Abstract:
An accessory for a treble fishing hook features an attachment body spanning about a longitudinal axis on which an opening extends into said attachment body. The attachment body has a plurality of slots spaced apart around said longitudinal axis, and each slot has a first leg extending axially into the attachment body from a first axial end of the attachment body toward an opposing second axial end thereof. Each slot is arranged to receive and engage an intermediate portion of a respective hook of the fishing hook into the slot via an open end of the first leg of the slot at the first axial end of the attachment body. The attachment hangs from the intermediate portions of the hooks to support a dressing on the treble hook while leaving the tips or points of the hooks unobscured for normal use during a fish bite.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The present invention relates generally to fishing lures, and more particularly to a device operable to engage onto a treble-type fishing hook to attach an accessory on the same during assembly of a fishing lure. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    It is known in the prior art to provide a device configured to engage about a portion of a fishing hook in order to secure an accessory to the hook to produce a fishing lure of desirable character. 
         [0003]    U.S. Pat. No. 5,386,658 teaches fitting of a metallic bead on the shank of a single-point fishing hook in combination with an artificial fly body in order to form a fly fishing lure. The manner in which the bead is fitted on the hook is not compatible with treble-style hooks. 
         [0004]    U.S. Pat. No. 5,673,508 teaches a plastic bead sonically bonded to a treble hook at the juncture between the shank of the treble hook and the three hooks bending outward therefrom. The bead carries a skirt, tail or other dressing on the hook. The bonding process requires vibration of the hook and melting of the bead, thus being unsuitable for end-user installation of the dressing, and renders the bead and dressing a permanent installation that is not optionally removable and replaceable by the end-user. 
         [0005]    Accordingly, there remains room for improvement in an accessory attachment solution for a treble-style fishing hook. 
         [0006]    Other patents concerning attachments for treble-style fishing hooks for various purposes are outlined as follows. However, each differs notably in structure and use from the present invention. 
         [0007]    U.S. Pat. No. 890,549 teaches use of a feather type dressing together with a ball-shaped hook guard that protects the three hook points of a treble hook from fouling, but subsequently collapses when the lure is struck to expose the hook points. The guard and dressing are separately attached to the hook. 
         [0008]    U.S. Pat. No. 3,683,541 teaches another weed guard that overlies the hook points of a treble-hook to prevent fouling, but gives way in the event of a fish bite in order to maintain the hooking effectiveness of the overall assembly. 
         [0009]    U.S. Pat. No. 3,060,620 teaches a skirt that protects the hook points of a treble hook from fouling while doubling as an effective lure. Each hook point is sandwiched between a pair of fins that are cut to form integral streamer tails, but a pliant material is used to maintain the effectiveness of the hook points when the lure is struck by a fish. 
         [0010]    U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,204,185, 2,616,209, 5,123,199 disclose hook guards that fully or substantially enclose the hook points of treble-style hooks when the hook is being stored prior to use. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0011]    According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided an accessory for a fishing hook having a shank and a plurality of hooks radiating outwardly therefrom and terminating in respective hook points spaced circumferentially around an axis of the shank and spaced radially outward therefrom in a plane transverse to said shank, the accessory comprising: 
         [0012]    an attachment body spanning at least a majority of a circumferential path around a longitudinal axis on which an opening extends into said attachment body; 
         [0013]    a plurality of slots in the attachment body that are spaced apart around said longitudinal axis, each slot first comprising:
       a first leg extending axially into the attachment body from a first axial end of the attachment body toward an opposing second axial end thereof, and being arranged to receive and engage an intermediate portion of a respective hook of the fishing hook into the slot via an open end of the first leg of the slot at the first axial end of the attachment body; and   a bend turning laterally from the first leg to span an angular distance about the longitudinal axis from said first leg, each slot being arranged for sliding of the intermediate portion of the hook axially along the first leg into the bend of the slot, and turning of the fishing hook about the longitudinal axis to slide the intermediate portion of the hook further into the bend of the slot out of alignment with the first leg thereof.       
 
         [0016]    Preferably the bend of each slot joins with a second leg of the slot that extends back toward the first axial end of the attachment body at a distance spaced from the first leg about the longitudinal axis. 
         [0017]    Preferably the second leg of each slot is parallel to the first leg thereof. 
         [0018]    Preferably the bend of each slot is U-shaped. 
         [0019]    Preferably each slot features a constriction at an intermediate location along the slot between the open end of the slot and an opposing closed end thereof, the slot being narrower at the constriction than elsewhere between said open end and said constriction to provide frictional resistance to movement of the respective hook of the fishing hook past said constriction. 
         [0020]    Preferably the constriction of each slot is located outside of the first leg of said slot. 
         [0021]    Preferably the constriction is provided in the second leg of each slot. 
         [0022]    Preferably the constriction comprises a pair of protuberances jutting inwardly from opposing sides of the slot. 
         [0023]    Preferably the attachment body closes fully around said longitudinal axis. 
         [0024]    Preferably the plurality of slots consists of three slots equally spaced apart around the longitudinal for receipt of three hooks of a treble fishing hook. 
         [0025]    Preferably there is provided a dressing attached to the attachment body for carrying of the dressing on the fishing hook by engagement of the attachment body to the hooks thereof. 
         [0026]    In use with a fishing hook, the attachment member preferably has an outer diameter less than twice the radial distance of each hook point of the fishing hook from the shank of said fishing hook. 
         [0027]    In use with the fishing hook, preferably the attachment member is engaged on the fishing hook to extend about the axis of the shank, each hook of the fishing hook passing through the attachment body at a respective one of the slots therein, and the hook point of each hook residing radially outward of the attachment member. 
         [0028]    According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided a method of attaching a fishing lure accessory to a fishing hook having a shank and a plurality of hooks radiating outwardly therefrom and terminating in respective hook points spaced circumferentially around an axis of the shank and spaced radially outward therefrom in a plane transverse to said shank, the method comprising: 
         [0029]    (a) providing an attachment body spanning at least a majority of a circumferential path around a longitudinal axis on which an opening extends into said attachment body; 
         [0030]    (b) sliding the fishing hook and attachment body relative to one another in a first axial direction inserting a bend of each hook into a respective slot that extends into the attachment body from a first axial end thereof, and continuing to slide the fishing hook and attachment body relative to one another in the first axial direction until the bend of each hook member reaches a bend of each slot at an end of a first leg of the slot opposite the first axial end of the attachment body; and 
         [0031]    (c) securing the fishing hook and the attachment member together in an installed position in which the hook members pass through the attachment body at the slots thereof to place the hook points outwardly of the attachment member; 
         [0032]    wherein step (c) comprises rotating the fishing hook about the axis of the shank to move the bend of each hook out of the first leg of the slot via the bend of the slot. 
         [0033]    Preferably step (c) further comprises sliding the fishing hook and the attachment body relative to one another in a second axial direction opposite the first axial direction to move the bend of each hook to a closed end of a second leg of the respective slot that extends back toward the first axial end of the attachment body from the bend of said slot. 
         [0034]    Preferably step (c) comprises moving the bend of each hook of the fishing hook past a constriction of each slot, whereby the constriction resists withdrawal of the bend of each hook back past the constriction in order to secure the fishing hook and the attachment body together against inadvertent separation. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0035]    In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate an exemplary embodiment of the present invention: 
           [0036]      FIG. 1  is a side elevational view of an assembled fishing lure featuring a treble hook and a skirt style dressing carried by an attachment member that is easily attached and detached from the hook by an end user for selective use of the hook with or without the dressing. 
           [0037]      FIG. 2  is a side elevational view of the attachment member of  FIG. 1  in isolation, showing a close up view of one of three J-shaped slots therein for coupling the attachment member to the hook through a simple push, turn and pull action. 
           [0038]      FIG. 3  is an overhead plan view of the attachment member of  FIGS. 1 and 2  illustrating installation thereof onto a treble hook to form the assembled lure of  FIG. 1 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0039]      FIG. 1  shows a fishing lure formed from the assembly of a conventional treble-style fishing hook  10  and a selectively attachable and detachable accessory  100  of the present invention. In a conventional manner, the treble hook  10  features a main shank  12  running on a longitudinal axis A 1  and having an eye  14  disposed at one end of the shank  12  for use in coupling the lure to a fishing line. At the opposing second end of the shank, three hooks  16  reach radially outward from the shank  12  and curve or bend back toward the first eye-equipped end of the shank. Each hook  16  terminates at a barbed or unbarbed tip or point  18  that lies at a radial distance outward from the shank in a plane normal to the longitudinal axis A 1  at an intermediate location along the axial length of the shank. Each hook resides in a respective plane also containing the shank axis A 1 , and the planes of the three hooks are equally spaced around the shank axis A 1  so as to be spaced apart from one another by 120-degrees. 
         [0040]    The accessory  100  features a dressing member  102 , which may be in the form of a number of different types of dressing that a fisherman may wish to attach to a fishing hook to form a suitable lure for the targeted type of fish sought by the fisherman. Examples of different types of dressing include skirts, tails, spoons, spinners, etc. Where the present invention is believed most distinct over the prior art is in the attachment member  104  which serves to form a removable and easy-to-install attachment to allow the fisherman to selectively make use of the same hook with or without the accessory, or to swap an accessory of one dressing type for another on the same hook. 
         [0041]    The attachment member  104  is in the form of a hollow cylindrical body  104  having an annular wall closing around a longitudinal axis A 2 , which lies coincident with the shank axis A 1  of the treble hook  10  when the attachment member is installed. The cylindrical body thus defines a ring-shaped member that closes a full 360-degree span around the axis A 2 . The hollow interior of the cylindrical body  104  extends into the body on this longitudinal axis A 2  from a first axial end  106  of the cylindrical body. The opposing second end  108  of the cylindrical body may likewise be open, meaning that the cylindrical hollow interior of the body extends fully through the axial length thereof. Alternatively, the second end  106  of the cylindrical body may be closed off, and for example used as a suitable mounting site for permanent or releasable fastening or mounting of the dressing  102  to the attachment member  104 . 
         [0042]    Three slots  110  are provided in the annular wall of the cylindrical body, each for engagement with a respective one of the three hooks  16  of the treble hook  10  in order to support the attachment member  104  on same. The shape and form of these identical slots is clearly conveyed from the close-up illustration of one such slot in  FIG. 2 . The slot is substantially J-shaped in form, having a first linear leg  110   a  that extends into the annular wall of the cylindrical body from the first axial end  106  thereof and runs toward the opposing second axial end  108  in a first axial direction parallel to the longitudinal axis A 2  of the body. However, this first leg terminates before reaching the second end  108  of the body, and instead transitions into a U-shaped bend  110   b  which spans 180-degrees about an axis A 3  that is radial to the longitudinal axis A 2  of the body, whereby this U-shaped bend or curved 180-degree corner  110   b  of the slot  110  reverses the direction of the slot back toward the first axial end  106   b  of the cylindrical attachment body  104 . 
         [0043]    A second linear leg  110   c  of the slot continues from the U-shaped bend  110   b  toward the first axial end  106  of the cylindrical attachment body  104  in a second axial direction, parallel to, but opposing, that of the first leg  110   a  of the slot. The second leg  110   c  stops short of the first axial end  106  of the body however, thereby marking a closed end  112  of the slot  100  at an axial distance from the first axial end of the attachment body  104  and at a circumferential distance angularly spaced from where the first leg of the slot juts into the body at the annular end face  106  to define the opposite open end  114  of the J-shaped slot. As an alternative explanation of the slot shape, the slot may be considered to be of a generally U-shaped form in which one of the two parallel legs of the U-shape has been truncated relative to the other. 
