Abstract:
A transportable fishing pole holder holds, transports, and stores multiple fishing poles and includes a frame having cylindrical members made of a durable, weatherproof material. A lower member includes a plurality of receiving apertures which accept the butt of a fishing pole. The upper member includes a corresponding plurality of upper apertures, with each aperture having a foam interior to retain a rod segment of the fishing pole. A user slides a fishing pole out of the upper aperture and lifts it upwardly out of the lower member for use. The frame is removably attachable to a plurality of clip mounts which are installed along a support surface of a structure. This allows the entire frame, along with the fishing rods, to be removed and transported after use.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     Not Applicable. 
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates generally to fishing pole racks, and in particular, to a transportable fishing pole holder for safely transporting a plurality of fishing poles and securely retaining the poles upon reaching a destination. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     A great number of people around the world enjoy fishing. Whether fishing for food or for the sport of it, the calmness and serenity of the sport, coupled with the excitement of landing “the big one” makes fishing a popular pastime. However, as with equipment for any sport, one quickly accumulates a wide variety of fishing rods. Additionally, with many fishermen or a family including children, it would not be uncommon to have up to a half dozen different fishing poles. All of these must be transported back and forth from a home, to a motor vehicle, and then to a boat, then back again at the end of the fishing trip. All of this transportation presents ample opportunities for a rod to become broken or the line to become tangled together with other rods. 
     While various fishing rod racks are known, there remain problems with providing a storage rack that is easily transportable as well as easily and quickly securable once a destination or area of use is reached, such as a boat. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The inventor has recognized the aforementioned inherent problems and lack in the art and observed that there is a need for a holding device for securely storing and transporting multiple fishing rods in a manner which prevents damage, breakage, tangling, and other undesired situations. 
     Accordingly, it is an object of the present embodiments of the invention to solve at least one (1) of these problems. The inventor has addressed this need by developing a transportable fishing rod holder that provides for the storage and transport of multiple fishing rods in a manner which is quick, easy, and effective. The inventor has thus realized the advantages and benefits of providing the transportable fishing pole holder. The holder includes a vertical member having an upper end and a lower end, a lower horizontal member affixed to the vertical member lower end, and an upper horizontal member affixed to the vertical member upper end parallel to the lower horizontal member. At least two (2) base clamps are fastenable to a horizontal support surface and are connected to the lower horizontal member. A center brace is fastenable to a vertical support surface and is connected to the vertical member. A plurality of receiving apertures is disposed longitudinally along a top surface of the lower horizontal member. Each of the receiving apertures is adapted to receive a butt grip end of the fishing pole. A plurality of upper apertures is disposed longitudinally along a front surface of the upper horizontal member. Each of the upper apertures is adapted to receive a rod segment of the fishing pole. The plurality of receiving apertures and upper apertures are spaced apart at intervals for holding a plurality of fishing poles parallel to each other in a side-by-side orientation and extending between the lower horizontal member and the upper horizontal member. 
     In certain embodiments the upper horizontal member includes a foam core. An area of the foam core is exposed within each of the upper apertures and includes a vertical slit for holding the rod segment of the fishing pole. 
     In certain embodiments the transportable fishing pole holder also includes a pair of securing cords. Each of the cords includes a length of cord and hook fastener at each end which is attachable to the upper horizontal member for retaining the fishing poles within the upper apertures. The upper horizontal member also includes a plurality of outwardly protruding securing pins spaced apart at intervals along a rear surface alternatingly positioned relative to the upper apertures. The hook fasteners of the securing cord are attachable between an outside pair of securing pins and the length of cord is looped between the plurality of fishing poles and an interior plurality of securing pins. 
     The invention, unlike previous attempts provides an apparatus which holds a plurality of fishing poles for transportation to and from utilized location and which provides for an easy and quick method of securing the holder to a boat or other support surface. 
     Furthermore, the described features and advantages of the disclosure may be combined in various manners and embodiments as one skilled in the relevant art will recognize. The disclosure can be practiced without one (1) or more of the features and advantages described in a particular embodiment. 
     Further advantages of the present disclosure will become apparent from a consideration of the drawings and ensuing description. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The advantages and features of the present disclosure will become better understood with reference to the following more detailed description and claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like elements are identified with like symbols, and in which: 
         FIG. 1  is an environmental view of a transportable fishing rod holder in accordance with the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a rear view of the transportable fishing rod holder; 
         FIG. 3  is a front perspective of a transportable member of the transportable fishing rod holder; 
         FIG. 4  is a front view of a base clamp of the transportable fishing rod holder; 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the base clamp; and, 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view of a center brace of the transportable fishing rod holder. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTIVE KEY 
     
