Fishing rod holder

• US 9,532,559 B1
• Filed: 12/21/2012
• Issued: 01/03/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hemmerlin Enterprises LLC
• Original Assignee: Hemmerlin Enterprises LLC
• Inventors: Hemmerlin, Ralph James, Christiansen, Randall James
• Primary Examiner(s): PARSLEY, DAVID J
• Application Number:
  US13/725,741
• Time in Patent Office: 1,474 Days
• Field of Search: 43/212, 248/511, 248/514, 248520-521, 248538-539
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 97/10 Supports for rods
• CPC Class Codes: F16M 11/06 allowing pivoting
• CPC Class Codes: F16M 13/02 for supporting on, or attaching to, an object, e.g. tree, gate, window-frame, cycle

Abstract

A fishing rod holder comprising a tee pipe having a long cylinder and a short cylinder, a snap clamp element, a rotatable connection and an effective length. The long cylinder has a length and inside diameter for holding a fishing rod handle. The short cylinder is at right angles from the long cylinder, with a threaded inside surface and a long axis. The snap clamp element is screwably attached to the short cylinder and has a head with a width and a curvature adapted to securely fit around a support member, a body with a length and an end threaded to affix to the short cylinder of the tee pipe. The rotatable connection comprises a release surface on a threaded end to permit stable rotation of the snap clamp of up to 90 degrees about the axis of the short cylinder. The effective length is from the long cylinder curvature.

Claims

1. A fishing rod holder apparatus, comprising:

a tee pipe having a long cylinder with a length and inside diameter suitable to loosely hold the handle of a fishing rod, and a short cylinder at right angles from the long cylinder, with a threaded inside surface and an axis down the center of the short cylinder;

a snap clamp element comprising a head with a width and a curvature adapted to securely fit around a support member without the use of screws or tools, a body and a male end threaded to screwably affix without the use of screws to the threaded inside surface of the short cylinder that forms a female end;

a rotatable connection point comprising a release surface, having a surface tension less than that of the material of the male threaded end of the snap clamp element and the female end of the short cylinder, configured to permit continuous rotation of the snap clamp head about the axis of the short cylinder of up to 90 degrees wherein the rotatable connection point, after rotation, will remain stable; and

an effective length comprising the distance between the point where the long axis of the short cylinder first touches the long cylinder and the point of the inside of the snap clamp curvature nearest the short cylinder that is sufficient to allow the fishing rod handle to be freely supported in the long cylinder but not too great as to cause the snap clamp head to prematurely release from the support member.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein rotatable connection point, after rotation, will remain in a stable position under the pull of a two pound fish on the line of a fishing rod.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the rotatable connection point, after rotation, will remain in a stable position under the pull of a three pound fish on the line of a fishing rod.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the length of the long cylinder is at least 3 inches and the inside diameter is at least 1.2 inches to allow the fishing rod handle to be freely supported in the long cylinder.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the effective length is about 1.5 inch to allow the fishing rod handle to be freely supported in the long cylinder.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the effective length of no more than 5 inches to prevent the snap clamp head from prematurely releasing from the support member.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the support member is cylindrical.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the snap clamp element comprises

a snap clamp head with the curvature attached to a threaded male end and

an extension member having a female end threaded to securely screwably attach to the threaded male end of the snap clamp head in a fixed non-rotatable manner and a male end threaded to screwably attach to the short cylinder of the tee pipe and having a release surface to permit stable rotation of the snap clamp element of up to 90 degrees about the axis of the short cylinder.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the female threaded end of the adapter is non-releasably affixed to the male threaded end of the snap clamp element with glue.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the short cylinder further comprises an extension member having a male end threaded to securely screwably attach to the threaded female end of the snap clamp element in a fixed non-rotatable manner and a female end threaded to screwably attach to the threaded male threaded end of the snap clamp element.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the opening of the snap clamp is suitable to detachably attach to a support pole having an outside diameter of about 0.75 inches.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the apparatus is made of plastic.

13. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the support cylinder is a support in a lawn chair or in a fishing house.

14. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the release surface is as low adhesion back size.

15. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the release surface is Teflon®

adhesive tape.

16. A method of using an adjustable fishing rod holder apparatus, comprising the steps of:

providing a fishing rod holder apparatus comprising,

a tee pipe having a long cylinder with a length and inside diameter suitable to loosely hold the handle of a fishing rod, and a short cylinder at right angles from the long cylinder, with a threaded inside surface and an axis down the center of the short cylinder;

a snap clamp element comprising a head with a width and a curvature adapted to securely fit around a support member without the use of screws or tools, a body and a male end threaded to screwably affix without the use of screws to the threaded inside surface of to the short cylinder that forms a female end;

a rotatable connection point comprising a release surface having a surface tension less than that of the material of the male threaded end of the snap clamp element and the female end of the short cylinder, configured to permit rotation of the snap clamp head about the axis of the short cylinder of up to 90 degrees, wherein the rotatable connection point, after rotation, will remain stable; and

an effective length comprising the distance between the point where the long axis of the short cylinder first touches the long cylinder and the point of the inside of the snap clamp curvature nearest the short cylinder that is sufficient to allow the fishing rod handle to be freely supported in the long cylinder but too great as to cause the snap clamp head to prematurely release from the support member;

snapping the snap clamp element to the support member at a suitable location about the long axis of the support member without use of tools;

rotating the tee pipe about the axis of the short cylinder of the tee pipe to achieve a desired upward angle from horizontal of the long cylinder of the tee pipe;

placing fishing line with a fish attracting element into the water

placing the handle end of a fishing pole in communication with the fishing line into the long cylinder.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the effective length of the fish rod holder apparatus is at least 1.5 inches and no more than 5.0 inches.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising the steps of:

removing the handle of the fishing rod from the apparatus when a fish is hooked, and reeling in the fish.