow region  23  close to clip outer surface  22  that expands to a wider region  24  within groove  4 . Region  24  is close to mounting side  21 . 
         [0022]    As seen in  FIG. 4 , clip  10  has a j-shape and includes a flared or ball end  11 . 
         [0023]    A slot  12  is formed in clip  10  at ball end  11 . Slot  12  allows the ball end  11  to compress when it is being inserted into the groove  4  through narrow region  23 . After the ball end  11  is fully inserted into the groove  4 , ball end  11  enters wider region  24  and is no longer compressed. Ball end  11  expands, returns to its original shape, and creates an interlocking relationship between ball end  11  and grove  4 . Thus clip  10  is secured and held into place in groove  4 . 
         [0024]      FIGS. 2 ,  6 , and  9  depict rub rail  1  with clip  10  in place. The interconnection of clip  10  with rub rail  1  is at ball end  11 . Rub rail  1  and clip  10  can be constructed of any plastic which is suitable for the environment that a vessel using rub rail  1  will be used in. 
         [0025]    The rub rail  1  includes additional longitudinal groves  25  and  26  that receive stainless insert  3  in the center of rub rail  1 . 
         [0026]    Clip  10  includes openings  14  and  15  for receiving strap  27 . The opposite end of strap is attached to tarp  31 , boat cover or other item to be tethered, thereby holds the item e.g. tarp  31 , in place on the boat. Clip  10  is secured to rub rail  1  on sides  29  and  30 . 
         [0027]    Since rub rails  1  typically run the length of the vessel to which they are attached, groove  4  makes it easy to attach a large number of clips  11  in any position desired along rub rail  1  and thus allows for a quick and easy attachment of a boat cover or tarp to a vessel at any place along rub rail  1 . 
         [0028]    In an environment of use, one or more rub rails of the present invention are positioned and secured to a desired vessel. Clip  10  will be positioned such that end  11  is placed proximate to groove  4 . Pressure is applied such that end  11  engages and is secured to rub rail  1  at groove  4 . 
         [0029]    Grove  4  is configured such that the opening is smaller than the diameter of ball end  11  when ball end  11  is in a relaxed or uncompressed state. As seen in  FIG. 2A , ball end  11  is compressible such that the diameter is decreased in order to allow insertion into groove  4 . Once ball end  11  is in groove  4 , ball end  11  expands to the diameter before compression and provides an interlock to hold ball end  11  within groove  4 . 
         [0030]    An embodiment depicted in  FIG. 9 , not drawn to scale has rub rail  1  on both first boat side  29  and second boat side  30 . Straps  27  extend from clips  10  and secure tarp  31 . The connection of straps  27  to tarp  31  may be by any method known in the art. 
         [0031]    While the invention has been described in its preferred form or embodiment with some degree of particularity, it is understood that this description has been given only by way of example and that numerous changes in the details of construction, fabrication, and use, including the combination and arrangement of parts, may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.