Marine compass and package

• US 6,493,953 B1
• Filed: 09/29/2000
• Issued: 12/17/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Thomas W Rogers
• Original Assignee: Thomas W Rogers
• Inventors: Rogers, Thomas W.
• Primary Examiner(s): BENNETT, GEORGE B
• Application Number:
  US09/672,765
• Time in Patent Office: 809 Days
• Field of Search: 333/16, 333/19, 333/24, 333/33, 333/47, 333/55.R, 333/64
• US Class Current: 33/355.00R
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 17/18 Supporting or suspending compasses, e.g. by gimbal, by flotation

Abstract

A marine compass module can be selectively mounted in either a U-shaped bracket or a binnacle, and all of these items can be marketed in the same package. The compass module can be adjusted so that its magnetic card is horizontally aligned even though the compass is mounted on a non-horizontal surface of a marine vessel. The magnetic adjusting rods are contained in the compass module itself instead of being in the mounting hardware.

Claims

1. The combination comprising an ungimbaled marine compass that is adjustable to a fixed horizontal position with respect to a surface of a marine vessel upon which said compass is mountable, a generally U-shaped mounting bracket, and a binnacle, said compass being selectively supportable for mounting on such surface of a marine vessel in either said U-shaped bracket or said binnacle;

said compass comprising a generally circular outer shell having a predetermined outer diameter, a magnetic card supported in said shell, there being a pair of diametrically opposed threaded holes in said shell located at opposite ends of said outer diameter;

said U-shaped bracket comprising a pair of upstanding arms connected by a foot that is adapted to be attached to such surface of a marine vessel upon which said compass is mountable, said foot having a length essentially equal to said outer diameter of said shell so that said upstanding arms are separated by a distance essentially equal to said outer diameter of said shell, and there being a pair of aligned holes in said upstanding arms;

said binnacle being essentially cylindrical and having an internal diameter essentially equal to said outer diameter of said shell, said binnacle having an open upper end and a cross piece at its bottom end that is adapted to be attached to such surface of a marine vessel upon which said compass is mountable, and there being a pair of diametrically aligned holes in said binnacle;

a pair of screws threaded to mate with said threaded holes in said shell, said pair of aligned holes in said U-shaped bracket and said pair of diametrically aligned holes in said binnacle being dimensioned to enable said screws to pass there through;

said shell being selectively supportable in said U-shaped bracket by aligning each of said threaded holes with one of the holes of said pair of aligned holes in said upstanding arms and passing said screws through said aligned holes and threading said screws into said threaded holes in said shell, and said shell also being selectively supportable in said binnacle by aligning said each of said threaded holes with one of the holes of said pair of diametrically aligned holes in said binnacle and passing said screws through said diametrically aligned holes and threading said screws into said threaded holes in said shell; and

said compass being adjustable to a fixed horizontal position with respect to such surface of a marine vessel upon which said compass is mountable by loosening said screws and pivoting said shell selectively in said U-shaped bracket or in said binnacle until said card is horizontally aligned with respect to such surface of a marine vessel and then re-tightening said screws.

2. The combination defined in claim 1 further comprising said outer shell comprising a viscous fluid contained in a sealed transparent hemispherical plastic housing, said card floating in said fluid with its bottom end floating above a shallow well in the bottom of the housing, said card being balanced on an upwardly projecting pivot post that fits into an indentation in the bottom of the card, said outer shell further comprising an open ended generally circular plastic cradle for supporting said housing, said housing having an outwardly extending peripheral shelf supported in said cradle, and said shallow well projecting into said cradle below said shelf.

3. The combination defined in claim 2 further comprising said cradle having a plurality of uniformly spaced ledges around its interior at its upper edge and said shelf being supported on said ledges.

4. The combination defined in claim 2 further comprising a pair of perpendicularly oriented magnetic compensation rods rotatably journalled in circular holes in said cradle below said well.

5. The combination defined in claim 2 further comprising said cradle being generally spherical and having a circular ring surrounding and secured to said cradle at its upper end.

6. An ungimbaled marine compass that is adjustable to a fixed horizontal position with respect to a surface of a marine vessel upon which said compass is mountable, comprising a card floating in a viscous fluid contained in a sealed transparent hemispherical plastic housing, said card having a bottom end that floats above a shallow well in the bottom of the housing, said card being balanced on an upwardly projecting pivot post that fits into an indentation in the bottom of said card, an open ended generally hemispherical liquid-free plastic cradle for supporting said housing, a circular ring surrounding said cradle and secured to its upper end, said housing having an outwardly extending peripheral shelf supported by said cradle, said shallow well projecting into said cradle below said shelf, said outer ring having a predetermined outer diameter and there being a pair of threaded holes in said ring at ends of said outer diameter, and a pair of screws threaded to mate with said threaded holes in said outer ring for adjusting said compass to a fixed horizontal position with respect to said surface of said marine vessel.

7. The marine compass defined in claim 6 further comprising a U-shaped bracket comprising a pair of upstanding arms connected by a foot that is adapted to be attached to a surface of a marine vessel upon which said compass is mountable, said foot having a length essentially equal to said outer diameter of said ring so that said upstanding arms are separated by a distance essentially equal too said outer diameter of said ring, there being a pair of aligned holes in said upstanding arms;

said pair of aligned holes in said U-shaped bracket being dimensioned to enable said screws to pass there through;

said housing being supported in said U-shaped bracket by aligning each of said threaded holes with one of the holes of said pair of aligned holes in said upstanding arms and passing said screws through said aligned holes and threading said screws into said threaded holes in said ring; and

said compass being adjustable with respect to such surface of a marine vessel upon which said compass is mountable by loosening said screws and pivoting said cradle in said U-shaped bracket until said card is horizontally aligned with respect to such surface of a marine vessel upon which said compass is mountable and then re-tightening said screws.