       
         
               
               
               
             
           
               
                   
                   
               
             
             
               
                   
                 10 
                 transportable fishing rod holder 
               
               
                   
                 11 
                 fishing rod 
               
               
                   
                 12 
                 rod butt 
               
               
                   
                 13 
                 horizontal surface 
               
               
                   
                 14 
                 vertical surface 
               
               
                   
                 20 
                 transportable member 
               
               
                   
                 21 
                 upper horizontal member 
               
               
                   
                 22 
                 upper aperture 
               
               
                   
                 23 
                 foam 
               
               
                   
                 24 
                 receiving slit 
               
               
                   
                 25 
                 lower horizontal member 
               
               
                   
                 26 
                 receiving aperture 
               
               
                   
                 27 
                 vertical member 
               
               
                   
                 30 
                 base clamp 
               
               
                   
                 31 
                 base 
               
               
                   
                 32 
                 base aperture 
               
               
                   
                 33 
                 fastener 
               
               
                   
                 34 
                 receiving opening 
               
               
                   
                 35 
                 receiving space 
               
               
                   
                 40 
                 center brace 
               
               
                   
                 41 
                 flange 
               
               
                   
                 42 
                 flange base 
               
               
                   
                 43 
                 flange fastening aperture 
               
               
                   
                 44 
                 flange receiving opening 
               
               
                   
                 45 
                 flange receiving opening aperture 
               
               
                   
                 46 
                 arm 
               
               
                   
                 47 
                 arm aperture 
               
               
                   
                 48 
                 arm clamp 
               
               
                   
                 49 
                 arm clamp receiving opening 
               
               
                   
                 50 
                 arm clamp receiving space 
               
               
                   
                 51 
                 detent pin 
               
               
                   
                 60 
                 securing pin 
               
               
                   
                 61 
                 securing cord 
               
               
                   
                 62 
                 hook 
               
               
                   
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     In accordance with the invention, the best mode is presented in terms of a preferred embodiment, herein depicted within  FIGS. 1 through 6 . However, the disclosure is not limited to a single described embodiment and a person skilled in the art will appreciate that many other embodiments are possible without deviating from the basic concept of the disclosure and that any such work around will also fall under its scope. It is envisioned that other styles and configurations can be easily incorporated into the teachings of the present disclosure, and only one particular configuration may be shown and described for purposes of clarity and disclosure and not by way of limitation of scope. 
     The terms “a” and “an” herein do not denote a limitation of quantity, but rather denote the presence of at least one of the referenced items. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 1 through 6 , depicting a transportable fishing rod holder (herein described as an “apparatus”)  10 , where like reference numerals represent similar or like parts. In accordance with the invention, the present disclosure describes the apparatus  10  for providing a means for securely storing and transporting a plurality of fishing rods  11 . The apparatus  10  maintains the fishing rods  11  in a generally vertical orientation and correspondingly eliminates tangling or damages to the fishing rods  11  during transport. 
       FIG. 1  shows an environmental view of the apparatus  10  and  FIG. 2  shows a rear view of the apparatus  10 . The apparatus  10  is mountable between a generally horizontal surface  13  and vertical surface  14 , typically in association with a boat, a truck bed, or similar transportation vehicles. The apparatus  10  includes a removably attachable transportable member  20 , a pair of base clamps  30 , and a center brace  40 . The apparatus  10  is fabricated in various sizes to accommodate various pluralities of fishing rods  11 . 
       FIG. 3  shows a front perspective view of the transportable member  20 . The transportable member  20  generally forms an “I” shape which is removably attached at a selected position and location for retaining the fishing rods  11 . The transportable member  20  is fabricated from durable weather-proof materials, such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC) or the similar thermoplastic material. 
     The “I” shape of the transportable member  20  includes an upper horizontal member  21 , a lower horizontal member  25 , and a vertical member  27 . The upper horizontal member  21  is a tubular structure measuring approximately two (2) feet in width and filled with foam  23 . The foam  23  is preferably in a solid rod form, yet other forms such as spray foam can be utilized without limiting the scope of the apparatus  10 . The foam  23  is utilized to secure the fishing rods  11 . The foam  23  is exposed through a plurality of upper apertures  22  disposed upon a front facing surface of the upper horizontal member  21 . The upper apertures  22  are spaced apart at intervals longitudinally along the upper horizontal member  21  and provide an ample surface opening for accessing the areas of exposed foam  23 . A single fishing rod  11  can be fittingly engaged and at least partially secured within the foam  23 . The exposed areas of foam  23  also include a vertical receiving slit  24  intermediately positioned within the upper aperture  22 . An upper portion of the fishing rod  11  can be at least partially inserted within the receiving slot  24  to retain and secure the upper portion of the fishing rod  11  in a generally vertical orientation. The receiving slit  24  is preferably pre-cut into the foam  23  during manufacturing. 
     The vertical member  27  is also a tubular structure which interconnects the upper horizontal member  21  to the lower horizontal member  25 . The vertical member  27  measures approximately two-and-a-half (2½) feet in length. A distal end of the vertical member  27  is affixed to an underside central exterior surface of the upper horizontal member  21 . The opposing proximal end of the vertical member  27  is affixed to an upper central exterior surface of the lower horizontal member  25  which is parallel to the upper horizontal member  21 . The vertical member  27  separates the horizontal members  21 ,  25  an appropriate distance apart to properly receive at least a rod butt  12  to be inserted within a desired receiving aperture  26  upon the lower horizontal rod  25  with an upper portion of the fishing rod  11  within the respective foam  23  exposed from the upper aperture  22 . Each receiving aperture  26  is positioned upon an upper surface of the lower horizontal member  25  and is an appropriate diameter to retain the rod butt  12  of various types of fishing rods  11 . 
     A plurality of receiving apertures  26  is disposed longitudinally along the lower horizontal member  25 . The receiving apertures  26  align with respective upper apertures  22  to position each fishing rod  11  in the generally vertical orientation. The rod butt  12  is insertingly positioned within a selected one (1) of the receiving apertures  26  and the upper portion of the fishing rod  11  is secured within the respective receiving slit  24 . 
     The upper horizontal member  21  includes a plurality of securing pins  60  which protrude outwardly from a rear surface for winding or wrapping a securing cord  61  around to secure the fishing rods  11  in place during transit. The securing pins  60  can be fastened or adhered to the exterior surface of the upper horizontal member  21 . The securing cord  61  is an elastic cord having a hook  62  on each opposing end. The hooks  62  of the securing cord  61  connectively engage two (2) of the securing pins  60  for fastening purposes. The interior length of the securing cord  61  is wrapped around a front surface of the fishing rod  11  and routed back to a rear surface of the upper horizontal member  21  and under a securing pin  60 . This is repeated a desired amount of times as needed dependant on the number of fishing rods  11  being transported or secured. The securing cord  61  can also be a length of non-elastic martial, such as rope, also having connector fasteners on opposing ends. 
