# US 10,246,162 B2 · Marine vessel hull with a longitudinally vented transverse step > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,246,162 B2 - Document ID: US10246162B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/145,866 - Filed: 2016-05-04 - Published: 2016-08-25 - Granted: 2019-04-02 - Earliest claimed: 2014-11-07 - Assignees: Cross Step LLC - Applicants: Ocean Design Group, LLC - Inventors: Stephen Daniel Matthews; John Joseph Gazza - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10246162B2 ## CPC - B63B 1/38: using air bubbles or air layers {gas filled volumes (waterborne vessels travelling on air cushions B60V3/06)} - B63B 1/042: {the underpart of which being partly provided with channels or the like, e.g. catamaran shaped} - B63B 1/10: with multiple hulls - B63B 2001/387: {using means for producing a film of air or air bubbles over at least a significant portion of the hull surface} - Y02T 70/10: Measures concerning design or construction of watercraft hulls - B63B: SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; EQUIPMENT FOR SHIPPING (arrangements of vessel ventilation, heating, cooling, or air-conditioning B63J2/00; floating substructures as supports of dredgers or soil-shifting machines E02F9/06) - Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION ## Abstract A marine vessel hull, and marine vessels comprising at least one such hull, comprising a non-entrapment hull having at least one longitudinally vented transverse step, each longitudinally vented transverse step comprising a transverse step extending from starboard to port, and one or more longitudinal steps extending forward therefrom. One or more longitudinal steps may also extend aft of an aft-most longitudinally vented transverse step, and may converge to a relatively lesser depth at the stern than a maximum depth at a location fore of the stern. The one or more longitudinal steps may gradually transition to a maximum depth aft of a discontinuity introduced by a forward transverse step. The hull may also have one or more longitudinal step tunnels. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A marine vessel hull having a fore, aft, port, and starboard, the hull comprising a non-entrapment configuration having: at least one longitudinally-vented transverse step, each longitudinally-vented transverse step comprising: a transverse step extending from starboard to port across a bottom of the hull; one or more forward longitudinal step portions connected to and extending forward from the transverse step, each longitudinal step portion defining a longitudinal air pathway configured to feed air into the longitudinally-vented transverse step when the hull is in motion on a body of water, each longitudinal step portion having a cross-sectional profile that comprises a cutout into the hull relative to a line defined by a deadrise angle of the hull, the cutout comprising a vertical rise starting from the line defined by the deadrise angle and a run tilted outwardly upward at a lesser non horizontal angle than the deadrise angle and that extends to an intersection with the line defined by the deadrise angle; and one or more aft longitudinal step portions extending aft of the at least one longitudinally-vented transverse step. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The marine vessel hull of claim 1, wherein each of the one or more aft longitudinal step portions converges to a relatively lesser depth at the stern than a maximum depth at a location fore of the stern. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The marine vessel hull of claim 2, wherein each of the one or more aft longitudinal step portions gradually transitions to the maximum depth aft of each transverse step from a discontinuity introduced by the transverse step. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The marine vessel hull of claim 1 comprising at least two longitudinally-vented transverse steps, including a first longitudinally-vented transverse step located forward of a second longitudinally-vented transverse step. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The marine vessel hull of claim 4, comprising a first set of one or more forward longitudinal step portions connected to and extending forward from the first transverse step and a second set of one or more forward longitudinal step portions connected to and extending forward from the second transverse step and a third set of one or more aft longitudinal step portions extending aft of the second transverse step. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The marine vessel hull of claim 5, wherein each of the first, second and third sets of longitudinal step portions are longitudinally aligned with one another such as to define a plurality of otherwise continuous longitudinal steps extending forward of the first transverse step to aft of the second transverse step but for discontinuities introduced by the transverse steps. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The marine vessel hull of claim 6, wherein each of the first, second and third sets of longitudinal step portions comprises at least two longitudinal step portions. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The marine vessel hull of claim 1, wherein the one or more forward longitudinal step portions comprises at least two longitudinal steps. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The marine vessel of claim 8, wherein the at least two longitudinal steps are parallel to one another. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The marine vessel hull of claim 1, further comprising one or more longitudinal scalloped regions, each longitudinal scalloped region providing increased propeller clearance at a given location of the propeller and the longitudinal step relative to an absence the scalloped region. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The marine vessel hull of claim 10 further comprising an exhaust bypass outlet on an aft face of an aft-most transverse step or on a surface aft of the aft-most transverse step, forward of the propeller, and aligned with the one or more scalloped regions. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The marine vessel hull of claim 1, wherein hull is devoid of lifting strakes. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The marine vessel hull of claim 1, wherein each transverse step defines a plurality of longitudinally unrestricted transverse step air pathways configured to ventilate the at least one longitudinally-vented transverse step from the port and starboard when the vessel is in motion on a body of water. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The marine vessel hull of claim 1, further comprising a starboard chine and a port chine each comprising a fillet that is level on an outboard edge thereof. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The marine vessel hull of claim 1, wherein the at least one longitudinally-vented transverse step consists of two longitudinally-vented transverse steps and the one or more forward longitudinal step portions consists of two longitudinal step portions. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) A marine vessel comprising at least one marine vessel hull of claim 1. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The marine vessel of claim 16, wherein the vessel comprises only a single hull. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) The marine vessel of claim 16, wherein the vessel comprises more than one hull. ### Claim 19 (depends on 1) The marine vessel of claim 1, wherein each longitudinal step portion extending forward from the at least one longitudinally-vented transverse step is longitudinally aligned with a corresponding longitudinal step portion extending aft of the at least one longitudinally-vented transverse step such as to define an otherwise continuous longitudinal step extending forward and aft of the longitudinally-vented transverse step but for a discontinuity introduced by the longitudinally-vented transverse step.