Boat-docking apparatus with pressureresponsive grapple

Claim 1

BOAT DOCKING APPARATUS COMPRISING: A DOCKING RAIL ATTACHABLE TO THE BOW OF A BOAT IN A SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICAL PLANE; A MOUNT ATTACHABLE TO A DOCK AND INCLUDING A CYLINDER PROJECTING HORIZONTALLY FORWARDLY WHEN THUS ATTACHED; A PLUNGER SLIDABLE IN SAID CYLINDER AND INCLUDING A SHANK PROJECTING FROM THE FORWARD END OF THE CYLINDER; RESILIENT SHOCK-CUSHIONING MEANS INTERPOSED BETWEEN THE REAR END OF THE PLUNGER AND THE REAR END OF THE CYLINDER; A YOKE SECURED TO THE FORWARD END OF SAID PLUNGER, SAID YOKE COMPRISING LATERALLY SPACED PARALLEL WAYS; GUIDE ARMS SECURED TO SAID WAYS AND PROJECTING THEREFROM IN FORWARDLY DIVERGING RELATION IN A HORIZONTAL PLANE; A TIRGGER HAVING IN ITS FORWARD END A NOTCH TO RECEIVE SAID DOCKING BAR, SAID TRIGGER BRIDGING BETWEEN AND HAVING PARALLEL SIDE MARGINAL PORTIONS SLIDABLY MOUNTED IN SAID WAYS, SAID GUIDE ARMS BEING ARRANGED TO GUIDE SAID DOCKING BAR AGAINST THE FORWARD END OF SAID TRIGGER AND INTO SAID NOTCH SO AS TO AUTOMATICALLY EFFECT REARWARD RETRACTION OF SAID TRIGGER IN RESPONSE TO BOAT-DOCKING MOVEMENT; A COCKING SPRING ENGAGING THE REAR END OF SAID TRIGGER AND LOADING IT FOR FORWARD PROJECTION TO A COCKED POSITION FOR ENGAGEMENT BY SAID DOCKING RAIL; AND A LATCH COMPRISING A GUIDE BARREL ATTACHED TO A SIDE OF SAID YOKE AND PROJECTING TRANSVERSELY TO THE AXIS OF SAID CYLINDER, A LATCH BOLT SLIDABLE IN SAID BARREL, SAID BOLT HAVING A FORWARD END ABUTTING A SIDE OF SAID TRIGGER WHEN THE LATTER IS IN SAID COCKED POSITION WHEREBY SAID BOLT IS HELD IN A RETRACTED POSITION, A LATCH SPRING ENGAGED UNDER COMPRESSION BETWEEN THE REAR END OF SAID BOLT AND THE END OF SAID BARREL AND LOADING SAID BOLT FOR PROJECTION FROM SAID RETRACTED POSITION PAST THE FORWARD END OF SAID TRIGGER AND ACROSS SAID DOCKING BAR SO AS TO LATCH THE SAME TO SAID YOKE WHEN SAID TRIGGER IS RETRACTED BY SAID DOCKING BAR.