Improvements in and connected with Landing Nets and Gaffs.
Year: 1897

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and connected with Landing Nets and Gaffs.
I, CHARLES CLARK FRANK, of 16, Ebberston Terrace, Victoria Road, Leeds, in
the County of York, Solicitor, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in and connected with landing nets and
gaffs and has for its object to provide an automatic catch for retaining the net head
or gaff-hook in its operative position and also to provide a catch whereby the shaft
of the net or gaff can be suspended to the pannier strap or the like for carrying
with more security than with such catches as hitherto made.
In carrying out my invention as applied to a landing net I hinge the two ends
of the net head to the net shaft in the usual manner so that when not in use the
net can be swung back and will hang down against the said shaft
a cross bar or
and I provide the said ends of the net head with
pin adapted when the net is in its normal or operative position to
In connection with this
drop into a slot formed in the net shaft.
cross bar or pin I provide the net shaft with a gravity catch which is pivoted
to the said shaft and designed when the cross bar or pin has entered the slot in
the shaft to drop forward by its own weight over the said cross bar or pin so as
to securely lock the same in the slot and thus immovably secure the net head in
position.
It will be obvious with this construction that, when the shaft is held with the
net end lower than the butt end, the catch will by its own weight securely lock
the pin in the slot, and to release the said pin it is only necessary to raise the net
end of the shaft slightly above the horizontal when the gravity catch will drop
by its own weight and so release the pin.
To suspend the net when not in use to the pannier strap or to any other suitable
support particularly for carrying the same I provide a spring catch similar to
that hitherto used but which, instead of being normally held against the net shaft
either by its own elasticity or by any suitable device, such as a sliding ring, is
normally held out of contact with the shaft and is formed with a backwardly
turned end forming a hook and in conjunction with the said hook I provide a wire
or other loop pivoted to the shaft; the two parts being so arranged relatively with
one another that the loop can only slip over and into engagement with the hook
on the clip when the latter is pressed down towards and almost against the net
shaft. With this construction of catch it will be obvious that, when the loop has
been made to engage with the clip, the elasticity of the latter will force it outwards
so as to securely connect the clip and loop together and also that should the net be
reversed in position upon the pannier strap by accident the passage of the strap to
the other end of the clip will tend to increase the security of the catch. To release
the net from the strap it is only necessary to press the clip inwards and raise the
net which is immediately set free.

page_text: As above mentioned my improvements are equally applicable to gaffs as to
landing nets.
Dated this 5th day of March 1897
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,.
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.
Improvements in and connected with Landing Nets and Gaffs.
I, CHARLES CLARK FRANK, of 16, Ebberston Terrace, Victoria Road, Leeds, in
the County of York, Solicitor, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and
in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement:-
This invention relates to improvements in and connected with landing nets and
gaffs and has for its object to provide an automatic catch for retaining the net head
or gaff-hook in its operative position and also to provide a catch whereby the shaft
of the net or gaff can be suspended to the pannier strap or the like for carrying
with more security than with such catches as hitherto made.
In carrying out my invention as applied to a landing net 1 hinge the two ends
of the net head to the net shaft in the usual manner so that when not in use the
net head can be swung back and will hang down against the said shaft
and I provide the said ends of the net head with a cross bar or
pin adapted when the net is in its normal or operative position to
drop into
a slot formed in the net shaft. In connection with this
cross bar or pin I provide the net shaft with a gravity catch which is pivoted
to the said shaft and designed when the cross bar or pin has entered the slot in
the shaft to drop forward by its own weight over the said cross bar or pin so as
to securely lock the same in the slot and thus immovably secure the net head in
position.
It will be obvious with this construction that, when the shaft is held with the
net end lower than the butt end, the catch will by its own weight securely lock
the pin in the slot, and to release the said pin it is only necessary to raise the net
end of the shaft slightly above the horizontal when the gravity catch will drop
by its own weight and so release the pin.
In practice I find it advantageous to provide the gravity catch with a spring to
prevent the said catch from being jerked back should the net strike the ground
or be suddenly shaken.
To suspend the net when not in use to the pannier strap or to any other suitable
support, particularly for carrying the same, I provide a spring catch similar to
that hitherto used but which, instead of being normally held against the net shaft
either by its own elasticity or by any suitable device, such as a sliding ring, is
normally held out of contact with the shaft and which has from the elasticity of
the material of which it is composed a tendency to spring still further outward
from the shaft. This spring catch is made with a backwardly turned end forming
a hook and in conjunction with the said hook I provide a wire or other loop pivoted
to the shaft; the two parts being so arranged relatively with one another that the
loop can only slip over and into engagement with the hook on the clip when the
latter is pressed down towards and almost against the net shaft. With this con-
struction of catch it will be obvious that, when the loop has been made to engage
with the clip, the elasticity of the latter will force it outwards so as to securely
connect the clip and loop together and also that should the net be reversed in
position upon the pannier strap by accident the passage of the strap to the other
end of the clip will tend to increase the security of the catch. To release the net

