Patent Publication Number: US-11643170-B2

Title: Tackle storage and slide system for a boat

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/179,824, filed Feb. 19, 2021. That application claims priority to, and the benefit of, U.S. Provisional Patent Application 62/979,344, filed Feb. 20, 2020. The contents of both of those applications are incorporated by reference in their entireties. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The invention relates to tackle storage systems, and in particular, to tackle storage systems that are integrated into boats. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Bass boats are small boats designed for recreational fishing, usually in freshwater. Generally 18-22 feet in length and made of FIBERGLAS® glass-fiber composite or aluminum, they are typically powered by an outboard motor or motors and commonly provide seating for two passengers, usually in the form of swivel chairs. 
     Most bass boats have storage compartments built into the deck. These compartments may be used, for example, to store the tackle and supplies used to catch fish, as well as any fish that are caught. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY 
     One aspect of the invention relates to a tackle storage and organization system for a boat, such as a bass boat. A set of supports is installed in a deck compartment of the boat. The supports may be rails installed specifically for the tackle storage and organization system, or they may be the upper edges of existing partitions for subcompartments within the deck compartment. A box or tray is installed on the supports so as to be horizontally slideable along the supports, but is also removable from the supports. The box or tray may be subdivided into any number of compartments, and in some cases, the dividers used may be removable and repositionable in order to adapt to different types of items. 
     In some embodiments, the box or tray may include a mounting structure, particularly on its forward or rear sidewall. The mounting structure allows a number of accessories to be attached to the box or tray. Each of these accessories has a complementary engaging structure to mount on the box or tray. The accessories may include both extension trays that provide more organizing space, and attachments like spool holders to hold fishing line. 
     Other aspects, features, and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description that follows. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES 
       The invention will be described with respect to the following drawing figures, in which like numerals represent like features throughout the drawing figures, and in which: 
         FIG.  1    is a perspective view of a boat with a tackle storage system according to one embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG.  2    is a perspective view of an opened deck compartment of the boat of  FIG.  1   , illustrating a tackle storage and organization system; 
         FIG.  3    is a front elevational view of a sliding tray, illustrating its engagement with support rails, and  FIG.  3 A  is a front elevational view of a slightly modified version thereof (without its engagement with support rails being illustrated); 
         FIG.  4    is an exploded perspective view illustrating the attachment of accessories to the sliding tray of  FIGS.  2 - 3   ; and 
         FIG.  5    is an exploded perspective view illustrating the attachment of an accessory tray and other accessories to the sliding tray of  FIGS.  2 - 3   . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       FIG.  1    is a perspective view of a boat, generally indicated at  10 . The boat  10  includes a hull  12  and a deck  14 . The boat  10  is generally of the type used for recreational fishing, and in particular, for bass fishing, although boats  10  according to embodiments of the invention need not be limited to those uses. An outboard motor  16  is provided to propel the boat  10 , and in some embodiments, the boat  10  may also include a separate trolling motor for low-speed propulsion during fishing operations (not shown in  FIG.  1   ). The hull  12  and deck  14  of the boat  10  of the illustrated embodiment are made of FIBERGLAS® glass-fiber composite, although in other embodiments, they may be made of other materials. 
     The boat  10  of  FIG.  1    includes two passenger positions side-by-side, one passenger position  20  on the starboard (i.e., right) side and one passenger position  22  on the port (i.e., left) side. Each passenger position  20 ,  22  includes a chair  24 . The chairs  24  of the illustrated embodiment are fixed in forward-facing positions, although chairs  24  in other embodiments of the invention may swivel or have any other desirable features. By convention, the starboard-side passenger position  20  is the pilot&#39;s position, although this need not be the case in all embodiments. Because it is the pilot&#39;s position, the starboard-side passenger position  20  includes engine controls and a wheel for rudder control, collectively indicated at  26 , and a console  28  that includes instrument displays. A windscreen may be connected to an upper surface  32  of the console  28  to shield the pilot from wind. In the illustration of  FIG.  1   , the port-side passenger position  22  also has a console  34  installed between the bow and the passenger chair  24  to shield the passenger chair  24  from wind. 
     As can be seen in  FIG.  1   , the deck  14  has a number of built-in compartments  36 ,  38 ,  40 ,  42 ,  44 ,  46  in both its fore and aft sections. The compartments  36 ,  38 ,  40 ,  42 ,  44 ,  46  allow for storage, including tackle storage. “Tackle,” as that term is used here, refers to any and all equipment that may be used for fishing. In embodiments of the invention, the compartments  36 ,  38 ,  40 ,  42 ,  44 ,  46  may have built-in tackle storage and organization systems. 
