Abstract:
A pocket applied to a crate and formed to retain a paddle in an upright attitude. The crate is fixed to a stand up paddle surfboard to allow a board rider to stow the paddle in a manner that does not interfere with the rider during activities, such as fishing.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
       [0001]    The disclosed method and apparatus relates to watercrafts, and more particularly, some embodiments relate to ways for securing a paddle aboard a paddle propelled watercraft. 
       DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART 
       [0002]    Man has been paddling across the waters from the beginning of human history. Through our history, there have been significant innovations that have made the art of paddling over water more comfortable and convenient. Nonetheless, some of the basic challenges of paddling over water still confront a person that wishes to paddle a watercraft. 
         [0003]    One type of watercraft that has been used for as long as man has been attempting to paddle over water is the basic board. Today&#39;s materials make it simple and relatively inexpensive to fabricate a board suitable for paddling over the waters. Several types of boards are presently in common use. One type of board is commonly referred to as the “stand up paddle surfboard”. A stand up paddle surfboard is essentially a relatively long surfboard shaped to allow the rider to stand on top of the board and use a paddle to propel the board.  FIG. 1   a  is a top view of a common stand up paddle surfboard.  FIG. 1   b  is a side view of a common stand up paddle surfboad.  FIG. 2  is an illustration of a common paddle used to propel such a board. 
         [0004]    Such stand up paddle surfboards are commonly used to ride waves in the ocean or to paddle about for pleasure. In addition, there are several people that use such stand up paddle surfboards to get them to locations from which they can put a fishing line in the water in an attempt to catch fish. 
         [0005]    Like the art of manufacturing boards for floating people out on the water, the art of fishing is ancient and well documented. It is likely that man has been using boards to float out to fishing favorite fishing locations for thousands of years. 
         [0006]    One of the challenges of fishing is carrying and organizing the equipment that the fisherman desires to have with him. That equipment typically includes a fishing pole, complete with line, hooks, floats, weights, etc., as well as bate and implements for cutting bate, etc. A fisherman may also wish to bring food and drink. In some instances, this challenge has been met by securing a box or crate to the board.  FIG. 3  is an illustration of a box that may be secured to a board in order to allow a fisherman or other board rider to carry implements that the rider wishes to take along. 
         [0007]    In addition to carrying and securing such fishing gear and other provisions, one consistent challenge that confronts a person that wishes to paddle a board out on the water to fish is the need to secure the paddle in a safe and convenient place on the board while engaged in the fishing. That is, a board has an essentially flat surface. Simply laying a paddle upon the deck of the board risks that the paddle will be washed overboard and lost. Furthermore, since the paddle of a stand up paddle surfboard is typically approximately six feet long or more, the paddle does not rest easily in the crate used to secure the fishing gear and tackle. 
         [0008]    Several ways have been devised for securing the paddle to the board, including using straps that have as their primary function holding the crate to the board to also secure the paddle. Alternatively, people have used brackets on the crate to cradle the paddle. Such an bracket is shown in  FIG. 4 . However, these means have not been completely satisfactory, since they leave the paddle lying across the deck of the board. When the paddle lies across the deck of the board, it can become an obstacle that obstructs the fisherman&#39;s ability to move freely about the deck. Accordingly, there remains a need for a means to secure the paddle that will allow a person that uses a stand up paddle surfboard to paddle out to a location on the water and then secure the paddle so that the deck is clear for whatever activity is desired, such as fishing. 
       SUMMARY OF DISCLOSED METHOD AND APPARATUS 
       [0009]    Various embodiments of the disclosed apparatus for securing a paddle on a stand up paddle surfboard are presented. Some of these embodiments are directed toward pockets for securing a paddle to a crate that is in turn secured to a watercraft, such as a stand up paddle surfboard. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0010]    The disclosed apparatus, in accordance with one or more various embodiments, is described with reference to the following figures. The drawings are provided for purposes of illustration only and merely depict examples of some embodiments of the disclosed apparatus. These drawings are provided to facilitate the reader&#39;s understanding of the disclosed method and apparatus. They should not be considered to limit the breadth, scope, or applicability of the claimed invention. It should be noted that for clarity and ease of illustration these drawings are not necessarily made to scale. 
           [0011]      FIGS. 1   a  and  1   b  illustrate a common stand up paddle surfboard. 
           [0012]      FIG. 2  is an illustration of a common paddle used to propel a stand up paddle surfboard. 
