Boat fender

Abstract

An inflatable/deflatable boat fender that is generally V- or U-shaped to protect the hull of a boat from the dock and/or pilings, cushioning any impact between the dock and the hull of a boat. The inflatable boat fender is shaped to prevent the fender from slipping off the piling of a dock.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

[0001] This application claims priority to Provisional Application No. 60/367,793 filed on Mar. 27, 2002, entitled BOAT FENDER, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] The present invention pertains to boat fenders, and more particularly to boat fenders which are suitable for protecting the hull of a boat during docking.

[0003] When a boat is being docked, it is common to place several fenders along the side of the boat so that the fenders are positioned between the side of the boat and the dock to cushion any impact between the boat and dock. Quite commonly, these fenders are cylindrical members that are tied via rope around the railing of the boat.

[0004] Other fenders are available which are designed to position the boat with respect to the pilings on the dock. However, these fenders may slide away from the pilings and/or dock and cease to protect the hull of the boat from the dock and/or pilings.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0005] An aspect of the present invention is to provide a boat fender that protects the hull of a boat from the dock and/or pilings. Another aspect of the present invention is to provide a boat fender that is designed to closely fit the pilings of a dock.

[0006] Another aspect of the present invention is to provide a deflatable boat fender that can be easily and efficiently stored upon the boat and/or dock. The boat fender can be easily inflated when the boat requires docking.

[0007] To achieve these and other aspects and advantages, the boat fender of a present invention is generally V- or U-shaped to closely receive the piling of a dock. The general V- or U-shape allows the boat fender to maintain close contact with the piling such that it is difficult for the boat fender to slip off of the piling. The boat fender can also be rotated to closely receive on the edge of the dock.

[0008] Thus, it can be seen that an improved boat fender is disclosed. It is envisioned that the boat fender may be applied to a wide variety of applications and that the generally V- or U-shape may be modified to a shape that also closely receives single or multiple dock pilings.

[0009] These and other features, advantages and objects of the present invention will be further understood and appreciated by those skilled in the art by reference to the following specification, claims and appended drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] The invention, together with further objects and advantages thereof, may be best understood by reference to the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like numerals represent like components and in which:

[0011] FIG. 1 is an elevational view of the front of a boat fender constructed in accordance with the present invention;

[0012] FIG. 2 is an elevational view of the rear of the boat fender of the present invention;

[0013] FIG. 3 is a plan view showing the top of the boat fender of the present invention;

[0014] FIG. 4 is a plan view of the bottom of the boat fender of the present invention;

[0015] FIG. 5 is an elevational view of the left side of the boat fender of the present invention;

[0016] FIG. 6 is an elevational view of the right side of the boat fender of the present invention;

[0017] FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the front and top of the boat fender of the present invention;

[0018] FIG. 8 is a perspective view similar to that shown in FIG. 7 with a dock of pilings shown in dotted lines;

[0019] FIG. 9 is a plan view of the top of a small boat fender of the present invention with sample dimensions, constructed in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention;

[0020] FIG. 10 is a plan view of the top of a medium speed boat fender of the present invention with sample dimensions, constructed in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention; and

[0021] FIG. 11 is a plan view of the top of a boat fender constructed in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0022] In the illustrated example, a boat fender 2 is designed to position a boat with respect to a dock 4. Specifically, the dock side 10 of the boat fender 2 contains a generally U-shaped recess 8 as illustrated in FIGS. 1, 3, 4, 7 and 8. In the preferred embodiment, the generally U-shaped recess 8 has a radius of approximately 17 to 18 inches in medium sized boat fenders (FIG. 10) and has a radius of approximately 8 to 9 inches for a small boat fender (FIG. 9). However, different sized boat fenders may be developed that have smaller or larger U-shapes depending on the size of the pilings.

