Abstract
The present invention is a contoured boat windshield with a top edge parallel to a bottom edge; a right and left side connecting the top and bottom edges; and at least one concave pane with a curvature that describes between 45 and 90 degrees of a circle and that is disposed between the top and bottom edges. The present invention is also a boat including a contoured boat windshield of the present invention and attachment means for attaching the windshield to the boat.
Claims
1. A windshield comprising: a top edge and a bottom edge; a right side and a left side, connecting said top and bottom edges; and a concave section extending down from said top edge and extending between said right and left sides, wherein said concave section comprises a curvature.
2. The windshield as claimed in claim 1, wherein said curvature of said concave section describes between 45 and 90 degrees of a circle.
3. The windshield as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a substantially flat section adjacent to and below said concave section, such that said substantially flat section is disposed between said concave section and said bottom edge.
4. The windshield as claimed in claim 1, wherein said concave section extends between said top edge and said bottom edge.
5. The windshield as claimed in claim 1, wherein said right and left sides are parallel.
6. The windshield as claimed in claim 1, wherein said top and bottom edges are parallel.
7. The windshield as claimed in claim 1, wherein said substantially flat section is completely flat.
8. The windshield as claimed in claim 1, wherein said substantially flat section is convex as compared to said concave section.
9. The windshield as claimed in claim 1, further comprising vertical angle adjustment means for adjusting a vertical angle of said windshield.
10. The windshield as claimed in claim 1, further comprising lateral angle adjustment means for adjusting a lateral angle of said windshield.
11. The windshield as claimed in claim 1, further comprising height adjustment means for adjusting a height of said windshield.
12. The windshield as claimed in claim 1, further comprising position adjusting means for adjusting a position of said windshield.
13. The windshield as claimed in claim 1, further comprising attachment means for attaching said windshield to a boat, wherein said attachment means comprise a boat attachment section and a windshield attachment section.
14. The windshield as claimed in claim 13, wherein: said windshield further comprises a substantially flat section adjacent to and below said concave section, such that said substantially flat section is disposed between said concave section and said bottom edge; and said attachment means comprises two upright members and said windshield attachment section of each of said two upright members comprises a windshield slot sized to accommodate said right or left side of said substantially flat section of said windshield.
15. A windshield comprising: a top edge parallel to a bottom edge; a right side parallel to a left side, connecting said top and bottom edges; a concave section extending down from said top edge and extending between said right and left sides, wherein said concave section comprises a curvature that describes between 80 and 100 degrees of a circle; and a substantially flat section adjacent to and below said concave section, such that said substantially flat section is disposed between said concave section and said bottom edge, wherein said substantially flat section is completely flat.
16. A boat comprising a bow, an aft, a deck, and at least one windshield, wherein said windshield comprises: a top edge and a bottom edge; a right side and a left side, connecting said top and bottom edges; and a concave section extending down from said top edge and extending between said right and left sides, wherein said concave section comprises a curvature that bulges toward said aft of said boat.
17. The boat as claimed in claim 16, wherein said curvature of said concave section of said windshield describes between 45 and 90 degrees of a circle.
18. The boat as claimed in claim 16, wherein said windshield further comprises a substantially flat section adjacent to and below said concave section, such that said substantially flat section is disposed between said concave section and said bottom edge.
19. The boat as claimed in claim 16, wherein said concave section of said windshield extends between said top edge and said bottom edge.
20. The boat as claimed in claim 16, wherein said windshield is disposed at said bow of said boat.
21. The boat as claimed in claim 16, further comprising vertical angle adjustment means for adjusting a distance between said top and bottom edges of said windshield with respect to said deck.
22. The boat as claimed in claim 21, wherein said vertical angle adjustment means allow for at least 20 degrees of angular adjustment.
23. The boat as claimed in claim 22, wherein said vertical angle adjustment means allow for 30-60 degrees of angular adjustment.
24. The boat as claimed in claim 16, further comprising lateral angle adjustment means for adjusting distance between said left and right sides of said windshield with respect to said deck.
25. The boat as claimed in claim 16, further comprising height adjustment means for adjusting a height of said windshield with respect to said deck.
26. The boat as claimed in claim 16, further comprising position adjusting means for adjusting a position of said windshield with respect to said bow.
27. The boat as claimed in claim 16, further comprising attachment means for attaching said windshield to said bow, wherein said attachment means comprise a boat attachment section and a windshield attachment section.
