Abstract:
A fishing tackle and lure holder is provided wherein the holder comprises a cylindrical sleeve having upper and lower open ends. A base is detachably secured to the lower end of the sleeve. The diameter of the base is greater than the diameter of the sleeve such that the base extends outwardly from the sleeve to provide a stable support for the sleeve. An array of hook apertures are formed into the upper portion of the sleeve. Specifically, at least two sets of hook apertures are formed or cut into the upper portion of the sleeve. Each hook aperture is designed to receive and hold a hook associated with a fishing tackle or a lure. This will permit a series of fishing tackle and lures to be suspended in an organized fashion around the sleeve of the holder.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to fishing tackle and fishing lures and more particularly to a support structure for receiving and holding fishing tackle and fishing lures in a suspended and organized manner around the support structure. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Deep-sea or offshore fishing has, over the years, become a very popular sport. While there are various types of deep sea fishing, some fishermen travel as much as 40 to 50 miles offshore to an area known as the gulf stream where fish of all types are more plentiful than other areas along the shore. 
     People that fish regularly are often skilled and experienced and this skill and experience is often reflected in the productivity of fishermen. Deep-sea fishermen spend substantial time planning and preparing for fishing trips. That is, they purchase a variety of fishing tackle and fishing lures and spend time prior to departing rigging and organizing fishing tackle and lures. It is important that the various fishing tackle and lures utilized by fishermen be organized and be carried and supported by a device that makes them easy to retrieve while at sea. Time can be wasted when a school of fish are encountered and yet the fishing lures and tackle of the fishermen are tangled, disorganized and not kept in a manner that enables them to be quickly and easily retrieved and appropriately connected to a spinning reel. 
     There are devices known which receive and hold fishing lures and fishing tackle. These devices are used on boats and are adapted to receive and hold multiple lures and tackle. For example, it is known to use a bucket on board to receive and hold a variety of fishing tackle and lures. These are conventional plastic buckets with a bottom and an upper opening defined by a rim. The rim can be notched so as to form a series of V-shaped receiving points around the top of the bucket. The hooks of fishing lures and tackle can be laid into the bottom of the V-shaped slots, allowing the fishing lures and tackle to be suspended therefrom. However, these types of devices have a number of drawbacks. One of the principal drawbacks is that these devices are very unstable on a boat and are especially unstable in rough seas. Often in rough seas these buckets will turn over and the various fishing lures and tackle supported thereon become tangled and intermixed. Hence, time is required to separate the various fishing tackle and lures and to reorganize them around the upper rim of the bucket. 
     Therefore, there has been and continues to be a need for a device for receiving and holding fishing tackle and lures that is stable and will generally remain upright on the floor of a boat even during relatively rough seas. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention entails a fishing tackle and lure holder for holding a series of fishing tackle and lures in an organized manner. The holder comprises a sleeve having an interior surface and an exterior surface. A base is provided that supports the sleeve. The base is sized such that the base extends outwardly from the sleeve thereby providing stability to the sleeve. Further, there is provided an array of fishing tackle and lure receivers formed around the sleeve for receiving and holding individual fishing tackle and lures. 
     In one particular embodiment, the sleeve assumes a generally cylindrical shape. Likewise the base is of a generally cylindrical shape. However, the diameter of the base exceeds the diameter of the sleeve such that when the base is secured to the sleeve, the base provides additional stability. 
     In another particular embodiment of the present invention, the fishing tackle and lure holder is provided with multiple arrays of apertures or receivers. Each array extends around the holder in a selected fashion. For example, an array of apertures or receivers can be formed or placed around the upper portion of the sleeve. Further, as another option, an annular rim can be secured to the top of the sleeve and apertures or receivers can be formed therein. 
     The present invention also entails a method of manufacturing a holder for fishing tackle and lures. The method includes beginning with a bucket having a cylindrical wall and having a bottom. The method entails cutting out at least a portion of the bottom of the bucket so as to form a cylindrical sleeve having upper and lower open areas. The method further includes providing a base for the formed sleeve. Finally, a series of hook apertures or receivers are formed or cut into the formed sleeve or into an annular rim that can be secured to the sleeve. 
     Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent and obvious from a study of the following description and the accompanying drawings which are merely illustrative of such invention. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is an exploded perspective view of the fishing tackle and lure holder of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the fishing tackle and lure holder of the present invention showing the sleeve attached to the base. 
         FIG. 3  is a top plan view of the fishing tackle and lure holder with the top annular rim of the device removed to better illustrate portions of the base. 
