Patents Assigned to Skier's Choice, Inc.
  • Patent number: 11772756
    Abstract: Wakeboat ballast pump systems and methods are provided to monitor the operational condition and parameters of wakeboat ballast components. Systems and methods for sensing and measurement are provided to detect parameters associated with wakeboat ballast pumps and compartments, including systems and methods that can economically retrofit into existing wakeboat ballast systems. Systems and methods are also provided to enable automated action based on various operational conditions and parameters to improve the safety, automation, performance, convenience, and marketing advantage of wakeboat ballast pumps.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2023
    Assignee: SKIER'S CHOICE, INC.
    Inventor: Richard L. Hartman
  • Patent number: 11753116
    Abstract: A wakeboat creates a wake, the performance level of the wake varying depending upon the mass of the wakeboat, the wakeboat including a hull; an engine supported by the hull; a controller supported by the hull; a processor coupled to the controller; a memory coupled to the processor; a sensor configured to measure at least one parameter of the wakeboat, the controller being coupled to the sensor and being configured to receive data from the sensor, the controller being configured to derive the present mass of the wakeboat from said sensor data, the controller being configured to determine the present wake performance level of the wakeboat based on the present mass of the wakeboat; and a tablet computer coupled to the controller, the controller being configured to use the tablet computer to indicate the present wake performance level of the wakeboat.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2023
    Assignee: Skier's Choice, Inc.
    Inventors: Richard Lawrence Hartman, Brian Anthony Ewasko, Matthew Douglas Brown, Jeffrey David Harrison, Zachary Thomas Davis
  • Patent number: 11679847
    Abstract: Wakeboat hull control systems and methods are provided to permit the accurate reproduction of a wake behind a wakeboat. The onboard wake control system receives data from a draft measuring system. Incorporation of the data from the draft measuring system permits accurate reproduction of a wake behind the wakeboat after a change in an onboard variable such as the number, weight or position of passengers, the weight or position of cargo and the position of trim tabs or amount/location of ballast.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2023
    Assignee: Skier's Choice, Inc.
    Inventor: Richard L. Hartman
  • Patent number: 11649010
    Abstract: A pump intake adapter for pumping shallow levels of fluid from a surface to be drained, the pump intake adapter including a connection on the pump intake adapter to convey the fluid away from the pump intake adapter; an intake surface on the pump intake adapter; and a portion of the intake surface of the pump intake adapter that in operation does not contact the surface to be drained, and creates an open conduit between the pump intake adapter and the surface to be drained through which fluid may flow, the open conduit being in fluid communication with the connection on the pump intake adapter. Other systems and methods are provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 2022
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2023
    Assignee: Skier's Choice, Inc.
    Inventor: Richard Lawrence Hartman
  • Patent number: 11535347
    Abstract: Wakeboat hull control systems and methods are provided to monitor the orientation of the wakeboat hull in the surrounding water, and to automatically control wakeboat ballast components to achieve or maintain desired hull orientations. Systems and methods are provided to measure, store, and recall hull orientation. Systems and methods are also provided to enable automated action to improve the safety, automation, performance, convenience, and marketing advantage of wakeboat ballast systems.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2022
    Assignee: Skier's Choice, Inc.
    Inventor: Richard L. Hartman
  • Patent number: 11438751
    Abstract: A wakeboat has a hull, the hull forming a wake when moving forward in the water, with a left quiet region and a right quiet region in the wake. The hull may exhibit rotation around one or more of its roll, pitch, and yaw axes which affects the quiet regions in the wake. A gyroscope supported in the hull may be used to rotate the hull around one or more axes. Such rotation may be used to create a surf left and/or surf right configuration, and measured via one or more sensors. Other systems and methods are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2022
    Assignee: Skier's Choice, Inc.
    Inventors: Richard Lawrence Hartman, Matthew Douglas Brown, Travis Lane Turley
  • Patent number: 11358680
    Abstract: A pump intake adapter for pumping shallow levels of fluid from a surface to be drained, the pump intake adapter including a connection on the pump intake adapter to convey the fluid away from the pump intake adapter; an intake surface on the pump intake adapter; and a portion of the intake surface of the pump intake adapter that in operation does not contact the surface to be drained, and creates an open conduit between the pump intake adapter and the surface to be drained through which fluid may flow, the open conduit being in fluid communication with the connection on the pump intake adapter. Other systems and methods are provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2022
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2022
    Assignee: Skier's Choice, Inc.
