Patent Application
20140150328
The present invention relates, in general, to fishing floats, and, in particular, to a float which provides a visual signal when a fish is caught. More particularly, the present invention relates to a fishing float having a gravity actuated switch which activates a light when force is applied to a fishing line and having a stabilizing means to keep the light illuminated when tension on the fishing line is released.
Fishing is often accomplished by use of a pole to which a line is secured. In such settings, a bobber is often secured at a point along the line, and the fisher observes the action of the bobber, watching for a fish to tug the line and disturb the bobber. Jugline fishing is an alternative fishing technique that is commonly accomplished by securing a hook and line to a float or “jug” without the use of a pole. A jugline fisher can place several jugs in the water at the same time, since, unlike pole-line fishing, the jugs do not require as much individual attention. A jugline fisher may chose to secure several jugs together or secure one or more jugs to an anchored object. A jugline fisher may chose to check each jug only periodically to determine if a fish has been caught. Compared to pole-line fishing, jugline fishing requires less attention for each line. Still, a jugline fisher must keep track of the location of each jug and then check each jug individually to determine whether a fish has been caught. A jugline fisher has the option to check the jugs more often or less often, comparatively. The less often the jugs are checked, the more likely a fish will be caught without being retrieved quickly—which increases the chances that a caught fish will be lost. Both pole-line and jugline fishing are often done at night. When fishing in low-light conditions, whether with a pole-line or a jugline, fishers benefit from a light indicating a fish is caught on the line.
A number of inventions have presented fishing floats or bobbers that disclose a battery connected in a series electrical circuit with a light bulb and a switch that closes the circuit upon a tug by a fish on the line to which the float is attached. Many of these inventions rely on a biasing means, such a spring, to hold the circuit open until a fish overcomes the biasing tension by pulling on the line, at which point force on the line applied by the fish causes movement of a mechanical means which closes the electrical circuit and thereby activates the light. Examples of such inventions include: U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,534,709; 2,722,763; 2,914,879; 3,292,294; 3,608,227; 3,739,513; 5,052,145; 5,351,432; 5,615,512; 5,974,721. Typically in such inventions, the light is deactivated if the force on the line applied by the fish is relaxed, because a release of tension on the line allows the biasing device to return the mechanical means to its original position. Such releasing of tension on the fishing line is a common in fishing, typically occurring where a fish once caught by the hook on the end of the fishing line swims toward the float or otherwise stops pulling on the line.
Other inventions have presented fishing floats or bobbers that include a battery connected in a series electrical circuit with a light bulb and a switch that closes the circuit upon the tug by a fish on the line to which the float is secured, with these inventions relying on a mercury switch to close the circuit and thereby activate the light. Examples include, U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,205,352 and 4,486,969. Typically, these inventions present a bobber that is weight-biased to float in an inverted orientation, an inverted orientation being one that places the light bulb downward and the other end of the bobber (the end to which the fishing line having a hook is connected) upward. When a fish pulls the hook and the attached line, tension on the line causes the bobber to change its orientation from a bulb downward position to a bulb upward position. This rotation of the bobber in conjunction with gravity causes mercury in a container to flow from a first end of the container (with the circuit open) to a second end of the container, where the mercury closes the connection between open circuit connectors, thereby activating the light. Typically in such inventions, if the fish releases tension on the fishing line, the bobber returns to its weight-biased, original orientation, which deactivates the light.
Still other inventions have presented fishing floats or bobbers that include a battery connected in a series electrical circuit with a light bulb and a switch that closes the circuit upon the tug by a fish on the line to which the float is secured, with these inventions relying on gravity and the movement of a mechanical device to close the circuit and thereby activate the light. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,128,899 (issued to Barnhart, Sep. 6, 1938), discloses a bobber that is weight-biased to float in an inverted orientation, with the bobber housing a ball that is movable on a lever and fulcrum device. Tension on the fishing line resulting from a tug by a fish causes the bobber to reverse its orientation, which in conjunction with gravity causes the ball to roll from a first position (circuit open) along the lever to a second position, where the weight of the ball causes the lever to change position, which closes the circuit and thereby activates the light. If the fish releases the tension on the fishing line, the bobber returns to its initial weight-biased position, thereby reversing the ball position and deactivating the light.
Another example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,517,479 (issued to Grimm, Aug. 1, 1950) discloses a fishing bobber that houses a ball in a trapezoidal shaped chamber. The bobber is weight biased to float in a horizontal orientation. While the bobber is in a horizontal orientation, the ball rests in a first (lower) end of a trapezoidal chamber. When tension on the fishing line caused by a fish strike pulls the bobber into a vertical orientation, the change in orientation in conjunction with gravity causes the ball to roll to a second end of the trapezoidal shaped chamber, where the ball made of conductive material makes contact with exposed and opposing connectors thereby closing an electrical circuit and activating a light. If tension on the fishing line is released, the bobber returns to its original weight-biased position, which causes the light to be deactivated.
