Abstract:
An adjustable rigging system for a boat including a bracket adapted to connect to an outboard end portion of a stay mechanism for a boat, the bracket including a top hole and a bottom hole, wherein an axis is defined between a center of the top hole and a center of the bottom hole, a pin extending along the axis including two ends, each end removably connected to the bracket adjacent to one of the top and bottom holes, and wherein the location of at least one of the top and the bottom holes is adjustable to change a pitch of the axis and the pin.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims priority benefits under 35 §U.S.C. 119(e) of the U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/892,368, filed on Mar. 1, 2007. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The invention relates to a rigging system for a rowing boat, and more specifically to a rigging system with means to adjust the pitch of pin in one or multiple directions. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    In the sport of rowing, there are rigid members attached to the side of a hull to hold a cylindrical pin at the appropriate distance from the boat. These are called riggers. An oar lock holds an oar and rotates around a pin. The main object of a rigger is to support the force generated by the user. An important feature in a rigger is its adjustability. Adjustability is important so that the rigging measurements may be customized to the user for optimal performance. One of the measurements many users desire to change is pitch. Pitch can be measured in two common ways, stern and lateral pitch. Stern pitch is the angle of the pin relative to the lengthwise axis of the boat. Lateral pitch is measured relative to the axis perpendicular to the lengthwise axis. 
         [0004]    There are many classes and types of riggers that generally fall into two categories. The first class is fixed pitch riggers. These riggers have a pin bolted into a slot, with a fixed pitch. The pitch on the pin with these riggers is usually made to be zero (0) degrees both stern and lateral, which causes the pin to be vertical. The pitch may be adjusted on these riggers. However, it is a very difficult process which involves carefully bending the pin to the desired angle. This process is also potentially damaging to the rigger and the boat as it relies on plastic deformation of the rigger. 
         [0005]    The second class of riggers is those which support the pin from a single bracket member which attaches both to the top and bottom of the cylindrical pin. 
         [0006]    Some of these riggers allow the adjustment of pitch, some do not. Most riggers allowing pin pitch to be adjusted use a bracket to support the pin from both the top and bottom. There are a wide range of shapes the bracket could potentially take, but all of these have in common two holes spaced apart to accommodate a pin. With this type of rigger allowing adjustable pitch, the bracket is usually in a semi circular or semi-spherical shape and the stern and lateral pitch may be adjusted by loosening a bolt. The stern pitch is adjusted by sliding the bolt along a slot in the bracket to change the stern pitch angle. Lateral pitch is adjusted by rotating the bracket about the bolt. This is made possible by the spherical shape of the bracket at the point where the bracket meets the rigid members extending from the boat. The bolt is tightened once the desired pitch is found. One problem with this system is that over time, the bracket will slide and the pitch angle will change. Additionally, when re-tightening the bolt to secure the pitch, the bracket usually moves with the torque generated by the rotation of the bolt. The other problem is that adjustment of this rigger requires a relatively high amount of skill, and ultimately is a waste of time for an athlete or coach. 
         [0007]    Others of this second class of riggers do not allow any adjustment of pitch through simple methods as the bracket is attached to the rigger at a fixed pitch. One of the methods used for adjusting lateral pitch on these riggers involves bending the rigger so that it deforms and is at the desired pitch. In many cases, it is desired that the pitch be adjustable, and few are willing to bend the rigger on their boat for fear of causing permanent damage. 
         [0008]    There are two basic mounting systems for riggers including side mount and wing mount. Side mount riggers mount to the side of the hull, and wing mount riggers mount to the gunwale. Further there are two disciplines in the sport of rowing, sweep rowing uses one oar per seat, sculling uses two oars per seat. A sculling wing rigger is one piece holding two pins, one on each side of the boat. A sculling side mount system uses two individual riggers each with one pin mounting to opposite sides of the boat. 