       FIG.  2    is a perspective view of one of the compartments  36  opened, showing a tackle storage and organization system that is generally indicated at  50 . The tackle storage and organization system  50  is mounted within the compartment  36 . More specifically, a set of rails  52 ,  54  that are oriented along the port-starboard direction connect with the sides of the compartment  36  and support a pair of rails  56 ,  58  that, in the illustrated embodiment, are oriented in the fore-aft direction. These rails  56 ,  58  may be pre-installed in the compartment  36 , or they may be installed specifically as a part of the organization system  50 . In some cases, the rails  56 ,  58  may be the upper portions of sidewalls of partitions or compartments within the compartment  36 . While the rails  56 ,  58  are permanently installed, they need not be installed specifically for the organization system  50 ; rails, sidewalls, and other suitable structures within an existing compartment  36  may be used. 
     An organizing tray  60  (“tray” for short, herein) is slidably mounted on the fore-aft rails  56 ,  58  to slide horizontally along the rails  56 ,  58 . The tray  60  itself is divided into a number of compartments. The partitions that divide the tray  60  into compartments may be removable and positionable, such that the tray itself can be configured in any number of different ways. 
     While the tray  60  may be permanently mounted for sliding movement along the rails  56 ,  58 , in many cases, it may be advantageous if the tray  60  is removable. A removable tray  60  may be helpful for several reasons. First, a user can remove the tray  60  from the rails  56 ,  58  and still have access to substantially the entire volume of the compartment  36 , in order to store and access larger pieces of equipment. Second, a user can remove the tray  60  from the boat  10  entirely, in order to load and organize it at home or in another such setting, which may be more efficient and make better use of time on the water. The tray  60  may have cut-outs for handles on its sides in order to facilitate handling. 
     As can be appreciated in  FIG.  2   , the rails  52 ,  54 ,  56 ,  58  are mounted low enough in the compartment  36  that the compartment lid can close. Typically, the rails  52 ,  54 ,  56 ,  58  are set low enough that the items placed in the tray  60  can extend above the tray for at least some distance. In some embodiments, there may be subcompartments or dividers in the compartment below the tackle storage and organization system  50 . As was noted above, the rails  52 ,  54 ,  56 ,  58  need not be rails per se; instead, the rails  52 ,  54 ,  56 ,  58  could be the upper edges of dividers that are already installed within the compartment  36 . 
     While the tray  60  slides horizontally in the fore-aft direction in the illustrated embodiment, that need not be the case in all embodiments. The rails  52 ,  54 ,  56 ,  58  or other supporting structures within the compartment  36 —or any of the other compartments  38 ,  40 ,  42 ,  44 ,  46 —could be set to allow the tray  60 , or a similar tray, to slide in the port-starboard direction, or even diagonally across the compartment  36 . 
     Thus, the tackle storage and organization system  50  provides space and structure for storing and organizing tackle within a deck compartment  36  of a boat  10 . The tray  60  can be removed from the system  50  to be loaded at home or in another location. Generally speaking, the presence of the system  50  does not infringe on other organizational features or subcompartments that may be present in a compartment  36 , and the system  50  may use existing subcompartment sidewalls or rails as support structure for a sliding tray  60 . 
     Methods of mounting the tray  60  on the rails  56 ,  58  may vary from embodiment to embodiment. In some embodiments, the tray  60  may simply rest on the rails  56 ,  58 . In other embodiments, the tray  60  and the rails  56 ,  58  may have specific, complementary engaging structure so that the tray  60  cannot fall off the rails. 
       FIG.  3    is a front elevational view of the tray  60  and the rails  56 ,  58  in isolation, showing the engagement of the rails  56 ,  58  with the tray  60 . In this embodiment, the rails  56 ,  58  are connected together by a plate  62  that is secured to each rail  56 ,  58  at two places along its height. On upper, outer surfaces proximate to their tops, the rails  56 ,  58  have outwardly-extending mounting flanges  64 ,  66 . The flanges  64 ,  66  each have an inverted-L shape. As further illustrated in  FIG.  3   , the bottom edges of the tray  60  have inwardly-extending C-shaped flanges  68 ,  70  (i.e., exemplary rail-securing structures provided on the bottom of the organizing tray, as recited in the claims below) that fit over and slide along the mounting flanges  64 ,  66 . The flanges  64 ,  66 ,  68 ,  70  may have breaks along their length that allow the tray  60  to be lifted from the mounting flanges  64 ,  66  if the tray  60  is slid to a specific position along the rails  56 ,  58 . Of course, the mounting structures on the rails  56 ,  58  and the tray  60  may vary from embodiment to embodiment, both in style and in location. For example, as illustrated in  FIG.  3 A , C-shaped flanges 68′, 70′ could be provided on the sides of the tray 60′ (i.e., exemplary rail-securing structures provided on the left and right sidewalls of the organizing tray, as recited in the claims below), rather than on the bottom of the tray as illustrated in  FIG.  3   . In that case, the tray 60′ might be mounted between the rails  56 ,  58  (not shown in  FIG.  3 A ). In this text, the phrase “mounted on the rails,” and similar descriptions, should be construed to cover embodiments in which the tray  60  is suspended between the rails  56 ,  58 . 
