Patent Application
20050039372
This invention is concerned with cast nets. Cast nets are portable circular nets which are hand thrown. Cast nets are an ancient invention and have been used for thousands of years. The first cast nets were hand woven circular nets the outer edges of which were weighted with stones. A cast net generally comprises a circular net portion the outer periphery of which is weighted. The outer periphery is usually defined by a line on which the weights are strung. This outer line is called a lead line, as on all modern nets the weights are formed from lead and these lead weights are strung on a line which is attached to the circumference of the circular net.
On modern nets the center of the nets comprise a thimble through which are passed a plurality of brail lines. One end of each brail line is attached to the lead line the other end passes through the thimble and is attached to a throw line. The other end of the throw line is attached to the throwers hand. This attachment to the throwers hand is the subject of this invention. The attachment means of this invention adds both safety and comfort to the process of throwing a cast net.
Cast nets are circular nets which are thrown onto the surface of a body of water. The circumference of the circular net is weighted in order to make the outer periphery of the net sink to the bottom of the body of water. In this sinking process the center of the net balloons up in such a manner that any fish which are under the net are trapped. After throwing, and once the net reaches the bottom of the estuary the thrower pulls in the throw line thereby making it possible to capture any fish that might have been trapped under the net. On modern cast nets a plurality of brail lines cause the periphery of the net to fold in on itself, thereby preventing any entrapped fish from escaping.
In throwing the cast net if a large fish is entrapped serious problems can occur for the thrower. Typically the throw line of a cast net is attached to the wrist of the thrower and secured to the wrist of the thrower with a binding loop. If a large fish is entrapped this fish naturally tries to escape. In trying to escape the fish puts pressure on the throw line causing it to bind on the users hand. In this situation it is impossible for the throwers to disengage the throw line and hence the cast net. That is the harder the thrower and the entrapped large fish pull the tighter the throw line binds on the throwers wrist. This situation usually occurs when the thrown cast net entraps a large shark.
This invention is concerned with a cast net which incorporates a flexible cuff which can easily slip over and off of a throwers hand in the event there is a need to rapidly disengage the thrower from the thrown cast net. The flexible cuff of this invention adds both comfort and safety to the process of throwing a cast net.
Description of the Preferred Embodiment
Referring to
As a result of leg, waist, shoulder and hand action, on the part of the thrower, a cast net 2 can be made to open in a circular pattern as is shown in
In order to better understand the subject invention, the parts and function of a cast net must be understood. Referring to
A throw line 18 is further provided for. One terminal end of throw line 18 incorporates a loop 20, which in the prior art is secured to a throwers wrist in a manner as is illustrated in
The other terminal end of throw line 18 is attached via a swivel 22 to a plurality of brail lines 26, the other end of brail lines 26 being attached to lead line 14. As is mentioned above one terminal end of throw line 18 is attached to the throwers wrist via a binding loop 20. If the hand of the thrower is only inserted into loop 20, there is a possibility that the hand line will slip off of the throwers wrist during the complicated throwing sequence. This is an undesirable situation as if the throw line comes off of the throwers wrist the whole net assembly is lost. That is if the throw line slips off of the throwers wrist the composite cast net assembly will slip to the bottom of the estuary with no way to conveniently retrieve the same.
In order to prevent the throw line from slipping off of the users wrist it is recommended that the throw line be attached to the throwers wrist via a binding loop as is illustrated in
The problem with the binding loop as is shown in
If a knife is not handy to cut throw line 14, dire consequences can result, such as the thrower being puller overboard.
The dangerous situation as described above creates a safety issue which is overcome in accordance with this invention. As can be seen in
For use in accordance with this invention webbing is preferred as it has less of a tendency to kink as is compared to the rope of throw line 14. A piece of webbing having a width of ¾ inches and a length of 26 ft. is preferred for use in this invention.
Eye 32 of cuff 30 is of such a size that it just slightly binds the wrist of the thrower. As can be seen from
The operations of flexible cuff 30 is illustrated in
As can be seen from the phantom illustration of
As can be seen from
It is preferred that elastic material 36 of cuff 30 be a closed cell, elastic material.
It is evident to one skilled in the art that flexible cuff 30 must be formed from a material which is rigid enough to grip the wrist of the user and yet not so rigid that the user is uncomfortable when the cuff is engaging the users wrist. That is cuff 30 can not be so ductile that it can not grip the users wrist and yet it can not be so rigid that it is uncomfortable when in place on the users wrist.
A satisfactory material from which to form cuff 30 is a Neoprene backed fabric having a thickness of about 0.187 inches.
The most important physical property of the material from which cuff 30 is found is the ability of this material to stretch. As is shown in
While it is preferred that the material from which cuff 30 is formed have a stretch factor of about 50% it has been found that satisfactory cuff, for use in this invention, can have stretch factors of from about 25 to about 100%.
Further while cuff 30 is illustrated as a flat band it is understood that cuff 30 can be formed from elastic material having a circular cross section such as a bungee cord.
The close cell elastomeric material from which cuff 30, can be formed from any suitable elastic material such as natural rubber, synthetic rubber, silicone elastomers etc.
The above description and drawings are illustrative only since modifications can be made without departing from the present invention, the scope of which is to be limited only by the following claims.
