US3603276A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Flotation docking facility for small craft
Assignee: Individual
•
Filing: 1969-07-18
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Granted: 1971-09-07
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Expires: 1989-07-18
Abstract
Abstract A flotation docking facility for marinecraft slidable vertically of suitable bracket means with rise and fall of the tide and including pontoon-supported cradle means for lifting small craft clear of the water when the craft is not in use. The facility includes adjustable buoyancy means compensating for the weight of the docking facility and effective to support the latter submerged at a level intermediate the seabed and the underside of the hull.
Inventors
- 👤 Gaston A De Lisle
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-06 15:54
CPC Classifications
B; B63; B63C; B63C1/00; B63C1/02
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 17
Claim 1
Independent Claim
205 words
A flotation docking facility for supporting marinecraft out of the water when not in use, said docking facility comprising elongated boat supporting cradle means, pontoon means secured to and extending along either side of said cradle means having a generally horizontal upper surface at a level below the upper level of said cradle means whereby a boat may maneuver into and out of position on said cradle means from the side thereof while the latter is submerged slightly below thE underside of the boat, a plurality of upright guide means carried by and spaced from one another along one side of said pontoon means, means carried by said pontoon means and having a loose sliding fit with each of said guide means and holding said pontoon means captive while permitting the same to rise and fall vertically along the length of said guide means between a depressed position clear of the underside of a boat hull and an elevated position effective to support a boat seated in said cradle means out of contact with the water, and pump-controlled means for regulating the quantity of water in said pontoon means and cooperating therewith to control the position of said pontoon means over the operating range thereof.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
205 words
A flotation docking facility for supporting marinecraft out of the water when not in use, said docking facility comprising elongated boat supporting cradle means, pontoon means secured to and extending along either side of said cradle means having a generally horizontal upper surface at a level below the upper level of said cradle means whereby a boat may maneuver into and out of position on said cradle means from the side thereof while the latter is submerged slightly below thE underside of the boat, a plurality of upright guide means carried by and spaced from one another along one side of said pontoon means, means carried by said pontoon means and having a loose sliding fit with each of said guide means and holding said pontoon means captive while permitting the same to rise and fall vertically along the length of said guide means between a depressed position clear of the underside of a boat hull and an elevated position effective to support a boat seated in said cradle means out of contact with the water, and pump-controlled means for regulating the quantity of water in said pontoon means and cooperating therewith to control the position of said pontoon means over the operating range thereof.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
57 words
A docking facility as defined in claim 1 characterized in that the generally horizontal surfaces of said pontoon means are positioned to provide walkways along either side of a boat supported on said cradle means and lying above the water when the boat is raised and conveniently arranged for use by persons entering and leaving the boat.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
79 words
A docking facility as defined in claim 1 characterized in that said pontoon means includes a plurality of compartments including at least one watertight compartment normally disconnected from said pump means and sized to be filled with sufficient air to compensate for the weight of said facility when the remainder of said compartments are filled and whereby said facility is submerged at a level wherein said cradle means is out of contact with the bottom of a boat hull.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
80 words
A docking facility as defined in claim 1 characterized in that said pontoon means includes adjustable ballast means regulatable to compensate for the unsupported weight of said facility whereby said pump-controlled means can be operated until the water storage space within said pontoon means normally controlled by said pump controlled means is filled with water without risk of submerging said facility sufficiently to contact the seabed and submerged objects to avoid striking against rocks and the like submerged foreign bodies.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
66 words
A docking facility as defined in claim 4 characterized in that said guide means are arranged in a row along one side of said facility, and floating dock means disposed along the remote side of said guide means from said docking facility and including means holding said floating dock means loosely and slidably captive to said guide means for rise and fall therealong with tidal changes.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
57 words
A docking facility as defined in claim 4 characterized in that said adjustable ballast means comprises separate air chamber means centrally of the pontoon means aLong either side of said cradle means chargeable with a variable quantity of water as necessary to adjust the effective buoyancy thereof to compensate for the submerged weight of said docking facility.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
60 words
A docking facility as defined in claim 1 characterized in the provision of adjustable ballast means cooperating with said pontoon means and effective when the latter are filled with water to support said docking facility at a submerged level wherein said cradle is below the hull of an overlying floating boat and substantially out of contact with the sea bed.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
40 words
A docking facility as defined in claim 1 characterized in that said pump-controlled means includes a unidirectional pump having an inlet and an outlet, and means for quickly reversing the flow of water between said pump and said pontoon means.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
52 words
A docking facility as defined in claim 8 characterized in that said means for reversing the flow of water comprises similar fast-action coupling means selectively securable to the inlet and to the outlet of said pump depending upon whether the user wishes to pump water into or out of said pontoon means.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
43 words
A docking facility as defined in claim 5 characterized in that said means holding said floating dock means loosely captive to said guide means includes rollers rotatably mounted thereon for rolling movement vertically of the guide means as the tide rises and falls.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
90 words
A docking facility as defined in claim 1 characterized in that each of said pontoon means have bottoms converging downwardly toward a low point intermediate the opposite ends thereof, partition means extending crosswise of the interior of said pontoons near said low points of said bottoms to prevent water from flowing freely from end to end of said pontoon means in response to irregular and nonlevel movement of said docking facility, and power driven pump means for withdrawing water simultaneously from each of the low points in said pontoon means.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
58 words
A docking facility as defined in claim 11 characterized in that said partition means includes ballast tank means located between a pontoon chamber to either side thereof and the bottoms of which chambers converge downwardly toward one another, and said pump means being operable to pump water into and out of the lower adjacent ends of pontoon chambers.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
45 words
A docking facility as defined in claim 12 characterized in that said pump means is a unidirectional centrifugal pump having an inlet and an outlet provided with couplings usable selectively to couple the bottoms of said pontoon chambers to the outlet or the inlet thereof.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
109 words
A flotation docking facility for supporting small pleasure craft above water level when not in use and adapted for location alongside crowded docks lacking access to said flotation facility from its opposite ends, said flotation facility comprising: boat supporting cradle means, long pontoon means secured to and extending along either lateral side of said cradle means having adequate flotation capability to support a small boat located in said cradle means above water level, said pontoon means having bottom means converging downwardly from the opposite ends thereof toward water inlet and outlet means, and means effective to prevent rapid transfer of water between the opposite ends of said pontoon means.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
109 words
A flotation docking facility for supporting small pleasure craft above water level when not in use and adapted for location alongside crowded docks lacking access to said flotation facility from its opposite ends, said flotation facility comprising: boat supporting cradle means, long pontoon means secured to and extending along either lateral side of said cradle means having adequate flotation capability to support a small boat located in said cradle means above water level, said pontoon means having bottom means converging downwardly from the opposite ends thereof toward water inlet and outlet means, and means effective to prevent rapid transfer of water between the opposite ends of said pontoon means.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
42 words
A docking facility as defined in claim 14 characterized in the provision of centrifugal pump means having means for quickly selectively coupling the inlet or the outlet thereof to the lower midportion of the downwardly converging bottom means of said pontoon means.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US2576928A
Cited
US3276211A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1974-09-06 | 1975-03-08 | 1975-09-07 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1978-09-06 | 1979-03-08 | 1979-09-07 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1982-09-06 | 1983-03-08 | 1983-09-07 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |