Shallow water anchor

Abstract

A shallow water anchor to anchor a water craft in a shallow body of water comprising an anchor positioning assembly mounted on or to the water craft and an anchor member, the anchor position assembly comprises at least one anchor engaging member coupled to an anchor positioning device or drive mechanism to raise and lower the anchor member vertically between an elevated or raised position and an extended or anchored position and further includes a system control to control the operation of the anchor position assembly in raising and lowering the anchor member between the elevated or raised position and the extended or anchored position such that the anchor member is lowered to engage the bottom of the shallow body of water when the anchor member is in the anchored position to anchor the water craft and the anchor member disengages the bottom of the shallow body of water when the anchor member is raised vertically from the anchored position to permit the water craft to move about the shallow body of water.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A shallow water anchor to anchor a water craft in a shallow body of water comprising an anchor positioning assembly mounted on or to the water craft and an anchor member including an outer surface, said anchor position assembly comprises at least one anchor engaging member coupled to an anchor positioning device or drive mechanism to raise and lower said anchor member such that said anchor member is lowered to engage the bottom of the shallow body of water to anchor the water craft and said anchor member is raised to disengage the bottom of the shallow body of water to permit the water craft to move about the shallow body of water. 
     
     
         2 . The shallow water anchor of  claim 1  wherein said anchor engaging member comprises a substantially vertical disk having including a groove having an inner surface formed in a peripheral edge or circumference thereof to operatively engage said outer surface of said anchor member. 
     
     
         3 . The shallow water anchor of  claim 2  wherein said anchor positioning device or drive mechanism comprises .a reversible motor coupled to said substantially vertical disk to selectively rotate said substantially vertical disk in clockwise or counter-clockwise direction to selectively raise and lower said anchor member. 
     
     
         4 . The shallow water anchor of  claim 3  wherein said reversible motor is operatively coupled to a control device to selectively control direction of rotation of said reversible motor to raise and lower said anchor member. 
     
     
         5 . The shallow water anchor of  claim 2  further including a resilient tread disposed in said groove to operatively engage said outer surface of said anchor member. 
     
     
         6 . The shallow water anchor of  claim 2  wherein said groove comprises a rectilinear configuration including a substantially inner flat surface to engage said outer surface of said anchor member. 
     
     
         7 . The shallow water anchor of  claim 2  wherein said groove comprises a substantially arcuate configuration including a substantially concave inner surface to engage said outer surface of said anchor member. 
     
     
         8 . The shallow water anchor of  claim 2  wherein said anchor member comprises an upper elongated element including an outer surface terminating in a lower reduced anchoring element 
     
     
         9 . The shallow water anchor of  claim 8  further comprising an anchor alignment to engage said outer surface of said upper elongated element of said anchor member to maintain said anchor member in a substantially vertical position. 
     
     
         10 . The shallow water anchor of  claim 9  wherein said substantially vertical disk is at least partially disposed within a housing including a wall and said anchor alignment comprises a groove including an inner surface formed on said wall of said housing such that said outer surface of said upper elongated element of said anchor member engages said inner surface of said groove of said anchor alignment and said inner surface of said groove of said substantially vertical disk to maintain said anchor member in the substantially vertical position. 
     
     
         11 . The shallow water anchor of  claim 10  further comprises an upper anchor alignment comprising a hollow sleeve coaxially aligned with the geometric center cooperatively formed between said inner surface of said groove of said substantially vertical disk and said inner surface of said groove of said wall of said housing to receive said upper elongated element of said anchor member to further maintain said member in the substantially vertical position. 
     
     
         12 . The shallow water anchor of  claim 9  wherein said an anchor alignment comprises a rotatably substantially vertical disk including a groove having an inner surface formed in the peripheral edge or circumference thereof to operatively engage said outer surface of said anchor member opposite said outer surface of said anchor member engaged by said inner surface of said groove of said substantially vertical disk of said anchor engaging member. 
     
     
         13 . The shallow water anchor of  claim 12  further comprises an upper anchor alignment comprising a hollow sleeve coaxially aligned with the geometric center cooperatively formed between said inner surface of said groove of said substantially vertical disk and said inner surface of said groove of said wall of said housing to receive said upper elongated element of said anchor member to further maintain said member in the substantially vertical position. 
     
     
         14 . The shallow water anchor of  claim 1  wherein said anchor engaging member comprises a substantially vertical disk having a plurality of teeth or projections formed on a peripheral edge or circumference thereof to operatively engage a plurality of teeth or projections formed on said outer surface of said anchor member. 
     
