Inflatable kayak
AssigneeNorthwest River Supplies, Inc.
InventorsHeeJae Lee, Lee Young Lim
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An inflatable kayak constructed of drop-stitch material. When inflated, the drop-stitch members form a rigid, planar structure. To form a non-planar contour in one of the surfaces of a drop-stitch member, the opposing surface is folded over onto itself and a strip of glue along the fold adheres the opposing surface along the glue strip, thereby forming a V-fold extending into the interior of the drop-stitch member. When the member is inflated, the V-fold will alter the profile of the opposing surface and cause the first surface to project away along that profile. The V-fold can be augmented by use of a V-tape or contour member within the V-fold. Using a contour member in the V-fold creates profiles that a fold alone cannot produce.
Claims12
An inflatable drop-stitch structure having a non-planar surface contour comprising:
- a. a drop-stitch member comprising a first surface having a first outward facing side and a first inward facing side, a second surface having a second outward facing side and a second inward facing side, wherein the first inward facing side and second inward facing side are opposed to each other, wherein the drop-stitch member further comprises a plurality of threads joined to the first inward facing side at a proximal thread end and joined to the second inward facing side at a distal thread end, wherein the plurality of threads holds the first surface at a fixed distance from the second surface when inflated;
- b. wherein the first surface further comprises a V-fold comprising a first V-fold segment of the first outward facing side held adjacent to a second V-fold segment of the first outward facing side, and wherein the V-fold extends from the first inward facing side in a V-fold direction toward the second inward facing side;
- and
- c. wherein the second surface forms a complimentary contour to the V-fold and the complimentary contour extends from the second outward facing side when the drop-stitch member is inflated and the plurality of threads are in tension.
A process for forming a non-planar surface contour in an inflatable drop-stitch structure comprising the steps of:
- a. providing a drop-stitch member comprising a first surface having a first outward facing side and a first inward facing side, a second surface having a second outward facing side and a second inward facing side, wherein the first inward facing side and second inward facing side are opposed to each other, wherein the drop-stitch member further comprises a plurality of threads joined to the first inward facing side at a proximal thread end and joined to the second inward facing side at a distal thread end, wherein the plurality of threads holds the first surface at a fixed distance from the opposed second surface when inflated;
- b. applying a glue strip to a glued portion of the outward facing side of the first surface;
- and
- c. folding the first outward facing side over and onto the first outward facing side along the glue strip, wherein the glue strip adheres the first outward facing side along the glued portion forming a V-fold in the first surface, wherein the V-fold extends from the first inward facing side toward the second inward facing side.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.