Vessel with retaining device for a tender

Abstract

A vessel (1) is provided, comprising at least one wall (100) defining a portion of one among a deck, a superstructure, or a bulkhead of a cabin of the vessel (1); a landing vehicle (10) defining a longitudinal axis (10a) from stern to bow and comprising at least one hull (11); and a retaining device (2) adapted to hold the landing vehicle (10) resting on the wall (100) along at least one retaining direction (2a); wherein the retaining device (2) comprises at least two sides (3) extending along respective development surfaces (3a), each transverse to the retaining direction (2a), and connected to the wall (100) alongside two opposite portions of the hull (11).

Description

[0001] DESCRIPTION

[0002] IMPROVED VESSEL

[0003] The present invention relates to a vessel equipped with a landing vehicle of the type specified in the preamble of the first claim.

[0004] In particular, the present invention concerns a vessel comprising at least one retaining device adapted to allow at least the resting and thus the stable constraint of the landing vehicle on a housing surface.

[0005] As is known, vessels are usually characterized by hulls having a keel designed to reach depths at sea that prevent the vessel itself from approaching the shore.

[0006] Therefore, when it is necessary to disembark from such vessels, especially in the absence of a port for docking, it is necessary to use specific landing vehicles that allow shuttling between the vessel and the shore. Typically, these vehicles are small inflatable boats, known as tenders, housed on the deck of the vessel and designed to be placed in the water only when needed and then transported back onto the vessel itself.

[0007] Although these vehicles are of small size, it is essential that they are stably stowed on the deck to prevent undesired movements that could endanger passengers' safety.

[0008] To this end, a plurality of obstacles counter-shaped to the bottom of the landing vehicle, or otherwise defining a concave shape, are typically laid on the deck to block the vehicle and prevent translational movements on the deck.

[0009] The known technique described has some significant drawbacks.

[0010] Such support devices, called "cradles," are fixed and can therefore obstruct passenger movement even when the landing vehicle is in use at sea, sometimes causing tripping and thus passenger falls. In other situations, these devices can even cause minor or moderate injuries to the vessel passengers.

[0011] Additionally, the landing vehicle can only be housed in the cradles by gravity and thus necessarily occupies a portion of the deck equal to its own footprint, significantly reducing passengers' walking space when the landing vehicle is not in the sea and is placed on the vessel.

[0012] In this context, the technical task underlying the present invention is to devise a vessel capable of substantially overcoming at least some of the mentioned drawbacks.

[0013] Within said technical task, an important object of the invention is to provide a vessel that significantly reduces the space occupied by the landing vehicle on the deck of the vessel.

[0014] Another important object of the invention is to create a vessel with reduced obstructions even when the landing vehicle is at sea and, in particular, free of obstacles on the deck.

[0015] Therefore, a further task of the invention is to create a vessel equipped with a landing vehicle that offers its passengers greater mobility and high safety when walking on the deck.

[0016] The technical task and the specified objects are achieved by a vessel as claimed in the attached claim 1 .

[0017] Preferred technical solutions are highlighted in the dependent claims.

[0018] The features and advantages of the invention will be clarified herein below by the detailed description of preferred embodiments of the invention, with reference to the attached drawings, wherein:

[0019] Fig. 1 shows a top view of a vessel equipped with a landing vehicle (in this case, a tender) according to the invention, wherein the landing vehicle is positioned horizontally on the deck, and the retaining devices are positioned so that the sides lie transversely to the longitudinal direction of the vessel from bow to stern;

[0020] Fig. 2 illustrates a side view of a retaining device for a vessel according to the invention, wherein the landing vehicle is constrained to a desk of the vessel, with the deck shown in section; and

[0021] Fig. 3 is a longitudinal view of a retaining device of a vessel according to the invention, wherein the landing vehicle is constrained to a desk of the vessel, with the deck shown in section along a different sectional plane.

[0022] In the present, measurements, values, shapes, and geometric references (such as perpendicularity and parallelism), when associated with words like "about" or similar terms such as "approximately" or "substantially," should be understood as allowing for measurement errors or inaccuracies due to production and / or manufacturing errors and, especially, minor deviations from the value, size, shape, or geometric reference with which they are associated. For example, such terms, when associated with a value, preferably indicate a deviation not exceeding 10% of the value itself.

[0023] Furthermore, terms such as "first", "second", "upper", "lower", "primary", and "secondary" when used do not necessarily identify an order, priority of relation, or relative position but may simply be used to more clearly distinguish different components from one another.

