Abstract:
A lure accessory, operable in connection with a fishing rod and reel and with any of a wide variety of fishing lures, to create a simulated fish strike motion in the lure. The lure accessory includes a generally flat oval enclosure that incorporates a helical flat escapement spring fixed to a central axis and to a rotatable reel of leader line. The reeled leader line extends from the enclosure and attaches to the fishing lure. When the fisherman tugs on the lure assembly, the lure accessory is pulled directly while the fishing lure tends to stay motionless (initially) within the water. Once the tug on the line stops, the drag of the fishing lure is overcome by the energy in the spring within the lure accessory. The motion of the fishing lure toward the lure accessory as the spring draws the leader line back in simulates a fish strike motion.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0002]    The present invention relates generally to the sport of fishing and to fishing lures used in the sport. The present invention relates more specifically to an accessory, operable in connection with a fishing rod and reel and in association with any of a wide variety of fishing lures, to create a simulated strike motion in the lure. 
         [0003]    2. Description of the Related Art 
         [0004]    The sport of fishing generally involves the use of a fishing rod and reel connected to a fishing lure of some type having one or more hooks. The selection of a fishing lure by the sportsman will vary greatly depending upon the type of fish being sought and the environment within which the fishing occurs. Fresh water fishing equipment is often distinct from saltwater fishing equipment. Fishing lures associated with saltwater fish therefore might be quite distinct from those associated with sport fishing in fresh water environments. Fishing for different fish in different environments may call for live bait, artificial bait, or some combination of the two. In general, however, the use of a fishing lure is intended to create a situation where the fish will strike the lure on the basis of the lure appearing to be food for the fish. 
         [0005]    For the most part, fishing lures have focused on the visual appearance, and to some extent the smell of the bait, as a basis for creating the impression that the lure or bait is food for a particular type of fish. Variations in the appearance of a lure and/or the use of live bait or chemical compounds in association with a fish hook or a fishing lure, are known in the art and vary greatly according to the type of fish and the proven (or sometimes unproven) response to their use experienced in the real world. 
         [0006]    Some effort has been made in the past to effect the motion of a lure in order to simulate live bait motion for the fish or type of fish being sought. In most cases, the motion a lure makes is determined by the shape of the lure and/or the addition of fins, spades, or other attachments to the lure that direct its motion when it is pulled through the water. There have been many attempts to configure lure surfaces to simulate the motion of live bait as the lure is drawn through the water. Some efforts have even been made to motorize lures so as to create repetitive motion that does not require the lure to be pulled through the water. Further efforts have been made to create multi-part lures that include flexible connections that, when one part of the lure is pulled, the second part of the lure flexes or vibrates, again to simulate live bait. 
         [0007]    Efforts have also been made in the past to incorporate spring mechanisms into lures for the purpose of “setting the hook” when a fish strikes the lure. It is well known in the field that a fish may strike a lure and not firmly engage the hook, especially if some immediate tug on the hook is not made by the fisherman. Some lures have therefore incorporated short spring loaded sections that allow for this immediate tug to set the hook without the need for the fisherman to initiate the tug. 
         [0008]    One type of motion that fish respond to that has heretofore not been incorporated into fishing lures is that of the strike of one fish on another, or the strike of a fish on a live bait object already in motion. It is known that a fish will recognize the actions of other fish around it, especially if those other fish are feeding. In other words, if a fish becomes aware that another fish in proximity to it is feeding on an object, that fish will likely follow the striking fish. A striking motion will attract other fish in the environment in two ways. A fish will imitate and follow the motion of a striking fish towards the food that appears to be the focus of the strike. In addition, larger fish will be attracted to the striking motion of a smaller fish and will strike on the smaller fish and/or on the object of the smaller fish&#39;s strike. In general, therefore, the strike motion of a fish can be a particularly attractive motion for purposes of drawing fish to a fishing lure and hook. 
