Abstract:
A rod carrier including a body portion with plates secured to its opposed end. The plates have openings wherein rods can be disposed and secured. A handle on the body portion is receivable in a mounting member and releaseably secured thereto. The mounting member is securable to a supporting surface.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1) Field of the Invention 
     This invention relates to carriers for rod shaped members such as fishing rods and more particularly to such a carrier having provisions for grasping and carrying the same and also including an arrangement for securing the same to a surface for storage purposes. 
     2) Description of the Prior Art 
     Rod carrying devices are well known in the art. These encompass devices such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,047,491, which includes a pair of spaced end members 18 and 20 with aligned openings therein for receiving a plurality of fishing rods, and also having a handle 28 for grasping and thereby carrying the device to transport the rods therein. A bottom 12 carries the end members 18 and 20 and supports the carrier on the floor for storage purposes. 
     This device has short comings in that, when stored on the floor, the device is still in the way and can be stepped upon. Also, when on a boat, the rods stored on the deck of the boat take up a great deal of deck space and are certainly exposed to being stepped upon by an occupant, particularly in rough weather when the occupant may be thrown about and/or the rod holder moved about the deck. 
     It is an object of this invention to provide a rod carrier for securely and safely carrying rods that includes means for securing the same for safe and out of the way storage. Another object is to provide such a device wherein more than one securing means can be used with the carrying portion so that the latter portion can be secured in a plurality of locations, such as on a vessel, in a truck, and in the users home. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention includes a pair of spaced end members interconnected by an elongated portion, with the latter having a graspable handle intermediate the ends thereof. The end members each have a plurality of circumferentially spaced, axially extending openings therein, with each opening in one end member being axially aligned with an opening in the other end member to provide pairs of aligned openings. One opening of each pair of openings is elongated and extends to the periphery of the member it is in, so that it is actually a slot. To place a pole in a pair of openings, it is easy to insert one end of the pole, such as the handle, into the plain opening and then place the opposed end of the rod into the aligned slotted opening. Releasable securing means are provided to hold the rods in the slots. The graspable handle is axially elongated and dimensioned to fit into a slot in a mounting member, and the latter is proved with surface securing means to secure the back face thereof to a rigid surface, such as, a wall, the hull of a boat, the wall, ceiling or floor of a vehicle, or the like, which securing means can be, for example, two sided adhesive mounting tape or hook and loop tape. A cross pin is then place through aligned laterally extending openings in the mounting member which are in registration with the opening in the handle to secure the handle in the mounting means. The cross pin can be easily removed to allow an individual to grasp the handle and then transport the holder with the rods therein. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the invention with the cross pin out of but aligned with the opening in the mounting member; 
     FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the device of FIG. 1 with the mounting member omitted; 
     FIG. 3 is a left end elevational view of the device of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 4 is a right end elevational view of the device of FIG. 1; and 
     FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view taken along the lines  5 — 5  in FIG.  1 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring now to the drawings, a rod holder is shown generally at  12  and includes an axially elongated handle bearing body portion  14  and a mounting member  16 . The portion  14  has a handgrip portion  14 A projecting from the main body thereof, which handgrip portion has a finger receiving opening  34  therein. On the axially opposed ends of the body portion  14  are an end plate member  18 , on the left end and an end plate  20  on the right end, with the end plate  18  having a plurality (four as shown) of axially extending and circumferentially spaced openings  22  therethrough and the end plate  20  having a like plurality of axially extending and circumferentially spaced openings in the form of slots  24  therethrough, with each opening  22  being in axially alignment with a cooperating slot  24 . As shown in phantom lines in FIG. 2, poles can be received in and rest in each pair of aligned openings, 
     Adjacent the left end plate  18 , the body portion  14  has a transverse slot  25 A therethrough in which is received a pair of releasable securing members in the form of hook and loop strips  28  and  29 , and adjacent the right end plate  20 , the body portion  14  has a transverse slot  25  therethrough in which is received a pair of releasable securing members in the form of hook and loop strips  26  and  27 . The opposed ends of the strip  26  and the opposed ends of the strip  28  can be conventionally joined to releasably secure poles in the openings  22  and  24  as can the opposed ends of the strips  27  and  29  be joined to secure poles in aligned openings  22  and  24 . 
     The mounting member  16  includes a base portion  15  from which project a pair of spaced flanges  36  and  38 , having a slot  40  therebetween, and, as seen in FIGS. 1 and 5, the handgrip portion  14 A is received in the slot  40  with the flanges  36  and  38  overlying the handgrip portion  14 A and the adjoining area of the body portion  14 . The mounting member  16  has an opening  32  extending laterally through the flanges  36  and  38  and a headed locking pin  30  is receivable in the opening  32  to lock the body portion  14  in the mounting member  16 . Securing means  42 , such as two sided adhesive mounting tape is secured to the bottom (the back) of the base  15  of the mounting member  16 , so that the latter can be secured to a desired supporting surface, such as, but not limited to, the wall of a garage, the hull of a boat, and the side or roof of a vehicle (either inside or outside). It is contemplated that an owner will have several mounting members so that the body portion, with the poles therein, can be released from storage in his house taken to and secured in his truck for safe transport to his boat, removed from the truck then carried to and secured to a mounting member in his boat where one or more of the poles can be released and ready for use. 
     While only a single embodiment of this invention has been shown and described, it is apparent that many changes can be made therein without departing from the scope of this invention as defined by the following claims: