Patent Document

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    This invention relates to fishing light-and heater brackets; particularly to a bracket that can be mounted to a boat, a dock, positioned on a surface or hung from lines to reflect light and heat in a desired direction from a gas light.  
           [0002]    Light from lanterns and more recently, gas lights, are used commonly for effective nighttime fishing from boats, docks and water sides. Numerous holders, stands and attachments have been devised for this purpose. None are known, however, to have the convenience, diversity, reliability and efficiency of positioning a gas light and reflecting its light and heat desirably as taught by this invention.  
           [0003]    Examples of most-closely related known but different devices are described in the following patent documents:  
                                                       U.S. Pat. No.   Inventor   Issue Date                           2,875,974   Albert   Mar. 3, 1959           3,752,108   Bovenzi   Aug. 14, 1973           3,843,082   Garrett   Oct. 22, 1974           2,960,601   Higgins   Nov. 15, 1960           3,008,679   Powell   Nov. 14, 1961           3,745,329   Runey, Jr.   Jul. 10, 1973           1,174,700   Eastman   Mar. 7, 1916           3,847,286   Garrett   Nov. 12, 1974                      
 
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0004]    Objects of patentable novelty and utility taught by this invention are to provide a reflective fishing-light-and-heater bracket which:  
           [0005]    reflects light and optionally heat in a desired direction from a gas light or lantern;  
           [0006]    diverts light glare away from a person using the light for fishing;  
           [0007]    can be attached quickly and easily to nearly any boat gunwale, boat dock or pier;  
           [0008]    can be set up quickly and easily on any beach, lakeside, riverside, floor or other surface;  
           [0009]    can be hung with lines from a hanger; and  
           [0010]    is light, sturdy, inexpensive and easily portable or storable.  
           [0011]    This invention accomplishes these objectives with a reflective fishing-light-and-heater bracket having a base plate that is designedly rectangular and made to rest on a gunwale of a boat for supporting a gas light and a reflector. The base plate includes a gunwale attachment on an attachment end, a light attachment on an attachment end and a reflector on top of the light end. The gunwale attachment is adaptable for attachment to all foreseeable gunwales, docks and piers. The base plate also can be mounted on horizontal or uneven surfaces or hung from lines suspended from a hanger. The light attachment includes a cannister basket and light holder. The reflector includes doors for selective back lighting. The base plate can be positioned to face the reflector in any direction.  
           [0012]    The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention should become even more readily apparent to those skilled in the art upon a reading of the following detailed description in conjunction with the drawings wherein there is shown and described illustrative embodiments of the invention.  
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS  
       [0013]    This invention is described by appended claims in relation to description of a preferred embodiment with reference to the following drawings which are explained briefly as follows:  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 1 is a partially cutaway elevation view of the reflective fishing-light-and-heater bracket having a pivotal adjustment jaw;  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 2 is a partially cutaway top view of the FIG. 1 illustration;  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 3 is a partially cutaway attachment-end view of the FIG. 1 illustration;  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 4 is a partially cutaway bottom view of the FIG. 1 illustration;  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 5 is a light-end view of the FIG. 1 illustration;  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 6 is the light-end view of the FIG. 1 illustration with a gas cannister and a gas light removed;  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 7 is a light-end view of the reflective fishing-light-and-heater bracket having leg rods positioned for table-like support on a desired surface;  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 8 is a side elevation view of the reflective fishing-light-and-heater bracket having leg rods positioned for table-like support on a sloping ground surface;  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 9 is a side view of the FIG. 1 embodiment shown mounted to a gunwale with the reflector facing outwardly;  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 10 is a side view of the FIG. 1 embodiment shown mounted to a gunwale with the reflector facing inwardly;  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 11 is a fragmentary and partially cutaway side view showing wing-nut fastener attachment of an adjustment jaw and a base jaw to an adjustment slot of a base plate;  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 12 is a fragmentary and partially cutaway side view showing wrench-nut fastener attachment of an adjustment jaw to bolt holes of the a base jaw and wing-nut fastener attachment of the base jaw to the base plate at the adjustment slot;  
