IP Library Granted Patent US 11,377,177
Granted Patent B2
US 11,377,177 · App. 17/062,257 · Granted Jul 5, 2022

Personal watercraft

Inventors: Toshio Araki (Akashi, JP); Yu Shibuta (Kobe, JP); Atsuko Arai (Himeji, JP)
Assignee: KAWASAKI MOTORS, LTD.
B63B34/10B63B3/48B63B3/68B63B11/02B63B21/22B63H11/04
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,377,177
App. No.
17/062,257
Granted
Jul 5, 2022
Kind
B2
Abstract

A personal watercraft includes: a watercraft body including a cargo-carrying surface; and at least one anchor rail mounted on the watercraft body, the anchor rail being adjacent to the cargo-carrying surface and exposed to an environment outside the watercraft body.

Claims (59)

1. A personal watercraft comprising:

a watercraft body comprising a cargo-carrying surface; and

at least one anchor rail mounted on the watercraft body, the at least one anchor rail being adjacent to the cargo-carrying surface and exposed to an environment outside the watercraft body, wherein

the at least one anchor rail comprises an outwardly facing surface exposed to the environment outside the watercraft body, and

the at least one anchor rail is secured to the watercraft body in such a manner that the outwardly facing surface is recessed relative to the cargo-carrying surface to form a recess or that the outwardly facing surface is flush with the cargo-carrying surface.

2. The personal watercraft according to claim 1 , further comprising a seat on which a user sits, wherein

the watercraft body further comprises a seat support supporting the seat,

the cargo-carrying surface is located rearward of the seat and faces upward, and

the at least one anchor rail mounted on the watercraft body is located rearward of the seat.

3. The personal watercraft according to claim 1 , wherein

the cargo-carrying surface faces upward,

the recess is a downward recess, and

the cargo-carrying surface comprises a region located outward of the at least one anchor rail in a left-right direction and inclined downward toward the at least one anchor rail.

4. The personal watercraft according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one anchor rail includes a pair of anchor rails extending in a front-rear direction and spaced apart from each other in a left-right direction.

5. A personal watercraft comprising:

a watercraft body comprising a cargo-carrying surface; and

at least one anchor rail mounted on the watercraft body, the at least one anchor rail being adjacent to the cargo-carrying surface and exposed to an environment outside the watercraft body, wherein

the at least one anchor rail includes a pair of anchor rails extending in a front-rear direction and spaced apart from each other in a left-right direction, and

each anchor rail is inclined to extend rearward and downward when the personal watercraft is at rest on water.

6. The personal watercraft according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one anchor rail includes a pair of anchor rails extending in a left-right direction and spaced apart from each other in a front-rear direction.

7. A personal watercraft comprising:

a watercraft body comprising a cargo-carrying surface; and

at least one anchor rail mounted on the watercraft body, the at least one anchor rail being adjacent to the cargo-carrying surface and exposed to an environment outside the watercraft body, wherein

the watercraft body comprises a receiving groove in which the at least one anchor rail is placed,

a longitudinal length of the receiving groove is greater than a longitudinal length of the at least one anchor rail, and

a longitudinal end of the at least one anchor rail is located closer to a center of the watercraft body than a longitudinal end of the receiving groove in a direction along the longitudinal length of the receiving groove.

8. The personal watercraft according to claim 7 , further comprising a filler placed in the receiving groove and covering the longitudinal end of the at least one anchor rail, wherein the filler is removably secured to the watercraft body.

9. The personal watercraft according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one anchor rail comprises: a receiving plate exposed to the environment outside the watercraft body; and a slit formed in the receiving plate and extending in a longitudinal direction of the at least one anchor rail.

10. The personal watercraft according to claim 9 , wherein the at least one anchor rail comprises: a rail main portion comprising the receiving plate and the slit and defining an anchor space, the anchor space communicating with the environment outside the watercraft body through the slit and extending in the longitudinal direction of the at least one anchor rail; and a reinforcing portion located outward of the rail main portion in a width direction of the slit and connected to a side surface of the rail main portion, the reinforcing portion forming a closed cross-section together with the rail main portion.

11. The personal watercraft according to claim 10 , further comprising a fastener securing the at least one anchor rail to the watercraft body, wherein the fastener secures the reinforcing portion to the watercraft body.

12. The personal watercraft according to claim 11 , wherein

the reinforcing portion comprises a bottom plate in contact with the watercraft body and the outwardly facing surface lying side-by-side with the slit and exposed to the environment outside the watercraft body,

the fastener comprises a shaft portion and a head portion located at an end of the shaft portion, and

the at least one anchor rail further comprises a collar held between the head portion of the fastener and the bottom plate of the reinforcing portion.

13. The personal watercraft according to claim 12 , wherein the collar has a length such that a surface of the head portion of the fastener does not project from the outwardly facing surface to the environment outside the watercraft body.

14. The personal watercraft according to claim 2 , wherein

the watercraft body comprises:

a hull comprising a back surface provided with a pump opening through which a water jet pump is exposed to an environment behind the watercraft body;

a base deck covering the hull from above and secured to the hull, the base deck comprising the seat support and a rear deck surface located rearward of the seat, the rear deck surface facing upward; and

an additional deck comprising the cargo-carrying surface and secured to the base deck to cover the rear deck surface,

the at least one anchor rail is mounted on the additional deck, and

the additional deck comprises a projecting portion extending rearward beyond the hull and the base deck.

15. The personal watercraft according to claim 14 , further comprising an upper fastener, wherein

the additional deck comprises a receiving groove in which the at least one anchor rail is placed from above,

a lower surface of a bottom wall of the receiving groove is in contact with the rear deck surface of the base deck,

a lower surface of the at least one anchor rail is in contact with an upper surface of the bottom wall of the receiving groove, and

the upper fastener fastens the at least one anchor rail, the additional deck, and the base deck together at the bottom wall of the receiving groove.

16. The personal watercraft according to claim 14 , further comprising a side fastener, wherein

the additional deck covers a rear portion of a gunwale line where the hull and the base deck are connected, and

the side fastener fastens the additional deck, the base deck, and the hull together at the rear portion of the gunwale line.

17. The personal watercraft according to claim 14 , wherein

the additional deck comprises:

an upper panel covering the rear deck surface of the base deck from above and having a projecting portion extending rearward beyond the back surface of the hull; and

a lower panel covering the projecting portion of the upper panel from below and secured to the upper panel, and

the upper and lower panels cover a rear portion of a gunwale line from above and below, respectively, the gunwale line being where the hull and the base deck are connected.

18. The personal watercraft according to claim 17 , wherein

the lower panel comprises a lower surface located above the pump opening and a pair of gussets projecting downward from the lower surface of the lower panel, and

the gussets are located to the left and right, respectively, of the pump opening and are in contact with the back surface of the hull.

19. The personal watercraft according to claim 2 , wherein the watercraft body comprises: a pair of foot rest surfaces located to the left and right, respectively, of the seat support and extending in a front-rear direction; and a partition located between the cargo-carrying surface and the pair of foot rest surfaces and projecting upward with respect to the cargo-carrying surface and the foot rest surfaces.

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 7, 2022
From: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
To: KAWASAKI MOTORS, LTD.
Reel/Frame 059630/0169 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Oct 2, 2020
From: ARAKI, TOSHIO; SHIBUTA, YU; ARAI, ATSUKO
To: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
Reel/Frame 053963/0856 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20220106022A1 · Apr 7, 2022
Cited By (1)
US 12,258,103