Abstract:
An apparatus for use by fishermen defines a receptacle having a closed end and an open end covered with a membrane through which spent fishing line may be inserted. The spent line is received into the receptacle and is held in the receptacle by the membrane. The line is removed later for recycling or disposal in an appropriate manner.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     This invention relates generally to the field of fishing and more particularly to an apparatus worn by fishermen for containing fishing line that otherwise might be discarded into a waterway.  
       BACKGROUND  
       [0002]     There are many different types of fishing line used throughout the world, and nearly all fishermen, regardless of what type of fishing they are doing, use fishing line. Often, substantial quantities of fishing line are expended while fishing. For example, small pieces of line are commonly cut off while tying hooks and other tackle. Longer segments of line are just as often rendered useless for a variety of reasons, such as tangles and knots. The most common type of fishing line is probably the ubiquitous type of line called monofilament. Monofilament line is thin, strong, and some types are nearly invisible to fish and other wildlife. These qualities make monofilament line excellent for use in all types of angling. But monofilament line also degrades very slowly in the environment, and some information indicates that monofilament line may remain in the environment for hundreds of years.  
         [0003]     Unfortunately, fishermen often discard their used or otherwise spent line into the environment, which may result in numerous environmental problems. Considering its environmental longevity and the fact that it is often nearly invisible in the environment, discarded monofilament line can pose a serious risk to numerous types of wildlife. Birds, mammals, reptiles and fish often are unable to see improperly discarded monofilament line in the water and near waterways and as a result, may become entangled. Such encounters often lead to injury, disfigurement, drowning, strangulation and starving.  
         [0004]     The problems caused by discarded fishing line are not limited to wildlife; humans and their equipment are nearly just as often adversely effected. For example, fishing line fowls boat propellers, bilge pumps, and water intake valves, it can interfere with swimmers, and it can be a hazard to scuba divers.  
         [0005]     Given these known and serious concerns about improperly discarded of fishing line, particularly plastic monofilament line, numerous recycling programs are being started up around the United States and in other parts of the world. While there are many types of monofilament line, most are primarily composed of single strand, high density plastic or nylon compounds that can be recycled by melting and reused in other products. Monofilament recycling programs are designed to educate fishermen about the serious nature of the problems arising from waste fishing line, and to encourage proper disposal of spent line. As part of these programs, recycling collection containers are being installed near boat launching ramps, near or on docks, marinas and fishing piers, and other locations where fishermen are likely to pass by. Even if fishing line collected in such containers is not readily recycled, at the very least it may be disposed of properly, alleviating many environmental problems and reducing the risks to wildlife.  
         [0006]     Many of these education and recycling programs are beginning to show successful results. However, much more needs to be done, and present programs do not address the problems encountered by fisherman of discarding fishing line where it is being used: by the fisherman in a boat, or in a waterway (for example, wading in a stream or lake, floating in float tube in a lake, etc.). Known recycling containers are typically mounted to a post near a fishing location—remote from the place where the fishing is actually done.  
         [0007]     There is a need therefore for apparatus that provides a fisherman with a means of disposing of fishing line while he or she is fishing.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0008]     The present invention is an apparatus for use by fishermen and defines a receptacle having a closed end and an open end covered with a membrane having an opening therethrough, through which spent fishing line may be inserted. The spent line is received into the receptacle and is held in the receptacle by the membrane. The receptacle may be opened and the line is removed for recycling or disposal in an appropriate manner. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0009]     The invention will be better understood and its numerous objects and advantages will be apparent by reference to the following detailed description of the invention when taken in conjunction with the following drawings.  
         [0010]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of one illustrated embodiment of a receptacle according to the present invention, showing a segment of fishing line being inserted into the receptacle.  
         [0011]      FIG. 2  is a partially exploded longitudinal cross sectional view of the embodiment of the receptacle shown in  FIG. 1 .  
         [0012]      FIG. 3  is a top plan view of the embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 1 , showing the slotted membrane that covers one end of the receptacle.  
         [0013]      FIG. 4  is an exploded perspective view of the receptacle shown in  FIG. 1 , illustrating the components of the receptacle. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0014]     The receptacle according to the illustrated invention defines an easily used container for recycling spent fishing line. The receptacle is preferably small, light and easily carried by a fisherman or attached to the belt or vest. The receptacle includes means for retaining spent line in the interior of the container and for easily emptying the contents.  
         [0015]     With reference to the drawings, an illustration of a preferred embodiment of a receptacle  10  according to the present invention is shown in  FIG. 1 . As detailed below, receptacle  10  may take many forms in addition to the generally cylindrical, tubular form of the embodiment illustrated herein. Nonetheless, the embodiment shown in the drawings with a tubular main body describes one preferred embodiment of the invention.  
         [0016]     Turning momentarily to  FIG. 2 , receptacle  10  includes a main body section  12 , which in the illustrations is shown as a hollow cylinder, but which could be virtually any shape such as square, etc. With reference to  FIG. 4 , main body  12  is hollow and defines an open interior space  14  that is capable of holding fishing line. Receptacle  10  further comprises a first end  16  and an opposite second end  18 . As detailed below, first end  16  is covered with a slotted membrane  20  to allow access into interior space  14 , and second end  18  is closed with a covering that is readily removable. Receptacle  10  further includes a clip  22  that is shown as a standard carabiner connected to a lanyard  23 , but which could be any type of clip that allows the receptacle to be quickly attached to a fisherman&#39;s belt, fishing vest, or to the boat and the like.  
