Abstract:
A storage device for holding a drain plug for a boat is disclosed. The storage device provides a place to store the drain plug when it is removed from a drain hole for the boat. The storage device includes a reminder system using an emergency stop lanyard (ESL) present on nearly all powerboats. The storage device holds both the ESL and the drain plug. The storage device is designed so that the ESL cannot be removed without first removing the drain plug. Thus, an operator cannot start a boat&#39;s engine without first removing the drain plug from the storage device to gain access to the ESL, allowing the ESL to be refitted onto an operating system for the boat&#39;s engine. The act of handling the drain plug reminds the operator to re-install the drain plug into the drain hole.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit of Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/747,222 filed on 29 Dec. 2012 by the first named inventor. 
    
    
     FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
     Not Applicable 
     SEQUENCE LISTING, A TABLE, OR A COMPUTER PROGRAM 
     Not Applicable 
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a device for storing a drain plug for a boat when the drain plug is removed from a drain hole in the boat. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Most boats have a drain hole located at a low point in a boat&#39;s hull to allow for the drainage of bilge water when the boat is removed from the water. Draining bilge water has long been viewed as a useful way to prevent damage that standing water can cause to a boat&#39;s interior. More recently, draining bilge water has come to be seen as an important way to limit the spread of aquatic invasive species (AIS) from infested to uninfested bodies of water. Driven by a concern to limit the spread of AIS, some laws have recently been enacted that require the drain plug to be removed from the boat whenever the boat is trailered on a public roadway. 
     Removing the drain plug when the boat is out of water has, therefore, long been a good idea, but now in some regions such removal is a legal requirement. But removing the drain plug creates challenges for a boat operator. First, a question arises of where the boat operator should store the drain plug when it is not in use. Second, the boat operator must remember to re-install the drain plug when the boat is re-launched to prevent the boat from taking on water, and possibly sinking. 
     The prior art includes some other boat drain plug storage devices, but these are generally not designed to remind the boat operator to reinstall the boat drain plug before launching the boat. The prior art also includes several devices designed to remind the boat operator to reinstall the drain plug before launching the boat, but these are generally somewhat complicated electrical and mechanical devices that are relatively costly and prone to malfunction. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A storage device for holding a drain plug for a boat embodying the principles of the invention incorporates an elegantly simple system to remind an operator to install the drain plug before launching the boat. This system takes advantage of an emergency stop lanyard (ESL) that is present on nearly all powerboats used in North America. The ESL (which is also referenced by a variety of other names such as “safety lanyard,” “kill-switch tether,” and “emergency engine cut-off device”) is comprised of a cord with two ends. A clip designed to be attached to the operator is affixed to one end of the cord. A device that removably attaches to an element of a boat engine operating system is affixed to the other end of the cord. If the operator is somehow thrown from the boat, the ESL is designed to stay attached to the operator and pull free from the boat engine operating system. If the ESL is pulled from the boat engine operating system, the engine temporarily ceases to function. 
     When using the storage device embodying the principles of the invention, the operator purposefully removes the ESL from the boat engine operating system after removing the boat from a body of water, temporarily disabling the boat engine. The storage device is designed to hold both the ESL and the drain plug when the boat is out of the water. Further, the storage device is designed so that it is difficult or impossible for the operator to remove the ESL from the storage device without first removing the drain plug from the storage device. 
