Patent Publication Number: US-6217401-B1

Title: Inflatable towable vehicle

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to the field of recreational vehicles, and more particularly to an inflatable towable vehicle. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     The prior art is replete with myriad and diverse inflatable vehicles. These vehicles typically included an inflated body member with a protective fabric shell which is secured to the body member by a zipper closure. These zippers add to the cost of manufacture and are subject to failure. 
     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 inflatable towable vehicle having the shell secured to the body member without the use of zippers. 
     As a consequence of the foregoing situation, there has existed a longstanding need for a new and improved inflatable 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 an inflatable body member having an interior wall defining a central cavity, a flexible body shell disposed to surround the body member and having an end opening at the lower part of the interior wall, and a seat sized to matingly fit within the central cavity. The exterior wall of the seat engages the body shell over the interior wall of the body member and pulls the body shell taut as the seat is inserted into the cavity. The seat includes an inflatable bladder with an outside diameter slightly larger than the inside diameter of the cavity which slightly deforms the body member to provide a seal between the body member and the seat. Thus, no zipper closures are required to secure the body shell to the body member. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
     These and other attributes of the invention will become more clear upon a thorough study of the following description of the best mode for carrying out the invention, particularly when reviewed in conjunction with the drawings, wherein: 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the inflatable towable vehicle of the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the seat positioned to be inserted into the central cavity of the body member; 
     FIG. 3 is a bottom perspective view of the seat with a seat shell secured thereto; 
     FIG. 4 is a sectional view with a full line showing seat positioned to be inserted into the cavity and a dashed line showing of the seat in the cavity pulling the body shell taut; and 
     FIG. 5 is a partial sectional view similar to FIG. 4, but showing the body member being slightly deformed by the insertion of the seat to provide a seal between the body member and the seat. 
    
    
     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 towable vehicle  10  includes an inflatable body member  20 , a flexible body shell  50 , and a seat  80 . 
     As best shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the inflatable body member  20  includes a number of adjacent concentric rings  30 . Each pair of adjacent rings  30  has a common wall  40  with openings  42  formed therethrough to provide fluid communication between the rings  30 . An air inflation valve  44  is carried on one of the rings  30 , and all rings  30  are inflated by pressurized air which enters the valve  44  and flows through the openings  42  in the common wall  40 . In the preferred embodiment, the rings  30  form a body member  20  having a bottom  32  and exterior wall  34 , a top  36 , and an interior wall  38  that defines a centrally located cavity  39 . The rings  30  have progressively decreasing cross sectional diameters from the interior wall  38  to the exterior wall  34  that forms an outwardly tapered profile of the body member  20 . 
     The flexible body shell  50  covers the body member  20  and has an end opening  60  that is disposed at the lower part of the interior wall  38 . The body shell  50  may be constructed of any suitable material such as nylon fabric. The portion of the shell  50  overlying the tops  36  of the rings  30  carries a number of handles  70 , and an opening  72  that provides access to the inflation valve  44 . A portion of the shell  50  overlying the exterior wall  34  carries a towing tongue  74  and a tow line connector  76 . 
     The seat  80  includes an inflatable bladder  82  with an inflation valve  84 . In the preferred embodiment, the inflatable bladder  82  is covered by a seat shell  86  made of material similar to that of the body shell  50 . The seat  80  has a bottom  88 , an exterior wall  90 , and a top  92 . The seat  80  is sized so that the outside diameter of the exterior wall  90  is slightly larger than the inside diameter of the inside diameter of the cavity  39 . 
     When the seat  80  is inserted into the cavity  39 , it acts to pull the body shell  50  taut around the body member  20  and slightly deforms the body member  20  to form a seal as shown in FIG.  5 . This construction allows the shell  50  to be secured to the body member  20  without the use of zippers or other closures. 
     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. 
     Having thereby described the subject matter of the present invention, it should be apparent that many substitutions, modifications, and variations of the invention are possible in light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that the invention as taught and described herein is only to be limited to the extent of the breadth and scope of the appended claims.