Patent Publication Number: US-11046405-B1

Title: Rigging hose housing with water drain

Description:
FIELD 
     The present disclosure relates to marine vessels and watercraft, and more particularly, pertains to rigging systems for coupling outboard motors to a marine vessel. 
     BACKGROUND 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,969,847 discloses a strain relief assembly for an outboard motor for relieving strain on wires, cables, lines or the like that extend between the boat and the cowl assembly, which encloses the power head of the outboard motor. The strain relief assembly is preferably disposed within an opening formed in one of the cowl sections, and comprises a two-piece member. The two-piece member includes a series of indentations which cooperate to clamp the wires, cables, lines or the like therebetween when screwed together. With the strain relief assembly fixed to the wall of the cowl section forming the opening, this acts to maintain the wires, cables or lines in position relative to the cowl section for relieving strain thereon during movement of the outboard motor. A fuel line strain relief assembly is also provided, comprising a stem fixed to the two-piece member. An external fuel line supplies fuel to the stem, which is communicated therethrough to an internal fuel line extending between the stem and the power head. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 10,017,136 discloses an outboard motor that can be coupled to a transom of a marine vessel via the described rigging system. The rigging system includes a plurality of engine-sourced lines extending from an engine of the outboard motor, through an aperture in the motor housing, and to the marine vessel. A protective tube surrounds the plurality of engine-sourced lines and has a first end coupled to the motor housing and a second end coupled to the marine vessel. A rigging center is located aboard the marine vessel and holds distal ends of each of the engine-sourced lines. A plurality of connectors is provided on the distal ends of the engine-sourced lines. At the rigging center, each engine-sourced line is configured to be coupled, via a respective connector, to a corresponding vessel-sourced line. The vessel-sourced lines are in turn connected to respective engine-related devices aboard the marine vessel. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 10,046,842 discloses an outboard motor mounting structure that mounts an outboard motor body on a hull and includes a mounting bracket fixed to the hull, a swivel bracket joined to the mounting bracket to be tiltable around a tilt axis and that supports the outboard motor body, a flexible connector, and a first connector support that supports the flexible connector at a support position in a region adjacent to the mounting bracket. The relative position of the support position with respect to the mounting bracket does not change depending on a tilt angle of the outboard motor body. The flexible connector includes at least one of a wire, an operating cable, and a pipe that connects equipment on the hull and equipment provided in the outboard motor body. The adjacent region is a region defined between an upper surface of the hull and the engine cover and between a lowest point of the engine cover and the tilt axis in a state that the outboard motor body is tilted up at a maximum tilt angle. 
     Japanese Patent No. 11,245,891 discloses an outboard motor that includes an upper cowling and a lower cowling which cover an engine, a through hole passing through the lower cowling, a plurality of linear members, such as cables, wires, and hoses, placed in the through hole and brought out forward from within the lower cowling, and a rigging tube having the linear members inserted therein and having a spiral rib formed on the outer surface thereof. A rigging tube mounting hole part having a spiral groove formed on the inner surface thereof is formed in the through hole, and the rigging tube is fitted into the rigging tube mounting hole part and extended forward from the lower cowling. Also, the rib on the rigging tube is engaged in the groove of the rigging tube mounting hole part. 
     Each of the above patents is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
     SUMMARY 
     This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts that are further described herein below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in limiting the scope of the claimed subject matter. 
     According to one example of the present disclosure, a rigging hose housing is provided to couple a rigging hose to a marine vessel. The rigging hose housing includes a radial mounting plate; an outer cylindrical wall extending perpendicularly from the radial mounting plate a first height above a bottom surface of the radial mounting plate; an inner cylindrical wall extending perpendicularly from the radial mounting plate a second height above the bottom surface of the radial mounting plate; and a gutter formed between the inner cylindrical wall and the outer cylindrical wall. The gutter terminates in a drain hole formed in the outer cylindrical wall. The drain hole is configured to permit the expulsion of fluid collected in the gutter from the rigging hose housing. 
