Patent ID: 7730844

Claim:
A bumper system, comprising: at least one moveable member operatively connected to an outward-facing surface of an underlying substrate, the substrate comprising one selected from (a) a component of a marine vessel, and (b) a component of a terrestrial vehicle, such that in a non-deployed configuration an inward-facing rear surface of the at least one moveable member is substantially parallel and adjacent to the outward-facing surface of the underlying substrate; and at least one mechanism operatively connected to the substrate and to a location substantially at the longitudinal midpoint of the moveable member, to permit at least one predetermined movement of the moveable member, such movement selected from: (a) rotation in a plane substantially parallel to the outward-facing surface of the substrate, (b) sliding in a plane substantially parallel to the outward-facing surface of the substrate, and (c) extension in a plane substantially perpendicular to the outward-facing surface of the substrate such that a desired gap is formed between the inward-facing rear surface of the moveable member and the operatively connected opposed surface of the underlying substrate.