Abstract:
The present invention includes a system for improving the speed and ease of attaching, removing, and cleaning bait-cans when used for crabbing. A punch machine pierces one or more holes in a bait-can that resembles a large tuna can. This can, in turn, inserts into a new hanger device that is generally C-shaped with the open notch at the bottom and a pair of retainers at the top. The can is simply snapped into the hanger. The hanger attaches to a crab pot but suspends the bait can off the floor of the pot. In another version, the hanger includes two opposed arms that can be used to stabilize an existing bait device in the known art.

Description:
PRIORITY CLAIM 
       [0001]    The present application claims benefit pursuant to 35 U.S.C. §119(e) and 37 CFR1.78(a)(4)-(a)(6) to co-pending U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/635,659 filed on Apr. 1, 2012. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    The present invention relates to bait containers and associated bait container hangers for crab pots and the like. More specifically, the present invention relates to a system of rapidly inserting a bait can on a dedicated hanger that attaches to a conventional crab pot and the like. 
         [0003]    Both the sport and the commercial fishing industry employ crab pots of various designs and material to capture live crabs from the floor of the ocean, bay, or inlet, for example. Typically, a rope (or line or cord) extends from the crab pot to a marker buoy. The marker buoy may bob on the surface of the water, or may be submersed and include a release mechanism that will release the buoy to the surface under particular conditions, such as a timed release or a radio-frequency release operated by a fisherman. 
         [0004]    Crab pots rest on the ocean floor, enticing live crabs inside using bait. The bait is typically inserted into a device that has an interior volume defined by exterior walls having a plurality of holes so that the scent of the bait escapes, but the bait remains in the device so that it serves to entice many crabs over time. 
         [0005]    Once one or several crabs enter the pot, they are unable to escape. Fishermen leave unattended several crab pots on the ocean floor. Periodically, the fishing vessel returns to the buoy attached to the corresponding crab pot and a fisherman connects the line extending from the pot to a pulling device, such as a hand winch or motorized winch, via a pulley block mounted on the vessel; thus affecting retrieval of the pot from the ocean floor. At this time the bait can needs to be de-coupled from the crab pot and the bait removed from the bait device. 
         [0006]    Currently, there is no system that allows for rapid deployment and removal of a bait device from a crab pot. For deployment of fresh-bait, the current art teaches a two-part bait device: A worker (crabber) fills the body with fresh bait, and a screw cap then covers the body securing the bait in the device. Then, a long, skinny, difficult-to-manipulate hook is attached—one end to the bait device and the other end to the crab pot. Next a rubber-band or other mechanical fastener secures the hook relative to the crab pot to prevent unwanted dislodging of the bait device when the pot is tossed into the ocean. Upon removal, this process is reversed when the crab-pot is hauled aboard, with the additional step of rinsing the opened bait device to clean the putrid bait from the device. 
         [0007]    There are many problems with this current method and device including that the existing bait devices are very difficult to clean. They are expensive to manufacture and very time consuming to deploy. These difficulties are multiplied on a commercial vessel where time is a crucial factor to a successful and safe harvest. 
         [0008]    Of particular concern, the existing art is dangerous to the crabbers as the current practice teaches filling the existing bait-device on board a moving ocean-going crabbing vessel and the bait is chopped up using knives, hatchets, and the like. Moreover, the deck often becomes slippery with the fish-guts and other fluids from preparing the bait—in some instances people have fallen overboard and drowned from slipping on the fish-oil covered decks. Further, the existing method is time-consuming and takes away from productive time catching crab. And, the existing bait-devices have been known to open when the pot is tossed in the water, and the pot is useless to catch crabs and has to be reset. Thus, there is a need for a system, method, and device that overcomes the limitations of the current art. 
     
    
     
       DRAWING 
         [0009]      FIG. 1  is a front view of one preferred embodiment of a bait-can hanger of the present invention. 
           [0010]      FIG. 2  is a side view of the bait-can hanger of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0011]      FIG. 3  is a front view of a bait can according to one preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0012]      FIG. 4  is a front view of one preferred system of the present invention and includes the bait-can hanger of  FIG. 1  and the bait-can of  FIG. 3 . 
           [0013]      FIG. 5  is an offset frontal view of the system of  FIG. 4 . 
           [0014]      FIG. 6  is front view of a PRIOR-ART bait-device. 
           [0015]      FIG. 7  is a side view of a second preferred embodiment of a bait-can hanger of the present invention. 
           [0016]      FIG. 8  is a front view of the bait-can hanger of  FIG. 7 . 
           [0017]      FIG. 9  is an offset frontal view of a system of  FIG. 4  in one possible environment of use. 
