SUPPORT FOR A SCREEN-FRAME

Abstract: Bimini's are an almost standard equipment/annex on sailing- and motor-boats, navigating the sunny regions of the globe. They are normally fix-mounted over the steering wheel and over a part of a cockpit area, to protect the steersman and crew from too intense exposure to sun radiation. The new developped Bimini has a central-in relation to its movable screen-attached support frame, fixed to the pedestalguard (monohull) or a vertical part of the hull (multihull and motocrafts). It consists of curved rotatable support tubes, provided with upper extensible tubes (6) to which a rotating/sliding device (1) is fixed. This device clasps the middle bar of the screenframe. The whole design and structure enables the omission of straps or strings to set up, fix and stabilise the frame; free rotating and/or sliding of the Bimini around its axis. Further advantage consists in the transparency of the screen (S) providing visual control of the sails.

Description: Title of the invention Support for a screen-frame to regulate the position of a screen without the use of any straps, strings or any tool Allowing the screen to move front, back, starboard and port trough the supportframe's built-in rotating, sliding and extension system and equiped with a transparent screen DESCRIPTION The invention relates to Bimmitops, Bimini's are an almost standard equipment/annex on sailing/ motorboats, navigating the sunny regions of the globe Their main aim is to protect the steersman and the crew against too intensive exposure to sun radiation The relation between intense sunburn and skin cancer being well documented now, and the dramatic increase of skin cancers (especially malignant melanoma), the problem becomes more and more actual Most Bimini's consist of a fix frame usually screwed in the deck on both the sides of the cockpit and stabilized by straps - stπngs in front and in back, covered with untransparent canvas screen The disadvantages of the excisting Bimini's are of various nature 1/ Straps / strings they obstruct gangways and access to the cockpit 2/ Support frame as a fix structure it can only cover a restricted well-defined part of the boat (over which it was installed) Other areas (e g the cockpit table) can only be covered by -a/ increasing substantially the surface of the screen (implicating additional drag and dim) -b/ adding supplementary awnings -c/ displacing the frame (the whole frame is moved to front or back) 3/ Untransparent canvas screen -a/ blocks the light -b/ obstructs the sight upwards - essential while sailing to controle the settings of the sails -c/ provoces secundary heat radiation underneath it The present invention concerns a bimini which overcomes the above mentionned disadvantages