     According to another example of the present disclosure, a rigging hose assembly for a marine vessel is provided. The rigging hose assembly includes a structural component of the marine vessel, and a rigging hose configured to encapsulate at least one of a hose, wire, or cable extending between an outboard motor and the marine vessel. The rigging hose includes multiple external threads. The rigging hose assembly further includes a rigging hose housing mounted to the structural component and threadably coupled to the external threads of the rigging hose. The rigging hose housing includes a radial mounting plate, an outer cylindrical wall extending perpendicularly from the radial mounting plate, an inner cylindrical wall extending perpendicularly from the radial mounting plate, and a gutter formed between the inner cylindrical wall and the outer cylindrical wall. The gutter terminates in a drain hole formed in the outer cylindrical wall. The drain hole is configured to permit the expulsion of fluid collected in the gutter from the rigging hose housing. 
     According to yet another example of the present disclosure, a rigging hose assembly for a marine vessel is provided. The rigging hose assembly includes a rigging hose configured to encapsulate at least one of a hose, wire, or cable extending between an outboard motor and the marine vessel. The rigging hose includes multiple external threads. The rigging hose assembly further includes a rigging hose housing mounted to the marine vessel and threadably coupled to the external threads of the rigging hose. The rigging hose housing includes a radial mounting plate, an outer cylindrical wall extending perpendicularly from the radial mounting plate, an inner cylindrical wall extending perpendicularly from the radial mounting plate, and a gutter formed between the inner cylindrical wall and the outer cylindrical wall. The gutter terminates in a drain hole formed in the outer cylindrical wall. The rigging hose housing is oriented relative to the marine vessel to aid an expulsion of fluid collected in the gutter through the drain hole. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The present disclosure is described with reference to the following Figures. The same numbers are used throughout the Figures to reference like features and like components. 
         FIG. 1A  is a sectional view of an outboard motor for a marine vessel with a rigging hose housing mounted in a horizontal orientation in accordance with the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 1B  is a sectional view of an outboard motor for a marine vessel with a rigging hose housing mounted in a vertical orientation in accordance with the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 2  is a sectional view of a prior art rigging hose housing. 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the rigging hose and rigging hose housing of  FIGS. 1A and 1B . 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the rigging hose and rigging hose housing of  FIGS. 1A and 1B . 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the rigging hose housing of  FIGS. 1A and 1B . 
         FIG. 6  is a sectional view of the rigging hose and rigging hose housing taken on line  6 - 6  of  FIG. 3 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     In the present description, certain terms have been used for brevity, clearness and understanding. No unnecessary limitations are to be inferred therefrom beyond the requirement of the prior art because such terms are used for descriptive purposes only and are intended to be broadly construed. 
       FIGS. 1A and 1B  illustrate an outboard motor  10  for coupling to a transom  12  of a marine vessel  14 . The outboard motor  10  includes an engine located within an engine housing or cowl  16 . The engine is coupled in a torque-transmitting relationship with a propulsor  18 . The propulsor  18 , although shown herein as a single propeller, could be any type of propulsor such as a dual counter-rotating propeller, a jet drive, or an impeller, and is not limiting on the scope of the present disclosure. Similarly, the engine within the cowl  16  could be any type of engine, and specifics of the engine are not limiting on the scope of the present disclosure. 
     The outboard motor  10  is coupled to the transom  12  of the marine vessel  14  by way of a transom bracket  20 . Using actuators provided on the transom  12  or on the transom bracket  20 , the outboard motor  10  can be steered, tilted, trimmed, and moved in various ways in order to provide different directions of propulsive force to propel the marine vessel  14  in different directions. Commands to move the outboard motor  10  in such a manner can be provided by various outboard motor-related and/or engine-related devices aboard the marine vessel  14 . 
     The marine vessel  14  further includes a false transom  22  provided just fore of the true transom  12 . A compartment  24  is formed below an upper wall  26  extending between transom  12  and false transom  22 . In an exemplary implementation, compartment  24  may be used for storage of a battery, as well as one or more fuel tanks. 
