ANCHORING SYSTEM

Abstract

An anchoring system is disclosed having a rode of predetermined length; a plurality of indicators located on and displaced at regular intervals along said length of said rode; wherein said intervals correlate deployed rode lengths to a set of anchoring conditions. Using the system, a watercraft operator can readily determine whether a proper amount of rode has been deployed to anchor the watercraft according to acknowledged standards.

Description

This application claims priority to U.S. provisional application No. 60/828,570 filed Oct. 6, 2006, which is hereby incorporated by reference.

FIELD OF INVENTION

The invention relates to anchor lines and anchoring systems for anchoring a watercraft or other floating device in a body of water. Specifically, the invention relates to anchoring systems which facilitate recognition of proper deployed rode lengths for a set of anchoring conditions.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Various anchor lines and anchoring systems are known in the art. Anchor lines having the length of the line marked at predetermined intervals are currently used to provide a user an indication of how much line has been deployed. Systems are known which include a windlass for detecting the length of anchor line or chain deployed. Various organizations, such as the US Coast Guard are developing or have provided safety guidelines for the amount of rode that should be deployed given certain anchoring conditions, especially water depth. However, none of the prior art anchor lines or systems provide a user an indication of whether the proper amount of anchor line has been deployed to properly anchor the watercraft.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In some embodiments, the invention provides an anchoring system comprising a rode of predetermined length, a plurality of indicators located on and displaced at regular intervals along said length of said rode, wherein said intervals correlate deployed rode lengths to a set of anchoring conditions.

The set of anchoring conditions is selected from water depth, sea conditions weather conditions, type of anchor, number of anchors, watercraft characteristics, and combinations thereof.

In some embodiments, the anchoring conditions comprise the water depth, and the plurality of indicators are displaced at a ratio of about 10 feet of rode to each foot of water depth. In other embodiments the ratio is about 7:1 or about 5:1.

In some embodiments, the invention provides a system for anchoring a watercraft, comprising a rode having a plurality of indicators, a rode sensor for detecting one or more of the plurality of indicators, and a processor coupled to the rode sensor for determining if a proper length of rode has been deployed to anchor the watercraft for a given set of anchoring conditions as described above.

In some embodiments, the invention provides a method of determining if a watercraft is properly anchored in water having a known water depth, comprising detecting one or more indicators coupled to an anchor or anchor line indicative of the amount of line deployed; and determining if a proper amount of anchor line has been deployed for anchoring the watercraft based on the detection of the one or more markers.

In some embodiments, an anchor line for anchoring a water craft, comprising marking means for providing a user an indication of whether a proper length of anchor line has been deployed to anchor the watercraft in water of known depth. In some embodiments, the anchor line markers provide an indication of whether a proper length of the anchor line has been deployed for a given water depth and/or for additional anchoring conditions of the water craft.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

The sole FIGURE depicts a watercraft and the measurement of water depth, rode length, and anchoring angle θ.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

The inventors have contemplated various embodiments of the inventions some of which are set forth in greater detail below.

Although the invention is well suited for water craft, it is not limited to application with watercraft. Other floating devices such as but not limited to, buoys and floating docks can benefit from the device. Although the description herein discusses the invention mainly in terms of watercraft, it is intended to apply equally to any floating device which may be anchored, or otherwise benefit from ready identification of proper anchoring.

Various terms are used throughout to indicate a body of water. As used herein, the terms body of water, lake, sea, seas, river, etc. all convey the body of water in which the watercraft is afloat. Unless specifically noted, such terms shall apply to any body of water.

As used herein, water depth refers to the depth of the water from the sea floor to the water surface. In some embodiments, the distance from the water surface to the location where the anchor line attaches to the watercraft is included in the definition of water depth for calculating the rode length to water depth ratio. This is particularly important with larger vessels where this distance could be more substantial. In smaller vessels, this distance could be negligible.

Anchoring systems, minimally, are made up of a rode and an anchor. The rode is all the gear between a boat and her anchor whether synthetic or natural fiber rope, chain, wire or any combination of these. To properly anchor a watercraft, a certain amount of rode should be deployed. If too little rode is deployed the anchor may not be properly seated, or the watercraft will not be allowed to rise and fall appropriately with the coming and going of waves and tides. If too much rode is deployed, the watercraft may be allowed to stray beyond a desired area or be subjected to too much movement with the waves and tides. Thus, the amount of rode deployed for proper anchoring is established according to the set of anchoring conditions at any given time. Reference herein to “properly anchoring” or similar terms refers to the use of an appropriate rode length (also referred to as “proper rode length”) for a given water depth and/or other anchoring conditions. It is also contemplated that the proper rode length may be a range rather than a singular point along the rode.

