CONNECTION MEANS

Abstract: A means for releasable connection between a line and the free end of a bar or rod or pin shaped element (4), e.g. the leg of a fish hook, which means comprises a sleeve shaped element (1) adapted to be attached to the line and to axially receive the free end of the bar or rod or pin shaped element (4) under cooporation between the said free end and a substantially U-shaped leaf spring (9) disposed in a cavity (5) in the sleeve shaped element (1), the free ends of the spring being bent outwardly to cooperate with oblique end faces (7) in the cavity (5) and being provided with a cut out (11) for engagement with an annular surface (16) on the bar or rod or pin shaped element (4). To prevent the spring (9) from being unintentionally opened, the side walls (8) of the cavity (5) are provided with projections (17) intended to engage with the branches of the U-shaped spring (9).

Description: Connection means. The present invention relates to a means for releasable connection between a line and the free end of a pin shaped element, e.g. the leg of a fish hook, which means comprises a sleeve shaped element adapted to be attached to the line and to axially receive the free end of the pin shaped element under cooperation between the said free end and a substantially U-shaped leaf spring disposed in a cavity in the sleeve shaped element, the free ends " of the spring being bent outwardly to cooperate with an oblique end face in the cavity and being provided with a cut- out for engage¬ ment with an annular surface on the bar or pin shaped element. Means have previously been proposed for connection between a fish hook and a line snood, said means being called a snood head. In one embodiment, known from the Norwegian patent No. 143.726, the snood head consists of a body with an extended bore, the wall of which is resilient to cooperate with the head of a fish hook leg. In another embodiment, known from the Norwegian Patent No. 146.935, a substantially U-shaped leaf spring is disposed in a trans¬ verse cavity in the snood head and is locked between transverse surfaces in the cavity, the free ends of the leaf spring being provided with an aperture for engagement with an abutment on the hook leg and also being bent out¬ wardly to engage with an'oblique transverse surface in the cavity, so that the engagement between the snood head and the fish hook is between two metal elements. The present invention relates to a means in which the connection between a pin shaped element and a sleeve shaped element is of the character known from the last mentioned patent, but so modified that the U-shaped leaf spring does not open merely by the pin shaped element being pulled. According to the invention, this is achieved by providing the side wall of the cavity in the sleeve shaped element __ with a projection adapted to cooperate with the branches of the U-shaped leaf spring in such a manner that the pin shaped element may not unintentionally be withdrawn from the sleeve shaped element. The invention shall be closer described with reference to the accompanying drawings disclosing an embodiment of the invention in a connection between a fish hook and a snood head. Figure 1 shows the connection means in a side view, partly in section. Figure 2 is a side view of the connection means of Figure 1, seen at right angles to the view seen in Figure 1. Figure 3 shows the U-shaped spring, seen in the same direction as in Figure 2. Figures 4,5 and 6 show the connection means in three phases of the establishment of the connection. Figure 7 shows a detail of a blocked connection between U-spring and hook leg. As shown in the drawings, the snood head consists of an extended body 1 preferably made of plastics and having circular or rectangular cross section. The body 1 is at one end provided with an eye 2 for receiving and attaching a snood, not shown. In the opposite end of the snood head an extended bore 3 is provided which is adapted for intro¬ duction, recieving and withdrawal of the leg 4 Of a fish hook. Along its length the bore 3 is enlarged to a trans¬ verse cavity 5 which at the end closest to the inlet end of the bore 3 presents a plane surface 6 and which in the opposite direction presents two oblique surfaces 7. In the transverse cavity 5 a substantially U-shaped leaf spring 9 is locked, the bottom portion 10 of which, having an aper¬ ture corresponding to the bore 3, engages with the surface OMPI 6 while each of the free ends of the spring is provided with a cut out 11, each of the spring branches being bent to engage with its respective oblique surface 7. The spring 9 is kept in place by a bushing 12 which does also serve as a guide for the hook leg 4. The bottom portion 10 of the leaf spring 9 is provided with projections 13 as seen in Figures 2 and 3. The hook leg 4 is to be provided with a head 14 formed by chamfering the leg 4 to provide a concical surface 15 ending at an annular surface 16 substantially at right angles to the axis of the leg 4 and adapted to engage the bottom of each cut out 11 in the leaf spring ends. The hook leg head 14 is pointed so as to make the leaf spring ends diverge when the leg 4 is passed through the bore 3. When mounting the hook 4 in the snood head 1, the free pointed end of the hook leg head 14 is moved inwardly in the bore and cavity (Figure 4) . Hereby the head 14 engages the leaf spring branches and tend to divert these so that the head 14 will pass the bottom of the cut outs 11 and further into the bore 3. When the annular surface 16 on the rear end of the head 14 passes the bottom of the cut outs 11, the diverting action on the spring branches ceases so that these return towards the conical surface 15 until the bottom of the cut outs 11 catch behind the annular surface 16 on the head 14, thereby effectively preventing the hook leg from being withdrawn from the bore 3 in the snood head 1. The hook leg 4 being in the position shown in Figures 1 and 7, the spring 9 clasps around the conical surface 15 on the hook leg 4 and prevents the latter frombeingwithdrawn from the snood head 1, the pull in the leg 4 being transferred to the snood head 1 through the surface 16 and the bottom of the leaf spring cut outs 11. If during such pull the leg 4 is rotated relative to the head 1, the spring 9 might open OMPI . _ due to frictional forces between the surface 16 and the bottom of the cut outs 11, so that the leg might be un¬ intentionally withdrawn. To prevent such unintended with¬ drawal, projections 17 are provided on the side walls 8 of the cavity 5, which projections serve to restrict the divertion of the spring 9 through their engagement with the outwardly bent free ends of the spring, thereby blocking these ends such as shown in Figures 1, 5 and 7. When the leg 4 is to be withdrawn from the snood head 1, the bottom portion 10 of the leaf spring 9 is biassed, by means of the projections 13 shown in Figures 2 and 3, away from the engagement with the surface 6, so that the free ends of the leaf spring branches will slide outwardly along the oblique surfaces 7, the branches thereby diverting and the annular surface 16 on the hook leg head 14 thereby being disengaged from the bottom of the cut outs 11, whereby the hook leg 4 may be withdrawn from the bore 3_ As mentioned, the drawings show the arrangement of the invention adapted to the connection between a fish hook and a snood, but it will be evident that the arrangement may equally well be adapted to other connections between a bar or rod or pin and a line or rope, e.g. a connection between a cableway basket and a cableway rope.

Claims: CLAIM Means for releasable connection between a line and the free end of a pin shaped element (4) , e.g. the leg of a fish hook, which means comprises a sleeve shaped element (I) adapted to be attached to the line and to axially receive the free end of the pin shaped element (4) under cooperation between the said free end and a substantially U-shaped leaf spring (9) disposed in a cavity (5) in the sleeve shaped element (1), the free ends of the spring being bent outwardly to cooperate with oblique end faces (7) in the cavity (5) and being provided with a cut out (II) for engagement with an annular surface (16) on the bar or rod or pin shaped element (4) , c h a r a c t e r i z e d b y projections (17) being provided on the side walls (8) of the cavity (5) for engagement with the branches of the U-shaped spring (9) . OMPI

Inventors: BJOERSHOL KOLBJOERN, BJOERSHOL, KOLBJOERN
Applicants: BJORSHOL KOLBJORN, BJOERSHOL, KOLBJOERN
Application year: 1984
Main classification: A01K83
IPC codes: A01K83, A01K91