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US 5,664,517 AGranted
Pontoon system and pontoon connecting system and process therefor
AssigneeJered Brown Brothers, Inc.
InventorsPaul S. Brydel, William Johanek, Dennis V. Emery
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A pontoon connector system and process are provided which allows pontoons to be connected at sea, even under rough sea conditions, so that the pontoons can be connected, for example, to form a barge. Initially, the pontoons are coupled by cables which are connected to winches disposed on one of the pontoons. The cables are then wound upon the winches to draw the pontoons together until latch members can be connected between the pontoons. Once the latch members connect the pontoons together, conventional connectors can then be inserted between connector sites of the pontoons.
Claims27
A pontoon system having a connector system for connecting pontoons comprising:
- a first pontoon having at least one connector site;
- a second pontoon having at least one connector site;
- a plurality of winches, each of said plurality of winches disposed on one of said first pontoon and said second pontoon and having a cable which is connected to the other of said first pontoon and said second pontoon, and wherein said plurality of winches include at least a first winch and a second winch;
- a first pulley assembly for the first winch, said first pulley assembly guiding the cable of the first winch so that the cable extends above top surfaces of each of said first and second pontoons;
- a second pulley assembly for the second winch, said second pulley assembly guiding the cable of the second winch so that the cable of the second winch extends between the first and second pontoons at a location below the top surfaces of the first and second pontoons;
- and
- a connector which connects the at least one connector site of the first pontoon to the at least one connector site of the second pontoon.
4 more elements
A pontoon system having a connector system for connecting pontoons comprising:
- a first pontoon having a first plurality of connector sites;
- a second pontoon having a second plurality of connector sites;
- each connector site of said first plurality of connector sites and said second plurality of connector sites comprises;
- (i) a shoot bolt disposed adjacent a top surface of a respective one of said first and second pontoons, said shoot bolt movable between an open position which allows access to the connector site and a closed position at which the shoot bolt extends across the connector site, and
- (ii) a socket disposed adjacent the bottom of a respective one of said first and second pontoons;
- a plurality of winches disposed on at least one of said first pontoon and said second pontoon, each of said winches including a respective cable for connecting a winch disposed on one of said first and second pontoons to the other of said first and second pontoons;
- at least one latch member which couples a shoot bolt of one said first plurality of connector sites of the first pontoon to a shoot bolt of one of said second plurality of connector sites of the second pontoon at a location adjacent the top surface of said first pontoon and the top surface of said second pontoon after the first and second pontoons are drawn together by said plurality of winches;
- and
- a plurality of connectors which each connect a connector site of said first plurality of connector sites with a connector site of said second plurality of connector sites at a location adjacent the top surfaces of each said first and second pontoons, and wherein said connectors each further connect a connector site of said first plurality of connector sites with a connector site of said second plurality of connector sites at a location adjacent a bottom of each of said first and second pontoons.
6 more elements
A pontoon system having a connector system for connecting pontoons comprising:
- a first pontoon having a first plurality of connector sites;
- a second pontoon having a second plurality of connector sites;
- a plurality of winches disposed on at least one of said first pontoon and said second pontoon, each of said winches including a respective cable for connecting a winch disposed on one of said first and second pontoons to the other of said first and second pontoons;
- at least one latch member which couples the first pontoon to the second pontoon after the first and second pontoons are drawn together by said plurality of winches;
- and
- a plurality of connectors which each connect a connector site of said first plurality of connector sites with a connector site of said second plurality of connector sites;
- wherein:
- (a) each connector site of said first plurality of connector sites and said second plurality of connector sites comprises:
- (i) a shoot bolt movable between an open position which allows access to the connector site and a closed position at which the shoot bolt extends across the connector site, and
- (ii) a socket;
- and
- (b) said latch member couples a shoot bolt of one of said first plurality of connector sites with a shoot bolt of one of said second plurality of connector sites;
- wherein said latch member includes an aperture which receives one shoot bolt and a slot which receives another shoot bolt.