         [0026]    [0026]FIG. 13 is a fragmentary and partially cutaway side view showing an integral extension of the adjustment jaw having a jaw-adjustment rod and showing wing-nut fastener attachment of the base jaw to the base plate at the adjustment slot;  
         [0027]    [0027]FIG. 14 is a partially cutaway top view of the FIG. 1 embodiment showing a linear structure representative of a gunwale or dock with angled attachment to the base plate;  
         [0028]    [0028]FIG. 15 is a partially cutaway bottom view of the FIG. 1 embodiment showing the linear structure with angled attachment of the base plate;  
         [0029]    [0029]FIG. 16 is a fragmentary and partially cutaway side view showing the integral extension of the adjustment jaw having a bottom base and showing wing-nut fastener attachment of the base jaw to the base plate at the adjustment slot;  
         [0030]    [0030]FIG. 17 is a partially cutaway side view showing the integral extension of the adjustment jaw having a bottom base with a leg rod attached and extended into a ground surface for support from the attachment end or optionally from proximate the reflector;  
         [0031]    [0031]FIG. 18 is a fragmentary and partially cutaway side view of the attachment end showing wing-nut-fastener attachment of an adjustment jaw and a base jaw to the base plate at the adjustment slot;  
         [0032]    [0032]FIG. 19 is a fragmentary and partially cutaway side view of the attachment end showing wrench-head-fastener attachment of the adjustment jaw and the base jaw to the base plate at the adjustment slot; and  
         [0033]    [0033]FIG. 20 is a fragmentary and partially cutaway side view of the attachment end showing use of a distal nut for wrench-head-fastener attachment of the adjustment jaw and the base jaw to the base plate at the adjustment slot. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0034]    Listed numerically below with reference to the drawings are terms used to describe features of this invention. These terms and numbers assigned to them designate the same features throughout this description.  
                                                       1.   Base plate           2.   Adjustment jaw           3.   Basejaw           4.   Gas light           5.   Reflector           6.   Reflective side           7.   Jaw-adjustment rod           8.   Adjustment slot           9.   Clamp bolt           10.   Cannister aperture           11.   Gas cannister           12.   Cannister basket           13.   Leg-rod aperture           14.   Leg rod           15.   Surface           16.   Legwingnut           17.   Pivotal adjustment jaw           18.   Jaw top base           19.   Pivot bolt           20.   Jaw bottom base           21.   Structure           22.   Hand grip           23.   Jam nut           24.   Resilient lock washer           25.   Flat washer           26.   Wrench head           27.   Wrench flats           28.   Distal nut           29.   Fastener wings           30.   Integral adjustment jaw           31.   Attached adjustment jaw           32.   L-leg           33.   Threaded fastener apertures           34.   Attachment leg           35.   Central wall           36.   First side wall           37.   Second side wall           38.   Back-light aperture           39.   Cover           40.   Swivel member                      
 
         [0035]    Referring to FIGS.  1 - 4 ,  10  and  14 - 15 , the reflective fishing-light-and-heating bracket has a base plate  1  that is rectangular with a gunwale attachment that includes an adjustment jaw  2  and a base jaw  3  proximate an attachment end, a light attachment for attachment of a gas light  4  proximate a light end and a reflector  5  having a funneled wall extended vertically upward from a top of the base plate  1 . The funneled wall of the reflector  5  has a reflective side  6  proximate the light attachment that is made to contain the gas light  4 .  
         [0036]    The base plate  1  is made preferably of an aluminum alloy or other material that is suitably light and yet strong, but generally soft for requiring flat-washer protection from most fastener components.  
         [0037]    The adjustment jaw  2  includes an adjustment aperture that is extended horizontally through the adjustment jaw  2  for receiving a jaw-adjustment rod  7 .  
         [0038]    The base plate  1  includes an adjustment slot  8  that is extended predeterminedly intermediate the attachment end and the reflector  5 .  
         [0039]    The gunwale attachment includes the base jaw  3  that has a clamp aperture for being attachable to the base plate  1  with a clamp bolt  9  that is positioned selectively in the adjustment slot  8 .  
         [0040]    The light attachment includes a cannister aperture  10  in the base plate  1  for receiving a gas cannister  11  vertically below the gas light  4 . The light attachment includes a cannister basket  12  below the base plate  1  for supporting the gas cannister  11  below the base plate  1  and for supporting the gas light  4  vertically above the base plate  1 .  
