Device for protecting a boat hull comprising an inflatable fender element
AssigneeFendtech
InventorJean-Luc Codron
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A fender element which is inflatable and includes a flexible, waterproof shell which, in a deflated state, forms a bag which is housed inside a box and an external face of which delimits a chamber with the box. In the deflated state, the bag is suitable for being deployed outside the box by passing through a slot-shaped opening of the box and turning inside out by air being blown under pressure into said chamber and for being inflated outside the box to form an elongate permanent fender. In the inflated state, the shell is suitable for being deflated and retracted inside the box by forced extraction of the air contained in said chamber.
Claims24
A device for protecting a boat hull, the device comprising:
- a box that comprises a slot-shaped opening;
- and
- a fender element that is inflatable from a deflated state to an inflated state and is attached to the box, wherein the fender element includes:
- a flexible, waterproof shell which, in the deflated state, forms a bag that is housed inside the box, the shell having an external face which delimits a chamber with the box, which is connected to or is suitable for being connected to an inflation/deflation device, wherein, in the deflated state, said bag is suitable for being deployed outside the box by passing through the slot-shaped opening and turning inside out, by air being blown under pressure into said chamber, and for being inflated outside the box to form an elongate tube which extends lengthwise parallel to the longitudinal axis of the slot-shaped opening, so that after deployment and inflation of said shell outside the box (10), said external face of the deflated bag forms an internal face of said inflated tube, and wherein, in the inflated state, said shell is suitable for being deflated and retracted inside the box, passing through the slot-shaped opening by forced extraction of the air contained in said chamber.
A method for installing on a boat at least one protection device, which comprises:
- a box that comprises a slot-shaped opening;
- and
- a fender element that is inflatable from a deflated state to an inflated state and is attached to the box, wherein the fender element includes:
- a flexible, waterproof shell which, in the deflated state, forms a bag that is housed inside the box, the shell having an external face which delimits a chamber with the box, which is connected to or is suitable for being connected to an inflation/deflation device, wherein, in the deflated state, said bag is suitable for being deployed outside the box by passing through the slot-shaped opening and turning inside out, by air being blown under pressure into said chamber, and for being inflated outside the box to form an elongate tube which extends lengthwise parallel to the longitudinal axis of the slot-shaped opening, so that after deployment and inflation of said shell outside the box (10), said external face of the deflated bag forms an internal face of said inflated tube, and wherein, in the inflated state, said shell is suitable for being deflated and retracted inside the box, passing through the slot-shaped opening by forced extraction of the air contained in said chamber;
- wherein the method comprises:
- making, during which a slot-shaped through-opening in a wall of a hull of the boat;
- and
- attaching the box of the protection device to an inside of the hull, so as to position the slot-shaped opening of said box facing said through-opening in the wall of the hull and to allow the shell of the fender element of the protection device to be deployed through the wall of the hull and outside the hull.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.