         FIG. 4  is a fragmentary perspective view showing a portion of the wall structure of the sleeve with the various apertures formed therein. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     With further reference to the drawings, a fishing tackle and lure support device is shown therein and indicated generally by the numeral  10 . As will be appreciated from subsequent portions of this disclosure, the support  10  functions to receive and hold fishing tackle and lures, and to maintain the fishing tackle and lures in an organized manner such that they can be accessed and retrieved quickly and conveniently. 
     Turning now to a description of the fishing tackle and lure support  10 , the same includes a sleeve indicated generally by the numeral  12 . Sleeve  12  in the embodiment illustrated herein is of a cylindrical design and includes a surrounding wall  14 . Sleeve  12  is open at the top and bottom. About the bottom or lower portion of the sleeve  12  there is provided a series of inwardly projecting tabs  16 . This is best illustrated in  FIG. 3 . As seen therein, tabs  16  project a short distance inwardly from the lower terminal edge of the sleeve. Tabs  16 , as will be understood from subsequent portions of this disclosure, function to connect the sleeve  12  to an underlying support structure. 
     Disposed below the sleeve  12  is a base indicated generally by the numeral  20 . Base  20  is designed, in the case of this embodiment, to be detachably secured to the sleeve  12 . It will be understood and appreciated, that the base  20  need not be designed so as to be detachably securable to the sleeve  12 . In any event, base  20  includes a generally flat bottom  22  and a surrounding wall  24 . Disposed on the bottom  22  and projecting upwardly therefrom are a series of circumferentially spaced supports  26 . Each support includes an outer edge that has a slot formed therein. The slots of supports  26  function to receive the respective tabs  16  of the sleeve. That is, the tabs  16  can be turned into the slots formed in the supports  26  and the engagement of the tabs within the slots will effectively secure the sleeve  12  to the base. 
     Base  20  forms a surrounding tray that extends adjacent the lower portion of the sleeve  12 . This tray is indicated generally by the numeral  30 . As seen in  FIG. 1 , the tray  30  projects outwardly from the sleeve and forms an area for holding supplies and equipment such as pliers, knives, additional hooks and lines and other fishing related supplies or paraphernalia. Other types of base designs may be employed. For example, the device could be provided with a pair of cross members that extend outwardly from the bottom of the sleeve. Alternatively the device could be provided with a series of shoes or supports that would project outwardly from the bottom portion of the sleeve. 
     Base  20  functions to add stability to the sleeve  12 . That is, the diameter of the base  20  exceeds the diameter of the sleeve  12 . As seen in the drawings, base  20  projects outwardly from the sleeve  12 . This will, of course, add additional stability compared to a design that simply relies on the sleeve to stable itself. It is appreciated that the fishing tackle and lure holder or device  10  is designed to be utilized on board a fishing vessel. This means that the base  12  will ordinarily sit on the floor or other support structure within a boat. When the boat rocks back and forth, for example in rough seas, the base  20  will provide adequate support for the sleeve and the fishing tackle and lure device  10  will generally resist tipping over. 
     The fishing tackle and lure holder  10  is designed to be portable and to be carried to and from a fishing vessel. In order to facilitate the portability of this device and to make carrying easy, the device is provided with a handle  40 . Note that the handle  40  is pivotally connected into the wall  14  of the sleeve and can be rotated from the position shown in  FIG. 1  to an upright holding position. 
     The device  10  functions to receive and hold fishing tackle and lures. To accommodate this function, the device is provided with an array of apertures or hook receivers for receiving and retaining one or more hooks associated with a fishing tackle or a fishing lure. Herein the terms aperture and hook receiver are meant to mean the same and to be interchangeable. The term aperture or hook receiver simply means a structure that will receive a hook of a fishing tackle or lure and hold the same such that the lure can be suspended or supported by the aperture or hook receiver. 
     In the case of the fishing tackle and lure support device  10 , the same includes an array of apertures or hook receivers. There is a first array of apertures formed along the upper portion of the sleeve  12 . This first array of apertures is referred to by the numeral  50 . Note that the first array of apertures  50  includes a series of side-by-side elongated openings that are formed in the upper portion of the sleeve  12 . The individual apertures or hook receivers  50  that form the first array extend circumferentially around the entire or substantial portion of the sleeve. 
     Spaced below the first array of apertures or hook receivers is a second array of apertures or hook receivers. The second array of apertures or hook receivers is referred to by the numeral  52 . In this particular embodiment, the sleeve is provided with a circumferential rib  53  that extends around the sleeve  12  about the outer surface thereof. This circumferential rib adds rigidity to the sleeve. In the case of this embodiment the circumferential rib  53  includes a portion that projects outwardly from the wall  14  of the sleeve  12 . It is in this portion of the circumferential rib  53  that the array of apertures or hook receivers  52  is formed. This is particularly illustrated in  FIG. 4 . Again, the apertures or hook receivers  52  are elongated and extend substantially around the sleeve  12 . 
     A third array of apertures or hook receivers is also provided. The third array of apertures or hook receivers is referred to by the numeral  54 . This third array of apertures or hook receivers  54  is made possible through an annular rim  56 . Annular rim  56  is adapted to be detachably secured to the top portion of the sleeve  12 . Annular rim  56  can be detachably secured in various ways. In one embodiment, it is contemplated that the annular rim  56  would include a groove that would snap on to the upper edge of the sleeve  12  in the same fashion that the top of a plastic bucket would snap on to the upper edge of the surrounding wall structure of the bucket. In any event, the third array of apertures or hook receivers  54  is formed in the annular rim  56 . This is particularly illustrated in  FIGS. 1 ,  2  and  4 . Note that the third array of apertures  54  is disposed inwardly of the wall  14 . Thus, when hooks of fishing tackle and lures are hooked into the third array of apertures  54  it follows that the fishing tackle and lures are suspended interiorly of the wall  14  of the sleeve. This will, of course, separate these fishing tackle and lures from those that would be suspended from the apertures of the first and second arrays of apertures or hook receivers. 
     For purposes of explanation, three different fishing lures are shown in the drawings ( FIG. 2 ). These include fishing lure  60 , fishing lure  62  and fishing lure  64 . Fishing lure  60  is shown suspended from one of the apertures  50  found in the first array. Note that the hook of lure  60  is simply hooked into the aperture and that the fishing lure  60  is simply suspended along the outer surface of the wall  14  of the sleeve. Fishing lure  62 , on the other hand, is suspended from one of the apertures  52  of the second array. Note again where fishing lure  62  is simply suspended along the outer surface of the surrounding wall  14  of the sleeve  12 . Finally, the third fishing lure  64  is suspended from an aperture  54  of the third array. This fishing lure effectively hangs or is suspended along the interior wall  14  of the sleeve  12 . 
     The fishing tackle and lure support device  10  can be constructed in various ways and from various materials. In one embodiment, it is contemplated that the device would be of a plastic construction. With respect to manufacturing the fishing tackle and lure support device  10 , it is contemplated that the process can begin with obtaining commercially made plastic five gallon buckets. The bottom of these buckets can be cut out in such a fashion that the cut-out leaves the tabs  16  projecting inwardly as illustrated in  FIG. 3 . Some plastic buckets may include a circumferential rib such as the rib  53  shown in the drawings. In some cases these circumferential ribs will project outwardly from the wall of the bucket. Consequently, apertures or hook receivers can simply be cut into the rib of the bucket. This would, of course, form the second array of apertures  52 . About the upper rim or edge of the bucket, additional apertures can be cut circumferentially around the top of the bucket. This would form the first set of apertures  50 . Other products are known to have been made from buckets. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,699,753 is directed to an animal feeder, and the upper housing of the animal feeder can be constructed from a bucket. 
     Finally, some five gallon plastic buckets are provided with a snap-on plastic top. The plastic top of these buckets can be machined or cut so as to form the annular rim  56 . Once the annular rim has been machined or formed, then the third array of apertures  54  can be cut therein. 
     Various bases can be utilized. In the case of the embodiment illustrated herein, the base  20  would be designed and molded to receive the tabs  16 . Of course many other designs and means can be provided for making the base detachably secured to the sleeve  12 . As pointed out above, however, the base need not be detachably secured to the sleeve. 
     The fishing tackle and lure holding device of the present invention has many advantages. First its design makes the device as a whole very stable even when disposed on the floor of a fishing vessel at rough seas. The base in this case has a diameter that exceeds that diameter of the sleeve and that increased diameter makes the unit, as a whole, more stable. In addition, the multiple arrays of apertures or hook receivers for holding and organizing many different fishing tackle and lures enable fishermen to easily and conveniently carry all of their fishing lures to and from a fishing vessel. In addition, once on the fishing vessel, the support  10  maintains the fishermen&#39;s fishing tackle and lures in an organized configuration with the individual tackle and lures being separated and being disposed such that they can be easily accessed and retrieved. 
     The present invention may, of course, be carried out in other specific ways than those herein set forth without departing from the scope and the essential characteristics of the invention. The present embodiments are therefore to be construed in all aspects as illustrative and not restrictive and all changes coming within the meaning and equivalency range of the appended claims are intended to be embraced therein.