FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an adjustable mounting system for a boat leaning post.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Boats, especially fishing boats, often provide pairs of side-by-side seats removably mounted to vertical posts. FIG. 1 shows such an arrangement. In this illustration, an open fishing boat 1 has a center console 2 in front of which two seats 3 are disposed side-by-side. The seats 3 are removably mounted atop vertical posts 5. The posts 5 are secured to the deck 4 by mounting bases 6. Each mounting base 6 is fixed to the deck 4, by screws or bolts. Because boats come in many styles and sizes from a variety of different manufacturers, the spacing between posts 5 varies.
Individual seats of the general type shown as 3 in FIG. 1 are not designed to be useful for other purposes, such as holding fishing rods, providing storage, offering gripping bars, and other similar purposes. It is sometimes desirable to substitute a bench for the seats in order to provide a sitting and leaning surface that also provides a variety of other useful functions. These benches are generally known as a “leaning post”. The wider leaning posts require two vertical posts for support. Because many boats include two, side-by-side vertical posts 5 for individual seats, these can be used to support a leaning post bench. However, these pairs of side-by-side posts 5 are fixed by mounting bases 6 to the deck 2 of a boat 1 at different spacings for each boat. To substitute a leaning post bench for the individual seats 3, the mounting brackets under the leaning post bench must be adapted to the spacing provided by the posts on a particular boat. Usually, the boat owner must measure the spacing between the seat posts 5, then fix the mounting brackets to the bottom of the leaning post bench. This mounting process can involve drilling holes into the bottom of the leaning post bench and requires careful measurement and installation. This is not a simple undertaking for many boat owners.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide an adjustable mounting system for a boat leaning post bench that sits atop two boat seat posts. It is another object to make the adjustable mounting system simple and easy for boat owners to install.
In accordance with these objectives, the present invention provides a boat leaning post bench with mounting brackets that can be adjusted for a variety of side-by-side seat post spacings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a pair of side-by-side seats disposed on the deck of a boat in a conventional way.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the adjustable mounting system for a boat leaning post of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a view of the mounting bracket secured to the bottom of a boat leaning post bench according to the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a view of the bench posts adjustably disposed on the mounting bracket on the bottom of a boat leaning post bench according to the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a front view of the bench posts adjustably disposed to the mounting bracket of a boat leaning post bench according to the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a back view showing how the adjustable mounting posts of the present invention are arranged for coupling with the side-by-side seat posts of a conventional boat.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
FIG. 1 shows an open fishing boat 1 with a center console 2, in front of which two seats 3 are disposed side-by-side. The seats 3 are removably mounted atop vertical posts 5 secured to the deck 4 by mounting bases 6. The seats 3 can be removed from the posts 5, as shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 2 shows a leaning post 11 of the wider, bench type. The leaning post can be made of molded plastic. Leaning post 11 has a cushion 12, arranged over part of the top and front, on or against which a person can sit or lean. At the back of the leaning post 11, a portion of the top 34 includes recesses 13, opening into hollow cylindrical tubes 33, into which fishing rods (not shown) or the supports for a backrest (not shown) can be inserted. It will be appreciated that the box-like structure of the plastic leaning post bench 11 affords space inside for storage. FIG. 6 shows an opening 32 at the back 34 of the leaning post 11 to access this storage space. As seen in FIG. 2, leaning post 11 has two mounting bench posts 14 disposed downwardly from the bottom. As seen in FIGS. 2 and 4, bench posts 14 are hollow cylinders that fit over cylindrical boat posts 5. It will be appreciated that, for the purposes of the present invention, it makes no difference whether cylindrical bench post 14 fits over or within cylindrical boat post 5. As described in connection with the preferred embodiment, these bench posts 14 are intended to fit over the side-by-side seat posts 5 of the boat 1.
FIG. 3 shows the bottom of the leaning post 11. Two mounting brackets 15 are secured at either side of the leaning post 11 bench by fasteners 16, such as screws or nuts and bolts. The mounting brackets 15 are, preferably, made of stainless steel or some other non-corrosive material that can withstand the effects of salt water exposure and provide adequate structural support for the bench posts 14 (seen in FIG. 4). Although mounting brackets 15 are shown in the preferred embodiment as separate from the leaning post 11, it will be appreciated that the mounting bracket 15 structures could be incorporated into the leaning post 11 itself, either by molding metal brackets 15 with the leaning post 11, or by making the mounting brackets 15 part of the leaning post 11. Mounting brackets 15 each have a pair of parallel grooves 17 running along the side-to-side length of the leaning post bench 11. As seen in FIG. 5, mounting bracket 15 is stepped, so that a space is created between the bottom of the leaning post 11 and the mounting bracket 15.
FIG. 4 shows how the bench posts 14 are adjustably mounted to the mounting brackets 15. Each bench post 14 has a square mounting plate 21 at its top end. The mounting plate 21 has holes at each corner through which fasteners 23, such as bolts, extend. Bolts 23 are aligned with the grooves 17 in the mounting bracket 15. As shown in FIG. 5, corresponding fasteners 24, such as nuts, clamp the mounting plate 21 to the mounting bracket 15. Returning to FIG. 4, it will be appreciated that the grooves 17 allow the bench posts 14 to be moved a distance 22 along the side-to-side length of the leaning post bench 11, and this movement adjusts the spacing between the two bench posts 14.
FIG. 5 shows the adjustability of the distance between the bench posts 14. Thus, at one extreme, the bench posts 14, shown in solid lines, are spaced at a wide distance from each other. At the other extreme, the bench posts 14, shown in broken lines, are spaced at a narrow distance from each other. This adjustability allows the distance between the bench posts 14 to be changed.
FIG. 5 also shows shims 31, which can be placed inside bench posts 14 to prevent wobbling when the bench posts 14 are slid onto the boat posts 5, as described below. These shims can be made of plastic or similar non-corrosive material, which provides shimming and prevents the metal boat post 5 and bench post 14 from rubbing against each other, which can cause wearing and squeaking.
FIG. 6 shows that, when bench posts 14 are adjusted to the appropriate distance they slide over boat posts 5, with shims 31 inserted between them.
The drawings and description set forth here represent only some embodiments of the invention. After considering these, skilled persons will understand that there are many ways to make an adjustable leaning post according to the principles disclosed. The inventor contemplates that the use of alternative structures, materials, or manufacturing techniques, which result in an adjustable leaning post according to the principles disclosed, will be within the scope of the invention.
Patent Grant
7647880
