Jack plate ladder

A jack plate ladder comprises a jack plate mount having a ladder groove, a pair of threaded ladder mount bolt holes, and a pair of threaded plate mounting holes. A ladder containment piece is coupled by a plurality of ladder mount bolts to the jack plate mount and forms a generally rectilinear ladder aperture there through the jack plate mount. A ladder has a central shaft and a pair of steps, the ladder being contained with the ladder aperture.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Rule 1.78(F)(1) Disclosure

The Applicant has not submitted a related pending or patented non-provisional application within two months of the filing date of this present application. The invention is made by a single inventor, so there are no other inventors to be disclosed. This application is not under assignment to any other person or entity at this time.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a jack plate ladder and more particularly pertains to a ladder which is mountable on a jack plate of a boat.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART

The use of ladders to enable swimmers to climb into a boat is known in the prior art. More specifically, ladders to enable swimmers to climb into a boat previously devised and utilized for the purpose of ingress and egress of a boat are known to consist basically of familiar, expected, and obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which has been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements.

While the prior art devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not describe jack plate ladder that is mountable on a jack plate.

In this respect, the jack plate ladder according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in doing so provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of mounting a ladder on a jack plate.

Therefore, it can be appreciated that there exists a continuing need for a new and improved jack plate ladder which can be mounted on a jack plate. In this regard, the present invention substantially fulfills this need.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of ladders to enable swimmers to climb into a boat now present in the prior art, the present invention provides an improved jack plate ladder. As such, the general purpose of the present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a new and improved jack plate ladder which has all the advantages of the prior art and none of the disadvantages.

To attain this, the present invention essentially comprises a jack plate ladder comprising several components, in combination.

First provided is a jack plate mount. The jack plate mount is fabricated of a rigid material. The jack plate mount has a plate end and a ladder mount end. The plate end has a solid rectilinear configuration with a generally rectilinear cross sectional configuration. The plate end has an outermost extent, with the outermost extent having a plurality of threaded bolt holes there in. The bolt holes each have an associated bolt and lock washer there with.

The ladder end is continuous with the plate end of the jack plate mount. The ladder end has an outermost extent, with the extent comprising a generally rectilinear solid shaft having a ladder groove therein. The ladder end has a pair of threaded ladder mount bolt holes there in.

There is provided a ladder containment piece. The containment piece has a generally C-shaped configuration, with two short legs each having a first length and a connector having a second length there between. The short legs of the ladder containment are shorter than the connector second length. The ladder containment piece has an upper surface, a lower surface, and a side surface there between. The ladder containment piece also has an inner surface. The side surface of the ladder containment piece has a pair of ladder mount bolt holes there through.

The ladder mount bolt holes run from the side surface of the containment, through the length of the short legs of the containment, to the inner surface of the containment. Each ladder mount bolt hole has an associated ladder mount bolt and an associated lock washer.

The ladder end and the ladder containment are coupled by the ladder mount bolts, thereby forming a generally rectilinear ladder aperture through the ladder end of the jack plate mount.

The containment has an associated lock pin. The lock pin having an associated biasing spring, spring stop, and spring stop pin. The lock pin has a shaft and a knurled gripping knob. The containment has a lock pin aperture there through. The lock pin aperture has an associated spring recess located on the inner surface of the containment. The lock pin aperture runs from the side surface of the containment to the inner surface of the containment, with the lock pin passing through the lock pin aperture.

The containment also has a threaded grease fitting hole located on the upper surface of the containment. The grease fitting hole passes from the upper surface of the containment to the lock pin aperture. The grease fitting hole has an associated grease fitting coupled there to.

There is provided a ladder. The ladder is fabricated of a rigid material. The ladder having a central shaft and a pair of steps. The central shaft has a generally rectilinear configuration, with an upper end and a lower end. The upper end an upper extent and a lower end has a lower extent. The upper end has a step bolt hole there through. The lower end has a step bolt hole there through. The steps each have a generally round tubular construction, with each step having an outer end and an inner end. The outer end of the step has an outer extent and the inner end of the step has an inner extent. The inner extent of each of the steps has a threaded bolt hole there in. Each step has an associated coupling bolt and lock washer. The steps each operatively couple to the ladder central shaft.

The central shaft of the ladder passes through and is contained within the ladder aperture formed by the mount end and ladder containment piece. The lower end of the ladder central shaft has a lock pin recess therein. The lock pin recess engages the lock pin and maintains the ladder in an upwardly displaced and stored orientation. The pulling of the lock pin by the user allows the ladder to fall downward, through the ladder aperture, to a downward, deployed position.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved jack plate ladder which has all of the advantages of the prior art ladders, that is, to enable swimmers to climb into a boat, and none of the disadvantages.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a new and improved jack plate ladder which may be easily and efficiently manufactured and marketed.