page_text: from the strap it is only necessary to press the clip inwards and raise the net
which is immediately set free.
As above mentioned my improvements are equally applicable to gaffs as to
landing nets.
To enable my invention to be fully understood I will describe it by reference
to the accompanying drawing, in which:-
Figure 1 is a plan of the portion of the shaft and head of a landing net having
my improvements applied thereto; and,
Figure 2 is a side view thereof.
a is the net head and b is the net shaft, the said head a being hinged at c to the
shaft 6 in the usual manner by means of the frame (or ends of the net head) d, d.
e is the cross bar or pin fitted to the frame d, as shewn in Figure 1 and f is the slot
in the net shaft into which the said pin e passes when the head a is dropped into
its operative position on the shaft b.
g is the gravity catch, the said catch being pivoted to lugs h, h formed upon the
net shaft b. The catch is in the form of a sector of a disc with a downward
extension at the end farthest from the net head. With this construction when
the shaft b is held with the net end lower than the butt end thereof the catch g
will by its own weight swing into the position shewn in dotted lines in Figure 2
and thus lock the pin e in the slot f. To release the pin the net end of the shaft b
is raised slightly above the horizontal so as to cause the catch to drop by its own
weight (where no spring is used) and thus release the pin. Where a spring is
employed as hereinafter described the action of the catch can be assisted by the
thumb.
i is the spring which is advantageously fitted in the net shaft b; it abuts against
the extension g₁ of the gravity catch g and tends to force the latter into the
position for locking the pin e in the slot f so as to prevent the said catch from
being jerked back by any concussion which may be imparted to the net head. The
spring i is, however, not of sufficient strength to prevent the pin from temporarily
knocking the catch g back when the net head is swung back or down to rest
against the shaft b as shewn in dotted lines in Figure 2.
jis the spring catch for suspending the net to the pannier strap or the like for
carrying it. As shewn, the said spring catch is normally held out of contact with,
and has a springing tendency outwards from the shaft b and is provided at its free
end with a hook k. is the wire or other loop which is hinged to the shaft 6 by a
pin m; the spring catch j and the loop being so placed relatively with one
another that the loop can slip over and into engagement with the hook only
when the spring jis pressed almost into contact with the net shaft b so that when
the two are connected together the elasticity of the spring catch will force it
outwards into the position shewn in Figure 2 so as to securely connect them
together. As above described should the net be accidentally reversed in position
upon the pannier strap the passage of the strap to the other end of the clip would
tend to increase the security of the catch. To release the net from the strap it is
only necessary to press the spring catch j inwards and to raise the net which is
thereby set free.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:
1. In landing nets and gaffs, a cross-bar or pin secured to the net head and a
slot in the shaft into which slot the pin enters and in which it is held by a gravity
catch so as to secure the head in its operative position, substantially as described
and illustrated.
2. In landing nets and gaffs 'the employment of a catch comprising the spring j
having the hook k, and the loop / hinged to the net or gaff shaft and arranged to
engage with the hook k substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated.

page_text: 3. The improved landing net hereinbefore described and illustrated in the
accompanying drawing.
Dated this 24th day of November 1897.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4 South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.