Abstract:
A boat has an outside pocket door that opens to provide a passageway large enough for a person to pass. Of particular interest are sliding doors that utilize a traveler and a guide, each positioned on one of the door and the housing, having tolerances that severely restrict side to side movement of a distal edge of the door under normal operating conditions. The guide can advantageously comprise a track and rollers, and the traveler can comprises a foot disposed to travel between opposing ones of the rollers. In such embodiments the rollers can advantageously be mounted in spaced apart opposing pairs on a guide, using off-set centers to adjust the tolerances. Sliding doors can be operated in any suitable manner, manually or otherwise, and it is especially contemplated that sliding doors can be operated using a pneumatic ram.

Description:
PRIORITY 
     This application is a divisional to the prior filed parent application U.S. patent Ser. No.: 11/185,580 filed on Sep. 15, 2005. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The field of the invention is boating construction. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Many different types of sliding doors are known. Such doors are very commonly supported by an overhead track and roller system, and can also have a guiding track underneath. The bottom track usually runs the length of the path of the door, and constrains undesired lateral movement of the door. 
     Pocket doors are sliding doors in which at least a portion of the door is withdrawn into an enclosure. Such doors are well-known in residential housing and offices, and have also been used in boats where a swinging door is undesirable, and space is at a premium. Pocket doors are usually straight, but it is known to use curved pocket doors in corner cabinets, furniture and the like. 
     A transom is a transverse panel forming the aft end of a boat&#39;s hull. Transoms commonly extend up above the boat&#39;s deck by a meter or more, and often have an opening through which a person can enter or exit the boat. Such openings can be blocked off with a solid door, chain, or other deterrent, but the known devices for accomplishing that function are sometimes undesirable. Regular swinging doors, for example, require adequate space for movement. And, when swung open unexpectedly, such doors can injure a person standing in its way. 
     Known pocket doors could theoretically be used for a boat transom, or in some other external positions on a boat, but they would not work properly. For one thing known pocket doors are usually hung from above, and therefore require some sort of stabilizing track running the length of the path of the door. But a track crossing the opening of a boat transom would be undesirable because it would be unsightly, it would tend to fill with water and other debris, and it could even comprise a danger because it could catch clothing or other objects. Problems are exacerbated for boats having a door in a curved transom. Such doors would have to be curved as well, which would be especially hard to implement without a track running across the opening. 
     It should be possible to support a pocket door without using a bottom track running the length of the path of the door. But one of ordinary skill in the art would reject the idea of using a pocket door in a boat because, unlike the usual housing, cabinet or furniture implementations, there will almost certainly be very significant lateral forces placed upon the boat door from time to time. Without the underlying track, the door would very likely be pushed side to side, out from its intended path. 
     Thus, there is still a need for a boat with a transom having an exterior portion, which includes a pocket door that opens to provide a passageway large enough for a person to pass. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention provides apparatus, systems and methods in which a boat has an exterior portion, which includes a pocket door that opens to provide a passageway large enough for a person to pass. 
     The door can be anywhere on the exterior of the boat; for example along the transom, along a side of the boat, or leading into the cabin. Of particular interest are sliding doors that utilize a traveler and a guide, each positioned on one of the door and the housing, and having tolerances that restrict side to side movement of a distal edge of the door under normal operating conditions to 5 cm or less, more preferably to 2 cm or less, and most preferably to 5 mm or less. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the guide comprises a track and rollers, and the traveler comprises a foot disposed to travel between opposite rollers. In such embodiments the rollers can advantageously be mounted in spaced apart opposing pairs on a guide, and appropriate tolerances can be set using off-center axes in the rollers. 
     Travelers and guides can be made of any suitably rigid material or materials, including for example, steel or other metal alloy. Preferred travelers extend beyond the inside edge (the trailing edge that remains within the housing) of the door by at least 5 cm, and more preferably at least 20 cm. Since a major function of the traveler is to prevent side to side movement of the sliding door, preferred travelers also have a width of at least 2 cm, and more preferably at least 4 cm. Travelers can be in the form of a foot, a piston ram, or any other suitable shape, but as used herein the term traveler means a separate element from the body of the door. Thus, the term traveler excludes an unmodified bottom portion of the door, such as one would find in a typical home closet. The guide is also preferably not visible from outside the housing. 
     Contemplated sliding doors can be virtually any size or shape, and can include any suitable material or combination of materials. Preferred doors are at least one meter long, 5-10 cm side, and 0.5 to 1.5 meters tall. For boats, sliding doors are preferably manufactured from fiberglass or other waterproof polymeric material(s). Sliding doors can be used in pairs, where the sliding doors approximate one another at their leading edges. One or more detents can be placed on a leading edge of one or more doors, possibly with corresponding indentations in an approximating surface. Sliding doors are contemplated to be straight or curved. 
