Porthole arrangement

An improved porthole arrangement provided with a plurality of water drain holes to drain rain water or spray which may accumulate in the porthole arrangement and the porthole arrangement is also provided with a rain shield which allows the window of the porthole to be maintained in an open position for ventilation purposes and prevents the splashing of water into the interior.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
This invention relates to the porthole art and more particularly through an 
improved porthole arrangement particularly adapted for utilization on 
boats. 
2. Description of the Prior Art 
Porthole arrangements have long been utilized on boats. However, there has 
also recently been an increase in the utilization of porthole type 
arrangements on such things as recreational vehicles, motor homes, 
mini-motor homes and vans. The improved porthole arrangements described 
herein, while described as utilized on a boat, may equally well be 
utilized in any other type of structure, mobile or stationary, where the 
particular features of the improved porthole arrangement are found 
desirable. 
In boat applications it is often desirable to maintain the porthole in an 
open position in order to provide ventilation to the interior of the boat. 
However, during rain storms and/or when the boat is rolling or pitching 
due to wind or wave action, it has been found that with conventional 
porthole arrangements water tends both to accumulate within the porthole 
structure and, depending upon the amount, spill into the interior of the 
boat and also that rain tends to splash upon the porthole structure and, 
with the porthole open, splash into the interior of the boat. The 
splashing of the rain water into the interior of the boat is aggravated 
when the boat is also rolling since periodically a greater projected area 
of the open porthole will be exposed to the rain. 
Further in many instances, vehicles such as boats are often left unattended 
for extended periods of time with the window thereof in a closed position. 
In such instances, water, from rain, condensation, spray, or the like, 
tends to accumulate in the porthole. Consequently, when the window is 
thereafter opened, such accumulated water often flows into the interior of 
the vehicle. 
Additionally, in many boats the walls of a cabin thereon are angled 
upwardly so that the installation of a porthole therein increases the 
projected area thereof exposed to rain as well as increasing the amount of 
water which may accumulate therein. 
Certain prior art structures have attempted to alleviate this condition. 
One such device as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,503,169 shows a self-draining 
window sill but is not particularly adaptable, because of its complex 
nature, to many applications and cannot be conveniently or economically 
fabricated. 
U.S. Pat. No. 2,791,011 shows another version of a drain arrangement from 
windows, glass doors, and the like but does not provide either adequate 
draining of all the water which may accumulate or any protection against 
the splash up of rain water into the interior of the structure upon which 
such a device is mounted. 
Many other prior art patents such as U.S. Pat. Nos. 719,416, 1,752,794, 
1,763,464, 2,377,863, 1,605,388, 1,771,514, 591,707, 1,750,695, 1,648,445, 
960,926, and 2,348,886, all show various arrangements for similar devices 
but none are proven to be completely satisfactory for draining the 
accumulated water as well as preventing splash up of rain water into the 
interior of the structure. 
U.S. Pat. No. 3,636,660 shows another type of window draining arrangement 
with a drainage system provided therein but which is not particularly 
adapted to prevent the splash up of water into the interior of the 
structure. 
Accordingly, it has long been desirable to provide a porthole arrangement, 
particularly useful on boats, in which water is prevented from 
accumulating in the porthole structure and spilling into the interior of 
the boat and also rain water is prevented from splashing up and into the 
interior of the boat, thus allowing the porthole to be maintained in an 
open position for desired ventilation without taking on board large 
amounts of water. It will be appreciated, of course, that in boat 
applications, particularly, where the boat is rolling to such a degree 
that the lower edge of the porthole will be submerged for any period of 
time below the water level due to a combination of the roll and wave 
and/or wind action, the porthole must be maintained closed in order to 
prevent flooding of the interior. However, where the porthole is 
sufficiently above the expected water level it has been found that the 
porthole constructed in accordance with the principles of the present 
invention may be maintained in an open position over a wider range of roll 
angles and/or rain or spray angles than portholes heretofore available. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
Accordingly, it is the object of the present invention to provide improved 
porthole arrangements. 
It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved 
porthole arrangement particularly adapted for boats. 
It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved 
porthole arrangement which may be maintained in an open position over a 
comparatively wide range of roll angles and wind and/or spray angles 
impinging upon the boat. 
