Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
MARINE HUB WITH INTERCHANGEABLE ARMS
This application claims priority to United States Provisional Application Ser.
No. 62/364,464, filed July 20, 2016.
Background of the Invention
This invention is directed to a marine hub device with interchangeable arms,
for mounting of fishing boating and other equipment and which may be supported
on
a seat pedestal or other post, e.g., boat pedestals and dock support posts.
The marine hub is a boating accessory which may be tubular, disk-shape,
cylindrical, square, rectangular or in the form of a hexagonal or octagonal
member
that fits over or around the seat pedestal or other post, and which has a
number of
projecting members that extend generally horizontally and generally radially
out from
the support post, and onto which a variety of attachment arms can be mounted.
The
attachment arms may include such accessories as a rod holder, a bait holder,
or a
support for a camera or entertainment device, for example. An adapter ring or
sleeve
may be included, as necessary, to match the inside diameter of the marine hub
to the
diameter of the support post.
The main object of this invention is to provide a highly adaptable device for
supporting various tools, appliances and accessories from the generally
cylindrical
seat pedestal of a fishing boat, or on any of a wide variety of similar
vertical tubular
posts, such as dock posts. The device has a hub portion that mounts around the
outer
diameter of the pedestal, and an arrangement for tightening the hub onto the
pedestal,
and also has a number of interchangeable arms that fit onto (or into) members
that
radiates out from the hub. In some cases the radial members on the arms can be
male
stubs that fit into female sockets on the inside end of the interchangeable
arms, but
alternatively the arrangement could have female sockets on the radial members
to
each receive a male fitting on the inward end of the respective
interchangeable arm.
Because the female socket portion can be on either the stub or the arm, and
the
complementary male portion may be on the arm or on the stub, the term "socket
member" will be used in the description and in the claims to refer generally
to either
arrangement. The arms may be straight and entirely horizontal, but may
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also have a downward or upward bend, or an offset so they radiate above or
below the level of
the hub. The concept is certainly not limited only to a single embodiment or a
few embodiments,
but can take on a wide variety of forms. The hub and arms may be steel or
aluminum, and a
number of high-strength technical plastic resins are available :for use in the
hub or in the
interchangeable amis.
In keeping with a number of important aspects of the invention, a marine hub
may
comprise a generally round-profile hub body member having a vertically
oriented central bore
adapted to fit snugly onto a vertical generally cylindrical support post, such
as a seat pedestaL
The body member fits snugly and securely onto the support post in any of a
number of ways,
releasably gripping the support post to hold the body member securely in place
on it. A plurality
of support plug members or support stub members protrude generally radially
and horizontally
outward from the hub body member and a plurality of elongated attachment arms
each have a
(male or female) a socket member formed at a radially inward end and adapted
for fit removably
onto or into a respective one of the support plug or stub members. The terms
"plug" and "stub"
may be used somewhat interchangeably to refer to the members affixed to the
hub body and onto
which the support anns are removably supported. For secure attachment, the
plug or stub
members and the socket members of the attachment arms each have at least one
through bore
configured such that the through bores align when the respective attachment
arms are placed onto
or into the associated support stub or plug members. One or more retaining
pins are provided so
that at least one retaining pin can penetrate the aligned through bores of the
support stub or plug
members and attachment anns to hold the attachment arms removably in place
supported onto
the marine hub body member. The support plug or stubs can favorably be of
square cross
section and the socket members of the attachment arms being square tubular
members.
Alternatively, the support plugs or stubs can be of polygonal cross section
and the corresponding
socket members of the attachment anns may be of round, octagonal, or hexagonal
section.
The arrangement for the hub body member releasably gripping the vertical post
or
pedestal can include a split adapter ring fitting within the central bore of
the hub body member.
Alternatively, the hub body member may take the form ofa split tube having an
axial gap therein
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with a pair of lugs affixed to the split tube on opposite sides of the gap,
and can
employ a hand screw or cam-action clamping member to serve as compressing
means
for drawing the lop towards one another to compress the central bore against
said
support post. The cam-action clamping member can include a cam action clamp
having a pin passing through the lugs, and a with lever-action cam disposed on
one
end of the pin.
The hand screw arrangement would haw a threaded rod passing through an
opening in one of said lugs and engaging a threaded bore in the other of the
lugs.
In a favorable embodiment, there are three of such stub or plug members and
three attachment aims, disposed on the hub body member at a nine-o'clock
position, a
twelve-o'clock position, and a three-o'clock position, respectively.
