BALMAR AWARDED ADDITIONAL PATENT PROTECTION FOR ALTMOUNT® SERPENTINE PULLEY DESIGN
January 10, 2016
Balmar LLC, the leading manufacturer of DC charging systems for cruising sail and power boats announced today it has been awarded an additional utility patent protection for its AltMount® Serpentine Pulley Conversion design. Balmar was awarded a design patent for AltMount® in 2012.
The U.S. Patent & Trademark Office awarded utility Patent No. 8,939,855 in 2015 for Balmar’s unique approach of converting an engine crankshaft pulley from “single Vee” to “multi-groove serpentine”, thereby facilitating an upgrade to higher power alternators which demand power take-off loads that cannot be supported by single Vee pulley systems.
Commensurate with the patent award, Balmar also announced a 30% across-the-board price reduction on AltMount® Serpentine Conversion Kits. The price reduction applies to AltMount® conversions for Yanmar, Volvo Penta, Westerbeke, Universal, Perkins/Sabre, Nanni, Vetus and Ford/Lehman diesel engines.
Balmar General Manager Steve Gamman remarked, “Our AltMount® conversion business is growing rapidly as more and more cruising sailors and powerboaters select higher power DC charging systems. Although recent advancements in energy efficiency such as LED lighting have reduced power demands for individual components, there are more electrical devices being installed on every vessel and overall power demands continue to increase. The awarding of a utility patent for AltMount® and our 2016 price reduction signifies Balmar’s commitment to support the installed base of sailors and powerboaters who own legacy engine/charging systems which were not designed to support higher power DC charging systems. .Balmar can minimize or eliminate the need for a separate generator on the vessel with an appropriately sized alternator-based charging kit.”