It is still another object of the present invention to provide an improved 
porthole arrangement that is self-draining to prevent the accumulation of 
water thereon. 
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an improved 
porthole arrangement in which rain is prevented from splashing up and into 
the interior of the boat through the open porthole. 
The above and other objects of the present invention are achieved, 
according to a preferred embodiment thereof, by providing an interior 
frame means having a top, bottom and opposed side walls. A through hull 
fitting means is coupled to the interior frame means and, in preferred 
embodiments of the present invention may be unitarily formed therewith. 
The through hull fitting means has top, bottom and opposed side walls 
aligned with the corresponding top, bottom and opposed side walls of the 
interior frame means. Both the interior frame means and the through hull 
fitting means have first walls that define aligned appertures 
therethrough. 
A screen bracket means which comprises an upstanding rim means is coupled 
to the first walls of the through hull fitting and extends around the 
apperture and projects into the apperture a first preselected distance. 
The screen bracket means is spaced from the interior surface of the 
interior frame means. 
A transparent rain shield means is coupled to the interior surface of the 
interior frame means along the bottom wall thereof and projects upwardly a 
preselected distance into the apperture therethrough and the distance that 
the rain shield projects upwardly is greater than the height of the screen 
bracket means. 
The screen bracket means is provided with a plurality of drain apperture 
walls therethrough to provide communication between the region located 
between the rain shield means and the screen bracket means and regions 
external the screen bracket means along the bottom wall of the through 
hull fitting. 
A U-shaped channel means is coupled to the bottom wall of the through hull 
fitting and extends therebelow and the bottom wall of each of the through 
hull fitting and interior frame means are provided with water passage 
means extending into the U-shaped channel. The water passage means allows 
water on the bottom walls of the interior frame means in regions between 
the rain shield means and the screen bracket means to drain into the 
U-shaped channel due to gravity flow and, similarly, the water passage in 
the bottom wall of the through hull fitting allows water to drain 
therethrough and into the U-shaped channel by gravity flow. Thus, water is 
prevented from accumulating along the bottom walls of either the through 
hull fitting or the interior frame means and is prevented from being 
trapped in regions between the rain shield and the screen bracket. 
The rain shield prevents rain or other spray from bouncing up after 
striking a surface of the porthole arrangement and through the apperture 
and into the interior of the structure to which the porthole arrangement 
is attached. Thus, the window, which is pivotally attached to the interior 
frame means of the interior surface thereof, may be maintained in an open 
position over a wider range of roll angles of the boat to which the 
porthole arrangement is attached and a wider range of downwardly directed 
rain fall that has heretofore been available in prior art portholes. 
Similarly, the drain apperture walls in the screen bracket means also 
allows water to drain from the region between the rain shield and the 
screen bracket means and into the through hull fitting along the bottom 
wall thereof for eventual draining overboard. However, in applications of 
the present invention wherein the porthole is installed in an upwardly 
angled cabin wall of a boat, additional drain tubes may be installed to 
provide a vertically lower water outlet from, for example, the region 
between the screen bracket and rain shield (and/or window) and the 
U-shaped channel itself. Such an embodiment allows utilization of the same 
basic porthole structure in all applications while still providing the 
advantages of the present invention. It will be appreciated, of course, 
that structures such as buildings or mobile vehicles on land are generally 
not subjected to the wide range of roll angles and/or pitch angles while 
vehicles such as boats or aircraft, of course, are subjected to a wide 
range of roll angles and pitch angles. Thus, while the present invention 
may be utilized in any type of structure where desired, it has particular 
utility in, for example, boats where the combination of a spray and/or 
wave action water together with rain and accompanied by a wide range of 
roll and/or pitch angles subjects the porthole arrangement to much more 
incident water thereon than in stationary or land based vehicles.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
Referring now to the drawings there is illustrated a preferred embodiment 
generally designated 10 of the present invention. It will be appreciated 
that the description of the utilization of the preferred embodiment 10 is 
in connection with a boat. However, such description is for illustrative 
purposes only to set forth the best mode contemplated for carrying out the 
invention and is not to be interpreted as a limitation upon the invention 
or the utilization thereof. 