         [0009]    It would be desirable therefore to have a lure or lure accessory that created a strike motion when appropriately triggered by the motion of a fisherman pulling on a rod and reel configured with the lure or lure accessory. It would be desirable to have a striking lure assembly that accurately simulated the motion of one fish striking on another fish or on an object of live food. It would be desirable if such a strike motion could be accurately simulated with a wide variety of lures not specifically structured for the purpose of creating the strike motion. It would be desirable to have a strike motion lure accessory, therefore, that could be attached to the end of a fishing line and cast out or reeled in, in conjunction with any of a variety of existing lures for the purpose of creating the attractive strike motion for the fish being sought. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0010]    It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a fishing accessory that imparts a strike motion to any of a number of existing fishing lures in a manner that simulates a true fish strike on another fish or on an object of food. A primary objective of the fishing lure accessory is to create an extended strike motion, not achievable by a single fishing lure alone. The present invention therefore provides a fishing lure accessory that is attached to the end of a fishing line, connected to a fishing rod and reel, that is further connected through a leader line to any of a number of fishing lures. The device comprises a generally flat enclosure that imitates the narrow geometry of most fish, having a length and height greater than its thickness. In a preferred embodiment, the enclosure comprises a generally oval configuration and incorporates a helical flat escapement type spring fixed to a central axis and to a rotatable reel of leader line. The reel of leader line extends from the enclosure in a manner that allows the line to be drawn out from the enclosure, thereby turning the reel within the enclosure, and at the same time tensioning the escapement spring. In this manner, once the leader line is drawn out from the enclosure, the escapement spring will tend to draw the line back into the enclosure once the extension force is reduced or ceases. 
         [0011]    A connector, such as a swivel hook, is positioned at the end of the leader line extending from the device and may be connected to any of a wide variety of existing fishing lures. Under normal conditions within the water. The fishing lure and the fishing lure accessory remain in close association with each other, based upon the length of the leader line that extends from the lure accessory. When the fisherman tugs on the lure assembly, the lure accessory is pulled directly by its fixed attachment to the fishing line connected to the rod and reel, while the fishing lure itself connected to the end of the leader line, may tend to stay motionless (initially) within the water. In this manner, the leader line is drawn out from the lure accessory, energizing the internal spring of the lure accessory in the process. Depending upon the force exerted on the lure assembly by the fisherman, the leader line may extend more or less out from the lure accessory and impart a greater or lesser potential energy into the interior spring. Once the fisherman stops tugging on the line, the resistance to motion within the water of the fishing lure is overcome by the energy stored in the spring within the lure accessory. This results in the sudden motion of the fishing lure toward the lure accessory as the spring draws the leader line back into the lure accessory, reeling it up on the spring loaded reel. The motion of the fishing lure back towards the lure accessory simulates the strike motion of one fish on another or on an object of food. It is this strike motion that is attractive to fish within the environment surrounding the lure assembly. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0012]      FIG. 1  is a side view of a first preferred embodiment of the lure accessory device of the present invention shown attached to a fishing line and ready to be attached to an existing fishing lure. 
           [0013]      FIG. 2  is a partial cut-away view of the lure accessory device of the present invention showing the internal components of the device. 
           [0014]      FIG. 3  is an elevational end view of the lure accessory device of the present invention showing the edge on which it is connected to a fishing line. 
           [0015]      FIG. 4  is an elevational view of the lure accessory device of the present invention showing the edge on which the leader line exits the device. 
           [0016]      FIGS. 5A-5D  are side views of a typical implementation of the lure accessory device of the present invention showing the progressive manner in which the device may be tugged on by the fisherman and the resultant strike motion that occurs as the lure extends first away from the lure accessory and then back towards it in a strike motion. 
           [0017]      FIG. 6  is a side view of a second preferred embodiment of the lure accessory device of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0018]    As described above, the present invention intends to provide a useful fishing accessory that may be paired with most any existing lure used by an angler. The device and assembly described may have a number of different geometries and sizes depending upon the type of fish being sought, although the basic functionality of the device allows it to be used in conjunction with lures directed to both large and small fish. The following is a description of the preferred embodiment wherein the recoil device of the present invention is used in conjunction with average sized lures, used for fishing in fresh water or saltwater, to catch the typical game fish. The recoil device and associated lure may be scaled up or scaled down in size depending upon the environment within which the sport fishing occurs. 
         [0019]    Reference is made first to  FIG. 1  for a detailed description of a first preferred embodiment of the invention, shown attached to a fishing line, but detached from an existing fishing lure. In  FIG. 1 , recoil device  10  is a generally disc shaped structure having its thickness dimension (seen best in  FIGS. 3 &amp; 4  below) smaller than its height and length dimensions. Recoil device  10  is constructed primarily of device shell  12  which incorporates two functional external connectors. Fixed line attachment ring  14  is positioned on one edge of device shell  12  and leader line aperture  16  is positioned on a generally opposite edge of device shell  12 . Leader line aperture  16  is structured with recoil cushion  18  so as to contact leader line stop  20  that is fixed in position on leader line  22 . Leader line  22  terminates with snap swivel connector  24  and may be extended from recoil device  10  in the manner described in more detail below. The recoil function of the device tends to draw leader line  22  back into reel enclosure  17  of recoil device  10  up to the point where leader line stop  20  contacts recoil cushion  18 . The manner of this extraction and retraction is again described in more detail below. 
         [0020]    Device shell  12  is generally constructed of mating half shells that form reel enclosure  17  and are attached together using shell closure screws  15   a  &amp;  15   b.  The closure of device shell  12  is generally accomplished only during manufacture as the internal components of the device (see  FIG. 2 ) do not generally require user maintenance. In the preferred embodiment, all of the components that make up recoil device  10  should be capable of coming into contact with water (including saltwater) for extended periods of time without significant degradation. It is anticipated that, although reel enclosure  17  generally surrounds the internal components of recoil device  10 , leader line aperture  16  is not intended to be waterproof and does allow water to enter and drain from reel enclosure  17 . 
         [0021]    As shown in  FIG. 1 , recoil device  10  is connected to fishing line  26  that itself extends from a typical fishing rod and reel (not shown), and is connected to fixed line attachment ring  14  as shown. Such attachment may be accomplished through a snap swivel connector, or directly through a knotted attachment of fishing line  26 . The fishing lure (not shown in  FIG. 1 ) to be used in conjunction with recoil device  10  is in turn attached to the lure accessory by means of snap swivel connector  24 . 
         [0022]    Reference is next made to  FIG. 2  which shows a partial cross-sectional view of recoil device  10  and the manner in which the internal components are structured and operate to allow for the extraction and subsequent retraction of leader line  22  out from and into the device. Device shell  12  in the view of  FIG. 2  may be considered one-half of the shell enclosure with the front half removed to provide the view of  FIG. 2  and the device&#39;s internal components. The front half of device shell  12  may be attached to the back half of the device through the use of threaded closure posts  28   a  &amp;  28   b  which align with and match shell closure screws  15   a  &amp;  15   b  shown in  FIG. 1 . The remaining external components of recoil device  10  shown in  FIG. 2  include fixed line attachment ring  14  and recoil cushion  18 . In the view of  FIG. 2 , leader line  22  is extended a short distance out from recoil device  10  such that leader line stop is not shown in the view. 
         [0023]    Internal to device shell  12  is winding reel  34  which surrounds coil escapement spring  32  and rotates about reel axle post  30 . The arrangement of coil escapement spring  32 , having one end fixed to reel axle post  30  and an opposite end attached to an internal cylindrical wall of winding reel  34 , is such that on rotational motion of winding reel  34  (clockwise in this view) coil escapement spring  32  tightens as leader line  22  is drawn out from recoil device  10 . A quantity of wound leader line  36  is shown positioned on winding reel  34  prior to being drawn out of recoil device  10 . 
         [0024]    The operation of recoil device  10  is generally implicit in its structure, whereby coil escapement spring  32  preferences the rotation of winding reel  34  in a direction (counter-clockwise in this view) that draws in and reels up leader line  22 . When an external force draws leader line  22  out from recoil device  10 , winding reel  34  rotates in the opposite direction (clockwise in this view) and stores potential energy into coil escapement spring  32  so as to once again preference the rotation of winding reel  34  in the opposite direction, drawing leader line  22  back into the device. 
         [0025]    Reference is next made to  FIG. 3  for an elevational end view of recoil device  10  showing both sides of device shell  12  connected together to form reel enclosure  17 . Fixed line attachment ring  14  is shown positioned on an upper edge of recoil device  10  where a length of fishing line may be attached. Shell closure screw  15   a  is shown to align with and secured to threaded closure post  28   a.    
         [0026]      FIG. 4  presents a view similar to that of  FIG. 3  from the opposite side of recoil device  10 . Again, both halves of device shell  12  are shown connected together through the use of shell closure screw  15   b  attached to threaded closure post  28   b.  This assembly of shell halves forms reel enclosure  17 . In the view of  FIG. 4 , recoil cushion  18  is shown to surround the aperture from which leader line  22  extends. Also in this view, leader line stop  20  is shown positioned generally apart from recoil cushion  18  as would occur with the extraction of a short length of leader line  22  from recoil device  10 . 
         [0027]    Reference is next made to  FIGS. 5A-5D  for both a description of the manner of attachment of a fishing lure to the recoil device of the present invention, and the manner of use of the combination lure assembly.  FIG. 5A  represents the condition of the lure assembly at rest within the water. In this view, recoil device  10  is shown secured to fishing line  26  which extends up out of water  38  to the typical rod and reel assembly. Leader line  22  extends from recoil device  10  on an opposite edge and is generally slack to snap swivel connector  24 . Snap swivel connector  24  is attached to fishing lure  40 , as is a typical use for such connectors. As indicated above, fishing lure  40  may be any of a number of different types of fishing lures appropriate for use in conjunction with any of a variety of fishing environments. The one basic requirement associated with fishing lure  40  is that is provides some resistance to motion (drag) within the water so as to exert a force on leader line  22  sufficient to draw it out from recoil device  10  in the manner described in more detail below. Fishing lure  40  should not therefore simply be a hook without some minimum mass or geometry that would create drag when the lure is pulled through the water, such as by a tug on the fishing rod. 
