U.S. patent number 3,876,076 [Application Number 05/313,820] was granted by the patent office on 1975-04-08 for holder for fishing rods and the like.
Invention is credited to Gerald D. Hazelhurst.
United States Patent |
3,876,076 |
Hazelhurst |
April 8, 1975 |
Holder for fishing rods and the like
Abstract
A holder for fishing rods or the like is disclosed that can be
locked to keep the rods from being stolen. The holder includes a
body having a plurality of slots into which the rods can be
inserted and a lock bolt for each slot that can be moved to a first
position opening the slot to receive the rod and to a second
position where the bolts will hold the rod in the slot. A resilient
member of elastomeric material, such as rubber, is attached to the
body and provided with a plurality of slots in side-by-side
relationship with the slots in the body. Each slot in the resilient
member is narrower than the adjacent slot in the body so that a
rod, when in the slot, will be supported by the resilient material
which, in turn, is supported by the body. The resilient member has
openings therein located on opposite sides of the slot to allow the
material displaced by the rod to be placed in tension rather than
compression, which prolongs the life of the rubber material.
Inventors: |
Hazelhurst; Gerald D. (Houston,
TX) |
Family
ID: |
23217283 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/313,820 |
Filed: |
December 11, 1972 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
211/4; 211/89.01;
211/70.8 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A01K
97/08 (20130101); E05B 73/00 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A01K
97/08 (20060101); A01K 97/00 (20060101); E05B
73/00 (20060101); E05b 073/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;211/4,6R,606,6T,64,68,63,89 ;248/39,50,59R,201,203 ;70/58,59,61,62
;224/29R ;24/257R |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
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|
|
|
|
|
|
264,090 |
|
Aug 1968 |
|
OE |
|
85,885 |
|
Mar 1957 |
|
NL |
|
Primary Examiner: Frazier; Roy D.
Assistant Examiner: Holko; Thomas J.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Bargfrede and Thompson
Claims
The invention having been described, what is claimed is:
1. A holder for a plurality of fishing rods and the like comprising
an elongated body of material having a relatively high yield
strength and hardness, such as steel, for mounting on a supporting
surface, such as a wall or the like, to support the rods, said body
including two generally flat-sided plates for positioning generally
perpendicular to said surface in spaced parallel relationship with
a plurality of aligned slots spaced along the edges of the plates
away from the surface, a plurality of lock bolts located between
the plates, means mounting the lock bolts for each bolt to be
movable relative to one of the slots between a first position where
the slot is open to receive a fishing rod or the like and a second
position to hold a fishing rod or the like in the slot, said means
including an elongated handle located between the plates and
connected to the lock bolts, said handle being movable between a
first position to place the lock bolts in said first position
relative to the slots and a second position to place the lock bolts
in said second position; said plates and said handle having
openings that are in alignment when the lock bolts are in their
second position through which the hasp of a lock can be inserted to
lock the bolts in their second position, a resilient portion of
elastomeric material attached to the outside of one of the plates,
said portion having slots that are in side-by-side relationship
with the slots in the plates and that are narrower than the slots
in the plates so that a rod or the like positioned in the slots in
the plates will be supported on the resilient portion of
elastomeric material.
2. The holder of claim 1 in which the resilient portion has a
plurality of openings each of which is adjacent one side of each
slot therein to accommodate the resilient material of the portion
displaced when a rod is positioned in the slot.
3. The holder of claim 2 in which the resilient portion is provided
with a second plurality of openings each of which is adjacent a
slot and on the opposite side thereof than the first plurality of
openings.
Description
This invention relates to holders for fishing rods and the like
generally, and in particular to holders that will lock the fishing
rods or the like in the holder.
The holder of this invention can be adapted to hold various
elongated objects, but it is particularly useful in connection with
fishing rods and it will be discussed in the specification to
follow as a fishing rod holder.
Even the casual fisherman these days has a substantial investment
in his fishing tackle, even if he owns only one rod and reel. Avid
fishermen, of course, will usually own several rods and reels, and
when they go fishing they often take along two or three for the
trip. Also, when two or three fishermen are working out of one
boat, the boat will contain no less than three rods and reels, one
for each fisherman. Due to the popularity of fishing, and the value
of fishing tackle, rods and reels have become the prime target of
thieves. In particular, a fisherman has to be careful when leaving
his rods in his boat for even a short period of time, because
around a crowded marina it is easy for a thief to lift the rods and
the attached reels out of the boat without being suspected. Rods
and reels are also stolen from campers and even from homes.
It is an object of this invention to provide a holder for fishing
rods or the like that can be locked to prevent the removal of the
fishing rods from the holder.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a holder for a
fishing rod that will lock the rod in place with relatively hard
high strength material, such as steel, but which supports the rod
on a resilient cushion of elastomeric material to lessen the chance
of damage being done to the rod, particularly where the holder is
located in a boat and, therefore, subjected to shock forces as the
boat travels over the water.
