FASTENING SEAT

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a supporting upright for solar roofing and related fastening seat.

Background Art

More particularly, but not exclusively, the present invention relates to a supporting upright for solar roofing for use aboard boats.

In the nautical field, it is in fact common practice to use boat-mounted solar roofing that at least partly shields from the sun’s rays and create shaded areas in order to make the experience on board more pleasant for passengers and/or crew members.

Generally, such solar roofing has different geometric conformation and/or nature depending on the area of the boat they are to cover.

For example, in the event that it is necessary to shade the boat’s bridge, curtains attached to the side bulwarks are provided which are stretched or folded as needed.

If, on the other hand, the area to be shaded is a portion of the bow or stem, solar roofing can be provided generally in the shape of a parasol or a fan, supported by appropriate supporting uprights associated with the boat at predefined points.

Generally, the supporting uprights for solar roofing comprise a main body, having a substantially cylindrical conformation and provided with a lower portion, which is associated with the floor of the boat, and with an upper portion facing, in use, upwards and with which the solar roofing is associated.

In the recreational boating industry, particularly in the case of luxury boats, there is an increasing need to keep the deck area as free as possible from items that are not strictly necessary.

In particular, since there is generally little usable space on the boat dock, it is clearly desirable that the outdoor flooring be walkable and usable almost completely without the presence of obstructions such as, e.g., the supporting devices of solar roofing. For this reason, it is usual to temporarily mount the supporting uprights on the flooring of the boat by inserting the lower portion in a removable maimer into appropriate fastening seats, cut into the floor of the boat.

In this way, the supporting uprights can be attached to the floor of the boat only when the solar roofing is to be used, and the uprights themselves can be removed when the solar roofing themselves are no longer needed.

However, the supporting uprights of known type do have some drawbacks which are mainly related to the difficulties encountered during their use.

These difficulties are mainly related to the low stiffness of the uprights, which, oftentimes, tend to flex, especially when they have to hold particularly heavy solar roofing and/or in special weather and/or sailing conditions.

For example, when there are strong gusts of wind and/or when the boat’s cruising speed is high, the solar roofing and/or the supporting uprights are hit by strong air currents which often lead to bending or breaking of the uprights.

To overcome at least part of these drawbacks, it is common practice to install a large number of supporting uprights so as to distribute the weight of the solar roofing over several holding points and/or to reinforce the uprights themselves through consolidation elements of the metallic type.

Such construction choices, however, result in higher production and installation costs of the supporting uprights.

Additionally, to install numerous supporting uprights it is necessary to provide for numerous fastening seats, which can worsen the aesthetic appearance of the boat and/or limit the use of flooring.

Description of the Invention

The main aim of the present invention is to devise a supporting upright for solar roofing and a related fastening seat which can be used easily and smoothly under all conditions of use.

Another object of the present invention is to devise a supporting upright for solar roofing and a related fastening seat which have a good level of mechanical resistance to external stresses.

Within the scope of this object, the present invention devises a supporting upright for solar roofing and a related fastening seat which have a good level of rigidity and are sparsely flexible, especially when associated with very heavy solar roofing and/or lashed by very strong winds and/or when the boat is traveling at high speed.

Another object of the present invention is to devise a supporting upright for solar roofing and a related fastening seat which allows reducing the relevant production and installation costs.

A further object of the present invention is to devise a supporting upright for solar roofing and a related fastening seat which allow the supporting upright to be associated with the boat in a quick, easy and smooth maimer.

Still, another object of the present invention is to devise a supporting upright for solar roofing and a related fastening seat which allow functional use of the boat’s flooring and have a reduced impact on the aesthetics of the boat itself.

Another object of the present invention is to devise a supporting upright for solar roofing and a related fastening seat which allow the mentioned drawbacks of the prior art to be overcome within the framework of a simple, rational, easy and effective to use as well as cost-effective solution.

