Abstract:
This invention is directed to a fishing rod holder having a generally annular mounting bezel which generally surrounds the mouth of a tube for receiving the butt of a fishing rod. The underside of the mounting bezel includes at least one blind hole or projecting mounting stud for receiving a fastener for mounting the rod holder without penetrating the exposed surface of the mounting bezel, providing an aesthetically pleasing appearance. A rod engaging member or pin engages grooves in the butt of a rod, allowing it to swivel. The amount of resistance of the rod engaging member or pin to swivel motion can be adjusted.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application is a continuation-in part of, and claims priority under 35 §120 to, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/102,279 filed Apr. 14, 2008 now U.S. Pat. No. 8,291,636 which, in turn, claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/911,599, filed Apr. 13, 2007 and entitled “FISHING ROD HOLDER,” for all commonly disclosed subject matter. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/102,279 and U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/911,599 are each expressly incorporated herein by reference in their entireties to form a part of the present disclosure. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to the field of fishing rod holders of the type mountable on marine vessels by way of a mounting bezel which surrounds the mouth of a tube for receiving the butt of a fishing rod. More particularly, the invention relates to a fishing rod holder of such type wherein the mounting bezel is attachable to the vessel by means of fasteners not visible on the upper surface of the bezel after the rod holder has been mounted to the vessel and wherein a member engageable with the butt of the fishing rod is mounted within the tube allowing the rod to swivel under a resistance which may be set or adjusted via an adjustable brake. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Fishing rod holders of the type used on marine vessels, such as sport fishing and pleasure boats, generally include a hollow tube in which the butt end of a fishing rod can be inserted to hold a fishing rod in a generally upright, angled or vertical, position for purposes of storage or to hold the rod while fishing. Such fishing rod holders commonly include a mounting bezel surrounding the mouth of the tube. The mounting bezel is typically provided with a plurality of holes for receiving fasteners which can be inserted through the body of the mounting bezel and into an underlying panel of the vessel in order to attach the rod holder to the vessel. Machine screws, bolts or wood screws are generally used and are inserted such that the tops of the heads of the screws remain visible on the exposed upper surface of the mounting bezel after the fishing rod holder has been installed. Because of their visibility on the upper surface of the bezel, the fasteners detract from the appearance of the installation. Irregularities such as driving slots or holes in the heads of the fasteners are also prone to retain dirt and water, a condition which is even more unsightly and promotes corrosion of the fasteners and the mounting bezel itself. 
     Both tubular fishing rod holders and, more specifically, tubular fishing rod holders in which a transverse bar at the end of the tube engages a slot in the butt of a fishing rod are known in the prior art. This bar can engage either a single transverse groove or pair of transverse grooves at right angles to one another. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,745,690 to Lewis these grooves are cited as enabling, in the case of a rod with a pair of such grooves, the rod to be placed in the holder in four positions. In the case of the &#39;690 patent as well as that of U.S. Pat. No. 3,964,706 to Adams, U.S. Pat. No. 4,375,731 to Budd, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,901,970 to Moss et. al, a transverse bar in the bottom of the tubular rod holder precludes movement of the rod about its longitudinal axis. However, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,682,438 to Arrow, the aforementioned transverse bar is rotatable, allowing the fishing rod to pivot or swivel such that the tip of the rod traverses a path which has an arcuate component in a horizontal plane. In such a rod holder, a transverse bar extends across the diameter of the center of a rotatable mounting ring flanked on either side by washers, allowing the bar to rotate clockwise or counterclockwise when force is applied to the tip of the rod in a given pivotal direction by a running fish. However, lacking in the prior art is a fishing rod holder which enables a user to set, increase or decrease the resistance of the rod holder, and thus, the rod, to such rotation, effectively managing the ability of the rod to swivel in the direction of pull exerted on it. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention relates to a fishing rod holder having a mounting bezel which is preferably attachable to a vessel by means of fasteners which do not penetrate, and are not visible on, the upper surface of the bezel after the rod holder has been mounted to the vessel and which enables a user to set or adjust the resistance of the rod holder, and thus, the rod, to turning around the rod holder in response to being pulled by a fish. In a preferred embodiment, the underside of the mounting bezel includes at least one, and preferably three (3 each), blind holes for receiving a fastener for mounting the fishing rod holder to the vessel in a manner such that the fastener is not visible on the exposed upper surface of the bezel after mounting. In an alternative embodiment, the underside of the mounting bezel includes at least one downward projection, such as a stud, to which a fastener such as a retaining cap or clip can be secured to attach the rod holder to a mounting panel. In both the preferred and alternative embodiments this invention also relates to a fishing rod holder in which the butt of the rod is fixable to a rotatable rod engaging member that serves to allow the rod to swivel in the direction of pull exerted on the fishing line by a running fish so that the tip of the rod may rotate so as to be able to continuously point toward the fish. In accordance with the invention, the rod holder is provided with an adjustable brake which may be set or adjusted to set the resistance to pivoting of the rod. This resistance may be set within a range, or adjusted over a range, which may span anywhere between substantially zero resistance to pivoting to substantially locked against pivoting. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a side cross-sectional view showing a preferred embodiment of the invention, shown as installed in a panel of a marine vessel. 