     Typically, various hoses, wires, cables, or the like extend between the outboard motor  10  and the marine vessel  14 . For example, the electrical system for an internal combustion engine-driven outboard motor includes a wide variety of diverse electrical control components. A rigging hose assembly  28  may extend between the powerhead and a steering remote control that is mounted at the helm (not shown) of the marine vessel  14 . The rigging assembly  28  may contain electrical lines that relay digital throttle and shift commands (or push-pull cables that relay manual throttle and shift commands) between the helm and the powerhead as well. Electrical lines relaying other types of control signals may also be present. 
     Many of the electrical control components are subject to high corrosion and/or their performance is adversely affected if they get wet. Although the engine housing or cowl  16  provides some protection from environmental damage, most engine-mounted electrical components are still subject to corrosive attack as well as the possibility of becoming damp or wet. Therefore, rigging hose assembly  28  is shown to include a rigging hose  30  that encapsulates the various hoses, wires, and cables running between the outboard motor  10  and the marine vessel  14 . A first end of the rigging hose  30  is shown to be coupled to the cowl  16  of the outboard motor  10 , and a second end of the rigging hose  30  is shown to be coupled to a rigging hose housing  32 . 
     As depicted in  FIGS. 1A and 1B , the rigging hose housing  32  can be mounted to the marine vessel  14  in multiple orientations based on the design or type of the marine vessel  14 .  FIG. 1A  depicts the rigging hose housing  32  mounted to the horizontally-oriented upper wall  26  located between the transom  12  and the false transom  22 .  FIG. 1B  depicts the rigging hose housing  32  mounted to the vertically-oriented false transom. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 2 , a sectional view of an existing rigging hose assembly  100  is shown. The rigging hose assembly  100  includes a rigging hose  130  coupled to a rigging hose housing  132 . The rigging hose housing  132  includes a central cylindrical wall  134  and a radial mounting plate  138 . The central cylindrical wall  134  includes multiple internal threads  136  that threadably couple to a helical outer surface of the rigging hose  130 . 
     The radial mounting plate  138  is shown to be mounted to wall  106  on the exterior  102  of the vessel  14 , while the central cylindrical wall  134  extends into the interior  104  of the vessel  14 . The features and mounting location of the existing rigging hose housing  130  leave the marine vessel susceptible to significant water intrusion. Specifically, a water intrusion path  140  is formed by the coupling of the rigging hose  130  to the rigging hose housing  132 . As shown, path  140  begins at the intersection of the radial mounting plate  138  and the central cylindrical wall  134 . From there, the water is directed to travel down the rigging hose  130 , following the helical outer surface. Upon reaching a terminating end of the rigging hose  130  within the vessel interior  104 , the rigging hose housing  132  provides no impediment to the water simply falling down or otherwise entering the bilge area of the marine vessel along path  140 . 
     Turning now to  FIGS. 3-5 , several views of an improved rigging hose housing  32  according to the present disclosure are depicted. Specifically,  FIGS. 3 and 4  depict perspective views of a rigging hose assembly  28  including a rigging hose  30  coupled to the rigging hose housing  32 .  FIG. 5  depicts a perspective view of the rigging hose housing  32  in isolation. 
     The rigging hose housing  32  is shown to include an outer cylindrical wall  50  and a radial mounting plate  52 . In some implementations, as specifically depicted in  FIG. 4 , the radial mounting plate  52  includes multiple recesses that extend through a portion of the plate  52 . The recesses may decrease the amount of material required to fabricate the rigging hose housing  32 , and may decrease the risk of creating cosmetic sink marks on the marine vessel  14  when the rigging hose housing  32  is coupled to the marine vessel  14 . Referring specifically to  FIG. 5 , the rigging hose housing  32  is further shown to include an inner cylindrical wall  58  nested inside the outer cylindrical wall  50 , and multiple threads  60  formed on the interior of the outer cylindrical wall  50 . The threads  60  permit the helical outer threads of the rigging hose  30  to threadably couple to the housing  32 . Thus, threads  60  may have any size, pitch, and/or fit required to easily couple to the rigging hose  30 . 