     Thus, the operator cannot start the boat engine without first removing the drain plug from the storage device to gain access to the ESL for re-installation on the boat engine operating system. The act of physically handling the drain plug to gain access to the ESL is meant to serve as a powerful reminder of the need to re-install the drain plug in a drain hole in the boat before leaving a landing for an outing on a body of water. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the present invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate exemplary embodiments of the present invention and together with the description serve to further explain the principles of the invention. Other aspects of the invention and the advantages of the invention will be better appreciated as they become better understood by reference to the Detailed Description when considered in conjunction with accompanying drawings, and wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is perspective view of one embodiment of the present invention before the storage device has been affixed into place on a boat, and before the ESL and the drain plug have been put into place on the storage device; 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of one embodiment of the present invention after the storage device has been affixed into place on the boat, and after the ESL and the drain plug have been put into place on the storage device; 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of one embodiment of the present invention with the storage device affixed to a surface, with the ESL placed in the storage device and before the drain plug has been placed in the storage device; 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view of one embodiment of the present invention with the storage device affixed to a surface, with the ESL and the drain plug placed in the storage device; 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of one embodiment of the present invention with the storage device affixed to a surface, with the ESL placed into the storage device and before the drain plug has been placed in the storage device; 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view of one embodiment of the present invention with the storage device affixed to a surface, with the ESL and the drain plug placed in the storage device; 
         FIG. 7  is a sectional view taken about the line  7 - 7  and in the direction of the arrows as indicated about the section line in  FIG. 3 ; and 
         FIG. 8  is a sectional view taken about the line  8 - 8  and in the direction of the arrows as indicated about the section line in  FIG. 5 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     To provide an understanding of the basic principles of the invention, reference is made to the embodiments shown in the drawings, and specific terms will be employed to describe the same. It should be understood, however, that no limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby intended. Instead, the invention includes any and all such alterations and improvements of the illustrated device that would normally occur to one skilled in the art to which the invention relates. 
       FIGS. 1-2  show one embodiment of a storage device generally referred to as  10  for a drain plug  50  for a boat. The storage device  10  is comprised of a block  11  that includes a circular aperture  12  passing through the bock. The circular aperture  12  sized and structured to securely receive the drain plug  50 . An interior surface of the circular aperture  12  can be threaded to accommodate a drain plug  50  of the type that screws into a threaded drain hole. In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 1 , the interior surface of the circular aperture  12  is generally smooth to accommodate a drain plug  50  of the type that is held into place by expanding to fit tightly into the drain hole. In the embodiment shown in  FIGS. 1-2 , the block  11  is rectangular in shape, but the block  11  could be made into a variety of different shapes. 
     A slot  13  is cut into an edge of the circular aperture  12 . The slot  13  passes entirely through the block  11  and has a width and depth slightly greater than a diameter of a cross-section of a cord  62  of an emergency stop lanyard (ESL)  60  for the boat. To use this embodiment of the storage device  10 , an operator passes an end of the ESL  60  through the circular aperture  12  and nests the cord  62  of the ESL  60  in the slot  13 .  FIG. 1  shows an operator clip end  61  of the ESL  60  being passed through the circular aperture  12 . Alternatively, an engine cut-off end  63  of the ESL  60  could be passed through the circular aperture  12 . 
     After the cord  62  is nested within the slot  13 , the operator securely affixes the drain plug  50  into the circular aperture  12 .  FIG. 2  shows the ESL  60  held in the storage device  10  after the drain plug  50  has been placed into the circular aperture  12 . The ends ( 61  and  63 ) of the ESL  60  are too large to pass through slot  13  after the drain plug  50  has filled the circular aperture  12 . The ESL  60  is, thus, trapped in the storage device  10 , making it impossible for the operator to gain access to the ESL  60  without first removing the drain plug  50  from the storage device  10 . 
     In the embodiment shown in  FIGS. 1-2 , the boat drain plug storage device  10  is removably affixed to a steering wheel  70  of a boat by means of a tether  16  having a block end  14  permanently affixed to the block  11  and a clip end  18 . As shown in  FIG. 1 , the clip end  18  can be wrapped around the steering wheel  70 . As shown in  FIG. 2 , the clip end  18  can then be removably clipped to the tether  16 , allowing the storage device  10  to dangle from the steering wheel  70  while the storage device  10  is in use. The tether  16  could be similarly clipped to other parts of the boat, such as a throttle control lever or a tiller handle. The storage device  10  could also be removably affixed to any of a number of other parts of the boat by other means such as a carabineer-like device. Alternatively, the boat drain plug storage device  10  could be permanently affixed to the boat in a location such as the dashboard. In yet another alternative embodiment, the storage device  10  could be either temporarily or permanently affixed to a part of the boat trailer or the boat trailer straps. 
       FIGS. 3 ,  4 , and  7  show an alternative embodiment of the storage device  10 . In this embodiment, the storage device  10  is comprised of a base  21  and a circular tube  23  protruding perpendicularly from the base  21 . The circular tube  23  is sized and structured to securely receive the drain plug  50 . An interior surface of the circular tube  23  can be threaded to accommodate a drain plug  50  of the type that screws into a threaded drain hole. In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 3 , the interior surface of the circular tube  23  is generally smooth to accommodate a drain plug  50  of the type that is held into place by expanding to fit tightly into the drain hole. 
