Fishing rod holder

Claim 2

A body supported fishing rod holder comprising: a support adapted to be releasably mounted on the body of the user; and rod holder structure mounted on said support for holding a rod having a generally cylindrical handle portion, a reel-holding portion extending forwardly from the handle portion, said reel-holding portion including a downwardly projecting grip member at its rearward end, and upwardly and forwardly extending portion at its forward end, and a reel-retaining screw extending forwardly from its forward end, said rod holder structure including a first portion adapted to extend forwardly beneath the handle portion, a socket member on the first portion adapted to receive the end of the handle portion, a second portion extending downwardly from the outer end of the first portion and engageable by the rear side of the grip member, a third portion extending upwardly and forwardly from the lower end of the second portion and engageable by the lower surface of the reel-holding poRtion at its forward end, an upwardly extending hook member on the forward end of the third portion engageable by the front side of the reel-retaining screw, and a pair of tranversely spaced members extending upwardly and forwardly from the forward end of the third portion and engageable by opposite sides of the upwardly and forwardly extending portion of the reel-holding portion of the rod.

Claim 3

the invention defined in claim 1 including transverse pivot means on the support, the rod holder structure being mounted at one end on the pivot means and extending generally forwardly therefrom, said structure being swingable vertically about the pivot means; and means for retaining the rod holder structure in a plurality of angularly spaced positions relative to the support including a plurality of latch-receiving recesses formed in the support generally along an imaginary arc swung about the transverse pivot means, and manually releasable latch means mounted on the rod holder structure and biased to engage said latch-receiving recesses.

Claim 4

The invention defined in claim 2 wherein said support comprises a pair of generally parallel, transversely spaced plate members on opposite sides of said rod structure and having transversely aligned pairs of latch-receving recesses formed therein, and wherein said latch means comprises a pair of transversely spaced elements engageable with said aligned pairs of latch-receiving recesses.

Claim 5

The invention defined in claim 2 wherein said means for retaining said rod holder structure in a plurality of angularly spaced positions relative to said support includes a plurality of ratchet teeth formed in said support generally along an imaginary arc swung about said transverse pivot means and defining said latch-receiving recesses; and manually releasable latch means mounted on said rod holder structure and biased generally radially inwardly relative to said pivot means to engage said ratchet teeth, said latch means being cooperable with said ratchet teeth to permit generally free upward movement of said rod holder structure relative to said support and to prevent downward movement of said rod holder structure without manual release of said latch means.

Claim 6

The invention defined in claim 4 wherein each of said ratchet teeth includes a first portion extending generally radially outwardly from said pivot means, and a second portion extending downwardly from the radial outer end of said first portion along a smooth arc having a decreasing radius about said pivot means, to the radial inner end of the first portion of the adjacent lower ratchet tooth.

Claim 7

The invention defined in claim 1 including upper and lower stop means on said support to limit the movement of said rod holder structure relative to said support.

Claim 8

The invention defined in claim 6 wherein said support comprises a pair of generally parallel, transversely spaced vertical wall portions on opposite sides of said rod holder structure, wherein said transverse pivot means comprises pin means extending between said wall portions and wherein said upper and lower stop means comprises transverse members interconnecting said wall portions.

Claim 9

A body supported fishing rod holder comprising: a support adapted to be releasably mounted on the body of the user, said support comprising a pair of generally parallel, transversely spaced planar wall portions having forward edges; transverse pivot means on said support; rod holder structure mounted at one end on said pivot means and extending generally forwardly therefrom between said wall portions, said structure being swingable vertically about said pivot means; a socket mounted on said rod holder structure between said wall portions and spaced inwardly from the forward edges of the wall portions for receiving the end of a fishing rod, said rod holder structure including a portion forwardly of said socket extending transversely between said wall portions, said wall portions and said rod holder structure portion serving as guides for inserting the fiShing rod in said socket; and means for retaining said rod holder structure in a plurality of angularly spaced positions relative to said support including a plurality of ratchet teeth formed in the forward edges of the wall portions generally along an imaginary arc swung about the axis of said pivot means; and manually releasable latch means mounted on said rod holder structure and biased generally radially inwardly relative to said pivot means to engage said ratchet teeth, said latch means being cooperable with said ratchet teeth to permit generally free upward movement of said rod holder structure relative to said support and to prevent downward movement of said rod holder structure without manual release of said latch means.

Claim 10

A body supported fishing rod holder comprising: a support adapted to be releasably mounted on the body of the user, said support comprising a pair of generally parallel, transversely spaced planar wall portions having forward edges; transverse pivot means on said support; rod holder structure mounted at one end on said pivot means and extending generally forwardly therefrom between said wall portions, said structure being swingable vertically about said pivot means; a socket mounted on said rod holder structure between said wall portions and spaced inwardly from the forward edges of the wall portions for receiving the end of a fishing rod, said rod holder structure including a portion forwardly of said socket extending transversely between said wall portions, said wall portions and said rod holder structure portion serving as guides for inserting the fiShing rod in said socket; and means for retaining said rod holder structure in a plurality of angularly spaced positions relative to said support including a plurality of ratchet teeth formed in the forward edges of the wall portions generally along an imaginary arc swung about the axis of said pivot means; and manually releasable latch means mounted on said rod holder structure and biased generally radially inwardly relative to said pivot means to engage said ratchet teeth, said latch means being cooperable with said ratchet teeth to permit generally free upward movement of said rod holder structure relative to said support and to prevent downward movement of said rod holder structure without manual release of said latch means.

Claim 11

The invention defined in claim 8 wherein the rod holder structure is adapted to hold a rod having a generally cylindrical handle portion, a reel-holding portion extending forwardly from the handle portion, said reel-holding portion including a downwardly projecting grip member at its rearward end, an upwardly and forwardly extending portion at its forward end, and a reel-retaining screw extending forwardly from its forward end, the socket on the rod holder structure being adapted to receive the end of the rod handle portion, said rod holder structure comprising a first portion adapted to extend forwardly beneath the handle portion, a second portion extending downwardly from the outer end of the first portion and engageable by the rear side of the grip member on the rod, a third portion extending upwardly and forwardly from the lower end of the second portion and engageable by the lower surface of the reel-holding portion at its forward end, an upwardly extending hook member on the forward end of the third portion engageable by the front side of the reel-retaining screw, and a pair of transversely spaced members extending upwardly and forwardly from the forward end of the third portion and engageable by opposite sides of the upwardly and forwardly extending portion of the reel-holding portion of the rod. The invention defined in claim 9 wherein the third portion of the rod holder structure is adapted to extend below the reel-holding portion of the rod in spaced relation therewith to provide a space for manually gripping the rod.

Claim 12

The invention defined in claim 8 including upper and lower stop members extending transversely between the wall portions of the support to limit the vertical swinging movement of the rod holder structure relative to the support.

Claim 13

The invention defined in claim 8 wherein the transverse pivot means comprises a pin extending transversely between the wall portions of the support.

Claim 14

The invention defined in claim 1 wherein the third portion of the rod holder structure is adapted to extend below the reel-holding portion of the rod in spaced relation therewith to provide a space for manually gripping the rod.

Claim 15

The invention defined in claim 1 wherein the support comprises a pair of generally parallel, transversely spaced planar wall portions disposed on opposite sides of the rod holder structure and extending forwardly from the socket member on said structure, the wall portions serving as guides for inserting the end of the rod handle portion into the socket member.

Claim 16

The invention defined in claim 14 wherein the first portion of the rod holder structure extends transversely between the wall portions and serves as a guide for inserting the end of the rod handle portion into the socket member.