Patent Publication Number: US-6984157-B2

Title: Motor mounting mechanism

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   This invention relates generally to boat motors and motor mounting mechanisms such as those utilized in recreational fishing for propelling boats at slow speeds to enable fisherman to quietly explore selected fishing areas, and more particularly, to a yieldable protective mounting mechanism for motors mounted on elongated motor shafts with the motor and propeller mechanism at the lower end of the motor shaft and in the water which provides yieldable support and pivotal rotation of the motor and propeller mechanism in the event submerged articles are struck to prevent damage to the motor shaft, the motor or the propeller mechanism. 
   2. Description of Prior Art 
   Boat motors, particularly trolling motors, are widely utilized in recreational fishing to enable fishermen to propel fishing boats quietly at slow speed and thereby enable exploration of areas of lakes, streams, bays and the like. Typically such motors are provided with a bracket for attachment to the bow or stern of a fishing boat or other such vessel and have an elongated shaft extending through a motor support bracket with a motor and propeller mechanism secured to the lower end of the shaft. In most cases the motor shaft is vertically slidable within the motor support bracket so that the electric motor and propeller may sit at any suitable depth in the water that is permitted by the length of the shaft and the height of the boat above the water line. 
   Many motor support brackets are provided with features that enable the motor and shaft to be stowed above the level of the water in a generally horizontal position when not in use. Those trolling motor mounts that are adapted to be fixed to the bow of the boat are generally quite complex and expensive because the bow of small fishing and pleasure boats is not ordinarily provided with a trolling motor mounting bracket. The motor mount for bow mounted trolling motors is quite complex in construction because motor support positioning and stowage is typically built into the mount. Some of these trolling motor mount mechanisms additionally enable pivoting or other movement of portions of the trolling motor mechanism in the event a submerged object is struck. For the most part, however, these mechanisms are complex and expensive. Many fisherman and other small boat users employ simple and inexpensive trolling motor assemblies that incorporate simple clamp motor support brackets which are designed for clamped assembly to the transom at the stem of a boat. 
   In most cases, clamp stern mounting brackets fix the motor with its shaft disposed in a substantially vertical position so that the motor shaft is rotatable relative to its mounting bracket but not pivotal. These non-pivotal trolling motor mount mechanisms though quite simple and inexpensive do not provide any protection against shaft bending or motor or propeller mechanism damage when a submerged article is struck. 
   It is therefore desirable to provide a yieldable protective mounting mechanism for motors and propeller mechanisms mounted at the lower end of the elongated motor shaft and in the water which will provide the motor and propeller mechanism with protective yielding pivotal movement when a submerged object is struck to minimize the possibility of damage. It is also desirable to provide a motor mounting mechanism that will support a wide range of motors which is simple in design and inexpensive to build. It is to these desired objectives that the present invention is directed. 
   OBJECTIVES AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   It is primary feature of the present invention to provide a novel protective motor mounting mechanism to be secured to a fishing boat or other small marine vessel which is adapted to receive and provide support for a trolling motor. 
   Another feature of the present invention is to provide a novel protective yielding motor mounting mechanism which permits pivotal movement of the motor and propeller mechanism to minimize the damage to the shaft, motor and propeller mechanism in the event a submerged object is struck. 
   Yet another objective of the present invention is to provide a novel protective mounting mechanism that can be secured to a cross piece extending from the gunnel on one side of the boat to the gunnel on the other side. 
   A further objective of the present invention is to provide a novel protective motor mounting mechanism that can be manually operated to rotationally displace the motor and propeller mechanism from the water to an inactive, stored position and back to an active, immersed position. 
   The present invention is a yieldable protective mounting mechanism for motors and propeller mechanisms mounted at the lower end of elongated motor shafts and in the water which includes a clamp part for releasably securing the rotor mechanism to the motor shaft and a stator mounted to a fixed cross piece and a release lever receiving portion. The rotor and stator cooperatively engage with each other through cooperatively connecting elements which maintain the motor shaft in a substantially vertical position and place the motor and propeller mechanism in a force exerting condition in the water. A spring holding member extends through the rotor into the stator, and a helical spring fits around the spring holding member so that it is biased to hold the releasably secured rotor and stator connecting elements in tight contact. A release lever is movably connected to the stator and normally biased by the spring to an extended or upward and connected position. 
   The release lever is movable to a depressed and rotor and stator disconnected position to disconnect the connecting elements and permit displacement of the motor shaft and carried motor and propeller mechanism from the water. 
   When the elongated motor shaft carrying a motor and propeller mechanism at its lower end is vertical with the motor and propeller mechanism submerged and in a force exerting condition, the boat moves in the direction controlled by the positioning of the motor and propeller mechanism in the water. Should the motor or propeller strike an object in the water, the spring holding member bias is overcome, the rotor connecting elements are separated. And the motor shaft, motor and and propeller mechanism are displaced from the water. 
   Thus there has been outlined the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description that follows may be better understood and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are, of course, additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto. In that respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its arrangement of the components set forth in the following description and illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. 
   It is also to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting in any respect. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the concept upon which this disclosure is based may readily be utilized as a basis for designing other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of this development. It is important that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent methods and products resulting therefrom that do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention. The application is neither intended to define the invention, which is measured by its claims, nor to limit its scope in any way. 
   Thus, the objects of the invention set forth above, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the invention, are noted with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and the specific results obtained by its use, reference should be made to the following detailed specification taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein like characters of reference designate like parts throughout the several views. 
   The drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. They illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with their description, serve to explain the principles of the invention. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective partial view of a boat equipped with the mounting mechanism of the present invention with the elongated motor shaft, motor and propeller mechanism at the lower end of the motor shaft being in the inactive position and condition out of the water; 
       FIG. 2  is a downward perspective view of the mounting mechanism of the present invention secured to the elongated motor shaft; 
       FIG. 3  is a top plan view of the mounting mechanism of the present invention; 
       FIG. 4  is a side elevational view of the mounting mechanism of the present invention shown in the force-exerting condition; 
       FIG. 5  is a side elevational view of the mounting mechanism of the present invention shown in the rotor and stator disconnected position to permit removal of the motor shaft and carried motor and propeller mechanism from the water; 
       FIG. 6  is a downward perspective view of the mounting mechanism of the present invention with the release lever being removed to disclose the spring holding member and the spring carried thereby; 
       FIG. 7  is a perspective interior view of the rotor of the present invention; 
       FIG. 8  is a perspective view of the release lever of the present invention; 
       FIG. 9  is a top plan view of the of the present invention showing the motor shaft clamp mechanism in an open position allowing the removal of the motor; and 
       FIG. 10  is a downward perspective view also showing the motor shaft clamp in an open position. 
   

   DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
   Referring now to the drawings and particularly to  FIG. 1 , a boat shown generally as  10  has a gunnel connecting member  12  clamped at each gunnel  14  to secure member  12  to boat  10  and to support the protecting mounting mechanism of the present invention shown generally as  16 . Mechanism  16  pivots about spring holding member  18  when motor  20  and propeller mechanism  22  are moved into and out of the water. 
   As shown in  FIG. 6 , an elongated motor shaft  24  engages a clamp  26  which is pivotally connected by hinge  28  to a clamp engaging member  30  integrally formed with rotor  32 . Rotor  32  also has a plurality of stator connecting elements  34  ( FIG. 7 ) that cooperatively engage stator connecting elements  36  ( FIG. 4 ) when shaft  24  is in a fixed and non-movable condition. In this embodiment of the invention, the rotor connecting elements are shown as protrusions  34  and stator  32  connecting elements are shown in  FIG. 4  as recesses which cooperatively receive and connect with protrusions  34 . Any one of a number of alterative fastening devices may be used, it not being intended to restrict this part the invention to any specific device or shapes. Obviously, the protrusion/recess combination set forth in this embodiment might be reversed wherein recesses would be in the rotor and protrusions in the stator. A release lever  38  is shown in the extended position and a rotor/stator connected position are shown in FIG.  4 . Release lever  38  is shown in the depressed and rotor and stator disconnected position in FIG.  5 . When lever  38  is depressed, it rotates about pin  42  so that release lever projections  44  extend outwardly and upwardly to engage the interior surface  50  of rotor  32 . 
   Stator  45  is shown without lever  38  in  FIG. 6. A  spring holding member  18  extends through rotor  32  and into stator  45  as shown. It is preferably threadably secured to rotor  32  by a helical spring  48 . Spring  48  is biased to hold the rotor connecting protrusions  34  within the stator connecting protrusion recesses  36  and maintain motor shaft  24  and carried motor and propeller mechanism  20 ,  22  in one or more fixed non-movable positions. When lever  38  is depressed, lever projections  44  engage the inside surface  50  of rotor  32 , override the bias of spring  48  and displace stator  45  away from rotor  32  so that protrusions  34  are disengaged from recesses  36  and shaft  24  and its carried motor  20  and propeller mechanism  22  can be rotated around spring holder  18 . 
   Thus when protrusions  34  are seated in recesses  36  as shown in  FIG. 4 , shaft  24  and its carried motor  20  and propeller mechanism  22  are rigidly fixed in a stationary position. When release lever  38  is depressed, projections  44  engage the interior surface  50  of rotor  32  and disconnect projections  34  from recesses  36  as shown in FIG.  5 . In this condition, shaft  24 , carried motor  20  and propeller mechanism  22  can be freely rotatable about spring holding member  18  to move motor  20  and propeller mechanism  22  into and out of the water. 
   When mechanism  16  is in the rotor/stator connected mode as shown in  FIG. 4 , motor  20  and propeller mechanism  22  are in the water in a force exerting position. If the motor is active and propeller mechanism  22  engages an unforeseen object beneath the surface of the water, the force of the impact will disconnect protrusions  34  from recesses  36  by overriding the bias of spring  48 . Thus, shaft  24  is pivoted about pivot point  18  and motor  20  and propeller mechanism  22  are lifted out of the water and away from the struck submerged object. Shaft  24 , motor  20  and propeller mechanism  22  will remain in the angled and non-vertical position they assumed after impact until shaft  24  is manually or gravitationally rotated about pin  18  and motor  20  and propeller mechanism  22  re-enter the water. 
   In view of the foregoing, it is evident that the present invention is one well adapted to attain all of the objects and features herein above set forth together with other objects and features which are inherent in the apparatus disclosed herein. As will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, the present invention may be produced in other specific forms without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics. The present embodiment is therefore to be considered as a illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the claims rather than the foregoing description. All changes which come within the meaning and range of the equivalent of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.