           [0013]      FIG. 3  is an illustration of a box that may be secured to the deck of a stand up paddle surfboard in order to allow a fisherman or other board rider to carry implements that the rider wishes to take along. 
           [0014]      FIG. 4  is an illustration of brackets on a crate used to cradle a paddle. 
           [0015]      FIG. 5  is an illustration of one embodiment of the disclosed apparatus for securing a paddle on a stand up paddle surfboard. 
           [0016]      FIG. 6  is an illustration of the details of a pocket in accordance with one embodiment of the disclosed apparatus 
           [0017]      FIG. 7  illustrates a pocket in accordance with one embodiment of the disclosed apparatus with a paddle inserted into a pocket. 
       
    
    
       [0018]    The figures are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the claimed invention to the precise form disclosed. It should be understood that the disclosed apparatus can be practiced with modification and alteration, and that the invention should be limited only by the claims and the equivalents thereof. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0019]      FIG. 5  is an illustration of one embodiment of the disclosed apparatus for securing a paddle on a stand up paddle surfboard. In accordance with one embodiment, a crate  501  is secured by straps  503  to a stand up paddle surfboard  505 . In one embodiment, the crate  501  is secured near the bow  506  of the stand up paddle surfboard  505 . 
         [0020]    The crate  501  is covered with a fabric  507 . The fabric covers the exterior of five sides of the crate  501  (i.e., the bottom and the four vertical sides). The fabric also has a flap  509  that can be placed across the top of the crate  501  to allow the contents of the crate  501  to be captured within the crate  501  when the flap is closed or accessed when open. 
         [0021]    In accordance with one embodiment of the disclosed apparatus, a pocket  511  is formed on the bow facing side of the fabric  507 . The pocket  511  is formed with an opening on one side to capture and retain a paddle  513  against the side of the crate  501 . In one embodiment, the opening is on the top of the pocket  511  and the other three sides are essentially closed. However, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the other sides of the pocket  511  need not be fully closed, as long as the pocket is formed so as to provide the desired support for a paddle to be inserted. The distal end  515  of the paddle  513  is placed into the pocket. In one embodiment, the distal end  515  forms at least a portion of a blade of the paddle  513 . The shaft  517  of the paddle extends from the distal end  515  vertically and essentially perpendicular to the plane of the stand up paddle surfboard  505 . It will be understood that the pocket may be formed to conform to either end of the paddle  513 . Accordingly, the end for which the pocket is formed will be placed in to the pocket  511 . It should also be understood that most standup paddle surfboards are not flat. Nonetheless, the plane of the board  505  should be considered the plane of the water generally when the board  505  is floating. 
         [0022]      FIG. 6  is an illustration of the details of the pocket  511 . The pocket  511  is made from a resilient material, such as a tight mesh material which allows the pocket  511  to apply firm pressure to the paddle  513 . The pressure retains the paddle  513  upright, keeping the paddle clear of the deck of the board  505 . By retaining the paddle  513  upright off the deck of the board  505 , the rider will have a clear and unobstructed deck on which to fish or perform any other activity. In addition, securing the paddle  513  in the upright position provides a clean and handsome line which is aesthetically pleasing. 
         [0023]    In accordance with one embodiment, a reinforcing material  519  is sown into the opening of the pocket to provide additional support to retain the paddle  513 . The reinforcing material  519  is formed from a resilient elastic material, such as rubber or latex used for rubber bands or bungee cords. 
         [0024]    In accordance with one embodiment, a reinforced bottom  521  provides additional strength to the pocket  511  to prevent the paddle  513  from puncturing or wearing out the bottom section of the pocket  511 . The reinforced bottom  521  may be made of canvas or any other durable material that will provide the desired reinforcement. In accordance with one embodiment, the pocket  511  generally conforms to the shape of the distal end  515  of the paddle  513  to assist in maintaining the paddle  513  in an upright attitude. However, as noted above, the pocket  511  may conform to either end of the paddle  513 . Additional support bands  605  are provided in one embodiment to further support and retain the paddle  513 . Three such bands  605  are shown in  FIG. 6 , however, one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that any number of such bands  605  can be provided, if any at all are used. In one embodiment of the disclosed method and apparatus, the support bands  605  traverse the pocket  511  to provide additional support for the paddle  513 . 