28. The boat as claimed in claim 27, wherein: said windshield further comprises a substantially flat section adjacent to and below said concave section, such that said substantially flat section is disposed between said concave section and said bottom edge; and said attachment means comprises two upright members and said windshield attachment section of each of said two upright members comprises a windshield slot sized to accommodate said right or left side of said substantially flat section of said windshield.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0018] FIG. 1a is a perspective view of a boat of the present invention including a windshield of the present invention.
[0019] FIG. 1b is a front view of a boat of the present invention including a windshield of the present invention.
[0020] FIG. 1c is a side view of a boat of the present invention including a windshield of the present invention.
[0021] FIGS. 2a and 2b are side views of the boat of the present invention including a windshield of the present invention that includes a substantially flat section.
[0022] FIG. 3a is a perspective view of the front of a windshield of the present invention.
[0023] FIG. 3b is a perspective view of the back of a windshield of the present invention.
[0024] FIG. 3c is a front view of a windshield of the present invention.
[0025] FIG. 3d is a top down view of a windshield of the present invention.
[0026] FIG. 4a is a front view of a preferred attachment means.
[0027] FIG. 4b is a perspective view of the preferred attachment means as shown in FIG. 4a.
[0028] FIG. 4c is a side view of the preferred attachment means as shown in FIG. 4a.
[0029] FIG. 5 is a detail of the curvature of the concave section of the present invention.
[0030] FIGS. 6a and 6b are side views illustrating slipstreams over a prior art boat and a boat of the present invention, respectively.
[0031] FIG. 7a is a representation of height adjustment.
[0032] FIG. 7b is a representation of position adjustment.
[0033] FIG. 7c is a representation of rotation adjustment.
[0034] FIG. 7d is a representation of vertical angle adjustment.
[0035] FIG. 7e is a diagram indicating degrees of vertical angle adjustment.
[0036] FIG. 7f is a representation of lateral angle adjustment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0037] Referring first to FIG. 1a, a perspective view of boat 100 of the present invention is provided. Boat 100 is a pontoon boat 44 that includes windshield 10 of the present invention. Windshield 10 includes top edge 12, bottom edge 14, right side 16, and left side 18. Windshield 10 is a single concave section 20 spanning the width of bow 42. Concave section 20 has curvature 22 that provides the concavity of concave section 20, and is discussed in more detail below with respect to FIG. 5. The curvature 22 or concavity of concave section 20 faces the same direction as bow 42. Concave section 20 would appear convex from the point of view of a passenger of boat 100. When it is said herein that concave section 20 “bulges” toward the aft 43 (as shown in FIGS. 1b and 1c) of boat 100, a reference to this aspect of the concavity facing forward is being made. While top edge 12 and bottom edge 14 are substantially parallel, right side 16 and left side 18 are not parallel due to the curvature 22. In other words, the corners of top edge 12 are closer to one another than the corners of bottom edge 14. Concave section 20 is made of glass, acrylic plastic, or polycarbonate plastic.
[0038] Referring now to FIGS. 1b and 1c, front and side views of pontoon boat 44 are provided. Pontoon boat 44 has right boat side 38, left boat side 40, deck 36, and bow 42. Unlike in FIG. 1a, the windshield 10 in FIGS. 1a and 1b includes three sections. While a pontoon boat 42, as shown, usually has a flat bow 42, other boats 100 of the present invention may have different shaped bows 42, such as bows that come to a point. A single section, as shown in FIG. 1a may be suitable for a pontoon boat 44. Separate and/or multiple sections, as shown in FIG. 1b and 1c may be particularly suitable for such boats 100 with different shaped bows 42. Separate and/or multiple sections may also be easier to manufacture than a single section.
[0039] Now referring to FIGS. 2a and 2b, side views of alternative embodiments of windshield 10 that also include substantially flat section 24 are provided. Substantially flat section 24 is disposed between concave section 20 and bottom edge 14 of windshield 10. Substantially flat section 24 may be completely flat, as shown in FIG. 2a, or convex, as shown in FIG. 2b. Attachment means 46 for attaching windshield 10 to boat 100 are visible. Attachment means 46 may be any commonly used in the art. In this view, attachment means 46 are a simple post affixed on end to bow 42 of boat 100 and on the other end to windshield 10.