     A window  24  is cut through a side of the circular tube  23  in proximity to the base  21 . The window  24  has a width slightly greater than double the diameter of the cross-section of the cord  62  of the ESL  60  and a length slightly less than a circumference of the circular tube  23 . A window tab  25  protrudes into the window  24  from a center point of a side of the window  24  nearest the base  21 . The window tab  25  protrudes roughly halfway into the window  24  toward a side of the window  24  opposite the base  21 . The window tab  25  spans roughly a central third of the length of the window. 
     To use this embodiment of the storage device  10 , the operator presses the cord  62  of the ESL  60  into a gap  26  between the window tab  25  and the side of the window  24  opposite the base  21 . The operator then slides the cord  62  within the window  24  toward the base  21 , lodging the cord  62  beneath the window tab  25 . The operator then firmly secures the drain plug  50  in the circular tube  23  so that the drain plug  50  blocks the gap  26  between the window tab  25  and the side of the window  24  opposite the base  21 . The ESL  60  is, thus, trapped in the storage device  10 , making it impossible for the operator to gain access to the ESL  60  without first removing the drain plug  50  from the storage device  10 . 
     In the embodiment shown in  FIGS. 3 ,  4 , and  7 , the storage device  10  is affixed to the boat (or a trailer for the boat) by means of an adhesive  41  on a side of the base  21  opposite the circular tube  23 . The storage device  10  can be affixed in place by peeling a protective backing  42  from the adhesive  41  and sticking the storage device  10  onto a desired location. This embodiment of the storage device  10  could be temporarily or permanently installed by a variety of other attachment means including screws, rivets, and the like. The structure of the storage device  10  could also be molded or otherwise constructed to be an integral part of the boat or the trailer for the boat. 
       FIGS. 5 ,  6 , and  8  show another alternative embodiment of the storage device  10 . In this embodiment, the storage device  10  is comprised of the base  21  and a pair of opposing curved sidewalls  33  protruding perpendicularly from the base  21  to form an interrupted circular aperture  32  interrupted on opposite sides by a pair of opposing slots  36 . The interrupted circular aperture  32  is sized and structured to securely receive the drain plug  50 . In the embodiment most clearly shown in  FIG. 5 , a curved flange  33  is formed on an interior surface of each of the pair opposing curved sidewalls  33 . Each of the curved flanges  33  is sized and angled to securely receive the drain plug  50  when the drain plug is of the type to be screwed into the drain hole for the boat. Alternative means of placing threads in the interrupted circular aperture  32  are included within the scope of the present invention. The interior surface of the interrupted circular aperture  32  could also be generally smooth to receive the drain plug  50  when the drain plug is of the type that is held into place by expanding to fit tightly into the drain hole for the boat. Each of the pair of opposing slots  36  that interrupt the interrupted circular aperture  32  has a width slightly greater than the diameter of the cord  62  of the ESL  60 . 
     To use this embodiment of the storage device  10 , the operator nests the cord  62  of the ESL  60  into the pair of opposing slots  36  so that the cord  62  spans the interrupted circular aperture  32  adjacent the base  21 . The operator then firmly secures the drain plug  50  in the circular aperture atop the cord  62 . The ESL  60  is, thus, trapped in the storage device  10 , making it impossible for the operator to gain access to the ESL  60  without first removing the drain plug  50  from the storage device  10 . 
     In the embodiment shown in  FIGS. 5 ,  6 , and  8 , the storage device  10  is affixed to the boat (or the trailer for the boat) by means of an adhesive  41  on a side of the base  21  opposite the pair of opposing curved sidewalls  33 . The storage device  10  can be affixed in place by peeling the protective backing  42  from the adhesive  41  and sticking the storage device  10  onto a desired location. This embodiment of the storage device  10  could be temporarily or permanently installed by a variety of other attachment means including screws, rivets, and the like. The structure of the storage device  10  could also be molded or otherwise constructed to be an integral part of the boat or the trailer for the boat. 
     While the invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be 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 exemplary embodiments but that the invention will include all embodiments falling with the scope of the appended claims.