Fishing tackle boxes are known in the art. Probably the most famous manufacturer of these boxes is the PLANO MOULDING COMPANY of Plano Illinois (www.planomolding.com). PLANO has made various plastic fishing tackle and other types of utility boxes for a number of years and is known throughout the industry for quality and innovative fishing gear.
However, none of these fishing boxes provides a means of carrying the tackle box and a fishing pole or poles with one hand, or a means of attaching fishing poles to a tackle box such that the entire assembly forms one package for handling and storage. Most users end up putting their hand around the rod and the box handle, which can be uncomfortable, and also result in dropping one or both items. When setting down or picking up such a combination, care must be used to prevent dropping the rod and usually two hands are required. With the ever-increasing cost of high technology fishing poles (e.g., carbon fiber and the like) a better and more secure method of carrying fishing gear is needed.
Fishermen, being very resourceful have come up with a number of fishing accessories designed to make the fishing experience more enjoyable. Various fishing pole holders have been designed over the years. An example of one such rod holder is disclosed, for example, in Elmore, U.S. Pat. No. 6,584,723, issued Jul. 1, 2003, incorporated herein by reference. The Elmore apparatus will hold a fishing pole on a railing or boat, for example, while fishing.
Various other rod holders attached to fishing boxes are also shown in the Prior Art. However, it appears that most if not all of these Prior Art holders are designed to use a tackle box or the like as a base for holding a fishing pole while fishing. An example of two such Patents are Tipton, U.S. Pat. No. D460,859, issued Jul. 30, 2002, and Hrdlicka, U.S. Pat. No. 4,014,128, issued Mar. 29, 1977, both of which are incorporated herein by reference.
Various fishing carts, stands, and storage devices, which hold rods, are also shown in the Prior Art. An example of such a device is Arrendondo et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,487,814, issued Dec. 3, 2002 and incorporated herein by reference. The Arrendondo device is quite bulky and even though provided with a carrying handle, would not be easy to carry with one hand, particularly when fully loaded.
Lindsey, U.S. Pat. No. 3,889,860, issued Jun. 17, 1975 and incorporated herein by reference, discloses a fishing gear carrier made of a metal bar (actually an extendable gaffing pole, it appears) with accessory wire racks. A fisherman then attaches various gear such as a tackle box, fishing poles, bait bucket and the like to this apparatus. While this may help carry multiple items, it requires that the fisherman acquire yet another piece of fishing related apparatus. Moreover, the fisherman must carefully attach the apparatus to the various gear being carried, and it does not appear than all items will remain attached if the combination is set down on the ground. In addition, it appears that the fishing poles would touch the ground if the apparatus were set down.
Junkas et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,353,182, issued Oct. 12, 1982 and incorporated herein by reference, discloses a fishing box, which is provided with a pole holder on the handle. This apparatus appears to allow for one-handed operation. However, as the poles are attached to the handle, if the device is set down, the weight of the poles will move the handle to one side, possibly damaging the poles. If the user wants to open the box, the poles must be removed from the handle and the handle swung out of the way. In addition, this apparatus appears to be limited to a large fishing box which doubles as a seat, and thus is fairly bulky, large, and could be difficult to carry.
Letson, U.S. Pat. No. 5,347,746, issued Sep. 20, 1994, and incorporated herein by reference, discloses a fishing tackle box with accessory holders, including fishing pole holders attached to the top surface of the box. The rod holders appear to grip the rod in the middle (no drawing of the apparatus in use is provided) and thus allow the handle end with reel to hang over. The rod clips do not appear to be very robust.
Pizzolo et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,636,469, issued Jun. 10, 1997 and incorporated herein by reference, discloses a fishing tackle box in which hook-and-loop fasteners are used to hold a fishing pole to the side of the box. While this appears to be a bit more secure than the apparatus of Letson, it does require some effort to secure and release the rods. Moreover, the hook and loop fastener system will wear out over time with repeated use.
Cooper, U.S. Pat. No. 2,153,549, issued Apr. 11, 1939, and incorporated herein by reference, discloses a combination bait and tackle box. Cooper discloses tying a rod holder case to the side of his box. This apparatus is also time consuming to secure and release the rods.
What remains a requirement in the art is an apparatus which will allow a user to carry a standard sized tackle box and one or more fishing poles in one hand, while allowing the rods to be readily inserted and removed from the combination, while providing support for the rods when the tackle box is set down. It also remains a requirement in the art to provide a tackle box, which may store fishing poles such that a single package of tackle box and fishing poles is created.
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