Abstract:
A holder for a fishing rod includes an elongated hollow body with a continuous opening disposed through the upper portion of the hollow body. The opening has a shape that provides for pieces to be formed at either end of the hollow body. The pieces prevent removal of the rod unless the fishing rod is held in the same orientation as that of the opening. The holder is particularly effective in preventing the unintentional release of the rod from the holder when the blank of the rod is violently flexed.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This invention relates generally to a holders, supports, and steadying devices, and particularly to a fishing rod holder. 
     2. Background of the Invention 
     It is well known in the art to use devices mounted to the side of a boat or a dock or staked into the ground to support and hold a fishing rod at a desired angle for the lengthy periods of time that the fisher must wait for a fish to bite. In order to be effective, these devices must hold the fishing rod with sufficient force so as to retain the rod given normal motion, such as the rocking or bouncing of a boat in the water, and yet the device must be able to release the rod quickly enough so that the fisher may take control of the rod in order to battle the fish. 
     Fishing rod holding devices take many forms. Among the simplest of these are metal or plastic tubes into which the handle of the rod is inserted. These tube holders are not well-suited to accepting all types of fishing rods, such as rods with pistol handles or other unconventional handles. Also, the rod may simply fall out of the holder given the normal motion of the boat or in response to the initial bite of the fish. 
     Many fishing rod holders currently commercially available attempt to address the shortcomings of the simple tube holder. These more complex holders include such attributes as locking in the rod and using sophisticated mounting systems that pivot and tilt to reduce the need for extracting the rod. However, no currently available system provides fast and easy intentional extraction while inhibiting the accidental release of the fishing rod. 
     A particularly common type of accidental release of the fishing rod occurs when the tip of the rod is forcefully flexed, such as when a fish violently frees itself or suddenly jumps out of the water. This extraction can cause damage to or even the loss of very expensive fishing gear. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is an object of the present invention to provide a fishing rod holder which provides fast intentional extraction of the rod yet which reduces the incidence of unintentional release of the rod, particularly when the tip of the rod is violently flexed. 
     It is another object of the present invention to provide a fishing rod holder that is adaptable to a large number of fishing rods. 
     The present invention accomplishes these and other objects by providing a fishing rod holder made of a simple tubular element, with a continuous opening through the upper portion of the tube along the long axis of the tube. The shape of the opening is such that the remaining material at either end of the tube form pieces that hold the fishing rod blank in place, even given the violent flexing of the tip of the blank. This tube may be mounted to a surface in a variety of ways, such as direct attachment with screws or glue, or the use of any number of commercially available mounting devices. The fishing rod holder may also be integrally molded with the shell of the boat. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS/FIGURES 
     The foregoing and other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following more particular description of a preferred embodiment of the invention, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a fishing rod holder in accordance with the present invention. 
     FIG. 1A is a plan view of a fishing rod holder in accordance with the present invention. 
     FIG. 2 shows a fishing rod holder as depicted in FIG. 1 holding a fishing rod. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     A preferred embodiment of the present invention is now described with reference to the figures, where like reference numbers indicate identical or functionally similar elements. 
     Referring now to FIG. 1, a fishing rod holder  110  includes an elongated hollow body  112 . Hollow body  112  can be made of a variety of materials, although the material must be sufficiently rigid so as to effectively retain the fishing rod when holder  110  is subjected to bouncy conditions, such as when a boat enters rough waters. As the fishing environment can be harsh and corrosive, materials that are not readily damaged by these conditions are preferred. Such materials include but are not limited to powder coated steel, PVC-coated die cast aluminum, composite materials such as fiberglass or carbon graphite epoxy, or plastics such as PVC. 
     The cross-sectional geometry of hollow body  112  is shown in FIG. 1 as a circle (i.e., hollow body  112  is a cylindrical tube.) However, the present invention is not so limited. The cross-sectional geometry may be of any available geometry, including but not limited to elliptical, square, and triangular. 
     The length of hollow body  112  may vary, depending upon factors such as the length or type of fishing rod anticipated for use with the holder or the type of mounting surface. A typical dimension for the length of hollow body  112  is approximately three to four (3-4) inches in freshwater and four to six (4-6) inches in saltwater, although the present invention is not limited to these lengths. 
     Through an upper portion  116  of hollow body  112  is an opening  114 . Opening  114  extends from a proximal end  122  to a distal end  124  of hollow body  112 , generally following the longitudinal axis  121 . The width of opening  114  is sufficient to permit easy passage of standard sized fishing rod blanks, for example, one-half (½) inch. 
     The shape of opening  114  is such that the remaining material at either end of hollow body  112  forms pieces  126 ,  128  that prevent the extraction of the fishing rod from holder  110  unless the rod is oriented at a specific angle with respect to holder  110 . The shape of opening may be curved, particularly in a sinusoidal manner, as is shown in FIG.  1 . The opening may also be a straight diagonal cut across upper portion  116 , as is shown in FIG.  1 A. At proximal end  122 , opening  114  is disposed along a first side portion  118 , forming proximal piece  126 . Opening  114  passes through the center of upper portion  116  at approximately one-half the distance along longitudinal axis  121 . At distal end  124 , opening  114  is disposed along a second side portion  120 , forming a distal piece  128 . 
     Opening  114  may alternately be disposed along second side portion  120  at proximal end  122  and along first side portion  118  at distal end  124 , forming proximal piece  126  and distal piece  128  with an opposite orientation to that of the embodiment shown in FIG.  1 . This reversed orientation is advantageous as several holders may be placed together on a surface, such as the side of a boat, without the worry of the fishing rods interfering with each other during insertion or extraction. 
     Referring now to FIG. 2, a fishing rod  230  is shown held by holder  110 . Holder  110  is mounted to surface  242 . The method of mounting may be direct, as screws may be passed through the bottom of holder  110  and into surface  242 , or holder  110  may be glued to surface  242 . Such direct mounting would be desirable where surface  242  is the side of a boat. Holder  110  may also be mounted using any of the commercially available fishing rod holder mounting devices, such as those found on pages  232 - 233  of the Bass Pro Shops Master Catalog from Summer  2002 . Further, holder  110  need not be a separate element from a boat. The shell of many boats are manufactured from moldable materials such as fiberglass or plastic that would also be suitable materials for making holder  110 . The mold from which the boats are made could incorporate the structure of holder  110 , resulting in the holder being an integrated protrusion from the shell of the boat. 
     Fishing rod  230  includes a blank  232 , a grip  234 , a reel  236 , a handle  238 , and a reel seat  240 . Note that “grip” is used herein to denote only that portion of cork, synthetic foams or the like distal to reel seat  240 ; the material proximal to reel seat  240  is referred to herein as “handle”. 
     The portion of blank  232  closest to grip  234  is disposed within holder  110 . Proximal piece  126  and distal piece  128  prevent blank  232  from passing through opening  114 , unless fishing rod  230  is specifically oriented to allow such passage. Distal piece  128  is particularly useful in preventing extraction of fishing rod  230  when the tip of blank  232  is vigorously flexed, such as may happen when fish becomes hooked. 
     Grip  234  abuts proximal end  116  of holder  110  and maintains frictional contact with holder  110 . This frictional contact prevents fishing rod  230  from meandering within holder  110 , and also helps to prevent dislodgement of fishing rod  230  from holder  110 . 
     Reel  236  and handle  238  maintain no contact with holder  110 . This aspect of the present invention differs significantly from most commercially available holders. A significant advantage of having reel  236  and handle  238  completely free from holder  110  is found in the simplicity of the movement required to manipulate fishing rod  230  into and out of holder  110 . Another advantage is in avoiding damage to reel  236  as a consequence of insertion or, epecially, accidental extraction from holder  110 . A further advantage is found in that reels, reel seats, and handle shapes can vary dramatically from one fishing rod to another; however, as blanks and grips are much more uniformly sized and shaped, the present invention is much more capable of being used with a large variety of fishing rods without modification than many currently available fishing rod holders. 
     Fishing rod  230  is inserted into holder  110  in the following manner. Holder  110  will generally be mounted to surface  242  in a fixed position, with opening  114  disposed on upper surface  116 . Fishing rod  230  is held by the fisher at an angle corresponding to the general orientation of opening  114 . Blank  232  is then passed through opening  114 . Fishing rod  230  is straightened to align with longitudinal axis  121 , and, optionally, fishing rod  230  may be rotated so that reel  236  and handle  238  are oriented according to the fisher&#39;s preference. Fishing rod  230  is then pushed forward until grip  234  maintains frictional contact with proximal end  122  of holder  110 . 
     Extraction of fishing rod  230  is performed by simply reversing the motions for insertion. Fishing rod  230  is pulled backwards by the fisher to break the frictional contact with holder  110 . Fishing rod  230  is then yawed so that the orientation of blank  232  matches that of opening  114 . Blank  232  may then be easily passed through opening  114 , completely releasing fishing rod  230  from holder  110 . 
     Other than the advantages found in the simplicity and ease of insertion and extraction, a particular advantage of this method of extraction is found when a fish strikes, as the fisher does not have to push fishing rod  230  forward in order extract fishing rod  230  from holder  110 . Pushing forward on fishing rod  230  could easily cause slack in the fishing line, a particularly undesirable effect when beginning to battle a fish. 
     While specific embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications and alternatives to those details could be developed in light of the overall teachings of the disclosure. Accordingly, the particular arrangement disclosed is meant to be illustrative only and does not limit the scope or the spirit of the invention, which is to be given the full breadth of the claims and any equivalents thereof.