It is another object of this invention to provide a holder for a
fishing rod that includes a resilient member of elastomeric
material that firmly grips the rod, but in which the material
adjacent the rod and displaced thereby is in tension rather than
compression in order to lengthen the life of the elastomeric
material.
These and other objects, values and features of this invention will
be apparent to those skilled in the art from a consideration of
this specification, including the attached drawings and appended
claims.
In the drawings, wherein like reference characters are used
throughout to designate like parts:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the
holder of this invention, shown mounted to hold the rods more or
less in a horizontal position as would be the case if the holder
was mounted on the side of a boat;
FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line 2--2 of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line 3--3 of FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line 4--4 of FIG. 2;
FIG. 5 is a side view, partially in section and partially in
elevation of the holder of FIG. 1;
FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line 6--6 of FIG. 5;
FIG. 7 is a cross sectional view taken along line 7--7 of FIG. 5;
and
FIG. 8 is a view similar to FIG. 5 in elevation, but on a reduced
scale, showing the holder in the unlocked position.
Preferably, fishing rods, being somewhat limber, are supported at
two spaced points. As shown in FIG. 1, holder 10 and holder 11 are
mounted on wall 12 some distance apart. This allows one of the
holders to support the rods adjacent the reel end and the other to
support the rods adjacent the tip end. One holder, of course, could
support the rods if it was designed to grip the rods securely, and
over a long enough portion of the rods to provide the necessary
support. As shown, wall 12 could be the side wall of a boat, which
is a popular location for rod holders.
FIGS. 2-4 are various views of holder 11. It includes an L-shaped
mounting bracket 14, leg 14a of which is provided with opening 15
through which mounting screws 16 can be inserted to mount the
holder on the wall. Leg 14b of bracket 14 is attached to body 17 by
rivets 18 as shown in FIG. 3. Body 17 is made of a resilient
elastomeric material, such as rubber. It is a generally
rectangularly shaped member having a relatively thin outer edge
portion 17a and a relatively thick inner portion 17b having a slot
to receiving leg 14b of the bracket. The outer edge of the thin
portion has a plurality of slots 20 formed therein.
As shown in the drawing, three such slots are provided, 20a, 20b,
and 20c. Each slot is identical, so only the specific configuration
of slot 20c, which is shown in side elevation in FIG. 2, and in
cross-section in FIG. 4, will be described. This slot includes
cavity 21c that receives the rod. The opening to the cavity is
partially closed by protuberance 22c, which serves to help hold the
rod in the cavity of the slot once it is in place. The opening of
the slot to the left of protuberance 22c is tapered outwardly to
help guide the rod into opening 21c past protuberance 22c. Openings
23c and 24c extend through body 17, as shown in FIG. 4, and form
ribs 25c and 26c on opposite sides of opening 21c of the slot. With
this design, as a rod, such as rod 27 or 28, is located in slot
21c, it will first be forced past protuberance 22c into cavity 21c.
While so passing, it will force the protuberance upwardly far
enough to pass the rod. To allow this to happen is one of the
functions of opening 23c which accommodates the upwardly displaced
resilient elastomeric material of the body without causing any
excess compressive stresses to be placed in the material. As the
rod passes the protuberance into the cavity, since the rod will
usually be larger in diameter than the width of the cavity between
ribs 25c and 26c, the ribs will be bent and moved into the adjacent
openings 23c and 24c. Openings 23c and 24c allow this bending to
occur by providing a space into which ribs 25c and 26c can move. As
a result of this arrangement, when rod 27 is in position in slot
20a, as shown in FIG. 2, it is held firmly between ribs 25a and 26a
and the material in these ribs is placed in tension -- that is, the
material is stretched to accommodate the rod rather than being
placed in compression, which would be the case if the rod was
forced into a slot in a solid body of material. With material being
placed in tension rather than compression, it will be less likely
to take a permanent set, even though the rod is left in the slot
for a long period of time, and thus the life of the holder will be
greatly extended. As shown in FIG. 2, where rods 27 and 28 are
shown in slots 20a and 20b respectively, the protuberances
associated with each slot return again to their position
substantially closing the opening to the slots. Thus, some force is
required to move the rods out of the slots past the protuberance,
which serves to prevent the rods from accidently being jarred from
their position in the holder, even though the boat or camper in
which the holder is mounted receives a severe jolt.
The details of the structure of holder 10 are shown in FIGS. 5-8.
This holder is designed so that the rods can be locked in the
holder to prevent them from being removed by any unauthorized
persons.
Holder 10 includes body 30 that is adapted to be mounted on a
surface, such as the side of a boat or the wall or ceiling of a
house or camper. The body supports the other components of the
holder. As best seen in FIG. 7, in the embodiment shown body 30
includes two spaced parallel plates 32 and 33. The plates are
generally rectangular and flat-sided, and are integrally connected
by web 34 that extends between the ends of the plates. Attached to
the other ends of the plates, are mounting plates 35 and 36 that
are provided with holes through which mounting bolts or screws can
be inserted to mount the holder on a supporting surface such as
side 12 of a boat, as shown in FIG. 1. Preferably, the body is of
one piece construction with the mounting plates and the other
portions being integrally connected together to form a generally
U-shaped body in cross-section, as shown in FIG. 7. Connecting web
34 forms the edge of the body located away from the mounting
surface. This edge and the two parallel plates 32 and 33 have a
plurality of slots formed therein. In the embodiment shown, three
slots, 38a, 38b, and 38c, are so formed. The slots in the body are
generally rectangular, slot 38b being shown in solid lines in FIGS.