[0024] Unless otherwise specified, as highlighted by the following discussions it is considered that terms such as "treatment", "computing", "determination", "computation", or similar refer to actions and / or processes of a computer or similar electronic computation device that manipulates and / or transforms data represented as physical quantities, such as electronic magnitudes of records of a computing system and / or memories, into other data similarly represented as physical quantities within computer systems, records, or other information storage, transmission, or display devices.

[0025] Unless otherwise indicated, the measurements and data reported in this text are to be considered as performed in International Standard Atmosphere ICAO (ISO 2533:1975).

[0026] With reference to the Figures, the vessel according to the invention is globally denoted by the number 1 .

[0027] The vessel 1 is essentially a watercraft, that is, an object capable of floating and, more specifically, navigating in water, for example at sea.

[0028] Preferably, the vessel 1 is a boat such as a yacht or motor yacht, suitable for transporting and accommodating a group of people and the crew of the said vessel 1.

[0029] Therefore, the vessel 1 may include a hull that is difficult to bring close to the shore, in the absence of port facilities, without causing grounding or damage to the keel. Preferably, the vessel 1 is equipped with a landing vehicle 10.

[0030] The landing vehicle 10 is also essentially a watercraft, preferably adapted for at least short-range navigation.

[0031] For example, the landing vehicle 10 may be a tender, that is, an inflatable boat or a boat equipped with rigid or semi-rigid portions enabling it to float. Alternatively, the vehicle 10 could be a jet ski.

[0032] Moreover, the landing vehicle 10 may also include a propulsion system having a rear-mounted propeller to facilitate navigation.

[0033] In any case, the vehicle 10 comprises at least one hull 11 and optionally a support body 12.

[0034] The hull 1 1 is the part of the vehicle 10 designed to be at least partially immersed in water to keep the landing vehicle 10 afloat. Thus, the hull 1 1 is preferably a perimeter portion defining a closed volume capable of ensuring the buoyancy of the vehicle 10, even when fully loaded.

[0035] The support body 12 is the portion of the vehicle 10 intended to support passengers. Therefore, the hull 1 1 may also support or be part of the bottom 12. The support body 12 defines at least one resting surface for passengers, whether seated or standing.

[0036] The support body 12 is kept afloat by the latter and may be at least partially surrounded by the hull 1 1 .

[0037] Additionally, the vehicle 10 defines a longitudinal axis 10a. The longitudinal axis 10a is preferably defined from stern to bow or vice versa and effectively establishes the direction of movement of the landing vehicle 10.

[0038] Naturally, the vessel 1 may include other objects. These may be transported on it and, when necessary, may be used independently of the vessel 1 . Examples of such objects include oars, life-saving devices, provisions, or other supplies that may be present on board.

[0039] Furthermore, the vessel 1 comprises at least one wall 100.

[0040] The wall 100 is essentially a dividing portion of the vessel 1 . Preferably, the wall 100 is external and separates an internal portion from the external environment. For example, for this purpose the wall 100 may define a portion of one among a deck, a superstructure, or a bulkhead of a cabin of the vessel 1 . For instance, the bulkhead of the cabin may be the bulkhead of a control cabin. The deck is, as known, the upper walking portion of the vessel 1 . The superstructure may be, for example, the dividing wall between two areas of the deck positioned at different heights.

[0041] Preferably, the wall 100 is part of the deck.

[0042] In any case, the vessel 1 includes at least one retaining device 2.

[0043] The retaining device 2 is adapted to hold at least one object resting on the wall 100. Therefore, the retaining device 2 may also be adapted to hold the landing vehicle 10 resting on the wall 100. Thus, the object may actually consist of or include the landing vehicle 10.

[0044] The retaining device 2 comprises at least one side 3. The side 3 is essentially a predominantly two-dimensional element, defining a smaller dimension compared to the other two. Therefore, the side 3 is a three-dimensional thin element, such as a plate.

[0045] The side 3 extends along a development surface 3a. The development surface 3a is essentially a virtual and geometric two-dimensional element, thus having zero thickness. The development surface 3a mainly defines the shape followed by the side 3.

[0046] The development surface 3a may be curved, either in a two-dimensional or three- dimensional sense. Alternatively, and preferably, the development surface 3a is flat. In any case, preferably, the development surface 3a is transverse and suitably almost perpendicular to the wall 100.

[0047] The side 3 can be connected to the wall 100 in a detachable manner.

[0048] For this purpose, preferably, the retaining device 2 comprises connection means 4. If present, the connection means 4 establish the connection or constraint between the side 3 and the wall 100, and thus, the side 3 is connected to the wall 100 via the connection means 4.

[0049] The connection means 4 are configured to allow the establishment of said constraint between the side 3 and the wall 100. They include at least one annular connector

[0050] 40 and a pin 41.

