A device for releaseably retaining a fishing line

Abstract: A device for releaseably retaining a fishing line (82) comprising a main body (10) and two leg portions (18,24) extending from the main body (10). The device further comprises resilient means (34) acting upon at least one of the leg portions (24) to urge the latter towards the other leg portion (18) with a force which, for a given relative position of the two leg portions (18,24), is adjustable.

Description: The present invention relates to a device for releaseably retaining a fishing line comprising a main body and two leg portions extending from the main body. US-A-5,129,174 discloses a device which can be placed on or removed from a fishing pole simply. It holds fishing line with the bail on reel open or closed until a fish strikes. Tension can be adjusted to control the amount of pull on the line needed to release the line. A signalling device is provided which will glow in the dark, so as to be used in daylight or dark, is released when the line is pulled loose, indicating the line is loose, and a fish has struck. The device comprises: a spring steel clip on the bottom of the device which snaps around a pole for easy installation and easy removal from pole; a plastic pinching device to hold the line; an adjustment screw with nut; and a spring wire with plastic or teflon on one end to indicate a strike. EP-A-0,619,072 discloses a bite indicator comprising a body to be mounted on a fishing rod support, a rigid arm pivotably mounted relative to the body and releasably connectable at point spaced from the pivot axis to the line of a fishing rod resting on the support, and means for resiliently applying an adjustable torque to the arm to enable an adjustable force to be applied by the arm to the fishing line. The means for resiliently applying an adjustable torque to the arm comprises a torsion spring having one end anchored relative to the body and the other end acting on the pivotable arm, the point of anchorage of the spring to the body being adjustable to vary the tension in the spring and thereby vary the torque applied to the arm by the spring. One construction which is in accordance with the opening paragraph of the present specification which has been proposed hitherto has respective bobbles at the end of the legs, and these bobbles touch one another so that a fishing line can be captured between the legs, but can be jerked away by an angler so that, with sufficient force, the line slips between the two bobbles. Such a releaseably retaining device is useful on a bite indicator of the kind which moves when a bite occurs, such movement being caused by movement of the fishing line. A problem encountered by such a construction is that the line may snag when a bite occurs, irrespective of whether the line is being put under greater tension or less tension by the fish. In addition, it is difficult on the one hand to achieve a free running of the line through the retaining device whilst obtaining a positive hold on the line until a strike by the angler is made, at the same time achieving readily the release of the line from the retaining device upon a strike. It is the aim of the present invention to obviate one or more of these disadvantages. Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a device for releaseably retaining a fishing line comprising a main body and two leg portions extending from the main body in which the device further comprises resilient means acting upon at least one of the leg portions to urge the latter towards the other leg portion with a force which, for a given relative position of the two leg portions, is adjustable. This allows for different diameters of line, reducing the risk of breakage for any given thickness of line. Preferably, at least respective parts of the leg portions are parallel. It is further desirable to have a bend in at least one of the leg portions to improve the extent to which the line is retained. Advantageously, the said at least one of the leg portions is pivotally mounted on the said main body. The said resilient means may comprise a compression string. The adjustment of the said force may be achieved by means of a cam. The latter may follow a portion of a helix, that is to say it may follow the path of a curved ramp. Such a device may be placed at the free end of a bite indicator comprising an arm which is pivotally mounted at the other end. Alternatively, such a device may be at the free end of a springy-wire bite indicator. An example of a device for releaseably retaining a fishing line, in accordance with the present invention, will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a diagrammatic see-through view of such device; Figure 2 is a diagrammatic see-through view of a modified such device; Figure 3 shows a view from above of the device shown in Figure 1, in greater detail; Figure 4 shows a view of part of the device shown in Figure 3 viewing in the direction of arrow IV therein; Figure 5 shows a sectional view of the device shown in Figure 3 along the two-part line V-V thereof; Figure 6 shows an axial sectional view of the device shown in Figure 3, taken along the line VI-VI thereof; Figure 7 shows a side view of fishing apparatus including such a device on the free end of a springy-arm bite indicator; Figure 8 is a perspective view of the apparatus shown in Figure 7 viewed from the other side and with further parts of the apparatus in view; Figures 9a, 9b and 9c show a perspective view from one side and above, a side view, and a view from above respectively, of such a device inserted in the head of a bite indicator; Figure 10 is a view from the other side of the angling apparatus including the part shown in Figures 9a, 9b and 9c; Figure 11 shows a perspective view from one side and from above of the apparatus shown in Figure 10, with further parts of the apparatus in view; Figure 12 shows an axial sectional view through a part of the apparatus shown in Figure 11; Figure 12a shows a sectional view on the line XII in Figure 12; Figure 13 shows an exploded view of the part of the apparatus shown in Figure 12; Figure 14 shows an end view of a component viewed in the direction XIV indicated in Figure 12; Figure 15 shows a portion of the component shown in Figure 14 viewed in the direction XV indicated in that Figure; Figure 16 shows a portion of the component shown in Figure 14 viewed in the direction XVI indicated in that Figure; Figure 17 shows an end view of a further component viewed in the direction XVII indicated in Figure 12; Figure 18 shows a sectional view of the component shown in Figure 17 taken along the line XVIII indicated therein; and Figure 19 shows a perspective view of the part shown in Figure 12 with further portions thereof shown more fully. The device shown in Figure 1 comprises a housing 10 having a generally cylindrical side wall 12, a top 14 and a base 16. A first stainless steel leg portion 18 extends upwardly from the top 14 of the housing 10, and is fixedly secured thereto. A rocker 20 is held within the housing 10, and is pivotally held therewithin at pivots 22 only one of which is visible in Figure 1. An upper face of the rocker 20 is generally flush with an outer face of the top 14 of the housing 10. A further stainless steel leg portion 24 extends upwardly from the main face 20, and is fixedly secured within the rocker 20. Thus there is a spacing between the bases of the leg portions 18 and 24 significant to accommodate a wide range of diameters of line. The base 16 of the housing 10 is rotatable relative thereto, and its angular position may be adjusted by means of a knurled shaft 26 which is integral with the base 16. On the upper inner surface of the base 16 there is provided an annular ramp or cam 28, the upper main face of which follows the path of the first turn of a helix. A sliding portion 30 is retained within the housing 10 so as to be in sliding engagement with the cam 28. A further sliding member 32 slidingly engages a lower slanting face of the rocker 20. A helical compression spring 34 extends between the numbers 30 and 32, and thereby urges the rocker 20 and with it the leg portion 24 in a clockwise sense viewing these parts as in Figure 1, about the pivot 22. In this way, the leg portion 24 is urged towards and abuts the leg portion 18. The force with which it is so urged can be adjusted by rotation of the knurled shaft 26 relative to the housing 10. Each of the leg portions 18 and 24 is provided with a bend in it so that each leg portion extends upwardly for a short distance and then in the slanted direction. The fixed leg portion 18 extends a little further from the housing part than the movable leg portion 24. In the modification shown in Figure 2 all corresponding parts are provided with the same reference numerals as in Figure 1, the only difference being that in this Figure the leg portions 18 and 24 slant in the opposite direction relative to the direction of slant shown in Figure 1. In both embodiments of the invention, the leg portions 18 and 24 are generally parallel to one another. Figures 3 to 6 show the construction of the device shown in Figure 1 in greater detail, corresponding parts in these Figures being given the same reference numerals as in Figure 1. It will be seen from Figure 5 that the sliding portions 30 and 32 are constrained to move linearly within a cylindrical sleeve 35 of the housing 10, which also houses the spring 34 sandwiched between the portions 30 and 32. It will be seen from Figure 6 that the lower ends of each leg portion 18 and 24 are anchored in their respective housing parts by having knurled portions 40 encapsulated within the material of those parts. In the angling apparatus shown in Figure 7, there is shown a bank stick 70 on the upper end of which is mounted a bifurcated electronic bite indicator 72. A fishing rod 74 is seated within the bifurcations of the electronic bite indicator 72. A mounting plate 76 is secured between the bite indicator 72 and the top of the bank stick 70 and to that mounting place 76 is secured a springy-arm bite indicator 78 at the free end of which there is mounted a line engagement device 80 as illustrated in Figures 1 and 3 to 6. A fishing line 82 is held between the leg portions 18 and 24 of the device 80 so that the fishing line 82 traces out a V shape between the bite indicator 72 and one of the rings 84 (the others not being shown) of the fishing rod 74. Figure 7 provides a diagrammatic representation of three different possible positions of the bite indicator 78. For two of these positions, the fishing line 82 is shown as a broken line. If the angler reacts to a bite indicated by one or both of the bite indicators 72 and 78, and makes a strike, the line 82 is readily released from the retaining device 80. Figure 8 shows the apparatus from the other side, and includes a reel 86 of the rod 74. It also shows the commencement of the strike insofar as the rod 72 has been lifted clear of the bite indicator 72, and the line 82 is about to be released from the retaining means 80 at the end of the springy-arm bite detector 78. In Figures 9a, 9b and 9c, the device 80 with its leg portions 18 and 24 extending outwardly therefrom is seated in the head 88 of a modified form of bite indicator. The knurled shaft 26 protrudes beyond a lower side of the head 88. Figure 10 shows the full construction of the bite indicator of which the head 88 is a part. The apparatus shown in Figure 10 corresponds to that shown in Figure 7, with like parts being given the same reference numerals, except that the springy-arm bite indicator 78 has been replaced by a bite indicator 100 in the form of a generally rigid arm 102 which is connected to one end to a pivot 104, the other end of the arm 102 being provided with the head 88. A slidable weight 106 is attached to the arm 102 and can be slid backwardly or forwardly along the arm to adjust the tension of the line 82. The axis of the device 80 is at about 16° to an imaginary plane which is perpendicular to the arm 