Abstract:
A boat lift canopy entrance for easily entering and exiting a boat upon a boat lift with a canopy without having to stoop and trip while getting into out of the boat. The boat lift canopy entrance includes an entrance closure assembly being fastenable over an entranceway of a canopy and having a piece of material capable of being removably disposed over and closing the entranceway.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to entrances/doors and more particularly pertains to a new boat lift canopy entrance for easily entering and exiting a boat upon a boat lift with a canopy without having to stoop and trip while getting into out of the boat. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     The use of entrances/doors is known in the prior art. More specifically, entrances/doors heretofore devised and utilized are known to consist basically of familiar, expected and obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which have been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements. 
     The prior art includes a boat hoist canopy comprising a skirt having a plurality of panels being adapted to be hung from the canopy frame with one of the panels being a door panel which can be raised and lowered to provide access to a boat. The door panel has a pipe to weigh the door panel down in a lowered position. Another prior art includes a boat lift canopy comprising a tubing frame and a canopy being securely disposed over the tubing frame. Also another prior art includes a cover for a floating dock comprising a plurality of support elements being mounted upon a floating boat dock and also including a top canvas, side canvasses, front and rear canvasses with the front canvas having a canvas door which is rolled up with a rope. 
     While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not disclose a new boat lift canopy entrance. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The general purpose of the present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a new boat lift canopy entrance which has many of the advantages of the entrances/doors mentioned heretofore and many novel features that result in a new boat lift canopy entrance which is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by any of the prior art entrances/doors, either alone or in any combination thereof. The present invention includes an entrance closure assembly being fastenable over an entranceway of a canopy and having a piece of material capable of being removably disposed over and closing the entranceway. None of the prior art includes the combination of the elements of the present invention. 
     There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the boat lift canopy entrance in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto. 
     In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. 
     It is an object of the present invention to provide a new boat lift canopy entrance which has many of the advantages of the entrances/doors mentioned heretofore and many novel features that result in a new boat lift canopy entrance which is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by any of the prior art entrances/doors, either alone or in any combination thereof. 
     Still another object of the present invention is to provide a new boat lift canopy entrance for easily entering and exiting a boat upon a boat lift with a canopy without having to stoop and trip while getting into out of the boat. 
     Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new boat lift canopy entrance that provides a door for canopies which have little separation between the canopies and the boats so that users of the boats can get into and out of their boats without bumping into the canopies or making it impossible for those who are ambulatory-challenged to get in or out of the boats. 
     Even still another object of the present invention is to provide a new boat lift canopy entrance which doesn&#39;t limit the protections afforded by the canopy with the canopy maintaining its full structure with the entrance being fastened in place. 
     These together with other objects of the invention, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the invention, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses, reference should be made to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there are illustrated preferred embodiments of the invention. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The invention will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a rear perspective view of a new boat lift canopy entrance according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a rear perspective view of the present invention showing the underside of the canopy with the entrance being open. 
         FIG. 3  is a front perspective view of the present invention showing the outside of the canopy entrance. 
         FIG. 4  is a upper front perspective view of the present invention showing the outside of the canopy with the sheet of material being fastened to the canopy support members. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to  FIGS. 1 through 4  thereof, a new boat lift canopy entrance embodying the principles and concepts of the present invention and generally designated by the reference numeral  10  will be described. 
     As best illustrated in  FIGS. 1 through 4 , the boat lift canopy entrance  10  generally comprises an entrance closure assembly  11  being fastenable over an entranceway  36  through a canopy  35  of a boat lift  49  and above a boat  48  and having a piece of material  12  capable of being removably disposed over the entranceway  36 . The entrance closure assembly  11  also includes a sheet of material  16  capable of being fastened to the canopy  35  and having an opening  21  being spacedly disposed between side edges  19 , 20  of the sheet of material  16  and extending through a bottom edge  17  and terminating near a top edge  18  of the sheet of material  16 . The piece of material  12  is removably fastened in the opening  21  of the sheet of material  16  and has a top edge  15  which is integrally connected to the sheet of material  16  along a top edge defining the opening  21  of the sheet of material  16 . 
     The entrance closure assembly  11  also includes a plurality of first fasteners  24  being spacedly and conventionally secured to the sheet of material  16 , and also includes a plurality of second fasteners  25  being spacedly and conventionally secured to first and second braces  38 , 39  of the frame  37  which are opposedly disposed adjacent to the entranceway  36  through the canopy  35 . The first fasteners  24  such as female fasteners are conventionally fastened to the second fasteners  25  such as male fasteners to fasten the sheet of material  16  to the canopy  35  and to the first and second braces  38 , 39  of the frame  37  in the entranceway  36 . The first fasteners  24  are spacedly aligned along and near the side edges  19 , 20  of the sheet of material  16 . In addition, a plurality of the first fasteners  24  are spacedly aligned along and near the top edge  18  of said sheet of material  16 . A plurality of the second fasteners  25  are spacedly and conventionally secured to the canopy  35  and across member  40  of the frame  37  which interconnects to the first and second braces  38 , 39  of the frame  37 . The first fasteners  24  along and near the top edge  18  of the sheet of material  16  are conventionally fastened to the second fasteners  25  secured to the canopy  35  and the cross member  40  of the frame  37 . 
