Abstract:
A holding base system comprising a platform with an exteriorly splined post projecting therefrom and mounting means for securing the platform to a surface; an article holder having a splined inner wall on a bottom thereof to fit on and cooperate with the splined post and a top thereof shaped and constructed to secure an article to be supported, with the orientation of the supported article being determined by the relative positioning of the splined socket to the splined post.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]    This application is a division of application Ser. No. 09/460,501, filed Dec. 14, 1999.  
     
    
     
       STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT  
         [0002]    Not Applicable  
         REFERENCE TO A MICROFICHE APPENDIX  
         [0003]    Not Applicable  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0004]    This invention relates to holding devices and is particularly related to holding base systems that can be quickly and easily mounted to a variety of surfaces to receive a wide range of clamping devices that are used to secure other objects in place.  
         BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0005]    Principal objects of the present invention are to provide a holding base that is readily and easily connected to a variety of support surfaces and that will then receive articles to be secured, or a variety of clamping devices that will hold articles to be secured to the support surfaces. The articles to be held may include clamping devices that will secure other articles in place in a selected orientation or may be other articles themselves that are positioned in a selected orientation with respect to the surfaces.  
           [0006]    Yet other objects of the invention are to provide a holding base that is particularly suited to attachment to vehicles and even more particularly to bicycles, motorcycles and off-highway vehicles, so that articles such as containers, fishing equipment, tools, guns, safety equipment, cameras, telephones, pagers, position locators, water bottles and other convenience items can be readily attached to the vehicle for carrying and/or use purposes and that can be easily and quickly removed from the vehicle.  
           [0007]    Still other objects are to provide a holding base system that may be fitted with different types of anchor straps to pass around and to tightly grip articles. secured to a support surface such as a vehicle.  
           [0008]    Yet other objects are to provide a clamping device that is rotated with respect to the holding base, as desired, to insure secure holding of objects held by the clamping device, or a plurality of clamping devices, in a selected orientation.  
           [0009]    Principle features of the invention include a base unit with a platform having holes therethrough to receive the ends of a U-bolt clamp, or to receive screws or bolts to secure the base unit to a surface on which the unit is mounted. A shaft extending from the platform is exteriorly splined and has a central hole therethrough to receive and secure an article to be mounted to the surface or to receive an article holder.  
           [0010]    The article holder may include a socket with an encircling wall projecting from a base of the socket and the wall having a splined interior. The top of the socket has a hole therethrough. A resilient block fits snugly into a top of the socket and may be bolted in place. A V-notch in the top of the block receives an article to be mounted to the surface to which the base unit is secured. A pair of oppositely extending flexible gripper straps project from opposite sides of the block and the V-notch to provide means for anchoring a selected article to the resilient block. Each gripper strap has at least a pair of spaced apart projections along outer edges thereof to serve as positioners for an independent strap that is secured to the base of the socket and that passes around the gripper straps to secure objects held within the gripper straps to a surface. A rigid band formed around the periphery of the socket is connected to three comers of the base and is spaced from three sides. The band is fully secured to the other side of the base and has a hook thereon to cooperate with an expandable independent strap.  
           [0011]    Alternatively, a flexible strap having hook and loop connectors can be easily used.  
           [0012]    The holding base unit is quickly and easily attached to and removed from a desired surface. When attached to the surface one or more of the holding base units readily receive other articles, or other article holders, having an interiorly splined socket that will fit onto the socket. Because of the cooperating splined post and socket, secure holding is achieved even though the article or article holder being attached to the holding base unit may be rotated to a desired position before the matching splined components are telescoped and bolted together. The block of the article holder may be oriented with respect to the socket, as desired, to permit use of a selected independent strap.  
           [0013]    In another embodiment, the article holder may include a socket with an interior wall with spines that cooperate with the exterior splines of the shaft projecting from the platform of the base holding unit. Bifurcated arms, with or without interiorly extending flexible vanes extend from the socket to receive an article, or articles, to be held.  
           [0014]    A T-bar adapter provides a means for interconnecting a single base holding unit to a plurality of article holders. 
       
    
    
       [0015]    Additional objects and features of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art to which the invention pertains from the following detailed description and drawings.  
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0016]    [0016]FIG. 1 is a top view of a holding base unit of the holder base system of the invention;  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 2, an end elevation view of the holding base unit;  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 3, a side elevation view;  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 4, a top plan view of an article holder of the holder base system;  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 5, a side elevation view of the article holder of FIG. 4;  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 6, a vertical section, taken on the line  6 - 6  of FIG. 4;  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 7, a vertical section, taken on the line  7 - 7  of FIG. 4, but showing another embodiment of article holding strap:  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 8, a side elevation view of a pair of holding base units with bifurcated arms and angled vanes of the holding base system of the invention, with an article secured by the article holders and the base units secured to a bar of a vehicle rack, shown fragmentarily;  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 9, a vertical section, taken on the line  9 - 9  of FIG. 8 and with the article holder shown exploded from the holding base unit and the article shown in phantom, for clarity;  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 10, an exploded end elevation view of a holding base system including holding base unit, cross-bar adapter, and a pair of article holders having bifurcated arms, with flexible vanes; and  
         [0026]    [0026]FIG. 11, a top plan view of the holding base system of FIG. 10, but showing one article holder rotated to accomodate secure, wedged holding of an article.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0027]    Referring now to the drawings:  
         [0028]    In the illustrated preferred embodiments of the invention, the holding base system is shown generally at  20  in FIGS.  8 - 11 .  
         [0029]    In the embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 1- 7  the holding base system  20  includes a base holding unit  22 , and an article holder  24 .  
         [0030]    In the embodiment of the invention shown in FIGS.  8 - 11  a pair of spaced apart base holding units  22  each include an article holder  26 .  
         [0031]    Each base holding unit  22 , which may be made of durable plastic material, has a platform  30  from which a shaft  32  projects. The upper end of shaft  32  has splines  34  therearound, extending parallel to a central hole  33  through the shaft  32  and platform  30 . Additional holes  36 ,  38 , and  40  extend through opposite ends  42  and  44  of the platform  30 . As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, U-bolts  46 , inserted through the holes  36  and  38  can be used to clamp the platform  30  to a bar (not shown in FIGS. 2 and 3), such as forms the handlebars of a vehicle, with a V-groove  48  formed in a bottom  50  of the platform straddling the bar. Alternatively, screws or bolts (not shown) inserted through all or selected ones of the holes  36 ,  38  and  40  may be used to secure the platform to a selected surface to which the base holding system is attached.  
         [0032]    Article holder  24  includes a socket  52 , FIG. 4, which may be of square configuration, having side walls  54 ,  56 ,  58  and  60 , surrounding a circular recess with a splined inner wall  64 . A hole  66  passes through the socket at each side wall intersection and between the side walls and the splined inner wall  64 . Another hole  68  is passed centrally through the socket  52 .  
         [0033]    A resilient block  70  fits snugly into the top  72  of socket  52 . The block  70  has comer holes  74  therethrough to align with the holes  66  in the socket  52  and a central hole  76  therethrough to align with the central hole  68  through the socket  52 . Each of the holes  74  and hole  76  are counterbored to receive a nut, not shown, into which bolts inserted through the aligned holes in the socket  52  are turned to secure the socket to the block  70 . A V-notch  80  is formed in the bottom of block  70  such that the bottom of the block will straddle a portion of a curved or other appropriately shaped surface to which the holding base system  20  is attached.  
         [0034]    A rigid band  84  extends around the side walls  54 ,  56 ,  58 , and  60 , with the band being connected to the walls at comers  86 ,  88 , and  90  and spaced from the walls  54 ,  56 , and  58  and with the band fixed to and extending across the wall  60 . A hook  92  is formed with and projects from the band  84 , centrally of wall  60 .  
         [0035]    Flexible gripper straps  96  and  98  are formed integral with the block  70 , with the straps each extending from an opposite edge of the block  70  and parallel to V-notch  80 . Each gripper strap is formed to curve away from the block  70  and each has raised parallel ribs  100  on one face to engage an article to be secured by the holding base system. A pair of spaced apart projections  102  and  104  are formed at opposite sides  106  and  108  of the other faces of each of the gripper straps  96  and  98  to assist in alignment of an article securement strap, such as strap  110 , used to secure an article to the holding base system.  
