Composite thread line sails

Claim 2

A composite sail having a head, a tack and a clew which in use and for an intended purpose has principal stress lines comprised of a plurality of panels, each of said panels joined to an adjacent panel therefor, each of said panels comprised of a laminate of at least two layers whereinbetween said layers thread material is predeterminedly disposed along principal stress lines for said panel in said sail.

Claim 3

The sail as defined in Claim 1, wherein the predeterminedly disposed threads vary in thread count density or thread size within said panel.

Claim 4

The sail as defined in claim 1, wherein the predeterminedly disposed threads converge into point load locations for said sail and said point load locations are comprised of a head, a tack or a clew.

Claim 5

The sail as defined in claim 1, wherein the sail is a jib sail.

Claim 6

The sail as defined in claim 1, wherein the sail is a mainsail.

Claim 7

The sail as defined in claim 1, wherein the sail is a spinnaker sail.

Claim 8

The sail as defined in claim 1, wherein the threads are aramid and at least one of the laminate layers is a Mylar film.

Claim 9

The sail as defined in claim 1, wherein the threads are polyester wrapped aramid or polyester wrapped bulk polymerized polyolefin fibers.

Claim 10

The sail as defined in claim 1, wherein the threads are carbon fiber threads.

Claim 11

The sail as defined in claim 1, wherein the laminate for a panel is a laminate of at least a fabric, threads, and a Mylar film.

Claim 12

In a method for forming sails, the steps comprising: winding in a predetermined pattern a thread material around a frame to form a sail panel; partially laminating a film to each side of said thread material in said panel; removing said frame from said partially laminated panel; completing lamination of said panel, and incorporating said panel in a predetermined position in a sail to form a sail.

Claim 13

In a method for forming sails, the steps comprising: winding in a predetermined pattern a thread material around a frame to form a sail panel; partially laminating a film to each side of said thread material in said panel; removing said frame from said partially laminated panel; completing lamination of said panel, and incorporating said panel in a predetermined position in a sail to form a sail.

Claim 14

The method as defined in claim 11, wherein the frame is a tenter frame.

Claim 15

The method as defined in claim 11, wherein one edge of said frame is a tack device for a tack panel for said sail.

Claim 16

The method as defined in claim 11, wherein one edge of said frame is a clew device for a clew panel for said sail.

Claim 17

The method as defined in claim 11, wherein one edge of said frame is a head of a head panel.

Claim 18

In a method of forming a panel for a sail, the steps comprising: locating a tack, a clew or a head point on a surface; locating a plurality of pins on said surface; placing a material on said surface and driving said pins through said material; winding a thread from said tack, clew or head point to a pin and back to said clew or head point and repeating said winding to include a plurality of pins in predetermined locations to form a sail panel; placing an adhesively coated material on said threads;       laminating said adhesively coated material to said threads and removing said pins to obtain said sail panels, and incorporating said panel in a sail in a location therefor.

Claim 19

In a method of forming a panel for a sail, the steps comprising: locating a tack, a clew or a head point on a surface; locating a plurality of pins on said surface; placing a material on said surface and driving said pins through said material; winding a thread from said tack, clew or head point to a pin and back to said clew or head point and repeating said winding to include a plurality of pins in predetermined locations to form a sail panel; placing an adhesively coated material on said threads;       laminating said adhesively coated material to said threads and removing said pins to obtain said sail panels, and incorporating said panel in a sail in a location therefor.

Claim 20

The method as defined in claim 11, wherein on at least one side of said frame an adhesive coated selvage material is placed and the threads wound over said adhesive side of said selvage material.

Claim 21

The method as defined in claim 11, wherein at least at one edge a selvage material is placed between said threads.

Claim 22

The sail as defined in claim 1, wherein the sail is a light weather sail.

Claim 23

The sail as defined in claim 1, wherein at least one edge of a panel among said plurality of panels includes a selvage material.

Claim 24

The said as defined in claim 1, wherein said plurality of panels include grid members.

Claim 25

The said as defined in claim 1, wherein said laminate includes thread material and grid members between said layers.

Claim 26

The sail as defined in claim 1, wherein said plurality of panels includes structural members at least along a leech portion of said panels for said sail.

Claim 27

The sail as defined in claim 1, wherein said plurality of panels include broadseams between each adjacent panel.

Claim 28

The sail as defined in claim 1, wherein high stress bearing panels include a panel for a head, a panel for a tack and a panel for a clew, and at least one such panel is of a sandwich construction comprising at least two film layers and two thread layers.