Fishing rod holder

Abstract

The fishing rod holder is configured for ease of access to any of a series of rods stored in the device while still providing compact storage for the rods. A support strut extends from a permanently mounted base, with spaced apart rod holding plates installed on the strut. A connecting tube secures the two plates together rotationally about the strut. Each plate includes a series of rod holding passages therethrough, with the passages of one plate having peripheral slots for the lateral insertion of the rods. The slotted passages have resilient slotted discs placed therein to grip the rods placed therein. The device may be rotated to position any of the rods as desired for ease of removal, or to position an open pair of passages for the placement of a rod therein. The rotary plate and strut assembly may be removed from the base for secure storage when necessary.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates generally to racks, brackets and other devices for holding elongate articles. More specifically, the present invention is a fishing rod holder for rotatably supporting a plurality of fishing rods on or in a boat, garage, or other structure and that can be mounted to support the rods in either a horizontal or a vertical configuration. [0003] 2. Description of the Related Art [0004] Innumerable holders have been developed over the years for holding fishing rods and other elongate articles. Such holders are typically. permanently installed and are non-removable, although the articles held therein are of course removable. Such conventional holders are also generally configured to hold a series of elongate articles in a linear array, i.e., with all of the articles secured in a single plane. A conventional rack for pool cues is an example of such a linear holder. While this provides easy acce...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0009] The two plates are secured to one another by a tubular connecting element disposed upon the support strut, with the two plates and the connecting element rotating in unison with one another about the support strut. This allows the plates, and fishing rods or other articles placed therein, to be rotated about the support strut to position the desired rod for ease of removal. The two plates may also be rotated to position an empty rod position for ease of placement of a rod therein.

Problems solved by technology

Such holders are typically. permanently installed and are non-removable, although the articles held therein are of course removable.

Such conventional racks and holders are not well suited as holders for storing fishing rods in a relatively small boat or the like.

One problem with such use is that most such boats are open, with their contents accessible to anyone at any time.

While this is not a problem when the boat and / or equipment therein are attended, theft of loose articles from unattended boats, automobiles, pickup truck beds, and other open storage areas can be a major problem.

While automobiles and most storage cabinets and sheds can be secured, the typical open boat or pickup truck bed does not provide sufficient secure storage space for elongate articles such as fishing rods.

Yet, it is impractical to lock fishing rods or the like to the holder or rack, as their shape generally precludes any efficient locking mechanism and such a locking mechanism would be unduly cumbersome when access to the rods was desired.

Another problem with conventional fishing rod holders is the excessive space required when the rods are secured in a planar array.

Such an arrangement is generally unsuitable for installation in a small boat, where there is insufficient space to store a number of fishing rods in a planar array.

Yet, the grouping of the rods in a tighter matrix results in most of the rods being difficult to access when stationary storage means is provided.

Meanwhile, the temporarily removed rods are left lying loose, and subject to damage or loss until they are properly stored again.

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