Abstract:
A buoyant live bait container constructed to contain a quantity of live bait beneath the surface of a body of water via a tether line coupled to ballast anchor and/or nesting flotation collar. A twist-lock cover having a buoyant liner, flow ports and/or carry handle interlocks with a porous storage housing. A positive buoyancy collar can be fitted to the housing. Holes, ported appendages or a cross piece displaced from a concave housing bottom wall can support a tether line coupled to a ballasted anchor. The housing can also provide a longitudinal sidewall flotation member.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION DATA 
       [0001]    This is a non-provisional application of provisional application Ser. No. 61/134,164 filed Jul. 7, 2008. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention relates to fishing bait containers and, in particular, to a buoyant, submersible container capable of being anchored and tethered to float beneath the surface of a body of water and maintain live bait for long periods. 
         [0003]    Wide varieties of bait storage containers have been developed from a variety of materials in support of a variety of fishing applications. Most containers provide a ventilated or perforated storage cavity where the bait is contained. An access way or door is affixed to the container to permit storing and retrieving bait. 
         [0004]    Some of such containers are designed to float and include a tether. Some containers are constructed of plastic and/or metal and include a positive buoyancy material fitted to the container. An associated cover can provide a carry handle and an access doors to the interior. A tether cord can be attached to the handle and the container can thereby be secured and/or towed by a boat during fishing while keeping bait (e.g. minnows, leeches, crayfish etc.) fresh and alive. 
         [0005]    Fabric bait storage containers are also known. Porous, mesh bags are sometimes used to contain bait in a collapsible assembly that can also support one or more flotation members. 
         [0006]    Live well containers are also used for storing relatively large fish before cleaning or preparing the stored fish for bait, chumming etc. Most of these assemblies provide a perforated, non-buoyant housing constructed to be fully or partially submersed. The container is typically anchored to a lake bottom in a shallow area to permit access to the container interior. 
         [0007]    Some bait containers that have been developed for ice or “hard water” fishing are shown at U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,442,887; 5,419,073; 4,761,909; 2,877,595. These containers provide perforated, non-buoyant bait storage devices having handles to which tethers can be attached. The containers are designed to be suspended beneath the ice of a lake or body of water from a stationary surface structure. The bait is accessed by pulling the container through an ice hole through which the tether is trained. Although the foregoing devices can store bait for relatively long periods, difficulties can arise due to re-freezing of the access hole and when attempting to open the hole through which the tether and container are suspended. The principle problem is that of re-opening the hole with an auger or chisel without damaging the tether or container. 
         [0008]    A tethered, submersible chumming container with a pivoting door is shown at U.S. Pat. No. 6,138,400. 
         [0009]    The present bait container was developed to overcome the problems when ice fishing of opening a tether support hole without damaging the tether or bait container. Several bait containers are disclosed that include various improvements and modifications to provide a container that floats freely and can be tethered to an anchor or a variety of surface structures. The disclosed assemblies particularly float freely beneath the ice and are anchored within easy each reach of a hole. The access hole can be re-opened repeatedly without concern for cutting a tether line. New holes can also be cut in the adjacent vicinity to capture the container or anchor tether with an extension tool. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0010]    It is a primary object of the invention to provide a buoyant bait storage container that can be anchored beneath a body of ice, yet is easily accessed. 
         [0011]    It is further object of the invention to provide a bait container having a porous storage cavity, a positive buoyancy member located to float the container and an anchoring assembly to restrain the container to a defined location. 
         [0012]    It is further object of the invention to provide a bait container with a positive buoyancy member mounted at a cover and/or along longitudinal sidewalls and/or as a collar to the container housing. 
         [0013]    It is further object of the invention to provide a bait container housing with anchoring mechanisms such as holes, ported appendages, and/or rods fitted to bottom walls and adapted to fasten to a tether line secured an anchor. 
         [0014]    It is further object of the invention to provide a bait container that independently mounts to, tethers to and/or nests within a collapsible, buoyant flotation ring. 
         [0015]    The foregoing objects, advantages and distinctions of the invention are obtained in several alternative assemblies shown at the attached figures. In one preferred assembly, a porous housing supports a threaded cover having a foam liner. Holes, ported appendages or a cross piece displaced from a concave bottom wall supports a tether line that attaches to a weighted anchor that rests on the bottom of the body of water. Improvements and modifications include different covers and housings with ported openings, an annular floatation collar, a longitudinal sidewall flotation member twist-lock fasteners or a flotation anchor. 