Claims: CLAIMS: (see fig. 's 1, 2 & 3) Claiml: SUPPORT FOR A SCREEN-FRAME TO REGULATE THE POSITION OF A SCREEN WITHOUT THE USE OF ANY STRAPS - STRINGS OR ANY TOOL, ALLOWING THE SCREEN TO MOVE FRONT, BACK, STARBOARD AND PORT TROUGH THE SUPPORTFRAME'S BUILT-IN ROTATING, SLIDING AND EXTENSION SYSTEM AND EQUIPED WITH A TRANSPARENT SCREEN. Claim 2: (according to claim 1) SCREENFRAME SLIDING, TURNING AND FIXING SYSTEM. The Bimini screenframe (S) is fixed on a central square tube (1) gliding in two rectangular houses (2), in which the remainder lower space is filled-up with a protecting cap (3) and a cube with screw aperture (4). Each house (2) rests on a rectangular support (5), slipped over the supportframe tube (6) and is held by a bolt (8), which when tightened, presses the protecting cap (3) against the central square tube (1): preventing starboard or port sliding of the central frame tube (1) in the houses (2) or of the houses (2) over the central frame tube (1). Thightening of the nuts (7) presses the houses (2) against the rectangular support (5), making of the whole set a stable unit. Claim 3 (according to claim 1) HULL OR PEDESTAL FIXING AND ROTATING SYSTEM The hull or pedestal tixing and rotating system locks the supportframe tubes (6) to the boat's hull or pedestal guard and consists of an upper and a lower support The upper as well as the lower support may consist of either two separate consoles (for hull fixation) or one bar (for pedestal fixation) THE UPPER SUPPORT (9) is perforated in the uppermost and undermost side, containing a hose clamp (10), letting the supportframe tube (6) being slipped through THE LOWER SUPPORT (11) contains the same hose clamp (10), is perforated only on the uppermost side, keeping the supportframe tube (6) on its preadjusted height Tightening the hose clamps (10) fixes the supportframe tubes in their consoles and prevents them from rotating Untightened hose clamps allow free rotating of the supportframe tubes (6) Claim 4 (according to claim 1) HORIZONTAL EXTENSABILITY Supplementary surface to be protected is realized by the extensible horizontal part (6) & (12) of the supportframe tubes Claim 5 (according to claim 1) TRANSPARENCY AND SIGHT ON THE SAILS Transparency is obtained by application of a fibreglass screen ( S ) CONCLUSION The combination of these vaπous claims makes it possible to - avoid the use of straps or stπngs to fix, stabilize, and set up the frame - reposition the screen "WITHOUT THE USE OF ANY TOOL" * front / back by rotating and /or sliding * starboard / port (=left /πght) by rotating and /or sliding - increase the reach front / back and left /right trough it's extension tubes - control the sails through its transparent screen while sailing AMENDED CLAIMS [received by the International Bureau on 20 August 1998 (20.08.98); original claims 1-5 replaced by amended claims 1-5 (2 pages)] Q \- SUPPORT FOR A SCREEN-FRAMF. TO REGULATE THE POSITION OF A SCREEN WITHOUT THE USE OF ANY STRAPS - STRINGS OR ANY TOOL. THE SUPPORTFRAME' S BUILT-IN ROTATING, SLIDING AND EXTENSION SYSTEM ALLOWS THE SCREEN TO MOVE FRONT I BACK, STARBOARD I PORT OR A COMBINATION OF BOTH. THIS RESULTS IN THE ABILITY TO RESET THE SCREEN INTO ANY POSITION WITHIN THE REACH AREA ( FIG 3.8), FOLLOWING ANY PATH, AVOIDING ANY OBSTACLE. Claim 2: (according to claim 1) SCREENFRAME SLIDING. Tt IR NG AND FIXING SYSTEM. The Bimini screenframe (S) is fixed on a central square tube ( 1 ) gliding in two rectangular houses (2), in which the remainder lower space is filled-up with a protecting cap (3) and a cube with screw aperture (4). Each house (2) rests on a rectangular support (5) fixed on the supportframe tube (6) and is hold by a bolt (8), which: α/when tightened, presses the protecting cap (3) against the central square tube (1): preventing starboard or port sliding of the central frame tube ( 1) in the houses (2) or of the houses (2) over the central frame tube (1). bl when untightened: increases the lateral reach of the central square tubes (see fig. 3.3, 3.5 and 3.7). Thightening of the nuts (7) presses the houses (2) against the rectangular support (5). making of the whole set a stable unit. Claim 3; (according to claim 1) HULL OR PEDESTAL FIXING AND ROTATING SYSTEM The hull or pedestal fixing and rotating system locks the supportframe tubes (6) to the boat's hull or pedestal guard and consists of an upper and a lower support. The upper as well as the lower support may consist of either two separate consoles (for hull fixation) or one bar (for pedestal fixation). THE UPPER SUPPORT (9) is perforated in the uppermost and undeπnost side, containing a hose clamp ( 10), letting the supportframe tube (6) being slipped through. THE LOWER SUPPORT (11) contains the same hose clamp ( 10), is perforated only on the uppermost side, keeping the supportframe tube (6) on its preadjusted height. Tightening the hose clamps ( 10) fixes the supportframe tubes in their consoles and prevents them from rotating. Untightened hose clamps allow free rotating of the supportframe tubes (6). Claim4. (according to claim 1 ) HORIZONTAL EXTENSABIUTY Supplementary surface to be protected is realized by the extensible horizontal part (6) & ( 12) of the supportframe tubes. Claim 5: (according to claim 1 ) TRANSPARENCY AND SIGHT ON THE SAILS: Transparency is obtained by application of a fibreglass sunshade.( S ) CONCLUSION: the claims concern: II the invention of a supportframe for shades - to avoid the use of straps and strings for fixing - to extend the reach area of the shade (through it's rotating and extension mechanism) . - to adjust the height of the shade 21 the invention of a rotatin g/glidin g median ism - to set the screen at any position within the reach area, without the use of any tool. - to navigate the screen around obstacles - to increase supplementary the reach of the shade

Inventors: VANDER MIJNSBRUGGE JOZEF F O, VANDER MIJNSBRUGGE, JOZEF, F., O.
Applicants: VANDER MIJNSBRUGGE JOZEF F O, VANDER MIJNSBRUGGE, JOZEF, F., O.
Application year: 1997
Main classification: B63B17
IPC codes: B63B17