Patent Publication Number: US-2023148581-A1

Title: Bead storage system

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     The present application is based on and claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Pat. Application Serial No. 63/263,895, filed Nov. 11, 2021, the content of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
     CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     The present application incorporates by reference U.S. Application Serial No. 12/876,386 filed Sep. 7, 2010. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     A bead typically has an inner hollow chamber. Then, at least two openings are formed in the bead so as to provide access to the inner hollow chamber. Thus, the bead essentially has a hole running through it, usually straight through it along a central axis of the bead. The end of a string may be pushed or threaded through one of the two openings in the bead, through the inner chamber and out the other (or another) opening. Thus, the bead becomes secured on the string, though in most cases it is allowed to slip up and down the string. 
     A bead of the described design is therefore secured on the string by pushing the string through one bead hole and out the other. In order to be able to feed the bead onto the string, the strong must have at least one free end. It generally also must have at least a stretch of string near the end that is free of knots or similar restrictions that would prevent the bead from being fed onto the string. In other words, if a knot or some other obstruction is prohibiting access to a length of the string, the bead will not be able to be pushed onto that length of string. Otherwise, there may be no other choice but to cut the string so as to remove the obstruction and therefore free an end of the string to be fed through bead. It is also worth mentioning that a typical bead will have its holes be formed to have a diameter that is ideally larger than the diameter of the string so that the string is more easily pushed through the bead. 
     There are situations in which a user may wish to add a bead onto a length of string that has no unobstructed end available to feed through the bead. Or perhaps the user simply wants to add a bead to the string without having to thread a string through the bead. Or, perhaps the user wishes to add a bead between two existing beads that are already on the string, without having to first remove either of the existing beads. 
     One can imagine a scenario, for example, wherein a user may wish to add a new bead onto a string into the middle of a string of many beads that have already bead threaded onto the string. It would be most efficient to add this new bead to the string without removing any of the beads that are already threaded on the string. The bead to be added may, for example, be of a different color so as to nicely compliment the beads already present on the string. If one were forced to remove half the beads already on the string to accommodate the addition of the new bead, one would have to re-thread all of the removed beads one-by-one until the complete design is reconstructed. 
     Up until now, the described dilemma has been described in the context of adding beads to a string perhaps for decorative purposes. But the same dilemma does raise its head in other contexts. Fishing tackle is a great example. When a fishing rod is fully rigged, for example, access to the line generally obstructed on one end by the hook (or other fish engaging tackle) and on the other end by connection to the reel. Thus, threading tackle onto the line (like threading a bead onto a string) generally requires that at least one end of the line be free of obstruction. In many cases, the hook must be cut off in order to at least temporarily free an end of the line to be threaded through a bead-like item of tackle. Of course, the hook can be reattached. But it would still be more desirable to attach tackle onto a line without having to have a free end. 
     Devices have been described in an attempt to allow for quick attachment to a string. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,931,786 describes a fisherman sinker-bobber; U.S. Pat. No. 5,203,107 describes a fishing line limit assembly; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,377,443 describes glass fishing weights. Although these devices may generally be attached to a string or line without threading through a hole, the disadvantages of these devices and the advantages of the present invention should become apparent to those skilled in the art from a review of the description. 
     SUMMARY 
     Embodiments of a bead storage system are disclosed herein. In one example, the system includes a bead holder having at least one bead. The system also includes a lever holder having at least two levers that are configured to be simultaneously pressed so as to squeeze the bead when the bead holder is stacked together with the lever holder. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG.  1    is a bottom perspective view showing an example bead storage system. 
         FIG.  2    is a perspective view showing various components of an example bead storage system. 
         FIG.  3    is an exploded view showing an example bead storage system. 
         FIG.  4    is an exploded view showing an example bead storage system. 
         FIG.  5    is a perspective view showing an example bead storage system. 
