Abstract:
An apparatus for securely mounting one or more water skis for storage is disclosed. The apparatus offers a simple method of securing the water ski with provision for locking to prevent theft. The apparatus is further suitable for mounting beneath a boat lift canopy, providing convenient access to the water skis and allowing water skis to dry after use. A variation on the apparatus allows for secure storage of other boating equipment.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     This invention relates to the sport of water skiing, and more specifically to storage systems for water ski equipment.  
         [0002]     A variety of ski locking devices have been proposed in the past; most for use on snow skis. One set of these proposed devices are those that lock two skis together in such a way as to make them difficult to carry, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,598,561. Another set of proposed devices require a bracket to be placed on the ski for purposes of locking, for example, U.S. patents U.S. Pat. No. 4,057,984 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,231,586. When one has spent a large amount on the purchase of a water ski, it may not be desirable to make such drastic modifications. A third set of proposed devices are those which are carriers for a single pair of skis, with a locking attachment, generally a cable to lock it to some structure. Examples of these systems are U.S. patents U.S. Pat. No. 3,990,655 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,312,532. Further inventions make use of the ski pole as a key part of the system, such as U.S. Pat. No. 5,063,762. All of the above, though they accomplish the goal of locking skis, are quite different from the present invention in both method of locking, portability of locked skis, and quantity of skis that can be handled.  
         [0003]     U.S. patents U.S. Pat. No. 4,438,878 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,720,031 are more similar to the present invention in that they describe systems to lock multiple pairs of skis. However, these are both systems specifically for carrying skis on top of automobiles. Their construction features and locking mechanisms are designed to accommodate snow skis and automotive mounting only.  
         [0004]     U.S. Pat. No. 4,494,805 describes a system which locks skis to a fixed locker building. However, it describes individual locks for each pair of skis, rather than a single locking mechanism to lock multiple sets of skis.  
         [0005]     Both U.S. Pat. No. 4,494,805 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,720,031 handle pairs of skis in a back-to-back fashion, which is unsuitable for water-ski use, as the fin protruding from the bottom of the water-ski interferes with handling the skis in this manner. Furthermore, water-skis are often not purchased or used in pairs, as slalom water-skiers prefer to ski with a single ski.  
         [0006]     The ski locking mechanisms noted above are not readily adapted for water ski use, due to the different physical characteristics of the water ski from the snow ski, and due to differing patterns of usage.  
         [0007]     A particular segment of the water skiing population uses a boat which is left on the water for the entire water ski season, with the boat typically stored on a boat lift with a canopy covering the lift and boat to protect the boat from the weather. For these water skiers, there are currently limited options for storage of water skis when not in use.  
         [0008]     It is preferred to have the water skis stored near the boat, to avoid the labor of carrying them to the boat when they are needed. However, skis left on the floor of a boat obstruct movement around the boat, and so are often not desired in the boat when they are not going to be used. Further, a boat lift on a lake is generally very vulnerable to theft of loose items. Water skis are easily carried and can have a significant value, so they are potential theft targets, and it is preferred to keep them locked up.  
         [0009]     Some skis may be stored within locking compartments within the boat. While this option provides the advantage of having the skis stored at their point of use, it is limited in that the skis are stored in a closed chamber, where there is a danger of the skis not properly drying after use. Further, boats have limited locking storage space, and many boats have no locking storage space, so many skiers have a need to store more skis than will fit within the locking storage space within the boat.  
         [0010]     Another popular solution is to locate a locking storage building near the lake for storage of water sports equipment. While this offers welcome security, procurement of such a structure is a significant expense. Further steps must be taken to control humidity within such a building to prevent growth of mold and mildew on the water sports equipment. Additionally, the water skis must still be carried to the boat when they are needed.  
         [0011]     The cost and humidity issues of the solution above lead many to store their water skis in their houses or garages, which provides a secure and dry environment for storage, but presents the greatest inconvenience for usage. A water skiing family might have two sizes of children&#39;s skis, a set of adult combo skis, and one or more slalom skis, which requires a fair amount of work to transport to the boat.  
         [0012]     Storage lockers are commercially available. Some of these are constructed of a steel mesh which would allow objects within to dry. However, to acquire enough space to contain 7 or 8 skis would require a very large, and very heavy, locker. Finding room for this on the dock could be a problem. Further, it is not as convenient as having the skis available right inside of the boat lift.  
         [0013]     The present invention, as described in the following sections, addresses some of the storage needs and issues identified above.  
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0014]     Some of the shortcomings of the prior art are addressed in the present invention, which relates to an apparatus for locking storage of water skis which is suitable for installation beneath a boat lift canopy. A variation on this apparatus is suitable for locking storage of other boating equipment, such as life jackets and tow ropes.  