[0051] The annular connector 40 and the pin 41 are designed to interact to establish the constraint between the side 3 and the wall 100. Preferably, therefore the annular connector 40 is integral with the wall 100.

[0052] Advantageously, even more specifically, the annular connector 40 is embedded within the wall 100 in such a way as to substantially avoid the formation of steps and, in detail, precisely prevent step formation. Thus, the annular connector 40 defines at least one surface, extending around the central hole, that is exactly flush and therefore level with the surface defined by the wall 100.

[0053] The pin 41 , on the other hand, is integral with the side 3.

[0054] The pin 41 is inserted into the annular connector 40 to establish the constraint between the side 3 and the wall 100. Therefore, the pin 41 may include a protruding element from the side 3, suitably along a direction parallel to the development surface 3a. The annular connector 40 is thus identifiable in a body defining a housing, appropriately developing along a direction perpendicular to the wall 100, 3a for at least part of the pin 41 and developing around at least part of said housing and preferably around the said seat.

[0055] Between the pin 41 and the side 3, adjustment means may be provided to adjust the constraint position of the pin 41 to the side 3.

[0056] The adjustment means may be configured to adjust the constraint position of the pin

[0057] 41 to the side 3 during the first engagement of the pin 41 with the connector 40 and then firmly and suitably irreversibly secure a pin 41 to the side 3, thus preventing further relative motion between them.

[0058] The adjustment means can adjust the constraint position of the pin 41 to the side 3 at least along one adjustment axis parallel to the wall 100. Specifically, they can adjust said position along a first adjustment axis parallel to the wall 100 and parallel to the development surface 3a; and / or along a second adjustment axis parallel to the wall 100 and perpendicular to the development surface 3a.

[0059] In particular, they may include a guide defining said at least one adjustment axis; and a clamp configured to integrally constrain (for example, by tightening) the pin 41 to the side 3. The tightening means may be of a known type and therefore are not further described.

[0060] Preferably, the connection means 4 are detachable constraining means and are thus configured to allow defining said constraint between the side 3 and the wall 100 and releasing said constraint. Consequently, the pin 41 can be removably secured to the annular connector 40.

[0061] In particular, the constraint means may be of the quick-release type, and preferably and advantageously, the pin 41 and the annular connector 40 are configured for quick coupling.

[0062] Alternatively, the constraint means may define other releasable constraint means. In particular detail, they may define a threaded connection between the pin 41 and the annular connector 40. Thus, the pin 41 comprises a first thread formed along said protruding element, and the annular connector 40 comprises a second thread formed along said engagement seat to said first thread.

[0063] Since the side 3 extends across the wall 100 from one end to the opposite end, the connection means 4 may preferably comprise at least a pair of pins 41 and corresponding annular connectors 40. The pins 41 are advantageously positioned at opposite ends of the side 3. Moreover, the pins 41 are preferably arranged on the same side of the side 3 facing the wall 100.

[0064] Notably, but not exclusively, when the object is the landing vehicle 10, the retaining device 2 may include two sides 3.

[0065] Thus, if present, both sides 3 are connected to the wall 100. Additionally, the sides 3 are connected to the wall 100 with their respective development surfaces 3a transverse to the wall 100. For example, as previously explained, the connection between both sides 3 and the wall 100 can be established using respective connection means 4.

[0066] Furthermore, the sides 3 are connected to the wall 100 beneath two opposite parts of the hull 1 1 with respect to the longitudinal axis 10a. In this manner, the landing vehicle 10 is held elevated with respect to the wall 100.

[0067] Additionally, preferably, the retaining device 2 further comprises anchoring means. The anchoring means integrally fasten the landing vehicle 10 to each side 3.

[0068] Naturally, the anchoring means could also be present even if the retaining device 2 holds any other object. In this case, the retaining device 2 may include a single side 3, and the anchoring means can integrally fasten the object to the side 3.

[0069] Furthermore, in detail, the anchoring means may include one or more ropes. Therefore, one or more of the sides 3 may comprise one or more slots 30.

[0070] The slot 30 is a through-hole transverse to the development surface 3a.

[0071] Therefore, the slot 30 is designed to accommodate one or more ropes, i.e., for example, the anchoring means.

[0072] In conclusion, the side 3 may define dimensional characteristics. For instance, one or more of the sides 3 may extend along the development surface 3a in a transverse direction and preferably perpendicular to the wall 100 with a height between 3 cm and 15 cm.

[0073] The vessel 1 according to the invention achieves significant advantages.