         [0017]     Receptacle  10  is shown in a partially exploded view in  FIG. 2  in which it may be seen that second end  18  is defined by a cap  24  that is removably attachable to main body  12 . In the illustrated embodiment, cap  24  is a cylindrical cap that has an interior diameter that is slightly larger than the exterior diameter of main body  12 . Accordingly, cap  24  is easily slid onto main body  12  to close second end  18 , and is just as easily slid off main body  12  to allow access to interior space  14 , as illustrated by arrow A. Where a removable cap  24  is used with receptacle  10 , it may be made removable in any convenient manner, such as being threaded onto the main body  12 , or hinged thereto, etc. As shown in  FIG. 2 , a relatively small through hole  19  may be drilled in the central portion of cap  24  to allow water to drain out of the receptacle.  
         [0018]     The opening through which spent fishing line is inserted into interior space  14  is located at first end  16 . First end  16  defines an opening into interior space  14  by means of intersecting slots  26  and  28  formed through membrane  20 , which covers the entire first end  16 . Membrane  20  is preferably fabricated from a flexible, resilient material that defines a septum such as rubber or latex. The membrane is attached to the main body  12  with a connecting clamp  30  or other appropriate connector. As shown in  FIG. 4 , it is advantageous to form a circumferential annular slot  29  in main body  12  near first end  16  that forms a seat extending around the outer periphery of the main body. When the membrane  20  is attached to main body  12  with connecting clamp  30  as shown in  FIG. 2 , the clamp binds membrane  20  in the slot  29  to prevent unintended removal of the membrane. When using this manner of connecting membrane  20  to main body  12 , the circumferential size of membrane  20  is larger than the circumference of main body  12 , which is shown with dashed line  25  in  FIG. 4 . This allows the outer peripheral portions of membrane  20 —that is, those portions of the membrane outward of dashed line  25 , to be captured with clamp  30 . In the embodiment illustrated in the figures, lanyard  23  is also captured and bound by clamp  30 .  
         [0019]     Preferably, clamp  30  is removable so that membrane  20  is also removable so that it may be replaced over time as the membrane becomes less flexible from exposure to sunlight, etc.  
         [0020]     With continuing reference to  FIGS. 2 and 3 , intersecting slots  26  and  28  are cut through membrane  20  in the form of an X and define the opening into interior space  14 . Because the material used to form membrane  20  is flexible and deformable, the opening defined by slots  26  and  28  is normally closed, as shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4 .  
         [0021]     The opening defined by X slots  26  and  28  allow a fisherman to push fishing line through the slots into interior space  14 . This is illustrated in  FIG. 1 , which shows a segment of fishing line  32  being inserted through slots  26 ,  28  and into interior  14 . Because membrane  20  is resilient, the membrane  20  and slots  26 ,  28 , deform and open when pressure is applied to the flexible membrane near the slots to thereby allow fishing line  32  to be pushed through the opening and into the interior space. For the same reason, the slots  26 ,  28  tend to close around the fishing line  32  and the fisherman&#39;s finger or fingers as the line is pushed through the slots into the interior  14  of the receptacle. Thus, the apexes defined by slots  26 ,  28  tend to deflect inwardly toward interior space  14  when fishing line  32  is pushed through the slots. As the fisherman pulls his or her finger or fingers out of the slots, the resilient membrane  20  flexes and the apexes of the slots  26 ,  28  deflect upwardly toward or beyond the resting or neutral position, yet all the while exerting pressure in an inward direction (toward the center of the X defined by slots  26 ,  28 ) onto the fishing line  32  and the fisherman&#39;s finger(s). This inwardly directed pressure causes the fishing line to be retained in interior space  14 , and tends to “wipe” the line away from the fisherman&#39;s fingers. When the fisherman thus pulls his or her fingers out of the slots  26 ,  28 , fishing line that has been pushed into receptacle  10  stays in the interior space  14 .  
         [0022]     As noted previously, clip  22  allows receptacle  10  to be quickly attached to and removed from the fisherman&#39;s belt, or fishing vest and the like, or to a convenient location on a float tube or in a boat. The clip  22  may be attached to receptacle  10  in any convenient manner and location—the clip  22  and lanyard  23  shown in the drawings is for illustrative purposes only. Furthermore, receptacle  10  is designed to be used in close proximity to the fisherman—that is, either worn on the belt or vest, or clipped to some other nearby object such as a boat or a float tube and the like.  
         [0023]     In use, the receptacle is assembled as shown in  FIG. 1  and the receptacle is attached to a belt or fishing vest and the like, or is stowed in a tackle box or in a boat. Fishing line  32  is pushed into the interior space  14  in the manner described above through slots  26 ,  28  in membrane  20  that covers first end  16 . The line accumulates in interior space  14  until the fisherman is ready to empty the contents into a recycling container or into an appropriate disposal container. The receptacle is emptied by removing cap  24 , which allows the entire contents to be removed from interior space  14  quickly. Cap  24  is then replaced as shown in  FIG. 1 .  
         [0024]     Because membrane  20  is flexible, it allows a fisherman to insert fishing line  32  through the slots  26 ,  28  even when his or her hands are wet and/or very cold and dexterity might thus be impaired.  
         [0025]     Various alternative embodiments may be made within the scope of the invention defined by the claims. For example, the second end  18  of receptacle  10  may be permanently closed and the first end  16  may be defined by a removable membrane  20  that is attachable to main body  12  in the same manner as cap  24  described above, or any other convenient manner such as a threaded cap. Cap  24  may further be threaded onto main body  12 . As another example of alternative structures, the slots  26 ,  28  described above may be replaced by any type of opening in the membrane that allows fishing line to be pushed into the interior space  14 , such as a hinged, valve-like plate, or a circular opening and the like.  
         [0026]     While the present invention has been described in terms of a preferred embodiment, it will be appreciated by one of ordinary skill that the spirit and scope of the invention is not limited to those embodiments, but extend to the various modifications and equivalents as defined in the appended claims.