         [0016]    Still other objects, advantages, distinctions, constructions and combinations of individual features of the invention will become more apparent from the following description with respect to the appended drawings. Similar components and assemblies are referred to in the various drawings with similar alphanumeric reference characters. The description to each combination should therefore not be literally construed in limitation of the invention. Rather, the invention should be interpreted within the broad scope of the further appended claims. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0017]    The following figures disclose presently preferred constructions of the invention. Similar components and assemblies are referred to in the various drawings with similar alphanumeric reference characters and callouts. 
           [0018]      FIG. 1  shows a drawing depicting the bait container in partial cutaway to expose a buoyant cover liner. 
           [0019]      FIG. 2  shows a perspective drawing of the porous bait container in partial cutaway to expose a buoyant cover liner. 
           [0020]      FIG. 3  shows an enlarged detailed partial section view to the twist-type cover/container fasteners. 
           [0021]      FIG. 4  shows a view to a buoyant bait container having a longitudinal sidewall section fitted with or constructed from a buoyant flotation material and providing other tether attachments that can be adapted to any of the disclosed bait containers. 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       [0022]    Referring to  FIG. 1 , a schematic drawing is shown to the improved live bait container  10  of the present invention restrained to the bed  8  of a body of water via a tether line  12  and ballast anchor  14 . The container  10  is constructed to exhibit positive buoyancy and float beneath a layer of ice  16  having an access hole  18  and overlying fishing shelter  20 . The container  10  can also be suspended beneath open ice without a shelter  20  provided some other means is available to mark the location of the access hole  18 , for example, a flag, GPS coordinates etc. 
         [0023]    The anchor  14  can comprise any device of suitable weight and shape to restrain the container  10  from drifting or moving with changing water currents. The tether line  12  preferably remains limp and flexible at the typical water temperatures. The tether line  12  is sufficiently durable to prevent separation from the anchor  14 . The length of the tether line  12  can be varied as appropriate by knotting the line or using a bobbin device to limit the length of line to accommodate the water depth and a desired surface separation. The container is normally retrieved by catching the tether line  12  with a hooked device. 
         [0024]    An alternative annular, positive buoyancy flotation collar  22  is also shown that can be aligned to the ice hole  18  and used to separately restrain the bait container  10  with a second tether line  24  in an aligned orientation to the ice hole  18 . The collar  22  is constructed of a closed cell foam material and is configured to collapse and expand to circumscribe the periphery of the bottom edge of the ice hole  18 . The collar  18  is held in place due to the upward positive buoyancy pressure of the foam material. Tentacles, spines, projections and other grip enhancing devices  26  can protrude from the collar  22  to enhance contact between the collar  22  and the ice  16  and prevent slippage due to water or ice movement. 
         [0025]    The tether  24  locates the container  10  to the collar  22 . The container  10  and collar  22  can also exhibit complementary mating surface shapes such that the container  10  can nest with the bore space or other mating surface or accessory piece supported to the collar  22  and configured to interconnect with the container  10 . In either instance, the container  10  is restrained and positioned in non-interfering relation to the hole  18  should it be necessary to periodically re-open the ice hole  18 . The ice hole  18  can now be opened without concern for damaging the container  10  or cutting the tether line  12 . 
         [0026]    The anchor  14  and/or anchor collar  22  can be used separately or in combination to restrain the container  10  at a fixed location relative to the ice hole  18 . The container  10  can thereby be repeatedly accessed to either fill or collect live bait stored in the container  10 . The live bait is also stored without concern for re-freezing of the hole  18  or migration of the container  10 . 
         [0027]    The container  10  finds particular advantage when ice fishing however the container  10  can be used to store live bait in open water. During “open water” summer condition a second tether line  24  can alternatively secure the container  10  to a variety of surface structure (e.g. dock, boat, collar  22 , float tree etc.) alone or in combination with the tether line  12  and anchor  14 . 
         [0028]      FIG. 2  depicts particular details to the construction of the container  10 . From  FIG. 2 , the container  10  is constructed of a suitable plastic material that is formed to provide a twist-off cover  30  having a handle  32 . Longitudinal slots  31  or apertures  33  (shown in dashed line) or other shaped orifices can be formed through the cover  30  to facilitate water flow in the event the container is towed during open water fishing. 
