WO2017042775A1

WO2017042775A1 - Folding minor class vessel

Info

Publication number: WO2017042775A1
Application number: PCT/IB2016/056214
Authority: WO
Inventors: Rodney DELGADO; Emily ORTIZ GONZALEZ; Maybi VALDERRAMA; Evelyn MARTÍNEZ; Ericka GARCÉS; Madeleine WAY
Original assignee: Universidad Tecnológica De Panamá
Priority date: 2016-07-28
Filing date: 2016-10-17
Publication date: 2017-03-16

Abstract

Folding minor class vessel, such as a motorboat, rowboat/sailboat or dinghy, propelled by oars, sails or a motor, which is formed by two lateral parts (1) and one rear part (2) interconnected by folding means (3) that enable the folding and unfolding of the motorboat, and actuating means that act upon the folding means (3), allowing folding and unfolding thereof. The folding means (3) may be made of a folding accordion-style grid structure formed by a plurality of nodes articulated in the form of a diamond that enable the folding and unfolding of the structure.

Description

FOLDING MINOR CLASS VESSEL

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention belongs to the technical field of vessels, specifically minor class vessels such as motorboats, rowboat/sailboats or dinghies, propelled by oars, sails or a motor.

The invention particularly relates to a folding motorboat having two lateral parts and one rear part interconnected by folding means that enable the folding and unfolding of the motorboat, such that when no longer in use the motorboat may be folded, occupying little space, and can be stored and transported with greater ease.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Various minor class vessels are known in the state of the art, such as motorboats, rowboat/sailboats, canoes, dugout canoes or dinghies, which are propelled by oars, sails or a motor. Said minor class vessels allow persons to sail, whether for work or leisure, and can be used for different purposes, such as travelling over short distances, riding, fishing, use in large vessels as lifeboats, etc.

However, although these vessels are made from materials that can float, said materials are usually heavy, also occupying a certain amount of space depending on the vessel's needs. None of these minor class vessels has a folding system, due to which they always occupy the same space, both during use and during storage or transport, which complicates these.

Therefore, a folding minor class vessel was desirable, such as a motorboat, rowboat/sailboat or dinghy, avoiding the drawbacks of previous minor class vessels in the state of the art.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention solves the problems of the state of the art by means of a folding minor class vessel, such as a motorboat, rowboat/sailboat or dinghy, propelled by oars, sails or a motor, having two lateral parts and one rear part interconnected by folding means that enable the folding and unfolding of the motorboat. Additionally, the vessel has actuation means which act upon the folding and unfolding means thereof, in addition to blocking said means in each of the folding and unfolding positions, for obvious safety reasons. Preferably, the folding means are made of a folding accordion-style grid structure which, in particular, is formed of nodes articulated in the form of a diamond, which can modify their configuration to allow the folding and unfolding of the vessel.

Therefore, the vessel is folded in such a manner that the parts are joined to each other through the accordion-style folding means. In accordance with a particular embodiment of the invention, the actuating means of the vessel are disposed on each of the lateral parts thereof and independently actuate the folding of each of said lateral parts of the vessel.

According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, there are centralised actuation means, whereby the folding of both lateral parts of the vessel is jointly actuated.

Thus, in order to unfold and start operating the vessel, the user only has to pull with little force, whereupon it will become unfolded and assembled in a matter of seconds and ready for use.

By means of the present invention the vessel, after use, can be folded in the manner of an accordion to the size of a suitcase or package, thereby facilitating its storage or transport to any place. The folded vessel can easily be transported by any person, even by children.

This invention offers the additional advantage of allowing the folding motorboats, rowboat/sailboats or dinghies to be transported in large numbers, occupying a minimum amount of space in cruise ships, fishing boats, naval vessels and any type of large vessels, as lifeboats to safeguard their passengers' lives in case of shipwreck or any other type of problem in the open sea.

DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES In order to help better understand the invention, an embodiment of the invention is described below in an illustrative and non-limiting manner which makes reference to a series of figures.

Figure 1 shows a schematic perspective view of a minor class vessel object of the invention in an unfolded position and ready for use.

Figure 2 shows a side view of the minor class vessel object of the present invention, showing the accordion-style folding means.

Figure 3 shows a rear view of the minor class vessel of the present invention, also showing the accordion-style folding means. In these figures, reference is made to a set of elements: lateral parts of the motorboat, rear part of the motorboat and folding means.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The object of the present invention is a folding minor class vessel, such as a motorboat, rowboat/sailboat or dinghy, which can be propelled by oars, sails or a motor.

As can be observed in the figures, the minor class vessel object of the invention is formed by two lateral parts 1 and one rear part 2, interconnected by folding means 3 that enable the folding and unfolding of the vessel.

Additionally, the vessel has actuating means which act on the folding means 3, allowing folding and unfolding thereof.

As shown in the figures, the folding means 3 are preferably formed by a folding accordion-style grid structure which, in particular, has a plurality of nodes articulated in the form of a diamond. These nodes articulated in the form of a diamond can be stretched and shrunk, varying their dimensions as a result of an external force applied by the user, thereby enabling the folding and unfolding of the vessel.

In accordance with a particular embodiment of the invention, the actuating means are disposed on each of the lateral parts 1 and independently actuate the folding of each of said lateral parts 1 of the vessel. In accordance with an alternative embodiment, the actuation means are centralised and jointly actuate the folding of both lateral parts 1 of the vessel.

The figures included herein are not drawn to scale and are only representative, never limiting, of the invention. The dimension, distribution of elements and real shape of each of the components may vary so as to allow the better operation of the vessel.

Having clearly described the invention, it is hereby stated that the previously described particular embodiments are susceptible of modifications in detail, provided that they do not alter the basic principle and essence of the invention.

Claims

1. A folding minor class vessel, such as a motorboat, rowboat/sailboat or dinghy, propelled by oars, sails or a motor, characterised in that it comprises two lateral parts (1) and one rear part (2), interconnected by folding means (3) that enable the folding and unfolding of the vessel, and actuating means that act upon the folding means (3), allowing folding and unfolding thereof.

2. The folding minor class vessel, according to claim 1 , characterised in that the folding means (3) comprise a folding accordion-style grid structure.

3. The folding minor class vessel, according to claim 2, characterised in that the accordion-style grid structure comprises a plurality of nodes articulated in the form of a diamond.

4. The folding minor class vessel, according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that the actuating means are disposed on each of the lateral parts (1) and independently actuate the folding of each of the lateral parts (1) of the vessel.

5. The folding minor class vessel, according to any of claims 1 to 3, characterised in that the actuating means are centralised, jointly actuating the folding of both lateral parts (1) of the vessel.