Abstract:
A seat for a fishing or bass boat can be raised or lowered by an operator. The elevation mechanism preferably includes a power mechanism to operate a screw jack and the power mechanism may be battery powered, hydraulically powered, or operated by other power-assist means. The screw jack enables the seat to be raised to approximately twice its retracted height.

Description:
[0001]    This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/767,329 filed Mar. 18, 2006. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention relates generally to the field of seats installed in fishing boats and, more particularly, to a power pedestal mounting for a bass boat seat so that the seat can be raised and lowered. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    Pleasure boats such as fishing or bass boats are typically equipped with one or more swiveling seats. Such swiveling seats are mounted in a recessed hole or base in the raised deck of the boat. The seats thus provide a somewhat raised position for the angler who wants a better view of what is going on below the surface of the water. 
         [0004]    However, in most cases, the height of the boat seat is fixed, and thus does not afford an adequate view for the average fisherman. Consequently, the angler usually has to stand up to get a satisfactory view, or even climb up on a stepladder or similar structure, to get a better view. This kind of activity is at best inconvenient and at worst dangerous to the fisherman and to others in the boat with him. 
         [0005]    Thus, there remains a need to a bass boat seat that can be raised or lowered by the fisherman at his desire to afford a better view of his surroundings, including the activity below the surface in the immediate vicinity of the boat. The present invention is directed to fulfilling this need in the art. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    The present invention provides a seat for a fishing or bass boat that can be raised or lowered by an operator. The elevation mechanism preferably includes a power mechanism to operate a screw jack and the power mechanism may be battery powered, hydraulically powered, or operated by other power-assist means. The screw jack enables the seat to be raised to approximately twice its retracted height. 
         [0007]    The present invention further includes a foot rest or platform which is mechanically coupled to the seat and to the back of the boat seat, so that the foot rest rises and falls with the boat seat. The screw jack to raise and lower the seat/foot platform assembly includes a control mechanism that may be hand-held or foot-operated so that the seat can be controlled remotely, if desired. 
         [0008]    These and other features and advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent to those of skill in the art from a review of the following detailed description. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0009]      FIG. 1  is a side elevation view of the boat seat assembly of the present invention shown in partial cross section. 
           [0010]      FIG. 2  is a side elevation view of the boat seat in partial section, illustrating the boat seat assembly in a partially raised position. 
           [0011]      FIG. 3  is a side elevation detail view in partial section of a seat and swivel arrangement. 
           [0012]      FIG. 4  is a top view of the seat of  FIG. 3 , as shown by the view lines  4 - 4  on  FIG. 3 . 
           [0013]      FIG. 5  is a top view of a foot platform, as indicated by view lines  5 - 5  on  FIG. 1 . 
           [0014]      FIG. 6  is a side view in partial section taken along view lines  6 - 6  of  FIG. 5 , illustrating the attachment mechanism of the foot platform to the center post. 
           [0015]      FIG. 7  is a section view of a foot-operated remote control transmitter as indicated by the view lines  7 - 7  of  FIG. 9 . 
           [0016]      FIG. 8  is a section of a detail of the seat mount as indicated by the view lines  8 - 8  in  FIG. 7 . 
           [0017]      FIG. 9  is a section view of a detail of the seat mount as indicated by the view lines  9 - 9  in  FIG. 7 . 
           [0018]      FIG. 10  is a section view of the foot-operated remote control transmitter of  FIG. 7 , shown in a depressed state. 
           [0019]      FIG. 11  is an electrical schematic diagram of a control circuit which finds application in the present invention. 
           [0020]      FIG. 12  is a side elevation section view of another preferred embodiment of seat of the present invention. 
           [0021]      FIG. 13  is a side elevation section view of the seat of  FIG. 12 , shown in a raised position. 
           [0022]      FIG. 14  is a plan view of a mounting plate, as viewed along section lines  14 - 14  of  FIG. 12 . 
           [0023]      FIG. 15  is a side section view of a mounting mechanism for the seat. 
