Electrically powered outboard motor means

An outboard motor means of the type for attachment to a source of electrical power and for attachment to a boat to cause the boat to move upon a body of water, said outboard motor means comprising:

• a. drive means, said drive means including a water submersible electric motor and a propeller member rotatably driven by said electric motor;
• b. shaft means having first and second ends with said first end fixedly attached to said drive means;
• c. attachment means for movably attaching said shaft means to the boat with said drive means positioned beneath the surface of the body of water;
• and
• d. circuit means for selectively allowing electric power to pass from the source of electrical power to said electric motor of said drive means, said circuit means including a first conductor member movably mounted about said shaft means and selectively electrically attachable to the source of electrical power and including a second conductor member substantially nonrotatably mounted about said shaft means when said motor means is being used in a normal manner to cause a boat to move upon a body of water and electrically attached to said electric motor of said drive means for allowing electric power to pass from the source of electrical power to said electric motor when said first and second conductor members are contacting one another, said second conductor member being movable up and down relative to said shaft means for allowing said second conductor member to remain in electrical contact with said first conductor member when said shaft means is raised and lowered relative to said first conductor member.

An outboard motor means of the type for attachment to an electric storage battery and for attachment to a boat to cause the boat to move upon a body of water, said outboard motor means comprising:

• a. drive means including electric motor, including a propeller member rotatably driven by said electric motor, and including a substantially watertight housing member for enveloping said electric motor;
• b. hollow shaft means having a normally downwardly directed first end and a normally upwardly directed second end, said first end of said shaft means being fixedly attached to said housing member of said drive means;
• c. attachment means for movably attaching said shaft means to the boat with said drive means positioned beneath the surface of the body of water, said attachment means including a first portion for movable attachment to said shaft means and including a second portion for substantially fixed attachment to the boat;
• and
• d. circuit means for selectively electrically connecting said electric motor of said drive means to the electric storage battery to allow electric power to pass from the electric storage battery to said electric motor of said drive means, said circuit means including a first conductor member movably mounted about said shaft means and selectively electrically attachable to the electric storage battery, said first conductor member including an electrically conductive ring member for being positioned about said shaft means, said ring member of said first conductor having an inside diameter of a size larger than the outside diameter of said shaft means for allowing said ring member to freely move upon said shaft means, said circuit means including a second conductor member substantially nonrotatably mounted about said shaft means when said motor means is being used in a normal manner to cause a boat to move upon a body of water and electrically attached to said electric motor of said drive means, said second conductor member including an electrically conductive ring member for being positioned about said shaft means, said ring member of said second conductor member having an inside diameter of a size larger than the outside diameter of said shaft means for allowing said ring member to freely move up and down upon said shaft means, said second conductor member including means for substantially preventing rotation of said ring member of said second conductor member about said shaft means, said circuit means including control means interposed between said second conductor member and said electric motor of said drive means, said control means including a switch member for allowing manual control of the passage of electric power from the electric storage battery to said electric motor of said drive means by the user of said outboard motor means, said control means being substantially fixedly attached to said second end of said shaft means, said circuit means including a flexible conductor member having a first end fixedly attached to said ring member of said second conductor member and having a second end fixedly attached to said control means for allowing said second conductor member to move relative to said control means.