Fishing – trapping – and vermin destroying – Fishing – Line-attached bodies – hooks and rigs
Reexamination Certificate
1996-12-30
2001-05-29
Rowan, Kurt (Department: 3643)
Fishing, trapping, and vermin destroying
Fishing
Line-attached bodies, hooks and rigs
C043S043100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06237276
ABSTRACT:
The present invention relates to water-borne lures, and more particularly to fishing lures which present a realistic attractant to fish while simultaneously minimizing the chances of entanglement in water-borne plants or debris.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Fishing lures have various features directed toward minimizing or eliminating snags in water-borne weeds or debris. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,107,615 to Shaffer discloses a lure having a hook disposed to lie within a shield so that the point of the hook protrudes through an aperture in the shield to assume a fish catching position only when pressure is applied by the mouth of a fish.
Another common problem relating to water-borne lures is that of presenting an attractant which is borne realistically enough to lure fish efficiently. Numerous approaches have been employed in the art in order to provide a realistic attractant. For instance, some lures are configured to replicate small injured fish, swimming frogs, flies, spiders, insect larvae, and numerous other fish prey. However, until the present invention, no lure has provided the advantages of a weedless water-borne lure with those of an attractant which replicates realistically the behavior of fish prey. Thus, there is a need for a lure which provides a realistic attractant combined with a weedless configuration which is still capable of easy manufacture at relatively low cost.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of these and other needs in the art, and in view of the disadvantages inherent in numerous known types of water-borne lures, the present invention provides a lure having a realistic attractant and hook both of which levitate above the surface in which the lure is borne to thereby minimize or eliminate disadvantageous snags. The interaction between the float and attractant elements of the invention is transmitted through the connector element. Thus, the connector element transmits the motion or vibration of the float element to the attractant so that parts of the attractant wiggle or otherwise move and thereby appear to hover or dangle over the water surface. Another advantageous aspect of the present invention is found in the fact that the hook element of the attractant is also held above the water surface to thereby avoid snags. The present invention therefore combines the advantages of a realistic attractant, such as a dragonfly replica, for example, which is held realistically above a water surface by the connector and float elements of the invention to thereby appear to hover.
As one of skill in the art will understand, the present invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description and drawings. The invention is capable of various other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. One of skill in the art will also understand that the terminology and phraseology employed herein to describe the present invention are illustrative and not limiting.
In this regard, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the concept upon which the present invention is based may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods, and configurations for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. Accordingly, it is important that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent instructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new water-borne lure which includes the advantageous aspects of other lures in the art as well as many novel features heretofore unknown in the art.
It is also an object of the invention to provide a lure which, when floating in water, levitates its attractant element so that a hooking means attached to the attractant is held above the surface of the water to thereby eliminate or minimize snags.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a floating lure having an attractant means whose position with respect to the float, and therefore with respect to the surface of the water, is adjustable.
In accordance with this and other objects of the invention, a snag-resistant fishing lure is provided comprising a float, an attractant comprising a hook, and a connector for connecting the float to the attractant so that the hook is held above the surface of an aqueous fluid, for example a stream, in which the lure is placed.
In accordance with other objects of the invention, the lure may be configured so that wherein both the attractant and the hook are held above the surface of the aqueous fluid, and wherein the connector comprises a resilient material so that the attractant moves in relation to the float when force is applied to either the float or the attractant.
In accordance with further objects of the invention, the connector comprises one or more materials selected from the group consisting of metals, plastics, fibers, composite materials, bamboo and wood, and wherein one or more of the float, the attractant or the connector comprises means for attaching a fishing line to the lure.
In accordance with still other objects of the invention, the float is configured to have flat or rounded surfaces so that the lure does not snag on plants or detritus in the aqueous fluid. A lure according to the invention is thus adaptable to any type of saltwater environment including calm shallows or open seas, or fresh water environments such as rapid streams or brackish waters such as those found in lagoons and swamps.
In accordance with still other objects of the invention, the attractant replicates one or more from the group consisting of insects, arachnids, amphibians, reptiles, insect larvae, echinoderms, birds, small fish and small animals. Examples of attractants include living or replicas of dragonflies, frogs, mice, hellgrammites, caddis flies, deer flies, damsel flies, waterbugs, spiders, meal worms, earthworms, and crickets. In some embodiments of the invention, at least a portion of the attractant comprises at least one segment which wiggles in relation to other segments of the attractant when force is applied to the lure.
In accordance with additional objects of the invention, the float replicates one or more from the group consisting of leaves or other plant parts, whole plants, driftwood or other debris, and the specific gravity of the lure with respect to pure water is between 0.30 and 0.95.
Additional aspects in accordance with the invention include wherein the connector is frangible to the extent that it breaks under the force applied by a striking fish so the attractant is free of the float and the connector, and wherein the specific gravity of the lure is adjustable to thereby control the depth of the float in the aqueous fluid and the height of the hook above the aqueous fluid, and wherein the connector is deformable to the extent that the position of the attractant in relation to the float and the aqueous fluid is adjustable.
In accordance with still other objects of the invention, a snag-resistant fishing lure platform is provided comprising a float, a connector suitable for suspending a hook or an attractant above the surface of a body of water in which the platform is placed, and means for attaching the lure to a fishing line.
The various components of the lure according to the invention can be made from materials conventional in the field. For example, the attractant means can be formed of moldable material such as plastics, fabric, metals, wood or other plant products, and fibers, all known in the trade or that may be adaptable to the purpose and spirit of the attractant element of the present invention. Alternatively, the attractant can be any conventional fly, insect, or other fish prey replica known in the art.
In one embodiment of the present invention, a float, connector and means for attaching an attractant to the connector, such as a conventional fly or live bait, are provided. Thus, a user of the invention can tailor it to the specific type of fish
Rowan Kurt
Shaffer Gary L.
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