Anchoring conditions include, but are not limited to the water depth; sea conditions, such as wave height, current strength and direction, tide; weather conditions such as wind speed, and precipitation; watercraft properties, such as type, size, and weight; type of anchor, number of anchors, number and proximity of other watercraft, and the amount of rode above water level. The proper deployed rode length is determined taking these conditions into account. In its simplest form, the proper deployed rode length is determined by the ratio of rode length to water depth (i.e. the scope). The desired rode length may then be adjusted up or down based upon other conditions if required. Thus, a single desired rode length may be proper for more than one set of anchoring conditions. For example, 200 feet of deployed rode length may be appropriate for 20 feet of water depth. That same 200 feet of deployed rode may also be appropriate, for example for 15 feet of water depth, in rougher water. In some embodiments, the indicators will provide indicia of both correlations.

The US Coast Guard and other organizations offer suggestions for proper anchoring. This invention can take into account these suggestions and future variations.

The base anchoring condition is the water depth D. The ratio of deployed rode length L to water depth is called the scope. The invention provides a quick and easy way for the operator or third party to assess whether the proper ratio has been used. As shown in FIG. 1, the angle θ formed by the rode 20 and anchor 22 and the anchoring surface or sea floor 40 is important to proper anchorage. If the angle is too steep, i.e. approaching 90°, the anchor will not hold and the watercraft will be subject to undesirable movement at the hands of the currents. If the angle is too shallow, the anchor will not hold properly and could act as a plow on the sea floor 40. The inventors propose that a standardized set of ratios corresponding to acceptable angles be established, and that the rode be provided with indicators 24 associated with such acceptable angles.

The anchoring system includes a rode having indicators 24 displaced along its length. The indicators 24 are displaced at regular intervals. These intervals correspond to proper deployed rode lengths for at least one set of anchoring conditions. For example, indicators can be displaced according to the ratio of deployed rode length to water depth. In some embodiments the ratio is about 10 feet of deployed rode length for about every foot of water depth. In some embodiments, the ratio is about 7:1 or about 5:1. These intervals, in some embodiments may be further subdivided. The indicators themselves can be of any acceptable medium that can convey the proper information. such as visible indicators, electronic indicators, audible indicators, etc. Some embodiments may include additional indicators a subintervals, denoting e.g. how far within a desired range the rode is deployed.

In some embodiments, a depth gauge can be used in conjunction with the indicia or markers on the anchor line. For example, at a given water depth or depth range, the depth gauge could show numbers in a specific color (or otherwise display associated indicia), which would be duplicated on the rode. Thus, someone viewing the depth gauge could know which indicia should be showing on the rode for appropriate deployment. For example, a depth gauge showing e.g. red corresponds to a rode indicia of red. Thus, one viewing the depth gauge could communicate this to those deploying the anchor.

In some embodiments, visible indicators are used. In some embodiments indicators are color coded sections of the rode. In these embodiments, each colored section is correlated to an acceptable deployed rode length and one or more set of anchoring conditions suitable for that length of deployed rode. In some embodiments, the indicator is a marker with directly readable indicia indicating a deployed rode length correlated to one or more sets of anchoring conditions. For example, in this embodiment, the indicator could be a flag or other type of visible marker indicating that the amount of rode deployed is appropriate for e.g. 20 feet of water or 15 feet of water in rough seas.

In other embodiments, the indicator can include a code or other indicia which is interpreted by looking up and comparing the indicia to known values. For example, the indicators of a rode can be correlated to established anchoring conditions in a table or other database. The look up system can be physical or mechanical, such as a book or table, or even a set of sliders or pinwheels to select the existing conditions and result in a desired rode value. In some embodiments, such a system could be employed through the use of a processor which houses data containing established reference points. A user can input anchoring conditions and the processor would provide the appropriate deployed rode length, and corresponding indicia. The user would then deploy the rode until the proper indicia was shown, thereby indicating a proper deployed rode length.

Any of a variety of visible indicators can be used, so long as the indicators convey the correlation of acceptable deployed rode length for the given set of anchoring conditions. The plurality of indicators may be color coded, or may comprise color coded segments of the rode, or die markings, or visible markers coupled to the rode, or tags, or markers that are integral to the anchor line, or the like, or some combination thereof. The plurality of indicators is preferably visible at night. In some embodiments, the indicators are visible at night. Those of skill in the art will recognize many suitable visible indicators, and those that are visible at night, such as reflectors or luminescent or fluorescent paints, dies or materials.

In some embodiments, other types of indicators may be used. For example, mechanical or electronic means could be provided along or within the rode which trigger an audible event such as ringing a bell or engaging a speaker system to announce the amount of rode deployed.

