Outboard motors are usually supported on the upper edge of the transom board to which they are clamped by means of a fork-shaped bracket and a screw fixture. The bracket which may be fixedly connected with the motor comprises a web extending inwardly from the motor over the upper edge of the transom board and a free leg extending downwardly on the inboard side of the transom. By means of a clamping screw acting between the transom board and the bracket leg located on the inboard side of said transom, said bracket leg can be urged inwardly, i.e. in a direction away from the inboard transom side, whereby an upper supporting surface connected with the motor is urged against the outboard transom side for clamping the motor to the transom. In other words, the device functions substantially in the same manner as a screw jack.
To prevent theft of the motor, a locking device is required, and it is previously known to provide, in conjunction with the bracket, a lock which is locked condition is to prevent the unauthorized release of the bracket and thus the removal of the motor from the transom.
Prior art locking devices suffer from several disadvantages, the most serious being that the screw of the clamping device, after the motor has been clamped in position, is accessible to a hacksaw blade which is inserted in the space between the inboard transom side and the bracket leg located inwardly thereof. As a result, it is frequently quite easy to saw off the screw and thus to release the motor.
Another disadvantage of the known devices resides in that the clamping screw acts directly between the bracket and a punctiform surface on the inner transom side. In view hereof, this punctiform surface usually is reinforced by means of a fitting mounted on the inner transom side. Although the fitting protects the transom from being damaged by the screw end, it is itself subjected to point loads. Moreover, if the fitting can be released when the motor is held in position by the clamping device and the lock is locked, it is possible, at least in some instances, to lift the motor and the bracket upwards from the transom because the fitting is capable of sliding on the inner side of the transom.
Known locking devices usually are designed exclusively for making the head of the clamping screw--when the locking device is locked--inaccessible to a wrench or other tool by which the screw can be removed. In some instances, the screw has no head but instead a threaded outer end portion with a nut protected by the lock against tampering. If the lock can be rotated relative to the bracket, such that the screw or nut can be rotated by means of the lock, the lock naturally serves no purpose. It is therefore necessary somehow to prevent rotation of the lock relative to the bracket. This can be achieved, for instance, by welding the screw head to the bracket, but this is an impractical solution both from the viewpoint of mounting and dismounting because the locking device via the bracket is bound to the motor itself.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds