Abstract:
An adjustable depth fishing bobber having a hollow bobber housing for upright floatation having a top and a bottom opening, an elongated stem extending displaceably through said housing openings and having provision for the attachment of a fishing line to an upper end and a fishing leader to a lower end, a top cap affixed to the stem above the housing that normally engages the housing to sealably close the top opening, and a coiled spring surrounding the stem within the housing urging the stem downwardly with respect to the housing to normally close the top opening, the stem being upwardly displaceable relative to the housing whereby a quantity of water can be admitted into or drained from the housing to vary the buoyancy of the bobber.

Description:
REFERENCE TO MICROFICHE APPENDIX 
     This application is not referenced in any microfiche appendix. 
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to a bobber for use in fishing having provision at one end for the attachment of a fishing line and at the other end for a fishing leader, which in turn is attached to a fishhook. The buoyancy of the bobber is adjustable. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     An historically popular way to fish is by using a fishing pole having a fishing line extending to a bobber and a leader extending from the bobber to a fishhook on which bait is placed. In addition, a weight is normally affixed to the leader near the hook to pull the hook with the bait thereon downwardly from the bobber. The distance between the bobber and the hook is thereby a way of adjusting the depth at which the baited hook is maintained in the water. The bobber not only holds the baited hook suspended at a preselected depth below the water surface, but the bobber also provides a visual signal when a fish bites or nibbles on the bait. A skilled fisherman, by watching the bobber, knows when to jerk the line to set the hook in a biting fish. 
     If a bobber has too much buoyancy, a fish can bite or nibble on the bait and the fisherman will not be apprised of this fact. High buoyancy of a bobber prevents it from being significantly displaced with respect to the water surface by the action of a fish. On the other hand, if the bobber has too little buoyancy, then any minor engagement of the bait by a fish can cause a displacement of the bobber relative to the water surface that is misleading and can cause a fisherman to jerk the hook before a fish has actually taken the bait. In other words, according to the type and nature of the bait, the amount of buoyancy of the bobber can be important in providing information that a fisherman needs to know when to jerk the line—that is, set the hook in response to a fish bite. 
     For these reasons, the invention herein provides an adjustable depth fishing bobber that permits the buoyancy of the bobber to be readily and quickly adjusted by controlling the quantity of water within the interior of the bobber. In this way, a fisherman can adjust the buoyancy of the bobber without having to have any supplemental devices or tools. Further, when through fishing, water within the bobber can quickly and easily be drained so that it does not have to be kept inside of a fishing tackle box. 
     For an understanding of fishing bobbers, their uses, applications and various designs, reference may be had to the following previously-issued United States patents and a publication: 
     
       
         
               
               
               
               
             
           
               
                   
               
               
                 U.S. Pat. 
                   
                   
                   
               
               
                 No. 
                 Publication 
                 Inventor(s) 
                 Title 
               
               
                   
               
             
             
               
                   
                 US 2002/ 
                 Bennis 
                 Two-Stage Fishing Bobber 
               
               
                   
                 0000060 
               
               
                 2,726,474 
                   
                 Soskice 
                 Floats for Fishlines 
               
               
                 2,803,082 
                   
                 Claybrook 
                 Fishing Float Having Weight- 
               
               
                   
                   
                   
                 Adjusting Means 
               
               
                 3,447,257 
                   
                 Ieda 
                 Reversible Steering Member 
               
               
                 3,455,056 
                   
                 Cultrera 
                 Fishing Floats 
               
               
                 3,597,871 
                   
                 Hansen 
                 Fishing Float Device 
               
               
                 3,698,120 
                   
                 Grogan 
                 Float-Sinker 
               
               
                 3,744,176 
                   
                 Bondhus 
                 Casting Bubble 
               
               
                 3,757,453 
                   
                 Therres 
                 Fishing Line Float 
               
               
                 3,990,172 
                   
                 Hagquist 
                 Fishing Bobber 
               
               
                 4,461,114 
                   
                 Riead 
                 Fishing Float 
               
               
                 4,571,874 
                   
                 Smaw 
                 Casting Bobber with 
               
               
                   
                   
                   
