Abstract:
A fishing net includes a hoop having a net defining a catch area and having an array of illumination elements on the hoop. A bracket connects first and second ends of the hoop and defines a passage therebetween. The fishing net includes a handle coupled to the bracket and movable through the passage between use and storage configurations. A lantern is coupled to a distal end of the handle relative to the hoop, the lantern being movable between retracted, extended, and offset configurations relative to the handle. The fishing net includes a flexible shaft having a light element and that is movable between a retracted configuration in the handle and an extended configuration extending from the handle adjacent the hoop for illuminating a specific area.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   This invention relates generally to fishing gear and, more particularly, to a fishing net that is collapsible for storage, includes a variety of light sources for use in dark environments, and performs all of the utility needs of a traditional fishing net. 
   Having reliable and functional fishing gear and tackle is very important to any fisherman or outdoors enthusiast. A common item used in fishing is a fishing net mounted on the end of a relatively long pole. Such a net is used to scoop a fish out of the water when it has been reeled in close to the shore or boat. Successfully “netting” a fish, however, is still quite difficult when fishing at night due to extreme darkness. Further, fishing net handles are frequently relatively short for use but long enough that storage and transport of the fishing net may be inconvenient or awkward. In addition, removing a hook from the fish&#39;s mouth, baiting a hook, or changing other tackle is generally difficult to accomplish in the dark or when trying to hold a flashlight 
   Various devices have been proposed in the art for illuminating fishing net devices such as nets. Although assumably effective for their intended purposes, the existing devices do not provide an array of lights about the hoop along with other auxiliary lighting options and collapsibility features. 
   Therefore, it would be desirable to have a fishing net having an array of light sources positioned about the periphery of a hoop for illuminating the contents of the net. Further, it would be desirable to have a fishing net having an auxiliary light mounted on a flexible shaft near the end of the devices handle for illuminating a specific area, say, while baiting a hook or emptying the catch area of the fishing net, etc. In addition, it would be desirable to have a fishing net that is collapsible for storage or transport. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   A fishing net according to the present invention includes a hoop having first and second ends. A net is coupled to the hoop for defining a catch area. A bracket that is coupled to the first and second hoop ends defines a passage therebetween. The fishing net includes a handle having first and second ends that is movable through the bracket passage between use and storage configurations. The handle first end is generally adjacent the bracket and the handle second end is relatively distant/displaced from the hoop altogether at the use configuration. By contrast, the handle first end is separated/displaced from the bracket and the handle second end is relatively near the hoop when the handle is positioned at the storage configuration. In other words, the handle may be extended for use and retracted for storage or transport. 
   The fishing net further includes an array of light elements coupled to the hoop for lighting the catch area within the net. The device also includes a lantern at the second/distal end of the handle that is retractable when not in use and adjustable to selectable offset positions to facilitate illumination of a surrounding area. In addition, a flexible shaft having a light element may be selectively retractable into the handle. When extended, the flexible shaft light element may be used to illuminate an area adjacent the flexible shaft. 
   Therefore, a general object of this invention is to provide a fishing net for assisting a fisherman in collecting a caught fish. 
   Another object of this invention is to provide a fishing net, as aforesaid, that is collapsible for convenient storage and transport. 
   Still another object of this invention is to provide a fishing net, as aforesaid, that includes an array of lights sources for illuminating a catch area of a net attached to a hoop. 
   Yet another object of this invention is to provide a fishing net, as aforesaid, that selectively illuminates a general area surrounding the fishing net. 
   A further object of this invention is to provide a fishing net, as aforesaid, that selectively illuminates a specific area, as directed by a user. 
   A still further object of this invention is to provide a fishing net, as aforesaid, that is cost-effective to manufacture and user-friendly to use. 
   Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein is set forth by way of illustration and example, embodiments of this invention. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1   a  is a perspective view of a fishing net according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention illustrated with a lantern in an extended configuration; 
       FIG. 1   b  is another perspective view of the fishing net as in  FIG. 1   a  with the lantern in a retracted configuration; 
       FIG. 1   c  is still another perspective view of the fishing net as in  FIG. 1   b  with the handle in a storage configuration; 
       FIG. 2  is an exploded view of the fishing net as in  FIG. 1   a;    
       FIG. 3  is another perspective view of the fishing net as in  FIG. 1   b;    
       FIG. 3   a  is an isolated view on an enlarged scale of a portion of the fishing net as in  FIG. 3  with a flexible shaft in a retracted configuration; 
       FIG. 3   b  is another isolated view on an enlarged basis as in  FIG. 3   a  with the flexible shaft in an extended configuration; 
       FIG. 4   a  is a fragmentary view of the second end of the fishing net handle as in  FIG. 1   b  with the lantern in a retracted configuration; 
       FIG. 4   b  is a fragmentary view of the second end of the fishing net handle as in  FIG. 1   a  with the lantern in an extended configuration; 
       FIG. 4   c  is a perspective view of the handle as in  FIG. 4   b  with the lantern positioned in an upstanding offset configuration relative to the handle; 
       FIG. 4   d  is an isolated view on an enlarged scale of a portion the device shown in  FIG. 4   c;    
       FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the fishing net shown in  FIG. 1   a  with the hoop and a portion of the handle wall removed for clarity; 
       FIG. 6  is a side view of the fishing net as in  FIG. 1   b ; and 
       FIG. 6   a  is an isolated view on an enlarged scale of a portion of the fishing net handle taken from  FIG. 6 . 
   

   DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
   A fishing net  100  according to the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to  FIGS. 1   a  through  6   a  of the accompanying drawings. More particularly, according to the current invention, a fishing net  100  includes a hoop  110 , a net  120 , a handle  130  having first and second ends  132   a ,  132   b , and a lantern  140 . 
   As shown in  FIG. 1   a , the net  120  is coupled to the hoop  110  to define a catch area  122 , and the handle first end  132   a  may be coupled to the hoop  110  so that the handle second end  132   b  extends away from the hoop  110 . More particularly, as shown in  FIG. 2 , the hoop  110  may have first and second ends  112   a ,  112   b , and a bracket  115  may be coupled to the hoop first and second ends  112   a ,  112   b . The bracket  115  may define a passage  116  between the hoop first and second ends  112   a ,  112   b , and the handle  130  may be movable through the bracket passage  116  between a use configuration  130   a  ( FIGS. 1   a  and  1   b ) and a storage configuration  130   b  ( FIG. 1   c ). When at the use configuration  130   a  ( FIGS. 1   a  and  1   b ), the handle first end  132   a  is adjacent the bracket  115  and the handle second end  132   b  is relatively distant from the hoop  110 ; when at the storage configuration  130   b  ( FIG. 1   c ), the handle first end  132   a  is separated from the bracket  115  and the handle second end  132   b  is relatively near the hoop  110 . 
   The handle first end  132   a  may have a configuration that maintains the handle  130  coupled to the bracket  115 . In other words, the handle first end  132   a  may include a flare  134  ( FIG. 2 ) that does not allow the handle first end  132   a  to pass entirely through the bracket  115  in a direction away from the hoop  110 . Additionally, or alternately, means may be included for selectively maintaining the handle  130  at the use configuration  130   a . For example, the bracket  115  may have an aperture  118 , and the handle  130  may include a spring-loaded pin  138  complementary to the aperture  118 , as shown in  FIG. 2 . The pin  138  may be received in the aperture  118  to maintain the handle  130  at the use configuration  130   a , and the pin  138  may be released from the aperture  118  to allow the handle  130  to move to the storage configuration  130   b . As shown in  FIG. 6   a , the handle  130  may include measurement indicia  137  for determining a length of an item caught using the net  120 . 
   The lantern  140  has a light element (e.g., a LED, a halogen light, a fluorescent light, an incandescent light, etc.) and may be selectively retractable in the second end  132   b  of the handle  130 . A transparent window  142  may house the lantern light element, as shown in  FIGS. 4   b  and  4   c . A lantern bracket  145  ( FIG. 2 ) is movable inside the handle  130  between an extended configuration  145   a  adjacent the handle second end  132   b  ( FIG. 1   a ) and a retracted configuration  145   b  spaced apart from the handle second end  132   b  ( FIG. 1   b ). As shown in  FIG. 1   b , the lantern  140  may be retracted into the handle second end  132   b  when the lantern bracket  145  is at the retracted configuration  145   b . To maintain the lantern bracket  145  at the extended and retracted configurations  145   a ,  145   b , the lantern bracket  145  may include a spring-loaded pin  148 , and the handle  130  may include a plurality of apertures  139  complementary to the pin  148 . The pin  148  may be received in respective apertures  139  to maintain the lantern bracket  145  at the extended and retracted configurations  145   a ,  145   b.    