    Inventor: Richard Lawrence Hartman
  • Patent number: 11130551
    Abstract: Wakeboat ballast pump systems and methods are provided to monitor the operational condition and parameters of wakeboat ballast components. Systems and methods for sensing and measurement are provided to detect parameters associated with wakeboat ballast pumps and compartments, including systems and methods that can economically retrofit into existing wakeboat ballast systems. Systems and methods are also provided to enable automated action based on various operational conditions and parameters to improve the safety, automation, performance, convenience, and marketing advantage of wakeboat ballast pumps.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 28, 2021
    Assignee: Skier's Choice, Inc.
    Inventor: Richard L. Hartman
  • Patent number: 11014638
    Abstract: A wakeboat includes a hull; a thruster associated with the hull of the wakeboat, the thruster configured to selectively impart lateral force to the hull; an operator control in the wakeboat configured to control a parameter of the wakeboat other than the thruster; a thruster control associated with the operator control, the thruster control selectively receiving input from the operator to control the thruster, the thruster control positioned to be operable with at least the same hand and/or fingers already operating the operator control. Other systems and methods for controlling a wakeboat are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 25, 2021
    Assignee: Skier's Choice, Inc.
    Inventors: Zachary Thomas Davis, Richard Lawrence Hartman
  • Patent number: 10926848
    Abstract: Wakeboat hull control systems and methods are provided to permit the accurate reproduction of a wake behind a wakeboat. The onboard wake control system receives data from a draft measuring system. Incorporation of the data from the draft measuring system permits accurate reproduction of a wake behind the wakeboat after a change in an onboard variable such as the number, weight or position of passengers, the weight or position of cargo and the position of trim tabs or amount/location of ballast.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2021
    Assignee: Skier's Choice, Inc.
    Inventor: Richard L. Hartman
  • Patent number: 10858080
    Abstract: A wakeboat has a hull, the hull forming a wake when moving forward in the water, with a left quiet region and a right quiet region in the wake. The hull may exhibit rotation around one or more of its roll, pitch, and yaw axes which affects the quiet regions in the wake. A gyroscope supported in the hull may be used to rotate the hull around one or more axes. Such rotation may be used to create a surf left and/or surf right configuration, and measured via one or more sensors. Other systems and methods are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2020
    Assignee: Skier's Choice, Inc.
    Inventors: Richard Lawrence Hartman, Matthew Douglas Brown, Travis Lane Turley
  • Patent number: 10759507
    Abstract: Wakeboat hull control systems and methods are provided to monitor the orientation of the wakeboat hull in the surrounding water, and to automatically control wakeboat ballast components to achieve or maintain desired hull orientations. Systems and methods are provided to measure, store, and recall hull orientation. Systems and methods are also provided to enable automated action to improve the safety, automation, performance, convenience, and marketing advantage of wakeboat ballast systems.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 1, 2020
    Assignee: SKIER'S CHOICE, INC.
    Inventor: Richard L. Hartman
  • Patent number: 10717502
    Abstract: Wakeboat hull control systems are provided that can include a first accelerometer operatively associated with the hull of the wakeboat to measure the acceleration of the hull along a first axis; a second accelerometer operatively associated with the hull of the wakeboat to measure the acceleration of the hull along a second axis, the first axis being non-parallel to the second axis; and processing circuitry calculating the rotation of the hull of the wakeboat about a third axis based on the acquired measurements. Wakeboat hull control methods are provided that can include using the processing circuitry to calculate the rotation of the hull of the wakeboat about a third axis based on the acquired measurements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 21, 2020
    Assignee: Skier's Choice, Inc.
    Inventor: Richard L. Hartman
  • Patent number: 10676166
    Abstract: A wakeboat has a hull, the hull forming a wake when moving forward in the water, with a left quiet region and a right quiet region in the wake. The hull may exhibit rotation around one or more of its roll, pitch, and yaw axes which affects the quiet regions in the wake. A gyroscope supported in the hull may be used to rotate the hull around one or more axes. Such rotation may be used to create a surf left and/or surf right configuration, and measured via one or more sensors. Other systems and methods are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 9, 2020
    Assignee: Skier's Choice, Inc.
    Inventors: Richard Lawrence Hartman, Matthew Douglas Brown, Travis Lane Turley
  • Patent number: 10640182
    Abstract: Wakeboat ballast pump systems and methods are provided to monitor the operational condition and parameters of wakeboat ballast components. Systems and methods for sensing and measurement are provided to detect parameters associated with wakeboat ballast pumps and compartments, including systems and methods that can economically retrofit into existing wakeboat ballast systems. Systems and methods are also provided to enable automated action based on various operational conditions and parameters to improve the safety, automation, performance, convenience, and marketing advantage of wakeboat ballast pumps.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2020
    Assignee: Skier's Choice, Inc.
    Inventor: Richard L. Hartman
  • Patent number: 10577054
    Abstract: A wakeboat creates a wake, the performance level of the wake varying depending upon the mass of the wakeboat, the wakeboat including a hull; an engine supported by the hull; a controller supported by the hull; a processor coupled to the controller; a memory coupled to the processor; a sensor configured to measure at least one parameter of the wakeboat, the controller being coupled to the sensor and being configured to receive data from the sensor, the controller being configured to derive the present mass of the wakeboat from said sensor data, the controller being configured to determine the present wake performance level of the wakeboat based on the present mass of the wakeboat; and a display coupled to the controller, the controller being configured to use the display to indicate the present wake performance level of the wakeboat.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2020
    Assignee: Skier's Choice, Inc.
    Inventors: Richard Lawrence Hartman, Brian Anthony Ewasko, Matthew Douglas Brown, Jeffrey David Harrison, Zachary Thomas Davis
  • Patent number: 10479461
    Abstract: A wakeboat has a hull, the hull forming a wake when moving forward in the water, with a left quiet region and a right quiet region in the wake. The hull may exhibit rotation around its yaw axis which affects the quiet regions in the wake. Yaw rotation may be measured via one or more sensors. Yaw measurement may be used to control the hull and quiet regions. A trim tab is supported by the hull at the stern of the hull. The trim tab comprises a primary subtab and a secondary subtab. One or more actuators may be optionally included to reposition the trim tab more into, or more out of, the water to create a surf left and/or surf right configuration. Other systems and methods are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2019
    Assignee: Skier's Choice, Inc.
    Inventors: Richard Lawrence Hartman, Matthew Douglas Brown, Travis Lane Turley
  • Patent number: 10414470
    Abstract: Wakeboat hull control systems and methods are provided to permit the accurate reproduction of a wake behind a wakeboat. The onboard wake control system receives data from a draft measuring system. Incorporation of the data from the draft measuring system permits accurate reproduction of a wake behind the wakeboat after a change in an onboard variable such as the number, weight or position of passengers, the weight or position of cargo and the position of trim tabs or amount/location of ballast.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2019
    Assignee: Skier's Choice, Inc.
    Inventor: Richard L. Hartman
  • Patent number: 10370071
    Abstract: A wakeboat has a hull, the hull forming a wake when moving forward in the water, with a left quiet region and a right quiet region in the wake. A trim tab is supported by the hull at the stern of the hull. The trim tab comprises a primary subtab and a secondary subtab. One or more actuators may be optionally included to reposition the trim tab more into, or more out of, the water to create a surf left and/or surf right configuration. Other systems and methods are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2019
    Assignee: Skier's Choice, Inc.
    Inventors: Richard Lawrence Hartman, Matthew Douglas Brown, Travis Lane Turley
  • Patent number: 10239591
    Abstract: A wakeboat has a hull, the hull forming a wake when moving forward in the water, with a port disturbance and a starboard disturbance in the wake. A trim tab is supported by the hull at the stern of the hull. The trim tab comprises a primary subtab and a secondary subtab. One or more actuators may be optionally included to reposition the trim tab more into, or more out of, the water. Other systems and methods are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2019
    Assignee: Skier's Choice, Inc.
    Inventors: Richard Lawrence Hartman, Matthew Douglas Brown, Travis Lane Turley