Abstract:
In the fishing lure art there is a need for a lure that remains near and parallel to the surface of the water not only when the lure is reeled in by a fisherman, but also when the lure is stationary or left to the whims of the water&#39;s current. Described are lures having a floating body that is incorporated into a non-linear lure design. Some arrangements of the invention comprise fins on the floating body to allow the lure to generate noise as it moves through the water. Still other arrangements of the invention have a ballast that adds weight and stability to the lower portion of the lure.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/383,578, filed Sep. 16, 2010, which is hereby incorporated by reference. 
    
    
     SUMMARY 
     Fishermen have long utilized specialized lures to attract fish. Some lures attract fish by using a noise-generating spinning component. Others use spinning components to create drag when the lure is reeled in, thereby bringing the bait near the surface of the water. In a non-linear arrangement, the hook is connected to the spinning component with a bent wire frame with a hook attached to one end of the frame and the spinning component attached to the other. In a linear arrangement, a spinner and hook are attached to a line or wire in series. 
     A problem with the non-linear design is that if the fisherman stops reeling in the lure, then the lure quickly begins to sink. This can be partially remedied by using a linear arrangement with a floating component. However, a problem with the linear arrangement is that fish will strike the noise-making spinning component and sometimes miss the baited hook that trails behind. Both designs suffer from issues of twisting or tangling fishing line because of the spinning action of the lure. 
     The fishing lure, embodiments of which are described below, incorporate a floating body in a non-linear design. In particular, some embodiments are arranged such that the lure can float in an upright position near or on the water&#39;s surface regardless of whether the lure is being reeled in. This relieves the fisherman from the need to continuously reel in the lure in order to have the lure remain near the surface of the water. Other embodiments incorporate fins into the floating body, or have a separate spinning component in addition to a floating body, so that the lure generates noise as it moves through the water. Still other embodiments incorporate a ballast that adds weight and/or stability to the lower portion of the lure and can help the lure remain upright and substantially parallel to the surface in the water. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a side elevation view of a fishing lure. 
         FIG. 2  is a side elevation view of a fishing lure. 
         FIG. 3  is a side elevation view of the fishing lure of  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 4  is a front elevation view of the fishing lure of  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 5  is a back elevation view of the fishing lure of  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 6  is a top elevation view of the fishing lure of  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 7  is a bottom elevation view of the fishing lure of  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 8  is a prospective view of the fishing lure of  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 9  is a prospective view of the fishing lure of  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 10  is a prospective view of the fishing lure of  FIG. 2 . 
     
    
    
     PARTS LIST 
     
         
           100  body 
           110  fin 
           120  front cap 
           130  rear cap 
           200  wire frame 
           210  bend 
           220  clip 
           300  hook 
           310  bait 
           400  ballast 
           410  wing 
       
