Abstract:
A container for the convenient transport and storage of fishing lures, particularly spinner baits, is disclosed. The container includes channels running parallel to one another, a slightly raised portion for supporting the neck of a lure, and a vertically extending retaining piece. The retaining piece has at least one notch near its top for holding the compressed wire portion of a lure. Properly positioned within the container, a lure requires relatively little space and is secured to prevent tangling with other baits.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     Not applicable. 
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
     Not applicable. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This invention relates, generally, to containers for the storage of fishing tackle. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     Many products have been developed to store and transport fishing tackle of all kinds. These products have attempted to provide the convenience and versatility needed to satisfy fishermen using a variety of different baits. The hooks and thin wires that make up common fishing lures, such as spinner baits and buzz baits, tend to cause the lures to become tangled with each other when placed in proximity to one another. 
     Also, because these baits are made in irregular shapes and are produced in many different sizes, it is difficult to design a container versatile enough to accommodate the needs of the average fisherman. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,245,422 discloses a structure for the storage of spinner baits. A typical spinner bait is comprised of a V-shaped wire portion, with an elbow at the vertex that allows for compression of the wires without causing plastic deformation. The &#39;422 patent includes a flat surface to which is attached three pegs in an isosceles triangle formation. According to the &#39;422 patent, the elbow of the bait is placed over the odd peg and the wires of the bait are placed on the inside of the other pegs. 
     A severe limitation of the design in the &#39;422 patent is that a very small range of sizes of spinner baits can be accommodated. The distance separating the three pegs is fixed, so that if the wire segments are too short, they will not reach from the odd peg to lob the other two. Also, this design requires a significant amount of space per bait because the baits are stored in a single plane. Another shortfall of the &#39;422 patent is that it requires three points of attachment for a spinner bait, adding to the complexity and manufacturing cost of the device. 
     Based on the foregoing, there is a need in the art for a tackle container that can store numerous lures, regardless of their size, efficiently and conveniently. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is an object of the present invention to provide a tackle container capable of conveniently carrying numerous spinner baits and buzz baits. 
     It is another object of the present invention to provide a tackle container that keeps the baits separated from one another, without making it difficult to insert or remove them from the container. 
     It is another object of the present invention to provide a tackle container that can store the baits efficiently, in a relatively small area. 
     These, and other objects of this invention will appear to one skilled in the art as the description thereof proceeds. 
     A tackle container made according to the present invention employs one of a variety of clips to grasp the wire portion of a fishing lure. The first embodiment, designed for spinner baits, is comprised of numerous parallel channels, each formed by a pair of barriers attached at the bottom of the container. The barriers do not have to be long or extend particularly high off the bottom of the container, provided they can engage a bait to prevent significant side-to-side movement. 
     Above each of the channels is a catch, preferably attached to one of the barriers for reinforcement. In the preferred design, the catch is merely a notch cut into a rigid member, suitable for accepting the wire portion of the bait and preventing its upward motion. The baits are placed within the channel and the wire portion is compressed and placed into the notch. In this way the volume occupied by the baits is reduced, and the baits are secured in position. 
     Another embodiment is a clip for a single bait, including a neck rest, a catch for grasping a compressed wire portion, and a strip of material connecting the two. 
     Another embodiment of the clip system uses a pair of clips, open in the longitudinal direction, separated by about half the length of a typical bait, and placed in a line so that a straight wire can pass through both. Most useful with buzz baits, once the bait&#39;s primary wire is inserted into the clips, the bait is free to rotate about the secured wire, but is held in place. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is an isometric view of the invention fully assembled. 
         FIG. 2  is an isometric view of the invention without the inserts. 
         FIG. 3  is an isometric view of an insert. 
         FIG. 4  is a top view of an insert. 
         FIG. 5  is a side view of an insert. 
         FIG. 6  is an isometric view of a buzz bait insert. 
         FIG. 7  is a side view of an individual lure clip. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       FIG. 1  shows the preferred embodiment of the invention as it appears when fully assembled Tackle container  1  is shown, with top  2 , bottom  3 , sidewall  4 , and partition  8 . Fishing lure  35  is also shown, secured into position with lower wire segment  41  against bottom  3  and upper wire segment  40  compressed and secured within catch  26 . Fishing lure  35  also has head  38 , hook  37 , neck  39 , and blade  36 . Catch  26  is formed as a notch within retainer  25 , which elevates catch  26  above bottom  3 . 
       FIG. 2  shows tackle container  1  as it appears without insert  29 . Slots  15  are shown, oriented vertically on the interior of sidewall  4 . Each slot  15  is made from two webs  16 . Webs  16  preferably converge slightly from top to bottom, to make it easier to insert rails  17  into slots  15  and to provide a snug fit once rails  17  are inserted their fill length. Rails  17  have a trapezoidal cross section, widening as they protrude from end wall  30 . Slots  15  have a corresponding shape. This prevents rails  17  from disengaging from slots  17  in any way other than by lifting straight up. Partition  8  divides tackle container  1  approximately in half to make the storage of multiple types of baits more convenient. 
