Abstract:
A swivel bait harness for receiving and holding live fish and allowing three dimensional movement of the hook portion of the harness under the forces generated by a fighting fish under commercial or sport fishing applications. The hook is rotatably secured within a first cylinder which is flexibly affixed to a front shank for attachment to conventional swivel and fishing lines. Alternate embodiments use the teachings of the present invention together with known bait harness components to provide a rigid harness for ease of applying bait and novel dynamics of the hook while the harness is used for fishing.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     None. 
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
     None. 
     REFERENCE TO A MICRO-FICHE APPENDIX 
     None. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to bait harnesses for commercial or sport fishing applications. Existing regulations proscribe bait harnesses using barbed-type fishing hooks for certain commercial and sport fishing, such as salmon fishing. These regulations were adopted to reduce the numbers of fish killed or injured as a result of damage to the mouths of the fish resulting from barbed fishing hooks. Barbless-type bait harness hooks, however, present numerous problems for commercial or sport fishermen. Prolonged fighting by fish hooked on a rigid type bait harness also seriously damages the mouth of the fish. Additionally, a rigid bait harness often deforms or bends from extreme force vectors presented during prolonged fish fighting periods. Such harness deformation often results in loss of the badly injured or dead fish and destruction of the harness. The improved bait harness of the present invention solves the problem and limitations of the prior art by providing swivel dynamics at the point of attachment to the harness of the barbless type hook. By use of the present invention, damage to hooked fish is minimized. At the same time, the present invention reduces the likelihood of hooked fish being lost as damaged or killed. Finally, the present invention presents a more durable bait tackle under present commercial or sport fishing regulations. 
     2. Description of the Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 C.F.R. 1.97 and 1.98 
     A search of the prior art located the following United States patents which are believed to be representative of the present state of the prior art: U.S. Pat. No. 6,038,806, issued Mar. 21, 2000, U.S. Pat. No. 5,953,851, issued Sep. 21, 1999, U.S. Pat. No. 5,890,316, issued Apr. 6, 1999, U.S. Pat. No. 5,881,491, issued Mar. 16, 1999, U.S. Pat. No. 5,875,584, issued Mar. 2, 1999, U.S. Pat. No. D404,795, issued Jan. 26, 1999, U.S. Pat. No. 5,855,089, issued Jan. 5, 1999, U.S. Pat. No. 5,680,726, issued Oct. 28, 1997, U.S. Pat. No. 5,600,917, issued Feb. 11, 1997, U.S. Pat. No. 5,537,774, issued Jul. 23, 1996, and U.S. Pat. No. D370,048, issued May 21, 1996. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved bait harness with three dimensional pivotal characteristics. 
     It is a further object of the present invention to provide a bait harness that complies with present sport fishing and commercial fishing regulations for barbless type hooks. 
     It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a bait harness that improves the potential for landing a fish that is hooked by the harness assembly. 
     It is a further object of the present invention to provide a bait harness that provides minimal damage to the mouth and/or snout of fish hooked thereby. 
     It is yet a further aspect of the present invention to provide a bait harness which can remain rigid for insertion into the bait but still be able to swivel at the point of hook attachment to the harness. 
     In a further aspect of the present invention to minimize the mortality to juvenile fish or protected species of fish inadvertently hooked by a bait harness so that these fish can be released back to the environment. 
     In a still further aspect of the present invention novice sport fishermen will be more likely to land a fish hooked by the bait harness. 
     It is still a further object of the present invention to present a bait harness that is less damaging to inadvertently hooked waterfowl, thus allowing easier release thereof and minimized injury thereto. 
     It is another and further objective of the present invention to provide a bait harness safely applicable to a full range of fish sizes and species. 
     Other features, advantages, and objects of the present invention will become apparent with reference to the following description and accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is an perspective view showing the separate elements of an embodiment of the present invention. 
     FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the assembled elements of an embodiment of the present invention. 
     FIG. 3 is an end elevational view of an embodiment of the present invention. 
     FIG. 4 is a cross sectional side view A—A of the end elevational view of FIG.  3 . 
     FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional detail view B of the tube, cylinder, and ball elements of FIG.  4 . 
     FIG. 6 is a side view of the hook element of an embodiment of the present invention. 
     FIG. 7 is a side view of the ball element of an embodiment of the present invention. 
     FIG. 8 is an end view of the ball element of an embodiment of the present invention. 
     FIG. 9 is a side view of a cylinder element of an embodiment of the present invention. 
     FIG. 10 is an end view of the rod element of an embodiment of the present invention. 