                 Predetermined Depth Setting 
               
               
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention herein provides an adjustable depth fishing bobber that can also be described as an adjustable buoyancy fishing bobber. The bobber is formed of a hollow bobber housing preferably made of thin-wall plastic halves each of which is a concave element. The bobber housing is hollow and oriented for upright floatation and has a top and a bottom opening. 
     An elongated stem extends displaceably through the housing openings. The stem has provision at the top end for the attachment of a fishing line and at a bottom end for the attachment of a fishing leader that extends to a fishhook. A top cap is affixed to the stem above the housing. The top cap normally engages the housing exterior surface to sealably close the top opening. 
     A coiled spring surrounds the stem within the housing and urges the stem downwardly with respect to the housing to normally close the top cap against the exterior surface of the housing to thereby close the top opening. The stem can be manually upwardly displaced relative to the housing to permit fluid—that is, air or water, to flow through the top and bottom openings so that a quantity of water may be admitted into or drained from the housing to thereby vary buoyancy of the housing. 
     In a preferred arrangement, a spring keeper is affixed to the stem within the housing. The spring is received on the stem and compressed between the spring keeper and an upper interior surface of the housing surrounding the top opening. 
     The stem preferably has an upper and a lower groove that, when the stem is displaced with respect to the housing, permits fluid to more readily flow through the top and bottom openings so that water and/or air can pass through as necessary to admit water into the housing or drain water from the housing. 
    
    
     A better understanding of the invention will be obtained from the following description of the preferred embodiment taken in conjunction with the attached drawing. 
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is an elevational isometric view of a fishing bobber of this invention showing the external appearance of the bobber. 
     FIG. 2 is an elevational cross-sectional view taken along the line  2 — 2 . FIG. 1 showing the bobber in its normal position with a fragment of a fishing line attached to a top end and a fragment of a fishing leader attached to the bottom end. FIG. 2 shows the bobber in condition for maximum buoyancy and shows the bobber floating relatively high on the surface of water. 
     FIG. 3 shows the stem displaced upwardly relative to the body of the bobber in the condition wherein water is being admitted into the interior of the bobber to decrease its buoyancy. As water is admitted through a bottom opening, displaced air is discharged through a top opening. 
     FIG. 4 shows the stem in the normal position sealably closing the admission or drainage of water from the interior of the body. A quantity of water subsides within the body so that the buoyancy of the bobber is reduced and the bobber floats lower with respect to the water&#39;s surface. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Referring to the drawings, FIG. 1 shows the exterior of a bobber that incorporates principles of this invention, the bobber being generally indicated by the numeral  10 . External elements of the bobber shown in FIG. 1 includes a body  12 , a stem  14  and a top cap  16 . 
     FIGS. 2,  3  and  4  show cross-sectional views of the bobber and more details of its construction. The body generally indicated by the numeral  12  includes a lower thin-wall concave half  18  and a mating thin-wall concave upper half  20 . The lower and upper halves  18  and  20  are preferably molded of inexpensive plastic materials and have circumferential open edges that join at a mating edge  22 . 
     The bottom half  18  has a bottom opening  24  therein and in like manner, the body top half  20  has a top opening  26 . Extending displaceably through openings  24  and  26  is a stem  28  having a bottom end  30  and a top end  32 . Adjacent bottom end  30  is a small opening  34  that receives a fishing leader  36 . In similar manner, adjacent top end  32  is an opening  38  that receives the end of a fishing line  40 . 
     The bobber is used in the normal way that fishing bobbers have been for many years. Normally, the lower end of fishing leader  36  has a weight and a hook (not shown). Bait (not shown) is normally placed on the hook and the weight holds the bait at a preselected distance below the surface  42  of the body of water on which the bobber is being used. Thus, the function of bobber  12  is first, to maintain a baited hook at a preselected distance below water surface  42  since otherwise without a bobber or a way to add buoyancy, a baited hook, especially if it has a weight on the line adjacent to it, would normally rest on the bottom of the body of water and can easily then be entangled in brush, weeds and so forth. A second basic function of bobber  10  is to provide a visual indication to the fisherman when a fish is biting. 
     Secured to stem  28  above bobber body  12  is the top cap  16 . As best seen in FIG. 3, the top cap  16  preferably includes a seal such as O-ring  44 . 
     Within the interior of body  12  is a compression spring  46  that surrounds the stem  28 . A spring keeper  48  is secured to stem  28 . Spring  26  is compressably received on stem  28  between an upper interior surface of the body top half  20  and keeper  48 . Spring keeper  48  may be of a variety of styles. In one arrangement a small groove can be formed on stem  28  with a C-shaped keeper  48  positioned in the groove. A washer  50  can then be placed on stem  28  in contact with keeper  48 . Spring  46  extends between washer  50  and the interior top half of the body  20 . Thus, as illustrated, a washer is positioned on the stem in engagement with a keeper  48  that is positioned within a narrow groove in the circumferential surface of the stem. In another embodiment, instead of using a keeper, a plastic washer can be glued or otherwise bonded directly onto the external surface of the stem  28 . The particular manner of providing the spring keeper that, as illustrated, is formed of a keeper element  48  and a washer  50  is a design choice. The only requirement is that provision be made so that spring  46  be arranged to exert compressive downward force on stem  28  relative to the body  12 . 
     In normal circumstances, the bobber will be in condition for maximum flotation when a fisherman takes the bobber out of his tackle box or first starts using it in which the interior of the bobber is void as shown in FIG.  2 . If the fisherman believes that the maximum flotation, as in FIG. 2, causes the bobber to be insensitive to small or feeble bites by a fish, the fisherman can adjust the flotation. This is accomplished as seen in FIG. 3 in which the fisherman holds the body of the bobber partially submerged and upwardly raises stem  28  against the compressive force of spring  46 . This removes top cap  16  from contact with the portion of the bobber upper half that surrounds top opening  26 . This permits air to escape from the bobber permitting water to enter bottom opening  24 . To improve the flow of water into the interior of the body  12  and to permit the escape of air out the top of the bobber, a top groove  52  is formed in the sidewall of stem  28 , as well as a bottom groove  54 . Grooves  52  and  54  are positioned so that in the normal relationship of stem  28  to body  12 , the top groove  52  is totally interior of the body and the bottom groove  54  is totally exterior of the body as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4. Thus, in the normal position the top and bottom grooves  52  and  54  have no function in the normal operation of the bobber. However, when the buoyancy of the bobber is being changed, as shown in FIG. 3, stem  28  is upwardly raised with respect to the bobber, compressing spring  46 , so that top groove  52  is in alignment with top opening  26  and the bottom groove  54  is in alignment with bottom opening  24 . With the bobber partially submerged beneath the surface  42  of water as shown in FIG. 3, this displacement allows water to flow freely through bottom opening  24  past bottom groove  54  and air that is displaced as water enters the interior of the bobber to escape through top opening  26 , past top groove  52 . After the quantity of water desired has been admitted into the interior of the bobber, the stem is returned downwardly to the location shown in FIG.  4 . In this location, more water cannot pass into the interior of the bobber as resisted by the air captured in the top part of the interior of the body  12 . At the same time, the top and bottom grooves  52  and  54  are out of alignment with the top and bottom openings  26  and  24 . 
     The bobber of this invention has been described in terms of its adjustable buoyancy. Buoyancy is directly related to the weight of the bobber—that is, the amount of water contained within the bobber. Thus, adjustable buoyancy is the same as adjustable weight. Therefore, the term “adjustable depth fishing bobber” is inclusive of“adjustable weight fishing bobber.” The weight of the bobber is important to vary the buoyancy when the bobber is floating and also is important to provide casting ballast. That is, by varying the amount of water in the bobber its weight when being cast can be varied. This permits a fisherman to vary the weight (ballast) of the bobber for effective casting of the bobber. 
     The adjustable depth fishing bobber as has been described herein provides a bobber having advantages over the known prior art such as that previously identified and provides a bobber that permits a fisherman to quickly adjust the buoyancy of the bobber to his needs in a way that does not require supplemental weights or other attachments. Further, when the fisherman is through fishing and the bobber has been removed from the lake or stream where it has been employed, the fisherman can expeditiously empty water from the bobber by merely depressing the body  12  downwardly relative to stem  28  to the position as shown in FIG.  3  and any water remaining inside the body will be immediately drained through the bottom opening  24  past bottom groove  54 . 
     While the invention has been described with a certain degree of particularity, it is manifest that many changes may be made in the details of construction and the arrangement of components without departing from the spirit and scope of this disclosure. It is understood that the invention is not limited to the embodiments set forth herein for purposes of exemplification, but is to be limited only by the scope of the attached claims, including the full range of equivalency to which each element thereof is entitled.