Fishing – trapping – and vermin destroying – Fishing – Artificial bait
Reexamination Certificate
2002-07-23
2004-01-13
Ark, Darren W. (Department: 3643)
Fishing, trapping, and vermin destroying
Fishing
Artificial bait
C043S042140, C043S042150
Reexamination Certificate
active
06675524
ABSTRACT:
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
Not applicable
REFERENCE TO A “MICROFICHE APPENDIX”
Not applicable
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to fishing lures and more particularly to an improved spinner bait fishing lure that provides a wire leader, hook, and double trailer-spinner arrangement of improved configuration.
2. General Background of the Invention
Fishermen employ a number of different types of lures. One of the most common types of lures is known as a spinner bait. Spinner baits typically include a hook or jig portion mounted to a stiff wire leader and opposite a metallic spinner. The spinner is typically provided with a silver or gold mirror finish and spins during use.
A number of patents have issued for fishing lures that employ spinner blades. Early patents include the Harlow patent entitled “Trolling Spoon”, U.S. Pat. No. 520,594, and the Stanley U.S. Pat. No. 2,886,913.
The Gellings U.S. Pat. No. 2,674,823 shows a “spinner fish lure” that includes a spinner blade mounted upon a clevis and having a locking clasp that enables a hook to be removably attached thereto.
The Daniel U.S. Pat. No. 5,226,253 discloses a spinner bait lure having a wire shaft, upon which a spinning element and fish hooks are mounted, having the wire shaft part thereof coated with a low surface friction and low water wetting material such as those included in the group containing polytetrafluoroethylene and hexafluoropropylenes. The coating provides improved spinner action and provides more animated movement of the lure in the water.
The Feltman U.S. Pat. No. 3,750,325 discloses a fishing lure comprising a serial connection, a relatively stiffaxial lead shaft having a keel-weighted principal body member and an upper fin, a spinner blade and a trailing hook, all connected together as to preclude any substantial relative rotation as between the lead shaft body and trailing hook. The lure includes in a preferred embodiment a spinner carried by a wire strut extending vertically up from said principal stiff shaft, said strut carrying a freely spinnable blade, all constructed and arranged with the upper spinner spoon situated generally vertically above the principal body member.
The Buffett U.S. Pat. No. 3,541,720 discloses fishing spoons that include a spinner blade mounted upon a clevis to a linear wire member.
The East U.S. Pat. No. 4,551,940 discloses a spinner bait that includes a pair of fish hooks secured together in a generally V-shaped configuration and at an angle of approximately 45 degrees. Each of the fish hooks is of conventional design and comprises a barbed hook and a wire lead integrally connected thereto and terminating in a connecting eye. A lead sinker is positioned on the wire lead of the first fish hook proximate the barbed hook. A spinner blade is rotatably secured to the barbed hook of the second fish hook. In an alternative embodiment, a flexible skirt of plastic or rubber streamers is additionally provided on the wire lead of the first fish hook proximate the barbed hook and is configured so as to partially conceal the hook. Once coupled together, the fish hooks are constrained to move in concert and are not free swinging and are arranged so that the arcuate portions of their respective barbed hooks face each other. In another alternative embodiment, the two fish hooks are integrally formed from a single piece of wire.
The Hall U.S. Pat. No. 4,638,586 discloses an improvement in lure elements of fishing lures including spinner baits and jig baits.
Two of the most successful spinning lure designs include two commercially available designs, the over-arm spinner, hereafter referred to as a conventional spinner bait, and the in-line spinner.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The lure of the present invention provides an improved spinner bait having one or more spinner blades wherein each spinner blade is mounted on an individual, universal application trailer or “blade attachment” consisting of a spinner blade mounted upon a clevis, which in turn is threaded on a dedicated wire shaft and ahead of a bead that is used as a bearing surface.
The shaft terminates behind the bead with a wrapped loop provided in the wire leader that serves as a stop for the mounted components.
Between the bead and end loop, a dedicated spacer of a carefully calculated length, (based on the physical size and performance characteristics of the spinner blade being used), is inserted to prevent the spinner blade from interfering with the free rotation and performance of any blade being used behind the subject blade. The end loop serves as the connecting point for attaching subsequent trailer/blade attachments in series. A specially configured locking clip is formed in the wire of each blade attachment and located at the front of the blade/clevis/bead/spacer/loop assembly. This locking clip is used to attach the trailer or “blade attachment” to the lure body or another already attached blade attachment.
The spinner bait of the present invention (in contrast to existing conventional spinner baits) does not use spinner blades mounted directly on the upper arm or on any other part of the lure body. Because of the inherent and necessary basic design configuration of the spinner bait lure bodies and the introduction of physical forces affecting the lure while being retrieved (such as gravity, water pressure, retrieve force, and speed, etc.), the lure body does not provide any axis for rotation. The lure is always perfectly perpendicular to the direction of the retrieve.
The blade attachments featured and utilized exclusively by the present invention, spinner baits are held perfectly perpendicular to the direction of travel by water pressure, and provide much more efficient startup rotation than conventional spinner baits and provide continued rotation at much lower retrieve speeds than do conventional spinner baits.
The present invention spinner bait, in contrast to existing conventional spinner baits, does not use swivels to attach spinner blades behind the upper arm of the lure body.
For a swivel to be utilized on a conventional spinner bait, it must by the necessity of the design of the lure, be kept as small in size as possible. This minimally affects the overall size of the lure assembly. Because of the complexity of the composition of a swivel (they should contain extremely small ball bearings to function best) they are inherently delicate, which proves to be a major problem in conventional spinner bait lures because of the stresses and abuses received by the swivel while being used.
The most common mechanical problem with currently available conventional spinner bait is swivel failure, wherein the swivel binds and will not permit the blade to rotate at all. Swivels are user-replaceable, but swivels of adequate quality for conventional spinner bait use are expensive. The physical act of changing the swivel is complicated and time consuming. The tools and mechanical ability to successfully perform the replacement are not always available to average consumers.
A spinner blade flopping in a rotary direction on the end of a swivel mounted to the upper arm of the lure body produces a specific sonic signature that many species of fish find very attractive.
A spinner blade mounted on a clevis on an in-line spinner which is attached directly to, and in line with (and vectored in the same direction as) the line produces a different sonic signature that appeals to many of the same species of fish as a swivel-mounted blade, and also to some others that are not attracted to the sound produced by a swivel-mounted blade.
The present invention spinner bait adds a third distinct sonic signature to the equation. It features a clevis-mounted spinner blade rotating on a wire shaft like an in-line spinner. This clevis mounted spinner is freely-mounted to either the upper part of the lure body, or to another blade attachment, behind which it will float while in motion much like a swivel. The resulting sound combines most of the sound characteristics
McNally Alicia
Rickard Robert R.
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