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     As shown in the accompanying drawings, an embodiment of the invention is a floating fishing lure. As shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the lure comprises a body  100  and a hook  300 .  FIGS. 3 through 8  show different views of the fishing lure and body  100 . In this embodiment, the body  100  is attached to the hook  300  through a wire frame  200 . The body  100  preferably has radial symmetry and a central axis passing through the center of the body  100 . The wire frame  200  extends within and through the central axis of the body  100 , thereby allowing the body  100  to rotate about its central axis. In order to facilitate the spinning action of the body  100 , a front cap  120  and rear cap  130  are attached to wire frame  200  in front and behind the body  100 . In an embodiment, the body  100  comprises a sleeve that is inserted within a cavity of the body  100  that is collinear with the central axis of rotation of the body  100 . The sleeve is preferably made out of aluminum and fixedly attached to the body  100  by epoxy or other fixing means. In preferable embodiments, the front cap  120  protects the front of the body  100  and the sleeve. A preferable material for the wire frame  200  is stainless steel, however other sufficiently rigid materials, both rust resistant and not, may be suitable, including steel, aluminum, tin, bismuth, hardened plastic, and the like. 
     In the embodiment shown, the body  100  comprises two fins  110 . Other embodiments of the invention may have additional or fewer or no fins. Fins  110  are preferably attached to the body  100  at about a 30 degree angle to about a 70 degree angle from the central axis of the body  100 . More preferably, fins  110  are attached at about a 60 degree angle form the central axis of the body  100 . A preferable material for fins  110  is aluminum. Other embodiments may have a spinning component separate from the body  100 . Still other embodiments may have multiple floating components that may collectively comprise a body  100 . 
     The body  100  is preferably comprised of one or more materials that are less dense than water such that the body  100  floats when placed in water. In more preferable embodiments, the material used for the body  100  is Balsa wood, however many other buoyant materials are suitable for use as body  100  materials, including cork, foam, or plastic or other synthetic products. For materials that may become waterlogged, such as certain types of wood, the sleeve can act to seal the cavity of the body  100  to help prevent the material comprising the body  100  from becoming waterlogged. Some embodiments of the body  100  comprise a teardrop shape. Preferred embodiments of the body  100  comprise a bullet shape having a diameter at the trailing end of the body  100  wherein the diameter tapers toward the leading end of the body  100 . 
     In preferable embodiments, the buoyancy of the body  100  is greater than or equal to the weight of the entire lure, including the weight of the body  100  itself. This allows the floating fishing lure to remain at or near the surface of the water by virtue of the buoyancy of the body  100  instead of relying on drag forces as the lure is reeled in. 
     Preferable embodiments position the body  100  and the hook  300  in a non-linear arrangement. One of many ways to achieve this arrangement is by using a wire frame  200  with a bend  210 . In the embodiment shown, an R-shaped bend  210  is utilized; however, there are many other suitable bend  210  shapes such as a U-shaped bend or a loop in the wire frame  200  itself. The bend  210  preferably positions the hook  300  below the body  100  as the lure would sit upright in the water (much like the way the lure is positioned in  FIGS. 6 and 8 ). In preferable embodiments, a fisherman attaches a fishing line to the lure at the bend  210 . This preferable arrangement allows the hook  300  to remain submerged near the water&#39;s surface while the buoyant body  100  maintains the lure in an upright position. 
     As used in this disclosure, “linear” and “non-linear” are used with reference to the central axis of the body  100 . For example, the front cap  120  and rear cap  130  are in a linear arrangement with the body  100 , but the clip  220 , hook  300 , bait  310 , and ballast  400  are non-linear relative to the body  100 . The bend  210  may be formed such that the site at which a fisherman attaches a fishing line to the lure may be linearly or non-linearly positioned, depending on the shape and position of the bend  210 . In preferred embodiments, an R-shaped bend  210  is employed to provide a substantially linear fishing line attachment point. 
     As shown, the wire frame  200  is attached to the hook  300 . Although hidden from view in  FIG. 1 , a clip  220  resiliently retains the bait  310  against the base of the hook  300 . The clip  220  helps to prevent bait  310  from becoming dislodged from the hook as the lure passes through the water or when fish bite the bait  310  but not the hook  300 . Enlarged views of the clip  220  may be found in  FIGS. 9 and 10 . The clip preferably has two prongs in a loop arrangement. In preferred arrangement shown, the terminal end of the wire frame  200  passes through the ballast  400  and turns back on itself in a loop to act as the clip  220 . Other embodiments may have a clip  220  that is separate from the wire frame  200 . Still other embodiments may have a clip  220  attached to or incorporated into the hook  300  itself. All such clip arrangements and others are considered to be within the scope of this disclosure. 
     Turning now to  FIGS. 7-10 , the embodiments show a ballast  400 . The ballast may add weight to or stabilize the non-linear portion of the lure. In preferable embodiments the ballast  400  both adds weight to and stabilizes the non-linear portion of the lure, i.e., the part of the lure that one wishes to remain submerged in the water. Some embodiments may use a dense hook material in lieu of a separate ballast member. In preferred embodiments, the ballast  400  has a plurality of wings  410  to further aid in stabilization, however any shape that provides sufficient weight to the lure may be suitable. Other embodiments of a ballast  400  may not have any wings  410 . In the embodiment shown, the ballast  400  is used as the means of attachment between the wire frame  200  and the hook  300 . A preferable ballast  400  material is tin. In other embodiments ballast materials may be lead or bismuth or other dense materials. In a non-limiting example only, the ballast  400  preferably consists of three quarters of the total weight of the frame  200 , hook  300 , and the ballast  400 . In still more preferable embodiments the total weight of the frame  200 , hook  300 , and ballast  400  is ¼ ounce and the weight of the ballast  400  is 3/16 ounce. If tin is the material used for the ballast  400 , then a ¼ ounce sized lead mold is preferable. One of ordinary skill in the fishing lure art may create a larger or smaller lure without undue experimentation using the components described herein and would appreciate that such lures would be within the scope of this disclosure. In another non-limiting example, the ballast  400  may weigh as little as ⅛ ounce or less. 
     The hook  300  is a typical fishing hook that may be constructed out of any traditional fish-hook material, such as steel or stainless steel. In preferable embodiments, the sharp, curved end of the hook  300  is positioned toward the body  100  of the lure to avoid snagging on debris as the lure travels through the water. 
     The embodiments shown in the drawings and described above are exemplary of numerous embodiments that may be made within the scope of the appended claims. It is contemplated that numerous other configurations may be used, and the material of each component may be selected from numerous materials other than those specifically disclosed. In short, it is the applicant&#39;s intention that the scope of the patent issuing from this application be limited only by the scope of the appended claims.