The aforementioned objects are achieved by this supporting upright for solar roofing having the characteristics of claim 1.

The aforementioned objects are also achieved by a fastening seat for a supporting upright of a roofing having the characteristics of claim 13.

Brief Description of the Drawings

Other characteristics and advantages of the supporting upright for solar roofing and of the related fastening seat will be more apparent from the description of some preferred, but not exclusive, embodiments illustrated by way of an indicative, yet non-limiting example, in the accompanying tables of drawings in which:

Figure 1 is an axonometric, partly enlarged view of an upright according to the invention made according to a first embodiment and associated with a fastening seat according to the invention;

Figure 2 is an axonometric, partly sectioned view of the upright in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an axonometric, partly sectioned view of an upright according to the invention made according to a second embodiment;

Figure 4 is a top view of the fastening seat according to the invention;

Figures 5 and 6 show some working phases which are expected during the insertion of the upright according to the invention into the fastening seat according to the invention.

Embodiments of the Invention

With particular reference to these figures, reference numeral 1 globally denotes a supporting upright for solar roofing.

Within the scope of this disclosure, it has been assumed that the upright 1 is usable in a recreational boating unit and, more specifically, is intended to be connected to the flooring of such a boating unit in a removable manner.

Generally, a recreational boating unit comprises a hull, a bow portion and a stem portion connected to each other by a flooring and side bulwarks which define the interior space of the boat.

This particular descriptive choice should not be considered limiting but only illustrative of a particular use of the upright 1.

In fact, alternative and different uses of the upright 1 cannot be ruled out where, e.g. it is applied to the flooring of a terrace and/or of a garden.

Again, the possibility of associating the upright 1 with a vertical wall cannot be ruled out.

The upright 1 comprises at least one hollow main body 2 defining a containment volume 3 and having an elongated conformation.

The main body 2 is provided with a lower engagement portion 4, intended to be associated with the flooring or with the wall of a nautical unit, and with an upper holding portion 5 for an extensible sheet of a solar roofing.

In the particular embodiments shown in the figures, the main body 2 has a substantially cylindrical conformation and extends along a main axis A.

Alternative embodiments of the upright 1 cannot however be ruled out wherein the main body 2 may be conformed differently and wherein, e.g., it may have triangular or rectangular cross section.

When the upright 1 is associated with the flooring of a boat, the main axis A is substantially vertical.

In the remainder of this disclosure, the lower engagement portion 4 and how it is connected to the flooring of the boat will be described in detail.

The upper holding portion 5, in use, faces upwards, and one or more solar roofing, not shown in the figures, are associated therewith through appropriate attachment means, also not shown in the figures.

According to the invention, the main body 2 comprises consolidation means 6 having a longitudinal extension along at least one portion of the containment volume 3.

The presence of the consolidation means 6 makes the upright 1 more rigid than the uprights of known type and gives it high mechanical resistance to any external forces operating on the upright 1 itself.

Particularly, the upright 1 bends minimally even when it is subjected to particularly violent air currents and/or when the cruising speed reached by the boat is particularly high.

This makes it possible to keep the position of the solar roofing associated with the upright substantially unchanged under all weather and/or navigation conditions.

Still according to the invention, the main body 2 and the consolidation means 6 are made at least partly of a composite material.

Preferably, the composite material is selected out of the list comprising: kevlar, carbon fiber, glass fiber.

This particular technical expedient makes it possible to have a mechanically rigid but lightweight upright 1.

Advantageously, the consolidation means 6 comprise at least one reinforcing element 6 having a longitudinal extension coinciding with the longitudinal extension of the main body 2.

In other words, the reinforcing element 6 has a length substantially equal to the length of the main body 2.

In this way, the upright 1 can be evenly consolidated along its overall longitudinal extension.

Preferably, the reinforcing element 6 is placed inside the containment volume 3 so that it is not visible from the outside so as not to worsen the aesthetic appearance of the upright 1.

Preferably, the reinforcing element 6 has a slab-shaped conformation.

Figure 3 shows a second embodiment of the upright 1, wherein the components identical to the first embodiment have the same reference numbers as the first embodiment to the detailed description of which reference is fully made.

The second embodiment differs from the first embodiment mainly in that the consolidation means 6 comprise at least two reinforcing elements 6.

Conveniently, the reinforcing elements 6 are arranged transversely to each other. Preferably, as shown in Figure 3, the reinforcing elements 6 are arranged substantially orthogonally to each other.

The fact of providing for the insertion of a pair of reinforcing elements 6 within the containment volume 3 and the fact of arranging these reinforcing elements 6 transversely to each other allows the mechanical resistance to be increased of the upright 1 to external forces operating on the upright 1 itself according to different directions.

The characteristics of the upright 1 stated and described below are to be considered common to both embodiments.

Advantageously, the lower engagement portion 4 is coupleable into a fastening seat 7 in a removable maimer made on the flooring or on the wall of the nautical unit.

Conveniently, the fastening seat 7 is intended to be at least partly fitted into the floor of the nautical unit.

The fastening seat 7 comprises at least one containment body 8 intended to receive by shape coupling the lower engagement portion 4 of the upright 1 and having an upper opening 9 adapted to allow the insertion/extraction of the lower engagement portion 4. With particular reference to the embodiments shown in the figures, the containment body 8 has a substantially cylindrical conformation and, when it is associated with the floor of the boat, it is arranged vertically with the opening 9 facing upwards.

Conveniently, the fastening seat 7 comprises attachment means 7a of the containment body 8 to the flooring of the boat.

Such attachment means 7a comprise, e.g., an attachment collar 7a associated perimeterwise with the opening 9 and arranged flush with the flooring.

In cases where the fastening seat 7 is fixed to a vertical wall, the attachment means 7a comprise, e.g., a plate, which is mounted coplanar to the vertical wall, and a connecting element positioned between the containment body 8 and the plate.

The fastening seat 7 is also provided with closing/opening means of the opening 9, which, for simplicity of representation, are not shown in the figures.

The closing/opening means are movable between an opening position, wherein they are moved away from the opening 9 making it accessible from the outside, and a closing position, wherein they are positioned on the opening 9 to close it. When the upright 1 is applied to the floor of the boat, the lower engagement portion 4 is fitted inside the containment body 8 through the opening 9.

The lower engagement portion 4 is geometrically shaped so as to fit inside the containment body 8 by shape coupling.

In detail, the lower engagement portion 4 has predetermined length and width which are proportionate to the length and width respectively, of the containment body 8.

Advantageously, the upright 1 comprises connecting means 10 associated with the lower engagement portion 4 and adapted to temporarily connect the lower engagement portion 4 to the fastening seat 7 and to mutually block them.

Preferably, the connecting means 10 are coupleable to make a “bayonet” coupling with one or more receiving means 11 of the fastening seat 7.

Specifically, the connecting means 10 comprise at least one plate-shaped element 12 projecting from the lower engagement portion 4 and intended to couple to the receiving means 11 of the fastening seat 7. Precisely, the plate-shaped element 12 is associated with the base 4a of the lower engagement portion 4 and is spaced apart from the latter to define at least one recess 13, coupleable to the receiving means 11 of the fastening seat 7.

The base 4a and the plate-shaped element 12 are substantially parallel to each other.

Conveniently, the containment body 8 comprises a back wall 14.

The receiving means 11 are made at the back wall 14.

Preferably, the receiving means 11 comprise at least one slot 15 being complementary in shape with the plate-shaped element 12, the latter abutting against the slot 15.

The slot 15 is defined on the back wall 14.

As can be seen from Figures 5 and 6, to mutually couple and block the lower engagement portion 4 and the fastening seat 7, initially, the lower engagement portion 4 is fitted into the containment body 8 by making it slide along one axis of movement M substantially parallel to and coinciding with the main axis A, by fitting the plate-shaped element 12 into the slot 15.

Next, the lower engagement portion 4 is moved in rotation around the axis of movement M, according to a first way of rotation S 1, so that the outer edge of the slot 15 is partly fitted into the recess 13.

Under these conditions, the extraction of the lower engagement portion 4 from the containment body 8 is prevented since the plate-shaped element 12 abuts and stops against the back wall 14.

As soon as it is necessary to uncouple the upright 1 from the fastening seat 7, the lower engagement portion 4 is moved in rotation around the axis of movement M according to a second way of rotation S2, opposite the first way of rotation SI. The edge of the slot 15 thus exits the recess 13 and the lower engagement portion 4 can be moved smoothly along the axis of movement M according to the way of extraction from the containment body 8.

Conveniently, the upright 1 comprises lighting means 16 fixable to at least one portion of the main body 2.

Advantageously, the main body 2 comprises at least one housing seat 17 of the lighting means 16.

With special reference to the particular embodiments shown in the figures, it can be seen that the lighting means 16 comprise a lighting bar 16.

Preferably, the lighting bar 16 is of the LED type.

Again, the housing seat 17 has a substantially elongated conformation along the main axis A.

Precisely, the housing seat 17 is of the type of a groove cut on the outer surface of the main body 2 and the lighting bar 16 is arranged inside the housing seat 17. Alternative embodiments of the upright 1 cannot however be ruled out wherein the lighting means 16 are made differently and, e.g., comprise a plurality of light fixtures, of the LED or other type, arranged in the housing seat 17 along a row developing parallel to the housing seat 17 itself.

Again, alternative embodiments of the upright 1 are provided wherein the housing seat 17 is conformed differently and, e.g., has substantially circular conformation and the lighting means 16 comprise, e.g., a single light fixture positioned in the housing seat 17 itself.

Advantageously, the upright 1 comprises power supply means adapted to transfer the electrical power supply to the lighting means 16.

Preferably, the power supply means are associated with the main body 2 and, specifically, are allocated within the containment volume 3.

In other words, the power supply means are associated with the inner surface of the main body 2 and are, e.g., associated with the inner surface of the base 4a. Conveniently, the upright 1 comprises an electrical connector adapted to transfer the electrical power supply from the power supply means to the lighting means 16.

The electrical connector is associated with the lighting means 16 and can be coupled to the power supply means.

Alternatively, the power supply means are associated with the fastening seat 7 and are, preferably, associated with the back wall 14 and facing the opening 9.

In this case, the electrical connector is made projecting from the base 4a and abuts against the power supply means when the lower engagement portion 4 is fitted inside the containment body 8.

Preferably, the connection between the electrical connector and the power supply means is of the mechanical type and, specifically, the electrical connector is pluggable by shape coupling within a housing seat obtained on the power supply means.

Alternatively, the connection between the electrical connector and the power supply means is of the magnetic type.

It has in practice been ascertained that the described invention achieves the intended objects.

In particular, the fact of providing consolidation means makes it possible to obtain a supporting upright for solar roofing provided with good mechanical resistance to external stresses.

Specifically, the upright according to the invention is also found to be poorly flexible even when associated with particularly heavy solar roofing and/or subjected to particularly strong air currents.

Additionally, the special construction material of the consolidation means and of the main body allows for a rigid yet lightweight upright.

The presence of connecting means which allow the upright to be temporarily coupled to the fastening seat allows the floor to be freely available for use when the upright is not associated with the floor.

This also makes it possible to have a supporting upright for solar roofing and of a related fastening seat with little impact on the aesthetics of the boat.

Again, the fact of providing a coupling of the “bayonet” type between the connecting means and the receiving means allows the supporting upright to be associated with the fastening seat quickly, easily and smoothly.