[0040] Now referring to FIGS. 3a and 3b, front and back perspective views of a preferred windshield 10 of the present invention are provided. Concave section 20 is seamlessly integrated to the top of substantially flat section 24. In this case, substantially flat section 24 is completely flat and is quite a bit larger in surface area than concave section 20. Curvature 22 describes approximately 90 degrees of a circle, as discussed below with reference to FIG. 5. In this embodiment, curvature 22 is always between 80 and 100 degrees of a circle. The preferred attachment means 46 are shown on right and left sides 16, 18 of windshield 10 and are discussed in more detail below with reference to FIGS. 4a-4c.
[0041] Now referring to FIGS. 3c and 3d, front and top down views of the preferred windshield 10 of the present invention are provided. The dashed line in FIG. 3c represents the inflection point between concave section 20 and substantially flat section 24 (which, again, is completely flat in this preferred embodiment). Viewed from the top, as in FIG. 3d, only concave section 20 is visible as it is understood that substantially flat section 24 drops down into the page at the top of the Figure. Top edge 12 is parallel to bottom edge 14. Right side 16 is parallel to left side 18. As discussed above, not all embodiments of windshield 10 include parallel top and bottom edges 12, 14 and right and left sides 16, 18.
[0042] Windshield 10 has height 58 and width 60. It is understood that in embodiments of windshield 10 where top and bottom edges 12, 14 and/or right and left sides 16, 18 are not parallel, height 58 and width 60 may vary within a single windshield 10. In the preferred embodiment of windshield 10 shown in FIGS. 3a-3d, however, height 58 and width 60 are static. Height 58 and 60 may vary a great deal depending on the size of the boat to which windshield 10 will be attached. Windshield 10 in FIGS. 3c and 3d has a height 58 of approximately 26 inches and a width 60 of approximately 50 inches, which may be standard-sized. Again, a standard-sized windshield 10 may be adopted for ease of manufacture, understanding that custom shapes and sizes may be manufactured and that there may be several standard-sized sets of dimensions.
[0043] Now referring to FIGS. 4a-4c, front, perspective, and side views of the preferred attachment means 46 are provided. This preferred embodiment of attachment means 46 include a pair of upright members 48, each of which includes a boat attachment section 50 and a windshield attachment section 52. Boat attachment section 50 will be secured to the boat through any means commonly used in the art, but preferably by screws, as shown. Boat attachment section 50 is shown wider than windshield attachment section 52, but it is understood that the section 50 may be any shape or size conducive to secure attachment to the boat. Windshield 10 will be positioned and secured between windshield attachment sections 52 of the pair of attachment means 46. As shown in FIGS. 3a-3d, right and left sides 16, 18 of the preferred windshield 10 are parallel to one another, and windshield 10 has a large substantially flat section 24. The windshield attachment section 52 shown in FIGS. 4a-4c is adapted for this preferred embodiment of windshield 10. Windshield attachment section 52 includes a windshield slot 54 sized to accommodate the straight sides of the large substantially flat section 24. As shown, screws and screw holes or similar may also be included in the windshield attachment section 52 to ensure the windshield 10 sits securely within windshield slots 54 with minimal movement therein. When attachment means 46 require that a hole be cut through the windshield 10, such as with these preferred attachment means 46, rubber gasketing may be deployed around the hole so as to reduce the chance of crack fracturing from the holes.
[0044] The attachment means 46 shown in FIGS. 4a-4c are preferred and adapted for use with the preferred windshield 10, as shown in FIGS. 3a-3c. It is understood, however, that many attachment means 46 of many forms may be included as part of the present invention. It is only required that attachment means 46 include a boat attachment section 50 adapted for attachment to the boat and a windshield attachment section 52 adapted for attachment to the windshield 10, such that the overall attachment means 46 hold the windshield 10 securely in place with respect to the boat. The attachment means 46 shown in FIGS. 4a-4c, would not accommodate the windshield 10 shown in FIG. 1a, for example, because that windshield 10 does not include a substantially flat section 24 that would be held by the windshield slots 54. One of at least ordinary skill in the art will recognize that different attachment means 46 could be readily adapted for the shapes, sizes, and variations of the various embodiments of windshield 10. Each of these variations of the attachment means 46 is considered to be within the scope of the present invention.
