Patent Publication Number: US-7216604-B2

Title: Retractable arch system for a boat

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   Arch systems for boats are typically used, for example, to keep the cockpit of the boat clear and safe. An arch system can support a variety of components including a traveler, a bimini, stereo speakers, cockpit lights, a radar system, a global positioning system (GPS), and radio antennas. 
   Arch systems can be difficult to fabricate, install, remove, and repair. Furthermore, the rigid structure of an arch system makes it an awkward appendage during delivery of the boat on which it has been permanently installed. The arch system extends upwardly from the boat and may not clear tunnels and bridges through which the boat carrier must pass during on-the-road delivery. Accordingly, conventional arch systems typically must be disassembled and removed during shipping. Upon arrival at a boat dealer, for example, the boat dealer must assemble a conventional arch system by bolting it back to the boat. 
   Accordingly, there remains a need for a simplified arch system that facilitates, among other things, easier transporting, wire installation, and repair. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   In one embodiment, a retractable arch system for a boat includes at least four substantially vertical legs for permanent installation on the boat. A first traverse member forms a first arch and is removably coupled by first and second separable couplings to two of the legs. A second traverse member forms a second arch and is pivotally coupled by first and second pivotal couplings to the other two of the legs. The system has an upright position for extending of the first and second arches and securing the first and second separable couplings. The system further has a retracted position in which the first and second separable couplings are disassembled and the arches are pivoted downwardly. 
   In another embodiment, a retractable arch system for a boat includes two substantially vertical forward legs permanently and rigidly fixed on the boat, wherein the legs are positioned forward with respect to the boat. Two substantially vertical aft legs are permanently and rigidly fixed on the boat, wherein the legs are positioned aft with respect to the boat. A forward traverse member forms a forward arch and is removably coupled by port and starboard separable couplings to the forward legs. An aft traverse member forms an aft arch and is pivotally coupled by port and starboard pivotal couplings to the aft legs. The system has an upright position for extending of the forward and aft arches and securing the port and starboard separable couplings. The system further has a retracted position in which the port and starboard separable couplings are disassembled and the arches are pivoted downwardly. 
   In yet another embodiment, a retractable arch system for a boat includes two substantially vertical forward legs permanently and rigidly fixed on the boat, wherein the legs are positioned forward with respect to the boat. Two substantially vertical aft legs are permanently and rigidly fixed on the boat, wherein the legs are positioned aft with respect to the boat. A forward traverse member forms a forward arch and is pivotally coupled by port and starboard pivotal couplings to the forward legs. An aft traverse member forms an aft arch and is removably coupled by port and starboard separable couplings to the aft legs. The system has an upright position for extending of the forward and aft arches and securing the port and starboard separable couplings. The system further has a retracted position in which the port and starboard separable couplings are disassembled and the arches are pivoted downwardly. 
   In another embodiment, a method of retracting an arch system for a boat is provided. The arch system has two substantially vertical forward legs permanently and rigidly fixed on the boat, the forward legs positioned forward with respect to the boat. The arch system further has two substantially vertical aft legs permanently and rigidly fixed on the boat, the aft legs positioned aft with respect to the boat. A forward arch is formed from a forward traverse member, removably coupling the forward traverse member by port and starboard separable couplings to the forward legs. An aft arch is formed from an aft traverse member, pivotally coupling the after traverse member by port and starboard pivotal couplings to the aft legs. The system is moved to an upright position by extending the forward and aft arches and securing the port and starboard separable couplings. The system is moved to a retracted position by disassembling the port and starboard separable couplings and pivoting the arches downwardly. 
