Rotating and sliding boarding door assembly systems for a vessel and a vessel having the same
AssigneeThe Hinckley Company
InventorsScott Bryant, Keith Attee, Tom Buerkle
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The present invention relates to a rotating and sliding boat boarding door mechanism configured to aid the vessel's occupants in their ingress and egress to and from the vessel. More particularly, the present invention provides a rotating and sliding boat boarding door assembly and system that slidingly moves into a recess in the vessel's exterior (e.g., side, transom, and/or gunwale) that has been configured to receive and maintain the boarding door assembly in a position where it is out of sight when fully recessed.
Claims22
A rotating and sliding boarding door assembly for a boat, comprising:
- a door having a gunwale portion positioned in an opening in a gunwale of the boat when the assembly is in a closed position, and a hull portion positioned below said gunwale portion, said hull portion positioned in an opening in a hull side of the boat when the assembly is in the closed position;
- a plurality of actuators coupled with said gunwale portion and said hull portion, said actuators being configured to rotate the gunwale portion toward an interior of the boat into a sliding position and to slide the gunwale portion and the hull portion into a recess in a hull of the boat when the gunwale portion is in the sliding position;
- and
- one or more tracks, slideably coupled with said gunwale portion and/or said door portion, for guiding said gunwale portion and said door portion into said recess;
- where said gunwale portion and said hull portion are fully retracted into said recess when the assembly is in an open position such that a continuous opening in the topside of the boat is provided for boarding.
A boat having a rotating and sliding boarding door assembly, comprising:
- a hull having an opening in a side for boarding and at least one recess into the side of the hull in a side of the opening;
- a door having a gunwale portion positioned in the top of opening when the door is in a closed position so as to form a portion of the top-deck and a a hull portion positioned below said gunwale portion, said hull portion positioned in the opening in the side of the hull when the door is in the closed position;
- a plurality of actuators coupled with said gunwale portion and said hull portion, said actuators being configured to rotate the gunwale portion toward an interior of the boat into a sliding position and to slide the gunwale portion and the hull portion into a recess in a hull of the boat when the gunwale portion is in the sliding position;
- and
- one or more tracks, slideably coupled with said gunwale portion and/or said hull portion, for guiding said door into said recess;
- where said gunwale portion and said door portion are fully retracted into said recess when the assembly is in an open position such that a continuous opening in the topside of the boat is provided for boarding.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.