       FIG. 4  shows a front view of a base clamp  30  and  FIG. 5  shows a perspective view of the base clamp  30 . The lower horizontal member  25  is removably connected to the horizontal support surface  13  by at lease a pair of “C”-shaped base clamps  30 . Each base clamp  30  is a flexible plastic member having a receiving opening  34  to receive and at least partially accept an exterior surface of each end of the lower horizontal member  25  within a receiving space  35  defined by the interior of the clamp  30 . The base clamps  30  also include a rectangular base  31  having a plurality of base apertures  32 . The base apertures  32  receive mechanical fasteners  33 , such as screws, to fasten the base clamp  30  to the horizontal surface  13 . An upper inward bend at the end of each flexible arm of the base clamp  30  allows for easier insertion of the lower horizontal member  25  and limits unintentional removal. 
       FIG. 6  shows a perspective view of a center brace  40  which is used to secure the transportable member  20  to the vertical support surface  14 . The center brace  40  includes a flange  41 , an arm  46 , and an arm clamp  48 ; which are all fabricated from PVC or a similar durable and weather-proof material. The flange  41  is attached to the vertical surface  14  and perpendicularly receives an end of the arm  46 . The flange  41  is a circular flange base  42  having an intermediately protruding flange receiving opening  44 . The flange base  42  includes a pair of flange fastening apertures  43  to receive a pair of fasteners  33  for fastening to the vertical surface  14 . The flange receiving opening  44  receives a distal end of the arm  46 . A pair of arm apertures  47  disposed on the distal end of the arm  46  is aligned with a pair of flange receiving opening apertures  45  disposed on the flange receiving opening  44 . The arm  46  is secured to the flange  42  by inserting a detent pin  51  through the aligned pairs of apertures  45 ,  47 . 
     The arm  46  is another tubular structure used to attach the transportable member  20 , via connection to the vertical member  27 , to the vertical surface  14 . The base clamps  30  are fastened to the horizontal surface  13  below the end of the arm  46  in order to position and align the transportable member in an upright orientation. The diameter of the arm  46  is slightly smaller than an inner diameter of the flange receiving opening  44  to enable placement therewithin. The proximal end of the arm  46  includes an arm clamp  48  which secures the center brace  40  to an exterior surface of the vertical member  27 . The arm clamp  48  functions in a similar manner to the base clamps  30 . The arm clamp  48  includes an arm clamp receiving opening  49  which receives the vertical member  27  which is inserted within an arm clamp receiving space  50  to hold the vertical member  27  in an upright position. 
     It can be appreciated by one skilled in the art that other styles and configurations of the invention can be easily incorporated into the teachings of the present disclosure and only one particular configuration has been shown and described for purposes of clarity and disclosure and not by way of limitation of scope. 
     In accordance with the invention, the preferred embodiment can be utilized by the user in a simple and effortless manner with little or no training. After initial purchase or acquisition of the apparatus  10 , it is installed and utilized as indicated in  FIGS. 1 through 6 . 
     The method of installing and utilizing the apparatus  10  can be achieved by performing a series of steps. It can be appreciated that the steps described can be performed in alternative order and as such should not be viewed as a limiting factor. Acquiring the apparatus  10 . Installing the base clamps  30  upon the horizontal surface  13  by inserting fasteners  33  within each base aperture  32  and into the horizontal surface  13 . Installing the flange  41  onto the vertical surface  14 , that is equidistantly positioned between each base clamp  30 , by inserting fasteners  33  within each flange fastening apertures  43 . Inserting the arm  46  into the flange receiving opening  44  and aligning the flange receiving opening apertures  45  with the arm apertures  47  and inserting the detent pin  51 . Engaging the lower horizontal member  25  upon the transportable member  20  within each base clamp  30 . Engaging the vertical member  27  with the arm clamp  48 . Inserting the rod butt  12  within a selected receiving aperture  26 . Engaging the upper portion of the fishing rod  11  within the receiving slit  24  of the respective upper aperture  22 . Repeating as needed for additional fishing rods  11 . Utilizing the securing cord  61  to secure the fishing rod  11  by wrapping the securing cord  61  around the fishing rid  11  and respective securing pin  60  and securing with the hooks  62 . Enabling the user to easily store and transport multiple fishing rods  11  in a manner which is quick, easy, and effective. 
     The foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments have been presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention and method of use to the precise forms disclosed. Various modifications and variations can be appreciated by one skilled in the art in light of the above teachings. The embodiments have been chosen and described in order to best explain the principles and practical application in accordance with the invention to enable those skilled in the art to best utilize the various embodiments with expected modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is understood that various omissions or substitutions of equivalents are contemplated as circumstance may suggest or render expedient, but is intended to cover the application or implementation without departing from the spirit or scope of the claims of the invention.