WO2005097549A1

WO2005097549A1 - Boat roller assemblies and componentry thereof

Info

Publication number: WO2005097549A1
Application number: PCT/NZ2005/000066
Authority: WO
Inventors: Alan Edward Holt; Kenneth Charles Holt; Andrew James Clark
Original assignee: Jakaar Industries Limited
Priority date: 2004-04-06
Filing date: 2005-04-01
Publication date: 2005-10-20
Also published as: NZ532186A

Abstract

Boat roller assemblies involving bogies (16, 17) or rollers each carried on a journal (2, 14, 15) of a moulded plastic member (1, 12, 13) capable of being paired to present the journals (2, 14, 15) at pairing determined spacing (eg to avoid boat strakes) in opposed coincident or parallel directions.

Description

BOAT ROLLER ASSEMBLIES AND COMPONENTRY THEREOF

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to componentry, sub-assemblies and assemblies useful for supporting or actually supporting roller bogies (and their rollers) and/or rollers.

BACKGROUND There are a number incidences where it is appropriate to provide a support structure for rollers. One example is, for example, on boat supporting structures whether trailerable or otherwise. Another example is in respect of, for example, an endless belt conveyor. Accordingly it should be appreciated that the apparatus of the present invention has more widespread application notwithstanding the particularisation hereinafter given to its usage in respect of the support of boats when being put in the water, when out of the water or when being taken out of the water. A traditional boat trailer has various gangs of rollers mounted from the underlying trailer frame (directly or indirectly) but arrayed so as to best associate and support the boat as it rides onto the trailer, thereafter is supported on the trailer fully, and/or is being allowed to let down off the trailer. Many boats (especially with a planning hull) have strakes that need to be taken into account. Most boats also have a chine. Whilst some generic roller gang support configuration can be used for boats of a generalised type of a certain trailerable length sometimes, there is the desire to provide flexibility as to where the locus of the roll of each roller (whether a wobble roller or not) will be with respect to features of the geometry of the boat to be trailered. See for example US Patents 3917087 and 4900216. It is therefore one object of the present invention to provide components, sub- assemblies, assemblies and related methods and uses which can allow some attention to be given to that aspect. There is also a tendency to use metal components in the support of rollers or the bogies of rollers and such constructions can be complex and expensive to make and/or are difficult to maintain when one takes into account the environment in which they must operate e.g. sea water. The present invention recognises the prospect that complex components and sub-assemblies of such components are capable of being created relying upon an injectable plastics material (optionally and preferably reinforced in mould and/or post mould) so as to perform the function required thus leaving a fewer number of components to be associated with the trailer of material more prone to the adverse affects of a salt water environment. It is therefore an object (whether an alternative object or an additional object) of the present invention to provide components and assemblies of components that provide an alternative to existing components, sub-assemblies, assemblies and related uses etc.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION In one aspect the present invention consists in apparatus to support, at one end thereof, a roller or rollers ("roller(s)") or a bogie for roller(s) and, at the other end, a roller or rollers ("roller(s)") or a bogie for roller(s), wherein the body (whether of a unitary moulding or of a fabricated construction from at least two mouldings) between journals for such end support of the roller(s) and/or bogie (bogies) is at least in part of an injection moulded plastics material, and wherein each journal is at least in part unitary with the moulding providing the unitary body or a moulding forming part of the fabricated body. Preferably the moulding(s) is of a fibre including injectable plastics material. Preferably said plastics material is a thermoplastic. Optionally the journal at one or both ends can be reinforced by in mould or post mould inclusion of a reinforcing component. Optionally the body and/or one or both journal or one or more moulding fabricated to form the body and/or one or more journal can be reinforced by any of (A) in mould reinforcement (e.g. of fibres and/or in mould placed component(s)) and/or (B) post mould fitted reinforcing component(s). Preferably the body (whether unitary or fabricated) defines a general elongate axis and each journal (even if not with coincident axes) is disposed generally to the same side of that elongate axis. Preferably each journal which is to be the rotational axis