         [0029]    The cover  30  is secured to a depending cylindrical storage housing  34 . The housing sidewalls  36  are perforated with numerous holes or apertures  38 . The density and size of the holes  38  and the size and shape of the housing  34  can be varied as desired in relation to the typical stored bait to ensure adequate space and liquid flow. One or more additional holes  40  are provided adjacent a bottom peripheral edge  42  as a tie-off point for the tether line  12 . The shape of the handle  32  can also be adjusted to facilitate carrying and/or attachment to the tether lines  10  and/or  24  or which can be attached as mentioned above to the floatation collar  22 , boat etc. 
         [0030]    A liner  44  shown in partial section is fitted beneath the cover  30  and is formed from a positive buoyancy material. The liner  44  is constructed to mount securely beneath the cover  30  to provide positive buoyancy to the container  10  and cause the container  10  to float. The liner  44  is bonded to the cover  30  with suitable adhesives or the like. The cover  30  can alternatively be completely constructed of a positive buoyancy material. A buoyant, annular collar or ring  45  (shown in dashed line) might alternatively be secured around the housing  34  or be used in combination with the liner  44  at an appropriate location (e.g. adjacent the cover/container joint or tether holes  40 ) to facilitate flotation relative to the anchor  14  or other manner of retention. 
         [0031]    With attention to  FIG. 3 , the peripheral edge  46  of the cover  30  provides a recessed band  48  that concentrically mates with a raised edge  50  of the housing  34 . Twist-type fasteners  52  (exemplary ones of which are shown) are arrayed about the band  48  and interlock with mating fastener pieces  54  (exemplary ones of which are shown) that are arrayed about the interlocking surface  50  of the housing  34 . 
         [0032]    The fasteners  52  twist-mount beneath a horizontal or circumferential extending flange piece  56  of the fasteners  54 . A raised longitudinal stub  58  projects from a horizontal or circumferential extending flange piece  57  of the fastener  52  to interlock with a vertical or longitudinal groove  60  at the fastener piece  54 . The overlapping flange pieces  56  and  57  securely fasten the cover  30  to the housing  34 . The mating stub  58  and groove  60  provide redundancy and prevent detachment of the cover  30  from the housing  34  when the container  10  is towed. Live bait is accessed by depressing and rotating the cover  30  to the housing  34  to separate the cover  30  from the housing  34 . A separate access door/opening could be included at the cover  30 . 
         [0033]    Although particular interlocking twist-type fastener pieces  52  and  54  are shown, other interlocking fasteners can be used to detachably secure the cover  30  to the housing  34 . For example, a variety of other threaded, keyway and other mating fasteners may alternatively be used to secure the cover  30  to the housing  34 . The cover  30  and housing  34  can be adapted to include interlocking threads or friction fit couplings can be provided. The latter might provide raised ridge pieces that mount in aligned depressions, for example, O-rings that mate with aligned grooves etc. Any included cover/housing fasteners should securely retain one to the other, yet facilitate repeated access to the bait without degrading the fastening, if a separate access panel is not provided at the cover. The fastening should also be tolerant to possible freezing and towing of the container  10 . 
         [0034]      FIG. 4  depicts a container  70  that is constructed to float in a sideways or horizontal orientation. That is, a flotation member  72  is supported to or formed as part of the sidewall structure of a porous housing  74  having through vent holes  76 . A cover  78  and handle  80  are fitted to an end of the housing  74 . Tether lines  12  and/or  24  can be attached to either holes  40  provided at the container  70  or an alternative cross piece or bar  82  and/or appendages  84  having bores  86  that can be configured to the container  70  as tether attachment points. The bar  82  would normally be nested in a hollowed bottom space of the container  70 . 
         [0035]    While the invention is shown and described with respect to several presently preferred container assemblies and several considered improvements, modifications and/or alternatives thereto, still other container assemblies and arrangements may be suggested to those skilled in the art. It is to be appreciated therefore that the foregoing live bait container assembly and improvements can be arranged in different combinations. The improvements and modifications can also be used alone or with different containers. The foregoing description should therefore be construed to include all those embodiments within the spirit and scope of the following claims.