The embodiment 10 is utilized on a boat 12 and in particular on the hull 14 
of such a boat. 
The embodiment 10 is provided with an interior frame means 16 having a top 
wall 18, a bottom wall 20 and a pair of opposed side walls 22 and 24. The 
interior frame means 16 is more clearly depicted in FIG. 3. A window means 
26 is pivotally mounted on the upper wall 18 of the interior frame means 
16 for pivotal movement about the pivot axis 28 from an open position as 
illustrated in FIG. 3 to a closed position where the window 26 is closely 
adjacent to the interior frame means 16. The wing nut and bolt 29 may be 
utilized to clamp the window 26 in any desired position between the open 
and closed positions thereof. A plurality of pivotally mounted securing 
means 30 are pivotally mounted on the lower wall 20 of the interior frame 
means 16 and, in the embodiment 10 are comprised of pivotally mounted bolt 
means 32 having wing nuts 34 thereon. The securing means 30 are pivotable 
about an axis 35 which, in embodiment 10 is substantially parallel to the 
axis 28. 
The securing means 30 are utilized to hold the window 26 in water tight 
sealing relationship to the interior frame means 16 and to provide such a 
water tight sealing relationship the interior frame means 16 is provided 
with a gasket 36 extending therearound and the window means 26 is provided 
with a raised lip 38 for engaging the gasket 36 for the condition of the 
window means 26 in the closed position. 
The interior frame means 16 is provided with interior walls 40 defining an 
apperture 42 therethrough. 
A through hull fitting generally designated 44 is coupled to the interior 
frame means 16 and, in preferred embodiments of the present invention is 
unitarily formed therewith. The through hull fitting 44 is provided with a 
top wall 46, a bottom wall 48 and a pair of opposed side walls 50 and 52 
which are aligned with their respective counterparts in the interior frame 
means 16. The through hull fitting 44 is also provided with first walls 54 
defining an apperture 56 therethrough and the apperture 56 is aligned with 
the apperture 42 in the interior frame means 16. A screen bracket means 60 
is coupled to the through hull fitting 44 on the first walls 54 thereof to 
define an upstanding rim extending around the apperture 56. The screen 
bracket means 60 is also provided with apperture walls 62 defining a 
plurality of drain passages therethrough providing communication between 
the apperture 42 in the interior frame means 16 and the apperture 56 in 
the through hull fitting 44. The screen bracket 60 is utilized to retain a 
screen (not shown) in the porthole arrangement 10. The screen bracket 
means 60 projects a first preselected distance into the apperture 56 which 
distance is shown on FIG. 3 by the letter "a". Thus, the two drain 
appertures 62a adjacent to bottom wall 48 of the through hull fitting 44 
provide communication between the bottom wall 20 of the interior frame 
means 16 and the bottom wall 48 of the through hull fitting 44. 
A transparent rain shield means 70 is coupled to the interior surface 16' 
of the interior frame means 16 and is spaced a second preselected distance 
indicated by the letter "b" from the screen bracket means 60. The 
transparent rain shield means 70 extends upwardly into the apperture 42 
from the bottom wall 40 of the interior frame means 16 a third preselected 
distance indicated by the letter "c". The distance indicated by the letter 
"c" is greater than the distance indicated by the letter "a". 
A U-shaped channel means 72 comprising a pair of U-shaped channels 74 and 
76 are coupled to the lower surface 48 of the through hull fitting 44 and 
define a generally U-shaped channel 78 extending below the bottom wall 48 
of the through hull fitting 44. 
A first water passage means 80 extends through the bottom wall 48 of the 
through hull fitting 44 and communicates with the channel 78. A second 
water passage means 82 is provided in the bottom wall 40 of the interior 
frame means 16 between the rain shield 70 and the screen bracket 60 and 
communicates with the first water passage 80 and the channel 78. 
Preferably, the U-shaped channel 74 is positioned in regions adjacent the 
side wall 50 of the through hull fitting 44 and the U-shaped channel 76 is 
positioned in regions adjacent the side wall 52 of the through hull 
fitting 44. 
