Swiveling wind scoop

A wind scoop for ventilating the enclosed interior area of a boat through a hatch opening thereof is disclosed. The wind scoop comprises a flexible sail for continuously directing an air flow into the hatch opening independent of the direction of the boat with respect to the wind, a mast for rotatably supporting the sail above the hatch opening, and fasteners for holding the mast to the boat above the hatch opening. A wing mechanism responsive to changes in the direction of the wind for changing the orientation of the sail and a swivel mechanism for rotating the sail on the mast are also disclosed. An auxiliary scoop for mounting within the boat to further direct air flow within the boat, and a rain cover for mounting above the wind scoop may be provided.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
This invention relates to ventilation devices for directing a flow of air 
to the interior space of a boat, and more particularly to a wind scoop for 
ventilating the living space below the deck of a boat with fresh air. 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
One of the persistent problems encountered by boaters is the excessive heat 
and humidity which collects in the interior enclosed spaces of a boat such 
as a power boat or sail boat. Since these boats are exposed to direct 
sunlight for extended periods, the interior living space of the boat often 
becomes overheated. 
Numerous attempts have been made in the prior art to solve this problem by 
ventilating the enclosed area of boats. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 59,264 
to Raymond describes a wind sail which includes four wings for catching 
the wind from different directions to direct fresh air down into the 
vessel. U.S. Pat. No. 1,533,344 to Singleton discloses a ship ventilator 
cowl which includes a windmill mounted in the cowl for automatically 
turning the cowl into the wind. 
U.S. Pat. No. 3,757,664 to Jalbert describes a cloth ventilator which is 
fixed in a hatchway of a vessel so that the wind can blow into the 
ventilator in any direction and be directed downwardly into the bottom 
portion of the vessel. 
Other ventilation devices for ships are described in U.S. Pat. No. 
1,076,609 to Searcy, U.S. Pat. No. 665,507 to Carrico, and U.S. Pat. No. 
1,330,569 to Ahern. 
The prior art ventilating structures are generally cumbersome, expensive to 
build, and are impractical for use with small boats such as pleasure craft 
owned and used by individuals. The most commonly used ventilator at the 
present time is a fixed sail-like device which must be attached to the 
hatch and mast of a boat and must be repositioned manually whenever the 
boat changes direction with respect to the wind. Thus, these devices are 
not readily adaptable to use on power boats having no mast. 
At the present time, there is no practical way to maintain a flow of 
ventilating air into the interior enclosed space of a boat regardless of 
the direction of the boat with respect to the wind. Accordingly, it is a 
primary object of this invention to automatically and continuously direct 
an air flow into the hatch opening of a boat regardless of the direction 
of the boat with respect to the wind. 
It is a further object of this invention to automatically swivel a wind 
scoop in response to the changes in the direction of the wind. 
Another object of the invention is to further direct the flow of 
ventilating air within a boat through the use of an auxiliary scoop. 
A further object of the invention is to economically and efficiently 
ventilates the interior of both sail boats and power boats. 
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in 
part in the description that follows, and in part will be obvious from the 
description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects 
and advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by means of 
the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the 
appended claims. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
To achieve the foregoing objects and in accordance with the purpose of the 
invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, the wind scoop of the 
present invention is for ventilating the enclosed interior area of a boat 
through a hatch opening thereof. The wind scoop comprises flexible sail 
means for continuously directing an air flow into the hatch opening 
regardless of the direction of the boat with respect to the wind; mast 
means for rotatably supporting the sail means above the hatch opening; and 
means for fastening the mast means to the boat above the hatch opening. 
Preferably, the wind scoop also includes wing means responsive to changes 
in the direction of the wind for changing the orientation of the sail 
means; and swivel means for rotating the sail means on the mast means. It 
is also preferred that the sail means include a sail having a scoop-like 
shape, and that the swivel means include a hollow vertically oriented rod 
for supporting the sail. The hollow rod preferably has upper and lower 
portions and the swivel means preferably includes a horizontally oriented 
member attached to the lower end for further supporting the sail. 
It is also preferred that the mast means include a frame for attachment to 
the boat and a mast extending vertically from the frame. The hollow rod is 
typically sized for receiving the mast into the hollow portion thereof for 
rotating the hollow rod on the mast. 
Preferably, an auxiliary scoop is mounted within the boat below the hatch 
for further directing the air flow within the boat. The auxiliary scoop 
includes means for attaching the scoop to the boat, such as velcro 
fasteners or snaps. A rain cover may also be provided for mounting above 
the wind scoop.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
Reference will now be made in detail to the present preferred embodiment of 
the invention, an example of which is illustrated in the accompanying 
drawings. 
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the invention is a wind scoop for ventilating 
the enclosed interior area of a boat through a hatch opening thereof. In 
accordance with the invention, flexible sail means are provided for 
continuously directing an air flow into the hatch opening regardless of 
the direction of the boat with respect to the wind. Mast means are 
provided for rotatably supporting the sail means above the hatch opening, 
and means for fastening the mast means to the boat above the hatch opening 
are included. As embodied herein, and illustrated in the drawings, the 
flexible sail means includes a sail 10 having a scoop-like shape. The sail 
may be formed of any suitable cloth-like material, and includes grommets 
for attaching the sail to the swivel means, described hereinafter. A thin 
plastic rib 34 may be sewn into the sail fabric at the bottom center 
thereof for providing some rigidity to the sail. 
As shown in FIG. 2, the mast means includes a vertically extending mast 12 
attached to a frame 13. The frame 13 and mast 12 may be formed of metal or 
other material having sufficient rigidity to withstand the forces of the 
wind encountered under normal conditions. The frame 13 may be formed in 
the shape of a square or rectangle as shown in FIG. 2. In this 
configuration, crosspieces 14 and 15 are provided for supporting the mast 
12. The frame 13 may be attached to the boat over the hatch by any 
suitable means. For example, flexible cords 23 may be wrapped around the 
frame 13 and attached to hooks on the deck of the boat. The 23 may be 
located as shown, or may be placed at the corners 33 of the frame 13. 
Other known fasteners may also be used. 
In accordance with the invention, wing means responsive to changes in the 
direction of the wind are provided for changing the orientation of the 
sail means. In addition, swivel means are provided for rotating the sail 
means on the mast means. As here embodied, the swivel means includes a 
hollow rod 16 which is sized to fit over and receive the mast 12 into the 
hollow portion thereof. The hollow rod 16 is vertically oriented for 
supporting the sail 10, and a horizontally oriented member 17 is attached 
to the lower end 18 of the hollow rod 16 for further supporting the sail. 
As here embodied, the wing means includes a pair of winglike projections 
19 and 20 mount to the upper end 21 of the hollow rod 16. The projections 
19 and 20 extend at a 90.degree. angle from a fitting 21 which is attached 
to the hollow rod 16, and are of sufficient size to cause the hollow rod 
16 and the attached sail 10 to rotate under the force of the wind. The 
projections 19 and 20 may be formed of cloth-like material similar to that 
used in making the sail 10. The cloth may be mounted on two parallel pairs 
of arms 22 and 24 which extend from the fitting 21 in the hollow rod 16 
and support the cloth to form the wing-like projections 19 and 20. 
As shown in FIG. 2, the hollow rod 16 fits over the mast 12 and rotates 
freely thereon. Thus, when the frame 13 is attached to the boat 11, over a 
hatch opening 32, the projections 19 and 20 react to the wind causing the 
sail 10 to be oriented for catching the wind. The shape of the sail 10 
catches the wind and directs it downwardly into the hatch opening 32 of 
the boat. As the wind direction changes, the projections 19 and 20 react 
to the force of the wind causing the hollow rod 16 to rotate on the mast 
12. This reorients the sail 10 and maintains a continuous air flow of 
ventilating air through the hatch opening 32 into the interior space of 
the boat 11. 
For further directing the wind, an auxiliary scoop 25 may also be provided. 
As shown in FIG. 1, the auxiliary scoop may be attached within the boat 
below the hatch opening 32 for receiving the air from the sail 10 and 
directing it to a specific part of the interior of the boat 11. The 
auxiliary scoop 25 may be attached by any suitable fastening means such as 
velcro fasteners, or snaps (not shown). 
The wind scoop may also be provided with a rain cover 30 for mounting above 
the wind scoop to protect the sail 10, and the hatch opening from the 
rain. As shown in FIG. 3, the rain cover 30 may be formed of any suitable 
cloth-like material of light weight which is waterproof. The rain cover 30 
may include grommets 32 or other fastening devices for attaching it to a 
framework, or to portions of the boat super-structure. 
Thus, the invention provides a practical and useful device which may be 
economically manufactured, and which meets an important need. While the 
preferred embodiment described is particularly used with pleasure boats, 
the invention may be used with any vessel or other structure such as a 
recreational vehicle which may be ventilated through an opening. 
It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications 
and variations could be made in the invention without departing from the 
scope or spirit of the invention.