8. The marine compass defined in claim 6 further comprising an essentially cylindrical binnacle having an internal diameter essentially equal to said outer diameter of said ring, said binnacle having an open upper end and a cross piece at its bottom end that is adapted to be attached to a surface of a marine vessel upon which said compass is mountable, and there being a pair of diametrically aligned holes in said binnacle;

said pair of aligned holes in said binnacle being dimensioned to enable said screws to pass there through;

said housing being supported in said binnacle by aligning each of said threaded holes with one of the holes of said pair of diametrically aligned holes in said binnacle and passing said screws through said diametrically aligned holes and threading said screws into said threaded holes in said ring; and

said compass being adjustable with respect to said surface of a marine vessel upon which said compass is supported by loosening said screws and pivoting said cradle in said binnacle until said card is horizontally aligned with respect to such surface of a marine vessel upon which said compass is mountable and then re-tightening said screws.

9. The marine compass defined in claim 6 further comprising said cradle having a plurality of uniformly spaced ledges around its interior at its upper edge, and said shelf of said housing being supported on said ledges.

10. The marine compass defined in claim 6 further comprising a pair of perpendicularly oriented magnetic compensation rods rotatably journalled in circular holes in said cradle below said well.

11. The marine compass defined in claim 6 further comprising said compass being selectively supportable for mounting on a surface of a marine vessel in either a U-shaped bracket or a binnacle;

said U-shaped bracket comprising a pair of upstanding arms connected by a foot that is adapted to be attached to such surface of a marine vessel upon which said compass is mountable, said foot having a length essentially equal to said outer diameter of said ring so that said upstanding arms are separated by a distance essentially equal too said outer diameter of said ring, there being a pair of aligned holes in said upstanding arms;

said binnacle being essentially cylindrical and having an internal diameter essentially equal to said outer diameter of said ring, said binnacle having an open upper end and a cross piece at its bottom end that is adapted to be attached to such surface of a marine vessel upon which said compass is mountable, and there being a pair of diametrically aligned holes in said binnacle;

said pairs of aligned holes in said U-shaped bracket and said binnacle being dimensioned to enable said screws to pass there through;

said shell being selectively supportable in said U-shaped bracket by aligning each of said threaded holes with one of the holes of said pair of aligned holes in said upstanding arms and passing said screws through said aligned holes and threading said screws into said threaded holes in said ring, and said shell also being selectively supportable in said binnacle by aligning said each of said threaded holes with one of the holes of said pair of diametrically aligned holes in said binnacle and passing said through said diametrically aligned holes and threading said screws into said threaded holes in said ring; and

said compass being adjustable with respect to such surface of a marine vessel upon which said compass is mountable by loosening said screws and pivoting said shell selectively in said U-shaped bracket or said binnacle until said card is horizontally aligned with respect to such surface of a marine vessel upon which said compass is mountable and then re-tightening said screws.

12. A packaged marine compass comprising a compass module, a U-shaped mounting bracket and binnacle enclosed between a front transparent plastic clam shell and a back transparent plastic clam shell that are connected by a bottom panel;

and an information containing display card inserted between said clam shells along a line at which said clam shells meet.

13. The packaged marine compass defined in claim 12 further comprising said compass being ungimbaled and being adjustable and selectively supportable for mounting in a fixed horizontal position on a surface of a marine vessel in either said U-shaped bracket or said binnacle;

said compass comprising a generally circular outer shell having a predetermined outer diameter, a magnetic card supported in said shell, there being a pair of diametrically opposed threaded holes in said shell located at opposite ends of said outer diameter;

said U-shaped bracket comprising a pair of upstanding arms connected by a foot that is adapted to be attached to such surface of a marine vessel upon which said compass is mountable, said foot having a length essentially equal to said outer diameter of said shell so that said upstanding arms are separated by a distance essentially equal to said outer diameter of said shell, and there being a pair of aligned holes in said upstanding arms;

said binnacle being essentially cylindrical and having an internal diameter essentially equal to said outer diameter of said shell, said binnacle having an open upper end and a cross piece at its bottom end that is adapted to be attached to such surface of a marine vessel upon which said compass is mountable, and there being a pair of diametrically aligned holes in said binnacle;

a pair of screws threaded to mate with said threaded holes in said shell, said pair of aligned holes in said U-shaped bracket and said pair of diametrically aligned holes in said binnacle being dimensioned to enable said screws to pass there through;

said shell being selectively supportable in said U-shaped bracket by aligning each of said threaded holes with one of the holes of said pair of aligned holes in said upstanding arms and passing said screws through said aligned holes and threading said screws into said threaded holes in said shell, and said shell also being selectively supportable in said binnacle by aligning said each of said threaded holes with one of the holes of said pair of diametrically aligned holes in said binnacle and passing said screws through said diametrically aligned holes and threading said screws into said threaded holes in said ring; and

said compass being adjustable with respect to such surface of a marine vessel upon which said compass is mountable by loosening said screws and pivoting said shell selectively in said U-shaped bracket or in said binnacle until said card is horizontally aligned with respect to such surface of a marine vessel upon which said compass is mountable and then re-tightening said screws so as to fix said compass in said horizontally aligned position.

14. The packaged marine compass defined in claim 12 further comprising said compass comprising a magnetic card floating in a viscous fluid contained in a sealed transparent hemispherical plastic housing, said card having a bottom end that floats above a shallow well in the bottom of the housing, said card being balanced on an upwardly projecting pivot post that fits into an indentation in the bottom of the card, an open ended generally circular plastic cradle for supporting said housing, said housing having an outwardly extending peripheral shelf supported by said cradle, and said shallow well projecting into said cradle below said shelf.