102. Furthermore, at least one of the leg portions, in this case the leg portion 18, extends over the line of the arm 102, to capture the line 82. The view shown in Figure 11 bears the same relationship to Figure 10 as the view shown in Figure 8 bears to that shown in Figure 7. Details of the pivot 104 shown in Figures 10 and 11 are shown in Figures 12 to 19. The pivot comprises a generally cylindrical housing 120 which is provided with a knurled portion 122 at an outer end thereof to assist the user in grasping and rotating the latter. The housing 122 surrounds an axially extending hollow shaft 124, an outer end of which is closed by means of a flanged plug 126 having an annular groove 128 extending around the outside of this flange. An open frictional ring 130 is seated within this groove 128 so that a portion of the ring 130 protrudes outwardly therefrom and contacts an inner face of the cylindrical housing 120. The shaft 124 is integral with a mount 132 which has a generally circular base portion 134 and a further portion 136 which is generally L-shaped in the axial section shown in Figure 12. A pivot pin 138 has respective ends received in respective holes of the two portions 134 and 136. The pin 138 extends through a through hole 140 provided in the end of a pivoted connector member 142 to which is secured the pivot arm 102 shown in Figures 10 and 11. An axially extending helical spring 144 is enclosed within the housing 120, and has one end 146 abutting against an abutment 148 provided on the interior of the housing 120, and another end which extends outwardly from the housing 120 through a slot 150 provided therein and thence in an axial direction to a portion 152 of that end of the spring 144 which engages the connecting portion 142 at a position thereof which is spaced from the pivot pin 138. The housing 120 and the base 134 interengage one another by respective castellations 154 and 156, as shown more clearly in Figure 12a. Figures 13 and 19 show more clearly how the mount 132 is made integral with an attachment portion 170 having a female part of a dovetail joint 172, to enable the pivot 104 to be connected to the plate 76 shown in Figures 10 and 11. Figure 19 also shows how the spring assembly acts on the arm 102 also shown in Figures 10 and 11. It will be appreciated from Figure 12 that the spring 144 acts on the connector member 142 so as to urge the latter to rotate about the pin 138. This may be used to increase the downward pull of the head 88 on the line 82, or to counter the torque already applied by the weight 106. It therefore can be used to provide a fine adjustment to this torque. Alternatively, the weight 106 may provide the fine adjustment relative to the spring assembly. This adjustment itself may be varied by rotation of the housing 120 relative to the base 134. To effect such rotation, the housing 120 is first of all moved axially and outwardly away from the base 132 to disengage the respective castellations 154 and 156. A shoulder 158 provided on the inside of the housing 120 will abut the flange of the plug 126 if the housing 120 is pulled out too far. In this way, the plug 126 acts as a stop against accidental removal of the housing 120. The housing 120 may now be rotated about the axis of the pivot to increase or decrease the force applied by the spring 144 to the connector member 142. The selected axial rotation can be maintained by re-engaging the castellations 154 and 156 of the housing 120 and the base 134 (although the ones actually labelled 154 and 156 will not now be engaging one another). In a zero setting of the housing 120, the end 146 of the spring 144 is free to move between the abutments 148 and 162 without any force being applied by the spring to the connecting member 142. In this way a zero or a generally optimum setting can be made by means of the weight 106 without interference from the spring, and then a finer adjustment can be made by means of the spring assembly by subsequent rotation of the housing 120. Many variations and modifications to the illustrated device will readily occur to the reader of ordinary skill in the art without taking it outside the scope of the present invention, For example, the function of the spring 34 or 144 could be performed by foam or rubber.

Claims: A device for releaseably retaining a fishing line (82) comprising a main body (10) and two leg portions (18,24) extending from the main body (10) characterised in that the device further comprises resilient means (34) acting upon at least one of the leg portions (24) to urge the latter towards the other leg portion (18) with a force which, for a given relative position of the two leg portions (18,24), is adjustable. A device according to claim 1, characterised in that at least respective parts of the leg portions (18,24) are parallel. A device according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterised in that there is a bend in at least one of the leg portions (24). A device according to claim 3, characterised in that said at least one of the leg portions (24) is pivotally mounted on said main body (10). A device according to any preceding claim, characterised in that said resilient means comprises a compression spring (34). A device according to any preceding claim, characterised in that the adjustment of said force is achieved by means of a cam (28) of the device. A device according to claim 6, characterised in that said cam (28) follows the path of a curved ramp. An assembly comprising a device according to any preceding claim, and a bite indicator comprising an arm (102) which is pivotally mounted at one of its ends (104), said device being placed at the other of its ends. An assembly comprising a device according to any preceding claim, and a springy-wire bite indicator (78) at the free end of which is placed said device.

Inventors: FOX CLIFFORD ROYSTON, FOX, CLIFFORD ROYSTON
Applicants: FOX DESIGN INT, FOX DESIGN INTERNATIONAL LIMITED
Application year: 1998
Main classification: A01K97
IPC codes: A01K97, F16G11