Title: Marine fender

Abstract: A fender for marine use is described having an outer flexible shell forming a chamber, compressible buoyant material within the chamber and a mooring fitting connected to the shell to secure the fender. The shell is composed of a single piece of homogeneous elastomeric material, having a thickened annularly shaped lip extending around an orifice providing access to the chamber for filling. The mooring fitting is formed with a cavity and the lip of the shell is captured within this cavity to secure the fitting to the shell, so that the shell permits stretching of the fender when it is pinned between two objects while a tensile force is applied to said mooring fitting. The mooring fitting captures the lip without compressing it, so that the fitting may swivel with respect to the shell while still securing the shell from separating from said fitting. The shell has a region of transition adjacent to the lip wherein the thickness of the elastomeric material gradually diminishes at increasing distances from the lip and is proportioned to minimize the stretch on the ends of the shell adjacent to the fitting.

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Inventors: Day, John T. (Winfield, MD, US)
Herder, Robert O. (Easton, MD, US)
Blockwick, Thomas N. (McLean, VA, US)
Brockman, Dan B. (Cohasset, MA, US)
Sharpe, John F. (Mansfield, MA, US)
Hildebrand, Richard W. (Lowell, MA, US)

Application Number: 833753
Filing Date: 1977-09-16
Publication_date: 1979-01-30
Assignee: Ocean Systems, Inc. (Houston, TX); Rubber Millers, Inc. (Baltimore, MD)
Primary Class(es): 114/220
Other Classes:
US Patent Ref:

2179125	Nov, 1939	Kirlin	114/219.
2737142	Mar, 1956	Andri	114/219.
3063400	Nov, 1962	Yamaguchi et al.	114/219.
3528383	Sep, 1970	Fetters	114/220.

Other Refs: 1,449,923226,101

Jul, 1966	FR
Dec, 1924	GB

Primary Examiner: Barefoot, Galen L.
Assistant Examiner: Sotelo, Jesus D.
Attorney: Hulbert; W. R.