   In yet another embodiment, a method of retracting an arch system for a boat is provided. The arch system has two substantially vertical forward legs permanently and rigidly fixed on the boat, the forward legs positioned forward with respect to the boat. The arch system further has two substantially vertical aft legs permanently and rigidly fixed on the boat, the aft legs positioned aft with respect to the boat. A forward arch is formed from a forward traverse member, pivotally coupling the forward traverse member by port and starboard pivotal couplings to the forward legs. An aft arch is formed from an aft traverse member, removably coupling the after traverse member by port and starboard separable couplings to the aft legs. The system is moved to an upright position by extending the forward and aft arches and securing the port and starboard separable couplings. The system is moved to a retracted position by disassembling the port and starboard separable couplings and pivoting the arches downwardly. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a retractable arch system for a boat comprised of legs and traverse members, in an upright position, as viewed from the aft end of the boat; 
       FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 1 , showing the arch system in a retracted position; 
       FIG. 3A  is a perspective view of a separable coupling for removably coupling a traverse member of the arch system of  FIG. 1  to its respective legs; 
       FIG. 3B  is a perspective view of one of the separable coupling components illustrated in  FIG. 3A , showing an external surface of the separable coupling component; 
       FIG. 3C  is a perspective view of one of the separable coupling components illustrated in  FIG. 3A , showing an internal surface of the separable coupling component; 
       FIG. 4A  is a side view of the separable coupling illustrated in  FIG. 3A ; 
       FIG. 4B  is a top view of one of the separable coupling components illustrated in  FIG. 3A , showing an external surface of the separable coupling component; 
       FIG. 4C  is a side view of one of the separable coupling components illustrated in  FIG. 3A ; 
       FIG. 4D  is a bottom view of one of the separable coupling components illustrated in  FIG. 3A , showing an internal surface of the separable coupling component; 
       FIG. 5A  is a perspective view of a pivotal coupling for pivotally coupling a traverse member of the arch system of  FIG. 1  to its respective legs; 
       FIG. 5B  is a perspective view of one of the pivotal coupling components illustrated in  FIG. 5A , showing an external surface of the pivotal coupling component; 
       FIG. 5C  is a perspective view of one of the pivotal coupling components illustrated in  FIG. 5A , showing an internal surface of the pivotal coupling component; 
       FIG. 6A  is a side view of the pivotal coupling illustrated in  FIG. 5A ; 
       FIG. 6B  is a top view of one of the pivotal coupling components illustrated in  FIG. 5A , showing an external surface of the pivotal coupling component; 
       FIG. 6C  is a side view of one of the pivotal coupling components illustrated in  FIG. 5A ; and 
       FIG. 6D  is a bottom view of one of the pivotal coupling components illustrated in  FIG. 5A , showing an internal surface of the pivotal coupling component. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
   Although the invention is illustrated and described herein with reference to specific embodiments, the invention is not intended to be limited to the details shown. Rather, various modifications may be made in the details within the scope and range of equivalents of the claims and without departing from the invention. 
   Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 2 ,  10  includes two substantially vertical forward legs  12 P,  12 S permanently and rigidly fixed on the boat at the location of plates  14 P,  14 S, wherein legs  12 P,  12 S are positioned forward with respect to the boat. Two substantially vertical aft legs  16 P,  16 S are permanently and rigidly fixed on the boat at the location of plates  18 P,  18 S, wherein legs  16 P,  16 S are positioned aft with respect to the boat. Port and starboard support members  20 P,  20 S connect the forward and aft legs  12 P,  12 S,  16 P,  16 S to each other. Support members  20 P,  20 S provide structural rigidity for arch system  10 . Plates  14 P,  14 S,  18 P, and  18 S may be fixed to the boat via fasteners, welds, or any other securement method that rigidly fixes vertical legs  12 P,  125 ,  16 P,  16 S on the boat and sufficiently supports arch system  10 . 
   A forward traverse member  22 F forms a forward arch  24 F and is removably coupled by port and starboard separable couplings  26 P,  26 S to forward legs  12 P,  12 S. An aft traverse member  22 A forms an aft arch  24 A and is pivotally coupled by port and starboard pivotal couplings  28 P,  28 S to aft legs  16 P,  16 S. A port and starboard support member  30 P,  30 S each connects the forward and aft arches  24 F,  24 A to each other. Support members  30 P,  30 S provide structural rigidity for arch system  10  and enable forward traverse member  22 F to be manipulated in conjunction with aft traverse member  22 A, as will be described in greater detail below. 
   Legs  12 P,  12 S,  16 P,  165 , support members  20 P,  20 S, traverse members  22 F,  22 A, and support members  30 P,  30 S may be hollow members. An exemplary material for forming arch system  10  is stainless steel tubing. The present invention, however, is not limited to stainless steel tubing, and may include hollow or solid members of aluminum, titanium, composite material, or any other material that offers the desired structure and rigidity. 
   System  10  has an upright position, as represented in  FIG. 1 , for extending of the forward and aft arches  24 F,  24 A and securing the port and starboard separable couplings  26 P,  26 S. System  10  further has a retracted position, as represented in  FIG. 2 , in which the port and starboard separable couplings  26 P,  26 S are disassembled (and represented in  FIG. 2  as separable coupling components  32 L,  32 T) and the arches  24 F,  24 A are pivoted downwardly. Each separable coupling component  32 L is affixed to one of the forward legs  12 P,  12 S. Each separable coupling component  32 T is affixed to forward traverse member  22 F and configured to mate with its corresponding separable coupling component  32 L to form port and starboard separable couplings  26 P,  26 S (as illustrated in  FIG. 1 ). Fasteners  34  secure mating components  32 T,  32 L together. 
   The port and starboard separable couplings  26 P,  26 S are identical and interchangeable for ease of fabrication and assembly. Similarly, separable coupling components  32 L,  32 T are identical and interchangeable, also simplifying fabrication and assembly. As such,  FIGS. 3A and 4A  represent one of either the port or starboard separable couplings  26 P,  26 S and denote it with reference numeral  26 . Similarly,  FIGS. 3B ,  3 C,  4 B– 4 D represent one of either separable coupling components  32 L,  32 T and denote it with reference numeral  32 . 