         FIG.  6    is a flow chart diagram demonstrating a series of steps involved in a method for utilizing a bead storage system to attach a bead to a line. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       FIG.  1    is a bottom perspective view showing an example bead storage system  100 . Bead storage system  100  includes a plurality of beads  10 . These beads  10  can be similar to beads  10  in U.S. Application Serial No. 12/876,386 filed Sep. 7, 2010 which is herein incorporated by reference. In some examples, beads  10  are used on fishing lines as bobber stops. As noted in the previous application, beads  10  are compressed to be locked onto the fishing line, string or other line. As shown, bead storage system  100  includes levers  104 . Levers  104  can be used to compress beads  10  onto the line. Levers  104  provide additional leverage to compress beads  10 , as compared to trying to squeeze the bead with your fingers. Of course, a bead  10  could be squeezed with an external device such as a pair of plyers, but the levers  104  provide built-in convenience. Bead storage system  100  also includes guides  102  that facilitating a guiding of the line into bead  10  before it is compressed. 
     Beads  10  are coupled to a central holder (not shown in  FIG.  1   ). Once a bead  10  is pinched/coupled to a line, the line can illustratively be pulled so as to free the bead  10  from its connection to the holder. In some examples, the compressing of bead  10  is configured to automatically in and of itself free the bead from the holder (i.e., rather than requiring the line to be pulled to break the connection). 
       FIG.  2    is a perspective view showing various components of an example bead storage system  200 . System  200  includes plate  108 , plate  114 , lever holder  112 , and bead holders  106 . Plates  108  and  114  are illustratively configured to couple together. Lever holder  112  is illustratively configured to set between plates  108  and  114 , when plates  108  and  114  are coupled together. A bead holder  106  is illustratively configured to rest inside of a lever holder  112 . Thus, a bead holder is illustratively placed into a lever holder  112 , and then this combination is settled between plates  108  and  114 . Plates  108  and  114  are shown in  FIG.  2    as being at least semitransparent, which allows a user to see which beads  10  on bead holder  106  are still available to be attached to a line. In other examples, plate  108  and/or plate  114  are different colors and/or opacities. 
     In the shown example, components  108 ,  114 , and  104  are generally re-useable, and then bead holder  106  is disposable (after all beads  10  are expended). In other examples, bead holder  106  is re-useable. In some examples, bead holder  106  is not needed and beads  10  are inserted into the assembly without holder  106 . All combination are conceived and possible. 
       FIG.  3    is an exploded view showing an example bead storage system  300 . As shown, lever holder  112  is coupled to plate  108 . Bead holder  106  and plate  114  are aligned with this assembly. 
       FIG.  4    is an exploded view showing an example bead storage system  400 . As shown, lever holder  112  is coupled to plate  108 . Bead holder  110  has been disposed within the assembly. Plate  114  is aligned with the assembly and can be coupled to the assembly to retain bead holder  110 . 
       FIG.  5    is a perspective view showing an example bead storage system  500 . As shown, all components are plastic, however, in other examples, the components can include other materials as well. For example, as shown lever holder  112  is a deformable plastic that allows the levers  104  to compress beads  10 . In another example, lever holder  112  could be metal and the levers  104  are coupled to  102  one or more joints that allow the levers  104  to pivot. 
       FIG.  6    is a flow chart diagram demonstrating a series of steps involved in a method  600  for utilizing a bead storage system, embodiments of which are described herein, to attach a bead, for example, a bead  10 , to a line. In accordance with step  602 , a bead holder  106  with its associated beads  10  is placed into a lever holder 1112. In accordance with block  604 , this 106/112 combination of components is then sandwiched between the combination of plate  108  and plate  114 . Thus, the guides  102  then define a path for a length of line to be slid through the guides  102  and into a bead  10 . In accordance with block  606 , the line is thus slid through the guides into an open (i.e., similar to an open clam shell configuration) bead  10 . In accordance with block  608 , a pair of levers  104  is on the lever holder  112  is then utilized to press the bead  10  shut so as to secure the bead  10  to the line. In accordance with block  610 , the bead  10  is then pulled (or mechanically released, in one embodiment, for example by a protruding tab that is configured to push on the bead when the levers  114  are squeezed together) free of the bead holder  106 . And thus, the bead  10  is transferred from the bead holder  106  onto the line without having to thread an end of the line through the bead  10 . 
     Although the present invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments, workers skilled in the art will recognize that changes may be made in form and detail without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.