         [0036]    Article securement strap  110 , is made of rubber, or the like, is capable of being stretched and upon being released will return to its original shape and length. Strap  110  has a head  112  formed on one end, is tapered at the opposite end  114  and has a series of holes  116  spaced along the length thereof.  
         [0037]    The end  114  of strap  110  is inserted through the opening formed between band  84  and wall  56  and the strap is pulled through the opening until head  112  of the strap engages band  84  to prevent the strap from being pulled fully through the space. Strap  110  will then pass around gripper strap  96 , between the projections  102  and  104  and around gripper strap  98  and between the projections  102  and  104  thereon, so that the strap  110  can be pulled to position the gripper straps around an article to be secured to the holding base system and until the stretched strap  110  is positioned such that a hole  116  fits over the hook  92  of band  84 .  
         [0038]    Alternatively, an article securement strap  120  (FIG. 7) can be used in place of the strap  110 , merely by rotating the block  70  a quarter turn inside the rigid band  84  so that the strap  120  will be properly aligned with the gripper straps  96  and  98 . Strap  120  is a strong, flexible fabric material  122 , with a loop material  124  on one face and with an end  126  turned back and the end sewn such that the end  126  has looped material on both faces of the strap. A flap  128  of strap material, having hook material  130  on one face thereof, is fixed to the strap  120  at a portion adjacent to the turned back end  126  and has a locking end  132  extending away from the strap  120 . When used with the socket  52  and resilient block  70  the end  126  of strap  120  is inserted through the space between a side wall  54  or  58  and rigid band  84  and away from the flexible gripper strap  96  or  98  adjacent to such side wall and then is folded back to engage the inserted loop portion with the hook portion  130  of the flap  128 . The hooks on the locking portion are then engaged with the loops on the turned back end  126  of the strap. The free end of the strap  120  is passed around the gripper straps  96  and  98 , between the projections  102  and  104  on the gripper straps and around an article to be secured. The free end of strap  120  passes through the space between the other side wall  54  or  58  and rigid band  84  and is snugged tight around the surface before being turned back to engage the looped material on the free end with hook material  94  sewn to and overlying looped material adjacent to the flap  128 .  
         [0039]    Use of strap  110  or of strap  120  is determined by the nature of the article to be secured and is a matter of choice by the user. With either independent strap the flexible gripper straps are held tightly against the article to be secured.  
         [0040]    As best seen in FIGS. 8 and 9 a plurality of spaced apart base holding units  22  (shown as two units) are mounted to a bar  134  forming part of a vehicle support rack and receive a shovel  136  (shown fragmentarily). Each base holding unit has an article holder  26  fixed thereto, with bifurcated arms  138  and  140  of the article holders aligned to receive the handle  142  of the shovel and with the downwardly inclined flexible vanes  144  of the article holders securing the handle in place.  
         [0041]    Individual base holding units  22  of the holding base system can easily receive and hold articles having cooperating socket members, article holders  26  and articles secured to the article holders. Alternatively, a spaced apart pair of article holders  26  can be mounted on a cross bar  146  with spaced apart splined shafts  32 , FIGS. 10 and 11. The cooperating splines on the shafts  32  and in the sockets  52  allow the article holders  26  to be rotated, as desired, relative to the splined shafts of the base holding units. Consequently, the bifurcated arms  138  and  140  of the spaced apart article holders can be set to provide for wedging of an article (fishing pole  150 ) held by the bifurcated arms. The spaced apart article holders  26  insure secure, wedged holding, whether or not the bifurcated arms include downwardly extending flexible vanes. Bolts  152 , inserted through central holes  154  through the splined shafts  32  and central holes  68  through the splined sockets  52  are tightened into nuts  156  in the counterbores  158  of base holding units  20  to secure the article holders to the base holding units.  
         [0042]    Although preferred embodiments of the invention have been herein disclosed, it is to be understood that such disclosure is by way of example and that other variations are possible without departing from the subject matter coming within the scope of the following claims, which claims define my invention.