System for positioning a fishing net

A fishing net is held in place below a corkline by a series of holding devices. Each holding device has a crimped cylinder from which three loops extend. One of these loops may be tied around the corkline to position the crimped cylinder below the corkline. The other two loops cooperate with similar loops from other adjacent holding devices to position the fishing net below the holding devices.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The prior art commercial practice for hanging a fishing net from a floating 
corkline is well stated in lines 10 to 52 of column 1 of U.S. Pat. No. 
4,763,432 to Barclay granted Aug. 16, 1988 and entitled Fishnet Hanging 
System. The forty-two lines from that patent, hereinabove cited, are 
incorporated herein by reference. 
The aforesaid Barclay patent teaches that a hanging cord is threaded 
through the top selvage of the net or web of the fishnet assembly and is 
secured at regularly spaced locations to separate anchor blocks which in 
turn are secured to the fishnet corkline. 
Ban U.S. Pat. No. 4,644,432 in FIGS. 4-7 discloses the use of interlocking 
loops to engage successive sections of a net to a cork or handline. 
Brickman U.S. Pat. No. 2,408,367 and Barclay, previously cited, (element 
45, FIGS. 12-15) disclose the use of clamps to secure the monoline 
together. 
Phillips U.S. Pat. No. 3,213,560 discloses the use of tie strings 22 to 
secure a net to a leadline. 
Koetje U.S. Pat. No. 4,693,031 uses connector means 12 for securing a net 
to a longline. 
Cantor et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,562,660 uses a single long connector line to 
secure several net sections to a cork or lead-line. 
Wall U.S. Pat. No. 4,517,759 uses a stop means through a leadline to 
prevent a net securing line from slipping along the leadline. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
This invention relates to a system for hanging a fishing net from a 
corkline. 
The invention utilizes a plurality of holding devices that are suspended 
from the corkline. Each holding device has three loops projecting from a 
sleeve. One loop projects upwardly from the sleeve and is used to hang the 
sleeve from the corkline. The other two loops project downwardly from the 
sleeve. The first of these two downwardly projecting loops is much shorter 
than the second loop. The second loop is passed through the first loop and 
also through several openings at the top of the fishing net; the first 
loop of an adjacent holding device passing through the aforesaid second 
loop of the first holding device but only after that second loop has 
passed through the openings in the net.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
The invention employs a conventional corkline 10 from which net 17 hangs. 
The net is a web the upper part of which is the conventional selvage 16. 
For the purpose of this description and the claims the selvage 16 is 
considered part of the "net." 
The net 17 hangs from the corkline by a series of holding devices 11 as 
shown in more detail in FIG. 3, where there is shown a crimped cylinder 12 
having one loop 13 extending in one direction away from crimped cylinder 
12; and first and second loops 14 and 15, respectively, extending away 
from crimped cylinder 12 in another direction. 
The function of the loop 13 is to hold the crimped cylinder 12 below the 
corkline 10. As shown in FIG. 2 the loop 13 is tied around corkline 10 to 
hold the crimped cylinder 12 in place. 
In FIG. 1 is shown the corkline 10 with three holding devices such as 11. 
All three holding devices 11, 11a and 11b are identical; which means that 
loops 13, 13a and 13b are identical; that loops 14, 14a and 14b are 
identical and that loops 15, 15a and 15b are identical. 
To illustrate how the holding device 11 is connected to the net 16, 17 it 
is noted that loop 14 is passed through the free end of loop 15a of 
holding device 11a. The loop 15 is then passed through loop 14 and then 
through several openings in the net 16, 17 and is ultimately held in place 
by loop 14b. 
To secure the loops 13, 13a and 13b in place, a bonding agent 18 (FIGS. 1, 
7) is applied to the loops 13, 13a and 13b and to the corkline 10. The 
preferred bonding agent is a hot glue applied with a brush while at 
400.degree. F. A suitable glue is known as Super Bond sold by Riddling Co. 
of Texas. 
While I have shown only three holding devices 11, it is understood that the 
usual fishing net would require a great many holding devices spaced along 
the corkline 10 and the net 16, 17. 
The loops 13, 14 and 15 are composed of a mono-filament line such as that 
known as Hi-Seas Mono Filament, sold by Hi-Seas Industries, Inc., 325 
Spring Street, New York, N.Y. 10013. This single filament (mono-filament) 
line has a diameter of 1.8 milimeters and will rupture when placed under 
250 pounds in tension. A single filament plastic cord is preferred for the 
loops 13, 14 and 15, but the exact make and type described above is not 
required. That type, however, has "memory" which is very helpful when the 
holding devices are reused as they tend to correctly position themselves 
with very little effort on the part of the fisherman who is installing the 
net. 
The crimped cylinder 12 may be made from a metallic cylinder 20 (FIG. 4). 
After the loops 13, 14 and 15 have been added to the cylinder the ends 22 
and 23 of the cylinder are crimped as shown in FIG. 5. This secures the 
loops 13, 14 and 15 to the crimped cylinder 12. 
A modified form of crimped cylinder is shown in FIG. 6. To make this form 
of crimped cylinder the cylinder 20 of FIG. 4 has the mono-filament loops 
13, 14 and 15 inserted in it. It is then crimped to a shape that has an 
elliptical cross-section wherein the two ends 32 and 33 are smaller than 
the center 31; see FIG. 6. 
FIGS. 8 and 9 show apparatus, for use in the field, for making holding 
devices 11 as shown in FIG. 3. The base 80 has three sets of holes 82, 84 
and 86, and the crimping device 81. The fact that each set of holes has 
three holes permits selection of the desired lengths for each of the loops 
13, 14 and 15 (FIG. 3). With the pins 83, 85 and 87 in the selected holes 
the three loops 13, 14 and 15 are formed around the pins 83, 85 and 87 
respectively. The cylinder 20 (FIG. 4) is mounted in the hand operated 
crimping machine 81 and the loops 13, 14 and 15 are fed through the 
central opening of the cylinder 20. The crimping machine 81 is then 
operated to crimp the cylinder 20 and thereby clamp the loops 13, 14 and 
15 in the crimped cylinder. 
FIG. 10 shows how the mono-filament flexible cord may be fed from reel 90 
through the cylinder 20 and around the pins 83, 85 and 87 to form the 
three loops 13, 14 and 15. 
FIG. 11 shows apparatus for spacing the corks on the corkline. Corkline 10 
from reel 90 is fed through clamps 91 and 92 which are mounted on base 93. 
The clamps 91 and 92 enable the corkline to be held firm and the corks to 
be properly spaced while the net devices are being assembled to it.