[0045] The preferred windshield 10, as shown in FIGS. 3a-3d and the preferred attachment means 46, as shown in FIGS. 3a-4c, are typically not used in conjunction with any of the adjustment means 26, 28, 30, 32, or 34, discussed below with reference to FIGS. 7a-7f. Instead, windshield 10 is bolted to the boat at a fixed point that will provide an optimized isolation mount angle. This angle at which windshield 10 is mounted onto the boat will optimize for the amount and position of the space behind the windshield 10 that is protected from the slipstream versus overall performance of the boat. The size and shape of windshield 10 will also affect the amount and position of the protected space.
[0046] Now referring to FIG. 5, a detail of curvature 22 of concave section 20 is provided. Curvature 22 preferably describes between 45 and 90 degrees of a circle. As illustrated by the two concave sections 20 superimposed around the circle depicted, the lower the number of degrees, the flatter the curvature 22 appears to be, the higher the number of degrees, the rounder the curvature 22 appears to be. As used herein, when it is said that the curvature of the concave section describes a number of degrees of a circle, it is referencing the concept illustrated in FIG. 5. It is understood that not all concave sections 20 have curvature 22 that tracks perfectly to a circle. The concave section 20 may flatten slightly toward the top or bottom edges 12, 14, for example. In embodiments that include a substantially flat section 24, for example, the concave section 20 may gradually flatten into the inflection point where the concave section 20 and the substantially flat section 24 meet.
[0047] Now referring to FIGS. 6a and 6b, side views illustrating slipstreams over a prior art boat and a boat 100 of the present invention are provided, respectively. In FIG. 6a, a flat prior art windshield 56 is disposed mid-ship. The wind hits the passenger at the bow 42 of the boat, who has no protection at all. The passengers behind prior art windshield 56 are partially protected but the slipstream flows straight back from the top of prior art windshield 56 to hit them in the face, thus providing an uncomfortable ride. In boat 100 of the present invention, on the other hand, the slipstream moves up and over windshield 10, which is disposed at the bow 42 of the boat 100. All the passengers can enjoy a smooth comfortable ride as the slipstream passes over them thanks to the aerodynamics of windshield 10.
[0048] Now referring to FIGS. 7a-7f, various adjustments of concave section 20 are illustrated. In FIG. 7a, height adjustment 30 is illustrated. That is to say, the entire concave section 20 is adjusted up and down relative to the fixed deck 36 of boat 100. Height adjustment means make this height adjustment 30. In FIG. 7b, position adjustment 32 is illustrated. That is to say, the entire concave section 20 is adjusted side to side relative to the bow 42 of boat 100. Position adjustment means make this position adjustment 32. It is understood that concave section 20 may also be adjusted to a position on boat 100 other than bow 42, but there is little practical need for such a position adjustment. In FIG. 7c, rotation adjustment 34 is illustrated. That is to say, concave section 20 generally stays in the same position, but is rotated so that the angle between bottom edge 14 and deck 36 changes. Rotation adjustment means make this rotation adjustment 34. In FIG. 7d, vertical angle adjustment 26 is illustrated. Again, concave section 20 generally stays in the same position, but it rotates so that the distance between top edge 12 and a fixed point on deck 36 changes and/or the distance between bottom edge 14 and a fixed point on deck 36 changes. Vertical angle adjustment means make this vertical angle adjustment 26. In FIG. 7e, a diagram indicating the degrees of vertical angle adjustment is provided. Vertical angle adjustment 26 provides an angle A of adjustment. At the top in solid lines, windshield 10 is shown adjusted to one extreme of angle A. At the bottom in dashed lines, windshield 10 is shown adjusted to the other extreme of angle A. Angle A is at least 20 degrees and is preferably 30-60 degrees. Finally, in FIG. 7f, lateral angle adjustment 28 is illustrated. Concave section 20 rotates so that the distance between right side 16 and a fixed point on bow 42 changes and/or the distance between left side 18 and a fixed point on bow 42 changes. In other words, in the top view of FIG. 7f, left side 18 is closer to the viewer and farther from bow 42 and in the bottom view of FIG. 7f, right side 16 is closer to the viewer and farther from bow 42. Lateral angle adjustment means make this lateral angle adjustment 28.
[0049] Although the present invention has been described in considerable detail with reference to certain preferred versions thereof, other versions would be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art. Therefore, the spirit and scope of the description should not be limited to the description of the preferred versions contained herein.