[0023] The boat fender 2 comprises a sealed, flexible fluid-tight compartment. A port 14 provides access to the sealed chamber 16 of the inflatable boat fender 2. The boat fender 2 is inflated through the port 14. Alternatively, the boat fender 2 may contain multiple sealed chambers which may be separately inflated or may be filled with other materials, such as water.

[0024] As may be seen most clearly by FIGS. 1 and 2, the boat fender 2 contains loops, hooks, clasps, or other connecting means 18 to attach the boat fender 2 to the side of a boat. As illustrated in FIG. 8, the generally U-shaped recess 8 of the dock side 10 of the boat fender 2 fits closely around the piling 6 of a dock 4. The generally U-shaped recess 8 of the boat fender 2 prevents the boat fender 2 from slipping off the piling 6.

[0025] FIG. 9 illustrates a small boat fender with a generally V-shaped process. The length L of the fender 2 is longer than the width W of the fender 2. In the illustrated embodiment, the depth D of the generally V-shaped or U-shaped recess is less than half, but more than a quarter of the width of the fender 2. The dimensions of the fender may be modified such that it maintains a shape to closely fit the pilings or edge of a dock. Similarly, FIG. 10 illustrates a medium sized boat fender utilizing a V-shaped recess. Again, the dimensions may be modified while the boat fender maintains a shape to closely receive the piling of a dock.

[0026] FIG. 11 shows a boat fender 2 having a generally V-shaped recess and loops, hooks, clasps or other connecting means 18.

[0027] While the illustrated examples show that the boat fender is inflatable and deflatable, an alternative embodiment is a boat fender that is permanently inflated. Further, the boat fender may even be made of a solid or semi-solid material such that it does not need to be inflated. These materials can include, for example, foam, gel, etc. The boat fender may also be filled with a liquid material such as water. The boat fenders may also be used to position the boat with respect to a dock when turned into a generally vertical position.

[0028] The above description is considered that of the preferred embodiments only. Many modifications of the invention may be affected by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention. Therefore, it is understood that the embodiments shown in the drawings and described above are merely for illustrative purposes and not intended to limit the scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A fender for a watercraft comprising:

an elongated body portion having an inwardly facing surface for contacting the watercraft and an opposite outwardly facing surface;

said outwardly facing surface having a generally U-shaped recess to closely fit the pilings of a dock.

2. The watercraft fender of claim 1, wherein said elongated body is inflatable.

3. The watercraft fender of claim 1, wherein said elongated body is deflatable.

4. The watercraft fender of claim 1, wherein said elongated body is made of a solid material.

5. The watercraft fender of claim 1 wherein said elongated body is made of a semi-solid material.

6. The watercraft fender of claim 1, wherein said elongated body is filled with a liquid material.

7. The watercraft fender of claim 1, wherein the recess has a depth less than half of the width of the elongated body but more than a quarter of the width of the elongated body.

8. A fender for a watercraft, comprising:

an elongated body portion having an inwardly facing surface for contacting the watercraft and an opposite outwardly facing surface;

said outwardly facing surface having a generally U-shaped recess to closely fit an edge of a dock.

9. A fender for a watercraft comprising:

an elongated body portion having an inwardly facing surface for contacting the watercraft and an opposite outwardly facing surface;

said outwardly facing surface having a generally V-shaped recess.

10. The watercraft fender of claim 9, wherein said outwardly facing surface closely fits the pilings of a dock.

11. The watercraft fender of claim 9, wherein said outwardly facing surface closely fits an edge of a dock.

12. The watercraft fender of claim 9, wherein said elongated body is inflatable.

13. The watercraft fender of claim 9, wherein said elongated body is deflatable.

14. The watercraft fender of claim 9, wherein said elongated body is made of a solid material.

15. The watercraft fender of claim 9, wherein said elongated body is made of a semi-solid material.

16. The watercraft fender of claim 9, wherein said elongated body is filled with a liquid material.

17. The watercraft fender of claim 9, wherein the recess has a depth less than half of the width of the elongated body but more than a quarter of the width of the elongated body.