PATENT ABSTRACT
A method and a kit to fit an awning on a sailboat are described. The method and the kit enable to fit an awning on a sailboat so that the awning can be opened/closed by a single person even in conditions of strong wind and rough sea.

PATENT DESCRIPTION
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The present invention refers to a method and a kit to fit an awning on a sailboat. The method and the kit of the present invention enable to fit on a sailboat an awning such as to be opened/closed by a single person, even in conditions of strong wind and rough sea. 
       STATE OF THE ART 
       [0002]    Traditional sailboat tents (oft-times also identified by the name of awnings) are generally comprised of a large piece of canvas shaped like a regular trapezium with almost equal bases, or even rectangular with the function of covering the after part (Mast/Stern) of the boat. The tent, when fit and opened on the sailboat, has the following arrangement:
       the fore part is resting on the boom and frontally hauled taut by two corner strops on the shrouds;   the after part (Lift/Backstay) is separated, in order to be able to overcome the lift, by a longitudinal cut into two symmetrical portions, hauled taut behind on the backstay (or on the Bimini, when present)       
 
         [0005]    Suchlike tents entail various drawbacks, such as the intricacy in the opening and closing steps (which can never be carried out by a single person, save in the absence of wind) and stowage requirements when not in use (taking up precious space in the peaks). 
         [0006]    Patent Application GB2273470 discloses an assembly system for a boat tent providing the winding up of the awning into two rigid housings fixed on the two sides of the boom. This system entails numerous drawbacks: 
         [0000]    a) the tent only covers a small zone of the boat;
 
b) the rigid housings cannot be stowed in the peaks, unless when they are very short and therefore even more ineffective;
 
c) the two rigid housings, fixed on the two sides of the boom, make the boom even more dangerous for crew members&#39; heads in case of undesired gybing;
 
d) in each housing it is provided the presence of a rigid central shaft (supported by the housing) around which the awning is wound;
 
e) in the presence of wind, attendance of at least another person is required to keep the tent hauled taut in order to wind it back without entanglements.
 
         [0007]    International Patent Application WO9111360 describes a device for covering a sailboat, envisaging the elastic winding up of the tent in a rigid tubular container. This device entails numerous drawbacks: 
         [0000]    a) to be able to realize a sufficient covering, the tubular container has to be of a length such as not to be stowable in a peak;
 
b) It is only suitable for boats (very few remaining nowadays, whose building has by now been abandoned since years) in which the boom is not held in position by the lift, but by a support resting on-deck;
 
c) the tube has to be moved by the main halyard;
 
d) in the presence of wind, attendance of at least two persons is required to keep hauled taut the two sheetings so as to avoid entanglements during the winding back (provided that the winding back entrusted to the elastic string be reliable);
 
e) the two sheetings that are wound up the one on the other must be of equal length, otherwise the longer one might be unwound only for a length equal to that of the shortest one.
 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0008]    Object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned drawbacks by providing a kit as substantially described in claim  1 . 
         [0009]    Object of the present invention is also a method to fit an awning on a sailboat as substantially described in claim  8 . 
         [0010]    Preferred features of the invention are object of the dependent claims enclosed herein. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0011]      FIGS. 1A-1D  show a schematic sequence in which the awning fit with an embodiment of the kit of the present invention is wound back in its container. 
           [0012]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view showing in detail the coupling of the awning and of its container according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0013]      FIG. 3  shows a view of the same detail of  FIG. 2  in a cross section. 
           [0014]      FIG. 4  shows a view of the boom of  FIG. 5 . 
           [0015]      FIG. 5  shows a cross section in which the awning is fit with the kit according to an embodiment of the kit of the present invention, on a sailboat without lazy-bag. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0016]    The present invention refers to a kit to fit on a sailboat a tent (awning) capable of covering the entire zone between mast and stern. 
         [0017]    The kit comprises at least two half-sheets  1  of preferably rectangular or trapezoidal shape, each one comprising first coupling means  2  (e.g., eyelets or the like) along the internal edge (centre of the boat) and second coupling means  3  (e.g. eyelets or the like) along the lateral external edge. Each half-sheet, pertaining to each side of the boat, is entire and the coupling means  2  related to the front part (mast/lift) of the mentioned internal edge is fit on coupling means  5 , e.g. of Montgomery buckles type or the like, or even mere houselines (which however slow down half-sheet opening/closing operations) fixed on the boom (directly or by a long narrow rod) or even at the reinforcing strip at the mainsail base or on the Lazy-bag. 
         [0018]    The kit also comprises, for each side, a long sheet fixed along the boom (or along the Lazy-bag, when present), of a width such that the coupling of the means  2  (eyelets or textile, etc.), present along the opposite edge, to the means  5  makes up a sort of container bag  4 . 
         [0019]    Each half-sheet (that can anyhow be easily detached from the coupling means  5  in case a stowage thereof is desired) remains fixed, enclosed by the related container  4  along the two sides of the boom with a minimum transversal encumbrance and immediately available for opening. 
         [0020]    Each half-sheet could provide a small-diameter rigid tube (or rod)  8  fit along the front part of the lateral external edge: the usefulness of the rigid tube  8  is that of facilitating, in course of closing, especially in the presence of wind, the action of the person attending to it; said person, by lifting said tube  8  by the central part, can couple the coupling means  3 , thereby creating a sort of pocket in which to put away at leisure the members (ropes, strops, canvas parts, etc.) possibly left out, to then couple the other coupling means  3  before proceeding to the final closing with  4 . 
         [0021]    In an embodiment, the kit of the present invention comprises: 
         [0000]    A) an awning comprised of two alike half-sheets  1 , which overall cover, in an open position, the totality of the boat between mast and stern;
 
B) the front central edge (mast/lift) of each half-sheet is equipped with eyelets or other coupling means;
 
C) the rear central edge (lift/stern) of each half-sheet is equipped with eyelets or other coupling means arranged so as to match, after vertical folding of the half-sheet, with those indicated at B);
 
D) the edge indicated at B) is stably coupled, yet so as to be easily detached, by corresponding means, Montgomery-type buckles or the like (even mere houselines, which however slow down opening/closing operations), connected:
 
a) if Lazy-bag is present: to the rigid rod to which Lazy-jack terminals are attached;
 
b) if Lazy-bag is absent: to bridges fit along the upper surfaces of the boom, or to the strip reinforcing the luff of the mainsail base.
 
E) on the front lateral edge (mast/lift) of each half-sheet it is fit a rod or rigid tube  8 , along which a row of eyelets is fit, arranged as indicated at B); said member facilitates the closing step, since by lifting it and coupling it by the central zone a sort of compartment is created, inside which ropes and canvas parts left out before coupling all other means can be inserted at leisure;
 
F) a sheet sewn along the bottom edge of the Lazy-bag (when present) or coupled as said above and equipped, on the opposite side, with eyelets or other coupling means arranged so that its position matches what indicated at B), comes to constitute, once coupled, a housing for the half-sheet with all of its components.
 
         [0022]    Object of the present invention is also a method to fit an awning on a sailboat, comprising the following steps: 
         [0000]    i) arranging reversible coupling means on each side of the longitudinal portion of the boom or lazy-bag;
 
ii) arranging, by said coupling means on each side of the boom or lazy-bag, a non-rigid container  4  containing a boat half-sheet  1 ;
 
iii) opening said container bag  4  arranged on each side of the boom or lazy-bag.
 
         [0023]    The method of the present invention will preferably be carried out by utilizing the kit described herein. 
         [0024]    Hereinafter it is described the use of the kit according to a preferred embodiment, from an open-awning to a closed-awning position. The steps described hereinafter are carried out for both sides of the boom. 
         [0025]    Along the top corner of the boom or at the bottom edge of the Lazy-bag (when present) the container  4 , of a maximum length equal to that of the boom and a height, e.g., of  30  cm, is fixed. The housing is equipped with an odd-number series of metallic or textile eyelets arranged along the bottom edge. A series of Montgomery-type or equivalent buckle-holding houselines are longitudinally coupled so as to match eyelets position. In case the lazy-bag is absent from the boat, on each one of the two top half-sides of the boom there could be fit a long rectangular-section flattened rod made of mahogany or aluminum, on which the bridges for coupling be fixed, which bridges may also be fixed directly along the top edges of the boom (see  FIG. 4 ). 
         [0026]    If on the boat a Lazy-bag is present, in the near-totality of cases the latter includes (see  FIG. 2 ) a seat equipped with some openings (usually no more than  4 ) containing a rigid plastics rod to which the Lazy-jack is coupled. The coupling means  2  can be coupled to this same rod. Initially the awning is open and fit on the boat ( FIG. 1A ) then the awning is folded vertically and the rear part of the half-sheet is coupled to the corresponding buckles ( FIG. 1B );  FIG. 10  relates to the position after the last closing (that of container  4 ); then, the assembly is folded horizontally and coupled, with the means arranged along the rigid tube  8 , to the buckles, and finally the whole is furled and closed in its container  4  (generated by coupling the eyelets to the corresponding buckles). 
         [0027]    Referring to  FIGS. 1A-1D , the various steps can be schematized in this way :
   1. The half-sheet is opened ( FIG. 1A );   2. it is folded vertically, and the rear part of the half-sheet is coupled to the corresponding buckles ( FIG. 1B );   3. the whole is folded horizontally and coupled, with the means arranged along the rigid tube, to the buckles;   4. finally, the whole is furled in its container (generated by coupling the eyelets to the corresponding buckles ( FIG. 1D ).   
 
         [0032]    The present invention has been hereto described with reference to preferred embodiments thereof. It is understood that other embodiments might exist, all falling within the concept of the same invention, and all comprised within the protective scope of the claims hereinafter.