Bladder anchor system

Abstract

An anchor system with a bridle substrate and harness configured to attach to an anchor line. An outer bladder surrounds an inner bladder for coupling on top of the bridle substrate. Water enters the anchor system through a water inlet that feeds directly to the inner bladder and fills that first. Water then overflows from the inner bladder to the outer bladder to fill that second. The inner bladder provides stability and is positioned with a majority of its volume closer to an uphill end of the anchor bladder while the outer bladder is positioned with a majority of its volume closer to a downhill end of the anchor bladder. Reinforcement connectors for each bladder resist deformation of the bladders to resist movement of the anchor bladder while filling.

Claims

1. An anchor system comprising: a bridle comprising a bridle harness with attachment points each configured to couple to an anchor line; a bladder coupled to the bridle harness, the bladder comprising at least two compartments configured to receive water therein; a water inlet configured to receive water from outside the bladder directly into a first of the at least two compartments; wherein the first of the at least two compartments is in fluid communication with a second of the at least two compartments and configured so that water from the first of the at least two compartments overflows into the second of the at least two compartments in response to the water being fed into the first of the at least two compartments through the water inlet; and a bladder drain configured to drain water from the second of the at least two compartments directly to outside the bladder, the bladder drain separate from the water inlet.

2. The anchor system of claim 1, the bladder drain in fluid communication with the bladder adjacent a first end of the anchor system, opposite a second end of the anchor system.

3. The anchor system of claim 2, wherein the bladder drain is a bladder drain tube extending from the bladder.

4. The anchor system of claim 1, wherein the bladder drain is a first bladder drain, the bladder further comprising a second bladder drain, wherein the first bladder drain is in fluid communication with the first of the at least two compartments adjacent a first end of the anchor system, opposite a second end of the anchor system, and the second bladder drain is in fluid communication with the second of the at least two compartments adjacent the first end of the anchor system.

5. The anchor system of claim 1, further comprising at least one air vent extending into the bladder and configured to permit air to enter the bladder when water drains from the anchor system.

6. The anchor system of claim 1, further comprising a boat with a pump mounted to the boat, wherein the pump is configured to pump water from a body of water in which the boat is floating into the water inlet.

7. The anchor system of claim 1, further comprising a second bridle, a second bladder, and a second water inlet all operatively coupled together like the first bridle, first bladder, and first water inlet and forming a second anchor, wherein the anchor system further comprises at least one anchor line coupled to each of the first anchor and the second anchor, the first anchor and the second anchor configured to couple to a boat to anchor the boat to a shore through the first anchor and the second anchor.

8. An anchor system comprising: an outer bladder having an outer bladder volume and an outer bladder drain in fluid communication with the outer bladder volume; an inner bladder positioned within the outer bladder and having an inner bladder volume and at least one water exit port providing fluid communication between the inner bladder volume and the outer bladder volume; and a water inlet configured to receive water from outside the outer bladder directly into the inner bladder volume such that water introduced through the water inlet contacts the inner bladder volume before it passes through the inner bladder volume to contact the outer bladder volume.

9. The anchor system of claim 8, further comprising a bridle having a bridle harness with attachment points each configured to couple to an anchor line.

10. The anchor system of claim 8, wherein the outer bladder drain is in fluid communication with the outer bladder volume adjacent a first end of the anchor system, opposite a second end of the anchor system.

11. The anchor system of claim 8, wherein the at least one water exit port is closer to a second end of the anchor system than to a first end of the anchor system opposite the second end.

12. The anchor system of claim 8, the inner bladder further having an inner bladder drain in fluid communication with the inner bladder volume adjacent a first end of the anchor system, opposite a second end of the anchor system.

13. The anchor system of claim 8, further comprising at least one air vent extending into the bladder and configured to permit air to enter the bladder when water drains from the anchor system.

14. The anchor system of claim 8, further comprising a boat with a pump mounted to the boat, wherein the pump is configured to pump water from a body of water in which the boat is floating into the water inlet.

