Patent Publication Number: US-9840311-B2

Title: Swiveling seat insert for kayaks

Description:
The current application is a continuation-in-part (CIP) application of U.S. non-provisional application Ser. No. 14/565,347 filed on Dec. 9, 2014. The U.S. non-provisional application Ser. No. 14/565,347 claims a priority to the U.S. Provisional Patent application Ser. No. 61/913,446 filed on Dec. 9, 2013. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates generally to watercraft. More particularly, the present invention relates to kayak seats. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of one embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a side view of one embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of one embodiment of the present invention where the seat has been swiveled. 
         FIG. 4  is a side view of one embodiment of the present invention where the seat has been swiveled. 
         FIG. 5  is a lowered perspective view of another embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     A kayak is a small, narrow boat primarily designed to be manually propelled by means of a double-bladed paddle, a pedal mechanism or a trolling motor. Modern kayaks serve diverse purposes, ranging from slow and easy touring on placid water, to racing and complex maneuvering in fast-moving whitewater, to fishing and long-distance ocean excursions, and vary in design according to their application. 
     When in a kayak, a user&#39;s visibility is limited since the user&#39;s body is locked in a straight forward position. In this position, the user has a severely limited turn radius and is therefore impeded from performing actions to the sides or rear of the kayak. Additionally, the user has a limited field of view and must be extremely flexible in order to turn enough to see behind them. This can be a significant safety issue when crossing boat channels and in other situations such as attempting to ascertain the position of other people, vessels or geographical features in the vicinity. Another problem is that occasionally a kayak user who is fishing may wish to tie off in a narrow creek or mangrove tunnel, through which current is typically running. Upon tying off, the current begins to spin the kayak to face the current. This can pose issues for fishing as the user may be forced to cast their line backwards and hold the rod behind them, which can be very awkward and uncomfortable. 
     It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a seat insert which can be utilized with any existing kayak and which allows the kayak user to swivel their body while sitting in the kayak in order to achieve a comfortable body position for visually surveying their environment and performing actions at any angle. The insert is easily removable allowing the user to sit in the kayak conventionally in its original condition, and is also buoyant to act as a flotation device if necessary. 
     DETAIL DESCRIPTIONS OF THE INVENTION 
     All illustrations of the drawings are for the purpose of describing selected versions of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. The present invention is to be described in detail and is provided in a manner that establishes a thorough understanding of the present invention. There may be aspects of the present invention that may be practiced without the implementation of some features as they are described. It should be understood that some details have not been described in detail in order to not unnecessarily obscure focus of the invention. 
     The present invention is a swiveling seat insert for kayaks which allows the user to turn their body in place in order to gain a better view or body position while sitting in the kayak. Referring to  FIGS. 1-2 , the preferred embodiment of the present invention generally comprises a base  1 , a seat  2 , and a swivel interface  3 . The seat  2  is pivotally connected to the base  1  through the swivel interface  3 , so that the seat  2  may freely swivel relative to the base  1  about a vertical axis. The present invention is shown in a swiveled position in  FIGS. 3-4 . The base  1  comprises a kayak-seat insertable portion  11  and a seat support portion  12 , which are positioned opposite each other on the base  1 . The seat  2  is supported offset from the base  1  by the swivel interface  3  adjacent to the seat support portion  12  so that the swiveling action of the seat  2  is not impeded by friction or other contact between the seat  2  and the base  1 . In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the seat  2  is removable from the base  1  by any useful fastening mechanism, ideally by the swivel interface  3  being a type of interface that accommodates swiveling and being removable. This is beneficial for transport and storage purposes, and additionally allows users to customize the present invention by substituting various embodiments of the base  1  and the seat  2  for different combinations. This may be useful for users with multiple kayaks with different kayak-seat profiles, or for allowing multiple seats to be used with the same kayak. However, this is not specifically required, and in an alternate embodiment the seat  2  is fixed to the base  1  through the swivel interface  3  and not easily removable short of dismantling the swivel interface  3 . The seat  2  may freely rotate on the swivel interface relative to the base  1 . The base  1  may be affixed to a kayak deck or kayak seat, so that the base does not move relative to the kayak deck when affixed to the kayak deck. The seat  2  can rotate on the swivel interface  3  while the base remains steadily in position relative to the kayak deck, thus the seat  2  can rotate relative to the kayak in order to allow the user to align themselves at any desired angle relative to the kayak. 