[0074] Indeed, the vessel 1 equipped with a landing vehicle allows for a considerable reduction of the space occupied by the landing vehicle or the object secured by the retaining device 2 on the deck of the vessel.

[0075] Moreover, the vessel 1 equipped with a landing vehicle also allows for reduced obstructions even when the landing vehicle is at sea, particularly by preventing maintaining obstacles on the deck thanks to the annular connector 40. Therefore, the vessel 1 equipped with a landing vehicle ensures its passengers greater mobility and high walking safety on the deck.

[0076] The invention is susceptible to variations falling within the scope of the inventive concept defined by the claims.

[0077] Within this scope, all details may be replaced by equivalent elements, and materials, shapes, and dimensions may be any.

Claims

C LAI M S1. Vessel (1 ) comprising:- at least one wall (100) defining a portion of one among a deck, a superstructure, or a bulkhead of a cabin of said vessel (1 );- a landing vehicle (10) defining a longitudinal axis (10a) from stem to bow and comprising at least one hull (11 ); and- a retaining device (2) adapted to hold said landing vehicle (10) resting on said wall (100); and characterized in that- said retaining device (2) comprises at least:- two sides (3) extending along respective development surfaces (3a), transverse to said wall (100), and connected to said wall (100) beneath two opposite portions, with respect to said longitudinal axis (10a), of said hull (11 ) so as to keep said landing vehicle (10) elevated with respect to said wall (100); and- anchoring means integrally constraining said landing vehicle (10) to each said side (3).

2. Vessel (1 ) according to claim 1 , wherein said retaining direction (2a) is transverse to said longitudinal axis (10a).

3. Vessel (1 ) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein one or more of said development surfaces (3a) is flat.

4. Vessel (1 ) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said anchoring means include one or more ropes, and one or more of said sides (3) comprises one or more slots (30) adapted to house said one or more ropes.

5. Vessel (1 ) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein one ormore of said sides (3) extends on said development surface (3a) transversely to said wall (100) with a height between 3 cm and 7 cm.

6. Vessel (1 ) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said retaining device (2) comprises, for each said side (3), connection means (4) constraining said side (3) to said wall (100) and comprising at least one annular connector (40) and a pin (41 ) integral with said side (3) and inserted into said annular connector (40).

7. Vessel (1 ) according to claim 6, wherein said annular connector (40) is embedded in said wall (100) so as to avoid the formation of steps.

8. Vessel (1 ) according to any one of claims 6-7, wherein said pin (41 ) is removably fastened to said annular connector (40).

9. Vessel (1 ) according to any one of claims 6-8, wherein said connection means (4) comprise at least a pair of said pins (41 ) and corresponding annular connectors (40), arranged at opposite ends of said side (3) on the same side facing said wall (100).

10. Vessel (1 ) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein one or more of said sides (3) extends on said development surface (3a) transversely to said wall (100) with a height between 3 cm and 7 cm.

11. Vessel (1 ) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said object is a landing vehicle (10) defining a longitudinal axis (10a) from stem to bow and comprising at least one hull (11 ), said sides (3) are connected to said wall (100) beneath two opposite portions, with respect to said longitudinal axis (10a), of said hull (11 ) so as to keep said landing vehicle (10) elevated with respect to said wall (100), and said retaining device (2) further comprises anchoring means integrally constraining said landing vehicle (10) to each said side (3).

12. Vessel (1 ) according to claim 11 , wherein said anchoring means include one or more ropes, and one or more of said sides (3) comprises one or more slots (30) adapted to house said one or more ropes.

13. Vessel (1 ) comprising:- at least one wall (100) defining a portion of one among a deck, a superstructure, or bulkhead of a cabin of said vessel (1 );- an object; and- a retaining device (2) adapted to hold said object resting on said wall (100) and comprising at least one side (3) extending along a development surface (3a) transverse to said wall (100), and characterized in that- said retaining device (2) comprises connection means (4) constraining said side (3) to said wall (100) and comprising at least:- an annular connector (40) embedded in said wall (100) so as to avoid the formation of steps; and- a pin (41 ) integral with said side (3) inserted into said annular connector (40) so as to constrain said pin (41 ) to said annular connector (40) and thereby said side (3) to said wall (100).

14. Vessel (1 ) according to claim 13, wherein said pin (41 ) and said annular connector (40) are configured for quick coupling.

15. Vessel (1 ) according to claim 13, wherein said pin (41 ) and said annular connector (40) define a threaded reciprocal constraint.

16. Vessel (1 ) according to any one of previous claims 13-15, wherein said connection means (4) comprise at least a pair of said pins (41 ) and corresponding annular connectors (40), arranged at opposite ends of said side (3) on the sameside facing said wall (100).

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