   Referring to  FIGS. 3A and 4A , separable coupling  26  is shown with components  32  mated together as illustrated in the upright position of arch system  10  in  FIG. 1 . Each of components  32  includes an end portion  36  for insertion into hollow is forward legs  12 P,  12 S at one end of a particular separable coupling  26  and for insertion into hollow forward traverse member  22 F at the other end of the particular separable coupling  26 . The end of each forward leg  12 P,  12 S and each end of traverse member  22 F abuts respective chamfers  38  of the respective coupling  26  (i.e., component  32 ). The seam formed at each abutment is welded to permanently affix components  32  to their respective leg  12 P,  12 S or traverse member  22 F. 
     FIGS. 3B and 3C  are different perspective views of separable coupling component  32 . Component  32  includes a threaded aperture  40  and a countersunk aperture  42 . When a pair of components  32  is mated as illustrated in  FIGS. 1 ,  3 A, and  4 A, the threaded aperture  40  of each component  32  aligns with its respective countersunk aperture  42  on its mating component  32 , as illustrated in  FIG. 4A . Fasteners  34  (represented in  FIG. 1 , not shown in  FIG. 4A ) are installed through countersunk apertures  42  and into threaded apertures  40  to removably couple forward traverse member  22 F of its respective forward leg  12 P,  12 S, as illustrated in  FIG. 1 . The removable feature realized by fasteners  34  will be described in greater detail below. 
   Referring to  FIGS. 4A–4D , each component  32  further includes an end portion aperture  44 , a passageway  46 , and a channel  48 . Wires or cables (not shown) may be installed within hollow forward legs  12 P,  12 S and hollow forward traverse member  22 F to operate electronic equipment supported by arch system  10 . The hollow design of separable coupling  26  facilitates this configuration. More specifically, the wires or cables run up through a hollow forward leg  12 P,  12 S, through end portion aperture  44  of a particular component  32 , through passageway  46  of that particular component, through channel  48  of that particular component  32 , through channel  48  of a mating component  32 , through passageway  46  of mating component  32 , through end portion aperture  44  of mating component  32 , and though hollow forward traverse member  22 F to a particular electronic device. 
   The port and starboard pivotal couplings  28 P,  28 S are identical and interchangeable for ease of fabrication and assembly. Pivotal couplings  28 P,  28 S comprise pivotal coupling components  50  that are also identical and interchangeable, also simplifying fabrication and assembly. As such,  FIGS. 5A and 6A  represent one of either the port or starboard pivotal couplings  28 P,  28 S and denote it with reference numeral  28 . Similarly,  FIGS. 5B ,  5 C,  6 B– 6 D represent one of either pivotal coupling components  50 , as denoted. 
   Referring to  FIGS. 5A and 6A , pivotal coupling  28  is shown with components  50  mated together as illustrated in the upright position of arch system  10  in  FIG. 1 . Each of components  50  includes an end portion  52  for insertion into hollow aft legs  16 P,  16 S at one end of a particular pivotal coupling  28  and for insertion into hollow aft traverse member  22 A at the other end of the particular pivotal coupling  28 . The end of each aft leg  16 P,  16 S and each end of traverse member  22 A abuts respective chamfers  54  of the respective coupling  28  (i.e., component  50 ). The seam formed at each abutment is welded to permanently affix components  50  to their respective leg  16 P,  16 S or traverse member  22 A. 
     FIGS. 5B and 5C  are different perspective views of pivotal coupling component  50 . Component  50  includes a threaded aperture  56  and a countersunk aperture  58 . When a pair of components  50  is mated as illustrated in  FIGS. 1 ,  5 A, and  6 A, the threaded aperture  56  of each component  50  aligns with its respective countersunk aperture  58  on its mating component  50 , as illustrated in  FIG. 6A . Fasteners  34  (represented in  FIG. 1 , not shown in  FIG. 6A ) are installed through countersunk apertures  58  and into threaded apertures  56  to maintain arch system  10  in its upright position. Removal of fasteners  34  will be described in greater detail below. 
   Referring to  FIGS. 5C–6D , each component  50  further includes a pivoting aperture  60 . A stud  62  is inserted into each pivoting aperture  60  of a pair of components  50  to form a pivotal coupling  28 , as illustrated in  FIG. 6A . Stud  62  connects components  50  together while permitting pivoting of components  50  relative to one another to form pivotal coupling  26 . As explained above, when fasteners  34  are installed (as represented in  FIG. 1 ) arch system  10  is maintained in its upright position. In this position, fasteners  34  prevent components  50  from pivoting. The removal of fasteners  34  allows components  50  to pivot with respect to each other around stud  62  such that arch system  10  may be manipulated to its retracted position as illustrated in  FIG. 2 . 