It is further object of the present invention to provide a new and improved jack plate ladder which is of durable and reliable constructions.

An even further object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved jack plate ladder which is susceptible of a low cost of manufacture with regard to both materials and labor, and which accordingly is then susceptible of low prices of sale to the consuming public, thereby making such jack plate ladders economically available to the buying public.

Even still another object of the present invention is to provide a jack plate ladder which is mountable on a jack plate.

Lastly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved jack plate ladder comprising a jack plate mount having a ladder groove, a pair of threaded ladder mount bolt holes, and a pair of threaded plate mounting holes. A ladder containment piece is coupled by a plurality of ladder mount bolts to the jack plate mount and forms a generally rectilinear ladder aperture there through the jack plate mount. A ladder has a central shaft and a pair of steps, the ladder being contained with the ladder aperture.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The present invention, the jack plate ladder10is comprised of a plurality of components. Such components in their broadest context include a jack plate mount, a ladder containment piece and a ladder. Such components are individually configured and correlated with respect to each other so as to attain the desired objective.

First provided is a jack plate mount12which is coupled to an existing jack plate13. The jack plate mount is fabricated of a rigid material. The jack plate mount has a plate end14and a ladder mount end16. The plate end has a solid rectilinear configuration with a generally rectilinear cross sectional configuration. The plate end has an outermost extent18, with the outermost extent having a plurality of threaded bolt holes20there in. The bolt holes each have an associated bolt22and lock washer24there with.

The ladder end is continuous with the plate end of the jack plate mount. The ladder end has an outermost extent30, with the extent comprising a generally rectilinear solid shaft having a ladder groove32therein. The ladder end has a pair of threaded ladder mount bolt holes34there in.

There is provided a ladder containment piece40. The containment piece has a generally C-shaped configuration, with two short legs42each having a first length and a connector44having a second length there between. The short legs of the ladder containment are shorter than the connector second length. The ladder containment piece has an upper surface46, a lower surface48, and a side surface50there between. The ladder containment piece also has an inner surface52. The side surface of the ladder containment piece has a pair of ladder mount bolt holes54there through.

The ladder mount bolt holes run from the side surface of the containment, through the length of the short legs of the containment, to the inner surface of the containment. Each ladder mount bolt hole has an associated ladder mount bolt56and an associated lock washer58.

The ladder end and the ladder containment are coupled by the ladder mount bolts, thereby forming a generally rectilinear ladder aperture60through the ladder end of the jack plate mount.

The containment has an associated lock pin70. The lock pin having an associated biasing spring72, and spring stop74. The lock pin has a shaft76and a knurled gripping knob78. The containment has a lock pin aperture80there through. The lock pin aperture has an associated spring recess82located on the inner surface of the containment. The lock pin aperture runs from the side surface of the containment to the inner surface of the containment, with the lock pin passing through the lock pin aperture.

The containment also has a threaded grease fitting hole90located on the upper surface of the containment. The grease fitting hole passes from the upper surface of the containment to the lock pin aperture. The grease fitting hole has an associated grease fitting92coupled there to.

There is provided a ladder100. The ladder is fabricated of a rigid material. The ladder having a central shaft102and a pair of steps104. The central shaft has a generally rectilinear configuration, with an upper end106and a lower end108. The upper end an upper extent110and a lower end has a lower extent112. The upper end has a step bolt hole114there through. The lower end has a step bolt hole116there through. The steps each have a generally round tubular construction, with each step having an outer end118and an inner end120. The outer end of the step has an outer extent122and the inner end of the step has an inner extent124. The inner extent of each of the steps has a threaded bolt hole126there in. Each step has an associated coupling bolt128and lock washer130. The steps each operatively couple to the ladder central shaft.

The central shaft of the ladder passes through and is contained within the ladder aperture140formed by the mount end and ladder containment piece. The lower end of the ladder central shaft has a lock pin recess142therein. The lock pin recess engages the lock pin and maintains the ladder in an upwardly displaced and stored orientation144. The pulling of the lock pin by the user allows the ladder to fall downward, through the ladder aperture, to a downward, deployed position146.

The jack plate mount may, in a variation of this configuration, have an associated pole mount150and pole152. In this variation, the plate end of the jack plate mount has a pair of threaded bolt holes154there into. The pole mount is a two piece pole holder, having a first piece being the base156, and a second piece being the cap158. The base has a generally C-shaped configuration, and the cap has a generally C-shaped configuration. The base and the cap each have a pair of continuous bolt holes160162there through. The base and cap form an aperture through the combined mount. The pole, used for anchoring is inserted through the mount. The pole has a cap flange164, which prevents the pole from falling through the mount aperture.