         [0009]    U.S. Pat. No. 6,183,325 to Purser discloses that some oarlocks are designed to incorporate bushings or inserts to adjust for pitch and pin diameter. The oarlock inserts cited here only adjust pitch relative to the pin, and not the actual pitch of the pin itself, thus making it impossible to use these inserts to adjust outboard pitch without changing stern pitch. This limitation further makes it impossible to both have the total oarlock pitch to change throughout the stroke cycle and to make the actual total change be adjustable and user selectable. 
         [0010]    WO 91/08945 A1 to Carter et al. discloses a method of adjusting pitch that uses a cam system to adjust the oarlock face. Although the structure of this invention is different than the bushing system mentioned in the Purser patent, it is irrelevant for the same reason that the adjustment is not directed to the pin, it is directed to the oarlock. Thus a change in oarlock pitch will result in an equivalent change in both total outboard and total stern pitch. Thus, it is impossible with the Carter patent to both have total pitch change throughout the stroke cycle, and to adjust the total amount of change there is throughout the stroke cycle. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0011]    Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a rigging system and rigger that includes a means to adjust pitch of its pin. 
         [0012]    These and other objectives are achieved by providing an adjustable rigging system for a boat, including a bracket adapted to connect to an outboard end portion of a stay mechanism for a boat, the bracket including a top hole and a bottom hole, wherein an axis is defined between a center of the top hole and a center of the bottom hole, a pin extending along the axis including two ends, each end removably connected to the bracket adjacent to one of the top and bottom holes, and wherein the location of at least one of the top and the bottom holes is adjustable to change a pitch of the axis and the pin. 
         [0013]    In some embodiments, the system further includes at least one pitch adjuster removably connected to the bracket and including one of the top hole and the bottom hole. In some embodiments, the system further includes a top pitch adjuster removably connected to the bracket and including the top hole, and a bottom pitch adjuster removably connected to the bracket and including the bottom hole, wherein at least one of the top and bottom holes is off-center with respect to a center of the respective pitch adjuster. 
         [0014]    Other objectives and advantages are achieved by providing an adjustable rigging system for a boat including a bracket adapted to connect to an outboard end portion of a stay mechanism for a boat, the bracket including a top support member and a bottom support member, each support member including a support hole, one or more pitch adjusters each including one of an off-center pitch hole and a centered pitch hole, wherein at least a first one of the pitch adjusters is at least partially inserted in one of the support holes, a pin removably connected between the top support member and the bottom support member, wherein centers of each of the support holes in the top support member and the bottom support member define a support axis, and wherein a center of the pitch hole of the first one of the pitch adjusters is along a pitch axis. In some embodiments, the pitch axis is adjustable with respect to the support axis according to a selection of the one or more pitch adjusters. 
         [0015]    In some embodiments, the system further includes a second one of the pitch adjusters at least partially inserted in another one of the support holes, wherein a center of the pitch hole of the second one of the pitch adjusters is either offset from the support axis or along the support axis. The pitch hole in the first one of the pitch adjusters and the pitch hole in the second one of the pitch adjusters may also define the pitch axis, the pitch axis being different from the support axis. 
         [0016]    In other embodiments, the system further includes a cavity around at least one of the top and bottom hole, wherein at least one of the pitch adjusters is inserted at least partially within the cavity, and wherein the cavity retains the pitch member and prevents the pitch member from passing through the at least one hole. In some embodiments, the at least one of the pitch adjusters includes a flange, wherein the flange is larger than the support holes and prevents the entire pitch adjuster from passing through the support hole. 
         [0017]    Further provided is a rigging system for a boat, including a stay mechanism for spacing at least one pin at a pre-determined distance from the boat, the stay mechanism including one or more outboard end portions, at least a first and a second bracket, each the bracket including first and second rigid support members spaced apart from each other by a distance, the members each including a hole, the holes in the first bracket defining a first axis, the holes in the second bracket defining a second axis, the holes in the first and second brackets located so that the first axis is at a different angle than the second axis, wherein a selected one of the first and second brackets is releasably secured to at least one of the outboard end portions, and wherein a pin is secured to the selected bracket along the axis of the selected bracket. At least one of the first and second rigid members of the selected bracket may include a pitch adjuster, wherein the pitch adjuster includes the hole. 
