PATENT ABSTRACT
The present invention relates to a landing net for use in sport fishing and, more specifically, to a landing net having a filled handle providing desirable flotation and strengthening properties.

PATENT DESCRIPTION
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION  
       [0001]     This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/655,173, filed Feb. 22, 2005. The benefit of the filing date of this application is hereby claimed, and the disclosure of said provisional application is hereby incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF INVENTION  
       [0002]     1. Field of Invention  
         [0003]     The present invention relates to a landing net for use in sport fishing and, more specifically, to a landing net having a filled handle providing desirable flotation and strengthening properties.  
         [0004]     2. Background  
         [0005]     Fishermen commonly use landing nets in sport fishing to bring a fish into the boat or out of the water to ensure that the fish does not get away or the line on which the fish is hooked does not break.  
         [0006]     Landing nets are available in a variety of sizes. Landing nets are also available in a wide variety of materials. However, most landing nets today consist of a hollow aluminum or carbon fiber shaft, to which is attached a tubular member shaped approximately into a hoop. A net is attached to the hoop-shaped tubular member, and is sized appropriately for the type of fish being caught.  
         [0007]     When landing a fish, the fisherman is often trying to accomplish several tasks at once. On the one hand, the fisherman is trying to guide the hooked fish into the net. At the same time he must also hold the net steady, and not permit the line on which the fish is hooked to run back into the water. Predictably, it is not unusual for fishermen to drop a landing net while trying to accomplish these tasks.  
         [0008]     Most landing nets currently sold in the United States will sink if dropped into the water. This is a problem from many perspectives. From an environmental perspective, aquatic and marine creatures may become entangled in a landing net that sinks in the water. From a safety perspective, when attempting to land a fish, a fisherman who drops his or her landing net into the water is likely to impulsively attempt to retrieve the landing net. If the landing net quickly sinks in the water, the fisherman may have to reach deep into the water, which could result in the capsizing of a boat and/or the fisherman falling into the water.  
         [0009]     Other types of floating nets, not specifically landing nets, are known in other areas of sport fishing. These floating nets are generally created by having a plastic or aluminum handle, which is sealed so as to prevent the entry of water and to create an air pocket that provides flotation. This method of providing flotation, however, is not desirable or effective for landing nets. Even a small hole anywhere along the landing net handle can allow entry of water, which will make the landing net difficult to use when netting a fish due to excessive weight, will make the landing net sink if dropped, and will result in water slowly leaking back out once the landing net is removed from the water and put in a boat or car.  
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0010]     The present invention relates to a landing net and, more specifically, to a landing net having a filled handle providing desirable flotation and strengthening properties.  
         [0011]     The foregoing and other objectives, features, and advantages of the invention will be more readily understood upon consideration of the following detailed description of the invention, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0012]     The foregoing aspects and many of the attendant advantages of this invention will become more readily appreciated as the same become better understood by reference to the following detailed description, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:  
         [0013]      FIG. 1  is a drawing showing an exemplary side perspective view of a landing net of the present invention.  
         [0014]      FIG. 2  is a drawing showing an exemplary front perspective view of a landing net of the present invention.  
         [0015]      FIG. 3  is a drawing showing an exemplary interior perspective of the handle of the landing net of the present invention.  
         [0016]      FIG. 4  is a drawing showing an exemplary interior perspective of the connection between the handle and the hoop-shaped tubular member of the landing net of the present invention.  
         [0017]      FIG. 5  is a drawing showing an exemplary top interior perspective view of the connection between the handle and the hoop-shaped tubular member of the landing net of the present invention.  
         [0018]      FIGS. 6-8  are drawings showing exemplary interior perspective views of the handle of the landing net of the present invention.  
         [0019]      FIGS. 9-10  are drawings showing an exemplary top interior perspective view of the handle of the landing net of the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0020]     The present invention is a landing net  100  comprising a net  10  framed on a hoop-shaped tubular member  20 , which is attached to a hollow shaft  30  that serves as a handle for the net. The hollow shaft  30  can be circular, elliptical, or rectangular in axial cross section, or can be any other shape convenient for forming a handle  30 . At least a portion of the hollow shaft  30  is filled with closed-cell foam, cork, balsa wood, air bladder insert and any other composite material used to create flotation (collectively referred to as “core material”), which provides flotation and strengthening characteristics to the handle  30 . Open-cell foam is also an element that is known in the industry and may be used to fill a hollow shaft, although open-cell foam is not claimed as part of this invention.  FIGS. 5-14  show various exemplary embodiments and views of the landing net  100  of the present invention.  
         [0021]     While this detailed description is directed to larger nets intended for fish weighing from half a pound to sixty pounds, construction of similar nets for smaller or larger fish would be practicable and nothing in this detailed description should limit the size of the landing net  100  or use of the present invention with varying fish sizes or weights.  
         [0022]     Although the hollow shaft  30  of the present invention may be any shape, in a preferred embodiment, the hollow shaft  30  is octagonally shaped. An octagonally shaped hollow shaft  30  increases the structural rigidity of the hollow shaft  30  as well as the strength of the landing net  100 . Further, an octagonally shaped hollow shaft  30  allows for a more thinly gauged exterior wall of the hollow shaft  30 , which reduces the weight of the hollow shaft  30  and provides a lighter landing net  100 .  