of the journaled roller or bogie(s) is substantially parallel or coincident with the other. Preferably where they have the same axis they are aligned parallel to the elongate axis of the body. In some forms of the present invention the body is of a unitary construction. In some other forms the body is of a fabricated structure adapted to facilitate the adjustment of the length of the body between the journals. Preferably some complementary aspects of the mouldings of the fabricated body are provided to facilitate alignment prior to fixing by any appropriate means at a particular length and as the fabricated structure. Preferably the apparatus takes any of the forms hereinafter described with reference to any one or more of the accompanying drawings. In yet a further aspect the present invention consists in a boat roller support that comprises or includes apparatus in accordance with the present invention. In another aspect the invention is, in combination, apparatus in accordance with the present invention and any one or more of a roller, rollers, a bogie for or with roller(s) or bogies with or for roller, a roller or rollers. Preferably said combination includes, where the body is fabricated, means to fix at least two mouldings together. Preferably said fixings are adapted to fix the at least two mouldings together to define a particular length. Preferably the combination also includes fittings to hold the body to the trailer or structures thereof. In another preferred form of the present invention the aforementioned combination includes in addition attachment means whereby the body can be mounted to any support structure. In some forms such fittings and attachment means can be any one of those hereinafter discussed. In one aspect the present invention consists in apparatus to support at least a roller or rollers ("roller(s)") or at least one bogie for roller(s), wherein the apparatus is a unitary moulding having an integral journal for the or each such support of the roller(s) and/or bogie (bogies) at least in part of an injection moulded plastics material. Preferably the moulding(s) is of a fibre including injectable plastics material. Preferably said plastics material is a thermoplastic. Optionally the journal(s) can be reinforced by in mould or post mould inclusion of a reinforcing component. In yet a further aspect the present invention consists in a boat trailer reliant upon one or more apparatus or combination in accordance with the present invention. In yet a further aspect the present invention consists in a boat trailer having at least one apparatus in accordance with the present invention and the body mounted so as to present (directly or indirectly) supported rollers thereof for boat hull rolling engagement clean of the strakes (if any) of a likely boat to be received thereby. Preferably the adjustment has been by means of the place of fitment and/or the length of body provided between the journals. The invention also consists in related uses and methods.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Preferred forms of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a three dimensional rendering of one of two components (that component not shown to be almost a mirror image of the one shown) which can co-act so as to provide a body with the two elongate regions of the two mouldings, each to present in opposite directions, a journal, axle or the like ("journal") for roller(s) or a bogie for rollers, Figures 2, 3 and 4 show a different embodiment to that of Figure 1 but having some similarities to that of Figure 1 in that there is the offsetting of the rotational axis to be provided by the j ournal , Figure 5 is a cross section [such as for example at C-C of a component such as or of a different embodiment to that of Figures 2 to 4] showing how, on the right hand side, ridges defined in one body region of a component can each be keyed for guided sliding movement into a corresponding groove or recess of the other, and how in each instance, an outwardly extending flange is provided which has the effect of covering any head or the like of any bolt and nut combination that might be provided through the components (not shown), Figure 6 shows a view from above of two roller gangs, the bogie of each of which is supported by its journal from one of two moulded components, the two moulded components together providing a fabricated body with journals directed oppositely but preferably substantially parallel to each other (but not necessarily so), Figure 7 is a view of the arrangement of Figure 6 from below, the plate if desired corresponding to or being a member capable of attachment directly to a framing member (e.g. by welding) or under a framing member of a trailer frame, it being shown how the two body regions of each moulded component co-act to provide an overall body length with the journals offset from the elongate axis of each moulded component, Figure 8 shows a different embodiment of that component previously shown in