     FIG. 11 is a side view of the assembled cable element and cylinder elements of an embodiment of the present invention. 
     FIG. 12 is an side view of the flattened line attachment element of an embodiment of the present invention. 
     FIG. 13 is a side view of another embodiment of the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention of improved bait harness comprises a barbless type fishing hook which provides means for 360 degree range of motion and uniform flexibility about the longitudinal axis of the non-barbed end of the hook and means to attach the harness to standard a snap swivel at the end of a fishing line. The bait harness provides ease of threading bait onto the harness by virtue of the relatively rigid characteristic of the harness about the longitudinal harness axis. 
     With reference to the referenced drawings, an embodiment of the present improved bait harness invention is described below. As shown in FIGS. 1,  2  and  6 , an embodiment of the improved bait harness  10  comprises a barbless hook  20  further comprising a J-shaped shank  26  having a pointed, barbless back end  24  for hooking and a straight rod front end  22 , a first cylinder  30 , a spherical member or ball  40 , a second cylinder  50 , a flexible cable  60 , a third cylinder  70 , and a front end shank member with flattened end  80  adapted to attach to a standard snap swivel at the end of a fishing line. In th preferred embodiment of the present invention designed to hold 4 inch to 6 inch bait, the hook length measured from the straight rod front end to the farthest point on the J-bend is 2 inches. 
     FIG. 2 shows the elements of FIG. 1 in unison with a cut away view of the first cylinder  30  showing the differing internal diameters of the first cylinder  30 , where, as further depicted in FIGS. 9 and 10, the internal diameter  32  of one end of the first cylinder  30  is less than the internal diameter  34  of the other end of the first cylinder  30 , so that the first cylinder can receive and hold the spherical member or ball  40  fixedly attached to the straight rod front end  22  of the J-shaped hook  20 . In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the first cylinder  30  is made of stainless steel, is 0.625 inches in length, has an outside diameter of 0.250 inches, and one end having an internal diameter 0.203 inches for 0.500 inches in length of the cylinder and an internal diameter of 0.156 inches for the balance of the length of the first cylinder. 
     As shown in FIG. 3, the spherical member or ball  40  fixedly attached to the straight rod front end of the J-shaped hook  20  and is aligned with the longitudinal axis of the straight rod front end of the J-shaped hook  20  so as to allow 360 degree rotation about the longitudinal axis. The cross-sectional side view depicted in FIG.  4  and detail B as shown in FIG. 5 further show the alignment of the sphere  40  affixed to the straight rod front end  22  of the hook  20  within the smaller internal diameter  32  of the first cylinder  30  to allow the pointed back end  24  of the hook  20  to rotate 360 degrees about the longitudinal axis of the straight rod front end  22  of the hook  20 . Positioning the point of 360 rotation on the end, and along the longitudinal axis, of the straight rod front end  22  of the hook  20  is critical to the optimum operation of the present invention to offset the forces exerted by a hooked fish fighting against the bait harness. The smaller internal diameter  32  is sized to allow the free rotation of the straight rod front end  22  360 degrees around the longitudinal axis of the straight rod front end while keeping the sphere  40  from disconnecting from the bait harness  10 . For the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the stainless steel sphere  40  has an outside diameter of 0.188 inches and an 0.098 inch opening, aligned with the sphere central axis and sized to receive and be tig welded to the hook straight rod front end  22 . 
     FIGS. 7 and 8 provide details of the sphere or ball  40  including the opening  42  aligned through the central axis of the sphere or ball  40 . The opening  42  is sized to receive and be fixedly attached to the straight rod front end  22  of the hook  20 , as detailed in FIGS. 4 and 5. The sphere or ball  40  element of the present invention can be replaced by a commercial grade swivel, such as the P-Line Dura Max swivel known in the art. Such swivel substitute can be fixedly attached to the to the straight rod front end  22  of the hook  20  and one end of the flexible cable  60  the by tig welding, or similar means. In such substitute embodiment of the present invention, the second cylinder  50  and first cylinder  30 , are optional, and can be eliminated depending upon the application intended by the user. 
