Abstract:
A portable fly-tying mat which includes a flexible material, a plurality of removable containers and a magnetic strip. During transport the flexible material is fastened in a rolled position. When open, the portable fly-tying mat provides fly-tying material organization, a high visibility surface, and an easily cleanable surface.

Description:
FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH  
         [0001]    Not Applicable  
         SEQUENCE LISTING OR PROGRAM  
         [0002]    Not Applicable  
         BACKGROUND—FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0003]    This invention relates to fly-tying, specifically it is an improved portable surface for tying flies.  
         BACKGROUND—DESCRIPTION OF PRIOR ART  
         [0004]    Fly-tying is a hobby which requires the use of many different tools and materials. Because of this a fly-tier needs a large, flat, easily cleanable, and high contrast surface to put these tools and materials on. The fly-tier that has a lot of room has a vast number of choices of fly-tying tables and benches that he/she can choose from. However, the fly-tier with limited home space or who brings fly-tying materials with him/her to tie flies when on the road, has no fly-tying compact surface which is mobile enough to travel.  
           [0005]    U.S. Pat. No. 4,894,581 to Roberts (1990), U.S. Pat. No. 5,302,014 to Hobson (1994), U.S. Pat. No. 5,366,071 to Laszlo (1994), and U.S. Pat. No. 5,957,321 to Jones (1999) are all versions of fly-tying benches which are designed to aid in tying flies and to organize tools and materials. However, none of these are small enough to store in a drawer or small space if the user does not have the room for a fly-tying bench. Most importantly, these products would be impossible to pack along on a trip.  
           [0006]    Often times fly-fisherman bring their fly-tying tools on fishing trips in case a need arises to tie a pattern that that they have not already tied. As is often the case a fly-fisherman learns of a local fly pattern that works well or of an insect that is currently hatching they hadn&#39;t planned on. In these cases, it is often very hard to find a suitable surface to tie flies on. Jones, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,957,321 (1999) has designed a fly-tying kit container and tying station. Although this product is more compact than most fly-tying benches, it is not small enough to place in a small backpack or fly-tying materials bag.  
           [0007]    Potter, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,107,545 (1992) shows a fly-tying apron which organizes fly-tying materials and provides a stable workplace when “the user assumes a sitting position while wearing the apron.” However, this invention does not make use of already available stable surfaces. The portable fly tying mat allows the user to make adjustments to body posture, spread tools and materials out in front of him/her and to make use of a sturdy work surface.  
           [0008]    Many other inventors have used flexible containers for carrying tools or organizing materials. One example of this is the roll-up Velcro tool carrier U.S. Pat. No. 4,682,691 by Spierig (1987) and U.S. Pat. No. 4,210,244 by Westrick (1980). These inventions like many others before it use the flexible container as a means of transporting or organizing tools or other implements but do not use the flexible container as a work surface.  
           [0009]    Pond in U.S. Pat. No. 5,139,143 illustrates a padded tool carrier, which both transports materials and provides a padded surface for kneeling. The portable fly-tying mat can both organize materials and store them while also improving any surface it&#39;s laid on for fly-tying.  
           [0010]    In conclusion, insofar as I am aware, no fly-tying bench or organizer can sort, store, organize, improve visibility, and is extremely portable.  
         OBJECTS AND ADVANTAGES OF THE INVENTION  
         [0011]    It is the object of the fly-tying mat to provide an improved surface for tying flies when traveling or when storage space is very limited. The portable fly-tying mat can be slid up next to a fly-tying vice to improve vision, since a light colored background behind the fly, while looking down on a fly in a fly-tying vice, makes tying the fly easier. With this invention a fly-tier can use a truck tailgate, picnic table, or a hotel desk as a suitable fly-tying spot. One of the primary difficulties of tying flies on many available surfaces is the dark color of many tables and desks. This makes finding objects once laid down more difficult. The light color of the fly-tying mat makes it much easier to locate objects once they are laid down. Also, since adhesives are often used when making flies, protecting the surface of the table is often a concern. The fly-tying mat protects the tabletop and is easily cleanable.  
