US2715293A - Supporting rack for live bait container - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 16, 1955 G. A. MARTIN 2,715,293

SUPPORTING RACK FOR LIVE BAIT CONTAINER Filed July 6, 1951 v1 5/ i If? i 3 2/7 .v 9 A3 233313 35 6Z3 fi/A 0 0: (2 /8 I o 'ol 'a /9 /6 Aj 27%. I 22. i

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7!!! I I I In 7 /3 3o 6 26 x6 Z6 Ze 12 72 dZMZLrZin x5 United States Patent SUPPORTING RACK FOR LIVE BAIT CGNTAINER Glenn A. hiarfin, Deming, N. Mex.

Application July 6, 1951, Serial No. 235,509

2 Claims. (Cl. 4355) This invention relates to a novel construction of supporting rack for a live bait container such as a minnow bucket and has for its primary object to provide a rack structure for attachment to the side of a small boat whereby a live bait container or minnow bucket may be supported in an inboard position while traveling to or from fishing waters or while removing bait from the container without the risk of water leaking from the bait container into the boat.

Another object of the invention is to provide a rack including the tray portion to receive water draining from the bait container along which the water will be directed by gravity and discharged outwardly of a side of the boat.

Another object of the invention is to provide a rack structure having a novel means for securing it detachably to a portion of the boat and with the tray thereof inclined downwardly and outwardly relatively to a side of the boat for drainage of water therefrom away from the interior of the boat.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a rack structure which will support the minnow container stationary at all times in inboard position relatively to the boat, while the container is supported by the rack structure.

Still a further object of the invention is to provide a rack structure which can be quickly and easily attached to or detached from a boat and adjusted to accommodate it to the boat portions of diiferent contours.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention "ill hereinafter become more fully apparent from the following description of the drawing, illustrating a presently preferred embodiment thereof, and wherein:

Figure 1 is a top plan view showing the invention in an applied position and partly broken away to illustrate details thereof;

Figure 2 is an enlarged longitudinal vertical sectional view taken substantially along aplane as indicated by the line 2--2 of Figure l, and

Figure 3 is a fragmentary cross sectional view on an enlarged scale, taken substantially along a plane as indicated by'the line 33 of Figure 2.

Referring more specifically to the drawing, the rack structure in its entirety constituting the invention is designated generally 5 and includes an elongated tray 6 having upstanding side walls 7 and an upstanding inner end wall 8. The tray 6 at its opposite, open end is provided with an outwardly and downwardly inclined hp 9 which extends from side to side thereof and which projects beyond the ends of the side walls 7 which are located at the open end of the tray 6. A pair of reinforcing strips 10 is secured in any suitable manner as by means of the fastenings 11 to the underside of the tray 6 and longitudinally thereof and in spaced substantially parallel relationship to one another. The tray 6 is provided with a relatively large opening 12 having an annular upstanding surrounding flange 13. The opening 12 is spaced Q a. from the sides and ends of the tray 6 and is disposed between portions of the strips 10.

The strips 10 are provided with complementary downturned ends 14 which are located beneath the inner end or edge of the lip 9 and each of which is provided on its inner side with a cushioning pad 15, preferabiy formed of rubber. The downturned strip ends 14 form stationary clamping jaws which are adapted to engage against the outer side of the gunwale 16 of a small boat, such as a row boat 17, partially illustrated in Figures 1 and 2. A threaded bolt 18 is anchored in and extends downwardly from each strip 19 adjacent to but spaced from its jaw 14 and each strip iii carries an adjustable clamping jaw, designated generally 19, comprising an elongated strip having a substantially straight end portion 20 which is disposed against the underside of one of the strips 10 and which is provided with a longitudinally extending slot 21 through which a bolt 18 loosely extends. The other leg or end 22 of the clamping jaw 19, which is disposed adjacent the jaw 14, extends downwardly from the strip 1% and is disposed substantially perpendicular thereto. A nut 23 engages the bolt 15; and bears against the underside of the jaw portion 2%; to support it on the strip 10. By loosening the nut 23 the jaw 19 may be moved toward or away from the jaw 14 to position its depending portion 22 tightly against the inner side of the gunwale '16 for clamping the gunwale between the stationary jaw 14 and movable jaw portion 22. The nut 23 is then tightened for clamping the jaw portions to the gunwale. The two pairs of jaws 14, 19 are each thus applied in the same manner to eflfectively secure the rack structure 5 detachably to the gunwale 16 and with the tray 6 disposed in an inboard position except for its lip 9 which extends downwardly and outwardly from the outer side of the gunwale 16.