         [0023]     In a second preferred embodiment, the entire length of the hollow shaft  30  is filled with a core material  40 . The core material  40  not only provides buoyancy, but also has sufficient strength and density to provide additional rigidity to the hollow shaft  30 . The increased rigidity of the hollow shaft  30  improves the handling characteristics of the landing net  100  for its intended purpose. In one example of this second preferred embodiment, the hollow shaft  30  has a length of 48 inches, and the hoop-shaped tubular member  20  measures 24 inches wide by 29 inches long.  
         [0024]     A third preferred embodiment of the landing net  100  of the present invention involves fabricating a hollow shaft  30  from a carbon fiber material, as is generally well known to those of ordinary skill in the art. A hollow shaft  30  made from carbon fiber provides a more rigid, potentially lighter hollow shaft  30 . The hollow shaft  30  made from carbon fiber may be filled with core material  40 , either partially or completely, to provide buoyancy and additional rigidity.  
         [0025]     Various types of core material  40  can be used to accomplish the invention, all of which are well known to those of ordinary skill in the art, although it is preferred that a closed-cell foam be used as the core material  40  in connection with the present invention. Exemplary types of closed-cell foam  40  that may be used in connection with the present invention including, but not limited to polyurethane foam, are manufactured by companies such as Dow Chemical Company and Stepan Company.  
         [0026]     The core material  40  may be disposed inside the hollow shaft  30  in one of several ways well known to those of ordinary skill in the art. In a first exemplary embodiment, the core material  40  is cut or otherwise formed into a shape with dimensions matching the inside of the hollow shaft  30  constituting the handle of the net. The core material  40  may then be inserted within the hollow shaft  30  and fixed using waterproof glue or any other well known methods of affixing a core material  40  inside a hollow shaft  30 .  
         [0027]     In a second exemplary embodiment and depending on the type of core material  40  used in connection with the present invention, one end of the hollow shaft  30  is first sealed with a sealant. Preferably, the sealed end of the hollow shaft  30  will be the end in which the hoop-shaped tubular member  20  has been inserted or otherwise affixed. The core material may then be disposed inside the hollow shaft in any manner befitting the specific core material used. For example, if the core material is closed-cell foam, a foam-forming liquid may be injected into the hollow shaft  30 . The foam-forming liquid is permitted to expand to fill the entire hollow shaft  30  with closed-cell foam  40 . This method avoids the need to then affix the closed-cell foam  40  to the inside of the hollow shaft  30 .  
         [0028]     A landing net  100  with a core material  40  filled hollow shaft  30  as described above can be fabricated in such a way that the core material  40  prevents water from filling part or all of the hollow shaft  30 . The core material  40  provides sufficient buoyancy to cause the landing net  100  to float if dropped in the water.  
         [0029]     If the core material  40  fills the entire void in the hollow shaft  30 , the core material  40  should prevent water from entering into and remaining in the hollow shaft  30 . In addition to other benefits listed herein, a landing net  100  constructed in this manner should not retain water, which eliminates the problem of trapped water dripping or leaking from the landing net  100  out onto the floor of a boat, vehicle, or storage area.  
         [0030]     An appropriately chosen core material  40 , such as the exemplary cell-foams described above, can strengthen the hollow shaft  30  of the landing net  100 , making it more rigid. This quality of cell-foams results in a landing net  100  that has a more “balanced feel” in the fisherman&#39;s hand, without the addition of significant and undesirable weight. Such a landing net  100  is easier for a fisherman to handle and control.  
         [0031]     In addition to the other advantages described above, the landing net  100  of the present invention is a quieter net than others sold in the industry. The core material  40  of the landing net  100  of the present invention dampens the sound that results from hitting the landing net  100  against, for example, a side of a boat when trying to land a fish. In addition, the landing net  100  of the present invention is quieter when dropped to the floor of a boat, car, or other vehicle. The noise-dampening effect of the core material  40  produces a more desirable landing net  100 , in part because the lower level of noise is less likely to spook a fish, less likely to interrupt or irritate other fisherman in the area, and because the landing net  100  is less noisy to handle when being stored or transported.  
         [0032]     Further, the landing net  100  of the present invention is beneficial to the environment. Because the landing net  100  does not sink to the bottom of a lake or ocean, entanglement of the landing net  100  with aquatic and marine creatures will be avoided. Also, from a safety perspective, when using the landing net  100  of the present invention to land a fish, the floating nature of the landing net  100  will allow a fisherman to avoid impulsively retrieving the fallen landing net  100  in the water, which could result in the capsizing of a boat or the fisherman falling in the water.  
         [0033]     Additionally, the landing net  100  of the present invention may also be beneficial in that, if a fish has landed in the landing net  100 , and if the landing net  100  is subsequently dropped into the water, it is more difficult for a fish to escape from the landing net  100  floating on the water than a net that has sunk into the water. The buoyance of the landing net  100  of the present invention may counteract a fishes ability to retreat into the water.  
         [0034]     Other advantages and details about the landing net  100  of the present invention are detailed in the accompanying drawings.  
         [0035]     The terms and expressions that have been employed in the foregoing specification are used as terms of description and not of limitation, and are not intended to exclude equivalents of the features shown and described or portions of them. The scope of the invention is defined and limited only by the claims that follow.