         [0015]      FIG. 1  shows a side elevation view of a typical boat lift holding a boat in the storage position, slightly above the water surface. Such a boat lift is typically placed in 3-5 feet of water, and has a dock positioned alongside of the lift for easy access to the boat.  FIG. 1  illustrates 1 ski in a storage position under the boat lift canopy. It is supported by two transverse members, one supporting the front of the ski in front of the bindings, and the other supporting the rear of the ski between the bindings and the fin. The ski is positioned upside down to allow water to drain out of the bindings.  FIG. 2  shows the same boat lift in a plan view, illustrating how multiple skis may be stored. Skis stored in this manner are easily reached from within the boat, are stored out of the weather, and are not easily visible from shore due to the shelter of the boat lift canopy.  FIGS. 1 and 2  do not show mounting details for simplicity.  
         [0016]     The locking feature of the present invention is accomplished through means of a third transverse member, called a locking bar, as shown in  FIG. 5 . This new member is positioned above the skis, directly above and parallel to the rear support member. These two members together form a clamp, securely holding the back end of the skis. A center locking mechanism keeps the two members together. Alignment tabs at each end of the locking bar prevent the skis from removal by sliding sideways, and prevent rotation of the members. The skis can not be removed by sliding forward or backwards due to interference with either the binding or the fin.  
         [0017]     The present invention allows water skis to be stored inside of the boat lift, removing the problem of carrying skis to and from the boat. The skis are in open air, where they will properly dry, preventing mildew problems. Further, the skis can be securely locked to guard against theft. This locking is accomplished with a very simple mechanism which does not require any modification to the skis, and which can accommodate virtually any ski on the market.  
         [0018]     A single transverse member may be modified to utilize a locking mechanism at one end. In this form, the present invention may be used to store other boating equipment, as illustrated in  FIG. 10 . Life jackets, tow ropes, or tubes may be accommodated in this manner, as well as any other equipment which can be hung and secured by means of passing the transverse member through a hole in the equipment. When this device is mounted under the canopy of a boat lift, the equipment is secure, free of mildew, and conveniently available when needed.  
         [0019]     These advantages and others are more fully described in the following detailed description of the invention. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0020]      FIG. 1  is a side elevation view of a typical boat lift with a boat in the storage position, showing the preferred mounting location of the present invention.  
         [0021]      FIG. 2  is a top plan view of a typical boat lift, showing the preferred mounting location of the present invention.  
         [0022]      FIG. 3  is a front elevation view of a typical boat lift, showing the preferred mounting location of the present invention.  
         [0023]      FIG. 4  is an isometric perspective drawing showing the top and bottom transverse members in the open or unlocked position.  
         [0024]      FIG. 5  is an isometric perspective drawing showing the top and bottom transverse members in the locked position.  
         [0025]      FIG. 6  is a rear elevation cross section of a boat lift canopy, illustrating the mounting of the tranverse members of the ski rack beneath the lift canopy.  
         [0026]      FIG. 7  is an isometric perspective drawing showing the view looking UP at the stiffening spar attached to the boat lift canopy ribs.  
         [0027]      FIG. 8  is a detail on the connection of the stiffening spars to the boat lift canopy ribs.  
         [0028]      FIG. 9  is a detail on the connection of the stiffening spars to the boat lift canopy ribs.  
         [0029]      FIG. 10  is a rear elevation cross section of the boat lift canopy, illustrating the use of a transverse member as an equipment rack.  
         [0030]      FIG. 11  is a detail of the locking mechanism connecting one end of the transverse member to the supporting cable, when used as an equipment rack. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0031]     A key goal of this invention is to provide locking storage within a boat lift, to allow for both ease of accessibility and an open-air atmosphere conducive to allowing skis and equipment to dry after use. For this reason, the first portion of the description concerns the location of the device relative to the boat and boat lift.  
         [0032]      FIG. 1  illustrates boat  101  with window resting on the boat supports  102  of boat lift  100 . Atop the boat lift, canopy  103  is drawn as transparent with respect to the present invention, although canopy supporting hardware is not shown, in order to clearly establish the positioning of this invention within the boat lift. Accordingly water ski  104  is shown resting on transverse members  105  and  107  beneath locking bar  106  positioned under the canopy  103  and above the boat  101 . This allows for both easy access to the water ski from within the boat, while generally preventing valuable water skis from being visible from outside of the boat lift, reducing the risk of any attempt at theft.  
         [0033]     To further establish the positioning of the ski storage rack,  FIG. 2  illustrates the top plan view of boat lift  100 . Canopy  103  is again shown as transparent, while canopy supporting hardware is not shown for clarity. Front transverse member  107  and locking bar  106  of ski rack are shown to extend across the width of boat  101 , allowing for locking storage of several water skis  104  simultaneously.  FIG. 3  completes the description of the orientation of the ski rack with a front elevation view of the same boat lift  100 . Canopy  103 , again shown as transparent and without supporting hardware, contains beneath it front transverse member  107 , locking bar  106 , and water skis  104 .  
         [0034]     Now that the ski rack position has been established, a more detailed description of the hardware features follows.  
         [0035]      FIG. 4  is an isometric perspective drawing of the locking ski rack, without mounting details, shown in the unlocked position. Water ski  104  rests upon front transverse member  107  and rear transverse member  105 , both suspended by support cables  401 . Locking bar  106  is shown manually raised above rear transverse member  105 . This view shows hole  402  in center of rear transverse member  105  to accommodate locking pin  403  protruding from the bottom of locking bar  106 . On either end of locking bar  106 , alignment tabs  404  provide natural alignment to the transverse member  105 .  
         [0036]      FIG. 5  is an isometric perspective drawing of the locking ski rack, without mounting details, this time shown in the locked position. Locking bar  106  is now directly above rear transverse member  105  and clamping water ski  104  between water ski boot  501  and water ski fin  502 . Lock  503  is attached through hole in locking pin  403  to prevent locking bar  106  from being released. In this position, note that water ski  104  can not be removed. Moving water ski  104  forward will result in interference between water ski fin  502  and locking bar  106 . Moving water ski  104  backwards will result in interference between water ski boot  501  and rear transverse member  105 . Moving water ski  104  to the side will result in interference between water ski  104  and alignment tabs  404 . Removal of the water ski  104  is accomplished by unlocking lock  503  and removing it from locking pin  403 . Locking bar  106  is then lifted above rear transverse member  105  and removed. At this time skis can be loaded or unloaded from ski rack.  
         [0037]     To this point in the description, mounting details of the ski rack within the boat lift have not been described. There are many possible methods of mounting this ski rack within a boat lift which are well known to those skilled in the art. This section will describe the preferred embodiment, though many variations are anticipated by this invention.  
         [0038]     Boat lift canopies are generally made of a canvas-like material, and are supported by a framework of ribs. A front elevation view of this rib framework is shown in  FIG. 6  along with transverse member  105 . Stiffening spars  601  are constructed of aluminum angles having pre-drilled holes along the full length of both flanges. These are attached perpendicular to canopy ribs  602  at appropriate positions to suspend transverse member  105  from support cables  401 .  
         [0039]      FIG. 7  further illustrates the position of stiffening spar  601  relative to canopy ribs  602  in an isometric perspective view of the inside of the boat canopy. Note that to properly view this drawing, one must interpret it as looking up at the canopy, so that stiffening spar  601  appears to be inside of the arc formed by canopy ribs  602 .  
         [0040]     Referring now to  FIG. 8 , a top plan view cross section of a canopy rib  602  with the mounting hardware for stiffening spar  601 , and  FIG. 9 , a front elevation of the boat lift showing a cross section of stiffening spar  601  with the mounting hardware. Mounting clip  801  is fastened around canopy rib  602  inside of canopy fabric  802 . Bolts  803  and nuts  804  secure mounting clip  801  to stiffening spar  601 . The series of holes in stiffening spar  601  allow for its use with a variety of rib spacings on various boat lift canopies. The size of mounting clip  801  allows a similar flexibility for use with a variety of sizes of canopy rib  602 .  
         [0041]     The preceding text is a detailed description of the locking water ski storage rack. A variation on this invention may be used as a locking equipment rack. This equipment rack may be similarly placed within a boat lift canopy to achieve the same benefits of convenient access, air drying, and theft prevention. It has the limitation of locking only equipment which has a sizeable and permanent hole, as described in the following paragraphs.  
         [0042]     A single transverse member of the water ski storage rack may be modified slightly to allow locking storage of certain types of boating equipment.  FIG. 10  illustrates this locking equipment rack in a front elevation view of the boat lift canopy. Transverse member  1001  is equipped with a locking connection to support cable  1002  at one end. Transverse member  1001  is threaded through the arm holes of life jacket  1003 . This leaves life jacket  1003  securely fastened to transverse member  1001 . The same method can be used to secure other items of boating equipment with a sizeable and permanent hole, including ski ropes (using the triangular hole near the handle) and some towable water sports devices (“tubes” can be threaded through center hole).  
         [0043]      FIG. 11  is a detail of the locking connection at one end of transverse member  1001 . Eyelet  1101  is welded to transverse member  1001 . Lock  1102  is fastened through loop at end of support cable  1002  and through eyelet  1101 .  
         [0044]     The lock  1102  may be removed for loading and unloading equipment. Once loading is completed, fastening lock  1102  both raises the equipment up under the canopy, and secures it against theft.  
         [0045]     This invention has been described herein in considerable detail in order to comply with the patent statutes and to provide those skilled in the art with the information needed to apply the novel principles and to construct and use such specialized components as are required. However, it is to be understood that the invention can be carried out by specifically different equipment and devices, and that various modifications, both as to the equipment and operating procedures, can be accomplished without departing from the scope of the invention itself.