           [0012]    The fly-tying mat allows for several small items such as hooks and beads to be organized, stored and easily accessible when tying flies.  
           [0013]    Also, the fly-tying mat provides a magnetic surface for organizing hooks while tying flies. Once a fly has been completed the magnetic strip can be used to keep flies secure and organized.  
           [0014]    Furthermore, if the same materials which are being used will be needed later, the user can gently roll up the materials in the portable fly-tying mat and hook the closing strap for later use.  
           [0015]    One embodiment of the fly-tying mat provides elastic tool straps so several fly-tying tools can be secured in the fly-tying mat before it is rolled up.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0016]    The invention, a portable fly-tying mat is a flat piece of high contrast flexible material. Around the outside is sewn an edging for both aesthetics and to provide a seal when fly-tying materials are rolled up in the invention. The invention has a number of transparent containers for carrying and organizing fly-tying materials. These containers are fastened to the flexible material but are removable. A magnetic strip allows the user to place finished flies out of the way in a secure location. A hook and loop fastener on the outside of the invention allows fly-tying materials or tools to be rolled up in the invention for later use. 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0017]    [0017]FIG. 1 is a perspective drawing of the portable fly-tying mat showing the top of the work surface in an open position.  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 2 is a perspective drawing showing the back of the portable fly-tying mat in an open position.  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 3 is a lateral view of the portable fly-tying mat in an open position.  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 4 is a perspective drawing of the fly-tying mat in a closed position.  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 5 is a perspective drawing of the portable fly-tying mat in an open position with alternative embodiments.  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 6 is a lateral view of the portable fly-tying mat in an open position with alternative embodiments. 
     
    
     REFERENCE NUMERALS IN DRAWINGS  
       [0023]    [0023] 2  flexible material  
         [0024]    [0024] 4  sewn on edging  
         [0025]    [0025] 6  hook closing strap  
         [0026]    [0026] 8  elastic tool strap  
         [0027]    [0027] 10  elastic tool strap  
         [0028]    [0028] 12  magnetic strip  
         [0029]    [0029] 14  loop fastener  
         [0030]    [0030] 16  hook fastener  
         [0031]    [0031] 18  transparent container  
         [0032]    [0032] 20  transparent container  
         [0033]    [0033] 22  transparent container  
         [0034]    [0034] 24  transparent container  
         [0035]    [0035] 26  hook fastener  
         [0036]    [0036] 28  loop fastener  
         [0037]    [0037] 30  hook fastener  
         [0038]    [0038] 32  loop fastener  
         [0039]    [0039] 34  hook fastener  
         [0040]    [0040] 36  loop fastener  
         [0041]    [0041] 38  loop fastener closing square  
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0042]    [0042]FIG. 1-4 Preferred Embodiments  
         [0043]    [0043]FIG. 1 is a perspective view looking down upon the portable fly tying mat. The flexible material which is the surface itself  2  is a marine vinyl with a fabric border stitched around the outside edge  4 . There are a number of loop fasteners  14 ,  36 ,  32 , and  28  attached to the flexible material. There are a number of clear containers with attached lids  18 ,  20 ,  22 , and  24 . On the bottom of each container are hook fasteners  16 ,  26 ,  30 , and  34 . The clear containers  18 ,  20 ,  22  and  24  are then connected to the left of the flexible surface material  2  by the hook  16 ,  26 ,  30 ,  34  and loop fasteners  14 ,  36 ,  32 ,  28 .  
         [0044]    [0044]FIG. 2 is a back perspective view of the invention. It shows the back of the flexible surface material  2 . Around the outside of the material has been sewn a border  4 . Connected to the left side of the back is the closing strap  6  with a loop fastener closing square attached  38 .  
         [0045]    [0045]FIG. 3 is a lateral view of the invention. The transparent container  20  is held in place by hook fastener  26  and loop fastener  28 . The magnetic strip  12  is attached to the flexible material  2 . Also, the hook closing strap  6  is attached to the flexible material. A small loop fastener closing square  38  is attached to the back of closing strap  6 .  
         [0046]    [0046]FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the fly-tying mat in the rolled up and closed position. The sewn on edging  4  is attached to the flexible sheet  2 . The hook closing strap  6  is shown wrapped around the flexible sheet  2  and engaged with loop fastener closing square  38 .  
         [0047]    [0047]FIG. 5-6 Alternative Embodiments  
         [0048]    [0048]FIG. 5 is a perspective view looking down upon the portable fly-tying mat. In this view elastic straps  8  and  10  are shown attached to the flexible surface  2 . These straps are for holding fly-tying tools in place.  
         [0049]    [0049]FIG. 6 shows a lateral view of the invention with elastic strap  10  sewn in place.  
         [0050]    Advantages  
         [0051]    From the description above, a number of advantages of my portable fly-tying mat become evident:  
         [0052]    (a) The fly-tying mat will provide an excellent visual background while tying flies in a vise.  
         [0053]    (b) The fly tying mat, because of its light color, makes it easier to find hooks and beads once they have been laid down.  
         [0054]    (c) Because the fly-tying mat can be rolled up it is easy to store and take when traveling.  
         [0055]    (d) Once the fly-tier has made several flies and there are scraps on the mat, the fly-tying mat can be picked up and dumped into a trash can which simplifies clean up.  
         [0056]    (e) The fly-tying mat protects the table or surface which the fly-tier is working on so if glue is dripped or spilt the fly-tying mat can be wiped off leaving the table unharmed.  
         [0057]    (f) The transparent containers organize and store hooks and beads for fly-tying.  
         [0058]    (g) Once a fly is tied the magnetic strip makes a convenient place to store the fly while fly-tying continues.  
         [0059]    (h) If the fly-tier knows that he/she will be making more of the same flies at a later date, the materials, which are lying on the mat, can be gently rolled up in the mat for later use.  
         [0060]    Operation—FIGS. 1, 2,  3 ,  4 ,  5 ,  6 ,  
         [0061]    In operation one uses the portable fly-tying mat by unfastening the hook closing strap  6  from the hook fastener closing square  38  and unrolling the flexible material  2 .  
         [0062]    If the fly-tier has previously been tying a particular fly pattern the materials needed may be now available if they were rolled up in the flexible material  2 .  
         [0063]    If using a fly tying vice the flexible material  2  should be slid up next to the vice to aid the vision of the fly tier while tying flies and looking down.  
         [0064]    As a fly-tier uses material such as fur and feathers the material can be laid out on the tying surface  2  since it is made of high contrast material the fly-tying materials are easier to see.  
         [0065]    As the user needs items such as hooks, beads, etc. they can be stored and then removed from the transparent containers  18 ,  20 ,  22 , and  24 . Removal of items from these transparent containers  18 ,  20 ,  22 , and  24  is aided by being able to remove the transparent containers  18 ,  20 ,  22 , and  24  by pulling up and releasing hook fasteners  16 ,  26 ,  30  and  34  from loop fasteners  14 ,  28 ,  32  and  36 .  
         [0066]    As the fly-tier uses hooks for fly making, the hooks can be laid down on the magnetic strip  12  to keep them from getting misplaced. When the user has completed making a fly the completed fly can be set down on the magnetic strip  12  to aid in organizing the workspace.  
         [0067]    Conclusion, Ramifications, and Scope  
         [0068]    Thus, the reader can see that the portable fly-tying mat greatly improves the ease of fly-tying. The fly-tying mat provides a light background for tying and setting materials on, it organizes hooks and beads, it provides easy clean up once tying is over, and it provides a place to secure finished flies. However, the greatest advantage of the fly-tying mat is that it does all of these things and it is portable and easily stored.  
         [0069]    While my above description contains many specificities, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the invention, but rather as an exemplification of one preferred embodiment thereof. Many other are possible. For example, in one embodiment there is storage for fly-tying tools, the color of the surface could be changed for different applications, the size of the mat could be changed, and additional storage devices could be added for securing fly tying materials.  
         [0070]    Accordingly, the scope of the invention should be determined not by the embodiments illustrated, but by the appended claims and their legal equivalents.