15. The anchor system of claim 8, further comprising a second outer bladder, a second inner bladder, and a second water inlet all operatively coupled together like the first outer bladder, first inner bladder, and first water inlet and forming a second anchor, wherein the anchor system further comprises at least one anchor line coupled to each of the first anchor and the second anchor, the first anchor and the second anchor configured to couple to a boat to anchor the boat to a shore through the first anchor and the second anchor.

16. An anchor system comprising: a bladder comprising at least two compartments configured to receive water therein; and a water inlet configured to receive water from outside the bladder directly into a first of the at least two compartments; wherein the first of the at least two compartments is positioned within and in fluid communication with a second of the at least two compartments and configured so that water from the first of the at least two compartments overflows into the second of the at least two compartments in response to the water being fed into the first of the at least two compartments through the water inlet.

17. The anchor system of claim 16, the bladder further comprising a bladder drain in fluid communication with the bladder adjacent a first end of the anchor system, opposite a second end of the anchor system.

18. The anchor system of claim 16, the bladder further comprising two bladder drains, wherein a first of the two bladder drains is in fluid communication with the first of the at least two compartments adjacent a first end of the anchor system, opposite a second end of the anchor system, and a second of the two bladder drains is in fluid communication with the second of the at least two compartments adjacent the first end of the anchor system.

19. The anchor system of claim 16, further comprising at least one air vent extending into the bladder and configured to permit air to enter the bladder when water drains from the anchor system.

20. The anchor system of claim 16, further comprising a boat with a pump mounted to the boat, wherein the pump is configured to pump water from a body of water in which the boat is floating into the water inlet.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Implementations will hereinafter be described in conjunction with the appended drawings, where like designations denote like elements, and:

(2) FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a bladder anchor with the drain tubes extended;

(3) FIG. 2 is a top view of the bladder anchor of FIG. 1 with the drain tubes clamped;

(4) FIG. 3A is a side view of the bladder anchor of FIG. 1;

(5) FIG. 3B is a transparent view of the bladder anchor of FIG. 1 taken from the right side of the bladder anchor;

(6) FIG. 3C is a transparent view of the bladder anchor of FIG. 1 taken from the left side of the bladder anchor;

(7) FIG. 4 is a transparent view of the bladder anchor of FIG. 1;

(8) FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the bladder anchor of FIG. 2 with the top surface of the outer bladder and the drain tubes removed;

(9) FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the bladder anchor of FIG. 2 taken along section lines 6-6 showing the inner bladder filled with water;

(10) FIG. 7 is a top view of a plurality of bladder anchors like that of FIG. 2 connected to a boat;

(11) FIG. 8 is a side view of the bladder anchor of FIG. 2 shown on an incline; and

(12) FIGS. 9A-9C are cross-sectional views of FIG. 2 like that of FIG. 6 illustrating the fill process.

(13) Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of implementations.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(14) This disclosure, its aspects and implementations, are not limited to the specific material types, components, methods, or other examples disclosed herein. Many additional material types, components, methods, and procedures known in the art are contemplated for use with particular implementations from this disclosure. Accordingly, for example, although particular implementations are disclosed, such implementations and implementing components may comprise any components, models, types, materials, versions, quantities, and/or the like as is known in the art for such systems and implementing components, consistent with the intended operation.

(15) The word “exemplary,” “example,” or various forms thereof are used herein to mean serving as an example, instance, or illustration. Any aspect or design described herein as “exemplary” or as an “example” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other aspects or designs. Furthermore, examples are provided solely for purposes of clarity and understanding and are not meant to limit or restrict the disclosed subject matter or relevant portions of this disclosure in any manner. It is to be appreciated that a myriad of additional or alternate examples of varying scope could have been presented, but have been omitted for purposes of brevity.