     FIG. 11 provides the assembled detail for the second cylinder  50  and third cylinder  70  and the flexible cable  60 . The cylinders  50  and  70  are identically sized to receive the cable into one open end of the cylinders and be fixedly attached thereto. The other end of the second cylinder  50  is sized to be inserted into and fixedly attached to the large internal diameter  34  of the first cylinder  30 . Positioning the point of flexibility along the longitudinal axis of the straight rod front end is essential to provide optimal dynamic response to the forces exerted upon the present invention by a hooked fish fighting against the harness. For the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the second cylinder  50  is stainless steel, is 0.625 inches in length, and has a fixed cross-sectional internal diameter of 0.203 inches with one end inserted into and tig welded to large diameter end of the first cylinder  30  and the other receiving and tig welded to 0.203 inches of one end of a 2 inch length of the flexible stainless steel cable  60  of fixed cross-sectional diameter slightly less than the internal diameter of the second cylinder  50 . This cross-sectional dimension of the flexible stainless steel cable  60  of the present invention is critical to provide the semi-rigid properties of the apparatus necessary for ease in applying bait to the harness, while affording the necessary flexibility to the movement about the harness longitudinal axis when engaged by a live fish. The third cylinder  70  of the preferred embodiment is constructed of stainless steel, is 0.625 inches in length and has a fixed cross-sectional internal diameter of 0.203 inches with one end receiving and tig welded to the end of flexible cable  60  not attached to the second cylinder  50 . 
     FIG. 12 shows the front end shank member with flattened end  80  adapted to attach to a standard snap swivel at the end of a fishing line. The shank  80  comprises a cylindrical back end  82  sized to be received and fixedly positioned into the end of the third cylinder  70  not housing the flexible cable. The shank further comprises a flattened end  84  comprising two equal sized openings,  86  and  88 , centered on and passing through the longitudinal axis of the flattened end, and a front end edge comprising two sides tapered at 45 degree angles  87  to a flat nose  89 . One of the equal sized openings,  88 , is used for securing the bait to the bait harness  10  after the rigid harness is inserted into the bait body tail end along the longitudinal axis of the harness flattened end, and through the bait body longitudinal axis until the flattened end emerges from the bait body mouth. The bait is then secured to the harness by insertion of the bait pin through the opening  88  and wrapping the bait hook wire around the head of the bait. The other equal sized opening,  86 , is used to secure the bait harness to the fishing line. 
     For the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the 1.70 inch stainless steel front end shank  80  comprises a 0.38 inch rod back end  82  fixedly positioned into the end of the third cylinder  70  not housing the flexible cable and tig welded thereto and a 1.32 inch flattened end  84  comprising two 0.095 inch diameter openings,  86  and  88 , 0.50 inches apart from the centerline of each opening, centered on and passing through the longitudinal axis of the flattened end  84 , wherein the centerline of the first opening  86  is 0.14 inches from the front end of the flattened end  84 , and wherein the flattened end  84  has a height of 0.187 inches and an end comprising two 0.06 inch sides tapered at 45 degree angles to a flat nose front end. 
     Another embodiment of the present invention  100  is depicted in FIG.  13 . As shown in FIG. 13, this alternate embodiment of the improved bait harness  100  comprises a hook  120  comprising a J-shaped shank of predetermined length and predetermined diameter and having a pointed, barbless back end for hooking and a straight rod front end welded, or otherwise fixedly connected, to a ring  164 , a rod  180  of predetermined length and predetermined diameter and having an angled end  152 , a front end shank member  180  with one end welded, or otherwise fixedly connected, to a ring  162  and a flattened end  190  comprising two openings,  186  and  188 , of equal diameter and both of which are centered along the longitudinal axis of the flattened end  190 . Opening  186  is further adapted to attach to a standard snap swivel at the end of a fishing line, and opening  188  is further adapted to tie-in bait. 
     As further depicted in FIG. 13, the ring  164  attached to the straight rod front end of the hook  120  and the ring  162  attached to the shank member  180  are rotatably attached to ends of a commercial grade swivel  160 , such as the P-Line Dura Max swivel, known in the art. The ring attachments to the swivel provide the swivel a free range of motion about the longitudinal axis of both the shank member and straight rod front end. As such, this embodiment of the present invention  100  provides nearly 360 degree range of motion of the hook  120  about the longitudinal axis of the apparatus. 
     This embodiment of the apparatus is adapted to a rigid state for bait attachment by inserting the angled end  152  of the rod  180  into the opening  186  and aligning the rod  180  along the shank member  180  and the straight rod front end of the hook  120 . The resulting rigid apparatus flattened end  190  is inserted into and through the bait from the bait body tail. Once the flattened end  190  emerges through the bait body mouth, the bait is tied off using opening  188 . The cylindrical rod  180  is then released from the opening  186 , pulled through the bait, and removed from the baited harness. 
     The elements of the present invention can be constructed of any strong, rust-resistant material such as stainless steel or high strength graphite. 
     Although the foregoing description concerns what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is understood that the present invention is not to be limited to the disclosed embodiments but, on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit ans scope of the appended claims.