An adapter ring can be fitted into the central bore of the body member, and
can have an outer diameter to match the inner diameter of the cental bore and
an inner
diameter to match the outer diameter of the cylindrical support post.
The at least one retaining pin can be a quick-release pin having a hand grip
at
one end, and a lanyard attached to the grip or to the pin, so that the pin is
not lost
overboard.
Favorably the plurality of elongated attachment arms can include at least one
extruded tubular member having a gap formed along one side and a keyway formed
within it, and adapted for receiving keyway-mounted accessories.
In some embodiments, the hub body member may be formed as two halves
with an axial hinge connecting the two halves and a compressive clamp securing
the
two halves of the hub body member onto the support post.
The hub body member may be formed of a pair of half-rings with a pair of
bolts that secure the two half-rings to one another onto the support post.
Accordingly, in one aspect the present invention provides in combination, a
seat pedestal of a boat, the seat pedestal being in the form of a vertical
generally
cylindrical support post, and a marine hub adapted to be positioned on said
seat
pedestal below a too thereof comprising: a generally round-profile one-piece
hub
body member having a vertically oriented central bore extending vertically
therethrough and adapted to permit the hub to be positioned at plural
positions along
said seat pedestal and to fit snugly onto said seat pedestal, said hub body
member
being formed of a marine grade aluminum, stainless steel, or equivalent
plastic resin;
means on said body member releasably gripping said seat pedestal to hold the
body
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member securely in place thereon; a plurality of rigid, non-adjustable support
stub
members protruding generally radially and horizontally outward from said body
member, with outer ends thereof which serve as a male or female socket member,
wherein said support stub members are rigidly affixed onto said body member; a
plurality of elongated attachment arms each having a female or male socket
member
formed at a radially inward end thereof and adapted for fitting removably onto
a
respective one of said support stub members, such that said attachment arms
are held
in a fixed orientation on said hub body member; said socket members of said
attachment arms and said socket members of said support stub members each
having
at least one through-bore extending transversely through the respective
attachment
arm and stub member, and configured such that the through-bores align when the
respective attachment arms are placed onto the associated support stub
members; and
at least one removable retaining pin adapted for penetrating aligned through-
bores of
said support stub members and attachment arms to hold the attachment arms
removably in place supported on said marine hub body member.
In another aspect, the present invention provides a marine hub comprising a
generally round-profile one-piece hub body member having a vertically oriented
central bore extending vertically therethrough and adapted to fit snugly onto
a vertical
generally cylindrical support post, said hub body member being formed of a
marine
grade aluminum, stainless steel, or equivalent plastic resin; means on said
body
member releasably gripping said support post to hold the body member securely
in
place thereon; a plurality of rigid, non-adjustable support stub members
protruding
generally radially and horizontally outward from said body member, with outer
ends
thereof which serve as a male or female socket member, wherein said support
stub
members are rigidly affixed onto said body member; a plurality of elongated
attachment arms each having a female or male socket member formed at a
radially
inward end thereof and adapted for fitting removably onto a respective one of
said
support stub members, such that said attachment arms are held in a fixed
orientation
on said hub body member; said socket members of said attachment arms and said
socket members of said support stub members each having at least one through-
bore
extending transversely through the respective attachment arm and stub member,
and
configured such that the through-bores align when the respective attachment
arms are
placed onto the associated support stub members; and at least one removable
retaining
pin adapted for penetrating aligned through-bores of said support stub members
and
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attachment arms to hold the attachment arms removably in place supported on
said
marine hub body member, and wherein said body member is in the form of a split
tube having an axial gap therein with a pair of lugs affixed to said split
tube adjacent
respective opposite sides of said gap, and including compressing means for
drawing
the lugs towards one another to compress the central bore against said support
post.
The above and many other aspects of the invention will become apparent from
the ensuing detailed description of a few selected embodiments, as explained
in
connection with the accompanying Drawing figures.
Brief Description of the Drawing
Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 are partially exploded perspective views of pedestal-mounted
marine
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hub assemblies, according to embodiments of this invention.
Fig. 2A is an devotional view of a variation of an embodiment of this
invention.
Fig. 3A is a plan view of a portion of another embodiment, with Fig. 3B
showing a
portion thereof in cross section.
Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a variation thereof
Fig. 5 shows a variation of these embodiments.
Fig. 6 is an perspective view of another embodiment.
Figs. 6A and 6B are variations thereof showing male and female extension anus
respectively mounted on the marine hub main body portion.