The rack structure 5 also includes a bucket supporting plate 24 which is disposed beneath the opening 12 and substantially parallel to the tray 6 and which has oppositely disposed upstanding arms 25 which are secured at their upper ends to portions of the strips 10, in any suitable manner as by means of welding as indicated 26, and which provide hangers for supporting the plate 24, as best illustrated in Figure 3.

A live bait containing unit, designated generally 27, includes a bucket 28 of solid construction except for its open top having a bail 29 adjacent its upper end which is swingably secured to the bucket 28 by means of apertured ears 34) which project outwardly from said bucket, near its upper end. An annular gasket 31 is disposed around the bucket 23, near its upper end and below the ears and is clamped to the bucket by a split ring 32 the ends of which are defined by outturned apertured ears 33 which are connected by a nut and bolt fastening 34 which may be drawn up to tighten the ring 32 around the gasket 31 to thereby securely clamp the parts 31 and 32 around the bucket 23. The split ring 32 is provided with a downwardly and outwardly flared bottom edge portion forming an apron 35 The bucket 28 is sized for insertion downwardly through the opening 12 and the parts 31 and 32 are secured thereto, as illustrated in Figure 2, so that when the bottom of the bucket 28 is resting upon the plate 24, the ring and gasket 32 and 31, respectively, will be resting upon the upper edge of the flange 13 and the apron 35 will extend downwardly and outwardly from said upper edge of the flange 13.

The other or inner section of the live bait containing unit 27 includes a container or receptacle 36 which is sized to fit loosely within the bucket 23 and which is preferably provided with a cylindrical side wall having a plurality of perforations 37 formed in the lower portion of the receptacle 36 and which extend from adjacent the bottom thereof upwardly to a point spaced from the top of said recetpacle. The upper or open end of the receptacle 36 is provided with a closure 38, and said receptacle, near its upper end, is provided with the studs 39 which project outwardly therefrom and which are preferably disposed in diametrical alignment. The receptacle 36 is provided with a bail 40 which is swingably mounted on the studs 39. The studs 39 are of sufficient length to rest upon the upper edge of the bucket 28 for vsupporting the receptacle 36 within said bucket as illustrated in Figure 2.

A brace, designated generally 41, includes a relatively long substantially rigid leg portion 42 having a short right angularly disposed terminal 43 at one end thereof to the outer side of which is secured a pad 44, as by means of a fastening 45. Par 44 may be formed of any suitable material such as rubber. the leg 42 is provided with an extension 46 which is disposed at an oblique angle thereto and which is provided with a longitudinally disposed slot 47 through which a bolt 48 loosely extends. The bolt 48 is secured to and depends from the plate 24 and is engaged by a nut 49 which bears against the underside of the extension 46 for clamping the extension between the plate and nut. The nut 49 may be loosened for displacing the leg 42 either to the right or left as viewed in Figure 2 and for clamping the leg in different adjusted positions so that the pad 44 will bear against a portion of the hull of the boat 17. Thus, the brace 41 will bear a major portion of the weight of the rack structure and live bait containing unit 27 and is adapted to be adjusted to support the tray 6 slightly inclined outwardly and downwardlywith respect to the gunwale 16, as illustrated in Figure 2.