As another example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,748,761 (issued to Machovina, Jun. 7, 1988) discloses a bobber housing a tubular member in tubular chamber. The bobber is weight-biased to float in an inverted orientation. Tension on the fishing line resulting from a fish strike causes the bobber to reverse its orientation, which in conjunction with gravity causes the tubular member to slide from a first position (circuit open) along the tubular chamber to a second position, where the tubular member made of electrically conductive material closes the circuit thereby activating the light. If tension on the fishing line is relaxed, the bobber returns to its initial weight-biased position, thereby reversing the tubular member's motion and position and deactivating the light.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,758,449 (issued to Munsterman et al., Jun. 2, 1998) presents a jugline float that includes a battery connected in series with a light bulb and a switch that closes the circuit upon the tug by a fish on the line to which the float is secured. The float has two sources of light indication (i.e., two bulbs). The first light is activated by operation of the fisher. The second light is activated by tension on the fishing line caused by a fish pulling on the line. A spring biased pivot arm holds the circuit open until force on the fishing line resulting from the fish pull causes the pivot arm to change position, which closes the circuit and activates the second light. If tension on the fishing line is released, spring tension returns the pivot arm to its original position, thereby opening the circuit and deactivating the light.
Generally, a fish caught by a hook and pulling on a fishing line exerts significant force on the fishing line. This force is the source of activation of lighted floats and bobbers in the above mentioned devices. However, it is common that, after an initial period of intense struggle, a caught fish will move to a position that releases tension on the fishing line. Bobbers or floats that return to an inverted state (i.e., light off) when tension on the fishing line is relaxed will not continue to produce a visual signal for a fisher to observe, even though a fish is caught and remains on the line. Therefore, for both jugline and pole-line fishers there remains a need for a float that will provide a visual signal indicating a fish is caught after the caught fish has released tension on the fishing line. While the above mentioned devices are directed to floats that illuminate when a fish is initially caught, none discloses a float that will continue providing visual indication after the caught fish has released tension on the fishing line. Inasmuch as the art is relatively crowded with respect to various types of illuminated fishing floats, it can be appreciated that there is a continuing need for and interest in improvements to illuminated fishing floats, and in this respect, the present invention addresses this need and interest.
A fishing float having a catch indicator light is disclosed. A primary object of the present invention is to provide a fishing float that will give a fisher a visual indication whenever a fish is caught on the line to which the float is attached.
In accordance with one aspect of the invention, there is provided a float comprising a buoyant, elongated hollow body having first and second ends, a clip or similar means for attaching a fishing line to the first end of the elongated hollow body, a dead-weight slideable from first to second end of the hollow body and back, and a lamp module attached in proximity to the second end of the hollow body. The lamp module is comprised of a compartment that contains a lamp, an electric power source, and a switch, all of which are elements in a series electrical circuit. The lamp module is further comprised of conductive ball and a plurality of annular chambers that hold the conductive ball in a relatively stable position apart from the switch while the hollow body is in a horizontal orientation; but when the hollow body is moved toward a vertical orientation by force of a fish tug on the fishing line attached to the first end of the elongated hollow body, the annular chambers direct the conductive ball into bridging contact with the electrical switch, which closes the electrical circuit and activates the lamp.
Another object of the invention is to provide a fishing float that will, once illuminating a lamp when a fish is caught on a line, remain illuminated when the fish relaxes tension on the fishing line.
A further object of the invention is to provide a fishing float that can accommodate different levels of force required to illuminate the indicator light of the fishing float.
Other objects, features and objectives of the invention will be found throughout the following description, the drawings and the claims.
For a more complete understanding of the features and advantages of the present invention, reference is now made to the detailed description of the invention along with the accompanying figures in which corresponding numerals in different figures refer to corresponding parts and in which:
For a more complete understanding of the features and advantages of the present invention, reference is now made to the detailed description of preferred embodiments of the invention along with the accompanying figures in which corresponding numerals in different figures refer to corresponding parts and in which:
Illustrated in
As can be seen in
As can be seen in
It will be appreciated that lamp module 18 may be attached inside the compartment of hollow body 1 between second end cap 16 and second bumper 17, or attached on the exterior of second end cap 16, or lamp module 18 may be constructed integrally with second end cap 16. It will be further appreciated that all or part of hollow body 1 may be made of translucent or transparent material such that light from lamp 20 may be observed from outside hollow body 1 when lamp module 18 is placed inside hollow body 1 and lamp 20 is illuminated. Similarly all or part of second end cap 16 may be made of translucent or transparent material such that light from lamp 20 may be observed from outside end cap 16 when lamp module 18 is constructed integrally with second end cap 16 and lamp 20 is illuminated. In like fashion, lamp module 18 may be made of translucent or transparent material such that light from lamp 20 may be seen when illuminated on lamp module 18 attached to the exterior of second end cap 16 and lamp 20 is illuminated.
In all cases in this specification and in the claims attached hereto, references to a lamp in the context of the present invention is intended to include any integrated electrical or electronic device that reproducibly and reliably produces light when an appropriate voltage is applied to appropriate terminals thereof. Thus are included light bulbs of every kind, light emitting diodes, as are integrated circuits capable of emitting light.
In use, the present invention will float on the surface of a water body in a horizontal orientation, as seen in
While various embodiments of the invention have been described, the description is intended to be exemplary, rather than limiting and it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that other embodiments and implementations are possible that are within the scope of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is not to be restricted except in light of the attached claims and their equivalents.
