Patent Application
20160295846
Not applicable to this application.
Not applicable to this application.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a fish handling device and more specifically it relates to a fish handling and weighing system for efficiently handling and weighing fish.
2. Description of the Related Art
Any discussion of the related art throughout the specification should in no way be considered as an admission that such related art is widely known or forms part of common general knowledge in the field.
Conventional fish handling devices are comprised of nets, fish grabbers with opposing jaws, fish vice grips, fish grippers, lip grippers or hooks. While conventional fish handling devices are suitable for getting a fish out of water, they are not as suitable for handling and weighing the fish.
The invention generally relates to a fish handling device which includes a handle having a lower end and an upper end, length indicia attached to the side of the handle, an upper connector attached to the upper end of the handle for connecting to a scale device, and a hook attached to the lower end of the handle for engaging a fish.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, some of the features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and that will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto. In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction or to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of the description and should not be regarded as limiting.
Various other objects, features and attendant advantages of the present invention will become fully appreciated as the same becomes better understood when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate the same or similar parts throughout the several views, and wherein:
Turning now descriptively to the drawings, in which similar reference characters denote similar elements throughout the several views,
The handle 20 has a lower end 22 and an upper end 24. It should be understood that the terms “upper” and “lower” are the direction the ends of the handle 20 are facing when the handle 20 is vertically orientated as illustrated in
The handle 20 is comprised of an elongated straight structure. The length of the handle 20 is at least ten inches and is preferably approximately 11 inches in length, but greater or less lengths for the handle 20 may be used. The length from a distal portion of the hook 40 to the upper end 24 of the handle 20 is preferably approximately 16 inches though the length may be greater or less.
The handle 20 has a width that is significantly greater than the width of the hook 40 as illustrated in
A plurality of length indicia 30 are attached to a side of the handle 20 to allow a fisherman to measure the length of a fish 16 as illustrated in
The handle 20 is preferably comprised of a rigid and buoyant material that is sufficient in volume and buoyancy to maintain at least a portion of the present invention above the surface of water if accidentally dropped into the water by a fisherman. The handle 20 is preferably comprised of a wood material that provides sufficient buoyancy, but the handle 20 may be comprised of other types of buoyant materials or hollow structures within a rigid material that provide buoyancy (e.g. plastic material, a portion of the handle 20 comprised of a tubular plastic material).
The upper connector 50 is attached to the upper end 24 of the handle 20 opposite of the hook 40 as illustrated in
The hook 40 is attached to the lower end 22 of the handle 20 opposite of the upper connector 50 for removably engaging and supporting the fish 16 as illustrated in
The hook 40 is preferably comprised of a rigid portion 48 (e.g. metal material) surrounded by an outer coating 49 (e.g. powder coating, rubber coating, plastic coating). It is preferable that the outer coating 49 is comprised of a powder coating since a rubber coating may be damaged by the teeth of the fish 16.
The hook 40 is comprised a vertical portion extending outwardly away from the lower end 22 of the handle 20 and a curved portion extending away from the vertical portion. The curved portion extends outwardly and away from the side portion of the handle 20 to allow for easy insertion of the hook 40 into the gill plate of the fish 16 as illustrated in
The vertical portion of the hook 40 is comprised of a first segment 41 extending into the lower end 22 of the handle 20. The first segment 41 is preferably threaded to allow for threaded insertion into the lower end 22 of the handle 20 as illustrated in
The hook 40 includes a second segment 42 extending downwardly in a vertical manner from the lower end 22 of the handle 20 as shown in
The hook 40 further includes a third segment 43 extending downwardly from the second segment 42 at an angle that extends away from the longitudinal axis of the handle 20 as best illustrated in
The hook 40 also includes a fourth segment 44 extending downwardly from the third segment 43 in a vertical manner. The fourth segment 44 is preferably parallel with respect to the longitudinal axis of the handle 20 and the longitudinal axis of the first segment 41 and the second segment 42 as illustrated in
The hook 40 also includes a fifth segment 45 having a curved configuration extending away from the fourth segment 44 as illustrated in
The hook 40 also includes a sixth segment 46 extending upwardly from the fifth segment 45. The sixth segment 46 extends upwardly and outwardly at an angle away from a concentric axis of the handle 20 as best illustrated in
In use, the user engages a fish 16 by inserting the distal end 47 of the hook 40 through the gill plate of the fish 16 with the distal end 47 extending upwardly through the mouth of the fish 16 as illustrated in
Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. Although methods and materials similar to or equivalent to those described herein can be used in the practice or testing of the present invention, suitable methods and materials are described above. All publications, patent applications, patents, and other references mentioned herein are incorporated by reference in their entirety to the extent allowed by applicable law and regulations. The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential attributes thereof, and it is therefore desired that the present embodiment be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive. Any headings utilized within the description are for convenience only and have no legal or limiting effect.