           [0024]      FIG. 16  is an elevation view in partial section as seen along section lines  16 - 16  of  FIG. 14 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0025]    In  FIG. 1 , a seat assembly  12  of the present invention is shown in partial cross section. The seat assembly primarily comprises a seat  60 , an elevation mechanism  13 , and a mounting structure  17 . The elevation mechanism includes an inner post  14  and an outer post  16 , which telescope in relation to one another. The inner post  14  extends downward into the mounting structure, including a sleeve  18 , which is securely affixed to a fiberglass boat deck  20 . For greater stability, a plate  22  may be welded to the inner post  14  and bolted to the deck  20 . 
         [0026]    The outer post  16  is slidably positioned over the inner post  14  and is equipped with a longitudinal slot  24 . A pin  26  is attached to the inner post  14  and rides in the slot  24  of the outer post  16 , thus allowing the outer post  16  to slide up and down but preventing it from rotating on the inner post  14 . 
         [0027]    Slip rings  15  are mounted on the top outer surface of the inner post  14  and ride on the inside surface of the outer post  16  to reduce friction between the two posts as the seat  60  is run up and down. The top of the inner post  14  defines a cap  19  with a hole  21  through it. A screw or spindle  28  extends through the hole  21  and runs up to a gear box  30  of a worm gear that is driven by a prime mover  32 , described hereinafter as a motor  32 , although the primer mover may also be a hydraulic or pneumatic power source, or even a manually operated prime mover. A nut  34 , which is threadedly engaged with the screw  28 , is mounted onto the upper end of inner post  14 . 
         [0028]    A motor  32  and a gear box  30  are mounted between a motor mounting plate  38  and a hold down plate  36 . The plates  36  and  38  are joined together by bolts  40  and serve to clamp the motor gear box  30  in a position fixed to the upper end of the outer post  16 . A spacer  42  holds the gearbox  30  and the spindle  28  in a position concentric with the nut  34  and the inner post  14 . Thus, in this preferred embodiment, the motor and gear box are located between the seat  60  and the top of the outer post  16 . 
         [0029]    The seat  60  is secured to the assembly with a seat swivel  50 . The seat swivel is mounted on top of the plate  36 . Details of the seat and seat swivel are described below in relation to  FIG. 3 . 
         [0030]    Surrounding the lower end of the outer post  16  is a foot platform  70 , comprising a pair of platform halves  72  and an under carriage  74 . The under carriage  74  engages a sleeve  76  which is secured to the outer surface of the outer post  16 . The sleeve  76  also includes an outwardly extending plate  78  which provides vertical support for the foot platform  70 . A foot operated remote control device  90 , described in greater detail below, is preferably mounted on the platform  70  where it can be easily reached by the angler&#39;s foot. The sleeve  76  can be raised along with the platform halves  72  to a position that is higher and closer to the seat  60 , if a person with shorter legs prefers to do so. To hold the foot platform at a desired distance below the seat  60 , a pin  80  engages a selected hole  82  in the wall of the outer post  16 . Details of the platform are described below in relation to  FIG. 5  and  FIG. 6 . 
         [0031]    In the preceding description in respect of  FIG. 1 , the seat  60  is illustrated in a lowered or “down” position.  FIG. 2  shows the seat  60  in a partially raised position. The remote control  90  has been activated, as illustrated by an arrow  91 , showing that the foot pedal has been depressed. Activation of the control  90  energizes the motor  32 , which actuates the gear box  30 . The motor  32  thus rotates the spindle  28  and the spindle raises the seat  60  as it turns within the nut  34 . Note that the foot platform  70 , in its desired selected position relative to the seat  60 , also rises along with the seat, as illustrated by an arrow  93 . 
         [0032]    Further details of the seat and the seat swivel are illustrated in  FIG. 3  and  FIG. 4 . As previously described, the seat swivel is mounted on top of the plate  36 . The seat swivel  50  comprises a hold-down plate  51 , a swivel plate  52  and a seat hinge plate  53 . The plates  52  and  53 , including the seat  60  coupled to the plates, are capable of rotating relative to the hold-down plate  51 . Teflon wafers  54  are therefore placed between the moving surfaces between the plates  51  and  52  to reduce friction. 
         [0033]    Near the rear of the seat  60 , a hinge  55  is provided to connect the seat  60  to the plate  53  to allow change of the seat&#39;s inclination, which is accomplished by an adjustment nut  56  and spindle  57 . The spindle  57  is attached to the underside of a seat plate  62 . The seat plate  62 , along with a back plate  64  ( FIG. 4 ) are preferably made from a hard material such as wood or plastic, and are covered by a cushioning material  66 . 
         [0034]    The seat  60  includes a seat area  69  which defines a recess  68  on either side of the seat  60 , which allows an angler to hold onto the seat with his inner thighs when he chooses to stand up to gain an even more elevated view. 
         [0035]      FIG. 5  and  FIG. 6  show further details of the foot platform  70  in a top view. The platform  70  is split in two halves  72  for easy installation and removal from the elevation assembly described above. The halves  72  are provided with cut-outs  73  for clearance around a mounting plate  78 . Each half  72  rests on an undercarriage  74 , which has extending arms  75  for the connection to the plate  78 . 
         [0036]    As illustrated in  FIG. 6 , the extending arms  75  terminate in hook-shaped ends  75   a  which can be inserted into a pair of spaced-apart holes  79  formed in the plate  78 . The entire foot platform half  72  can then be lowered as shown in  FIG. 6  by an arrow  77 , until the extending arms  75  come to rest on the plate  78 . 
         [0037]      FIG. 7  through  FIG. 10  show details of a presently preferred foot-operated remote control transmitter  90 . The transmitter mainly comprises two U-shaped halves  91  and  92 , which are pivotally connected by a pin  93 . In the center of the inner bottom of half  92  is mounted an electronic switch or transmitter  94 , which is held in position by a pair of opposing clamps  95 . Trigger buttons  96  and  98  protrude from the top surface of the electronic transmitter. Resting on these buttons are leaf springs  100  and  101  by their center portions  100   a  and  101   a . One end of these leaf springs is spot-welded to the bottom  92 , while the other end touches the underside of the upper assembly half  91 . 
         [0038]    When pressure P is applied to either side of the assembly, as illustrated in  FIG. 10 , the upper half tilts down, exerts pressure on either leaf spring, which in turn presses down on either trigger button  96  or  98  of the electronic transmitter  94 , sending out a signal to a receiver, which initiates power supply to motor  32 , as described in more detail below. 
         [0039]    The electronic transmitter  94  contains a battery, which has to be replaced periodically. This is made easy by removing a retainer spring  102  ( FIG. 9 ) and the pivot pin  93  to separate the two halves  91  and  92 . This allows access to the transmitter  94 , which has to be pulled out from under the clamps  95 , disassembled and furnished with a fresh battery. It should also be understood that a hardwired connection may be provided from the foot operated control to the motor  32 , if desired. 
         [0040]      FIG. 11  illustrates a preferred electric circuit for supplying DC power to the motor  32 . Those of skill in the art will appreciate that the wiring illustrated in  FIG. 11  will be assembled to the structure illustrated in  FIG. 1  et seq. either inside or outside the elevation mechanism  13  as desired. The circuit includes a receiver  110 , which receives one of two possible signals from the electronic transmitter  94 , which causes the receiver to supply power from a battery  115  to one of two relays  111  or  112 . Preferably, the battery  115  is located in an easily accessible compartment below the level of the deck  20 , and wiring is run inside or outside the elevation mechanism to the motor  32 . In the illustrated embodiment, the relay  111  is activated, supplying power to the motor  32  for a clockwise rotation. If the relay  112  is activated by the other signal from transmitter  94 , DC power to the motor  32  is reversed, causing it to rotate the screw  28  in the opposite or counter-clockwise direction, thereby reversing the motion of the seat  60  from “up” to “down” or vice versa. 