         FIG. 2  is a bottom view of the mounting bezel shown in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is a top view of the mounting bezel shown in  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the optional support bracket shown in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional top-view taken along line  5 - 5  of  FIG. 1   
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     A preferred embodiment of the invention is shown in longitudinal cross-section in  FIG. 1 .  FIG. 1  shows a fishing rod holder  10  mounted to a structural panel  12 , such as a gunwhale, of a marine vessel. Fishing rod holder  10  comprises a hollow, cylindrical tube  14  having an open upper end, or mouth  15 , and a lower end  18 . Tube  14  may be formed of plastic or any suitable material but is preferably formed of metal of a type resistant to corrosion or plated or coated to be resistant to corrosion such as stainless steel or chrome plated steel. Optionally, lower end  18  of tube  14  may include a drain opening  27  through which water may freely drain from the interior of rod holder  10 . If desired, drain opening  27  may include internal pipe threads for receiving a nipple to which a length of plastic tubing (not shown) may optionally be connected in order to direct drain water to a desired drain location. In order to protect the surface finish of fishing rods as well as to provide an attractive internal appearance, the interior of tube  14  is optionally provided with a tubular liner  31  of plastic or other suitable material sized to fit snugly but removably within the interior of tube  14  as shown in  FIG. 1 . 
     The open upper end  15  of hollow tube  14  is surrounded by an annular mounting bezel  35  which may suitably be formed of plastic or any desired material but which is preferably formed of aluminum, stainless steel or other corrosion resistant material. Mounting bezel  35  and hollow tube  14  are inseparable from one another and comprise a unitary member. Hollow tube  14  and said mounting bezel  13  may be inseparably connected to one another by a weld. Bezel  35  includes an upper surface  39  which may be provided with a desired surface finish and which, in accordance with the invention and as illustrated in  FIGS. 1 and 3 , shows no visible signs of any fasteners when rod holder  10  is installed. The surface finish of the upper surface  39  of the mounting surface is preferably one which exhibits an aesthetically pleasing appearance such as a brightly polished, or brushed metal finish or any suitable clear or colored surface coating such as an anodized finish, a powder-coated finish or the like. To this end, according to one preferred embodiment of the invention, the lower surface  42  of mounting bezel  35  is provided with at least one, and preferably several, blind holes  40  for receiving a fastener  44 , such as a cap screw, used for securing fishing rod holder  10  to panel  12 . If mounting bezel  35  is sufficiently thick and strong, blind holes  40  may simply be formed entirely within the main portion of the body of mounting bezel  35 . Otherwise, if additional strength is needed, mounting bezel  35  can be provided with one or more hollow or partially hollow projections or bosses  46  through which pass at least a portion of the depth of blind holes  40  as shown in  FIG. 1 . Blind holes  40  may suitably be provided with internal threads in order to receive a correspondingly threaded fastener  44 . Alternatively, fastener  44  may be of a self-tapping or self-threading type so that blind holes  40  need not be internally pre-threaded. 
     In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 1 , tube  14  happens to project from the underside  42  of mounting bezel  35  at an angle of sixty degrees (60°) but the angle is not critical to the invention. Other angles including without limitation ninety degree (90), forty-five degree (45), and thirty degree (30), or other angles are of course within the scope of the present invention. 