From the foregoing it will be readily apparent that the rack structure 5 may be mounted in a row boat or other form of a small boat 17 as illustrated in the drawing and as previously described, and the bucket 28 may then be positioned, as illustrated in Figure 2. The live bait containing receptacle 36 is supported in the bucket 28 while the boat 17 is moving to and from fishing waters, and while the boat is anchored the receptacle 36 may be disposed in the water and suitably tied to the boat in a conventional manner. It will be readily apparent that the receptacle 36 containing live bait such as minnows, not shown, will be partially filled with water so that as it is moved from an outboard position with respect to the boat 17 to its position as illustrated in the drawing, a portion of the water will drain therefrom through the perforations 37 and to prevent this water from draining into the boat 17, the receptacle 36 is moved inboard of the boat over the tray 6 so that water draining therefrom will be caught on the tray and will drain outwardly thereof over the lip 9. After the receptacle 36 is placed in the bucket 28 an additional amount of water will drain therefrom into the bucket 28 and if desired the bucket 28 may be partially filled with water before being applied to the rack structure 5 to maintain a desired amount of water in the receptacle 36 while it is supported by the bucket 28. Additionally, the receptacle 36 may be con iently placed in its position as illustrated in the drawng while bait is being removed therefrom to avoid any possibility of losing bait from the receptacle, after which the receptacle 36 can again be placed in the water externally of the boat and is likewise moved longitudinally over the tray 6 so that any water draining from the receptacle 36 will fall onto the tray 6 and will be discharged outwardly of the gunwale 16. The apron together with the gasket 31 will efiectively prevent any water from the receptacle 36 escaping through the opening 12 The opposite end of while the bucket 28 is in its position of Figure 2 so that the bait receptacle 36 may be moved to and from a position within the boat 17 without any water leaking therefrom into the boat and may be retained in an inboard position and partially filled with water.

While the rack structure 5 is preferably formed of metal, it will be readily apparent that it may be formed of other suitable materials.

Various modifications and changes as contemplated may obviously be resorted to, without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as hereinafter defined by the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. A rack structure of the character described comprising an elongated tray, adjustable clamping means mounted beneath and forming a part of said tray for detachably clamping the tray to a gunwale of a boat and supporting the tray in an inboard position relatively to the boat, said tray having a downwardly inclined lip at one end thereof extending outwardly and downwardly from said clamping meansand disposed outwardly of the gunwale engaged thereby, said tray having an opening disposed between its opposite end and said adjustable clamping means, said traybeing inclined longitudinally from its last mentioned end downwardly towards said lip, a bucket extending through the tray opening having an open upper end disposed above the tray, means demountably supporting the bucket in said tray opening, and a live bait container loosely fitting in said bucket. and having a perforated bottom portion, aligned bail mounting studs extending outwardly from the bait container adjacent the upper end thereof and resting on the rim of the bucket for removably supporting the bait container therein.

2. A rack structure as in claim 1, in which said bucket supporting means includes hangers secured to and depending from the underside of the tray, a plate secured to and supported by said hangers beneath the tray opening and forming a support engaged by the bucket bottom, and a brace secured to' said plate and extending downwardly therefrom at an angle relative to the plane of the tray, said brace having a lower end disposed beneath a part of the tray located adjacent said clamping means and bearing against a portion of the boat hull and cooperating with said clamping means for supporting the tray, bucket and bait container, and means adjustably mounting said brace on said plate for adjustment of the brace in directions longitudinally of the tray.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 363,956 Havanagh May 31, 1887 365,425 Barclay June 28 1887' 755,994 Broome Mar. 29, 1904 793,825 Curry et a1. July 4, 1905 888,294 Aflleck May 19, 1908 928,033 Drouilly July 13, 1909 1,053,103 Martus Feb. 11, 1913 1,287,894 Cox Dec. 17, 1918 1,405,881 Wallace Feb. 7, 1922 1,628,746 Russel May 17, 1927 2,051,241 Biggers Aug. 18, 1936 2,272,561 Hubbell Feb. 10, 1942 2,272,569 Luhmann Feb. 10, 1942 2,487,645 Gershon Nov. 8, 1949 2,564,513 Terwilliger Aug. '14, 1951

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