10 more elements
A pontoon system having a connector system for connecting pontoons comprising:
- a first pontoon having a first plurality of connector sites;
- a second pontoon having a second plurality of connector sites;
- a plurality of winches disposed on at least one of said first pontoon and said second pontoon, each of said winches including a respective cable for connecting a winch disposed on one of said first and second pontoons to the other of said first and second pontoons;
- at least one latch member which couples the first pontoon to the second pontoon after the first and second pontoons are drawn together by said plurality of winches;
- and
- a plurality of connectors which each connect a connector site of said first plurality of connector sites with a connector site of said second plurality of connector sites;
- wherein said plurality of winches include at least a first winch and a second winch, the pontoon system further including:
- (a) a first pulley assembly for the first winch, said first pulley assembly guiding the cable of the first winch so that the cable extends above top surfaces of each of said first and second pontoons;
- and
- (b) a second pulley assembly for the second winch, said second pulley assembly guiding the cable of the second winch so that the cable of the second winch extends between the first and second pontoons at a location below the top surfaces of the first and second pontoons.
7 more elements
A pontoon system having a connector system for connecting pontoons comprising:
- a first pontoon having a first plurality of connector sites;
- a second pontoon having a second plurality of connector sites;
- a plurality of winches disposed on at least one of said first pontoon and said second pontoon, each of said winches including a respective cable for connecting a winch disposed on one of said first and second pontoons to the other of said first and second pontoons;
- at least one latch member which couples the first pontoon to the second pontoon after the first and second pontoons are drawn together by said plurality of winches;
- and
- a plurality of connectors which each connect a connector site of said first plurality of connector sites with a connector site of said second plurality of connector sites;
- wherein said plurality of winches include a first pair of winches, each having a pulley assembly therefor for guiding respective cables of the first pair of winches so that said cables extend in a direction away from one another and at an angle with respect to one another;
- wherein the pulley assemblies associated with the first pair of winches guide the cables of the first pair of winches so that the cables extend above top surfaces of said first and second pontoons, the pontoon system further comprising a second pair of winches each having a pulley assembly associated therewith, and wherein each pulley assembly for the second pair of winches comprises:
- (a) an upper pulley disposed above a pontoon top surface;
- and
- (b) a lower pulley disposed below the pontoon top surface;
- (c) wherein the respective cables of the second pair of winches each extend from the winches, over the upper pulley, and over the lower pulley so that the cables of the second pair of winches extend between the first and second pontoons at a level below the pontoon top surface.
9 more elements
A process for connecting pontoons comprising:
- providing a first pontoon having a first plurality of connector sites;
- providing a second pontoon having a second plurality of connector sites;
- providing a plurality of winches disposed on at least one of said first pontoon and said second pontoon, each of said winches including a respective cable for connecting a winch disposed on one of said first and second pontoons to the other of said first and second pontoons;
- winding the cables upon the winches to draw the first and second pontoons together;
- connecting at least one latch member between a first connector site of the first plurality of connector sites of the first pontoon and a first connector site of the second plurality of connector sites of the second pontoon after the first and second pontoons are drawn together by said plurality of winches;
- inserting a connector to connect a second connector site of said first plurality of connector sites to a second connector site of said second plurality of connector sites;
- and
- after inserting said connector, disconnecting said at least one latch member, and inserting another connector to connect said first connector site of said first plurality of connector sites to said first connector site of said second plurality of connector sites.
5 more elements
A process for connecting pontoons comprising:
- providing a first pontoon having a first plurality of connector sites;
- providing a second pontoon having a second plurality of connector sites;
- providing a plurality of winches disposed on at least one of said first pontoon and said second pontoon, each of said winches including a respective cable for connecting a winch disposed on one of said first and second pontoons to the other of said first and second pontoons;
- winding the cables upon the winches to draw the first and second pontoons together;
- connecting at least one latch member between the first pontoon and the second pontoon after the first and second pontoons are drawn together by said plurality of winches;
- and
- inserting a plurality of connectors to connect connector sites of said first plurality of connector sites to connector sites of said second plurality of connector sites;
- wherein the step of providing a plurality of winches includes providing a first pair of winches on said first pontoon, and connecting cables of said first pair of winches to the second pontoon so that the cables of the first pair of winches extend over a side of said second pontoon at an oblique angle with respect to said side;
- the process further including providing a second pair of winches so that said first pair of winches are disposed between said second pair of winches;
- and
- providing a pulley assembly for each of said second pair of winches, said pulley assembly guiding cables of said second pair of winches from a location above a pontoon top surface to a location below the pontoon top surface so that the cables of the second pair of winches extend between the first and second pontoons at a location below the pontoon top surface.
8 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.