Fig. 7A and Fig. 7B are a top plan view fa cam-action based clamp on an
embodiment
of this invention, and a side elevation of a portion thereof
Figs. 8 is a top plan view of an embodiment of the invention having a
multiplicity of
mounting stubs for attachment arms.
Fig. 9A Shows a portion of another embodiment, while Figs. 9B and 9C show
variations
IS in placement of through hole(s) in mounting stubs or sockets thereof
Figs. IOA is a perspective oft portion of another embodiment.
Fig. 10B is an end view of an attachment arm thereof
Fig. 11 is a perspective of a two piece embodiment with unitary mounting
stubs, whereas
Fig. 12 is a perspective view of a variation thereof
Fig. 13 is another embodiment in which the hub member is fomied of two half-
rings.
Figs. 14A and 14B are a top plan view and a partial elevation of another
embodiment.
Fig. IS is a perspective view showing a variation of this embodiment.
Fig. 16 is a top plan view of a nuttier embodiment of the invention.
Fig. 17 is a perspective view of a variation of the foregoing embodiment.
Fig. 18 shows an embodiment of the marine hub in position on a dock post.
Figs. 19 and 20 illustrate a retaining pin with safety lanyard.
Fig. 21 shows a marine hub embodiment tor mounting on a square post.
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Detailed Description of a Preferred Embodiments
The marine hub 10 of this invention is configured to slide onto a cylindrical
pedestal 14
or similar mounting post, and has a circular bore machined through it
vertically, creating a main
body tube 15. The main body tube should have an inside diameter just larger
than the outside
diameter of the pedestal 14 so there is sufficient clearance for the marine
hub to slide on and off
without undue lateral movement. There are lateral protrusions 11, i.e. stubs,
that radiate from the
nitin body tube 15 and support removable attachment arms 40 that continue in a
generally
horizontal direction away from the pedestal or other mounting post. The marine
hubs are
favorably fonned of a non-corrosive metal such as aluminum or stainless steel,
but may also be
trade o fa tough plastic resin, such that the marine hub may be die cast (from
a marine-grade
aluminum) or injection molded from a suitable polymer resin, which may include
a UV
protect= and/or other additives to protect against environmental degradation.
The marine hub
10 may have a powder coating, anodized finish, or may be painted. In several
embodiments, the
attachment arms 40 are square tubular members, but these are not limited to
members of that
profile, and may be hexagonal octagonal, round, oval, or rectangular in
profile. A variety of'
types of clamp screw may be used to secure the marine hub onto the supporting
pedestal or post,
thvorably with a plastic or metal knob or wheel and stainless steel threaded
shaft, which may
have a nylon or other polymer tip. The claw screw may be used as part of a
compression type
clamping mechanism to squeeze the main tube body I 5 against the pedestal 14.
Fig. 1 is an exploded perspective view of one embodiment of the marine hub 10
according to the present invention. Here a pair of square cross-section
tubular stubs 11, 11 serve
as sockets into which attachment arms 40 are fitted. The marine hub 10 has a
main body tube 15
onto which the stubs 11 are welded or otherwise affixed, and for each
attachment arm 40 a quick-
release pin 12 fits into matching pin openings 17 and 43 on the stub 11 and
attachment arm 40,
respectively. One such pin I 2 is shown here, but there would be a sufficient
number to attach the
attachment aims 40 to the associated plugs II. The main body tube 15 is of a
diameter to tit over
a seat post or pedestal 14 with minimal clearance. A threaded hand screw
member 20 fits into a
threaded opening in a block member 16 on the main body tube, and the hand
screw member can
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be tightened down against the pedestal 14 or similar mounting post to secure
the body tube
portion of the marine hub onto the post.
As also shown here a tubular holder member 41 is secured to one side of the
attachment
arm 40. This tubular member may be a rod holder, or a socket for a pole or
post ()fan accessory
to be attached to the attachment arm of the marine hub. There may be pin
openings 43 on sides
as well as top and bottom surfaces of the marine hub attachment arms 40, so
that the attachment
arms 40 may be installed in any of 'four orientations.
Fig. 2 illustrates a variation of this same arrangement of a marine hub 10.
here the
tubular body member 15 has three support stub members 11 oriented at ninety
degree intervals,
i.e., at the nine-o'clock, twelve-o'clock and three-o'clock positions. In this
embodiment, the
main body tube has a longitudinal split or gap with threaded block members or
lugs 16 on either
side of the gap. A hand screw 20 fits into the openings in the lugs 16, and
can be tightened pull
the sides of the gap. Also as shown here a small adapter retaining screw 33
can be fitted into a
threaded opening 18 in the body tube 15. A split-tube adapter ring 30 here is
shown with a
IS threaded opening to fit the adapter retaining screw 33. The adapter ring
may or may not be
needed, depending on the diameter ofthe associated post or pedestal, not shown
here.