Figure 2, such a component having a variation which will differently limit the articulation of a bogie (not shown) on the end thereof and which has (as will be described by reference to further drawings) thicker walls, Figure 9 is another view of the component shown of Figure 8, Figure 10 is a section of the component of Figures 8 and 9 showing the thicker wall regions for strength purposes, Figure 11 is the complementary member with strengthened walls and different limits for bogie manipulation to complement the component of Figures 8 through 10, Figure 12 is another view of the component of Figure 1 1 , and Figure 13 is a section of the component of Figures 1 1 and 12, the sections of

Figures 10 and 13 (albeit with thicker wall features) corresponding to those shown mated as Figure 5.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention will now be described with reference to boat roller gangs and related aspects but the apparatus of the present invention could equally be applicable to underlying support of, for example, a rubber belt conveyor or other structure that is to run on rollers, wheels or the like. As previously stated in relation to boat roller applications or any equivalent support structure preferably there are rollers or bogied rollers that work cooperatively so as to preferably conform to the changing hull shape by a number of means. By way of example to Figure 6 and 7 it can be seen that each of the two oppositely directed (but preferably parallel and preferably offset journals) is supporting its bogie and the rollers individually can rotate relative to axle members or journals of the bogie and may individually be able to wobble on such axle journal or the like member even if the bogie itself is not wobble mounted on the journal of the apparatus of the present invention. In a preferred form of the present invention, the apparatus is preferably of one or two components. If of one component it would be provided with one or two journals of the kind herein described. An option is a single body member having a journal at each end preferably offset at each end in a manner as shown offset at one end only in the component of Figure 1. The component of Figure 1 is a component moulded by endwise injection into appropriate tooling with a suitable injectable plastics material carrying reinforcing fibres, such end injection having the effect of providing appropriate alignment of the reinforcing fibres at areas requiring reinforcement. As shown in Figure 1, by way of example, the component has a body region I having a general elongate axis II from which axis II the journal axle or the like member 2 ("journal") projects. Shown through the body are a plurality of openings 3 and a top side flange 4 which has the effect of ensuring where a roller or bogied gang of rollers is supported by the journal 2 of providing some measure of coverage of a bolt end or nut that might hold the component to a complementary almost mirrored component whilst presenting the roller(s) or gang of rollers sufficiently upwardly from any underlying support surface. Figures 2 to 4 show another embodiment having preferably a solid or almost solid journal 5, openings 6 and side extending members 7 which work, for example, as shown in Figure 5 as a male ridge or the like for sliding in recesses in a complementary almost mirror imaged member 8 thereby to facilitate adjustment of distance between the respective journals 5 (and 5A - not shown) of the complementary component 8 (preferably similarly formed by injecting moulding of a suitable thermoplastics material preferably reinforced in mould and/or post mould). Preferred materials of the present invention include a glass fibre filled nylon material (e.g. with for example, glass fibres of, for example, 5mm length). Preferably end injection is used to provide the component from the end 9 of the journal. This has the effect of providing requisite alignment of such fibres as they flow into the tooling and such alignment persists not only in the journal 5 itself and the offset transition part 10 but throughout the lattice type structure shown generally as 1 1 in Figure 4. Other suitable materials can be used but preferably it is a thermoplastic material capable (with or without fibre or other reinforcement) of providing the requisite outcome. A polyester such as for example PBT could be used. Other materials include polyurethane, polyurethane modified nylon, and ABS. Suitable reinforcements include short length or longer runs of a fibrous material such as for example glass, KEVLAR™ material, carbon fibre, etc. A combination of about 5mm long glass fibres in a suitable nylon material is believed to have the requisite strength and durability under the abuses of the use to which a single journaled or double journaled component (unitary or assembled) is to provide. Envisaged within the present invention is the moulding of a reinforcing component such as, for example, a steel pin or the like inside of the journal 5 and into and in part along the transition 10 and the commencement of the body region.

Alternatively such a pin or other reinforcement member could be inserted post moulding but that is less desired. A person skilled in the art will appreciate also how reinforcement forms can be created and be inserted in the mould to be enveloped by the injectable material during a suitable moulding process. Any form is appropriate for that. Figure 6 shows rollers of any appropriate type typified by those of, for example, New Zealand Patent Specification No. 504517, and New Zealand Registered Design Nos. 23843, 400623, 400661, 400671, 400712 and 400892 or US Patent Specification No. 4210235. In the arrangement as shown in Figures 6 and 7 you will note complementary body regions 12 and 13 coacting to define a fabricated body between spaced apart journals 14 (of component 13) and 15 (of component 12) such that the pivot axes of the respective journals 14 and 15 are preferably substantially parallel but not coincident but each is preferably raised the same distance above the respective elongate general axis of the body region of its moulding (such as that of a kind described as II in Figure 1). The bogie 16 or 17 is preferably also of a plastics material preferably selected from the materials previously mentioned. The preferred material is fibre reinforced nylon. It matters not whether or not the bogie 16 or 17 is itself tightly located on the respective journal 14 or 15 or is allowed to wobble thereon in a manner a?kin to that described in the aforementioned Patents Specification and Registered Designs. It is preferred however that each bogie arrangement has on its outstanding axle ends or journals wobble rollers capable of operating in a range of different conditions so as to conform to the hull shape of a boat as it is taken aboard and or let down from a boat trailer. A person skilled in the art will appreciate how, by way of example, the plate 18 can be fixed by any appropriate means to an underlying support structure of a boat trailer and the U bolts 19 associated therewith (nuts not being shown in Figure 7) so as to hold the structure to the frame of the boat trailer (not shown) and to hold each of the body components 12 and 13 in juxtaposition as shown. A person skilled in the art will appreciate how preferably the distance between the journals 14 and 15 is locked in place by preferably a use (not shown in Figure 7 and 8) of a pinning through aligned openings such as 6. In the embodiment of Figures 8 through 13 thicker sections of the walls are shown as well as different formations 20 and 21. The transition to each journal 22 and 23 is also strengthened and the respective limit formations 20 and 21 for bogie movement restriction differs to that of Figures 1 to 4. Whilst preferred forms of the present invention have been described by reference to a telescopic body such telescopic body is unnecessary. The present invention therefore envisages unitary moulded components whether in mould reinforced and/or post mould reinforced which provides the journaling capability for one or two rollers or roller gangs (e.g. the bogies thereof or otherwise). It is believed that the present invention will provide a durable cheap to manufacture alternative to existing assemblies for the purpose or purposes previously described.

