Patent Application
20200120914
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
This invention pertains generally to bait fishing containers. More particularly, the invention pertains to a bait container capable of cooling water and bait within the container. The bait container in accordance with the invention is further capable of separating the bait from the water to allow access to the bait in a more efficient and enjoyable manner for the angler. The bait container of the invention is also easily disassembled to allow complete cleaning of the container and its component parts.
Generally, anglers have used various containers, including buckets and pails, for transporting and storing live fishing bait. Often times it is desirable to store the bait in a container for multiple days. During hot or cold outdoor temperature extremes, the temperature of the water within a pail or bucket tends to equalize with the ambient temperature, which may affect the freshness of the bait within the container. Over the years, various containers have been modified in an attempt to keep the bait fresh for longer periods of time. By way of example, a common minnow bucket may include multiple holes in the sides of the bucket to allow submersion of the container within a lake to allow the exchange of lake water into the bucket. When submersing the container in the lake, the lake water is preferably cooler than the temperature of the water within the bucket. The lake water, however, may not be at an ideal or preferred temperature to keep the bait fresh.
In the past, a minnow net has been used to scoop bait out of a bucket. In order to scoop minnows from a bucket it may be necessary to swirl the net within the bucket, however a swirling motion of the net within the bucket tends to agitate the bait making it even more difficult to scoop the bait. A need exists for an efficient system for extracting bait from a bucket. It is desirable to provide a bait container with the ability to either increase or decrease the temperature of the water within the bait container relative to the ambient temperature of the bucket. Further, it is desirable to provide an efficient system for extracting bait from the bait container. Also, at times, it may be preferred to control the temperature of the water within the bait container while at the same time providing an efficient system to remove bait from the container.
Embodiments according to aspects of the invention provide a bait container that is rigid, durable and capable of cooling or warming the water within the bait container. According to other aspects, the bait container of the invention includes a system to remove bait from the water within the container without entirely removing the bait from the container. The invention may include a primary and secondary lid to contain the bait within the container while providing an access opening to the bait within the container.
These and other embodiments according to aspects of the invention include an apparatus for containing fishing bait, wherein the apparatus includes an insulated receptacle, a bait strainer, a thermal transfer chamber, and a lid. The insulated receptacle has interior and exterior sides, an open top and an enclosed bottom. A space between the interior and exterior sides may be filled with an insulator to increase the insulating properties of the receptacle. By way of example and without limitation intended the space may be filled with a polyurethane. In accordance with aspects of the invention the receptacle may comprise a removable inner liner and rigid outer shell. A space between the inner liner and outer shell may be filled with air to provide an insulating property to the receptacle. The insulated receptacle may further include retaining hooks that engage an underside of the lid to thereby engage the lid to the receptacle.
The bait strainer is contained within the insulated receptacle wherein the bait strainer has sides extending upward from a bottom sieve. The bait strainer is sized such that the sides are proximate with corresponding interior sides of the insulated receptacle. The thermal transfer chamber is attached to and extends from the bait strainer wherein a free end of the chamber forms a handle for the bait strainer. The thermal transfer chamber is submersed in fluid contained within the receptacle. The chamber may be filled with a hot or cold media to thereby transfer a heat or cooling to the fluid within the receptacle. The lid is coupled to the open top of the insulated receptacle and retains bait within the receptacle. The lid further helps maintain the temperature within the receptacle.
According to aspects of the invention the lid may include a hinged cover coupled to an opening formed in the lid. The cover provides access to bait contained within the receptacle without removing the entire lid. Also, the handle end of the bait strainer may be pulled up through the opening in the lid to elevate the bait above the fluid within the receptacle. In this manner an angler may remove bait from the container without having to chase and catch the bait swimming within the fluid. Additionally, the heat transfer chamber may be attached to the bait strainer proximate a center of the bottom sieve, thereby effectively centering the heat transfer chamber within the center of the receptacle. The heat transfer chamber may more particularly a central hollow column and a removable plug that forms a handle at a top, free end of the central column. Additionally, a handle may attach to the exterior sides of the insulated receptacle to provide an efficient mechanism to carry the bait container. Also, the lid may include a grip member that extends from the lid. The grip may facilitate removal of the lid from the receptacle. Similarly, the cover may include a lip extending outward from an outer edge of the cover to facilitate opening of the cover from the lid.
Another embodiment according to aspects of the invention includes a bait container having an insulated receptacle, a bait strainer, a cooling chamber, a lid, and a cover. The insulated receptacle has interior and exterior sides, an open top and an enclosed bottom. The bait strainer has sides extending upward from a bottom sieve, wherein the bait strainer is sized such that the sides are proximate with corresponding interior sides of the insulated receptacle. The cooling chamber extends from the bait strainer and includes a central column having a fixed end attached to the bait strainer and a removable handle attached to a free end of the central column. The removable handle forms a plug at a top of the cooling chamber to retain coolant within the cooling chamber. The lid is coupled to the open top of the insulated receptacle and a hinged cover couples to an opening formed in the lid. The receptacle may be further comprised of an inner liner and outer shell. Also, the insulated receptacle may include retaining hooks that engage an underside of the lid to lock in place the lid to the receptacle.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a portion of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the detailed description, serve to further explain the invention. The embodiments illustrated herein are presently preferred; however, it should be understood, that the invention is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown. For a fuller understanding of the nature and advantages of the invention, reference should be made to the detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
In the various figures, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, like numerals throughout the figures identify substantially similar components.
The following description provides detail of various embodiments of the invention, one or more examples of which are set forth below. Each of these embodiments are provided by way of explanation of the invention, and not intended to be a limitation of the invention. Further, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications and variations may be made in the present invention without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention. By way of example, those skilled in the art will recognize that features illustrated or described as part of one embodiment, may be used in another embodiment to yield a still further embodiment. Thus, it is intended that the present invention also cover such modifications and variations that come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.
The bait container apparatus 10 of the present invention is particularly well suited for controlling the temperature of a liquid media in which live bait is kept within the container. The present invention is further particularly well suited to separate the bait from the liquid media when an angler seeks to remove a single bait from the container. With reference to the Figures, various embodiments according to aspects of the invention will be described in greater detail. With reference to
The bait container 10 generally includes a container, bucket or receptacle 20, a lid 70, strainer 120, and thermal transfer chamber 140. The receptacle 20 generally includes a handle 22 that is attached to external sidewalls 26 of the container and may rotate between a stowed position (illustrated in the figures) and a carrying position. Bumpers 24 are fastened to the enclosed bottom 32 of the receptacle 20 to elevate the receptacle slightly off a ground surface. The lid 70 generally includes a handle 86 and cover 90. The cover 90 is attached to a base of the lid with a hinge 92. Cover 90 includes a tab 94 that may be used to lift the cover 90 off the base of the lid 90 to an open position. Handle 86 may be utilized to hold the lid 70 and receptacle 20 in place while the cover 90 is rotated open. As illustrated in
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These and various other aspects and features of the invention are described with the intent to be illustrative, and not restrictive. This invention has been described herein with detail in order to comply with the patent statutes and to provide those skilled in the art with information needed to apply the novel principles and to construct and use such specialized components as are required. It is to be understood, however, that the invention can be carried out by specifically different constructions, and that various modifications, both as to the construction and operating procedures, can be accomplished without departing from the scope of the invention. Further, in the appended claims, the transitional terms comprising and including are used in the open ended sense in that elements in addition to those enumerated may also be present. Other examples will be apparent to those of skill in the art upon reviewing this document.