           [0018]      FIG. 10  is a front view of a PRIOR-ART clip used to hold a prior-art bait device. 
           [0019]      FIG. 11  is an offset frontal view of a PRIOR-ART method for connecting a PRIOR-ART bait device. 
           [0020]      FIG. 12  is an offset frontal view of a bait-can punching machine according to one preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0021]      FIG. 13  is a frontal view of a system according to yet another embodiment of the present invention and includes the bait-can punching machine of  FIG. 12  in a possible environment of use. 
           [0022]      FIG. 14  is an offset frontal view of a third preferred embodiment of a bait-can hanger according to the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0023]    Possible embodiments will now be described with reference to the drawings and those skilled in the art will understand that alternative configurations and combinations of components may be substituted without subtracting from the invention. Also, in some figures certain components are omitted to more clearly illustrate the invention. 
         [0024]    The present invention contemplates a system for creating bait cans and a system for attaching the bait cans to existing crab pots, for example. And, the various preferred embodiments of the present invention—including devices, systems, and methods—eliminate many of the shortcomings taught in the prior art. Particularly, the present invention eliminates from moving vessels the practice of chopping bait. This eliminates the use of dangerous knives and hatchets on a pitching deck; this eliminates a slippery deck caused by the bait-chopping operation, and—accordingly—greatly reduces the chance of a deck hand falling overboard. Further, the existing method is much more time-efficient allowing crabbers to have higher productivity when on-board the vessel. 
         [0025]    One particular advantage of the present invention includes the bait-can hanger  12 , described below, that enables a bait can  30 , described below, to attach to a conventional crab-pot. However, unlike the teaching of the prior art, the present invention enables the bait can to stand proud from the ocean bottom and swivel in about 360-degrees of arc travel in a plane parallel to, but offset from, the ocean bottom. Another advantage, the system  10  provides superior bait and a deployment system that is far quicker to deploy initially, quicker to remove spent-bait from the trap, and quicker to clean bait from the bait can, than those systems of the prior art. In fact, another advantage of the present system  10  is the cleaning of the bait trap is no longer required as taught in the prior art: Instead, the bait can  30  is simply discarded and a new bait-can is put in its place. Part of this convenience includes an economically less expensive bait-can than taught in the prior art. For example, the can  30  can be adapted from existing canning technology, particularly the canning of fish parts normally discarded in the fish-cannery processes. And, the can  30  can be similar to a conventional “tuna” can in size, shape, and other dimensions, including material. Additional steps are needed to turn a conventional can into a suitable bait can  30 , as described below. 
         [0026]    Further, existing crab pots can be used with the various embodiments of the present invention. However, the present invention is much faster to deploy on a boat, requires no set-up time, eliminates cleaning of used bait traps of the prior art, and requires virtually no time to remove from the trap. This will revolutionize the efficiency of trapping crabs for the commercial crabbing industry. 
         [0027]      FIGS. 6 ,  10 , and  11  illustrate one prior-art bait-can device  60  having a body  62  and screw top lid  64 . The top lid and body define a chamber and several holes  68  extend through the surface of the body to enable the scent of any bait inserted in the chamber to permeate. The bait device includes a hook  66  for attaching to the crab pot. The hook attaches to a rope R having a collar C, which is looped through the retainer  66 . Some systems of the prior art use a pin P ( FIG. 10 ) to couple the device  60  to the bottom of the trap. 
         [0028]      FIGS. 1 and 2  illustrate one preferred embodiment of a bait-can hanger  12  of the present invention. The bait-can hanger  12  includes a curvilinear body member  14  that appears generally c-shaped in profile and is more specifically a circular or elliptical body member having a depth. The body member has two opposed ends  20  that form a notch or opening. This opening facilitates insertion of a bait-can  30 , described below. The body  14  includes at least two (arranged as a pair) retaining members  18 , one on the front face starting at the top and extending horizontally away from the body then curving downward. The second retaining member, identical to the first, positions on the rear face of the body  14 . The body also includes a vertical fin  16  extending the depth of the body positioned on the top portion. The vertical fin  16  provides an eyelet  24  for coupling the bait-can hanger  12  to an external object such as a crab pot or buoy or fishing line, for example. The body  14  includes a surface  22  well suited for labeling or marking the brand of the hanger  12 . 
         [0029]    A bait-can  30 , as  FIG. 3  illustrates, of the present invention consists of a tuna-can-like tin, steel, or aluminum can having a general shape of a flat hockey puck, circular when viewed from the front. The can includes a can body having a first front face  32  having at least one hole  34 , and more ideally a plurality of holes  34  arranged on both the front face and rear face of the can body. 
