Abstract:
Disclosed is a fish cleaning station. The cleaning station features a support frame with ample storage and workspace, a convenient waste holder, a supply of running water, electrical connections, and an overall design that is easy to clean and maintain.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCES 
     None. 
     GOVERNMENTAL RIGHTS 
     None. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates generally to fish cleaning stations and in particular to a fish cleaning station having storage containers, foldable work trays, and a water supply. The fish cleaning station is designed to be removably mounted to a trailer. 
     2. State of the Art 
     There are a number of commercially available portable fish cleaning stations. Some permanently or temporarily attach to trucks, trailers, or to the side of the boat hull. Unfortunately, there are a number of drawbacks to the known devices. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 3,561,043 discloses a boat-mounted fish cleaning station that includes a rigid trough held over the outside surface of the hull by a horizontal flange that extends over the outer edge of the gunwale. Two flexible cords are attached to the flange that extends over the gunwale to temporarily hold the trough over the outside surface of the hull. Hooks are attached to the end of the cords that engage the lower inside edge of the hull. Because these types of devices are mounted directly to the boat they can scratch or damage the sides of the hull. Second, because the troughs are relatively deep and narrow, they may block or impede the ability to cut through the first with a knife. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,860,367 discloses a portable cleaning table, which is supported by foldable legs. U.S. Pat. No. 5,542,359 discloses a collapsible fish-cleaning table, which has a tabletop member with an upwardly facing work surface, which is supported by collapsible legs attached to the boom of the tabletop member. These types of “stationary” fish cleaning stations cannot easily be transported to and from the fishing site. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 7,066,096 discloses a game washing and butchering station attached to a trailer. This trailer-mount device lacks storage requiring the fishermen to maintain a separate storage container for supplies that are involved in fish cleaning. 
     What is needed is an all-in-one portable fish cleaning station having adequate storage and fish cleaning capabilities that can be removably mounted to a variety of trailers. The present invention remedies the above problems and serves a long felt market need. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Disclosed is a fish cleaning station having a support frame with storage space, hinged work trays, electrical outlets and connections, a water supply, and a means for mounting the cleaning station to a trailer or other means. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the fish cleaning station in a closed position. 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the fish cleaning station in an open position. 
         FIG. 3  is a top view of the water storage compartment. 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the water storage compartment with open lid. 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the water storage compartment with closed lid. 
         FIG. 6  is a top view of the trailer mounting tray. 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective view of the trailer mounting tray. 
     
    
    
     LISTING OF COMPONENTS 
     
         
           101 —Support Frame 
           102 —Storage Space 
           103 —Tray 
           105 —Brace Plate 
           107 —Upper Storage Compartment 
           108 —Upper Storage Compartment Access Means 
           109 —Lower Storage Compartment 
           110 —Lower Storage Compartment Access Means 
           111 —Waste Receptacle 
           112 —Electrical Outlet 
           113 —Hook 
           115 —Water Storage Compartment 
           117 —Slidable Air Vent 
           119 —Bilge Pump 
           123 —Hinged Lid 
           125 —Water Connection 
           126 —Electrical Connection 
           127 —Drain Plug 
           129 —Rubber Seal 
           131 —Trailer Mounting Tray 
           133 —Trailer Mounting Leg 
           135 —Support Tray 
       
