US2992551A - Outboard motor lock - Google Patents

Description

July 18, 1961 c. P. CLEVELAND ouTBoARn MOTOR Loox Filed April 28, 1959 zNI/ENTOR. @0.65M-

United States Patent O 2,992,551 roUTBoARD Moron Lock y Charles'P'; Cleveland; `304-E; l'st, Lees Summit, Mo. FiledaApr. 28, 1959, Ser. No.809',`556 2 Claims. (Cl. 70-S8)` Thisinventionrelates-to locking devices and more-particularly to` a bracket assemblyJ which may be' used for locking outboard motors in place on the transom of a boat.

Although the invention is principally useful in connection with lirmly securing and locking an outboard motor on a boat it is to be clearly understood that the principles of the invention are applicable in securing and locking a large number of different objects in place.

An object of the invention is to provide a very eiective locking assembly which requires a minimum of space to install and to operate. This is very important in some applications because due to the construction of the boat, for example, there is a bare minimum of room within which to work.

Briey, the assembly is made of only three parts, one of which is permanently secured to the transom of the boat, for example by screws or bolts. The bracket assembly has two locking parts which slide endwise into and out of engagement with the outboard motor clamps and need not ever be separated from the mounting plate. A few inches of movement is all that is required of the locking plates on the mounting plate in order to achieve the desired locking and unlocking of the outboard motor clamps.

When the locking plates are engaged with the outboard motor clamps, a padlock is used to attach the locking plates in a xed position with respect to the permanently secured mounting plate.

These together -with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts through, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a part of a boat and showing principally the boat transom on which an outboard motor is mounted and held in place by the locking assembly constructed in accordance with the rinvention.

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view of one of the locking plates.

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view of another ofthe locking plates.

FIGURE 5 is a perspective view of the mounting plate which is to be secured to the transom of the boat.

In the accompanying drawings there is a fragmentary part of a boat including the transom 12. A conventional outboard motor 14 is mounted on the transom by means of mounting brackets 16 and 118i, and these are conventional and unaltered by the existence `and use of the locking assembly 20.

Locking assembly 20 is actually a bracket assembly made of three parts. There is a mounting plate 22 (FIG- URE 5 constructed of a metal channel having a at base part 24, short edge supported walls 26 and 28 and a pair of lateral flanges 30 and 32 at the outer edges of the Very short walls 26 and 28. A number of countersunk holes 34 are in wall 24 to receive screws or bolts that fasten the mounting plate 22 to the transom of the boat. The purpose of the short walls 26 and 28 is to space the flanges 30 and 32 from the inside surface of transom 12.

A pair of locking plates 40 and 42 complete the complement of parts for the locking assembly. Locking plate Patented Juljy 18, 1961.

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40risumad`e= of a1slidingclarr`1pl44` together with'an angular extension-` bar 46 which is welded or otherwise secured touthe'plateASidf clamp 44. The outer edges of plate48 have curvedA walls 50T and` 52 cooperating` therewithgto. form longitudinally extendingchannels infwhicli-ange's j 30 and 32 are engaged. Slot 54 opens through oneedge 56s of plate.. 48 andri's, parallel toextensionl bar 462 The extensioni `barl has: a" plunality; of apertures 58 to.m provide a selection thereof.

Locking plate 42 has a clamp 60 identical to clamp 44 and including a slot 62 together with longitudinal edge channels 64 which are nested with flanges 30 and 32. An extension bar 66 is welded or otherwise secured to the clamp 60, and it has a longitudinal partially cylindrical channel 68 at one edge thereof within which the outer surface of channel 52 is received. A plurality of apertures 70 are in extension arm 66 and they are adapted to register with apertures 58.

A short angulated bracket 72 is secured to mounting plate 22 and has an aperture 74 therein which is adapted to be aligned with two of the apertures in extension bars 46 and 66 respectively so that padlock 76, combination lock or the like may be passed therethrough.

In use, mounting plate 22 is attached to the inside surface of transom. The boat is now ready to receive outboard motor 14 which is held in place by its conventional clamps 16 and 18. When these are tightened down, locking plates 40 and 42 are slipped over the open ends of mounting plate 22 with the slots 54 and 62 receiving the screws 17 and 19 of the outboard motor clamps 16 and 18. Extension bars 46 and 66 are parallel and adjacent. The locking plates are moved toward each other a suicient distance to retain the screws 17 and 19 within slots 54 and 62 and then the padlock 76 is engaged with a single group of apertures consisting of one of the apertures 70, one of the apertures 58 and aperture 74.

To release the outboard motor, the lock 76 is removed and the locking plates are simply slid endwise of mounting plate 22 a distance sufcient to enable the screws 17 and 19 to be loosened and removed. When the screws are held captive in slots 54 and 62, a portion of each clamp 44 and 60, namely the plates thereof, overlie the pads or feet 21 at the inner extremities (FIGURE 2) of the screws making it impossible (without destruction) to loosen the screws. It is further impossible to slide the outboard motor to the left or to the right or to remove it in any other way, in the absence of removing the lock 76 and adjusting the assembly as described previously.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modiiications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

l. An outboard motor locking assembly for an outboard motor having a pair of brackets provided with screws and diametrically enlarged feet at the inner ends of the screws adapted to engage the transom of a boat, said assembly comprising an elongated mounting plate having laterally oiset longitudinally extending opposite side anges, means for fastening said mounting plate to the inside surface of a boat transom with the anges spaced slightly inwardly therefrom and disposed in a plane generally parallelling the plane in which the boat transom is disposed, a pair of clamp plates each including a pair of opposite side longitudinally extending channels each opening toward the other, said clamp plates being longitudinally aligned and slidably disposed on said mounting plate with said flanges slidably received Within said channels, a longitudinally extending slot formed in each plate opening through the end thereof adjacent the other plate adapted to slidingly receive one of said screws adjacent its foot whereby said feet may be held captive between said clamp plates and said mounting plate when said clamp plates are slid toward each other, and means connected with said clamp plates and said mounting plate for removably locking said clamp plates in adjusted positions with reference to each other and said mounting plate. t

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein said last mentioned means includes extension bars secured to said 5 therethrough the shank of a padlock.

References Cited in the tile of patent UNITED STATES PATENTS lo 2,479,300 Binz Aug. 16, 1949 v2,639,605 Knutson May 26,'1953 2,858,690 Sanderson et a1. Nov. 4, 1958

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