Abstract:
A chummer chops up bait and expels the chopped up bait into the water wherein the chummer has a housing with an opening for receiving the bait. A motor has a shaft extending through the housing and has at least one cutting blade for chopping the bait gravitationally falling through the housing. An impeller blade is attached to the shaft, the impeller blade drawing water into the housing, wherein the water is mixed with the chopped up bait and the mixture subsequently expelled from the housing.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   The present invention relates to an automatic bait chummer that macerates and ejects the bait from the device without the need for manual operation. 
   2. Background of the Prior Art 
   Chumming is a standard form of baiting fish and other aquatic life for subsequent capture. Basically, chumming involves cutting up bait and other food products (scrap meat, synthetic bait, etc.,) and placing the cut up bait into the water wherein the bait will be detected by bait fish or by the fish to be captured, which fish approach the bait and come within range of the fisherman. Chumming can be as simple as manually cutting the bait up and throwing it overboard, although chumming devices have been proposed that assist in the chumming process. Some simple devices include burlap or netted bags that are filled with the cut up bait and hung over the side of the vessel or the dock if chumming land side. The bag prevents the bait from sinking or floating away and allows placement of the bait. However, these bags, like throwing the bait over the side, require the fisherman to manually cut up the bait, which is labor intensive, time consuming, and messy, especially if a very fine cut consistency is desired. In order to address such problems, some automation was introduced into the chummers, wherein bait is placed into an opening in the chummer, and the chummer is plunged up and down through the water by the user, such up and down reciprocal movement through the water causing the reciprocation or rotation of one or more blades within the chummer, which blades chop the bait up prior to expulsion from the device. While such devices relieve the user from having to manually chop the bait, they still require a considerable amount of manual effort in plunging the device up and down within the water. Other devices have been proposed that attempt to eliminate the manual effort of using a chummer by providing some form of a motor to perform the chopping of the bait. Bait is fed into such a device and the operation of the motor causes the blade to chop the bait. While such prior art devices relieve the user from having to either manually chop the bait or to manually operate the chummer, such devices are unduly complex in design and construction making them expensive to manufacture, operate, and maintain. Additionally, such devices are very difficult to clean after the fishing expedition is over. 
   Therefore, there exists a need in the art for a chummer that addresses the above-stated problems experienced in the art, which chummer relieves the user from either having to manually chop the bait or having to manually operate the chummer. Such a device should automatically chop and expel bait with minimal interaction from the user. Such a device must be relatively simple in design and construction so that it is relatively inexpensive to manufacture, and is relatively easy to operate and maintain. Ideally, such a device is easy to clean after use of the device is complete. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The bait chummer of the present invention addresses the aforementioned needs in the art. The bait chummer relieves the user from either having to manually chop the bait or having to manually operate the chummer. The bait chummer automatically chops and expels bait with minimal interaction from the user. The present invention is relatively simple in design and construction making the bait chummer relatively inexpensive to manufacture, and relatively easy to operate and maintain. The bait chummer is easy to clean after use of the invention is complete. 
   The bait chummer of the present invention is comprised of a housing that has a top cap, a bottom cap, an inlet port, an outlet port, and an opening for receiving bait. A motor is attached to the top cap of the housing, the motor has a shaft that axially extends through the housing. A first cutting blade is attached to the shaft, while an impeller blade is also attached to the shaft. The housing is placed into the water so that the inlet port and the outlet port are beneath the water line, bait is placed into the opening, and the motor is activated and rotates the shaft. The bait falls through the housing and is cut up by the first cutting blade while the impeller blade draws water through the inlet port into the housing wherein the water is mixed with the cut up bait and the mixed water and cut up bait are expelled through the outlet port. The motor may be an electric motor and the motor is reversible. A second blade may be attached to the shaft between the first cutting blade and the impeller blade. The distance between the first cutting blade and the second cutting blade is changeable by an appropriate spacer that is disposed between the first cutting blade and the second cutting blade. A mounting bracket attached to the housing for mounting the housing to an appropriate surface, the mounting bracket being pivotally attached to the housing. The end of the shaft that is opposite the motor is received within a bearing assembly attached to the bottom cap. The bottom cap is removably attached to the housing. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a side elevation view of the chummer of the present invention. 
   

   DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
   Referring now to the drawings, it is seen that the bait chummer of the present invention, generally denoted by reference numeral  10 , is comprised of a housing  12  that has a top cap  14  and a bottom cap  16 . The housing  12  and its top cap  14  and bottom cap  16 , may be made from any appropriate sturdy material such as aluminum, PVC, etc. The top cap  14 , the bottom cap  16 , or both may be removable from the housing  12  in order to gain service access into the housing  12 , and may be frictionally attached to the housing  12 , or may be attached by any appropriate attachment mechanism, screws, bolts, etc. An inlet port  20  is located on the housing  12  toward the bottom of housing  12 , while an outlet port  22  is also located on the housing  12  (while the outlet port  22  is illustrated on the bottom cap  16 , the outlet port  22  is still considered to be a part of the housing  12 ), advantageously below the inlet port  20 . An opening  24  is located on the housing  12 , toward the housing&#39;s top end, the opening  24  receiving bait. 
   A motor  26  is attached to the housing  12  at an appropriate location such as on the top cap  14 . The motor  26 , which may be electric, gas, etc., has a shaft  28  that axially extends through the housing  12  and is received within an appropriate bearing assembly  30  attached to the bottom cap  16 . An additional bearing assembly  32  encompasses the shaft  28  and is located on the top cap  14 , the two bearing assemblies  30  and  32 , helping steady the shaft  28  during shaft  28  rotation. The motor  26  is reversible so that shaft  28  rotation is reversible. A first cutting blade  34  is attached to the shaft  28 , while a second cutting blade  36  may be attached to the shaft  28 . Additional cutting blades may also be attached to the shaft  28 . An impeller blade  38  is also attached to the shaft  28  below the lowest positioned cutting blade and between the inlet port  20  and the outlet port  22 . 
   A mounting bracket  40  is attached to the housing  12  for mounting the housing  12  to an appropriate surface such as the illustrated gunwale G of a boat B. The mounting bracket  40 , which may be of any appropriate design known in the art, such as the illustrated rod  42  and pin  44  assembly, is being pivotally attached to the housing  12 . Other designs of mounting brackets are anticipated and are in keeping within the scope and spirit of the present invention  10 . Additionally, the mounting bracket may be of appropriate design such that the bait chummer  10  of the present invention received within a rod holder on board the boat B or the dock to which the bait chummer  10  is to be attached. 
   In order to use the chummer  10  of the present invention, the first cutting blade  34  is mounted on the shaft  28  and, if desired, one or more second cutting blades  36  are also mounted on the shaft  28 . The selection of the number of cutting blades and the design of each cutting blade is dependent on the type of bait used and the level of maceration desired. For example, the first cutting blade  34  may produce a coarse chop of the bait, while the second cutting blade provides a fine chop of the bait. Or, the first cutting blade  34 , may produce a fine chop of the bait and the second cutting blade  36  produces an ultra fine chop of the bait. The spacing between each blade, as well as between the motor and the first blade  34 , and the first blade  34  or the second blade (if used) and the impeller blade  38 , is accomplished by appropriate spacers  46  that are interspaced between each respective pair of items to be spaced. Once all the blades  34 ,  36 , and  38 , and the appropriate spacers  46  are properly positioned about the shaft  28 , the cap  14  or  16  that was removed from the housing  12  in order to outfit the shaft  28  is secured back to the housing  12 . The housing  12  is mounted to an appropriate surface, the illustrated gunwale G, a dock, etc., by the mounting bracket  40 . The housing  12  is mounted so it is partially submerged under the water W line and that both the inlet port  20  and the outlet port  22  are below the water W line. If the inlet port  20  and the outlet port fail to fall below the water W line, an appropriate extension (not illustrated) is attached to the housing  12  so as to assure that the inlet port  20  and the outlet port  22  are properly positioned below the water W line. If the motor  26  is electric, the motor  26  is electrically coupled to a source of electrical power, battery, the boat&#39;s or dock&#39;s electrical system, etc., (none illustrated), and the motor  26  is activated causing rotation of the shaft  28  and the attached blades  34 ,  36 , and  38 . Desired bait is placed into the opening  24  wherein the bait begins falling through the housing  12 . As the bait falls onto each first blade  34  and second blade  36 , these blades chop the bait up. Simultaneously, the impeller blade  38  draws water W into the housing  12  through the inlet port  20  and expels the water W through the outlet port  22 . As the chopped up bait reaches the water W that is drawn into the housing  12  by the impeller blade  38 , the bait mixes with the water W such that the mixture of chopped bait and water W is expelled through the outlet port  22 , thereby automatically performing a chumming operation. If the device  10  becomes clogged, the motor  26  is reversed so as to back flush the device  10 . When chumming is complete, water W is poured through the opening  24  in order to flush the device  10 . Additionally, the motor  26  can again be reversed in order to back flush the device  10 . Appropriate switches  48  are provided for this reversal of the motor  26  as well as for overall motor  26  operation. If the boat operator forgets that the chummer  10  is attached to the side of the boat B and begins to move the boat B, the pivotal mount of the mounting bracket  40  to the housing  12  allows the housing  12  to pivot and ride along the top of the water W during boat B travel. 
   While the invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to an embodiment thereof, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and detail may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.