     Sliding doors can be operated in any suitable manner, manually or otherwise, and it is especially contemplated that sliding doors can be operated using a pneumatic ram. 
     Various objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments of the invention, along with the accompanying drawings in which like numerals represent like components. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is an aerial aft perspective view of a boat having a three pocket doors. 
         FIG. 2  is a top view of the boat of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is a view of a transom with double sliding doors. 
         FIG. 4  is schematic illustration of a transom door with sliding mechanism. 
         FIG. 5  is a view of the track and rollers assembly. 
         FIG. 6  is a view of a roller with off-center axis. 
         FIG. 7  is a view of rollers with off-center axes allowing positional adjustment during installation. 
         FIG. 8  is a partially transparent side view of a sliding door having a ram type traveler. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     In  FIGS. 1 and 2 , a boat  1  generally has a bow  2 , a stern  3 , a deck  4 , a cabin or cockpit  5 , and a transom  10 . Here, boat  1  has an opening  20  and a curved sliding transom door  30 . A second, flat, sliding door  230  is shown on the starboard side of the boat, and a third sliding door  330 , having an extremely slight curvature, is shown at the entrance to the cabin of the boat. 
     Boat  1  can be made of any suitable materials, including especially fiberglass, wood, metal, or combinations of such materials. All types of boats are contemplated, including, for example, those propelled by a motor, a sail, or both, as well as commercial, recreational, fishing/gaming, or any other type of boat. 
     A boat can have one or any realistic plural number of pocket doors, and such doors can be positioned anywhere on the boat, inside or outside the cabin. Nevertheless, it is especially contemplated that pocket doors can advantageously be positioned external to the cabin or at an entrance to the cabin. All suitable widths are contemplated for the openings created by the pocket door(s), including anywhere from about 50 cm to up to two meters or more. It is especially contemplated that openings can be large enough for a normal 70 kg adult person to pass through. 
       FIG. 3  depicts two sliding doors  30 ,  40 . Sliding doors  30  and  40  cooperate to open and close an opening (i.e. a passageway) between them, are together can comprise sliding door designated  330 . Sliding door  30  generally includes top  31 A, bottom  31 B, proximal side  31 C, distal side  31 D, an inside edge  31 E, and an outside edge  31 F. Distal side  31 D has elongated detents  32 ,  33  and corresponding indentations  43 ,  42  in an opposing surface. Detent  32  and indentation  33  can be constructed as part of the distal side  31 D, or they can be constructed separately as attachments to distal side  31 D. Detents  32 ,  33  can be made of any suitable materials, including, for example, rubber, fiberglass, plastic, metal, wood and so forth. 
     Use of two elongated detents in the approximate orientations shown is considered to be especially desirable because they can block light from passing in a space between the sliding door and the abutting surface, which in this instance is sliding door  40 . As used herein, the term “approximates” includes all situations where the approximating surfaces come to within 1 cm of one another, and specifically includes situations where the approximating surfaces touch one another. Those skilled in the art will, of course, appreciate that alternative detents can be different in number, configuration and orientation from that shown, including for example one or more finger-like projections extending normally from, rather than vertically to, the outside edge. 
     Sliding door  30  (and also  230 ,  330 ) can be made of any suitable material, including for example, fiberglass, wood, metal, and so forth. Sliding doors can be solid or hollow, and can have any suitable configuration. Sliding doors can be flat, or alternatively bowed horizontally, vertically or in some other manner. They can also be curved or non-curved. All practical curvatures are contemplated, including especially those having a radius of curvature less than 10 meters, between 10 and 20 meters, and greater than 20 meters. Contemplated doors can also be curved in some manner that is inconsistent with a single radius. 
     Opening  20  is closed off by a single-door panel unit as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 . In the alternative, an opening can be closed by two transom sliding doors, as shown in  FIG. 3 . The two doors would usually be mirrors of one another, but they can alternatively have different configurations. 
       FIGS. 4-7  illustrate schematically the sliding door assembly  100 , which generally comprises a sliding door  110 , a traveler  120 , a guide  130 . Here, the traveler  120  comprises a foot, and the guide  130  comprises a race. 
     Sliding door  110  can be similar to door  30 ,  230  or  330 , and generally includes a top  111  A, a bottom  111 B, a side  111 C, a leading edge  111 D, and a trailing edge  111 E. The door  110  can be solid, hollow, have internally molded baffles, or have any other suitable configuration. Leading edge  111 D is shown as having a detent  132  and an indentation  133 , which mate with opposing structures (not shown). The detent  132  can be constructed using any suitable materials. 