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The fish cleaning station is comprised of a support frame  101 , which defines a storage space  102 , an upper storage compartment  107  and a lower storage compartment  109 , an at least one tray  103  pivotably mounted to the support frame  101 , a water storage compartment  115 , and a trailer mounting tray  131  which connects the support frame  101  and water storage compartment  115  to a trailer or other stationary object via an at least one trailer mounting leg  133 . 
     The support frame  101  has a top, a bottom, and at least three sides. The structure of the support frame  101  defines an internal storage space  102 , which in one preferred embodiment may contain an upper storage compartment  107  and a lower storage compartment  109 . In other preferred embodiments, the upper storage compartment  107  and lower storage compartments  109  may be combined into one single storage compartment. In yet another preferred embodiment, the support frame  101  may have four sides, such that it contains no storage compartments. The support frame  101  may be made of any material of suitable strength. 
     The upper storage compartment  107  comprises the upper portion of the storage space  102  and may be designed to contain those items necessary and convenient for cleaning fish. In other preferred embodiments it may be designed to contain any number of various sized items. In one preferred embodiment, the upper storage compartment  107  may be accessed via an upper storage compartment access means  108  that in one preferred embodiment may act as a floor or tray on which the waste receptacle  111  may sit. This upper storage compartment access means  110  may open such that it is positioned directly beneath a hole in the pivotably mounted tray  103  through wish waste may pass. In one preferred embodiment the upper storage compartment  107  may be a drawer. In other preferred embodiments the upper storage compartment  107  may be accessed via a hinged door or other accessing means, such that is sufficient to contain the waste receptacle  111 . In yet another preferred embodiment, the upper storage compartment  107  may be a recessed cavity, such that it defines a space inside the upper portion of the storage space  102  where various articles may be stored. The upper storage compartment  107  may be made of any material of suitable strength. 
     The lower storage compartment  109  comprises the lower portion of the storage space  102 . The lower storage compartment  109  may be designed to contain any number of various sized items. In one preferred embodiment, the lower storage compartment  109  may be accessed via a lower storage compartment access means  110  that may act as a floor or tray on which the waste receptacle  111  may sit. This lower storage compartment access means  110  may open such that it is positioned directly beneath a hole in the pivotably mounted tray  103  through wish waste may pass. In other preferred embodiments the lower storage compartment  109  may be a drawer. In yet another preferred embodiment, the lower storage compartment  109  may be a recessed cavity, such that it defines a space inside the lower portion of the storage space  102  where various articles may be stored. The lower storage compartment  109  may be made of any material of suitable strength. 
     The tray  103  may be pivotably attached to the top or side of the support frame  102  via a hinge or other appropriate means. In one preferred embodiment the tray  103  may have lips on three sides to help contain fish waste and water. In another preferred embodiment, the tray  103  may have a hole in it to allow fish waste and used water to fall into a waste receptacle  111 . In yet another preferred embodiment, two trays  103  may be pivotably mounted to the top of support frame such that the two trays  103  unfold from opposite sides of the support frame  101  to create a rectangular working surface. In other preferred embodiments, the tray(s)  103  may form a non-rectangular working surface, such that their edges may be rounded. 
     The hook  113  may be mounted to the top or side of the support frame  101 . The primary function of the hook  113  is to hold or support a water nozzle for use in cleaning the fish. In other preferred embodiments, the hook  113  may be mounted in anywhere on the fish cleaning station. 
     The fish cleaning station may also have an electrical system such that there may be an electrical outlet  112  or other electrical connection  126 , by which various tools may be powered. The electric system may be powered via a standard 12 V system such that it may be connected to a standard vehicle or boat battery. Alternatively, the system may be powered via direct connection to other power means such as solar power. The electrical system may be useful for operating many of the items associated with fish cleaning such as lights, electric fish cleaning knives, or electric knife sharpeners. 
     The fish cleaning station has two operable positions—a first closed position and a second open position. In the first closed position the tray(s)  103  are folded such that they form a singular workspace. In the second open position the tray(s)  103  are unfolded such that they form an elongated rectangular workspace. The user, when desiring increased workspace, moves the tray(s)  103  from the first closed position to the second open position. In other alternative embodiments, the tray(s)  103  may form a non-rectangular workspace. 
     The water storage compartment  115  may be of any shape or form suitable to hold water. In one preferred embodiment the water storage compartment  115  may be in the shape of a box having a hinged lid  123 , which acts as the top of the water storage compartment. In other preferred embodiments the water storage compartment  115  may also include a rubber seal  129 , a water connection  125 , an electrical connection  126 , a bilge pump  119 , a slideable air vent  117 , and a drain plug  127 . 
     The rubber seal  129  may be used to effectively seal the lid portion of the water storage compartment  115 . In one preferred embodiment, the rubber seal  129  may be attached to lid portion of the water storage compartment  115 . Alternatively, the rubber seal  129  may be placed on the frame of the water storage compartment  115 . 
     The top or lid of the water storage compartment may contain a slideable air vent  117 . The slideable air vent  117  may act as an air intake when water is being pumped from the water storage compartment. 
     The water storage compartment  115  may contain a bilge pump  119 . The bilge pump  119  may be used to pump water to or from the water storage compartment  115  and may be of any type standard to the industry. The bilge pump  119  is powered via wiring inside a basic electrical connection  126 . The electrical connection  126  may act as a sealed opening through which wiring may be passed. Alternatively, other pumping means may be used to pump water to and from the water storage compartment  115 . If no water is available in the water storage compartment  115 , water may be pumped directly from a lake or river or other available water source such as a cooler or an additional water storage means. 
     Water exits the water storage compartment  115  via a water connection  125 . The water connection  125  may act as a sealed opening through which water passes and may be comprised of any material sufficient to hold water, such as a PVC pipe or flexible hose. The drain plug  127  allows the water storage compartment  115  to be drained and cleaned as necessary. The drain plug  127  is preferably placed in any location sufficient to allow draining of the water in the water storage compartment  115 . 
     In one preferred embodiment, the water storage compartment  115  may be a separate unit, may be attached directly to the support frame  101 , or may be contained in one of the two storage compartments ( 107 ,  109 ) of the support frame  101 . 
     The trailer mounting tray  131  is comprised of at least one trailer mounting leg  133  and at least one support tray  135 , wherein the at least one trailer mounting leg  133  connects the at least one support tray  135  to a boat trailer or other stationary point. In one preferred embodiment the at least one trailer mounting leg  133  may be adjustable. In another preferred embodiment, there may be multiple trailer mounting legs  133 . In yet another preferred embodiment the support tray  135  may be comprised of multiple support trays, which may compartmentally hold the support frame  101  and water storage compartment  115 . The trailer mounting tray  131  may be comprised of any material of sufficient strength.