As a further feature, the attachment arms 40 each have a removable square end
plug 42 at
one end, at least, and favorably at each end. These prevent entry of water and
contaminants into
the interior of the attachment arms 40, which is especially important in a
salt water or brackish
environment.
Fig. 2A is an elevational view of a variation ofthis embodiment, here shown
with a disk-
like tubular body 10 fitted onto pedestal 14 and held in place with hand screw
20, with projecting
support stub members II fitting into respective attachment arms 40, 40 one
shown at the left and
the other at the right. Removable attachment pins 12 are shown here securing
the attachment
arms to the support stub members 11, with another pin 12 securing a tubular
rod holder 41 to the
end of the left attachment arm 40. In this case a portion ofthe rod holder 41
fits into the hollow
interior of the attachment ann and has a pin opening (not shown) that can
receive the pin 12. A
pair of tubular holders 41, 41 shown to the right can be attached by sliding
them over the exterior
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of the right-side attachment arm 40. Fig. 3A is a partial plan view
illustrating a pair of tubular
holder members 41, each mounted using a horizontal threaded member extending
through the
attachment arm 40 and held in place with a mating nut.
As an alternative, as shown in Fig 4, an auxiliary -USB plug 45, with two
associated USI3
ports, may be fitted into the end of one of the attachment arms 40. Internal
wiring is not shown
here. This may be used to provide power and or data communication for an
electronic device
(not shown).
Fig. 5 shows a marine hub 10 with a clamp screw 20 having a generally cone-
shaped hand
knob 22 and a threaded rod 21extending through clamping lugs 16 and which may
be secured
using a hex nut. Optionally, a number of set screw openings 18 may be provided
to receive a
threaded screw member and which may provide added Dip against the associated
pedestal or
support post.
Fig. 6 illustrates another possible embodiment, where a pair of octagonal
support stub
members 11 radiate out from the main body tube 15. The support stub nranbers
of this profile
1 5 can receive and support attachment arms of square, octagonal or round
profile, and here are
shown with an associated attachment arm 40 of round, tubular shape. The
attachment arms 40 are
provided with pin openings 43 to permit a removable pin to penetrate through
an associated pin
opening 17 in the support stub member 11.
Figs. 6A and 6B show embodiments of the marine hub 10 similar to that of Fig.
5, but in
which the support stub members 11 arc round, tubular members. This
construction permits a
larger diameter tubular attachment arm 40 to fit over the support stub member
(Fig. 6A) or a
smaller diameter attachment arm 40 so slide within the support stub member
(Fig. 613). In either
case, the mating pin openings 17 and 43 on the support stub member and
attachment arm are
aligned and the attachment arm is secured by placing a quick-release pin (not
shown here)
through the aligned openings.
Figs. 7A and 7B illustrate an alternative marine hub 10 wherein the main body
tube 15 is
clamped by means ofa cam mechanism 50 instead of the hand screw clamp
.rirchanistn
described previously, In this embodiment, the clamp mechanism 50 has a cam
lever 51 that
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pivots on one end of a clamp pin 52 that penetrates the clamp lugs 16. The cam
lever 51 is
closed to the position shown to secure the marine hub 10 to the associated
support post, and is
opened (i.e., swung in the counter-clockwise direction in Fig. 7A) to open and
release the marine
hub.
The marine hub may be provided with a multitude of support stubs 11, as shown
in Fig. 8,
in this example, with seven support stub members 11 radiating out away from
the main body tube
15. Each of these may be used to support an individual attachment arm,
although the user may
choose to employ only some of these.
As shown in Figs. 9A, 9B. and 9C the marine hub may have the pin openings 17
in the
suppoprt stub members II oriented horizontally (Fig. 9A), or vertically (Fig.
913), although in
some embodiments there may be pin openings 17 oriented in both directions
(Fig. 9C). This
permits the user to orient the attachment arms in either orientation.
The attachment arms 40 may kavorably be embodied as extruded members having
an
elongated opening along one edge, as illustrated in Fig. 10A and interior ribs
or flanges as
illustrated for example in Fig. 10B, that create a keyway of a predetermined
profile, so as to
accept certain keyway-mounted accessories. This is useful .for accepting
accessories designed to
fit into a gunwale keyway of the type incorporated into some watercraft.