5 and 6, and preferably are substantially wider than the diameter
of any rod that will be placed therein.
Lock bolts 40a, 40b, and 40c, are provided to close slots 38a, 38b,
and 38c, respectively, to lock the rods in the slots. Means are
provided to support the bolts for movement between a first position
where the slots are open to receive a rod, and a second position
with the bolts closing the slots to hold a rod in the slot. In the
embodiment shown, such means include handle 41, that is integrally
connected to each of the bolts by support arms 42a, 42b, and 42c,
respectively. As shown, the handle, the connecting arms, and the
lock bolts are formed integrally from one piece of material, and
preferably this material should be similar to that of body 30,
i.e., a material that is relatively strong and hard, such as steel,
so that the bolts cannot be readily bent or deformed or broken to
allow the rods to be removed from the slots.
In the embodiment shown, the handle and lock bolt assembly is
located in the space between plates 32 and 33 of the body so that
when in the second and locked position, as shown in FIG. 5, only a
portion of the lock bolts below the upper end of the bolts is
exposed through the slots. The lock bolt and handle assembly is
mounted on body 30 for movement between its first and unlocked
position and its second and locked position by rivets 44 that
extend through the two plates of the body 32 and 33, and elongated
openings 45 in handle 41. These openings are long enough to allow
the handle to move the lock bolts between the locked and unlocked
positions. Handle 41 extends below body 30 as shown in FIGS. 5 and
8, so that the handle can be moved manually to move the lock bolts
between the two positions. When the holder is mounted as shown in
FIG. 1, usually gravity will urge the handle to the unlocked
position of FIG. 8, where it will remain until manually moved
upwardly to the locked position. Opening 47 in the handle moves
into alignment with openings 48 in the body and the outer covering
of resilient elastomeric material to be described below, when the
handle is in the locked position of FIG. 5 to allow the hasp of a
padlock or the like to be inserted through the openings to hold the
handle in the locked position. In FIG. 1, hasp 49 of lock 50 is
shown inserted through these openings to lock the rods in the
holder.
In accordance with the invention, holder 10 is also provided with a
resilient member of elastomeric material that is attached to the
body and has a slot with one open end therein that is positioned
side-by-side with the slot in the body. The slot in the resilient
member is narrower than the slot in the body so that a rod
positioned in the slots will be supported on the resilient
elastomeric material of the member. In the embodiment shown, the
U-shaped portion of body 30 which includes plates 32 and 33, and
connecting web 34, are enclosed by U-shaped member 52 of
elastomeric material, such as rubber. Member 52 includes side
portion 52a that covers the outside of plate 32 and portion 52b
that covers the outside surface of plate 33. The web or bite
portion 52c of the U-shaped member covers connecting web 34 of the
body. As shown, member 52 includes a top portion 52d that covers
the top of the body also. The lower part of this body of resilient
material is open to allow movement of handle 41.
This member of resilient material is provided with a plurality of
slots that are arranged to be in side-by-side relationship with the
slots in the body. In the embodiment shown, the body has three
slots, therefor the resilient member 52 has three slots, 54a, 54b,
and 54c. These slots are narrower than the slots in the body by a
substantial amount, and are designed in the same manner as slots
20a, 20b, and 20c of holder 11. Preferably, the slots in the
resilient member are positioned so that the rod located therein
will be supported substantially in the middle of the slots in the
body so that the rod will be supported as far away from a hard
metallic surface as possible. Since the structure of slots 54a,
54b, and 54c in the resilient member are identical with those
described in connection with holder 11, they will not be described
in detail again. Resilient member 52 serves to provide a resilient,
shock absorbing support for the rods, which are in turn enclosed in
a strong circle of high yield strength material, when the lock
bolts are in their second and locked position as shown in FIGS. 5
and 6, so that the rods are protected from damage by shock due to
movement of the vehicle in which they are riding, and they are also
protected from theft by the body and the bolts of high yield
material that encircles the rods.
From the foregoing, it will be seen that this invention is one well
adapted to attain all of the ends and objects hereinabove set
forth, together with other advantages which are obvious and which
are inherent to the apparatus.
It will be understood that certain features and subcombinations are
of utility and may be employed without reference to other features
and subcombinations. This is contemplated by and is within the
scope of the claims.
As many possible embodiments may be made of the apparatus of this
invention without departing from the scope thereof, it is to be
understood that all matter herein set forth or shown in the
accompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative and not
in a limiting sense.
* * * * *