     
         15 . The shallow water anchor of  claim 14  further comprising an anchor alignment to engage said outer surface of said anchor member opposite said plurality of teeth or projections to maintain said anchor member in the substantially vertical position. 
     
     
         16 . The shallow water anchor of  claim 15  wherein said substantially vertical disk is at least partially disposed within a housing including a wall and said anchor alignment comprises a groove including an inner surface formed on said wall of said housing such that said outer surface of said upper elongated element of said anchor member engages said inner surface of said anchor alignment and said inner surface of said groove of said groove of said substantially vertical disk to maintain said anchor member in the substantially vertical position. 
     
     
         17 . The shallow water anchor of  claim 1  wherein said anchor positioning assembly is at least partially disposed within a housing. 
     
     
         18 . The shallow water anchor of  claim 17  wherein said anchor positioning assembly comprises an anchor engaging assembly including a pair of counter-rotating anchor engaging members rotatably disposed within said housing and operatively coupled to said anchor positioning device or drive mechanism including a reversible motor disposed within said housing and a gear drive assembly disposed within said housing portion to cooperatively raise and lower said anchor member. 
     
     
         19 . The shallow water anchor of  claim 18  wherein each said anchor engaging member comprises a disk having a groove including an inner surface formed in the peripheral edge or circumference thereof to at least partially receive said anchor member therein. 
     
     
         20 . The shallow water anchor of  claim 19  wherein each said groove comprises a rectilinear configuration including a substantially flat inner surface to engage said outer surface of said anchor member. 
     
     
         21 . The shallow water anchor of  claim 19  wherein each said groove comprises a concave configuration including a substantially concave inner surface to engage said outer surface of said anchor member. 
     
     
         22 . The shallow water anchor of  claim 19  further includes a resilient tread disposed within said groove of each said anchor engaging member. 
     
     
         23 . The shallow water anchor of  claim 22  wherein said resilient tread includes a V-shaped design to operatively engage said outer surface of said anchor member. 
     
     
         24 . The shallow water anchor of  claim 22  wherein said anchor member includes an upper elongated portion and a lower reduced portion. 
     
     
         25 . The shallow water anchor of  claim 24  wherein said lower reduced portion comprises a blunt substantially convex tip. 
     
     
         26 . The shallow water anchor of  claim 24  wherein the horizontal distance between said resilient treads is less than the diameter of said upper elongated portion of said anchor member to grasp or squeeze said anchor member therebetween. 
     
     
         27 . The shallow water anchor of  claim 19  wherein the horizontal distance between said inner surfaces of said grooves is less than the diameter of said anchor member and said anchor member is compressible such that said anchor member is grasped or squeezed therebetween. 
     
     
         28 . The shallow water anchor of  claim 18  wherein said gear drive assembly comprises a substantially vertical counter-rotating drive gear operatively coupled to said reversible motor and said counter-rotating anchor engaging members. 
     
     
         29 . The shallow water anchor of  claim 18  further includes an upper anchor member guide including a guide hole having an inner surface formed therethrough and a lower anchor member including a guide hole having an inner surface formed therethrough mounted to or supported within said upper housing portion and a lower housing extension formed on said lower housing portion respectively such that said anchor member extends through said guide holes and said outer surface of said anchor member engages said inner surfaces of said guide holes to maintain substantially vertical alignment of said anchor member. 
     
     
         30 . The shallow water anchor of  claim 18  further including a free floating disk squeegee or wiper member movably disposed within a recess formed in said housing to wipe said outer surface of said anchor member during the raising and lowering of said anchor member. 
     
     
         31 . The shallow water anchor of  claim 30  wherein said free floating disk squeegee or wiper member includes a substantially horizontal groove formed on the outer vertical surface thereof and an inverted frustum conical hole formed through the center portion thereof aligned with said guide hole formed through said upper anchor member guide and said guide hole formed through said lower anchor member guide to receive said anchor member therethrough. 
     
     
         32 . The shallow water anchor of  claim 31  wherein the diameter of said lower circumference of said inverted frustum conical hole is slightly greater than the diameter of said anchor member and the diameter of said upper circumference of said inverted frustum conical hole is greater than that of the diameter of said anchor member. 
     
     
         33 . The shallow water anchor of  claim 1  including an input control device to control said anchor positioning drive or drive mechanism to selectively raise or lower said anchor member. 
     
     
         34 . The shallow water anchor of  claim 18  further including a system control to control the operation of the anchor position assembly to selectively raise and lower said anchor member, said system control comprises a microcontroller and input system controls to control the operation of said anchor positioning device or drive mechanism to selectively raise or lower said anchor member. 
     
     
         35 . The shallow water anchor of  claim 34  wherein said input system controls includes a keypad. 
     
     
         36 . The shallow water anchor of  claim 34  wherein said input system controls includes wireless receiver. 
     
     
         37 . The shallow water anchor of  claim 34  wherein said input system controls includes manual operator switches. 
     
     
         38 . The shallow water anchor of  claim 34  including at least an anchor position sensor assembly coupled to said microcontroller to generate a sensor signal fed to said microcontroller when said anchor member reaches a predetermined position during the raising or lower thereof and said microcontroller generates a control signal fed to said reversible motor to stop said reversible motor. 
     
     
         39 . The shallow water anchor of  claim 38  wherein said anchor position sensor assembly comprises a lower anchor member position sensor coupled to said microcontroller and a lower anchor member position sensing element coupled or mounted to said anchor member such that when in proximity relative to each other said lower anchor member position sensor element generates said sensor signal. 
     
     
         40 . The shallow water anchor of  claim 39  further including a second anchor system sensor assembly comprising an upper anchor member sensor coupled to said microprocessor and an upper anchor member positioning sensor element coupled or mounted to said anchor member such that when in proximity relative to end other said upper anchor member position sensor element generate said sensor signal. 
     
     
         41 . The shallow water anchor of  claim 38  wherein said anchor position sensor assembly comprises an upper anchor member sensor coupled to said microprocessor and an upper anchor member positioning sensor element coupled or mounted to said anchor member such that when in proximity relative to end other said upper anchor member position sensor element generate said sensor signal. 
     
     
         42 . The shallow water anchor of  claim 34  wherein said system control further includes a current sensor coupled to said microcontroller to monitor motor current of said reversible motor and to generate a current signal fed to said microcontroller when said anchor member engages the bottom of the shallow body of water and said microcontroller generates a control signal fed to said reversible motor in response to said current signal to stop said reversible motor to anchor the water craft in position. 
     
     
         43 . The shallow water anchor of  claim 42  wherein the current sensor monitors motor current to generate a second current signal fed to said microcontroller when said anchor member passes through said anchor engaging members traveling upward when said reversible motor is operating to raise said anchor member to the reverse direction of said reversible motor to lower said anchor member until said upper anchor member position sensor and said upper anchor member position sensing element are in proximity relative to each other to stop said reversible motor with said anchor member in the raised position. 
     
     
         44 . The shallow water anchor of  claim 42  wherein said system control further includes a micro-electromechanical sensor coupled to said microcontroller to sense a change in attitude of the water craft and to generate a signal fed to said microcontroller to generate a control signal fed to said reversible motor to lower said anchor member to re-establish anchor on the bottom of the shallow body of water. 
     
     
         45 . The shallow water anchor of  claim 44  wherein said system control further includes a micro-electromechanical sensor coupled to said microcontroller to sense a change in orientation of the water craft and to generate a signal fed to said microcontroller to generate a control signal fed to said reversible motor to lower said anchor member to re-establish anchor on the bottom of the shallow body of water. 
     
     
         46 . The shallow water anchor of  claim 45  wherein said system control further includes a micro-electromechanical sensor coupled to said microcontroller to sense a change in global position of the water craft and to generate a signal fed to said microcontroller to generate a control signal fed to said reversible motor to lower said anchor member to re-establish anchor on the bottom of the shallow body of water. 
     
     
         47 . The shallow water anchor of  claim 42  wherein said system control further includes a micro-electromechanical sensor coupled to said microcontroller to sense a change in global position of the water craft and to generate a signal fed to said microcontroller to generate a control signal fed to said reversible motor to lower said anchor member to re-establish anchor on the bottom of the shallow body of water. 
     
     
         48 . The shallow water anchor of  claim 47  wherein said system control further includes a micro-electromechanical sensor coupled to said microcontroller to sense a change in orientation of the water craft and to generate a signal fed to said microcontroller to generate a control signal fed to said reversible motor to lower said anchor member to re-establish anchor on the bottom of the shallow body of water. 
     
     
         49 . The shallow water anchor of  claim 42  wherein said system control further includes a micro-electromechanical sensor coupled to said microcontroller to sense a change in orientation of the water craft and to generate a signal fed to said microcontroller to generate a control signal fed to said reversible motor to lower said anchor member to re-establish anchor on the bottom of the shallow body of water. 
     
     
         50 . The shallow water anchor of  claim 1  further including a system control to control the operation of the anchor position assembly to selectively raise and lower said anchor member, said system control comprises a microcontroller and input system controls to control the operation of said anchor positioning device or drive mechanism to selectively raise or lower said anchor member. 
     
     
         51 . The shallow water anchor of  claim 50  wherein said input system controls includes a keypad. 
     
     
         52 . The shallow water anchor of  claim 50  wherein said input system controls includes wireless receiver. 
     
     
         53 . The shallow water anchor of  claim 50  wherein said input system controls includes manual operator switches. 
     
     
         54 . The shallow water anchor of  claim 50  including at least an anchor position sensor assembly coupled to said microcontroller to generate a sensor signal fed to said microcontroller when said anchor member reaches a predetermined position during the raising or lower thereof and said microcontroller generate a control signal fed to said reversible motor to stop said reversible motor. 
     
     
         55 . The shallow water anchor of  claim 54  wherein said anchor position sensor assembly comprises a lower anchor member position sensor coupled to said microcontroller and a lower anchor member position sensing element coupled or mounted to said anchor member such that when in proximity relative to each other said lower anchor member position sensor element generates said sensor signal. 
     
     
         56 . The shallow water anchor of  claim 55  further including a second anchor system sensor assembly comprising an upper anchor member sensor coupled to said microprocessor and an upper anchor member positioning sensor element coupled or mounted to said anchor member such that when in proximity relative to end other said upper anchor member position sensor element generate said sensor signal. 
     
     
         57 . The shallow water anchor of  claim 54  wherein said anchor position sensor assembly comprises an upper anchor member sensor coupled to said microprocessor and an upper anchor member positioning sensor element coupled or mounted to said anchor member such that when in proximity relative to end other said upper anchor member position sensor element generate said sensor signal. 
     
     
         58 . The shallow water anchor of  claim 50  wherein said system control further includes a current sensor coupled to said microcontroller to monitor motor current of said reversible motor and to generate a current signal fed to said microcontroller when said anchor member engages the bottom of the shallow body of water and said microcontroller generates a control signal fed to said reversible motor in response to said current signal to stop said reversible motor to anchor the water craft in position. 
     
     
         59 . The shallow water anchor of  claim 58  wherein said system control further includes a micro-electromechanical sensor coupled to said microcontroller to sense a change in attitude of the water craft and to generate a signal fed to said microcontroller to generate a control signal fed to said reversible motor to lower said anchor member to re-establish an anchor position on the bottom of the shallow body of water. 
     
     
         60 . The shallow water anchor of  claim 59  wherein said system control further includes a micro-electromechanical sensor coupled to said microcontroller to sense a change in orientation of the water craft and to generate a signal fed to said microcontroller to generate a control signal fed to said reversible motor to lower said anchor member to re-establish anchor on the bottom of the shallow body of water. 
     
     
         61 . The shallow water anchor of  claim 60  wherein said system control further includes a micro-electromechanical sensor coupled to said microcontroller to sense a change in global position of the water craft and to generate a signal fed to said microcontroller to generate a control signal fed to said reversible motor to lower said anchor member to re-establish anchor on the bottom of the shallow body of water. 
     
     
         62 . The shallow water anchor of  claim 58  wherein said system control further includes a micro-electromechanical sensor coupled to said microcontroller to sense a change in global position of the water craft and to generate a signal fed to said microcontroller to generate a control signal fed to said reversible motor to lower said anchor member to re-establish anchor on the bottom of the shallow body of water. 
     
     
         63 . The shallow water anchor of  claim 62  wherein said system control further includes a micro-electromechanical sensor coupled to said microcontroller to sense a change in orientation of the water craft and to generate a signal fed to said microcontroller to generate a control signal fed to said reversible motor to lower said anchor member to re-establish anchor on the bottom of the shallow body of water. 
     
     
         64 . The shallow water anchor of  claim 58  wherein said system control further includes a micro-electromechanical sensor coupled to said microcontroller to sense a change in orientation of the water craft and to generate a signal fed to said microcontroller to generate a control signal fed to said reversible motor to lower said anchor member to re-establish anchor on the bottom of the shallow body of water.