     The entrance closure assembly  11  further includes fastening members  26 , 27  being conventionally attached along side edges  22 , 23  defining the opening  21  of the sheet of material  16  and also being conventionally attached along side edges  13 , 14  of the piece of material  12 . The side edges  13 , 14  of the piece of material  12  are fastenable to the sheet of material  16  to close the opening  21  of the sheet of material  16  and the entranceway  36  through the canopy  35 . The fastening members are zippers  26 , 27 . One of the zippers  26  is attached and sewn along one of the side edges  13  of the piece of material  12  and an adjacent one of the side edges  22  defining the opening  21  of the sheet of material  16 . Another of the zippers  27  is attached and sewn along another of the side edges  14  of the piece of material  12  and an adjacent one of the side edges  23  defining the opening  21  of the sheet of material  16 . 
     The entrance closure assembly  11  further includes a linkage member  41  having a first end  42  which is pivotally and conventionally attached to a cross member  40  of the frame  37  and also includes a support member  28  having a top end  29  being pivotally and conventionally connected to a second end  43  of the linkage member  41  and having a bottom end  30  being removably engaged to the first brace  38  of the frame  37  adjacent to the entranceway  36  through the canopy  35 . The entrance closure assembly  11  further includes a cross bar  32  having a first end  33  being hingedly attached to the frame  37  which is adjacent to the entranceway  36  through the canopy  35  and which is opposed to the first brace  38 , and having a second end  34  being removably and conventionally latched to the first brace  38  of the frame  37  with the cross bar  32  being removably extended across the entranceway  36  of the canopy  35 . The bottom end  30  of the support member  28  is removably engaged to the cross bar  32 . The support member  28  is removably and pivotally disposed in the entranceway  36  with the piece of material  12  being supported upon the support member  28  upon the piece of material  12  being closed over the opening  21  of the sheet of material  16  and over the entranceway  36  of the canopy  35 . The bottom end  30  of the support member  28  has a peg  31  being conventionally attached thereto with the peg  31  being removably engaged intermediate of the cross bar  32  upon the piece of material  12  being removably closed over the entranceway  36  of the canopy  35 . 
     As a second embodiment, the piece of material  12  is removably fastened in the entranceway  36  of the canopy  35  and has a top edge  15  which is integrally attached to a top edge defining the entranceway  36  of the canopy  35 . The entrance closure assembly  11  also includes a plurality of fasteners  47  being spacedly and conventionally secured to first and second braces  38 , 39  of the frame  37  which are opposedly disposed adjacent to the entranceway  36  of the canopy  35 . The fasteners  47  are conventionally fastened to the canopy  35  and to the first and second braces  38 , 39  of the frame  37  in the entranceway  36 . The fasteners  47  are spacedly aligned along and near side edges  13 , 14  defining the entranceway  36  of the canopy  35 . The entrance closure assembly  11  further includes fastening members  26 , 27  being attached and sewn along side edges defining the entranceway  36  of the canopy  35  and being attached and sewn along the side edges  13 , 14  of the piece of material  12 . The side edges  13 , 14  of the piece of material  12  are fastenable to the canopy  35  to close the entranceway  36  of the canopy  35 . The fastening members are zippers  26 , 27 . One of the zippers  26  is attached and sewn along one of the side edges  13  of the piece of material  12  and an adjacent one of the side edges defining the entranceway  36  of the canopy  35 , and another of the zippers  27  is attached and sewn along another of the side edges  14  of the piece of material  12  and an adjacent one of the side edges defining the entranceway  36  of the canopy  35 . 
     In use, the user opens the entranceway  36  through the canopy  35  by unzipping the zippers  26 , 27  with the user rolling up the piece of material  12  to open the entranceway  36  in the canopy  35  with the rolled up piece of material  12  being securely supported upon a top of the canopy  35  and the support member  28  being pivoted and fastened to the first brace  38  and the cross bar  32  being swung back away from the entranceway  36 . To close the entranceway  36  in the canopy  35 , the user swings and fastens the cross bar  32  across the entranceway  36  and pivots and fastens the support member  28  to the cross bar  32  and unrolls the piece of material  12  over the entranceway  36  and then zips the side edges  13 , 14  of the piece of material  12  to the side edges defining the entranceway  36  of the canopy  35 . Preferably, a bottom end  45  of the piece of material  12  is looped to form a sleeve  44 . An elongate guide member  46  is inserted in the sleeve  44  to aid the user to roll up and unroll the piece of material  12 . 
     As to a further discussion of the manner of usage and operation of the present invention, the same should be apparent from the above description. Accordingly, no further discussion relating to the manner of usage and operation will be provided. With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by the present invention. 
     Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the boat lift canopy entrance. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.