Inflatable Boarding Ladder and Rescue Device

The invention relates to inflatable ladders and inflatable rescue devices and more specifically to inflatable boarding ladders for swimmers to board boats from the water.

Boarding a boat from a swimming position in the water can be a difficult task at best. Existing metal or wooden ladders often extend only a short distance below the water surface and have poor support for the feet. Boarding in rough seas can be near impossible and very hazardous for a person overboard. He may be struck by the rigid moving ladder or thrown from it.

Rescue devices such as lifting slings are time consuming and difficult to use. They still subject the victim to injury through the movements of the boat and swinging of the lifting tackle in rough seas. Existing stern ladders can be very difficult to unlatch from the water and can strike the victim in a self rescue operation.

Additionally, existing ladders are bulky and can present a storage problem. Generally, they cannot be mounted ready for use when the boat is underway. They must be retrieved from the storage area and mounted when a rescue is required. This expends valuable time and effort.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,411,166 describes an inflatable boarding ladder and paddle combination for boats. It illustrates shortcomings of prior art with inflatable boarding ladders. The ladder mounts at a single point, has no ballast and is free to be blown about by wind and sea. It does not have an articulating, partially submerged, lower section as the present invention and would be extremely difficult to use in rough seas.

It is an object of this invention to set forth novel boarding means which overcome the aforementioned problems and provide improved safety and convenience, thereby saving lives and reducing injuries.

It is particularly an object of this invention to provide an inflatable boarding means which is easy to stow, easy to mount, easy to deploy and which provides easy access to board the boat from the water.

A further object of the invention is to provide a ladder that adjusts and conforms to various and changing deck heights above the water.

A further object of the invention is to provide ladder stabilizing by a partially submerged platform in an articulating lower section onto which a victim may swim for support and ease of access.

A further object of the invention is to provide a boat boarding means which can be deployed with minimum effort.

Further objects of this invention, as well as novel features thereof, will become apparent by reference to the following description and drawings which are merely illustrative of such invention.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the boarding ladder mounted on the side of a boat in its soft case and ready to deploy.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the boarding ladder deployed and inflated.

FIG. 3 is and end view of the hinge configuration for the articulating joint between the lower and upper ladder sections.

FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view of one end of the telescoping girt bar shown engaging the mounting brackets with a cam lock positioning the extended rod.

FIG. 5 is an end view of the mounting bracket with the telescoping girt bar engaged.

FIG. 6 is a sectional side view of the ballast chamber forming a part of the lower ladder section.

FIG. 7 illustrates a foot operated pump that can be utilized to inflate the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of an alternate configuration of the present invention showing the lower articulating section of the ladder mounted directly to the boat.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view showing a partially rigid insert inside a hollow step.

With further reference to the drawings, the overall ladder assembly is generally indicated by the numeral 10, the upper ladder section by numeral 20, the lower ladder section by numeral 30, the ladder attachment assembly by numeral 40 and the ladder enclosure by numeral 50.

Attachment to the deck 47 of the boat, as in FIGS. 1 and 2, is by brackets 44 engaging the telescoping ends 43 of a bar 42 passing through a girt sleeve 41 in the upper end of the ladder 20. This arrangement permits the upper ladder 20 to pivot about the edge of the deck. The upper ladder 20 is deployed on the side 48 of the boat. As shown in FIG. 4, the telescoping ends 43 are locked in position in the tubular bar 42 by turning the ends 43 to engage the cam 46 which has a surface with a high coefficient of friction. The cam 46 is essentially circular but rotates on an off centered pin 45 to cause the camming. As shown in FIG. 5, the brackets 44 are typically attached to the deck 47 by bolts, nuts and washers 48. The mounting provisions for the low freeboard alternative shown in FIG. 8 is identical to the above except that the mounting girt sleeve 41 attaches directly to the lower ladder section 30, the brackets 44 attach to the swimming shelf or through cockpit deck 49 and the ladder 30 is deployed off the boat transom or low free board side 48.

The ladder in the ready to deploy condition is stowed in a soft pack 51 which has edge closures such as velcro or snaps that open automatically on inflation of the ladder Sections 20 and 30 or alternatively can be readily opened by hand without tools. As shown in FIG. 7, a lanyard 22 leads from an inflation chamber containing a pressurized gas charge such as a carbon dioxide cartridge 23. Pulling the lanyard 22 activates a triggering mechanism 24 to pierce the gas cartridge and initiate inflation. Inflation can also be accomplished by a suitable air source such as a foot bellows 27, connected to the ladder through a hose 26 with standard connectors. An inlet valve 25 prevents back flow of pressurized gas. The air chambers and passages of the entire ladder are interconnected so that it may be inflated from one source. Inflation deploys the ladder 10 into position so that a swimmer may board the boat.

As shown in FIG. 2, the inflated ladder has an upper section 20 and lower section 30 with stiffening rails 11 on each side interconnected by inflatable step means 12 and ladder backs 14. The step means may contain rigidizing inserts 15, as shown in FIG. 9, so that they may be soft, semi-rigid or rigid. They could also comprise pockets or foot holds formed into the ladder backs, 14. Handhold means such as hand grips 13 are attached to each rail 11 to provide security when climbing the ladder. A pillow section 28 provides standoff from the side of the boat 48.

The articulating lower ladder section 30 pivots about the lower end of the upper ladder section 20 through the hinges 32 and 33 shown in FIG. 3. The hinges 32 and 33 are bonded and/or sewn to the upper and lower ladder sections 20 and 30. FIG. 3 also indicates the hose 34 which interconnects air passages between ladder sections. The entire inflatable ladder 10 is free to pivot about the edge of the deck 47.

A Ballast section 35 is attached to the lower ladder section 30. As shown in FIG. 6, the ballast section 35 has baffles 37, sea water openings 36 in the walls and baffles, and may use a weight 38. The ballast section 35 permits sea water to enter when submerged. It releases water slowly when removed from the water but can be emptied completely when the lower ladder section 30 is folded back into an inverted vertical position. In addition to being ballasted, the lower ladder section 30 has tapered side rails 11. These provisions adjust the buoyancy to submerge the lower end of lower ladder section 30 in the water providing easy access for a swimmer to maneuver onto the ladder 10. As the swimmer applies his weight, the lower end of ladder section 30 sinks and assumes an attitude more toward vertical as indicated by the dash lines FIGS. 2 and 8. The steps may then be easily climbed to get aboard. The submergence of the lower end of lower ladder section 30 also stabilizes the entire ladder 10 so that it is not easily thrown about by wind and sea.

To stow the ladder 10, it is deflated by opening the deflation orifice(s) at valve 25 and squeezing the air chambers to expel the air. If a vacuum source is available, this may be attached through standard connectors and used to purge the air rapidly. If the carbon dioxide cartridge 23 has been expended, it may be replaced in the inflation chamber. The deflated ladder 10 is folded up and the soft pack 51 is closed. The ladder is then in the ready-to-deploy configuration, as shown in FIG. 1. It may be left mounted if it is at a location that does not interfere with other boat functions. Otherwise, the telescoping ends 43 of bar 42 may be retracted and disengaged from the mounting brackets 44. The ladder 10 in its soft pack 51 may then be stowed in a compartment or alternatively in a hard case attached to the exterior of the boat.

While we have described our invention in connection with a specific embodiment thereof, it is clearly understood that this is done only by way of example and not as a limitation to the scope of our invention as set forth in the objects thereof and in the claims.