   An exemplary material for forming separable couplings  26  and pivotal couplings  28  is casted stainless steel. The present invention, however, is not limited to casted stainless steel, and may include casted aluminum, titanium, composite material, or any other material that offers the desired structure and strength. 
   In use, arch system  10  is illustrated in its upright position in  FIG. 1 . In this upright position, separable couplings  26 P,  26 S are mated together and secured, via fasteners  34 , as described above. Accordingly, forward traverse member  22 F is removably coupled to forward legs  12 P,  12 S. In other words, in the upright position, forward traverse member  22 F is fixed to forward legs  12 P,  12 S via removable fasteners  34 . Similarly, pivotal couplings  28 P,  28 S are mated together and secured, via fasteners  34  and stud  62 , as described above. Accordingly, aft traverse member  22 A is pivotally coupled to aft legs  16 P,  16 S. In other words, in the upright position, aft traverse member  22 A is fixed to aft legs  16 P,  16 S via stud  62  and removable fasteners  34 . Fasteners  34  prevent pivotal couplings  28 P,  28 S from pivoting in the upright position of arch system  10 . 
   To manipulate arch system  10  from its upright position (as illustrated in  FIG. 1 ) to its retracted position (as illustrated in  FIG. 2 ), fasteners  34  are removed from separable couplings  26 P,  26 S and pivotal couplings  28 P,  28 S. Components  32 T of separable couplings  26 P,  26 S are separated from their respective components  32 L, while components  50  of pivotal couplings  22 P,  22 S remain connected to each other via stud  62 . 
   As explained above, stud  62  permits pivoting of components  50  relative to one another. The removal of fasteners  34  allows components  50  to pivot with respect to each other around stud  62  such that arch system  10  may be manipulated to its retracted position as illustrated in  FIG. 2 . Aft traverse member  22 A is moved forward (towards the right in  FIGS. 1 and 2 ) and downwardly while pivotally connected to aft legs  16 P,  16 S at stud  62  of pivotal coupling  26 . Because port and starboard support members  30 P,  30 S connect the forward and aft arches  24 F,  24 A to each other, forward traverse member  22 F (which has been disconnected from forward legs  12 P,  12 S) moves forward and downwardly in conjunction with the movement of aft traverse member  22 A. 
   Alternatively, to manipulate arch system  10  from its upright position to its retracted position, forward and aft arches  24 F,  24 A may be moved rearward (as opposed for forward) and downwardly in conjunction with each other. It will be understood that arch system  10  may be configured such that forward arch  24 F is pivotally coupled by port and starboard pivotal couplings  28 P,  28 S to forward legs  12 P,  12 S, and aft arch  24 A is removably coupled by port and starboard separable couplings  26 P,  26 S to aft legs  16 P,  16 S to facilitate such rearward movement, as desired. 
   The retracted position of arch system  10  as illustrated in  FIG. 2  (and the ease with which it is achieved) is desirable, for example, during delivery of the boat on which it is installed. More specifically, the rigid structure of a conventional arch system makes it an awkward appendage that increases the profile of the cockpit area and is susceptible to tunnels, bridges, lines, and equipment getting caught on it when the boat is being transported. The retractable feature of arch system  10  of the present invention streamlines the profile of the cockpit without having to actually remove the arch system  10 . Furthermore, the configuration of removable couplings  26  and pivotal couplings  22  make arch system  10  of the present invention easier to fabricate, install, remove, and repair than conventional arch systems. 
   Arch system  10  of the present invention can support a variety of components including, but not limited to, a traveler, a bimini, stereo speakers, cockpit lights, a radar system, a GPS, and radio antennas. As explained above, wires or cables are installed within hollow forward legs  12 P,  12 S and hollow forward traverse member  22 F to operated electronic equipment supported by arch system  10 . Also as explained above, the hollow design of separable coupling  26  facilitates this configuration. Arch system  10  of the present invention is also desirable, for example, during winterization of the boat on which it is installed. More specifically, the bimini and various electronic components supported by arch system  10  can be easily removed and stored, as desired. 
   While preferred embodiments of the invention have been shown and described herein, it will be understood that such embodiments are provided by way of example only. Numerous variations, changes, and substitutions will occur to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, due to the ease with which separable couplings  26 P,  26 S and pivotal couplings  28 P,  28 S may be disassembled, forward and aft arches  24 F,  24 A can be easily removed for an alternative configuration, as desired. In this configuration, forward legs  12 P,  12 S and aft legs  16 P,  16 S remain permanently and rigidly fixed on the boat with wires or cables protruding from the hollow legs to power the operation of electronic equipment. When not in use, protruding wires or cables may be capped off for safety purposes. Accordingly, it is intended that the appended claims cover all such variations as fall within the spirit and scope of the invention.