         [0044]    The width of the slot is substantially uniform over the length thereof between the open and closed ends of the slot, with the exception of a constricted point  116  found in the second leg  110   c  of the slot at an intermediate location therealong spaced from both the closed end  112  of this leg and the U-shaped bend  110   b  joined to the other end of this leg. The uniform width of the slot outside the constriction point  116  slightly exceeds the diameter of each one of the identical hooks  16  of the treble hook  10  so that the slot can receive the curved transitional bend of a respective one of the hooks  16  where this hook  16  gradually turns back toward the eye-equipped end of the hook shank  12  at a radial distance outward from the shank. At the constriction  116 , the width of the slot tightly matches or slightly interferes with the diameter of the hook  16  so as to provide a frictional resistance to movement of the hook past the constriction when the hook is engaged in the slot in the manner described herein below. 
         [0045]    The J-shape of the slots may refer to the shape as viewed from radially outside the cylindrical attachment member, or from within the hollow interior thereof, so long as this shape is consistent among all the slots. That is, the direction around the axis from which the second leg of the slot is spaced from the first leg of the same slot should be the same for all the slots. The illustrated embodiment features slots that are J-shaped as viewed from outside the piece, i.e. the closed end  112  of each slot is located clockwise around the longitudinal axis A 2  from the open end  114  of the same slot as viewed from the axial end  106  of the piece at which the open end of the slot is located. The slots are equally spaced around the axis A 2 , such that the open end  114  of one slot is located 120-degrees (center to center) around the axis from the open end of the adjacent slot. The number and spacing of the slots around the axis A 2  of the attachment member  104  thus match the number and spacing of the hooks  16  of the treble hook  10  around the shank axis A 1  thereof. 
         [0046]    To install the attachment  104  and attached dressing  102  on the treble hook  10 , the treble hook  10  and the attachment member  104  are respectively held in opposing hands of a user in positions with the longitudinal axes A 1 , A 2  of these two members aligned and with the hooks  16  of the treble hook respectively aligned with the slots  110  of the attachment member  104 , as shown in  FIG. 3 . As shown, the radial extent of each hook  16  from the shank axis A 1  exceeds the outer radius of the cylindrical attachment member  104  relative to the longitudinal axis A 2  thereof, whereby the points  18  of the hooks  16  lie on a circular path of diameter that exceeds the outer diameter of the cylindrical attachment member. The two pieces  10 ,  104  are pushed axially together with the first axial end  106  of the attachment member  104  facing toward the hook-equipped end of the treble hook  10 , thereby inserting the curved bends of the hooks  16  into the open ends  114  of the slots  110  in the attachment body. This relative axial movement of the two pieces  10 ,  104  is continued in the same direction, thus sliding the curved bends of the hooks down the first legs  110   a  of the slots  110  toward the second end  108  of the attachment member  104  and into the U-shaped bends  110   b  of the slots  110 . 
         [0047]    At this point, manual relative rotation between the two pieces  10 ,  104  is performed about their common central axis A 1 , A 2  in the direction moving the curved bends of the hooks  16  through the U-shaped bends  110   b  of the slots  110  so as to thereby shift the curved bends of the hooks out of the first legs  110   a  of the slots and into the parallel second legs  110   c  of the slots  110 . Such movement of the hooks from the first legs of the slots into the second legs of the slots is illustrated in broken lines in  FIG. 3 . 
         [0048]    At this point, relative axial movement of the two pieces is again performed, but in a direction opposing the push-together action previously performed to initially insert the hooks into the slots. Instead, the two pieces are pulled in a drawing-apart or axially-separating direction acting to draw the curved bends of the hooks  16  back toward the first axial end  106  of the attachment member  104 . This pulling action is continued until the curved bends of the hooks  16  move past the constriction points  116  into positions disposed between the constriction points  116  and the closed ends  112  of the slots  110 . This final step requires sufficient pulling force to overcome the frictional resistance to movement of the hook through the constriction  116 , as provided by contact of the outer periphery of the hook with two opposing protuberances or tabs  117  that project inwardly from opposing sides of the slot to define the narrowed or constricted region of the slot. This completes the engagement of the attachment member  104  onto the treble hook  10 , whereby the intact portion of the cylindrical wall of the attachment member between the closed end  112  of each slot  110  and the first axial end  106  of the attachment member overhangs the bent portion of the respective hook in order to suspend the entire attachment member  104 , and attached dressing  102 , from the treble hook  10 . 