         [0041]      FIG. 12  illustrates an alternative embodiment of the present invention wherein a motor  200  is located at the bottom of the elevation mechanism. In this embodiment, the motor  200  is located beneath a foot platform  222 , which preferably comprises two platform halves, as shown and described below. This way, the motor  200  is not in the way when a person, sitting on a seat  206 , is rotating around on the swiveling seat. To accommodate the location of the motor beneath the foot platform, a spindle  202  extends above the motor  200 . The spindle  202  is rotated by the motor through a gear box  201  and the rotation of the spindle  202  pushes a nut  204  upwards. 
         [0042]    By rotating the spindle  202  through the nut  204 , the nut moves in an upward or downward direction (depending on the direction of rotation of the spindle  202 ), and since the nut  204  is mechanically coupled to an inner tube  208 , the inner tube  208  moves up and down with the nut  204 . The upper end of the tube  208  is connected to an outer tube  210  through a swivel head  212 . The motor  200  is mounted to a motor housing  216 , and the motor housing  216  extends to a stanchion tube  214 . Thus, the stanchion tube  214  remains stationary, along with the motor housing, when the spindle  202  is rotated. The stanchion tube  214  is equipped with a keyway  218 , in which rides a key  220  that is part of the outer tube  210 . This way, none of the tubes can rotate while the spindle  202  rotates. 
         [0043]      FIG. 13  shows the foot platform  222  partially raised to clarify the motion of the individual parts. Note that the nut  204  has moved up, staying approximately level with the foot platform, while the tubular elements have telescoped upward. In this way, the seat  206  can be raised in height (at the “all the way up” position) by slightly less than twice the length of the outer tube  210 . 
         [0044]    Returning briefly to  FIG. 12 , the presently preferred embodiment also includes a removable backrest  224 . Rather than the unitary structure depicted in  FIG. 1 , the backrest  224 , is mounted to a seatback mounting plate  225 , which slides into a receiving bracket  227  and is held there with bolts or the like (not shown). In this embodiment, the backrest can thus be removed and stowed away, leaving a backless stool for the use of the angler, if desired. 
         [0045]    As shown in  FIG. 12 , a distance D defines the height of the foot platform above a boat deck  226 . This distance is preferably roughly about the height of a typical stair riser, or about 8 inches, even though the motor takes up additional space beneath the foot platform in this embodiment. To help in this specification, the suspension of the foot platform is preferably changed slightly. Support arms  228  are positioned underneath a platform  230 , as illustrated in more detail in  FIGS. 14 ,  15 , and  16 . The support arms  228  rest in a set of hinge grooves  234  of the platform  230  by way of hinge pins  232 . An extension  236  of a support arm  228  protrudes upwards through an aperture  238  in the platform  230 . 
         [0046]    When both halves of the platform  222  are in place, all extensions  236  are in line, and a set of holes  242  in these extensions line up so that a safety or cotter pin  244  can be installed, preventing an accidental upward tilting of the platform halves, such as for example when someone steps on a platform half at a point between the hinge pins  232  and the center split of the platform. The holes  242  in the upward protrusions  240  of platform  230  accommodate the pins  242 . Removing these pins  242  allows the platform halves  222  to be rotated up, as illustrated on the left side of  FIG. 16 . The halves can be leaned against tube  210  as illustrated, when it is desirable to have more walking space around the chair, or they can be removed altogether by just lifting them up. 
         [0047]      FIG. 14  further shows a recessed area  250  which serves to accommodate foot control devices for the commonly used trolling motors. Inward extensions  252  keep the foot control in place, while leaving an open space  254  for electrical wires  256  going to the trolling motor and the boat battery. 
         [0048]    The principles, preferred embodiment, and mode of operation of the present invention have been described in the foregoing specification. This invention is not to be construed as limited to the particular forms disclosed, since these are regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive. Moreover, variations and changes may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention.