Combined rod holder and hook setting device

Claim 1

A COMBINED ROD HOLDER AND HOOK SETTING DEVICE, COMPRISING: ELONGATED SUPPORT MEANS; A BASE MEMBER HAVING FORWARD AND REARWARD ENDS AND SECURED TO THE UPPER END OF SAID MEANS; A SUPPORT MEMBER PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ON SAID BASE MEMBER AT A LOCATION VERTICALLY SPACED THEREABOVE, SAID SUPPORT MEMBER BEING PIVOTAL ABOUT AN AXIS BETWEEN COCKED POSITION WHEREIN IT IS ADJACENT AND GENERALLY PARALLEL TO SAID BASE MEMBER AND RELEASED POSITION WHEREIN ITS FORWARD END IS TILTED UPWARDLY RELATIVE TO SAID BASE MEMBER; SPRING MEANS ON SAID MEMBERS YIELDABLY URGING SAID SUPPORT MEMBERS TO ITS RELEASED POSITION; HOLDER MEANS ADAPTED TO REMOVABLY RECEIVE THE HANDLE OF A ROD TO SUPPORT THE SAME, SAID MEAND BEING PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ON SAID SUPPORT MEMBER OF LIMITED ANGULAR MOVEMENT ABOUT A PIVOTAL AXIS ORIENTED SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO AND LOCATED FORWARDLY OF THE PIVOTAL AXIS OF SAID SUPPORT MEMBER; A LATCHING ARM MOUNTED ON SAID BASE MEMBER INTERMEDIATE SAID BASE AND SUPPORT MEMBERS FOR MOVEMENT BETWEEN LATCHING AND RELEASED POSITIONS, SAID ARM BEING SPRING BAISED TOWARD ITS LATCHING POSITION; A KEEPER MOUNTED ON SAID SUPPORT MEMBER AND ENGAGEABLE WITH SAID LATCHING ARM IN THE LATCHING POSITION THEREFORE TO RELEASABLY RETAIN SAID SUPPORT MEMBER IN ITS COCKED POSITION, SAID TRIGGER BEING AUTOMATICALLY ENGAGED WITH SAID LATCHING ARM WHEN SAID SUPPORT MEMBER IS PIVOTED TO ITS COCKED POSITION AGAINST THE BIASING FORCE OF SAID SPRING MEANS; AND A TRIGGER ON SAID LATCHING ARM ADAPTED TO ENGAGE SAID HOLDER MEANS, SAID TRIGGER BEING RESPONSIVE TO DOWNWARD PIVOTING OF THE FORWARD END OF SAID HOLDER MEANS RELATIVE TO SAID SUPPORT MEMBER TO MOVE SAID LATCHING ARM TO ITS RELEASED POSITION AND THEREBY RELEASE SAID SUPPORT MEMBER FOR MOVEMENT TO ITS RELEASED POSITION UNDER THE ACTION OF SAID SPRING MEANS.