ALEXANDRIA, Va., July 16 -- United States Patent no. 12,358,594, issued on July 15, was assigned to Polaris Industries Inc. (Medina, Minn.).
"Watercraft cover" was invented by Erik W. Rogers (Cadillac, Mich.), Michael T. Yobe (Knoxville, Tenn.), David E. Baird (Marshfield, Mo.), Vicky L Null (Lebanon, Mo.) and Mark R. McSorley (Lebanon, Mo.).
According to the abstract* released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "A cover for watercraft, such as pontoon boats, facilitates easy deployment and removal, as well as compact storage. The cover may be collapsed and deployed in a predetermined manner. The cover may include collapsible poles integrated with the cover fabric, which can be extended and retracted as the cover is deployed and colla...