A backup flange means 90 is positionable around the through hull fitting 44 
on the external side of the hull 14 of the boat 12. A plurality of 
attachment means such as bolts 92 extend through the backup flange 90 and 
through the interior frame means 16 for securing the porthole arrangement 
10 to the boat 12. 
It will be appreciated that many other attachment means may be selected for 
desired applications. For example, the porthole 10 may be bonded by, for 
example, an epoxy or a resin to the boat hull 14; it may be secured by 
sheet metal screws, or the like. Similarly, the backup flange 90 may be 
secured to the hull 14 independently of the interior frame means 16. 
The functional applicability of the structural arrangement of the porthole 
10 is readily apparent from the above description and accompanying 
drawing. Thus, the rain shield 70 prevents the splash up of water from 
rain which may be impinging upon the boat 12 in the direction indicated by 
the arrow 100 in FIG. 4. Further, depending upon the thickness of the hull 
14, the rain shield 12 may also prevent the direct impingement of rain in 
the general direction of the arrow 100 from entering the interior 12' of 
the boat 12. For the condition of the boat 12 rolling in the dire-tions 
indicated by the arrow 102 on FIG. 4, the functional utilization of the 
rain shield 70 not only prevents splash up of the rain from entering the 
interior 12' but also apray to which the boat 12 may be subjected. Thus, 
the window 26 may be maintained in its open position, as illustrated in 
FIG. 3, through a wider range of roll angles during rain storms and/or 
rough seas than has heretofore been allowed with prior art portholes. 
The drain apperture walls 62 and in particular 62a provide communication 
between the apperture 42 in the interior frame means 16 and the apperture 
56 in the through hull fitting 44 to allow the free flow of water 
therebetween. 
The water passage means 80 and 82 communicating with the channel 78 allows 
the free flow of water into the channel 78 and prevents the accumulation 
of water along the lower wall 48 of the through hull fitting 44 or the 
lower wall 40 of the interior frame means 16. The U-shaped channels 74 and 
76 are preferably in regions adjacent to the side walls 50 and 52 of the 
through hull fitting 44 so that when the boat 12 is subjected to a 
pitching motion, as indicated by the arrow 104 in FIGS. 2 and 3, water 
will not build up, for example, in regions between the rain shield 70 and 
screen bracket 60 but will drain therefrom to the channel 78 since it is 
disposed vertically lower and gravity provides the necessary drain flow of 
the water. 
As noted above, the present invention may be advantageously utilized in any 
structure to provide the advantages set forth. Further, the same basic 
structure of the porthole 10 may be so utilized regardless of the 
orientation, with respect to the vertical, of the structure. 
FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrate an embodiment, generally designated 110, of a 
porthole arrangement 10', which is generally similar to the porthole 
arrangement 10, as may be installed on a cabin wall 112 which is upwardly 
slanted with respect to the vertical indicated by the dotten line 116. In 
the embodiment 110 there is provided a first tube means 118 extending 
through the aperture 82 in the bottom wall 40 of the interior frame 16, 
through the channel 78, through an aperture 120 in backup flange 92 and 
has a discharge end 118a adjacent to walls 112 at a position spaced 
vertically below the inlet end 118b thereof. Thus, water may drain from 
regions between the screen bracket 60 and rain shield 70 through first 
tube 118 to prevent accumulation of water therebetween. Similarly, if the 
rain shield 70 is omitted, as it may be in some embodiments of the present 
invention, tube 118 allows drainage of water from the region between the 
window 26 (not shown in FIG. 5) and rain shield 60. 
A second tube means 122 may be provided adjacent the interior end 78' of 
channel 78 along the bottom thereof and through the aperture 120 in backup 
flange 92 to provide an outlet end 122a vertically spaced below the inlet 
end 122b thereof. Tube means 122 drains the channel 78 of accumulated 
water therein once syphon action commences. Such syphon action may be 
started, for example, by rolling motion of the boat having cabin 112 
thereon. 
FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 4 but showing the window of the porthole 
in a closed position wherein the rim 38 is in sealing engagement with the 
gasket 36. 
From the above it is apparent that there has been provided an improved 
porthole arrangement. Those skilled in the art may find many variations 
and adaptations thereof and the appended claims are intended to cover all 
such variations and adaptations falling within the true scope and spirit 
of the invention.