         [0025]      FIG. 7  illustrates a pocket in accordance with one embodiment of the disclosed apparatus with a paddle  513  inserted into a pocket  711 . In accordance with one embodiment, the opening  701  at the top of the pocket  711  has a smaller width than the center section  703  of the pocket  711 . The pocket  711  is tapered inward toward the opening  701  of the pocket  711 . Using a material that is resilient for the pocket  711  allows the opening  701  and upper section of the pocket  711  to expand to permit the paddle to enter the pocket  711  and then contract to close around the distal end  515  of the paddle  513 . 
         [0026]    In an alternative embodiment, the pocket  711  is secured directly to the crate  501  rather than being secured to the fabric  507  that covers the crate  501 . In one such embodiment, the pocket  711  is glued to the crate  501 , however, any other means for fixing the pocket  711  to the crate  501  is within the scope of the disclosed apparatus, such as clipping the pocket onto loops fixed on the crate  501 , tying the pocket  711  onto the crate  501  using laces or straps that extend from the pocket  711  around the crate  501 . 
         [0027]    It will also be clear to those skilled in the art that while the pockets  511 ,  711  are shown fixed to the side of the crate  501  facing the bow of the stand up paddle surfboard, the pockets  511 ,  711  could be applied to any of the other three vertical sides of the crate  501 . 
         [0028]    While various embodiments of the disclosed method and apparatus have been described above, it should be understood that they have been presented by way of example only, and should not limit the claimed invention. Likewise, the various diagrams may depict an example architectural or other configuration for the disclosed method and apparatus. This is done to aid in understanding the features and functionality that can be included in the disclosed method and apparatus. The claimed invention is not restricted to the illustrated example architectures or configurations, rather the desired features can be implemented using a variety of alternative architectures and configurations. Indeed, it will be apparent to one of skill in the art how alternative functional, logical or physical partitioning and configurations can be implemented to implement the desired features of the disclosed method and apparatus. Also, a multitude of different constituent module names other than those depicted herein can be applied to the various partitions. Additionally, with regard to flow diagrams, operational descriptions and method claims, the order in which the steps are presented herein shall not mandate that various embodiments be implemented to perform the recited functionality in the same order unless the context dictates otherwise. 
         [0029]    Although the disclosed method and apparatus is described above in terms of various exemplary embodiments and implementations, it should be understood that the various features, aspects and functionality described in one or more of the individual embodiments are not limited in their applicability to the particular embodiment with which they are described. Thus, the breadth and scope of the claimed invention should not be limited by any of the above-described exemplary embodiments. 
         [0030]    Terms and phrases used in this document, and variations thereof, unless otherwise expressly stated, should be construed as open ended as opposed to limiting. As examples of the foregoing: the term “including” should be read as meaning “including, without limitation” or the like; the term “example” is used to provide exemplary instances of the item in discussion, not an exhaustive or limiting list thereof; the terms “a” or “an” should be read as meaning “at least one,” “one or more” or the like; and adjectives such as “conventional,” “traditional,” “normal,” “standard,” “known” and terms of similar meaning should not be construed as limiting the item described to a given time period or to an item available as of a given time, but instead should be read to encompass conventional, traditional, normal, or standard technologies that may be available or known now or at any time in the future. Likewise, where this document refers to technologies that would be apparent or known to one of ordinary skill in the art, such technologies encompass those apparent or known to the skilled artisan now or at any time in the future. 
         [0031]    A group of items linked with the conjunction “and” should not be read as requiring that each and every one of those items be present in the grouping, but rather should be read as “and/or” unless expressly stated otherwise. Similarly, a group of items linked with the conjunction “or” should not be read as requiring mutual exclusivity among that group, but rather should also be read as “and/or” unless expressly stated otherwise. Furthermore, although items, elements or components of the disclosed method and apparatus may be described or claimed in the singular, the plural is contemplated to be within the scope thereof unless limitation to the singular is explicitly stated. 
         [0032]    The presence of broadening words and phrases such as “one or more,” “at least,” “but not limited to” or other like phrases in some instances shall not be read to mean that the narrower case is intended or required in instances where such broadening phrases may be absent. The use of the term “module” does not imply that the components or functionality described or claimed as part of the module are all configured in a common package. Indeed, any or all of the various components of a module, whether control logic or other components, can be combined in a single package or separately maintained and can further be distributed in multiple groupings or packages or across multiple locations. 
         [0033]    Additionally, the various embodiments set forth herein are described in terms of exemplary block diagrams, flow charts and other illustrations. As will become apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art after reading this document, the illustrated embodiments and their various alternatives can be implemented without confinement to the illustrated examples. For example, block diagrams and their accompanying description should not be construed as mandating a particular architecture or configuration.