ALEXANDRIA, Va., March 26 -- United States Patent no. 12,258,101, issued on March 25, was assigned to MasterCraft Boat Co. LLC (Vonore, Tenn.).
"Aft-facing transom seating for a boat" was invented by Chadrick E. Curts (Lenoir City, Tenn.), Daniel P. Vieira (Madisonville, Tenn.), Rosemary M. Bennett (Seymour, Tenn.) and David F. Ekern (Knoxville, Tenn.).
According to the abstract* released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "A boat, having a transom, includes one or more aft-facing seats. Each aft-facing seat is positioned proximate to the transom and includes a seat bottom that is inclined at a downward angle in a direction extending from aft to fore, a seatback, a headrest, a seat support structure having at least one hidden compartm...