Fig. 11 illustrates an embodiment of the marine hub 10 with a split
construction, with a
top plate 10a overlying a bottom member 10b so that the two are co-extensive
and together kmn
the main body tube 15 and the support stub members 11. These can be secured
together using
threaded fasteners 13 that fit into associated female threaded openings in the
marine hub. An
alternative version of this construction of marine hub is shown in Fig. 12,
where the marine hub
is split into right and la sections, 10c and l Od, which are fastened to one
another using threaded
members 13. As shown here these may be keyed along the parting line so that
they can be
attached to each other only in one manner.
Fig. 13 illustrates another variation of the marine hub 10 in which the main
body tube 15
is formed of mating halves 19a, 191) with end flanges that receive threaded
fasteners 13, 13. Here
the body tube half 19a is fused to a square tube whose ends form a pair of
stubs 11, 1 I, to which
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an attachment arm 40 may be attached. The two halves 19a, and 19b are intended
to be bolted to
one another around the pedestal or other support post with a pair of threaded
connectors (e.g.,
bolts), and with an adapter ring (not shown) employed as needed to match the
inner diameter
formed by the two ring halves 19a, 19b.
A hinged or swing-together version of a marine hub 10 is shown in Figs. 14A
and 14B, in
which the mail tube body 15 is formed in two halves 51a and 15b, which are
hinged or pivoted
at a pivot pin or bolt 27, and with the clamp lugs 16 at the opposite side, as
shown. With this
design, the marine hub can be installed around a seat post or pedestal without
need to remove the
seat or other items already present on the pedestal or post. The main body
tube 15 can be
clamped tight to the pedestal by turning the hand screw 20 that penetrates the
two clamp lugs.
Fig. 15 shows an alternative arrangement of the marine hub of Figs 14A and 14B
in
which the main tube body 15 is in the form of two tube halves, with upper and
lower hinge
members 15c and 15d positioned alongside one vertical gap, and with the clamp
lugs positioned
alongside an opposite vertical gap.
Fig. 16 is a top plan view, partly cut away, showing an adapter ring 30 in
place within the
interior of the main tube body 15, and held in place by ring filstener screws
33.
Fig. 17 is a perspective view showing a possible positioning of an adapter
ring 30 in place
in the main tube body 15 of a swing-open or hinged embodiment of the marine
hub 10.
While the marine hUbs described above are intended for convenient positioning
and
holding of fishing rods and other marine equipment on a boat pedestal or post,
these devices may
be employed favorably ashore or at the water's edge. Fig. 18 shows an example
of a marine hub
10 mounted on a dock post 114 that is used to support the decking of a dock or
pier. These posts
114 may be a different diameter from that of a boat pedestal, but an adapter
ring of the
appropriate size is supplied to permit secure mounting on the post 114. Here
the marine hub is
shown with a pair of attachment aims 40, and with a drink holder 62 mounted on
one of the anus
to hold a drink container, and a device support 64 mounted on the other aim
for securely holding
a device such as a camera, mobile phone or lamp.
As shown in Fig. 19, a lanyard 19 is favorably attached onto the retaining pin
12 to help
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õ
prevent its loss. The other end of the lanyard 19 can be fastened to a clamp
66, either magnetic or
mechanical, so as to secure to a component of the boat or of the marine hub.
Alternatively, as
shown in Fig. 20, the other end of the lanyard may be attached to a float 68
to assist in its
retrieval in case the pin -12 falls overboard.
Fig. 21 is another embodiment of this invention, here adapted for mounting on
a square
cross-section vertical post. Elements shown here that are the same as in
earlier embodiments
identified with the same reference numbers, and a detailed description thereof
need not be
repeated. Here the main body tube 15 is configured as a square tube, with
plugs or stubs 11
protruding from three of the four sides, and a block member and hand screw
member 20 being
positioned on the fourth side.
Many other accessories can be supported on the attachment arms of the marine
hub, such
as a solar panel, marine radio, fishing tackle container, or tool box.
Moreover, an extender
accessory may be used to join a second attachment arm to another attachment
arm end-to-end for
applications where a longer arm is needed.
The embodiments and variations ofthe marine hub, as discussed here and as
shown in
the drawing figures, are not by any means exclusive, and many other possible
marine hubs can
operate according to the same principles. Rather, many modifications and
variations of the
marine hub would occur to persons of skill in the art, without departing from
the scope and spirit
of the invention, as defined in the claims.
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