Abstract:
A cover or housing for marine instruments in which a rectangular opening giving access to the instrument is closed by a curved cover or door which rotates about the axis of the curves between open and closed positions. In its closed position are four edges of the rectangular opening are sealed relative to the cover to protect the instrument from air bourn sea spray or rain.

Description:
This application claims the benefit of Provisional application Ser. No. 60/298,267 filed Jun. 14, 2001. 

   FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
   This invention relates to marine instruments and more particularly to a housing structure for such instruments to protect them from water such as rain and sea spray. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   Marine instruments such as two way radios, depth sounders, Global Positioning Systems (GPS), autopilots as well as components of stereo sound systems frequently are mounted at the control position of smaller boats and vessels so that they can be viewed and controlled by the pilot. 
   Although many of these instruments are intended to be waterproof it is still desirable and necessary to protect the face of the instruments from rainwater and sea spray. This necessitates a movable cover which must give access to the instrument controls and must protect the instrument from spray or rain when use of the controls is not required and at the same time make the instrument visible 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   Covers or housings for instruments have been provided in which a door or cover is curved and moves in a curved path about a horizontal axis so that the door rotates or swings down to close a rectangular opening and rotates upwardly when needed to expose the instrument controls. However, most of such housings rely on a decorative frame or bezel to overlap and cover the exposed edges between the moveable door and frame to prevent a direct path for the entry of spray. Some housings provide sealing at only the lower edge of the door and its mating lower edge of the frame and none of such housings appear to close and seal all four edges between the cover and its frame. 
   It is an object of the present invention to provide an instrument housing for instruments so that they can be protected from airborne moisture by a sealing arrangement which obstructs moisture entry and is effective at all edges of the moveable door relative to its frame. 
   It is another object of the invention to provide an instrument housing with a curved door having mating, sealing surfaces at all edges including the upper edge of the door and frame when the later is in a closed position. 
   The objects of the invention are attained by an instrument housing which is adapted for mounting in an opening in a wall, such as the bulkhead of a boat. The housing includes a mounting frame for supporting the selected instrument which is adapted for mounting in a fixed position in the opening in the wall. The mounting frame has a rectilinear opening which is opened and closed by a cover member having a curved surface shaped as a 90 degree segment of a cylinder wall with the axis extending parallel to the upper and lower edges of the opening in the frame and with the cover member rotating about the axis between opened and closed positions. A sealing flange is formed adjacent an upper edge of the cover member for complementary engagement with a sealing surface on the upper edge of the frame. Additional sealing is provided at the lower edge of the cover member and at its opposed side edges where mating curved surfaces with the frame are kept in sliding engagement with each other during movement toward and in the closed position. 

   
     DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is perspective view of the housing structure for marine instruments embodying the invention mounted in a bulkhead of a boat with the cover in its open position; 
       FIG. 2  is a view similar to  FIG. 1  but showing the cover in its closed position; 
       FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional view taken generally on line  3 — 3  in FIG.  1  and showing the cover in its open position; 
       FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view at an enlarged scale of a portion encircled in  FIG. 3 ; 
       FIG. 5  is a view similar to  FIG. 3  showing the cover in its closed position; 
       FIG. 6  is a view similar to  FIG. 4  at an enlarged scale included in  FIG. 5  showing mating portions of the latch structure in  FIG. 5 ; 
       FIG. 7  is a top plan view of the housing structure in its closed position with the decorative frame removed; and 
       FIG. 8  is a front elevation of the cover structure in its closed position with part of the decorative frame broken away and removed. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
   Referring to the drawings, the marine instrument housing structure embodying the invention is designated generally at  10 , the face of which includes a hinged door or cover  12  surrounded by a bezel or frame member  14 . The instrument cover assembly  10  also includes an instrument mounting bracket designated at  16  in  FIG. 3  which supports marine instruments such as the radio depicted in  FIGS. 1 and 2  at  18 . 
   The instrument housing structure  10 , together with the supported marine instrument or radio  18  are supported in a boat from a generally vertical bulkhead or instrument panel board  20  shown partially in  FIGS. 1 and 2 . 
   Mounting bracket  16  forming part of the marine instrument housing structure  10  includes a pair of parallel spaced side walls  22  one of which can be seen in FIG.  3  and each has a rear angled edge  24  and a forward curved edge  26 . The end walls  22  are held in a spaced apart relationship by an upper shelf member  28  and a lower C-shaped shelf  30  seen in FIG.  7 . Shelf  30  extends along the bottom edges of the end walls  22  and between the end walls  22  and generally in parallel relation to the upper shelf  28 . The mounting bracket  16  acts to support the marine instrument which usually is a two-way radio. The majority of such radios come in two sizes and the disclosed structure accommodates the largest as well as the smaller size. The sidewalls  22  also are held in spaced apart relationship by means of a rectangular front frame  32  as seen in  FIGS. 7 and 8  which forms a mounting flange having screw holes  34  to receive mounting fasteners not shown. The mounting bracket  16  including the end walls  22  the upper shelf  28 , lower shelf  30  and frame  32  are molded as an integral unit of plastic material. The back of the frame  32  is provided with a rectangular gasket  35  which acts as a seal between the frame and the mounting wall or bulkhead  20  of the vessel. 
   A rectangular opening  36  seen in  FIG. 8  is formed by the frame  32  and receives a moveable and curved cover  12 . The cover  12  is made of transparent plastic which can be clear or tinted. The outer wall  37  of the cover  12  is curved about an axis designated at  38  in  FIGS. 3 and 5  and is a 90° segment of a cylindrical wall. Opposite ends of the cylindrical wall have a pair of parallel arms  40  integral with and extending radially from an upper edge of the outer wall  37  and pivoted to the sidewalls  22  at  38 . The inner surface of outer wall  37  conforms to the curvature of the curved edge  26  of the end walls  22 . Opposite ends of the wall  37  are provided with flanges or lips  39  extending radially from the outer wall  37  and remain closely spaced to the outer side of each of the end walls  22  as seen in FIG.  8 . 
   During movement from open to closed position the curved outer wall  37  of cover  12  passes through an elongated slot  41  formed between upper shelf  28  and the upper horizontal edge portion  42  of frame  32  as best seen in FIG.  3 . At the opposite ends, the slot  41  extends slightly downward at the outer sides of the sidewalls  22  as indicated at  43  in FIG.  8 . 
   Also during such movement the inner surface of curved wall  37  remains in sliding engagement with the curved end edges  26  of end walls  22  so that in the closed position, the curved edges  26  and curved cover member are in closed abutting relationship. The abutting relationship is enhanced by the position of the arms  40  at the upper edge  46  so that the curved cylindrical segment is cantilevered from the arms  40  and the flexibility of the plastic allows the inner curved surface of cover member to be urged into engagement with the curved forward edges  26  of the frame walls  22 . 
   In addition to the upper edge  42  of the rectangular opening  36  in frame  32 , the opening is bordered by a lower edge  44  (seen in  FIG. 8 ) and opposed, curved side edges  26 . Similarly, the curved cover  12  has an upper edge  46  a lower parallel edge  47  and a pair of curved side edges at the lips  39  forming the general perimeter of the cover. 
   The cover  12  is biased towards its open position by a coil spring  49  having its center end anchored near the axis  38  and it outer end fastened to each of the arms  40  by a fastener  50 . Pivotal movement of the cover  12  from its open to its closed position is resiliently resisted by coil springs  49  and opening movement is caused by spring  49  but is dampened by a pair of viscous washers  51  at opposite ends of the cover  12 . The washers  51  cause the door to move slowly from its closed to its opened position under the action of the biasing springs  49 . 
   The cover member  12  is held in its closed position illustrated in  FIG. 5 and 6  by a latch mechanism indicated generally at  52  including a handle  53  and a deflectable hook element  54  which engages the retaining ledge  56  formed on the lower edge of the face  37  of the cover member  12  as seen in FIG.  6 . The hook element  54  pivots a limited amount about one end at  58  in  FIGS. 4 and 6  upon downward deflection of handle  53 . The latch mechanism best seen in  FIGS. 3 through 6  also incorporates a leaf spring  60  seen in  FIG. 8 , is fastened by screws  62  to the lower part of the frame  32 . Spring  60  urges the hook  52  towards and maintains it in its engaging position. 
   The lower edge  47  of curved cover  12  is formed with a flange  64  to opposite sides of latch  52  which acts as a handle to move the cover downwardly from its open position in  FIG. 1  towards its latch engaging position as shown in FIG.  2 . 
   Referring now to  FIGS. 3 and 5 , the cover member  12  is provided with a sealing flange  72  which extends across the full length of the upper edge of the face  37  and at opposite ends of the side of the arms  40 . In the closed position of the cover member  12  the sealing flange  72  engages a resilient seal  74  extending across the upper edge  42  of the opening  36  at the rear of the frame  32  and downwardly at an upper portion of the side edges  45  of opening  36 . In addition to the upper sealing arrangement, the lower horizontal edge  47  of the closed door  12  engages a resilient seal  76  formed on the forward surface of the frame  32  as best seen in FIG.  6 . 
   A sealing relationship also is formed at the curved cover edges by the sliding engagement of the inside of the curved face  37  of the cover  12  and the curved edges  26  of end walls  22 . The sealing relationship is enhanced by the radially extending curved sealing lips or flanges  42  seen in FIG.  8 . In this manner, the entire perimeter of the moveable cover  12  is provided with sealing means which resists the passage of spray or rain to the instrument supported by the cover structure  10 . 
   When the instrument housing  10  of the present invention is installed in a bulkhead or wall member, the marine instrument which is housed in the structure is visible with the cover member in either its open or in its closed position as seen in  FIGS. 1 and 2 . When the latch  52  is deflected downwardly in the position viewed in  FIG. 2 , the door or cover  12  is released and is urged slowly to an open position as seen in FIG.  1 . Closing simply requires manual movement by pressing the handles  64  on the lower edge of the cover member  12  downwardly to the position seen in  FIG. 2  which causes the latch  52  to engage and hold the cover member  12  in its closed position. 
   Although the cover structure has a moveable closure  16 , protection is offered from sea spray and rain by a structure having seals at all four sides of rectangular opening which operate when the rotatable closure is in its closed position. The lower seal  76  extends the full width of the frame and is sealingly engaged by the lower edge  44  of the movable cover  12 . The opposite curved sides or ends  48  of the cover  12  have sliding engagement with each other and additionally have protective flanges  42  which overlap to the sides of side walls  22 , as seen in  FIG. 8  to prevent entry of sea spray and rain. The top edge  42  of the rectangular opening  36  and end portions  43  are sealed by means of the flange  72  which form part of the movable cover and engage a seal  74  at the edge of openings  36  and  43 . 
   Sealing protection of instruments mounted in the cover structure  10  is further enhanced by the rectangular bezel or decorative frame member which covers the front face of the mounting bracket and overlaps all four sides of the opening  36  and the cover  12 . 
   A marine housing structure has been provided in which instruments such as radios can be protected from rain and spray by an enclosure which has a rotatable cover structure sealed around its entire perimeter against the entry of airborne water such as rain or spray, making it possible to mount marine instruments adjacent to the pilots position on smaller vessels which often are exposed to the elements.