         [0030]      FIGS. 4 and 5  illustrate a first preferred system  10  of the present invention, which includes the previously mentioned bait-can hanger  12  of  FIGS. 1 and 2 , and the bait-can  30  of  FIG. 30 , for example. And, as  FIG. 9  shows, the system  10  attaches to the bottom of a crab pot  40 , but is suspended from the floor of the pot (and of the ocean) because the rigid connection provided by the hanger  12  to the can  30  in relation to the crab pot  40 . To ensure swiveling of the bait an  30 , the hanger  12  couples to the pot, as would be appreciated by those with ordinary skill in this art, using industry accepted stainless steel wire, plastic zip ties, and the like, for example. 
         [0031]    A second preferred embodiment of the present invention contemplates a bait-device hanger  70  adapted to selectively and releasably couple to a prior-art bait device, such as the known bait-device  60  of  FIG. 6 . Such prior art bait-devices  60  include a body  62  fabricated from stainless steel or aluminum, or molded from plastic. The body includes a threaded lid  64  and the lid and body form an enclosed chamber. Several holes  68  are drilled into the body. And a long, skinny hook-like device  68  attaches to the device  60 . The hook couples to a crab pot. The bait device  60  then sits on the bottom of the pot at the bottom of the crate. Often the hook is further secured with a rubber band or other clamping device. The bait-device hanger  70 , as  FIGS. 7 and 8  show, adapts to clip to this prior art device. As such the prior-art hook is no longer needed with the hanger  70  of the present invention. Further, the rigid support that the hanger provides, along with the ability of the hanger  70  to swivel about 360-degrees arc in a plane parallel to, but offset from, the ocean bottom enables the prior-art device to be suspended from the floor improving the bait-scent and reducing the amount of sand that enters the bait-device. 
         [0032]    As  FIGS. 7 and 8  show, the bait-device hanger  70  has a circular body  72  (when viewed from the front as  FIG. 8  shows). The circular body has a notched opening at the bottom to enable the prior-art bait device  60  to simply snap in place, thus securing the device  60  in the hanger  70  without needing any tools. Further the bait device can be quickly removed by hand, yet it is held firmly in place when deployed in a trap. The body  72  is made of a flexible material such as plastic or stainless steel and acts as a biasing member. A pair of oppositely positioned arms  74  locate at the bottom of the body member  72  and define the bottom notch. The arms  74  help stabilize the body  62  of the bait-device  60 . At the top of the hanger body  72 , a vertical rib  76  extends and supports an eyelet  78 . A zip-lock device can than secure the hanger  70  to a crab-pot as would be conventionally understood. Better, a mechanical swivel mount can be used to couple the hanger  70  to the crab-pot. 
         [0033]      FIGS. 12 and 13  illustrate a punching machine  80  adapted to pierce the bait-can  30  of the present invention. As such, the machine  80  includes a support structure for supporting the various components. A lever  94  operates between an open position and a closed position and such movement causes a top perforating plate  82  to travel in a vertical line. A can  30  is placed between the top plate  82  and on top of a frame  86 . The frame is supported above and parallel to a bottom perforating plate  84  by one or more biasing (springs) members  88 . Thus, as the lever is pulled downward, the top plate moves against the can, the top plate and can push on the frame, overcoming the biasing means and the bottom of the can contacts one or more piercing teeth  92  and the continued downward force on the lever causes the top plate having one or more piercing teeth to puncture the top of the can while the bottom plate teeth puncture the bottom of the can. 
         [0034]      FIG. 13  illustrates the punching machine  80  of  FIG. 12  in relation to a workstation, which could be on a boat in the ocean, for example. The workstation  100  includes a dispensing rack  110  for holding cans  30  waiting to be punctured, a work surface  120  and a ready-rack  130 . 
         [0035]      FIG. 14  illustrates yet another preferred embodiment of a bait-can hanger  1412  of the present invention. The bait-can hanger  1412  includes a curvilinear body member  1414  that appears generally as a closed oval or closed circle when viewed from the top. This circular or elliptical body member has a depth and a closed end  1423  for preventing a bait can from sliding all the way through the body member  1414 . The body member has at least two opposed retainer ends  1418  that include a corresponding notch in a sidewall of the body to enable the retainer end  1418  to deflect away from the center of the body when a can is inserted, and then spring back to retain the can by means of the retention arms  1419 . This opening facilitates insertion of a bait-can  30 , described below. The body  1414  also includes at least one horizontal fin  1416  having a corresponding eyelet  1424  for coupling the bait-can hanger  1412  to an external object such as a crab pot or buoy or fishing line, for example. The body  1414  includes a surface well suited for labeling or marking. 
         [0036]    Although the invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to certain embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and detail may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. And, although claims are not required, I claim at least: