Abstract:
A large recreational powerboat has a forward passenger area, a helm, and a rearward passenger area. A top deck covers the forward passenger area and extends upwardly over the helm. The rearward passenger area is exposed. A large skylight window is formed streamlined with the boat and is imposed into the top deck. The window extends upwardly and forward to the helm, thereby having portions functioning as a windshield for the boat. The windshield and the skylight window transmit abundant natural light to an atrium room that is located between the helm and the forward passenger area cabin rooms. Individuals in the atrium room are shielded from the elements but at the same time can view the outside environment and communicate with people outside of the forward passenger area.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    1. Technical Field of the Invention 
         [0002]    This invention relates generally to boat layouts. Particularly, the present invention relates to a top deck layout, windshield, and helm area enclosure configuration for watercrafts in general. 
         [0003]    2. Description of the Related Art 
         [0004]    A typical structure for a leisure watercraft includes a deck layout with a main helm area where controls for the boat are located. Sides of the boat and the top deck cover generally define a forward passenger area, often referred to as a cabin. The cabin may be subdivided further into such spaces as sleeping rooms, kitchens, and washrooms in larger boats. 
         [0005]    The cabin underneath the top deck of relatively large recreational watercraft may be divided into several large rooms, including full sized bedrooms, showers, and dining areas. However, such larger boats representative of the prior art do not provide for adequate means for illuminating the forward passenger cabin rooms. This area of the boat is usually so poorly illuminated that boaters descending into this area from the helm cannot see well and often lose their footing on the stairway as a result of the darkness. Additionally, people in the forward passenger area socializing, dining, or resting cannot see the environment outside the boat. 
         [0006]    Usual methods for attempting to illuminate the forward passenger area include electric lighting, even during daylight hours, because no natural light can penetrate deep into the larger cabin rooms in the bow. The electric lighting systems used in boats however requires custom light bulbs, which do not provide enough light for larger cabin rooms, and replacement bulbs are difficult to obtain. Thus, the layout configuration for prior art recreational boats, especially relatively larger and more luxurious boats, always includes a dark and unseemly cabin space that is avoided by boaters. 
         [0007]    In order to provide greater illumination of the spaces underneath the top deck some prior art boats were designed with structures to facilitate the transmission of natural light into the cabin rooms. For example, many boat designs in the prior art rely on a hatch built into the top deck, that when opened, allows some light to enter a minimal area of the cabin rooms. However, the hatch was also designed primarily as an opening for one average sized person to exit the cabin. Consequently, the open hatch transmits minimal natural light into the cabin. Hatches were also designed to have a small window in order to illuminate the cabin when the hatch was in a closed position. However, the amount of illumination was minimal due to the restriction of the size of the hatch door. The light transmitted through the hatch and the hatch window is limited to the immediate space underneath the hatch opening and does not sufficiently illuminate adjacent areas of the cabin room or other rooms in the cabin. 
         [0008]    The cabin on a boat is typically accessible through an entryway from a rear area of the boat. In the prior art, the entryway from the rear area of the boat is typically designed and built as a narrow stairway in order to conserve space. Even larger motorboats built to house several people in the cabin are usually designed with relatively narrow entryways into the cabin. 
         [0009]    The stairway is usually covered by at least a portion of the top deck. The top deck cover prohibits natural light from properly illuminating the stairway. The prior art boats use small running lights along the edges of the stairs to define and illuminate the stairway. However, the running lights only provide an outline of the stairs, and fail to illuminate the broad stepping surfaces of individual stairs. Even during daylight hours, the boat deck top cover results in the stairway being very dark, thereby causing a safety hazard. 
         [0010]    A typical cabin entryway includes a small gate with a latch or a lock. The prior art lacks a design for windows in the gate or door to the cabin, which would allow for individuals behind the locked cabin door to see outside the door to the cabin. 
         [0011]    The main helm area where the controls are located is usually covered with a roof enclosure. The enclosure may be removable and made of a durable weather resistant material, such as canvas. Larger motorboats usually have a top roof comprised of a rigid material, such as fiberglass or hard plastic. Additionally, a boat may have frame that is rigidly fixed in place surrounding the helm. The roof or parts of the roof may be removed depending upon weather conditions. However, removable tops, covers, or sections thereof are cumbersome. Additionally, boats lack storage space for removable covers and roofs. 
         [0012]    There is a need in the boat industry to provide greater illumination of passenger areas that are covered, especially in order to render the forward passenger area more usable for recreational purposes. What is needed is a substantially rigid and transparent roof structure that transmits natural light into the cabin rooms and other spaces underneath the roof top deck of a leisure watercraft. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0013]    One aspect of the present disclosure relates to an improved structure for a top deck, a windshield, and helm of a boat. Another aspect of the present disclosure relates to an improved structure of a forward passenger area for a boat, by providing a skylight ceiling window imposed in the top deck over a substantial portion of the forward passenger area, in order to transmit an abundant amount of natural light into the forward passenger area. Another aspect of the present disclosure relates to an improved structural lighting configuration for a stairway that leads from the helm to the forward passenger area rooms of the boat, by providing a skylight ceiling window imposed into the top deck over the stairway that facilitates the transmission of natural light into the helm, the atrium room, and onto the stairs. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0014]      FIG. 1  is a side view in perspective of the preferred embodiment for the boat. 
           [0015]      FIG. 2  is a side view in perspective of the preferred embodiment for the boat, and the skylight window is retracted. 
           [0016]      FIG. 3  is a top view of the present invention with a section of the skylight window cut away for viewing into the helm and atrium room. 
           [0017]      FIG. 4  is a view of the boat from inside the helm looking toward the rearward passenger area. 
       
    
    
       [0018]    In describing the preferred embodiment of the invention that is illustrated in the drawings, specific terminology will be resorted to for the sake of clarity. However, it is not intended that the invention be limited to the specific term so selected and it is to be understood that each specific term includes all technical equivalents that operate in a similar manner to accomplish a similar purpose. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0019]      FIGS. 1 and 2  illustrate a boat  10  with a skylight window  12 . The skylight window  12  retracts from its position in a windshield  11  for the boat  10 . The boat  10  has a hull  14 , a bow  16 , and a stern  18 . First and second sides,  20  and  22 , respectively, extend between the bow  16  and the stern  18 . 
         [0020]    Looking at  FIG. 2 , the layout of the boat  10  includes a forward passenger area  24 , a rearward passenger area  26 , and a helm  28 . In  FIG. 2  the skylight window  12  is retracted from the windshield  11 , and the helm  28  is visible. The helm  28  is the location where a boat operator controls the speed and direction of the boat  10 . The forward passenger area  24  is defined as the section of the boat  10  located forward to the helm  28 , and the rearward passenger area  26  is the section of the boat  10  located rearward to the helm  28 . A top deck  30  extending between the first side  20  and the second side  22  covers the forward passenger area  24 . 
         [0021]      FIG. 3  is a top view of the boat  10 , with a large area of the skylight window  12  depicted as cut away for viewing the helm  28 . There is at least one seat  29  in the helm  28  on which the boat operator may sit. The helm  28  is a spacious area, having sufficient space for multiple individual seats or a couch  33 . As illustrated in  FIG. 3 , a stairway  31  leads downward into the atrium room  48 . 
         [0022]    Looking at  FIG. 4 , the boat  10  has a first entryway  34  and a second entryway  36  along opposite ends of a center console  38 . The entryways  34  and  36  lead between the rearward passenger area  26  and the helm  28 . In the preferred embodiment, the center console  38  is large enough to be further customized with features such as a wet bar, a table surface, and an entertainment center  39  with audio and video capabilities. 
         [0023]    The helm  28  is separated from the rearward passenger area  26  by a multiplicity of movable panels  40 ,  42 , and  44 . The panels  40 ,  42 , and  44  are positioned in the path of the entryway to the helm  28  and laterally collapse by folding to one or both of the sides of the boat  10 . The movable panels  40 ,  42 , and  44  lock together for securing the entryways  34  and  36  into the helm  28 . The panels  40 ,  42 , and  44  are made of substantially shatterproof glass or a similar material used for transparent doors and windows, such as a rigid plastic. An essential function of the transparent panels  40 ,  42  and  44  is to permit people inside the helm  28  to have clear visibility of the environment outside of the boat, such as the dock space. 
         [0024]    The forward passenger area  24  is maximized in terms of its usable space by having multiple spacious rooms. Generally, a smaller boat  10  has one cabin room defining the region of a boat layout with an area like the forward passenger area  24 . The boat  10  is a large recreational watercraft, having the forward passenger area  24  subdivided into rooms such as a kitchen, bedrooms, and a lavatory. 
         [0025]    As illustrated in  FIG. 3 , the present invention includes an atrium room  48  in the forward passenger area  24 . The atrium room  48  is made structurally possible by the imposition of a skylight window  12  imposed into the windshield  11  and extends forward into the top deck  30  over the forward passenger area  24 . Specifically, at least a substantial portion of the skylight window  12  and the windshield  11  is imposed into the top deck  30  in a position structurally corresponding to a floor  50  of the atrium room  48 . The skylight window  12  in the windshield  11  transmits natural light during the daylight hours to the surface area of the walls and the atrium room  48 , and the floor  50 , as well as a substantial portion of the forward passenger area  24 , in order to fully illuminate the atrium room  48  and the forward passenger area  24 . 
         [0026]    The windshield  11 , the skylight window  12 , and the top deck  30  are contiguous. The windshield  11  extends upwardly from the top deck  30 , from a position forward to the helm  28  and rearward to a position over a substantial portion of the helm  28 . The position in the top deck  30  that is forward to the helm  28  to which the contiguous windshield  11 , skylight window  12  extend is at least far enough to be over the stairway  31  and the atrium room  48 . The windshield  11  may extend forward past the atrium room to a position over additional rooms in the forward passenger area  24 . 
         [0027]    The windshield  11  and the skylight window  12  are streamlined, meaning they have a form that is contour constructed so as to offer minimum resistance to the flow of air and water. The skylight window  12  functions in conjunction with the windshield  11  to protect the boat operator in the helm  28  from the wind that would otherwise blow through the helm  28 . Furthermore, another important aspect of the skylight window  12  is to provide a maximum visibility of the boat operator&#39;s field of view. The large area of the skylight window  12  permits ease in viewing the entire horizon and sky, thereby enhancing the ability of the boat  10  to be navigated during inclement weather conditions. 
         [0028]    An important feature of the preferred embodiment for the present invention is that the skylight window  12  and windshield  11  enable visibility from the atrium room  48  to the immediate environment outside of the boat  10 . The windshield  11  extends over the helm  28  and into a portion of the top deck  30  over the stairway  31  and the atrium room  48 . This structural configuration facilitates the transmission of natural light into the atrium room  48 , the stairway  31 , and the helm  28 . 
         [0029]    The windshield  11  and the skylight window  12  facilitate the illumination of rooms in the forward passenger area  24 . The large area of the skylight window  12  transmits an abundant amount of light into the helm  28 , and much of that light is further transmitted into the forward passenger area  24  through doorways. 
         [0030]    Another aspect of the present disclosure relates to a structural configuration for an entryway to the forward passenger area  24  of a boat. Larger boats, such as the boat  10 , typically include an entryway, such as a stairway, between the forward passenger area  24  and the helm  28 . The skylight window  12  transmits natural light to the stairway  31  inside the boat  10  so that an individual utilizing the stairs can clearly view the individual stairs. Additionally, a source of artificial lighting, such as electric lights, may be imposed adjacent to the stairs for illuminating the stairway  31  during nighttime. However, during the daytime natural light transmitted through the windshield  11  and the skylight window  12  sufficiently illuminates the stairway  31 . 
         [0031]    As illustrated in  FIG. 4 , lateral skylight windows  52 ,  54 ,  56 , and  58  are imposed in each of the sides of the boat  10 . Preferably, the lateral skylight windows  52 ,  54 ,  56 , and  58  are positioned in upper areas of each of the first and second sides  20  and  22 . The lateral skylight windows  52 ,  54 ,  56 , and  58  extend longitudinally along each of the first and second sides,  20  and  22 , substantially the entire length of the helm  28 . The length of each of the windows  52 ,  54 ,  56 , and  58  is substantially longer than the width. The lateral skylight windows  52 ,  54 ,  56 , and  58  are configured to transmit natural light into all of the cabin rooms in the forward passenger area  24 . 
         [0032]    While the boat  10  in the figures is depicted with a specific configuration, those skilled in the art will appreciate that one or more aspects of the present invention may be incorporated into a watercraft, regardless of the particular configuration and layout. Certain preferred embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed in detail, and it is to be understood that various modifications may be adopted without departing from the spirit of the invention or scope of the following claims. For example, the preferred embodiment is a relatively large recreational boat. The skylight window  12  may be imposed in areas of top deck of smaller boats, although the invention is best practiced in hard top boats, because the skylight window  12  is preferably composed of a rigid plastic material. However, a similarly rigid and substantially transparent material such as a tempered glass could also be used.