         [0018]    Other objects, features and advantages according to the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of certain advantageous embodiments when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which the same components are identified by the same reference numerals. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0019]      FIG. 1A  is a top view of a rigger according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention attached to a boat. 
           [0020]      FIG. 1B  is a front view of the rigger shown in  FIG. 1A . 
           [0021]      FIG. 2  is a detail view (A) of a portion of the rigger shown in  FIGS. 1A and 1B . 
           [0022]      FIG. 3  is an isometric view of a bracket of the rigger shown in  FIGS. 1A and 1B . 
           [0023]      FIG. 4A  is a side view of a pitch adjustment mechanism of the rigger shown in  FIGS. 1A and 1B  including an off-center hole. 
           [0024]      FIG. 4B  is a top view of the pitch adjustment mechanism shown in  FIG. 4A . 
           [0025]      FIG. 5A  is a side view of a pitch adjustment mechanism of the rigger shown in  FIGS. 1A and 1B  including a center hole. 
           [0026]      FIG. 5B  is a top view of the pitch adjustment mechanism shown in  FIG. 5A . 
           [0027]      FIG. 6A  is a side view of a bracket of a rigger according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention including two pitch adjusters. 
           [0028]      FIG. 6B  is an isometric view of the bracket shown in  FIG. 6A . 
           [0029]      FIG. 7  is an exploded isometric view of a bracket of a rigger according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention including a single pitch insert system. 
           [0030]      FIG. 8  is a detail view (B) of a portion of the bracket shown in  FIG. 7 . 
           [0031]      FIG. 9  is an exploded isometric view of a bracket of a rigger according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention including a single insert system with a cavity. 
           [0032]      FIG. 10  is a detail view (C) of a portion of the bracket shown in  FIG. 9 . 
           [0033]      FIG. 11  is a top view of the bracket shown in  FIG. 9 . 
           [0034]      FIG. 12  is an exploded isometric view of a bracket using a two insert system including inserts having a flange. 
           [0035]      FIG. 13  is an unexploded view of  FIG. 12 . 
           [0036]      FIG. 14A  is a left side view of an insert of the bracket shown in  FIGS. 12 and 13  including an off-center hole. 
           [0037]      FIG. 14B  is an isometric view of the insert shown in  FIG. 14A . 
           [0038]      FIG. 14C  is a top view of the insert shown in  FIG. 14A . 
           [0039]      FIG. 14D  is a right side view of the insert shown in  FIG. 14A . 
           [0040]      FIG. 15  is an isometric view of a bracket according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention including one insert with off-center hole and one insert with a center hole. 
           [0041]      FIGS. 16A and 16B  are top views of a bracket according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention including a centered circular hole and the bracket including an off-center circular hole, respectively. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0042]      FIGS. 1A-3  illustrate a rigger or rigging system for a rowing boat  10  according to a first exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The rigging system includes a stay or stay mechanism  20  extending from the boat  10  to an outboard end portion  30 . A bracket  40  including a top rigid support member  42  and a bottom rigid support member  46  is attached to the outboard end portion  30 . The bracket  40  may be made in a variety of shapes capable of support a pin or other connection means from the top and bottom. 
         [0043]    In the exemplary embodiment, the bracket  40  is secured to the outboard end portion  30  by a bolt  32 . It should be noted however that the bracket  40  can be attached to the outboard portion  30  using a variety of methods. Some of the methods can be welding, adhesive, fasteners, bolts, contact geometry between the bracket  40  and the outboard end portion  30  (e.g., which prevents the bracket from rotating or sliding and thus changing the pitch), or a combination thereof. The important thing is that the bracket  30  is secured so that it does not move or slide. 
         [0044]    The rigging system includes a pin  50  that is secured to the rigid support members  42 / 46  by one or more bolts  52 . As one of ordinary skill in the art will understand, the pin  50  provides for the connection of an oarlock (not shown). Each of the support members  42 / 46  include a hole  44 / 48  (e.g., support hole), at least one of which is designed to accommodate a pitch adjustment mechanism or pitch adjuster  60 . In the exemplary embodiment, the bolts  52  pass through the pitch adjusters  60  on the top and/or bottom portions of the bracket  40 . The pitch adjusters  60  fit at least partially inside corresponding holes  44 / 48  in the rigid support members  42 / 46 . In some other embodiments, the pitch adjuster  60  can attach directly to and/or against the bracket with a fastener system. 
         [0045]    The bolts  52  pass through a hole  70  (e.g., pitch hole) in the pitch adjuster  60  and the holes  44 / 48  in the rigid support members  42 / 46  and thread into the pin  50 . The geometry of the holes  44 / 48  in the rigid support member  42 / 46  could be many different shapes, but is preferably suitable to accommodate a range of locations for the hole  70  in the pitch adjuster  60 . 
         [0046]    The pitch adjusters  60  may be off-center pitch adjusters  62  or centered pitch adjusters  64 .  FIGS. 4A and 4B  illustrate an exemplary off-center pitch adjuster  62 .  FIGS. 5A-5B  illustrate an exemplary centered pitch adjuster  64 . The off-center pitch adjuster  62  is interchangeable with the centered pitch adjuster  64 . The selection of different pitch adjusters  62 / 64  allows the user to adjust the pin axis and equivalently the pitch of the pin  50 . 
         [0047]      FIGS. 6A and 6B  illustrate both the rigid support axis  80  and the pin axis  82 . The rigid support axis  80  is defined as the line passing through the centers of the holes in the rigid support members  42 / 46 . The pin axis  82  is defined as the line passing through the centers of the holes  70  in the pitch adjusters  60  (depending on which pitch adjuster  62 / 64  is selected). If a single pitch adjuster  60  is used, the pin axis is defined as the line passing through the center of the hole  70  in the pitch adjuster and the center of the hole in the opposing rigid support member. When one or more off-center pitch adjusters  62  are used on the bracket  40 , the center of the hole  70  is offset from the rigid support axis  80  and the pin axis  82  is different from the rigid support axis  80 . 
         [0048]    The oarlock pitch is likewise changed with the pitch of the pin  50 . A series of pitch adjusters may be used with centered holes or off-center holes to achieve a wide variety of possible pitches. Each hole  70  in the pitch adjuster  60  defines a different pin axis  82  with a measurable pitch when the pitch adjuster  60  is attached to both the bracket  40  and the pin  50 . The pin axis  82  can be the same as the rigid support axis  80  if desired, but if a different pitch adjuster (e.g.,  62 ) is selected, the pin axis  82  and the rigid support axis  80  may differ thus allowing pitch to be adjusted by selecting the desired pitch adjuster. The location of the pitch hole with respect to the center of the pitch adjuster  60  (e.g., both in the lateral and stern directions) may also vary between pitch adjusters  60  to allow for any number of pitch options. The present invention therefore allows a user to select how much if at all the total oarlock pitch changes throughout the stroke cycle as the oarlock rotates about the pin  50 . 
         [0049]      FIGS. 7 and 8  illustrate a rigger or rigging system for a rowing boat  10  according to a second exemplary embodiment of the present invention. In the exemplary embodiment, the rigging system uses only one pitch adjuster (e.g., an off-center pitch adjuster  162  or a centered pitch adjuster  164 ) on either the top or the bottom of the bracket  140  (e.g., the top  142 ). As in the other embodiments disclosed herein, the bracket  140  is adapted to be attached to an outboard end portion  30  of a stay  20 . One of the rigid support members  146  includes a circular hole  147 . The other rigid support member  142  is equivalent to rigid support member  42  in that it accommodates a pitch adjuster  162 / 164 . Pitch adjuster  164  is equivalent to a pitch adjuster  64 . 