         [0028]      FIG. 5B  shows the manner in which a tug on the fishing rod causes a separation between recoil device  10  and fishing lure  40 . As fishing lure  40  provides some resistance to movement within the water it tends to stay in place even while the fishing rod is tugged, pulling on fishing line  26 , and likewise pulling on and moving recoil device  10 . The position of recoil device  10  is shown before being pulled in dashed outline form, and after being pulled in solid line form. Leader line  22  is shown to extend significantly from recoil device  10  after the device has been pulled by a tug on the fishing rod. 
         [0029]    In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, recoil device  10  generally provides less drag when pulled through the water than fishing lure  40 . In this manner, a tug on the fishing rod will more easily move recoil device  10  through the water, while fishing lure  40  providing greater drag tends to remain in place. This difference in drag coefficient between the two components in the lure assembly results in the separation of the components over an extended distance as leader line  22  is drawn out from recoil device  10  (storing potential energy in the spring therein) to create the visual separation between the lure assembly components. 
         [0030]      FIG. 5C  shows the momentary intermediate condition of the lure assembly components after the fishing rod has been tugged and recoil device  10  has moved through the water a distance away from fishing lure  40 , thereby allowing the extraction and extension of leader line  22  over some distance. At this point, and under these dynamic conditions, the lure assembly may appear to a fish as comprising two live objects in the water, a first comprising an object of food or bait fish (represented by recoil device  10 ) and a second comprising a predator fish (represented by fishing lure  40 ). In any case, it is the motion that results immediately after establishing the conditions shown in  FIG. 5C  that provides the important strike simulation that attracts other fish to the lure assembly. 
         [0031]      FIG. 5D  discloses the manner in which, after potential energy has been stored in the coil spring of recoil device  10 , fishing lure  40  is rapidly drawn back towards recoil device  10  by the re-winding of leader line  22  into the spring loaded enclosure. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, this recoil motion is relatively abrupt in comparison with even a slow drag on the fishing line and the extraction of the length of leader line  22  from recoil device  10 . Once the coil spring within recoil device  10  reaches a given level of stored energy, the drag force of fishing lure  40  is overcome and the two components of the lure assembly are rapidly drawn back together. This motion, whether it involves movement of fishing lure  40 , recoil device  10 , or both back together provides the strike simulation that is attractive to fish in the surrounding environment. 
         [0032]    This strike simulation motion attracts surrounding fish to both the fishing lure  40  and to recoil device  10  as both potentially are live objects in the water that might serve as prey for larger fish. For this reason, an alternate embodiment of recoil device  10  is shown in  FIG. 6  wherein hook structures  52   a  &amp;  52   b  are attached to recoil device  50  and the external appearance of the device is more like a small fish with fin structures  54 , that is being attacked by a striking fish (represented by the fishing lure). Wide variations in structuring the appearance of recoil device  50  are anticipated, although its basic hydrodynamic shape should remain as disclosed so as to permit the easy movement of the device through the water as shown in  FIG. 5B . 
         [0033]    A primary benefit of the present device, and its use in constructing a lure assembly, is therefore that it simulates multiple strike targets within the water. Whether a larger fish is focusing strictly upon the strike motion of the fishing lure as target prey, or on the recoil device as target prey, the assembly provides a manner of hooking the fish in either case. 
         [0034]    Although the present invention has been described in conjunction with a number of preferred embodiments, variations on the size and structure of the device are anticipated that remain within the spirit and scope of the invention. As indicated above, the size of the recoil device may be determined by the type of lure being used and the type of fish being sought. It may be practical, for example, for the typical angler to have two or three different sizes of the recoil device in their tackle box depending upon the size of the lures being used and the size of the fish being sought. Although capable of being scaled up or down in size, the basic functionality of the recoil device would remain the same, including the overall shape of the device and the necessity that it present less drag when pulled through the water than the lure to which it is attached. 
         [0035]    Variations on the appearance of the recoil device are also anticipated as described above and provided by example in  FIG. 6 . Although alternate spring structures may be utilized to store potential energy within the device, the coil escapement ring structure shown in the preferred embodiment allows for a greater quantity of leader line to be extracted from the reel of the device than might be accomplished through the use of other types of springs. The coil spring assembly described herein provides the greatest length of leader line that may be extracted for a given size of the recoil device. In addition, this type of spring lends itself to being enclosed in a shell like structure that produces less drag in the water.