     Sliding mechanism  101  comprises a foot  120  and a guide  130 . In  FIG. 4  a series of roller pairs constrains movement of the foot  120  within the guide  130 , but it should be appreciated that any other suitable system can be used, including for example one or more rails disposed on the guide, upon which travels the foot or a channel formed underside of the door. It is especially contemplated that the weight of the sliding door  110  can be entirely supported by the traveler, which in this case is the single foot  120 . To that end the traveler is preferably screwed to the bottom and/or one or both sides of the sliding door. To provide adequate support when the door is in a closed position, the traveler preferably extends outward beyond the inside edge of the sliding door by at least 10 cm, and more preferably by 20 cm, 40 cm, or more. This extended portion of the traveler provides continued engagement with a corresponding guide even when the sliding door is fully extended. 
     The sliding mechanism  101  can have any suitable position or orientation. In  FIG. 4  the mechanism  101  is positioned at the bottom of the sliding door  110 . But it should be appreciated that a sliding mechanism could be additionally or alternatively positioned on the top or one or both sides of the door. It is also contemplated that instead of a foot and a race, the sliding mechanism can comprise a piston and ram, or even a hanger arrangement, so long as the tolerances of the mechanism restrict the side to side movement of the distal (i.e. leading) edge of the door under normal operating conditions to less than 5 cm, more preferably to less than 2 cm, still more to preferably less than 1 cm, and most preferably to less than 5 mm. 
     In more general terms it is contemplated that the traveler and guide can each be positioned on one of the door and the housing. Thus, the traveler could be on the door and the guide on the housing, or visa versa. Indeed, there could even one or more travelers on each of the door and the housing, and one or more mating guides on each of the door and housing. It should also be appreciated that different sliding mechanisms can be used for different doors of a pair. 
     The traveler and/or guide can be made with any suitable material, but preferably stainless steel or other corrosion resistant alloy, or a reinforced synthetic material that provides sufficient strength. 
     Optional actuator  112  automatically closes and opens sliding door  110 . A pneumatically operated ram is preferred because it eliminates electrical connections in a potentially moist area, and can take advantage of pressurized air which is commonly available on larger boats. It is, however, contemplated that an electric, hydraulic or other type of ram could be used. Of course, door  110  could also be operated manually. 
     In  FIG. 5 , race  130  generally includes a frame  132  upon which are disposed rollers  134 A-L. Frame  132  can be made of suitably strong and durable material such as metal, synthetic material, and wood. Rollers  134 A-L constrain lateral movement of foot  120  while allowing for longitudinal movement. Rollers can be arranged in any suitable arrangement, but to provide greater stability when the door is closed, more proximal pairs of rollers  134 D-F and  134 J-L are spaced closer together on frame  132  than more distal pairs of rollers  134 A-L. Although  FIG. 5  shows that individual members of a given pair of rollers as always positioned opposite one another, the rollers can be staggered such that there are no pairs, or so that the rollers are positioned in some other configuration. Rollers are preferably rotatable, usually about an inner guide with bearings, but could have any other suitable design, including being non-rotatable. 
     In  FIGS. 5-7 , the rollers advantageously have a bodies with off-center holes. In  FIG. 6 , for example, roller  134  has off-center hole  135 , which receives a bolt or other fastener  150 . By turning the body about the fastener, and then tightening the roller to the frame  132 , an installer can make minor adjustments to the relative position of the various rollers to the foot. As illustrated in  FIG. 7 , positional movement of roller  134  not only allows adjustment and readjustment to provide desired tollerances between foot  120  and guide  130 , it also allows more convenient placement of foot  120  between the two rows of rollers  134 A-L. As discussed above, roller  134  preferably includes bearings  136 . 
     In  FIG. 8 , a door  430  slides into and out from a housing  410 . There are two cylindrically shaped travelers  415  that cooperate with cylinders  425  to support the weight of door  430 , while allowing door  410  to move laterally in either direction without excessive side to side movement. In this particular instances, detents  432 ,  433  are finger like projections that have a long axis extending horizontally, in contrast to the detents  32 ,  33  of  FIG. 3  that have a long axis extending more or less vertically. 
     Thus, specific embodiments and applications of pocket sliding door have been disclosed. It should be apparent, however, to those skilled in the art that many more modifications besides those already described are possible without departing from the inventive concepts herein. The inventive subject matter, therefore, is not to be restricted except in the spirit of the appended claims. Moreover, in interpreting both the specification and the claims, all terms should be interpreted in the broadest possible manner consistent with the context. In particular, the terms “comprises” and “comprising” should be interpreted as referring to elements, components, or steps in a non-exclusive manner, indicating that the referenced elements, components, or steps can be present, or utilized, or combined with other elements, components, or steps that are not expressly referenced. Where the specification claims refers to at least one of something selected from the group consisting of A, B, C . . . and N, the text should be interpreted as requiring only one element from the group, not A plus N, or B plus N, etc.