         [0049]    The protuberances  117  at the constriction point  116  of each slot  110  define lock tabs that prevent relative movement of the hook out the fully engaged position adjacent the closed end  112  of the slot, thereby preventing inadvertent movement in a manner that would allow separation of the hook from the slot back through the U-shaped bend  110   b  and first leg  110   a  of the slot. However, manual pushing together of the treble hook  10  and attachment member  104  in the first axial direction with sufficient force will overcome the resistance provided by the lock tabs  117 , and allow continued relative movement in this direction to displace the hook  16  back into the U-shaped bend. Here, relative rotation of the two pieces about their shared axis A 1 , A 2  in a second direction opposite that which was used during assembly of the pieces will act to withdraw the hook back into the first leg of the slot, where relative axial movement of the two pieces in the second direction will withdraw the hook out of the first leg  110   a  of the slot  110  via the open end  114  thereof, thereby completing the removal of the attachment member, and attached dressing, from the treble hook. 
         [0050]    The attachment member of the present invention can thus be used to install a dressing on a treble hook to form a fishing lure through a simple three-step push, turn and pull process. The lure can subsequently be easily dissembled by removing the attachment member and associated dressing through a similar push, turn and pull process that is substantially similar to the installation process, but features a reversal of the rotational direction in the ‘turn’ step. When the attachment member is installed on the treble hook  10 , each hook  16  thereof passes through the respective slot in the circumferential wall of the attachment member to reach radially beyond the outer periphery of the attachment member and place the hook points at unconcealed positions spaced circumferentially around the attachment member at a radial distance therefrom. This way, use of the attachment member in no way interferes with the hooking action of the resulting fishing lure. 
         [0051]    The attachment member may be produced from plastic, metal or other suitable material, for example as a molded plastic piece, a machined plastic piece, or a stamped piece of thin metal rolled into a cylindrical form. 
         [0052]    It will be appreciated that the shape of the slots may be varied from that shown and described while similarly allowing engagement of the attachment member onto the hook for hanging support of the attachment member  104  and dressing  102  below the curved lower bends of the treble hook. In one alternate embodiment, the slots may be purely linear and use a simple single-step push-on installation process, and simple single-step pull-off removal process, where a constriction in the single linear leg of the slot provides the sole resistance to inadvertent separation of the hook and attachment member. However, the illustrated embodiment, where both a push and pull action are used in different legs of the same slot, provides an additional degree of protection against inadvertent separation. The two legs need not necessarily be parallel to one another, need not necessarily be separated by a bend of the slot, and need not necessarily be parallel to the axis A 2  of the piece, in which case relative turning or rotation between the treble hook and attachment member may be required during the pushing and pulling steps of the assembly and disassembly processes. Some embodiments using two slot legs for a push-turn-pull installation and removal may forgo the inclusion of a constriction point in the slot, but the added locking action of the constriction provides improved prevention of inadvertent separation. 
         [0053]    The attachment body need not necessarily close fully around the axis of the hollow interior passage into which the shank is received during assembly, provided that the material used for the attachment body is of sufficient rigidity to maintain the appropriate relative positions of the slots. For example, instead of a closed-ring shape extending fully around the axis, other embodiments may feature an attachment body of a split-ring shape having a gap or break in its circumferential path about the axis. It will also be appreciated that the outer peripheral surface of the attachment body and the hollow interior passage need not be of cylindrical form and circular cross-section in order for the attachment device to operate in the described manner.