         [0041]    Referring to FIGS.  2 ,  4 - 8 ,  14 - 15  and  17 , the base plate  1  includes a plurality of at least two leg-rod apertures  13  for receiving leg-attachment ends of leg rods  14  vertically for extending the leg rods  14  downwardly from the base plate  1  for supporting the base plate  1  on surfaces  15  that include water-side ground, decks, floors, and piers optionally to attachment of the reflective fishing-light-and-heater bracket to a gunwale, a dock or a pier. Also, the leg-rod apertures  13 , at preferably four corners, can be employed for attachment of lines from a hanger for hanging the reflective fishing-light-and-heating bracket from wherever desired. The leg-attachment ends of the leg rods  14  can be threaded for being threaded into the leg-rod apertures  13  that are threaded correspondingly. Optionally, the leg-attachment ends of the leg rods  14  can be threaded to receive fastener nuts that can include leg wing nuts  16  in fastener combination with flat washers, lock washers and jam nuts.  
         [0042]    The leg-rod apertures  13  can be positioned at sides of ends of the base plate  1  for a table-like support. As illustrated in FIG. 8, this also allows leveling of the base plate  1  on uneven or sloping ground by pushing the leg rods  14  further into pliable surfaces at high areas.  
         [0043]    Optional to table-like positioning, the leg-rod apertures  13  can be positioned at oppositely disposed sides of one or both ends of the base plate  1 , or on either or both sides of the reflector  5 . The leg-rod apertures  13  can also be leg-storage apertures for containing the leg rods  14  uprightly above the base plate, preferably proximate the reflector  5  where they out of the way, when not in use to support the base plate  1 .  
         [0044]    Referring to FIGS.  1 - 4  and  9 - 10 , the gunwale attachment can include a pivotal adjustment jaw  17  for selectively pivotal and linear positioning of the gunwale attachment to the base plate  1 . The pivotal adjustment jaw  17  can be extended at a predetermined angle downwardly from a jaw top base  18 . The jaw top base  18  includes a jaw-attachment aperture having internal threads for receiving a pivot bolt  19  which has external threads for attaching the jaw top base  18  to the base plate  1 . The pivotal adjustment jaw  17  can have a jaw bottom base  20  that is parallel to the jaw top base  18 .  
         [0045]    The gunwale attachment includes the base jaw  3  having at least one clamp aperture for being attached to the base plate  1  with the clamp bolt  9  in the adjustment slot  8  for selectively pivotal and linear positioning of the gunwale attachment to the base plate  1 . As depicted in FIGS.  14 - 15 , selectively pivotal and linear positioning of the gunwale attachment to the base plate  1  can be employed for positioning the base plate  1  at select pivotal and linear positions in relationship to a structure  21  that is intended to include a gunwale of a marine vehicle, a dock, a pier or other water-side structure.  
         [0046]    Referring to FIGS. 1, 3,  9 - 10 ,  14  and  18 , the pivot bolt  19  preferably includes a hand grip  22  that is depicted as a wafer head for non-interference finger-grasping proximate a grip end of external threads thereon. Positioned on the pivot bolt  19  sequentially from the hand grip  22  are a jam nut  23 , a resilient lock washer  24 , a flat washer  25 , the base plate  1  and the jaw top base  18 .  
         [0047]    The bottom of the base plate  1  abuts the jaw top base  18 , the flat washer  25  abuts the top of the base plate  1  and the jam nut  23  abuts the resilient lock washer  24  with frictional screw-fastener pressure of the jam nut  23  against the resilient lock washer  24  for snugly affixing the pivotal adjustment jaw  17  at a desired position linearly in the adjustment slot  8  and at a desired angle from the adjustment slot  8  for positioning the base plate  1  angularly and linearly on the structure  21  to which the base plate  1  is attached selectively with the gunwale attachment.  
         [0048]    As shown in FIG. 19, the pivot bolt  19  for a selected adjustment jaw  2 , that includes the attached adjustment jaw  31 , can include a wrench head  26  proximate the grip end of the external threads thereon. The jam nut  23  can include wrench flats  27 .  
         [0049]    Use of fastener nuts with wrench flats requires use of a wrench which can easily be lost in marine conditions, particularly at night when lights are used. For this reason, hand-grip fasteners are preferred. Wrench fasteners, however, can be tightened more securely and may be preferred by some users for some use conditions. Aids to use of wrenches can include use of special box wrenches that can be secured on a line or chain. Securing the bolts in the jaw top base  18  or other base also can help. Use of the adjustment slot  8  allows permanent or variously affixed attachment of the pivot bolt  19  or other bolt to the jaw top base  18 , to the base jaw  3  or other base member with a distal nut  28  as depicted in FIG. 20 or with a thread adherent.  
         [0050]    As shown in FIGS.  11 - 13 , the jam nut  23  on the pivot bolt  19  and on the clamp bolt  9  can have particularly large predetermined fastener wings  29  for finger-gasping leverage.  
         [0051]    As shown in FIGS.  1 - 3 ,  9 - 13 ,  16  and  18 , the clamp bolt  9 , as well as the pivot bolt  19 , can include the hand grip  22  in combination with a jam nut  23  that can have either straight-wing finger grips or the large fastener wings  29 .  
         [0052]    The adjustment jaw  2  can include a stationary adjustment jaw that is an integral adjustment jaw  30  which is extended integrally from the attachment end of the base plate  1 , as shown in FIGS. 13 and 16- 17 . Optionally, the stationary adjustment bar can be an attached adjustment jaw  31  that is attached removably as shown in FIGS.  11 - 12  and  18 - 20 . The adjustment jaw  2 , particularly the integral adjustment jaw  30  can have an L-leg  32  with at least two leg-rod apertures  13  as shown in FIGS.  16 - 17 .  
         [0053]    The integral adjustment jaw  30  is preferred for having leg rods  14  extended from it as shown in FIG. 17 to support the entire weight of the bracket when the leg rod  14  is inserted a sufficient depth into ground or other pliable surface  15 . For most ground-support uses, however, the entire weight is best supported with the leg rod  14  suspended from a leg-rod aperture  13  proximate the reflector  5 .  
         [0054]    As shown in FIGS. 2 and 14, the attachment end of the base plate  1  can include a plurality of threaded fastener apertures  33  and the leg-rod apertures  13 . This allows attachment of the attached adjustment jaw  31  and the leg rods  14  to the base plate  1 .  
         [0055]    The base jaw  3  can include an attachment leg  34  for buttressing resistance in opposition to attachment pressure from the jaw-adjustment rod  7  of the adjustment jaw  2  as shown in FIGS.  9 - 13  and  16 .  
         [0056]    As shown in FIGS. 2, 4 and  14 - 15 , there can be at least one light-attachment aperture that can be a leg-rod aperture  13  proximate the reflector  5  in the base plate  1 . Some but not all gas lights  4  can be supported by attachment to the gas cannister  11 . Provision for a separate light-attachment aperture, which can be, but need not be, the leg-rod apertures  13 , is preferable.  
         [0057]    As shown in FIGS.  1 - 17 , the reflector  5  preferably includes a plurality of reflective walls, although a single curved wall can be employed. The plurality of reflective walls includes a central wall  35 , a first side wall  36  and a second side wall  37 . The central wall  35  is orthogonal to first and second sides of the base plate  1 . The first side wall  36  is extended at a predetermined angle laterally from the first side of the base plate  1  in a direction of the light end. The second side wall  37  is extended at a predetermined angle laterally from the second side of the base plate  1  in the direction of the light end.  
         [0058]    The funneled wall of the reflector  5  includes at least one back-light aperture  38  having a cover  39  that is opened selectively for allowing passage of a desired amount of light from the gas light  4  through the reflector  5 . The back-light aperture  38  includes the cover  39  in each of the plurality of the reflective walls for a plurality of the back-light apertures  38  with the covers  39  in the reflective walls of the reflector  5 .  
         [0059]    Preferably, the cover  39  is suspended from a swivel member  40  that is vertically above the back-light aperture  38  for hanging over the back-light aperture  38  and the swivel member  40  includes predetermined resistance to swiveling of the cover  39  for positioning the cover  39  over the back-light aperture  38  selectively.  
         [0060]    A new and useful reflective fishing-light-and-heater bracket having been described, all such foreseeable modifications, adaptations, substitutions of equivalents, mathematical possibilities of combinations of parts, pluralities of parts, applications and forms thereof as described by the following claims and not precluded by prior art are included in this invention.

Technology Category: 7