Abstract:
A holder for storing and transporting fishing rigs including an extended bar with first and second end pieces attached to the bar. A means for retaining the hook and the knot of the fishing rig is provided on both of the end pieces. The bar has a plurality of extended members which may be removably attached in an end-to-end relationship thereby allowing the holder to receive fishing rigs of various lengths. Further, the holder is made out of non-corrosive material which floats in water.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     This invention relates generally to fishing equipment and more particularly to an improved holder for fishing rigs which is used for the transportation and storage of fishing rigs. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Of all fishing accessories, fishing rigs with wire or monofilament leaders have long been dificult to store and to transport. Due to the physical consistency of the leaders, two dificult problems can arise. First, the leaders often become entagled into &#34;bird nest&#34; formations if not securely coiled or held immobile. Second, the wire leaders often become bent or kinked which makes them no longer useful. As a result, considerable time and fishing opportunity has been lost in untangling and replacing leaders. 
     Previously, fishing accessories have normally been carried by a fisherman in a tackle box. However, a tackle box does not prevent the fishing rigs from becoming tangled. Furthermore, fishermen frequently find it necessary to replace or change the type of fishing rig to cope with a particular situation. Such changes or replacements result in lost fishing opportunity because the tackle box is relatively inaccessible. 
     A fishing rig holder would eliminate the above-mentioned problems associated with the storage of fishing rigs and perform a number of most important functions for the sportsman. The holder should not only be lightweight and portable, but must be of such structure and design as to permit fishing rigs to be easily mounted on or removed therefrom. In addition, and of paramount importance, the holder should store the rigs in an extended position. 
     In the past, various devices have been designed to provide a means by which fishing rigs with wire or monofilament leaders can be stored or transported. These prior art devices are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 742,040 which has spring coils to secure the fishing rigs. U.S. Pat. No. 2,525,057 discloses a holder which crimps the hooks between the main body and head closure. U.S. Pat. No. 2,604,721 discloses a holder with staggered slots with headed bolts which receive the knot of the fishing rig. U.S. Pat. No. 2,804,717 discloses a holder with teeth on one end to receive the knot and springs on the other end to receive the hook of the fishing rig. U.S. Pat. No. 2,826,856 discloses a holder with bores on one end for receiving fishing hooks and slits on the other end for receiving the knot and a rubber band for holding the knot end securely against the holder. U.S. Pat. No. 2,917,862 discloses a multi-purpose device for fishing accessories with notches on one end and slits on the other end. U.S. Pat. No. 3,213,564 discloses a tube made of foamed polyethylene in which fish hooks can be inserted. U.S. Pat. No. 3,490,168 discloses a holder with a lining of styrofoam or cork to provide floatation. U.S. Pat. No. 4,179,834 discloses a holder with rows of hooks which stick out of the tube that receive the knot of the fishing rig. Each of these devices has had one or more inherent operational disadvantages whereby their widespread use is restricted. 
     The present invention has significant advantages over those shown in the prior art in that the present invention has grooves on both ends of a main body in which the fishing rigs may be attached. The grooves keep each fishing rig separate and prevent the rigs from sliding around the main body of the holder thereby becoming tangled. The grooves further make it easy to attach and remove fishing rigs from the holder. The present invention is capable of accommodating fishing rigs of different lengths. The main body can be adjusted in length by extendable members which fit together in an end-to-end relationship. The present invention is constructed from non-corrosive low density material which will float if inadvertently dropped into the water. 
     These and other advantages of the invention over the prior fishing rig holders will become more apparent after reading the Description and Claims which follow. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention is a new and improved holder for transporting and storing fishing rigs. The holder includes an extended bar with two end pieces that are attached to the respective ends of the bar. Each end piece includes a means for retaining the hook of the fishing rig and a means for retaining the knot of the fishing rig. The preferred means for retaining the hook includes a plurality of grooves located on the end piece. The preferred means for retaining the knot includes a plurality of notches located on the end piece. The grooves and notches receive the fishing rig and retain the rig in the exact location where it was attached. The rig is attached by placing the fish hook in engagement with one of the grooves and extending the rig toward the opposite end of the holder and stretching the knot over and into engagement with one of the notches. Thus, with this holder, the user can easily remove and attach the fishing rig. 
     In the preferred embodiment, the holder is capable of receiving fishing rigs of different lengths. The extended bar consists of a plurality of members which may be removably affixed together in an end-to-end relationship. The members are affixed by an extended tongue which slides together within the cavity of the adjacent member. The two end pieces and the extended member are removably &#34;locked&#34; together by a tab on the extended tongue which is received within an annular recess formed in the cavity. The bar of the holder forms a tube which is sealed at both ends. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a portion of the preferred embodiment of the present invention with a fishing rig attached thereto; 
     FIG. 2 is an end view of the embodiment of FIG. 1 with a hook and a knot of a fishing rig attached thereto; 
     FIG. 3 is a partial side view of the embodiment of FIG. 1 with a hook and a knot of a fishing rig attached thereto; 
     FIG. 4 is a side view of the embodiment of FIG. 1 showing the extendable members; 
     FIG. 5 is a partial view of the extended tongue and cavity arrangement on an enlarged scale; and 
     FIG. 6 is a partial view of alternative embodiments. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Throughout the following description, reference will be made to the drawings and the same numerals will be used throughout the several views to indicate the same or like parts of the invention. 
     Referring specifically to FIGS. 1 and 4, the invention comprises a holder (10) for fishing rigs (20). The fishing rigs include a fish hook (12) attached to a piece of fishing line (14) some distance from the knot (16). The holder (10) includes an extended bar (30) with a first (22) end and a second (24) end and a diameter (26). A first end piece (40) and a second end piece (50) are attached to the respective ends of the extended bar. 
     The first end piece (40) includes a neck (28) of a diameter (32) corresponding generally to the diameter (26) of the bar and a collar portion (34) contiguous with the neck and having a diameter (36) greater than that of the bar. The collar portion includes an outer lip (38) and notch means (70) for retaining the hook of the fishing rig. 
     Similar to the first end piece, the second end piece (50) includes a neck (42) of a diameter (44) corresponding to the diameter (26) of the bar and a collar portion (46) contiguous with the neck having a diameter (48) greater than that of the diameter of the bar. The collar portion of the second end piece includes an outer lip (52) and a groove means (60) for retaining the knot in the line of the fishing rig. 
     A means for retaining the hook of the fishing rig is provided. The preferred means includes a plurality of grooves (60) located on the outer lip of the end piece. As seen best in FIG. 2, the barb of the hook is retained within a recess (54) located on the collar portion of the first end piece between the outer lip and the neck. 
     A means for retaining the knot in the line of the fishing rig is also provided. The preferred means includes a plurality of notches (70) located on the outer lip of the end piece. The notch is shaped to pinch the fishing line with the knot being retained within a recess (56), seen in FIG. 2; recess (56) is similar to recess (54) but is located on the collar portion of the second end piece between the outer lip and the neck. 
     As seen best in FIG. 4, the preferred embodiment includes first and second end pieces which have both notches (70) and grooves (60) located on the outer lips of both end pieces. This enables the fishing rigs to be attached to the holder in either direction, further facilitating easy attachment and removal of the rigs. Additionally, the rigs are kept apart on the holder thereby preventing entanglement with other rigs. 
     In reference specifically to FIG. 4, of the preferred embodiment, the bar (30) will have a plurality of extended members (80) which may be removably attached together in an end-to-end relationship. The feature allows the holder to be adjusted in length thereby accommodating fishing rigs of various lengths. In detail, the bar includes a cavity (62) within the first end in which an extended tongue (64) from the first end piece is shaped to permit slideable axial engagement. The second end of the bar includes an extended tongue (66) which is shaped for slideable axial engagement with the cavity (68) formed within the second end piece. Further, each of the extended members includes a cavity (68) on one end and an extended tongue (66) on the other end which permits slideable axial engagement to the cavity of an adjacent member. Two, three, four or more such members (80) can be affixed together between a pair of end caps. Larger fishing rigs, such as are used for ocean fishing will typically require a longer overall holder length. 
     In reference to FGIS. 4 and 5, the first and second end pieces are attached to the bar by a tab (90) which extends outwardly from the extended tongue which is positioned for engagement within a corresponding annular recess (82) formed within the cavity. As seen best in FIG. 5, the extended members (80) of the bar (30) are also attached by a similar tab on the extended tongue of each member being engaged in a correspondingly annular recess with the cavity of an adjacent member. This tab (90) and annular recess (82) arrangement permits the end pieces (40 and 50) and the extended members (80) of the bar (30) to be attached in removably locked fashion without aligning each component. This makes the holder easy to assemble and permits the length of the hold to be quickly adjusted. 
     Another aspect of the preferred embodiment is best seen in FIGS. 1 and 4. The bar of the holder forms a tube (84) which is sealed at both ends thereby creating a bounded volume within the sealed tube. The holder is made of a noncorrosive material having a density less than water, preferably poly vinyl chloride or the like. Since the tube is sealed, the holder will not fill up with water if dropped into the water. Further, because the holder will float, it can easily be retrieved if accidently dropped into the water. 
     Preferably, the size of the holder is such that the two end pieces are of a distance so that the overall length the holder is slightly greater than the distance between the hook and the knot of the fishing rig. Alternatively, rigs of roughly twice the length of the holder may be stored by affixing the hook and knot to the same end piece and wrapping the midsection of the rig about a portion of the opposite end cap. 
     Turning now to FIG. 6, an alternative embodiment is disclosed. This version of the invention includes a cavity (96) formed within both the first end piece and the second end piece. (Only the first end piece is shown, but in this embodiment both end pieces are identical.) The bar (98) is shaped for slideable axial engagement with the cavity formed within both the first and the second end pieces. The device is constructed by cutting a piece of hollow bar stock to the desired length and affixing an end piece to each end of the bar. This creates a hollow bounded volume with air trapped inside. If the device is constructed of poly vinyl chloride, suitable glue can be used to make a permanent bond. If desired, the bounded volume may be filled with a foam, such as styrofoam or other low density material. 
     In reference again to FIG. 6, a second alternative embodiment is disclosed. In this version of the invention, a foam sleeve (100) surrounds the bar. The hook of the fishing rig may be inserted into the foam sleeve. This provides safety advantages such as burying the barb of the hook in the foam. Further, the sleeve allows fishing rigs of any length to be stored on the holder as the fishing line may be wrapped around the bar. Additionally, the foam sleeve provides additional flotation. 
     Method of Use 
     As can be readily understood from the above-description and the drawings, an advantageous method of using the present invention exists. As described above, the invention comprises a holder (10) for fishing rigs (20). The fishing rigs include a fish hook (12) attached to a piece of fishing line (14) some distance from the knot (16). The holder (10) includes an extended bar (30) with a first (22) end and a second (24) end and a diameter (26). A first end piece (40) and a second end piece (50) are attached to the respective ends of the extended bar. The preferred means for retaining the hook of the fishing rig includes a plurality of grooves (60) located on the outer lip of the end piece. The preferred means for retaining the knot of the fishing rig includes a plurality of notches (70) located on the outer lip of the end piece. In an alternative embodiment, a foam sleeve, surrounds the bar. 
     The holder is used by attaching the hook of the fishing rig to a groove located on the outer lip (38) of the first end piece. The barb of the hook is retained within the recess (54) on the end piece. The user then stretches the fishing line along the extended bar towards the second end piece. The user then inserts the knot of the fishing rig in the notch located on the outer lip (52) of the second end piece. The fishing line is pinched in the notch while the knot is retained within a recess (56) on the second end piece. The fishing rig will be securely attached to the holder. To remove the fishing rig, the user may repeat the steps in reverse order. 
     Alternatively, with the embodiment with the foam sleeve, (100) the user may insert the knot of the fishing rig into notch located on the outer lip of the first end piece. The user then stretches the fishing line along the extended bar towards the second end piece. The user then inserts the hook of the fishing rig into the foam sleeve which surrounds the bar. The foam may be of a closed cell type such as the Ethafoam brand widely available. If the fishing line is longer than the length of the holder, the user may fold the fishing line over the second end piece before inserting the hook into the sleeve. The foam covers and surrounds the hook, which is inserted in the foam. This provides significant safety advantages. Further, the foam is a cushion and provides additional flotation. 
     The alternative embodiments of the invention are used in analagous ways as can be understood from the above-description and reference to the drawings. In light of the above teachings it will be appreciated that several variations of the disclosed embodiments are possible. Those skilled in the art will no doubt be able to utilize the principles of this invention other than as specifically described above. Certainly substitution of other materials and variations of the relationships of size and positioning of components within the teachings of this disclosure will be readily known. Therefore, it is to be understood that the scope of the invention is to be limited by the following claims.