In one important aspect of some embodiments of the invention, the indicators can be standardized across the industry, so that a third party, such as a harbor master or other official or anyone familiar with the standard, can visibly check anchored watercraft or other devices to determine whether or not the anchorage is proper. Thus, in some embodiments, there is a predetermined system correlating the anchor line indicia with one or more sets of anchoring conditions. For example, in a particular portion of a bay or harbor, having the same water depth, all watercraft should require about the same amount of rode deployment (assuming other anchoring conditions are similar). A harbor master could toll around checking the visible indicator to make sure boats are properly anchored. For example, a harbor master could easily tell if all the boats had visible green color coded indicator corresponding to the correct deployed rode length for the conditions of the harbor. Any vessel not showing the correct standardized color code for the existing conditions could then be investigated further. Such a simple check could potentially prevent large scale damage that can be caused by an improperly anchored watercraft. Using some embodiments of the invention allows for passive indication of proper anchoring, which may prevent accidents or provide earlier opportunity for warning. In some embodiments, means for inputting a set of anchoring conditions and means for displaying a resultant indicia associated with the proper rode length is provided. One simple form is a table for looking up anchoring conditions and correlated indicia. Another such system could use a slider system, where a window is moved over a list to the appropriate conditions, and another window reveals the resultant indicia for those conditions. It should be apparent that such a system is easily adapted to a computer or other hand held device, where one could input the conditions, or select from a number of available condition choices, and the device would then display the appropriate rode length and/or indicia associated therewith.

In another embodiment according to the invention, a system is provided for anchoring a watercraft. The system comprises a rode having a plurality of indicators, a rode sensor for detecting one or more of the plurality of indicators, and a processor coupled to the rode sensor for determining if a proper length of rode has been deployed to anchor the watercraft given a set of anchoring conditions, as described above. The rode sensor may be any means or device for detecting the indicators such as a mechanical sensor, an electronic sensor, an optical sensor, or any other means known or used in the art. The processor is any device which can be coupled to the rode sensor to calculate or determine how much rode has been deployed based on the detection of the indicators by the rode sensor.

The system may further comprise a depth sensor coupled to the processor for determining the water depth. The processor then determines if a proper length of rode has been deployed based on the markers detected by the rode sensor, and the water depth determined by the depth sensor. Based upon this determination, in some embodiments the system then provides indicia of whether the proper amount of rode has been deployed. The indicia may take any of several forms including visible or audible signals.

In some alternative embodiments, the processor determines if a proper length of rode has been deployed based on the markers detected by the rode sensor, and the water depth determined by the depth sensor, and based on the anchoring conditions of the watercraft. Similar to the depth sensor, other devices may be coupled to the system for determining other anchoring conditions. For example weather gathering sensors may be so coupled to account for precipitation and wind speed and direction, for example.

In another embodiment the system may further comprise an anchor marker for providing an indication of the position of an anchor coupled to the rode. The processor may then be used to determine if a proper length of rode has been deployed based on the markers detected by the rode sensor and the position of the anchor indicated by the anchor marker.

In other embodiments, the system may be used with positioning systems such as GPS systems to identify proper anchoring locations. In some areas, such as near coral reefs in the tropics, anchoring is prohibited in certain locations. Combining GPS and other technology with the invention would facilitate both proper rode lengths and anchor positioning.

In some embodiments, the desired length of deployed rode may be calculated prior to deployment, and the system can be adapted to allow substantially only that length of rode to be deployed. The calculation can be performed in any number of ways, either by an operator with the proper rode length input into the system. In other embodiments, anchoring characteristics can be input into a computerized system, either by an operator or as data derived from other electronic systems such as depth sensors and weather sensors. The computer could then calculate the proper rode length and instruct other systems to allow only that amount of rode to be deployed. Such systems may be used with a motorized windlass or other device which will deploy the desired amount of rode. Where motorized or electronic devices are not used, mechanical or other means can be provided to selectively stop deployment of rode when the desired amount has been deployed. Once deployed, the rode indicia, in some embodiments, will allow the operator to determine whether an appropriate amount of rode has been deployed as with other embodiments, but has the added advantage of deploying only the calculated amount of rode, thus freeing the operator from having to constantly monitor the length of rode as it is being deployed.

In the embodiments discussed above the plurality of indicators may be substantially continuous throughout the rode, or positioned along the rode at predetermined intervals. Those skilled in the art will recognize that various combinations and configurations of identifiers may be used to provide an effective system. The system could have, for example, redundant markers for providing a more reliable or robust system.

In another embodiment a method is provided for determining if a watercraft is properly anchored in water having a given water depth or set of anchoring conditions. The method comprises detecting one or more indicators coupled to an anchor or rode, and determining if a proper amount of rode has been deployed for anchoring the watercraft based on the detection of the one or more indicators and the set of anchoring conditions. The method may further comprise determining the water depth. Determining if a proper amount of rode has been deployed is then based on detection of the one or more indicators, and on the determination of water depth. Determining if a proper amount of anchor line has been deployed may also be further based on anchoring conditions, as discussed above.

In another embodiment of the invention, an anchor line is provided for anchoring a water craft. The anchor line comprising marking means for providing a user an indication of whether a proper length of anchor line has been deployed to anchor the watercraft in water of certain depth. The marking means preferably provide an indication of whether a proper length of the anchor line has been deployed for water of a certain depth and for anchoring conditions of the water craft.

As discussed above, the proper amount of anchor line may be equal to about 5 to about 10 feet for about each 1 foot of water depth depending on various factors including type of anchor, type of watercraft, weather conditions, and/or sea conditions. This ratio is approximate, and can be modified as needed according to changing safety standards or specific situations.

In some embodiments, an anchor line is provided with the indicators discussed herein. The anchor line is then able to be attached to the anchor and other gear to make up an anchoring system.

Those of skill in the art will recognize additional variations and embodiments without differing from the scope and spirit of the invention described herein.

Claims

1. An anchoring system comprising:

a rode of predetermined length;

a plurality of indicators located on and displaced at regular intervals along said length of said rode;

wherein said intervals correlate deployed rode lengths to a set of anchoring conditions.

2. The anchoring system of claim 1, wherein said anchoring conditions comprise the water depth and said plurality of indicators are displaced at a ratio of about 10 feet of rode to each foot of water depth.

3. The anchoring system of claim 1, wherein said anchoring conditions comprise the water depth and said plurality of indicators are displaced at a ratio of about 7 feet of rode to each foot of water depth.

4. The anchoring system of claim 1, wherein said anchoring conditions comprise the water depth and said plurality of indicators are displaced at a ratio of about 5 feet of rode to each foot of water depth.

5. The anchoring system of claim 1, wherein said plurality of identifiers provide indicia of proper rode length for 2 or more sets of anchoring conditions.

6. The anchoring system of claim 5, wherein said indicia is interpretable via predetermined system correlating the indicia to a set of anchoring conditions.

7. The anchoring system of claim 6 wherein said predetermined system is selected from a color coded system or a system comprising means for inputting a set of anchoring conditions and means for displaying resultant indicia for proper rode length.

8. A system for anchoring a watercraft, comprising:

a rode having a plurality of indicators;

a rode sensor for detecting one or more of the plurality of indicators; and

a processor coupled to the rode sensor for determining if a proper length of rode has been deployed to anchor the watercraft for a given set of anchoring conditions.

9. The system of claim 8 further comprising a depth sensor coupled to the processor for determining the water depth.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the processor determines if a proper length of rode has been deployed based on the indicators detected by the rode sensor, and the water depth determined by the depth sensor.

11. The system of claim 9 wherein the anchoring conditions of the watercraft include at least one condition selected from the group comprising sea conditions, weather conditions, anchor type, or number of anchors used.

12. The system of claim 8 further comprising an anchor marker for providing an indication of the position of an anchor coupled to the rode.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the processor determines if a proper length of rode has been deployed based on the indicators detected by the rode sensor and the position of the anchor indicated by the anchor marker.

14. The system of claim 12 wherein the plurality of indicators are substantially continuous throughout the rode.

15. The system of claim 8 wherein the plurality of markers are positioned along the rode at predetermined intervals.

16. A method of determining if a watercraft is properly anchored in water having a known water depth, comprising:

detecting one or more indicators coupled to an anchor or anchor line indicative of the amount of line deployed; and

determining if a proper amount of anchor line has been deployed for anchoring the watercraft based on the detection of the one or more markers.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising determining said water depth, and wherein determining if a proper amount of anchor line has been deployed is based on detection of the one or more markers and on the determination of said water depth.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein determining if a proper amount of anchor line has been deployed is further based on anchoring conditions of the watercraft, the anchoring conditions including at least one condition selected from the group comprising sea conditions, weather conditions, anchor type, or number of anchors used.

19. An anchor line for anchoring a water craft, comprising:

marking means for providing a user an indication of whether a proper length of anchor line has been deployed to anchor the watercraft in water of known depth.

20. The anchor line of claim 19 wherein the marking means provides an indication of whether the length of anchor line deployed is substantially equal to about 10 feet for about each 1 foot of water depth.

21. The anchor line of claim 19 wherein the marking means provides an indication of whether the length of anchor line deployed is substantially equal to about 7 feet for about each 1 foot of water depth.

22. The anchor line of claim 19 wherein the marking means provides an indication of whether the length of anchor line deployed is substantially equal to about 5 feet for about each 1 foot of water depth.

23. The anchor line of claim 19 wherein the proper length of line is based on a given water depth and the height the anchor line extends above the water.

24. The anchor line of claim 19 wherein the marking means comprises color coding of the anchor line.

25. The anchor line of claim 19 wherein the marking means comprises markers adapted to cooperate with a sensor to provide the indication of whether the proper amount of line has been deployed.