FIELD OF INVENTION
The present invention pertains to the field of fishing equipment, and more particularly to systems for storing and displaying fishing equipment.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A variety of different fishing reels of different sizes and configurations are used for different fishing environments and species. Storage and display of fishing reels for use and sale can be facilitated by a rack system to which the reels can readily be attached and removed. Since all fishing reels have reel foot which is inserted into the reel seat of a fishing rod, it makes sense to use the reel foot in connecting the reel to a storage/display rack. Since fishing reels have a range of widths, weights and separations between the reel foot and the reel itself, an effective rack system needs to be scalable to accommodate various types of reels. Moreover, the rack system should be adaptable for mounting in either a horizontal or a vertical orientation, depending on the configuration of the available support structures.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Note: As used in this specification and in the patent claims, the terms “downward,” “lower” and “under” refer to the direction toward the rack base, while the terms “upward,” “higher” and “above” refer to the direction away from the rack base. The term “proximal” refers to the direction toward the reel foot, while the term “distal” refers to the direction away from the reel foot.
The present invention is an apparatus for storing and/or displaying multiple fishing reels by using the reel foot of each reel to removably attach it to a reel rack. The reel rack has a generally rectangular, oblong configuration. A rectangular rack base and two perpendicular, substantially rectangular rack sides define a longitudinal, axial rack channel.
The reel foot of each fishing reel is removably attached to the reel rack by a foot clamp. Each foot clamp has an open, generally rectangular or arcuate shape, with an upper clamp face and two substantially perpendicular clamp arms projecting downward from the lateral edges of the clamp face. Projecting downward from the clamp face between the clamp arms is a medial plug, which is configured to slidably insert into the rack channel.
The clamp arms are configured to slidably engage the rack sides, so that a pair of foot clamps can be cooperatively positioned to engage the two tapered ends of the reel foot of one of the fishing reels, thereby securing it to the reel rack for purposes of storage and/or display.
The foregoing summarizes the general design features of the present invention. In the following sections, specific embodiments of the present invention will be described in some detail. These specific embodiments are intended to demonstrate the feasibility of implementing the present invention in accordance with the general design features discussed above. Therefore, the detailed descriptions of these embodiments are offered for illustrative and exemplary purposes only, and they are not intended to limit the scope either of the foregoing summary description or of the claims which follow.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a reel rack according to one embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2A is a plan view of a reel rack according to one embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view of the reel rack of FIG. 2A taken along the line 2-2;
FIG. 3A is a plan view of a foot clamp according to one embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view of the foot clamp of FIG. 3A taken along the line 3-3;
FIG. 4A is a plan view of a foot clamp according to one embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view of the foot clamp of FIG. 4A taken along the line 4-4;
FIG. 4C is a detail plan obverse view of the foot cradle of the foot clamp shown in FIG. 4A;
FIG. 4D is a detail plan reverse view of the foot cradle of the foot clamp shown in FIG. 4A;
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a fishing reel with its reel foot secured in the rack channel of a reel rack by a cooperating pair of foot clamps according to one embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a fishing reel with two ends of its reel foot secured in the foot cradles of a cooperating pair of foot clamps according to one embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 7A is a plan view of a cooperating pair of foot clamps positioned on a reel rack according to one embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 7B is a left side profile view of the pair of foot clamp shown in FIG. 7A, with an exemplary reel foot positioned between them;
FIG. 7C is a right side profile view of the pair of foot clamps shown in FIG. 7A;
FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a fishing reel with two ends of its reel foot secured in the foot cradles of a cooperating pair of foot clamps according to one embodiment of the present invention; and
FIG. 9 is a perspective view of two reel racks interconnected by a rack bridge passing through their respective rack channels.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring to FIGS. 1, 2A and 2B, an exemplary reel rack 11, according to one embodiment of the present invention 10, comprises a rectangular rack base 12 and two slotted rectangular rack sides 13, which together define a longitudinal, axial rack channel 14. Along the exterior side of each rack side is a longitudinal, axial side slot 15. In the rack base 12 are multiple rack attachment means 16, which in this embodiment comprise two countersunk screws 16 inserted through two conjugate screw apertures 17, by which the reel rack can be mounted either horizontally or vertically on a supporting structure, such as a wall. Alternative rack attachment means can be nails, bolts or rivets passing through the rack base 12 into a supporting structure.
Referring to FIGS. 3A and 3B, one version of the foot clamp 18 comprises an upper, rectangular clamp face 19, two rectangular clamp arms 20, which project downward for the lateral edges of clamp face 19, and a medial plug 21, which projects downward from the middle of the clamp face 19. In this example, both clamp arms 20 have a clamp attachment means 22 consisting of a retractable, spring loaded, rotating can plunger 22A, which engages the rack sides 13 so as to secure the foot clamp 18 in a fixed position along the reel rack 11. The mechanism of the retractable, spring loaded, rotating can plunger 22A is that of the conventional retractable ball-point pen, as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,944,371, 4,221,491 and 2,865,331, which are incorporated herein by reference.
In this embodiment, the medial plug 21 has a concave lower plug surface 23, which conjugately conforms to the convex curvature of the reel foot 24 of one of the fishing reels 25, as best seen in FIG. 5. As shown in FIG. 5, each of the reel foot's tapered ends 33 is inserted into the rack channel 14 under the lower plug surface 23 of one the pair of foot clamps 18 in securing the fishing reel 25 to the reel rack 11.
Referring to FIGS. 4A-4D, another version of the foot clamp 18 has a foot cradle 26 attached to the upward side of the clamp face 19. The foot cradle 26 can be integral with the clamp face 19, or as in this example, the foot cradle 26 can be removably attached by means of a countersunk cradle screw 27 inserted through a cradle screw aperture 28 in the obverse side of the foot cradle 26. To prevent rotation of the detachable foot cradle 26, the reverse side of the foot cradle 26 has cradle ridges 29 which conjugately engage corresponding clamp notches 30 in the clamp face 19.
As best seen in FIGS. 6 and 8, the foot cradle 26 has an internal cradle cavity 31 accessible through a cradle aperture 32 on the proximal side of the foot cradle 26. The cradle cavity 31 is tapered to conjugately conform to one of the tapered ends 33 of the reel foot 24 of one of the fishing reels 25. Each of the tapered ends 33 of the reel foot 24 is inserted into the cradle cavity 31 of one of the pair of foot clamps 18 in securing the fishing reel 25 to the reel rack 11. In cases where the structure of the fishing reel 25 interferes with the clamp attachment means 22, the foot cradle 18 has on its distal end a cradle extension plate 34 that connects it to the clamp face 19, as best seen in FIG. 8.
Referring again to FIG. 4B, this exemplary embodiment of the foot clamp 18 has, on the internal side of one of its clamp arms 20, an arm flange 35, which is configured to slidably and conjugately engage the side slot 15 of the reel rack 11, as best seen in FIGS. 5, 6 and 8. On the other clamp arm 20, this foot clamp has a clamp attachment means 22, consisting in this example of a thumb screw or set screw 22B with a cooperating threaded screw hole 36 through the clamp arm 20, by which the foot clamp 18 is secured in a fixed position on the reel rack 11, as depicted in FIGS. 7A-7C. As shown in FIG. 4B, this foot clamp 18 has a cuboidal medial plug 21 that slidably fits into the rack channel 14 so as to stabilize the seating of the foot clamp 18 therein.
As depicted in FIG. 9, two reel racks 11 can be longitudinally interconnected across their adjacent ends by a rack bridge 37 passing through their respective rack channels 14. In this example, the rack bridge 37 is cuboidal, conforming to the shape of the rack channels 14.
Although the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been disclosed for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will appreciate that many additions, modifications and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention as defined by the accompanying claims.
Patent Grant
10231558