     Together, the inner cylindrical wall  58  and the outer cylindrical wall  50  collect water traveling down the helical outer threads of the rigging hose  30  and divert it out of the rigging hose housing  32  before it can enter an interior region (e.g., compartment  24 ) of the marine vessel. Water collected between the inner cylindrical wall  58  and the outer cylindrical wall  50  exits the rigging hose housing through drain hole  56 . The diameter of drain hole  56  may be selected to ensure that it is large enough that all water collected between the inner cylindrical wall  58  and the outer cylindrical wall  50  is permitted to easily drain from the housing  32 , and small enough that the drain hole  56  itself does not become a path for water to easily enter the housing  32 . For example, in an exemplary implementation, the diameter of the drain hole  56  ranges from 3 mm to 8 mm. 
     In an exemplary implementation, the rigging hose housing  32  includes a single drain hole  56 , and the housing  32  may be mounted to a structural component (e.g., false transom  22 , upper wall  26 ) of the marine vessel  14  such that the drain hole  56  is positioned to most efficiently remove water from the housing  32 . For example, if the housing  32  is mounted on the upper wall  26  in a horizontal orientation (as depicted in  FIGS. 1A and 6 ), the drain hole  56  may be oriented facing the stern of the vessel, that is, facing the outboard motor  10  opposite the direction of travel, so that the motion of the vessel  14  aids in expelling the water from the housing  32  through the drain hole  56 . Likewise, if the housing  32  is mounted on the false transom  22  in a vertical orientation (as depicted in  FIG. 1B ), the drain hole  56  may be oriented facing the deck of the vessel  14 , that is, toward the upper wall  26 , so that gravity aids in expelling the water from the housing  32  through the drain hole  56 . In other implementations, the rigging hose housing  32  may include two or more drain holes  56 . In still further implementations, one or more of the drain holes  56  may be slot-shaped. 
     In addition to helping to divert unwanted water intrusion, the inner cylindrical wall  58  provides structural support to the rigging hose  30 . When a pulling force is exerted on the hose  30 , the terminating end of the hose  30  that is threadably coupled to the housing  32  has a tendency to collapse. This tendency is minimized by the presence of the inner cylindrical wall  58 , which acts to support the hose  30  against collapse and increase the pull-out force required to separate the hose  30  from the housing  32 , thereby preventing damage to the hose  30 . 
     In an exemplary implementation, the rigging hose housing  32  is coupled to a structural component (e.g., false transom  22 , upper wall  26 ) of the marine vessel  14  using mounting holes  54 . The mounting holes  54  may be arranged in a radial pattern on the radial mounting plate  52 . For example, as specifically depicted in  FIG. 4 , the rigging hose housing  32  includes four mounting holes  54  that are equally spaced, that is, spaced 90° apart, on the radial mounting plate  52 . In other implementations, the housing  32  includes any number of mounting holes  54  required to securely couple the housing  32  to the structural component of the marine vessel  14 . In an exemplary implementation, the mounting holes  54  are countersunk holes configured to receive flat head screws. In other implementations, the mounting holes  54  are counterbore holes or through holes, and a different type of fastener (e.g., a socket head screw, a rounded head screw, a hex head screw) is utilized to couple the rigging hose housing  32  to the structural component of the marine vessel  14 . 
     The rigging hose  30  and the rigging hose housing  32  may be fabricated from materials that are suited to withstand the rigors of a marine environment. For example, in an exemplary implementation, both the rigging hose  30  and the rigging hose housing  32  are fabricated from polyethylene copolymer. In other implementations, one or both of the rigging hose  30  and the rigging hose housing  32  may be fabricated from another plastic or metal (e.g., aluminum) material. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 6 , a sectional view of the rigging hose assembly  28  is depicted, according to an exemplary implementation. Although  FIG. 6 , like  FIG. 1A , depicts the rigging hose housing  32  mounted to the upper wall  26  of the marine vessel  14  in a horizontal orientation, in another exemplary implementation, the rigging hose housing  32  may be mounted in a vertical orientation on the false transom  22  of the marine vessel  14 , as depicted in  FIG. 1B . In further implementations, the rigging hose housing  32  may be mounted in an inclined orientation (not shown), for example, on an angular hull surface. 