Claims

CLAIMS: 1. Apparatus to support, at one end thereof, a roller or rollers ("roller(s)") or a bogie for roller(s) and, at the other end, a roller or rollers ("roller(s)") or a bogie for roller(s), wherein the body (whether of a unitary moulding or of a fabricated construction from at least two mouldings) between journals for such end support of the roller(s) and/or bogie (bogies) is at least in part of an injection moulded plastics material, and wherein each journal is at least in part unitary with the moulding providing the unitary body or a moulding forming part of the fabricated body.

2. Apparatus of claim 1 wherein the moulding(s) is of a fibre including injectable plastics material.

3. Apparatus of claim 1 or 2 wherein said plastics material is a thermoplastic.

4. Apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein the journal at one or both ends can be reinforced by in mould or post mould inclusion of a reinforcing component.

5. Apparatus of the preceding claims wherein the body and/or one or both journal or one or more moulding fabricated to form the body and/or one or more journal is reinforced by any of (A) in mould reinforcement (i.e of fibres and/or in mould placed component(s)) and/or (B) post mould fitted reinforcing component(s). 6. Apparatus of any one of the preceding claims wherein the body (whether unitary or fabricated) defines a general elongate axis and each journal (even if not with coincident axes) is disposed generally to the same side of that elongate axis.

7. Apparatus of any one of the preceding claims wherein the journal which is to be the rotational axis of the journaled roller or bogie(s) at one end is substantially parallel or coincident with the other.

8. Apparatus of claim 7 wherein, where the journals have the same axis, they are aligned parallel to the elongate axis of the body.

9. Apparatus of any one of the preceding claims wherein the body is of a unitary construction. 10. Apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 8 wherein the body is of a fabricated structure adapted to facilitate the adjustment of the length of the body between the journals. - lu ¬

l l. Apparatus of claim 10 wherein complementary aspects of the mouldings of the fabricated body are provided to facilitate alignment prior to fixing by any appropriate means at a particular length and as the fabricated structure.

12. Apparatus of any one of the preceding claims substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to any one or more of the accompanying drawings.

13. In combination, apparatus in accordance with any one of the preceding claims and any one or more of a roller, rollers, a bogie for or with roller(s) or bogies with or for a roller, a roller or rollers.

14. A combination of claim 13 which includes, where the body is fabricated at least one fitting, to fix at least two mouldings of the body together.

15. A combination of claim 14 wherein said fixing(s) is (are) adapted to fix the at least two mouldings together to define a particular length.

16. A combination of any one of claims 13 to 15 which includes fittings to hold the body to a trailer or structures thereof. 17. A combination of claim 14, 15 or 16 wherein such fitting(s) and/or attachment means can be any one of those herein discussed with or without reference to any one or more of the accompanying drawings.

18. Apparatus to support at least a roller or rollers ("roller(s)") or at least one bogie for roller(s), wherein the apparatus is a unitary moulding having an integral journal for the or each such support of the roller(s) and/or bogie (bogies) at least in part of an injection moulded plastics material.

19. Apparatus of claim 18 wherein the moulding(s) is of a fibre including injectable plastics material. 20. Apparatus of claim 18 or 19 wherein said plastics material is a thermoplastic.

21. Apparatus of any one of claims 18 to 20 wherein the journal is reinforced by in mould or post mould inclusion of a reinforcing component.

22. Apparatus of any one of claims 18 to 21 substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to any one or more of the accompanying drawings. 23. A boat roller support that comprises or includes apparatus in accordance with any one of the preceding claims.

24. A boat trailer reliant upon one or more apparatus or combination in accordance with any one of claims 1 to 22.

25. A boat trailer having at least one apparatus in accordance with any one of claims 1 to 22 and the body mounted so as to present (directly or indirectly) supported rollers thereof adjustable for boat hull rolling engagement clean of the strakes (if any) of a likely boat to be received thereby.

26. A boat trailer of claim 25 wherein, to avoid strakes, adjustment has been by means of the place of fitment and/or the length of body provided between the journals.