Fishing – trapping – and vermin destroying – Fishing – Rod
Reexamination Certificate
2000-07-17
2002-03-19
Jordan, Charles T. (Department: 3644)
Fishing, trapping, and vermin destroying
Fishing
Rod
Reexamination Certificate
active
06357166
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to the controlled retaining of an object in a desired orientation and, more specifically, to systems and methods for retaining a sporting implement, such as a fisherman's rod, in a ready position.
BACKGROUND
The number of sporting activities available to individuals during their leisure time has continued to proliferate in recent years. Accordingly, manufacturers and other entities serving sports enthusiasts have striven to provide products and services specifically adapted for use in such sporting activities. Often such products must be specially adapted to provide desired attributes for use according to the particular sporting activity.
For example, in the sport of fishing, equipment must be adapted to accommodate not only the gross weight of the fish to be caught, but also adapted to tolerate other considerations such as the wet environment in which the equipment will be used. Additionally, such equipment should be adapted for the preferred steps utilized in luring a fish onto a line, i.e., the casting of the line, the holding of a fishing rod in anticipation of a fish strike, and the movements of the setting of a hook in the fish, in addition to the stresses and movements associated with landing a fighting fish.
In addressing the fisherman's or anglers needs for a system to adequately support a fishing rod assembly, i.g., a rod and reel combination, both in transit and during use, various rod holder apparatus have been developed. For example, in a simple form, a rod holder may be provided by a tube assembly, such as might be made of metal or plastic, of suitable size and depth to accommodate the grip portion of a fishing rod extending below the point at which the reel is attached. Such a tube may be mounted vertically, such as on a boat gunwale, bulkhead, or console, to hold a rod assembly in a substantially vertical orientation during transport. Additionally or alternatively, such a tube may be mounted at an angle, such as protruding over a boat gunwale or transom, to hold a rod assembly in a diagonal orientation, typically with the rod tip extended beyond the side of the boat, during use.
However, such a simple rod holder typically suffers from undesirable traits. For example, in order to accept many of the newer style rods, such as those presenting a “trigger” appendage on the grip portion, the tube may require modification, such as enlarging the diameter of the tube a sufficient amount to accept such an appendage. However, enlargement of the tube's diameter generally results in a rather loose fit with a rod is inserted for holding, thus allowing an undesired level of lateral movement therein. Additionally, a simple tube configuration typically relies upon the distal end of the tube to abut a portion of the rod assembly, such as the rear surface of the reel. This can result in damage to an often expensive equipment in addition to interfering with various mechanisms, such as spool release and/or drag adjustment mechanisms.
Moreover, such a design does not accommodate the sudden rod drawing motion often required to set a hook when a fish strikes. Accordingly, although only having seconds to complete the proper movements after a strike, the angler must extract the rod assembly from the tube, often requiring movement in the direction of the fish causing undesired slack in the fishing line, in order to free the rod assembly from the tubular rod holder in order to free the assembly for a hook setting drawing motion.
It should be appreciated that, although providing sufficient incarceration of the rod assembly to preclude the necessary operation of the assembly, the simple tube often does not provide sufficient incarceration of the rod assembly to prevent its unwanted migration or extraction from the holder. For example, the bouncing movement of a boat could cause a rod assembly to “walk” sufficiently that the grip portion may become disengaged from the tube. Additionally, tension on the fishing line, such as from a fish strike or even the resistance of a lure in water during trolling, may present the proper forces to partially or fully extricate the rod assembly from the rod holder.
More complicated rod holder designs have been implemented to present systems addressing some of the problems of the more simple designs, such as the simple tube described above. For example, a locking rod holder design employing a channel, a cuff, and a rod lock mechanism has been used in the past.
In this design, the channel provides support to a portion of the rod assembly, such as providing a bottom surface upon which the rod or grip rests and/or side walls upon which the reel rests. The channel may include an opening to accommodate irregularities on the underside of the rod assembly.
The cuff is typically disposed on the rear of the rod holder and presents a retaining surface, fully enclosing a portion of the channel, disposed to prevent the rod assembly from being lifted straight out of the channel. Typically the surface of the lower portion of the channel terminates at or before the cuff in order to permit the pivoting of the rod assembly therein, such as to accommodate the drawing motion of hook setting.
The rod locking mechanism is typically disposed on the front of the rod holder and is adjustable to incarcerate a portion of the rod assembly within the channel. For example, a typical rod locking mechanism is a ring having a gap therein disposed around the channel. This ring may be rotated such that the gap therein corresponds to the opening in the top of the channel in order to allow ingress and egress of the rod assembly. However, once the ring is rotated, the rod assembly is incarcerated within the confines defined by the channel to the bottom and sides, the cuff to the rear top, and the ring to the front top.
The locking rod holder provides improvement over the simple tube type rod holder in that, when the rod locking mechanism is engaged, the rod assembly is generally sufficiently restricted in movement to prevent its unwanted migration or extraction from the holder. Moreover, the design of such a rod holder may be configured to support the rod assembly without causing significant damage thereto and/or without undesirably engaging mechanisms thereon.
However, the locking rod holder has not fully addressed the problems in the prior art discussed above. For example, although allowing the rod assembly to be drawn in a hook setting motion, once the locking mechanism is released, the locking rod holder requires additional effort to extract the rod assembly from the rod holder for further fishing action. Specifically, although allowing the rod to pivot in the rod holder, the cuff and channel continue to incarcerate the grip portion of the rod assembly when the hook setting motion is complete preventing its free movement and requiring an additional upward motion to fully extricate the assembly from the rod holder. This extraction motion is in addition to the time and motion required in releasing the locking mechanism in order to allow the hook setting motion, each of which consume time during an activity in which time is often critical.
Accordingly, a need exists in the art for a system and method for disposing an implement, such as a fishing rod assembly, in a desired orientation and for reliably maintaining the implement in such orientation up to such time as it is desired to reorient the implement.
A further need exists in the art for such systems and methods to allow for the disposal of the implement into a desired orientation with a minimal amount of manipulation and/or time. Similarly, a need exists in the art for such systems and methods to allow for the reorientation of the implement, such as the removal of the implement from a restraining mechanism, with a minimal amount of manipulation and/or time.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
These and other objects, features and technical advantages are achieved by a system and method which utilizes a passive restraint system adapted to allow the normal use activity of the implement to ext
Greaves Mikal B.
Malmanger John A.
Fulbright & Jaworski L.L.P.
Jordan Charles T.
Lofdahl Jordan
Tempress Products L.L.C.
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