     To provide enhanced structural integrity, rod holder  10  is preferably mounted with the aid of an optional backing plate  50  which may suitably be formed of a flat stock material having a central opening  54  through which tube  14  may freely pass. Backing plate  50  is particularly useful in cases where the panel  12  in which rod holder  10  is mounted is thin or lacks structural integrity. Backing plate  50  is provided with a series of openings  55  through which bodies, but not heads, of fasteners  44  may pass. Preferably, openings  55  are elongated and backing plate  50  has an open ended shape, such as the open-ended “U” shape shown in  FIG. 4 . The elongation of fastener openings  55  and the open end  59  of opening  54  within backing plate  50  allow an angled rod holder  10  to be installed in panels  12  having a range of thicknesses and allow a single configuration of backing plate  50  to accommodate a variety of rod holders whose tubes  14  depend at a differing angle from their mounting bezel  35 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 1 , the bottom portion of tube  14  may contain a support member in the form of a disc shaped base  69 , the circumferential surface of which is not flush with tube  14  both in order to account for the insertion of a tubular liner  31  and to allow the space for disc shaped base  69  to rotate about its central axis once tubular liner  31  is inserted. As  FIG. 1  shows, a threaded shaft  71  engages disc shaped base  69  by way of an internally threaded blind hole  73  such that a rod engaging member  72  in the form of a pin  72 ′, extends transversely across a portion of the diameter of the upper surface  88  of disc shaped base  69 . Rod engaging member  72 / 72 ′ is mechanically coupled to an adjustable brake  83 . A lower surface  87  of disc shaped base  69  rests atop a first plastic washer  70  such that the lower surface  87  of disc shaped base  69  does not directly touch the bottom portion of tube  14 . The top surface of a second plastic washer  74  abuts the exterior underside of tube  14  and the underside of second plastic washer  74  abuts the top surface of a stainless steel washer  75 . Threaded shaft  71  passes through stainless steel washer  75 , second plastic washer  74 , the bottom of tube  14  and first plastic washer  70  and is securely threaded into an internally threaded blind hole  73  formed in the underside of disc shaped base  69 . A hex nut of stainless steel  76  is affixed to the threaded shaft of stainless steel  71  and the top surface of hex nut of stainless steel  76  makes contact with the underside of stainless steel washer  75 . 
     As shown in  FIGS. 1 and 5 , the bottom portion of tube  14  contains a support member in the form of a disc shaped base  69  having an exterior wall  81  which projects upwardly in  FIG. 1  to form a cup  79 . As  FIG. 1  shows, exterior wall  81  abuts an interior surface  32  of tubular liner  31 , but preferably not such as to significantly impede the rotation of cup  79 . In this embodiment, rod engaging member  72  takes the form of pin  72 ′ whose ends are attached to the cup  79  by way of rivets (not shown). Pin  72 ′ extends across the diameter of the cup  79 . Thus, the portion of pin  72 ′ not affixed to cup  79 , a freestanding portion spanning the open inside diameter of cup  79 , can engage one of the aforementioned grooves in the butt of a fishing rod. Threaded shaft  71  engages cup  79  by way of internally threaded blind hole  73  and passes through, in descending order, first plastic washer  70 , the bottom surface of tube  14 , second plastic washer  74 , stainless steel washer  75 , and, finally, a hex nut of stainless steel  76 .  FIG. 5  shows a top view of the swivel mechanism along line  5 - 5  in  FIG. 1 . 
     Rod holder  10  is installed by drilling, or otherwise forming a hole through a gunwhale, or other panel  12  of a marine vessel, of sufficient diameter to accommodate tube  14  and a mounting bezel  35 . Smaller holes for accommodating fasteners  44  are then drilled, or otherwise formed, in locations corresponding to the locations of blind holes  40  of mounting bezel  35 . The lower end  18  of rod holder  10  is then passed through hole  55  and rod holder  10  is lowered until the underside  42  of mounting bezel  35  rests flush on the upper surface of panel  12 . Fasteners  44  are then passed upwardly through backing plate  12  and panel  12  and are fastened inside blind holes  40  to securely fasten rod holder  10  to vessel panel  12 . The fasteners  44  are not visible on an upper surface  39  of mounting bezel  35  and thus neither detract from the finished appearance of the upper surface  39  of mounting bezel  35  nor accumulate contaminants or moisture capable of fostering deterioration or corrosion of surface  39 . 
     In use, the butt end of a fishing rod may be inserted into the tube  14  of fishing rod holder  10  to support the rod for storage or while the rod is in use with the vessel either stationary or in motion, as when drifting or trolling a lure or other bait. The grooves in the butt of the rod engage rod engaging member in the form of a pin  72 ′. Furthermore, in each embodiment described herein, hex nut  76  may be tightened or loosened in relationship to stainless steel washer  75  on threaded shaft  71  in order to adjust the resistance of rod engaging member  72  or rod engaging member in the form of a pin  72 ′ to pull in a given direction. The potential resistance of rod engaging member  72 ′ to pivoting motion thus ranges from zero to substantially locked against pivoting. Threaded shaft of stainless steel  71 , hex nut of stainless steel  76 , stainless steel washer  75 , second plastic washer  74 , the bottom wall  19  of tube  14 , and first stainless steel washer  70  comprise an adjustable brake  83  which is mechanically coupled to rod engaging member  72 ′ and which may be set or adjusted by tightening or loosening hex nut  71  to set or adjust the resistance to pivoting of the rod. Brake  83  is substantially infinitely adjustable over a range which extends from substantially zero resistance to rotation to a resistance to rotation at which said rod engaging member is substantially locked against rotation. 
     While the invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from the essential scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiments disclosed as the best mode contemplated for carrying out this invention, but that the invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims and all legal equivalents.