   As shown in  FIGS. 2 and 4   d , the lantern bracket  145  may include a hinge  149  to allow the lantern  140  to be angularly offset from the handle  130  when the lantern bracket  145  is at the extended configuration  145   b . In other words, the hinge  149  may allow the lantern  140  to be bent or angled relative to the handle  130 . Aperture  139   a  ( FIG. 2 ) may allow the lantern bracket  145  to be maintained near the extended configuration  145   a  but may restrict the movement of the hinge  149  to maintain the lantern  140  in line with the handle  130 . The lantern  140  may be permanently or removably coupled to the lantern bracket  145 , and a lanyard  141  may be coupled to the lantern  140  so that the lanyard  141  is accessible when the lantern  140  is retracted into the handle second end ( FIG. 1   b ). 
   An array of light elements  150  (e.g., LEDs, halogen lights, fluorescent lights, incandescent lights, etc.) may be coupled to the hoop  110 , as shown in  FIG. 2 , to light the catch area  122 . 
   A flexible shaft  160  may be selectively retractable in the handle  130 , and a light element  162  (e.g., a LED, a halogen light, a fluorescent light, an incandescent light, etc.) may be coupled to the flexible shaft  160  to light an area adjacent the flexible shaft  160 . More particularly, as shown in  FIGS. 3   a  and  3   b , the handle  130  may have a side  131  defining an opening  131   a , and the flexible shaft  160  may be selectively extendable ( FIG. 3   b ) and retractable ( FIG. 3   a ) through the opening  131   a . The handle  130  may be movable between the use and storage configurations  130   a ,  130   b  (as discussed above) when the flexible shaft  160  is retracted through the opening  131   a , but the flexible shaft  160  may block the handle  130  from moving between the use and storage configurations  130   a ,  130   b  when the flexible shaft  160  is extended through the opening  131   a.    
   Means for actuating the array of light elements  150  and means for actuating the light element  162  coupled to the flexible shaft  160  may be included. For example, switches  170 ,  172  ( FIGS. 3   a  and  3   b ) in electrical communication with the array of light elements  150  and the light element  162  may be included. The array of light elements  150  and the light element  162  may be powered from a common power source  175  (e.g., a common battery), as shown in  FIG. 5 , or separate power sources may be used. If the lantern  140  is removably attached to the lantern bracket  145 , the lantern  140  may have its own power source. A switch for actuating the lantern light element may also be included. 
   In use, the handle  130  may be at the use configuration  130   a  (as discussed above), and a fisherman or other user may hold the handle  130  and capture an item (e.g., a fish, etc.) in the catch area  122  of the net  120 . The user may place his wrist through the lanyard  141  to maintain a firm grip on the fishing net  100 , and once the item is captured in the catch area  122 , the measurement indicia  137  may be used to determine the length of the item caught. 
   In low light situations, the array of light elements  150  may be actuated using the switch  170  to light the catch area  122 . The flexible shaft  160  may be extended as discussed above ( FIG. 3   b ), and the light element  162  may be actuated using the switch  172  to provide additional light. As shown in  FIG. 1   a , the lantern bracket  145  may be moved to the extended configuration  145   a , and the lantern light element may be actuated to provide further light. If the lantern bracket  145  includes the hinge  149  as discussed above, the lantern  140  may be angled relative to the handle  130  to better direct the light from the lantern light element, as shown in  FIG. 4   c . If the lantern  140  is removably coupled to the lantern bracket  145 , the lantern  140  may be separated from the lantern bracket  145  (and therefore the handle  130 ) and used to provide light (i.e., using the lantern light element). To store the fishing net  100 , the lantern bracket  145  may be moved to the retracted configuration  145   b , and the handle  130  may be moved to the storage configuration  130   b  as discussed above. 
   It is understood that while certain forms of this invention have been illustrated and described, it is not limited thereto except insofar as such limitations are included in the following claims and allowable functional equivalents thereof.