     The outer cylindrical wall  50  is shown to extend a first height  64  above a bottom surface of the radial mounting plate  52 . First height  64  may be chosen to ensure sufficient engagement between the rigging hose  30  and the threads  60  of the outer cylindrical wall  50  so that the pull-out force required to separate the hose  30  from the housing  32  exceeds a specified threshold force. The inner cylindrical wall  58  is shown to extend a second height  66  above the bottom surface of the radial mounting plate  52 . The first height  64  of the outer cylindrical wall  50  is shown to be greater than the second height  66  of the inner cylindrical wall  58 . In an exemplary implementation, both the outer cylindrical wall  50  and the inner cylindrical wall  58  are shown to extend substantially perpendicularly from the radial mounting plate  52 , although in other implementations, one or both of the outer cylindrical wall  50  and the inner cylindrical wall  58  may be positioned at a draft angle relative to the radial mounting plate  52  to ease the difficulty of fabricating the housing  32 . 
     As described above, the outer cylindrical wall  50  and the inner cylindrical wall  58  act to collect water traveling along a water intrusion path  76  down the helical outer surface of the hose  30  and into the housing  32 . The water may be collected in an annular gutter  62  that is situated between the inner cylindrical wall  58  and the outer cylindrical wall  50 . The gutter  62  is shown to terminate in the drain hole  56 , which permits the expulsion of water from the housing  32 . Thus, water flowing along path  76  flows around the helical outer threads of the hose  30 , into and around the gutter  62  before exiting the housing  32  through drain hole  56 . In some implementations, either the inner cylindrical wall  58  or the outer cylindrical wall  50  includes a stop feature which causes the hose  30  to bottom out as it is threaded into the housing  32  before it can extend into the gutter  62 . In this way, adequate space for the gutter  62  is maintained, and water entering the housing  32  along path  76  is permitted to freely flow around the gutter  62  before exiting the housing  32  through drain hole  56 . 
     Still referring to  FIG. 6 , in contrast to the existing rigging hose housing  132  depicted in  FIG. 2 , rigging hose housing  32  is shown to be fully positioned on the vessel exterior  72 , as opposed to spanning both the vessel exterior  72  and interior  74 . By positioning the housing  32  fully on the exterior  72 , the number of paths for water intrusion into interior  74  is minimized. The radial mounting plate  52  is shown to include an annular sealing groove  78  positioned radially outward of the outer cylindrical wall  50  and radially inward of the mounting holes  54 . The annular sealing groove  78  is configured to receive a sealing element  68  that is positioned between wall  26  and rigging hose housing  32  and acts to inhibit water ingress between the radial mounting plate  52  and the upper wall  26 . In an exemplary implementation, the sealing element  68  is an o-ring with a circular cross-section. In other implementations, the sealing element  68  may have a different cross-sectional shape, for example, a square shape, a rectangular shape, an “X” shape, or a double “X” shape. In further implementations, the sealing element  68  may be a gasket, for example, a flange gasket. 
     In some implementations, an optional protective tube  70  may be positioned over the rigging hose  30  and the rigging hose housing  32 . The protective tube  70  may provide additional shielding against water ingress into the housing  32 , as it may prevent water from collecting on the helical outer threads of the hose  30  and running into the housing  32 . 
     In the present disclosure, certain terms have been used for brevity, clearness and understanding. No unnecessary limitations are to be implied therefrom beyond the requirement of the prior art because such terms are used for descriptive purposes only and are intended to be broadly construed. The different systems and methods described herein may be used alone or in combination with other systems and devices. Various equivalents, alternatives and modifications are possible within the scope of the appended claims.