       FIG. 3  is a view of insert  29  in isolation. End walls  30 , which are perpendicular to bottom  3  upon installation, provide a strong surface to which rails  17  are attached. Floor  31 , which is approximately rectangular, extends between its short sides at end walls  30  to provide support for retainer  25 . 
     Retainer  25 , which comprises barrier  32 , extends vertically from bottom  3 , and the space between retainers  25  form channel  33 . Barriers  32  prevent significant movement of lure  35  in a direction perpendicular to channel  33 . In addition to retainer  25 , barrier  32  also includes other structures that further define the boundaries of channels  33 . For instance, in the preferred embodiment, gusset  28  is included to extend barrier  32  in a direction parallel to both channel  33  and a properly inserted lure  35 . By lengthening barrier  32 , gusset  28  further immobilizes lure  35 . Gusset  28  also adds structural integrity by acting to prevent rotation of retainers  25  about the length of insert  29 . When lure  35  is in proper position and compressed, with upper wire segment  40  locked into catch  26 , lure  35  is held relatively motionless. 
     Catches  26  are shown in  FIG. 3  as well as FIG.  4 . Catches  26  are preferably formed by notches in retainer  25 . The notches should extend from the edge of retainer  25  in a slightly upward direction. This upward slant will prevent upper wire segment  40  from slipping out of catch  26  when fishing lure  35  is in place and under compression. In a preferred embodiment, additional notches are included, spaced vertically from catch  26 . This allows many different sizes of fishing lure  35  to be stored without modification of tackle container  1 . 
     Well depicted in  FIGS. 3 and 5  are neck rests  27 , part of the preferred embodiment of the invention. As shown, neck rests  27  are formed of a single piece of plastic running the width of tackle container  1 . The bottom of neck rest  27  is flush with bottom  3 , and the top is formed into a curved U-shape. In combination, neck rests  27  provide support for retainers  25 , acting to prevent rotation about an axis perpendicular to insert  29 . Neck rest  27  does not have to be the thin strip of material depicted. A more three-dimensional neck rest  27 , contoured to shape of neck  39 , may be employed. 
     Because most spinner baits are manufactured with approximately the same size neck  39 , neck rest  27  can accommodate any size spinner bait without modification. When placing a fishing lure  35  in tackle container  1 , neck  39  is placed directly over and in contact with neck rest  27 . This will make it impossible for fishing lure  35  to slide longitudinally once a vertical force is applied to neck  39 . The vertical force is generated when upper wire segment is compressed and placed within catch  26 . Without neck rest  27 , fishing lure  35  is not likely to slide due to the frictional forces induced by the compression, but the extra support is desirable. 
     Although the preferred embodiment has retainers  25  as part of insert  29 , this is merely to facilitate the construction of the containers by injection molding and to make the containers more versatile. Slots  15  on the interior wall are suitable for inserts of many types, making tackle container  1  capable of storing a wide variety of baits. It is within the scope of the invention to make retainers  25  an integral, permanent part of tackle container  1 . 
     Pursuant to the idea of interchangeability, another embodiment of the invention is an alternative structure for insert  29 . Shown in  FIG. 6 , buzz bait insert  50  is very similar to insert  29 . It has end walls  30 , rails  17 , and floor  31 . Instead of retainers  25 , however, it has two or more rows of buzz clips  51 . Buzz clips  51  are open in the longitudinal direction. Upon the application of pressure at the crack of buzz clip  51  by a wire, buzz clip  51  will open and allow the wire to enter. Thereafter it will close to prevent the wire from exiting without the application of another significant force to reopen buzz clip  51 . Although buzz clips  51  are shown with their crack facing upward, any orientation would work reasonably well. 
     The two rows of buzz clips  51  are spaced so that the desired length buzz bait  50  will extend beyond each if buzz bait wire  52  is placed within two corresponding buzz clips. Once in place, very little pressure is applied to buzz bait wire  52  by buzz clips  51 . The light pressure allows buzz bait wire  52  to rotate, the entire body of buzz bait  53  leaning to its side in the process. This diagonal orientation reduces the vertical storage space needed. 
       FIG. 7  shows another embodiment of the invention, where bait clip  47  is used to maintain compression of a single fishing lure  35 . Numerous fishing lures  35 , when properly inserted into bait clip  47 , can be placed into tackle container  1  if inserts  29  have been removed. To insert fishing lure  35  into bait clip  47 , neck  39  is first placed onto neck rest  27  which is connected to one the ends of strip  46 . With this support, upper wire segment  40  is then compressed and placed within catch  26 , which is connected to the opposite end of strip  46 . Bait clip  47  constrains fishing lures  35  to a smaller size so that more fishing lures  35  can fit into tackle container  1 . Further, if many fishing lures  35  are stored in tackle container  1 , the tangling of fishing lures  35  is minimized, and tangles that do occur are easier to separate. 
     There are of course other alternate embodiments that are obvious from the foregoing descriptions of the invention, which are intended to be included within the scope of the invention, as defined by the following claims.