Patent Publication Number: US-6220908-B1

Title: Inflatable towable vehicle

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     Not Applicable 
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
     Not Applicable 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to the field of inflatable towable vehicles, and more particularly to an inflatable towable vehicle having a tapered hull. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Inflatable towable vehicles are well known in the art and generally comprise an inflatable ring with a central passenger cockpit having a floor sealed to the lower edge of the ring, and typically fabricated of various plastics, such as polyvinylchloride (PVC). The profiles of the hulls of these known vehicles are generally blunt and provide significant resistance to the water or snow over which the vehicle is being towed. 
     While all of the aforementioned prior art constructions are more than adequate for the basic purpose and function for which they have been specifically designed, they are uniformly deficient with respect to their failure to provide a simple, efficient, and practical hull design that minimizes water and snow resistance. 
     As a consequence of the foregoing situation, there has existed a longstanding need for a new and improved towable vehicle and the provision of such a construction is a stated objective of the present invention. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Briefly stated, the present invention provides an inflatable towable vehicle including a tapered hull. The hull is formed of a plurality of concentrically disposed inflatable rings with chambers which have progressively increasing diameters from the outermost ring to the innermost ring. Interior connecting webs form shared walls for the adjacent chambers, and openings in the webs allow fluid communication between the chambers so that a single inflation valve can be used to simultaneously inflate all of the chambers. When inflated, the centers of the chambers are horizontally aligned to yield a hull profile that is tapered from both the top and the bottom. The passenger cockpit is defined by the open area in from the innermost ring, and a floor including an inflatable section and a drain opening. The tapered hull acts to minimize resistance to the water or snow over which the vehicle is being towed, and results in an aesthetically appealing vehicle profile. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the inflatable towable vehicle of the present invention showing the tapered hull; 
     FIG. 2 is a top plan view thereof; 
     FIG. 3 is a bottom plan view thereof; 
     FIG. 4 is a partial top perspective sectional view showing the inflatable chambers and the openings in the webs that connect adjacent chambers; 
     FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of the vehicle showing the hull profile tapered outwardly from both the top and bottom; and 
     FIG. 6 is a partial bottom perspective sectional view similar to FIG.  4 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     As can be seen by reference to the drawings, and in particular to FIG. 1, the inflatable towable vehicle that forms the basis of the present invention is designated generally by the reference number ( 10 ). The vehicle ( 10 ) includes a tapered hull ( 20 ) formed of first, second and third concentrically disposed rings ( 30 ), ( 40 ), ( 50 ), and a floor ( 60 ). 
     As most clearly shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, the rings ( 30 ), ( 40 ), ( 50 ) have inflatable chambers ( 32 ), ( 42 ), ( 52 ) that have progressively increasing diameters from the outermost ring ( 30 ) to the innermost ring ( 50 ). Interior connecting webs ( 34 ), ( 44 ) include openings ( 35 ), ( 45 ) that allow fluid communication between all chambers ( 32 ), ( 42 ), ( 52 ) and allow them to be inflated through a single inflation valve ( 46 ). When inflated, the chambers ( 32 ), ( 42 ), ( 52 ) have centers that are horizontally aligned to give a hull profile that is tapered from both the top and bottom as illustrated in FIG. 5. A pair of spaced towing tabs ( 36 ) are attached to the exterior surface of the outermost ring ( 30 ) to receive a tow rope ( 38 ) as shown in FIG.  6 . 
     The open area ( 56 ) in from the innermost ring ( 50 ), together with the floor ( 60 ), defines a passenger cockpit. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, the floor ( 60 ) is attached by heat sealing or other suitable methods to the exterior of the innermost ring ( 50 ). The floor ( 60 ) includes an inflatable section ( 62 ) that is inflatable through port ( 64 ), and a drain opening ( 66 ). 
     It is to be understood that the number of concentric rings may vary and that the vehicle need not have a recessed passenger cockpit as illustrated herein. 
     Although only an exemplary embodiment of the invention has been described in detail above, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that many modifications are possible without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of this invention. Accordingly, all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of this invention as defined in the following claims.