         [0050]    A bolt  52  passes through the circular hole  147  in the rigid support member  146 . The bolt  52  is threaded into the pin  50 . On the end with the pitch adjuster  164 , the bolt  52  passes through the hole  170  in the pitch adjuster  164 . Hole  170  and pitch adjuster  164  are equivalent to hole  70  and pitch adjuster  64  respectively. Pitch adjusters  164  and  62  are interchangeable depending on the desired pin axis. In the case of this second embodiment, the pin axis is defined as the line passing through the centers of holes  147  and  170 . The rigid support axis in this case is defined as the line passing through the centers of holes  147  and  144 .  FIG. 8  illustrates a detail view (B) of a portion of the rigging system shown in  FIG. 7 . See  FIG. 8  for a more detailed view of items  164 ,  170 , and  144 . 
         [0051]      FIGS. 9-11  illustrate a rigger or rigging system according to a third exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The third embodiment is substantially equivalent to the second embodiment except that rigid support member  142  is replaced by rigid support member  242 . The difference between rigid support members  142  and  242  is that a cavity  290  is created in rigid support member  242 . The cavity  290  is made so the pitch adjuster  260  can be inserted into the cavity  290 , against a lip  292 , but not all the way through the hole  244  in the rigid support member  242 . 
         [0052]    In this exemplary embodiment, a portion of the pitch adjuster is larger than the support hole  244  in the rigid support member  242 . When the pitch adjuster comes into contact with the cavity  290 , it is therefore restrained in at least one direction, and the hole  270  in the pitch adjuster aligns with a portion of the hole  244  in the rigid support member  242 . Preferably, the cavity restrains the pitch adjuster in at least four directions, and the cavity is essentially the female imprint of the pitch adjuster. The pitch adjuster may still be pulled out of the cavity so that a different pitch adjuster can be selected. 
         [0053]      FIGS. 12-15  illustrate a rigger or rigging system according to a fourth exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The pin  50  and bolts  52  are not shown as they would be redundant and are shown in other drawings. The fourth embodiment is substantially equivalent to the first embodiment except that the pitch adjusters  60  are replaced with pitch adjusters  362 / 364 . Pitch adjuster  362  is substantially equivalent to pitch adjuster  62  (shown in  FIGS. 4A-4B ) in that there is a hole  370  that is off-center, however there is a flange  366  on pitch adjuster  362  (see, e.g.,  FIGS. 14A-14D ). The flange  366  prevents the pitch adjuster  362  from passing all the way through the hole  344 / 348  in the rigid support member  342 / 346 . The holes  344 / 348  and the rigid support members  342 / 346  are substantially equivalent to holes  44 / 48  and rigid support members  42 / 46 . 
         [0054]    Pitch adjuster  362  is interchangeable with a pitch adjuster  364  shown in  FIG. 15 . Pitch adjuster  364  is different from pitch adjuster  362  in that pitch adjuster  364  has a centered hole  370 . The rigid support axis is defined by a line passing through the centers of the holes  344 / 348 . The pin axis is defined as the line passing through the holes  370  depending on which pitch adjusters  362 / 364  are selected. 
         [0055]    A fifth embodiment (not shown) is equivalent to the second embodiment shown in  FIGS. 7 and 8  however the pitch adjuster  162  or  164  is replaced with a pitch adjuster  362  or  364 , respectively, including flanges  366 . Furthermore, the holes that define the pin axis are the holes  370  and  147  in this embodiment. As in the previous embodiments, the pin axis is adjustable depending on which pitch adjuster  362 / 364  is selected. 
         [0056]    In a sixth exemplary embodiment according to the present invention, no pitch adjusters are used. Instead, the function of the pitch adjusters in the previous embodiments is performed by the location of the support holes in the rigid support member.  FIGS. 16A and 16B  illustrate top views of brackets  540  and  640  each including at least one hole  541 / 641  (e.g., support hole and pitch hole). Hole  541  is centered and hole  641  is off-center. The pin axis and the rigid support axis in this case are co-linear. The pin axis in bracket  540  is defined on one end by the centers of the holes  541  in the rigid support member. By selecting a different bracket  540 / 640 , a different pin axis can be selected and thus the pitch of the pin may be changed. 
         [0057]    Although the invention has been described with reference to a particular arrangement of parts, features and the like, these are not intended to exhaust all possible arrangements or features, and indeed many modifications and variations will be ascertainable to those of skill in the art.