Pneumatic Jack for Boat Cover Tautness and Water Pooling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing boat cover support systems, such as mechanical telescopic supports, are cumbersome, unreliable, and cause wear on boat covers, while complete frame and tarp assemblies are expensive and impractical for short-term storage, leading to issues with water pooling.
Innovation Solution
A pneumatically controlled jack device system using an inflatable air bladder, airline, and two-way valve that allows external control to inflate and deflate the air bladder, keeping the boat cover taut and minimizing water pooling, with a portable and easy-to-use design.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If mechanical telescopic supports are used to keep boat covers taut, then the cover remains supported, but the supports cause extensive wear on the boat cover and are unreliable
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a pneumatic jack with an inflatable bladder to support the boat cover instead of mechanical telescopic supports. The bladder is inflated with air through a pump to lift and support the cover, eliminating direct mechanical contact and wear on the cover material while providing reliable support.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical telescopic support system with a pneumatic system. Instead of using mechanical components that directly contact and wear the boat cover, the invention uses air pressure to provide support, substituting mechanical interaction with pneumatic interaction.
2Reliability
If two mechanical telescopic supports are used to pull boat cover taut, then the cover is supported, but it becomes exceedingly difficult to keep the supports standing while installing the cover
Solution Approach 1:
The patent allows the boat cover to be installed first in its normal position, and then the pneumatic jack is activated afterward to provide support. This preliminary installation followed by support activation eliminates the difficulty of trying to balance and position multiple supports during the installation process.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a single pneumatic jack instead of two mechanical supports, dividing the support function into one reliable pneumatic component rather than multiple interacting mechanical components that must be balanced during installation.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If complete frame and tarp assemblies are used over boats, then water pooling is prevented, but the assemblies are expensive, large, cumbersome, and time-consuming to store, handle, and install
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the essential support function from the complete frame and tarp assembly, using only a single pneumatic jack to provide the necessary support. This eliminates the need for expensive, cumbersome complete assemblies while maintaining water pooling prevention capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a flexible inflatable bladder instead of a rigid frame structure. The bladder can be easily stored when deflated and quickly inflated when needed, providing the same water pooling prevention function without the complexity and bulk of complete frame assemblies.
4Reliability
If mechanical telescopic supports are used to support boat covers, then the cover is kept taut, but the supports fall over after storage period, defeating their purpose
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a pneumatic jack with an inflatable bladder that can be filled with air to provide stable support. The pneumatic system maintains consistent support pressure without the mechanical instability and falling issues that plague telescopic supports during extended storage periods.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system effectively prevents water pooling, reduces installation complexity, and is more cost-effective and practical for various storage durations, including overnight and weekly storage, by allowing external control of the cover's tautness.
Implementation Method 1
The pump nozzle and airline are adapted for fluid communication of air from the pump to the internal air chamber to selectively inflate the air bladder when the boat cover is secured over the boat
Data Source
AI summary
A jack device, system, and method pulls boat covers taut and protects against water pooling. An inflatable cylinder, when deflated, is positioned under a boat cover which is snapped into place. An inflating line extends from the cylinder to outside the boat. The cylinder is inflated through the line, from outside the boat, with the cover snapped in place. The cover is pulled taut and the inflating stops.