Floating vessel with increasing and decreasing cargo capacity system

• US 10,513,319 B1
• Filed: 03/11/2019
• Issued: 12/24/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Asgard Marine Technologies LLC
• Original Assignee: Asgard Marine Technologies LLC
• Inventors: Beebe, Anthony, Vazquez, Jose H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Haile, Benyam
• Application Number:
  US16/298,499
• Time in Patent Office: 288 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 2201/00 Signalling devices
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 2201/04 Illuminating
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 45/00 Arrangements or adaptations of signalling or lighting devices arrangement of signalling or lighting devices, the mounting or supporting thereof or circuits therefor, for vehicles in general B60Q; life-buoys, -belts, -jackets, -suits or the like, characterised by signalling means B63C9/20; lighting devices or systems therefor F21L, F21S
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 45/04 the devices being intended to indicate the vessel or parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 71/00 Designing vessels; Predicting their performance

Abstract

Floating vessel with a buoyant hull for cargo, with a load line presentation device affixed to the buoyant hull without interrupting water flow along the buoyant hull the load line presentation device presenting: a baseline load line indicator plimsoll mark and a plurality of decreased capacity load line indicator plimsoll marks, with a decreased capacity model in memory connected to a processor in communication with the load line presentation device; configured for automatically integrating a plurality of variables including: wave size, wave period, wind speed, surface current, vessel length, type of vessel, quantity of disconnected superstructures, quantity of sheer, bow height, a port specific draft restriction, a canal specific draft restriction, and identifying decreased capacity load line plimsoll mark for a voyage of the floating vessel, the decreased capacity load plimsoll mark restricting baseline capacity of the buoyant hull from 1% to 50%.

Claims

1. A floating vessel in water comprising:

a. a buoyant hull for cargo, the buoyant hull having a draft, wherein the buoyant hull is required under International Convention on Load Lines 1966 signed in London, England, 5 Apr. 1966 amended by Protocol of 1988 relating to the International Convention on Load Lines, 1966 and revised as International Convention on Load Lines, 1966 and Protocol of 1988, as amended Consolidated edition, 2005 Supplement December 2013 to display of baseline load line indicator plimsoll mark;

at least one load line presentation device affixed to the buoyant hull without interrupting water flow along the buoyant hull the load line presentation device presenting;

i. a baseline load line indicator plimsoll mark representing an unrestricted service criteria, each baseline load line indicator plimsoll mark approved and issued by a vessel classification regulatory society further comprising;

(a) a fresh water load line mark;

(b) a tropical fresh water load line mark;

(c) a tropical salt water load line mark;

(d) a winter salt water load line mark;

(e) a summer salt water load line mark; and

(f) a winter North Atlantic salt water load line mark; and

ii. a plurality of decreased capacity load line indicator plimsoll marks, and wherein each decreased capacity load line plimsoll mark comprises;

i. a first fresh water load line mark;

ii. a first tropical fresh water load line mark;

iii. a first tropical salt water load line mark;

iv. a first winter salt water load line mark;

v. a first summer salt water load line mark; and

vi. a first winter North Atlantic salt water load line mark;

b. a decreased capacity model in first memory connected to a first processor in communication with each load presentation device, the decreased capacity model configured for automatically integrate a plurality of variables including at least four of;

a wave size, a wave period a wind speed, a surface current, a length over all of the buoyant hull, a type of floating vessel, a quantity of disconnected superstructures mounted to the buoyant hull, sheer value in degrees sustainable by the buoyant hull without deforming, a bow height of the buoyant hull as measured from a keel;

a port specific draft restriction, a waterway specific draft restriction, a canal specific draft restriction and identifying a decreased capacity load line plimsoll mark for a voyage of the floating vessel, and wherein the decreased capacity model displays a calculated decreased capacity load line plimsoll mark for use on the load line presentation device; and

when the decreased capacity model indicates the baseline load line indicator plimsoll mark can be hidden and a decreased capacity load line plimsoll mark can be used, the load line presentation device displays the decreased capacity load plimsoll mark restricting baseline capacity of the buoyant hull from 1% to 50%; and

wherein the load line presentation device automatically changes which of the pre-calculated plimsoll marks is displayed, based on the environmental criteria, based on a navigation route and based on weights of cargo loaded and offloaded along the navigation route and depth of a waterway, canal or port.

2. The floating vessel of claim 1, comprising a locking system preventing access to a marine operations manual (MOM) for loading, carrying, and offloading cargo using only the baseline load line plimsoll mark, wherein the marine operations manual can be computer instructions in first memory connected to a first processor or printed marine operations manual in a locking enclosure.

3. The floating vessel of claim 1, wherein the load line presentation device is operable by electric power, hydraulic power, pneumatic power, manual power, or combinations thereof.

4. The floating vessel of claim 1, wherein the load line presentation device is a pivoting display device attached to the buoyant hull and different sides of the pivoting display device show a permanently affixed baseline load line indicator plimsoll mark and an decreased capacity load line indicator plimsoll mark.

5. The floating vessel of claim 1, wherein the load line presentation device has a sleeve and the sliding sleeve selectively shows a permanently affixed baseline load line indicator plimsoll mark or a plurality of decreased capacity load line indicator plimsoll marks.

6. The floating vessel of claim 1, wherein the load line presentation device is a rotating wheel with a window wherein the rotating wheel is configured to enable the window to selectively present a baseline load line plimsoll mark or a plurality of decreased capacity load line indicator plimsoll marks.

7. The floating vessel of claim 1, wherein the load line presentation device is a light up electronic display to selectively present a baseline load line plimsoll mark or a plurality of decreased capacity load line indicator plimsoll marks.

8. The floating vessel of claim 7, wherein the light-up electric display has a second processor with second memory, the second memory containing baseline plimsoll load line mark patterns and decreased capacity load line plimsoll mark patterns and computer instructions to instruct the second processor to display on the light-up electric display decreased capacity plimsoll load line mark patterns corresponding to output from the decreased capacity model.

9. The floating vessel of claim 7, wherein the light-up electronic display is viewable for at least 200 yards from the floating vessel in clear weather.

10. The floating vessel of claim 7, wherein the light-up electronic display has a length from 6 feet to 10 feet and a height from 6 feet to 10 feet and engages onboard floating vessel power.

11. The floating vessel of claim 1, comprising a position verification device in wired or wireless connection to the first processor to verify the position of at least one decreased capacity load line indicator plimsoll marks by:

a. transmit a first signal and record a first reflected signal as an approved position of each decreased capacity load line indicator plimsoll marks on the hull to the processor as approved by a vessel regulatory agency;

b. transmit a second signal and record a second reflected signal identifying a second position on the hull of each decreased capacity load line indicator plimsoll mark after a user defined unit of time; and

c. compare the approved position to the second position to verify each decreased capacity load line indicator plimsoll mark is in the approved position.

12. The floating vessel of claim 11, wherein the position verification device is an optical device or an acoustic device.