(16) In the following description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof, and which show by way of illustration possible implementations. It is to be understood that other implementations may be utilized, and structural, as well as procedural, changes may be made without departing from the scope of this document. As a matter of convenience, various components will be described using exemplary materials, sizes, shapes, dimensions, and the like. However, this document is not limited to the stated examples and other configurations are possible and within the teachings of the present disclosure. As will become apparent, changes may be made in the function and/or arrangement of any of the elements described in the disclosed exemplary implementations without departing from the spirit and scope of this disclosure.

(17) The present disclosure relates to an anchoring system that incorporates a bridle configured to lie on a shoreline and having attached harness loops, wherein a bladder may be configured to be positioned on the bridle and filled with lake water to heavily weigh down the bridal upon the shoreline, and, thereby, secure a watercraft anchored to the bridle attachment points of the weighed-down bridle. Although the anchoring system may be useful on a rocky shoreline to establish an anchor without permanently damaging the shoreline where previously such an anchor was not possible, the anchoring systems discussed throughout this disclosure are relevant and useful for any shoreline including, without limitation, rocky, sandy or grassy shorelines, and even docks. A variety of different implementations of the present disclosure are discussed below. These implementations introduce improvements to conventional anchoring systems. It should be understood that the components depicted and discussed are non-limiting examples, and that the contemplated components may be combined with any of the other components in other implementations.

(18) FIG. 1 illustrates a bladder anchor 2 formed as part of a bladder anchor system 80 the bladder anchor 2 comprising an uphill end 4, a downhill end 6 and sides 8 connecting the uphill end 4 to the downhill end 6. The bladder anchor 2 includes an outer bladder 10 with an outer bladder shell 12, a water inlet 14 with a water inlet coupling 16, receives water into the anchor system 2. An outer bladder drain 18 in the form of a tube extends from the downhill end 6 of the bladder anchor 2. An air vent 20 with an air vent cap 21 regulates air into and out of the outer bladder 10 during filling and draining of the anchor system 2. A bridle 22 sits beneath the outer bladder 10 and includes a bridle substrate 24 and a bridle harness 26. Corner harness straps 28 on the bridle harness 26 help to hold the outer bladder 10 in place over the bridle 22. The bridle 22 may be formed as one or more bridles 22.

(19) The bridle 22 may be formed a sheet of flexible material such as a woven textile canvas or polymeric tarpaulin. The material comprising a bridle 22 may be durable and able to conform to odd, uneven and potentially jagged and pointy shapes that may be existent on a shoreline, when the bridle 22 is laid upon the shoreline. In particular implementations, bridle 22 embodiments may additionally include strengthening implements, such as a sewn-in bridle harness 26 in the form of canvas straps, or other implements, that may bolster the strength and durability of the bridle 22. Moreover, the bridle 22 may include or otherwise operate with bridle attachment points 30. In some embodiments, the attachment points 30 may be bridle harness material formed as loops and sewn back on itself. The attachment points 30 may be securely affixed to the bridle 22, so that significant force may be exerted on the attachment points 30 without the attachment points 30 tearing from or otherwise disengaging from the bridle 22. The attachment points 30 may be configured to attach to anchor lines that may be connected to a boat. Although a bridle substrate 24 is shown in examples in this disclosure, a particular substrate 24 is not required and the bridle 22 may include merely a mesh or even a single strap of a bridle harness coupled to a bladder, or the bridle may be incorporated into the bladder by coupling directly and/or permanently to the bladder.

(20) When a bridle 22 that is separate from the bladder is implemented for use in anchoring, it may be preferable to place the bridle 22 on a relatively flat or only slightly sloped shoreline surface. In addition, it may be effective to orient the bridle 22 so that the attachment points 30 are pointing toward the body of water where the boat is desired to be anchored, particularly toward the rear anchor lines of the boat. As illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 7, each of the boat's rear anchor lines may be attached to harness attachment points 30 through anchor lines 36. The anchor lines 36 may be attached to an intermediate connector strap 78 that connects to the bridle 22 in a “V” pattern. Such a “V” pattern may help to equalize pull force on the bridle 22. A plurality of bridles 22 may be attached to the anchor lines 36 of a boat 34 in this manner. When the bridles 22 are initially laid on the shoreline and the boat anchor lines 36 are attached to the bridle 22 using connector straps 78 through the attachment points 30 of the bridles 22, it may be effective to attach the boat anchor lines 36 in a manner wherein there is initially no tension on any of the lines.

(21) FIGS. 3A-3C illustrate side and right and left transparent views of the anchor system to show the internal components. In combination with the transparent view of FIG. 4 and the top-layer-removed view of FIG. 5, the internals of the anchor system 2 can be seen. As best seen in FIGS. 4 and 5, in a particular embodiment, an inner bladder 40 is formed within the outer bladder 10. The use of the terms “inner” and “outer” in this application is not intended to require that the “inner” parts be inside the “outer” parts, but is used instead for convenience in referencing the various similarly configured components. As explained in more detail below, other arrangements of the “inner” and “outer” components is contemplated. Outer may be considered, in all uses of the term herein, to mean “first” and “inner” to mean “second” and should be interpreted as such unless specific other limitations are associated with the use of the terms to limit them to a particular configuration or arrangement of parts.

(22) The inner bladder 40, defined by an inner bladder shell 41, is included with a majority of its inner bladder volume 42 toward the uphill end 4 of the bladder anchor 2. The outer bladder 10 also includes an outer bladder volume 64 which includes all of the volume within the outer bladder 10 excluding that volume occupied by the inner bladder 40. When the outer bladder is filled, a vertical gap 66 exists between the inner bladder top wall 50 and the outer bladder top wall 54. As shown in FIG. 5, the inner bladder 40 narrows toward the downhill end 6 of the bladder anchor 2 until it eventually ends in the internal bladder drain tube 44. The inner bladder drain tube 44 is aligned with and extends into the outer bladder drain tube 18. In particular embodiments, the inner bladder drain tube 44 is aligned with and extends into a portion of the length of the outer bladder drain tube 18 and drains through the outer bladder drain tube 18.

(23) The outer and inner bladders 10, 40 may comprise bags, sleeves, or other flexible containers that are configured to readily receive an infusion of water and durably store the water. Embodiments of a bladder may be formed of durable watertight material such as rubber, vinyl or other like materials. The bladder material may be flexible and may even be somewhat expandable. In addition, bladder embodiments may be formed of material that is durable and at least somewhat resistant to punctures, splits and tears. Bladder embodiments may be formed of multiple pieces stitched, seemed, welded or otherwise connected together in a watertight fashion, and/or bladder embodiments may be formed of a single integral component.

(24) In the particular embodiment shown in FIGS. 3-6, reinforcement connectors 46, 48 are used, respectively, within the outer bladder 10 and inner bladder 40. The inner bladder 40 includes inner bladder reinforcement connectors 48 attached to the inner bladder top wall 50 and extending toward and coupled to the bottom of the inner bladder 10. The inner bladder 10 may comprise an entire separate enclosure from the outer bladder 10 that is placed within the outer bladder 10, or may use the outer bladder bottom wall 52 as the bottom wall of the inner bladder 40. Whether an additional bottom wall of the inner bladder 10 is used or only a single bottom wall 52 is used is equivalent and will depend upon the manufacturing techniques used for a particular implementation.

(25) The reinforcement connectors 46 of the outer bladder 10 extend from the outer bladder bottom wall 52 to the outer bladder top wall 54. In particular embodiments, one or more outer bladder reinforcement connector ports 72 may be formed through the inner bladder 40 to allow the outer bladder reinforcement connectors 46 to extend from the outer bladder bottom wall 52 to the outer bladder top wall 54 in places where the inner bladder 40 would normally overlap the outer bladder bottom wall 52, without the outer bladder reinforcement connectors 46 penetrating the inner bladder 40 or coming in contact with the inner bladder volume 42. The outer bladder reinforcement connector ports 72 define a void in the inner bladder volume 42 so the inner bladder volume 42 is fully contained around the outer bladder reinforcement connector ports.

(26) When the outer bladder 10 is filled, the outer bladder reinforcement connectors 56 help to define the extent to which the outer bladder top wall 54 can extend, limiting the loft of the outer bladder 10. Without reinforcement connectors 46, it was found, particularly when the anchor system is placed on a sloped surface having an angle 90 of up to 20 degrees (see FIG. 8), that the outer bladder 10 tended to shift the water downhill, which would lift the uphill end 4 of the anchor system and drag or roll it toward the downhill end 6, making the effort of keeping the outer bladder 10 in place while it filled very difficult. By adding in the outer bladder reinforcement connectors 46, the extent to which the downhill end can extend is limited, keeping the water in the outer bladder 10 more distributed. The outer bladder reinforcement connectors 46 may be coupled directly to the outer bladder bottom wall 52 and top wall 54, or further reinforced with additional stitching, layers of material or other reinforcement to avoid tearing at outer bladder reinforcement connector points 56, which may be reinforced with connector pads surrounding each connector point 56.

(27) The inner bladder 40 includes inner bladder reinforcement connectors 48 as well. In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 4-6, the inner bladder reinforcement connectors 48 connect the bottom wall 52 to the inner bladder top wall 50 and, similar to the outer bladder reinforcement connectors 46, restrict the loft of the inner bladder top wall 50 away from the bottom wall 52. Similarly, it was discovered that, particularly when the anchor system 2 was placed on sloped surfaces of up to 25 degrees (see FIG. 8), water within the internal bladder 40 would move to the downhill end 6 of the anchor system 2 and cause the inner bladder 40 to shift undesirably. FIG. 6 illustrates a separation between the top wall 50 of the inner bladder 40 and the top wall 54 of the outer bladder 10 when the anchor bladders 10, 40 are fully extended. In FIG. 6, the water inlet 14 and the inner bladder 40 and its internal volume 42 are illustrated with wavy lines.

(28) As illustrated in FIGS. 4-6, at least one water exit port 60 is included on the inner bladder 40, between the inner bladder 40 and the outer bladder 10. The water exit ports 60 are included adjacent the uphill end 4 of the anchor system 2 so that water does not escape the exit ports 60 until the inner bladder 40 is almost filled. The water inlet 14 extends from outside the outer bladder 10 directly to the inner bladder volume 42 through a water inlet neck 68. In particular embodiments, the water inlet neck 68 is collapsible, and may be formed of collapsible, water-tight materials such as those that form the inner and outer bladders, or other suitable materials. The collapsibility of the water inlet neck 68 and the outer bladder 10 and inner bladder 40 permits for more condensed storage and for the bladder anchor system to be folded up when not in use.

(29) When water is added to the water inlet 14, water first fills the inner bladder 40. FIGS. 9A-9C illustrates a process of filling the bladders 10, 40 of an anchor system 2. FIG. 9A illustrates water entering the water inlet 14 and beginning to fill the inner bladder 40. The water directional arrows 62 illustrate the flow of water into the water inlet 14 and into the inner bladder 40. FIG. 9B illustrates the flow of water once the inner bladder 40 is filled, with the water escaping through the water exit ports 60 of the inner bladder 40 and starting to fill the outer bladder 10. FIG. 9C illustrates the filled state of the inner and outer bladders 40, 10.

(30) By filling the inner bladder 40 first, the anchor system 2 establishes stability for the anchor system 2 on the surface. Thereafter, when the outer bladder 10 fills second, the anchor system 2 is already stable on the angled surface and is more likely to stay in place as the weight of the water fills the outer bladder 10 throughout the anchor system 2 and overlapping the inner bladder 40 and the bridle 22. In some embodiments, by placing a majority of the internal volume 42 of the inner bladder 40 closer to the uphill end 4 of the anchor system 2 than to the downhill end 6, the weight of the water at the uphill end 4 tends to better hold the anchor system 2 in place as the weight of the water in the outer bladder 10 moves downhill to the downhill end 6 of the anchor system 2. As illustrated in FIG. 7, the bladder anchor system 80 comprises a plurality of bladder anchors 2 configured as described in relation to FIGS. 1-6, and further includes a pump 82 with a pump fill hose 84 and a pump source hose 86 that may be used to draw water from the body of water in which a boat 34 is floating to pump it into each of the bladder anchors 2.

(31) In particular embodiments, the pump 82 may be incorporated into the boat 34 and even built into the structure of the boat 34 as part of an anchor system. Although any size and volume of pump 82 may be used, larger flow volume pumps are desirable to fill the bladder(s) more quickly in use. In a particular embodiment, a pump 82 having a flow rate of between 150-300 gallons/minute is incorporated into a boat 34 with a fill hose 84 connection on an external surface of the boat 34 to which the pump fill hose 84 is connected for filling a bladder anchor system. By incorporating the pump 82 directly into the structure of the boat 34 during manufacturing, additional storage space is not required for the pump 82 and the user can conveniently draw water through a pump source hose 86 or other port on a surface of the bottom of the boat 34 directly from the body of water on which the boat 34 floats without the hassle of moving a heavy pump 82 into position from its storage location on the boat 34. The boat 34 may be any type or model of boat, but it is specifically contemplated that a large houseboat or a large yacht is most beneficial to have the pump 82 mounted to the boat or built into the structure of the boat 34 or provided with a position on the boat 34 where it can be used directly from the boat 34.

(32) An ideal positioning of the bladder anchor system 2 may involve creating an approximate 25-90 degree angle between the anchor lines 36 and the boat 34 on each side, as depicted in FIG. 7. Narrower positioning may potentially allow for some degree of movement of the boat from side to side. However, other anchoring implements, such as an anchor pin or a weighted anchor off the bow of the boat, may help prevent side to side movement.

(33) The inner bladder and outer bladder drain tubes 44, 18, may be folded up over the top of the outer bladder shell 12 and secured with a drain tube clamp 70. In the particular embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 4-6, the drain tube clamp 70 is mounted on the top wall 54 of the outer bladder shell 12. Alternatively, it may be mounted elsewhere, or maintained separate from the outer bladder 10. Placement of the drain tube clamp 70 on top of the outer bladder shell 12 adjacent the uphill end 4 of the anchor system 2 was found to be a convenient location for use and reduction of forces on the drain system when not in use. The drain tube clamp 70 may be configured to clamp both the inner bladder drain tube 44 and the outer bladder drain tube 18 simultaneously with a single clamp by folding the combined drain tubes 18, 44 through the clamp. The drain tubes 18, 44 may then be folded back toward the downhill end 6 of the anchor system 2 for convenience of storage. In particular embodiments, additional drains 74 may be included through the outer bladder shell 12 at select locations, such as adjacent the corners of the outer bladder shell 12, with removable drain caps 76 to selectively allow a user to increase the drain rate of water from within the outer bladder 10.

(34) The bladder anchor 2 is not limited to just two bladders. In particular implementations, the outer bladder 10 and inner bladder 40 may be just two of the at least two bladders used for the system. Furthermore, inclusion of the inner bladder 40 within the outer bladder 10 or even within the footprint of the outer bladder is not a requirement. In particular embodiments, the inner bladder 40 may be beneath the outer bladder 10, between the outer bladder 10 and the bridle 22, either fully overlapped by the outer bladder 10 or only partially overlapped by the outer bladder 10. In other particular embodiments, the inner bladder 40 may be positioned near the uphill end 4 of the anchor system 2 and the outer bladder 10 may be positioned near the downhill end 6 of the anchor system 2 so that they sit side-by-side. Additional bladders may also be included as part of the bladder anchor 2 so that there are multiple bladders serving the functions described for the inner bladders or multiple bladders serving the functions described for the outer bladders or multiple inner bladders. The relative sizes or volumes for the outer bladder 10 and inner bladder 40 are not critical, and may include bladders of the same volume, or different volumes. Various volume sizes may be better or worse for particular uses and will vary at least based upon the size of the boat that needs to be held and the particular application for the bladder anchor systems 2. Nevertheless, those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that bladders may be any shape or size that is operable to securely apply weight upon a bridle upon which the bladder rests, so as to anchor the bridle to a shoreline upon which it is located.

(35) As can be seen from the examples and explanation provided herein, an anchor system 2 may, in a simple embodiment, include a bridle 22 with a bridle harness 26 and attachment points 30 configured to couple to an anchor line 36 of a boat. A bladder anchor 2 may be coupled to the bridle harness 26 and include at least two inner compartments 10, 40 configured to receive water therein. A first of the at least two inner compartments 40 includes a portion of its volume closer to an uphill end 4 of the anchor system 80 and a second of the at least two inner compartments 10 includes a portion of its volume closer to a downhill end 6 of the anchor system 80. A water inlet 14 is configured to receive water from outside the bladder anchor 2 directly into the first of the at least two compartments 40. The water from the first compartment 40 overflows into the second compartment 10 to fill the second compartment.

(36) The concepts disclosed herein are not limited to the specific bladder anchor system implementations shown herein. For example, it is specifically contemplated that the components included in particular bladder anchor implementations may be formed of any of many different types of materials or combinations that can readily be formed into shaped objects and that are consistent with the intended operation of the bladder anchor system implementations. For example, the components may be formed of: rubbers (synthetic and/or natural); vinyl and/or other like materials; glasses (such as fiberglass), carbon-fiber, aramid-fiber, any combination thereof, and/or other like materials; woven textiles, polymers such as thermoplastics (such as ABS, Fluoropolymers, Polyacetal, Polyamide; Polycarbonate, Polyethylene, Polysulfone, and/or the like), thermosets (such as Epoxy, Phenolic Resin, Polyimide, Polyurethane, Silicone, and/or the like), any combination thereof, and/or other like materials; wood or wood-like composites and/or other like materials; rope, formed of either or both synthetic and/or natural fibers, metals, such as zinc, magnesium, titanium, copper, iron, steel, carbon steel, alloy steel, tool steel, stainless steel, spring steel, aluminum, any combination thereof, and/or other like materials; alloys, such as aluminum alloy, titanium alloy, magnesium alloy, copper alloy, any combination thereof, and/or other like materials; any other suitable material; and/or any combination of the foregoing.

(37) Furthermore, bladder anchor system implementations may be manufactured separately and then assembled together, or any or all of the components may be manufactured simultaneously and integrally joined with one another. Manufacture of these components separately or simultaneously, as understood by those of ordinary skill in the art, may involve extrusion, pultrusion, vacuum forming, injection molding, blow molding, resin transfer molding, casting, forging, cold rolling, milling, drilling, reaming, turning, grinding, stamping, cutting, bending, welding, soldering, hardening, riveting, punching, plating, and/or the like. If any of the components are manufactured separately, they may then be coupled or removably coupled with one another in any manner, such as with adhesive, a plastic weld, a fastener, any combination thereof, and/or the like for example, depending on, among other considerations, the particular material(s) forming the components.

(38) In places where the description above refers to particular bladder anchor system implementations, it should be readily apparent that a number of modifications may be made without departing from the spirit thereof and that these implementations may be applied to other implementations disclosed or undisclosed. The presently disclosed bladder anchor system implementations are, therefore, to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive.

(39) The implementations of the bladder anchor system described are by way of example or explanation and not by way of limitation. Rather, any description relating to the foregoing is for the exemplary purposes of this disclosure, and implementations may also be used with similar results for a variety of other applications requiring a non-destructive anchor system using a bladder.