     As is also shown in  FIG.  3   , in this embodiment, the tray  60  includes a receiving bracket  72  (i.e., a first exemplary component-receiving bracket, as recited in the claims below) on its front sidewall. The purpose of the receiving bracket  72  will be described in more detail below. 
     In  FIG.  2   , the tray  60  is shown as the sole element that is mounted within the compartment  36 . In other embodiments, the organizing system  50  may have other components that connect modularly to the tray  60 , such that the tray  60  is mounted for sliding movement on the rails  56 ,  58  within the compartment  36 , and any number of organizing attachments can be mounted to the tray  60 , to the rails  56 ,  58 , or to other components. 
       FIG.  4    is an exploded perspective view that illustrates this concept. As in  FIG.  3   , the tray  60  has a receiving bracket  72 . The receiving bracket  72  is female in this embodiment and accepts a complementary tongued male flange  74  (i.e., another exemplary component-receiving bracket—this one being complementary to the first exemplary component-receiving bracket mentioned above—as recited in the claims below). Generally speaking, any component that has the correct complementary mounting structure  74  can be mounted on the forward wall of the tray  60 . 
     In the view of  FIG.  4   , two components are shown that could be interchangeably attached to the tray  60 : an extension tray  80 , and a spool holder  90 . The extension tray is a rectilinear compartment of similar width and height to the tray  60 , but with a shallower depth. In the illustrated embodiment, the extension tray  80  is subdivided by a single removable partition  82  into two compartments,  84 ,  86 . The sidewalls of the extension tray  80  have hand-sized oval openings  88 , allowing the extension tray to be lifted and carried with relative ease. In this embodiment, the bottom of the extension tray  80  has mounting structure  68 ,  70  for mounting directly to the rails  56 ,  58 , although such structure  68 ,  70  may be absent in other embodiments. 
     The spool holder  90  is taller than the tray  60  and has a width about half that of the tray  60 . In contrast to some of the other elements of the organization system  50 , the spool holder  90  may be designed to be used only with the compartment  36  open; its height may exceed the height of the compartment  36 , such that the lid of the compartment will not close with the spool holder  90  installed. One particular advantage of the accessory attachment system illustrated in these figures is that when the captain and passenger(s) on the boat are ready to fish, accessories like the spool holder  90  can be installed easily on the tray  60 , and those accessories can be just as easily removed and returned to storage (e.g., in the compartment  36  below the tray  60 ) when no longer needed. Of course, the spool holder  90  may also be designed with a height that allows the compartment  36  to close. 
     The lower structure of the spool holder  90  includes a rearwardly-facing wall  92  (i.e., an exemplary lower portion thereof, as recited in the claims below) that carries a tongued male flange  74 , i.e., a spool-attachment mounting structure (again, an exemplary component-receiving bracket that is complementary to the first exemplary component-receiving bracket mentioned above, as recited in the claims below), such that the spool holder  90  can be attached to the tray  60  using the receiving bracket  72 . In the upper portion of the spool holder  90 , a pair of uprights  94 ,  96 , which are mirror images of one another, are spaced apart and connected by a rod  98 . The overall arrangement is such that the rod  98  can be passed through the center of a spool of monofilament line or another such similar product, so that the spool can rotate around the rod  98  to dispense the line as needed. The upper portions  100  of the two uprights  94 ,  96  are circular and relatively large, usually larger than the sides of a typical spool that would be mounted on the spool holder  90 . This may have the effect of preventing a spinning spool from contacting other objects, preventing both interference and possible injury from the spinning spool. 
     In  FIG.  4   , the tray  60  is the connection point for accessories. However, that need not be the case in all embodiments.  FIG.  5    is another exploded perspective view, this one showing the tray  60  with an extension tray  80  connected to it by engagement of the receiving bracket  72  on the tray  60  with the male flange  74  on the rearward side of the extension tray  80 . The extension tray  80 , with two receiving brackets  72  aligned but spaced from one another on its forward sidewall, acts as the connecting point for further accessories. 
     As shown in both  FIGS.  4  and  5   , the spool holder  90  may be mounted using one of the receiving brackets  72 .  FIG.  5    also shows a full-width spool holder  110  that may also be used. The full-width spool holder  110  has a lower section with two spaced-apart, rearwardly-facing mounting plates  112 , each carrying a male flange  74 . As with the spool holder  90 , the full-width spool holder  110  has two uprights  114 ,  116  with enlarged, circular upper portions  118 . A rod  120  connects the two circular upper portions  118 . In the full-width spool holder  110 , an additional upright  122  (i.e., an intermediate upright, as recited in the claims below) arises midway between the two main uprights  114 ,  116  to provide additional support to the rod  120 . The rod  120  passes through the additional upright  122 . The additional upright  122  defines two separate spool positions, each sized to accommodate a spool  124 . 
     While the invention has been described with respect to certain embodiments, the description is intended to be exemplary, rather than limiting. Modifications and changes may be made within the scope of the invention, which is set forth in the appended claims.