US3844238A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Sailing boats with rigid sails
Assignee: Individual
•
Filing: 1972-01-10
•
Granted: 1974-10-29
•
Expires: 1992-01-10
Abstract
Abstract A sailing craft has a rigid sail assembly mounted for free rotation about an upright axis and a tail vane rotatably carried on the assembly for adjusting the incidence of upright aerofoil elements to the apparent wind. A counterweight for mass balancing the assembly is arranged above the bottom of the assembly so as to balance, with respect to the main upright pivot axis, the products of inertia about each of the two orthogonal axes which are orthogonal to the main axes. In the preferred form, a triplane arrangement is used for the aerofoil elements with the centre element forward of the outer elements. Use is made of aerofoil sections of larger leading edge radius than normal. A control system for the tail vane has two control levers, for use respectively on port and starboard tacks, which are interconnected to move in opposite senses so as to give a simple control connection. A governor is provided for limiting the maximum tail vane movement in accordance with wind strength.
Inventors
- 👤 A Murray
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-02 06:19
CPC Classifications
B; B63; B63H; B63H9/00; B63H9/04; B63H9/06; B63H9/061
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 8
Claim 1
Independent Claim
94 words
A sailing craft having at least one upright rigid aerofoil, means mounting said aerofoil for free rotation about an upright aXis, a tail vane on the rotating aerofoil and control means for controlling the angular position of the tail vane with respect to said rigid aerofoil, said control means including first and second control levers for use respectively on port and starboard tacks, mechanical means interconnecting the levers so that moving one in one direction causes the other to move in the opposite direction and means operatively connecting the tail vane to said levers.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
94 words
A sailing craft having at least one upright rigid aerofoil, means mounting said aerofoil for free rotation about an upright aXis, a tail vane on the rotating aerofoil and control means for controlling the angular position of the tail vane with respect to said rigid aerofoil, said control means including first and second control levers for use respectively on port and starboard tacks, mechanical means interconnecting the levers so that moving one in one direction causes the other to move in the opposite direction and means operatively connecting the tail vane to said levers.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
65 words
A sailing craft as claimed in claim 1 wherein the tail vane is aft of the main aerofoils and wherein the levers are arranged so that the first (for use on the port tack), when moved forward, causes the tail vane to move anticlockwise as seen from above and the second, when moved forward, causes the tail vane to move clockwise as seen from above.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
56 words
A sailing craft as claimed in claim 1 wherein said control means includes a linkage with an axial movable member on the sail pivot axis, said linkage including a swivel permitting rotation of the output of the linkage onto the sail system, independent of the fixed position of the input onto the linkage from said levers.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
93 words
A sailing craft with a rigid aerofoil assembly, means mounting said aerofoil assembly for rotation about an upright axis, a tail vane mounted on the assembly for rotation with respect thereto for controlling the angular position of the aerofoil assembly, and control means for the tail vane wherein the control means include an adjustable stop device limiting the angular movement of the tail vane with respect to said aerofoil assembly and means responsive to the wind strength operatively controlling said adjustable stop to reduce the range of movement as the wind strength increases.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
93 words
A sailing craft with a rigid aerofoil assembly, means mounting said aerofoil assembly for rotation about an upright axis, a tail vane mounted on the assembly for rotation with respect thereto for controlling the angular position of the aerofoil assembly, and control means for the tail vane wherein the control means include an adjustable stop device limiting the angular movement of the tail vane with respect to said aerofoil assembly and means responsive to the wind strength operatively controlling said adjustable stop to reduce the range of movement as the wind strength increases.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
101 words
A sailing craft with a rigid aerofoil assembly, means mounting said aerofoil assembly for rotation about an upright axis, a tail vane on the assembly for controlling the angular position of the aerofoil assembly, means mounting the tail vane for angular rotation with respect to said assembly, and control means for said tail vane, said control means including a control input and a linkage connecting the control input to the tail vane and further including adjustable means for adjusting the velocity ratio between the tail vane movement and control input and a wind strength responsive device operatively controlling said adjustable means.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
101 words
A sailing craft with a rigid aerofoil assembly, means mounting said aerofoil assembly for rotation about an upright axis, a tail vane on the assembly for controlling the angular position of the aerofoil assembly, means mounting the tail vane for angular rotation with respect to said assembly, and control means for said tail vane, said control means including a control input and a linkage connecting the control input to the tail vane and further including adjustable means for adjusting the velocity ratio between the tail vane movement and control input and a wind strength responsive device operatively controlling said adjustable means.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1977-10-28 | 1978-04-29 | 1978-10-29 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1981-10-28 | 1982-04-29 | 1982-10-29 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1985-10-28 | 1986-04-29 | 1986-10-29 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |