AQUATIC VEHICLE

• US 3,675,259 A
• Filed: 01/18/1971
• Issued: 07/11/1972
• Est. Priority Date: 01/18/1971
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: David W. Gilchrist
• Original Assignee: David W. Gilchrist
• Inventors: Gilchrist, David W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Buchler, Milton
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sauberer, Paul E.
• Application Number:
  US05/107,348
• Time in Patent Office: 540 Days
• Field of Search: 9/311,31R,31G 115/1R 272/1B
• US Class Current: 441/78
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 1/047 with spherical hull or hull in the shape of a vertical ring freely movable rolling hoops, e.g. gyro wheels for exercising A63B19/02

Abstract

An aquatic vehicle for use by human beings for movement on the surface of the water. The vehicle is spherical in shape and formed from a plurality of buoyant regularly shaped panels which are joined together at the edges thereof. The panels are transparent to permit visibility from the vehicle and have means to permit flow of air into the vehicle. The panels are firm and weight supporting to permit the user of the vehicle to walk on the panels to rotate the vehicle, thereby moving the vehicle over the surface of the water. In certain embodiments, the edges of the panels extend outwardly forming paddles or water treads.

Claims

2. An aquatic vehicle according to claim 1 wherein each of the said panels is formed in the same regular planar geometric shape.

3. An aquatic vehicle according to claim 2 wherein each of said panels is formed by downwardly and outwardly sloping side walls of a highly buoyant, foamed plastic material and having a recessed central portion joining the tops of said side walls, whereby said panels are nestable and stackable when said vehicle is in disassembled form, the side walls of said panels providing paddles for said vehicle.

4. An aquatic vehicle according to claim 3 wherein said recessed central portion is formed of a heavy screen material.

5. An aquatic vehicle according to claim 3 wherein said recessed central portion has a plurality of holes therein to permit passage of air therethrough.

6. An aquatic vehicle according to claim 2 wherein each of said panels is triangularly shaped and there are twenty such triangularly shaped panels forming said vehicle.

7. An aquatic vehicle according to claim 1 wherein each of said panels comprises hollow air-containing tubular members forming an outer wall structure, and a recessed central portion formed from a clear plastic material secured at the edges thereof to said tubular members.

8. An aquatic vehicle according to claim 7 wherein said clear plastic material has holes to permit passage of air therethrough into said vehicle.

9. An aquatic vehicle according to claim 7 wherein said tubular members are inflatable.

10. An aquatic vehicle according to claim 1 wherein said panels are detachably secured together for disassembly and trans-portation in disassembled form.

11. An aquatic vehicle according to claim 1 wherein at least a portion of said panels are formed from a pair of open top, nonporous box members, each of the said box members having a regular geometric base joined to diverging side walls, one of said box members nesting within the other of said box members, leaving a trapped air space between the bases of said box members, and means sealing said pair of box members together at said side walls, to thereby seal said trapped air space.

12. An aquatic vehicle according to claim 11 wherein the base of the said one box member is larger than the base of said other box member.

13. An aquatic vehicle according to claim 11 wherein said panels are joined together so as to leave said open spaces there between.

14. An aquatic vehicle according to claim 11 wherein each of said box members is formed from a clear plastic sheet.

15. An aquatic vehicle according to claim 1 and further comprising means detachably joining said panels together at the corners thereof to permit disassembly of said panels for ease of transportation and storage.

16. An aquatic vehicle according to claim 1 wherein at least a portion of said panels are formed of inflated pillows joined together at edge portions thereof.

17. An aquatic vehicle according to claim 16 wherein at least a portion of said pillows are joined together through heat sealed areas, said heat sealed areas having openings to permit air to pass into said vehicle but not into said pillows.

18. An aquatic vehicle according to claim 17 and further comprising passages through said heat sealed areas between the interior of adjacent pillows.

19. An aquatic vehicle according to claim 16 wherein a portion of said pillows are placed together at edge portions.

20. An aquatic vehicle for use by human beings, said aquatic vehicle comprising:

a plurality of firm, weight-supporting panels of regular, generally planar geometric shapes joined together at the sides thereof substantially in a spherical shape, said panels having sufficient buoyancy to support a human being within said vehicle;

means permitting visibility out of said vehicle in all directions;

means permitting flow of air into and out of said vehicle; and

means permitting ingress and egress to the interior of said vehicle.

21. An aquatic vehicle according to claim 20 wherein each of said geometric shapes is generally triangular and there are 20 such triangular shapes forming said spherical shape.