     Additionally, it is contemplated that some embodiments may also employ other adjustment mechanisms, such as, but not limited to, means for tilting the seat  2 , sliding the seat  2  forward or backward, or locking the seat  2  in a specific angular orientation. 
     The kayak-seat insertable portion  11  is the lower surface of the base  1  and the seat support portion  12  is the upper surface of the base  1 . The seat  2  is positioned adjacent to the seat support portion  12 . The kayak-seat insertable portion  11  is placed into the kayak seat, and should comprise a shape that conforms to the shape of the kayak seat. Since various models of kayaks comprise various seat  2  designs, the kayak-seat insertable portion  11  must be customized for whichever particular kayak the present invention is to be utilized with. In one embodiment of the present invention, the kayak-seat insertable portion  11  comprises a wedge shape  13  as shown in  FIGS. 1-2 . In another embodiment, the kayak-seat insertable portion  11  comprises a cuboid shape  14 , as shown in  FIG. 5 . The cuboid shape  14  is typically better suited for sit on top kayaks with flat decks, sit-in kayaks, or potentially even stand-up paddle boards. Another possible option is that the kayak-seat insertable portion  11  may be made of a yielding material that conforms to any shape. 
     The seat support portion  12  is the upper surface of the base  1  to which the swivel interface  3  is connected. The purpose of the base  1  is essentially to act as an adapter between the shape of the kayak seat and a flat surface for supporting the seat  2 . When the present invention is inserted into a kayak seat, the seat support portion  12  should be horizontal. The seat support portion  12  should ideally be flat in the preferred embodiment, though this is not necessarily required so long as the connections between the seat support portion  12 , the swivel interface  3  and the seat  2  result in the seat  2  having a generally horizontal orientation. However it is contemplated that in alternate embodiments, a tilting or reclining mechanism may be included so that the user has the option to recline in the seat  2 . 
     The preferred embodiment of the present invention additionally comprises a seat back  4  which is connected to the seat  2  opposite the base  1  against which the user may lean when sitting in the seat  2 . In the preferred embodiment, the seat back  4  is adjacently connected to the seat  2  so that the seat back  4 . In one embodiment, the seat back  4  is hingedly connected to the seat  2  so that the seat back  4  may be folded between an open position  5  and a closed position  6  relative to the seat  2 . The open position  5  is shown in  FIGS. 1-2  and the closed position is shown in  FIG. 5 . This folding action is beneficial for transport and storage. Additionally, the preferred embodiment further comprises a seat back fastener  7  shown in  FIG. 5  which is removably attached between the seat  2  and the seat back  4  or between the base  1  and the seat back  4  in the folded position so that the seat back  4  is prevented from accidentally hinging into the open position  5 . 
     Preferably, the base  1  comprises a kayak-seat fastener  8  so that the kayak-seat insertable portion  11  may be removably attached to the kayak deck or within the kayak seat, as necessary by kayak variations, by the kayak-seat fastener  8 . While the present invention may function simply by having the base  1  rest in the kayak seat without any securing means, it is more desirable to have a means for securing the base  1  within the kayak seat so that the user is more secure when utilizing the present invention. In one embodiment, the kayak-seat fastener  8  comprises a plurality of knobs  81  which are connected to the kayak-seat insertable portion  11  of the base  1 . This configuration is designed to match one common kayak seat configuration, where the said kayak seat configuration has a plurality of depressions in which the plurality of knobs  81  may rest in order to more adequately secure the base  1  to the kayak seat. In another embodiment, the kayak-seat fastener  8  comprises strips of hook and loop tape  82 , also known as Velcro, or only the hook portion or the loop portion of a set of hook and loop tape  82 , where mating strips of hook and/or loop tape are affixed to the kayak seat. In other embodiments, any other appropriate means may be comprised for the kayak-seat fastener  8 , such as, but not limited to, button snaps, fasteners such as screws or clamps, straps, or other means. 
     In the preferred embodiment, the base  1 , the seat  2 , and the seat back  4  are made of a buoyant material such as, but not limited to, fiberglass, high density foam, wood, or polyurethane—preferably similar material to that utilized in typical kayak construction. This allows the present invention to function as a personal flotation device in the event of capsizing where the user may not be able to reach the kayak itself but is able to grasp the present invention and thus remain afloat. 
     Although the invention has been explained in relation to its preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that many other possible modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.