The present invention is generally directed to fishing rods. In particular, the invention relates to a hook guard for a fishing rod used to stow a hook safely and securely when the hook is not in use.
In fishing, hooks are attached to a fishing rod and line and are subsequently used to secure a catch. To ensure the hook's effectiveness, hooks are typically quite sharp. Thus, if hooks are not safely and securely stored, they can cause damage to various objects that a hook could contact, including anglers themselves. As such, it is well known to equip a fishing rod with a hook guard. Hook guards may protect the angler from the sharp end of a hook by securing the hook to the hook guard when the hook is not in use. Hook guards are also commonly used in association with fishing rods for children.
Existing structures for holding a hook on a fishing rod employ wire forms or simple holes that can leave the point of the hook exposed where it can catch on people or objects. Moreover, conventional hook guards do not allow for multiple orientations. Therefore an angler may not be able to customize the placement of the hook guard to best suit their equipment.
Thus, there is a need for an improved hook guard that can protect the point of the hook while also providing multiple ways to attach the hook guard to a fishing rod and multiple ways to attach one or more hooks to the hook guard.
The present invention is directed towards a hook guard for quickly and safely securing one or more fishing hooks while the hooks are not in use. A fishing equipment assembly generally includes a handle, a fishing rod attached to and extending from a first end of the handle, and a hook guard attached to a portion of the fishing equipment assembly. The hook guard may comprise a curved surface comprising a front opening positioned on a first side of the curved surface, wherein the front opening is configured to receive a hook attached to the fishing rod. The hook guard may further comprise a cavity formed within an interior of the curved surface, wherein the cavity is configured to house at least a portion of the hook.
The hook guard may be formed monolithically with the handle. Alternatively, the hook guard may be a separate structure configured to be attached to fishing equipment. The hook guard may be permanently or temporarily attached to the fishing equipment.
The hook guard may have an approximately cylindrical or conical shape. As such, a first end of the hook guard may be larger than a second end of the hook guard. The first end of the hook guard may be open, thereby forming a front opening in the hook guard. The body of the hook guard may further comprise one or more openings. The body may comprise a first side opening. The body may further comprise a second side opening opposite the first side opening.
An angler may use the hook guard to secure one or more hooks in the hook guard. In one configuration, a first hook may be inserted through the front opening. In another configuration, the first hook may be inserted through the first side opening or second side opening. In yet another embodiment, the first hook may be inserted through the front opening or the second opening. The angler may further secure a second hook according to any of the above configurations.
The foregoing and other features of the present invention will be apparent from the detailed description that follows.
In the accompanying drawings, which form a part of the specification and are to be read in conjunction therewith in which like reference numerals are used to indicate like or similar parts in the various views:
While the disclosure is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof are shown by way of example in the drawings and will herein be described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the drawings and detailed description presented herein are not intended to limit the disclosure to the particular embodiment disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.
The invention will now be described with reference to the drawing figures, in which like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout. For purposes of clarity in illustrating the characteristics of the present invention, proportional relationships of the elements have not necessarily been maintained in the drawing figures. The embodiments are intended to described aspects of the invention in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention. Other embodiments can be utilized, and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. The present invention is defined by the appended claims and the description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense and shall not limit the scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.
The present invention is generally directed to a hook guard attached to fishing equipment, such as a fishing rod. The hook guard is configured to stow one or more fishing hooks safely and securely when the hook(s) are not in use. The present invention may utilize any currently known fishing rod or fishing rods that have yet to be designed, manufactured, or may otherwise become available in the future. The present invention may further be used with a variety of models of hooks and may be adapted for use with any currently known hooks or hooks that have yet to be manufactured, discovered, or otherwise become available.
As illustrated best in
In one embodiment, a first end 225 of the hook guard 120 is open, thereby forming a front opening 230 in the hook guard 120. Alternatively, in another embodiment, the first end 225 may be closed. For example, the first end 225 may be comprised of a solid surface. In an embodiment, the hook guard 120 comprises a first side opening 235 positioned on a first side of the first surface 215. In one embodiment, the hook guard 120 further comprises a second side opening 240 positioned on a second side of the first surface 215. The first side opening 235 and the second side opening 240 may be positioned directly opposite each other on opposing sides of the first surface 215.
As shown best in
As shown, the hook guard 120 may be positioned on an underside of the handle 110. However, it is to be understood that the hook guard 120 may be positioned on the handle 110 in various locations and orientations not shown. For example, in some embodiments, the hook guard 120 may be positioned on a top portion of the handle assembly, an a side portion of the handle assembly, or on the rod of the fishing equipment assembly. In some embodiments, the hook guard 120 may come attached to the handle 110. As discussed above, even in embodiments where the hook guard 120 is attached to the handle 110, the hook guard 120 may be configured to be movable. In other embodiments, the hook guard 120 may not initially be attached to the handle 110. Thus, by providing a hook guard 120 that may be repositioned or attached by an angler, the angler may position the hook guard 120 on fishing equipment at a location to best suit their needs. Moreover, by having a detachable hook guard 120, it may be easier to replace the hook guard 120 and perform maintenance on the fishing equipment.
With respect to the above embodiments, the hook guard 120 is configured to secure one or more fishing hooks. In one embodiment (as shown in
In one embodiment, the second hook H2 is secured in a second configuration. In the second configuration, the second hook H2 may pass through at least one of the first side opening 240 and the second side opening 250. An end of the second fishing hook H2 may be contained within the cavity 220.
In another embodiment, the second hook H2 can be inserted through the front opening 230 to enter into the cavity 220. An end of the second hook H2 may further be inserted through the first side opening 235 or the second side opening 240.
In another embodiment, the hook guard 120 is configured to secure one hook. In embodiments, where the hook guard 120 secures a single hook, the single hook may be in any of the above configurations. For example, a single hook may be inserted into the hook guard 120 in a similar position to the first hook H1 or inserted into the hook guard 120 in a similar position to the second hook H2.
From the foregoing, it will be seen that the various embodiments of the present invention are well adapted to attain all the objectives and advantages hereinabove set forth together with still other advantages which are obvious and which are inherent to the present structures. It will be understood that certain features and sub-combinations of the present embodiments are of utility and may be employed without reference to other features and sub-combinations. Since many possible embodiments of the present invention may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention, it is also to be understood that all disclosures herein set forth or illustrated in the accompanying drawings are to be interpreted as illustrative only and not limiting. The various constructions described above and illustrated in the drawings are presented by way of example only and are not intended to limit the concepts, principles and scope of the present invention.
Many changes, modifications, variations and other uses and applications of the present invention will, however, become apparent to those skilled in the art after considering the specification and the accompanying drawings. All such changes, modifications, variations and other uses and applications which do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention are deemed to be covered by the invention which is limited only by the claims which follow.
This application claims the benefit of the filing date of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/263,029 filed Oct. 26, 2021, entitled HOOK GUARD, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
Number | Date | Country | |
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63263029 | Oct 2021 | US |