Programmable boat lift control system
AssigneeEndcor Inc.
InventorsJames A. Endres, Francis J. DiRenzi, Gideon Hecht
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A boat lift control system may be programmed so that with a push of a button, either remotely or adjacent the system, the lift may lift or lower a boat to a pre-programmed elevation. Plural elevations may be programmed into the system including those corresponding to, for example, low tide, high tide, a loading elevation and a storage elevation. The inventive system also includes a manual override allowing manual operation of the lift to any desired elevation. Upper and lower limit stop mechanisms prevent movements of the lift beyond pre-set upper and lower limits.
Claims18
In a boat lifting system including a device for supporting a boat, lifting and lowering means for listing and lowering said device including a motor and a control therefor, the improvement comprising:
- (a) button means for inputting "up" and "down" commands to said control;
- (b) said control including programmable means for programmably controlling operation of said motor responsive to signals received from said button means to lift or lower said device a preselected distance to a preselected elevation and causing said motor to deactivate when said device arrives at said preselected elevation;
- and
- (c) said control further including timer means for timing duration of motor operation, said timer means providing timer signals indicative of a time period of motor operation to said programmable means whereby said preselected elevation may be set through deactivation of said motor when said time period has elapsed.
A method of programming a boat lift system to lift a boat supporting frame to pre-settable elevations, said system including a frame lifting motor, a timer and programmable means for programmably controlling said motor, said method including the steps of:
- (a) activating said motor to move said frame a desired distance from a known starting elevation;
- (b) deactivating said motor when said desired distance has been achieved;
- (c) inputting data into a control as to said desired distance;
- and
- d) timing a duration of operation of said motor to move said desired distance.
A programmable boat lift control system incorporated into a manual motor driven boat lift apparatus mounted on multiple pilings, the boat lift control system comprising:
- (a) a controller mounted on the boat lift apparatus;
- (b) pre-programmed information stored in the controller adapted to control movement of the boat lift apparatus to multiple vertical levels;
- (c) timer means within the controller to keep track of an amount of time, the motor operates between the various pre-progammed levels so that in response to inputting a command to the controller the boat lift apparatus will move to the required pre-programmed level.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.