Improvements in Nets for Fishing Purposes.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 11th Nov., 1890-Accented. 13th Dec. 1000
5
COM LETE SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by CHARLES S. HEBARD, of Pequaming, Michigan,
United States of America, Merchant.]
Improvements in Nets for Fishing Purposes.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent Agents,
45 Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
My invention has relation to fishing-tackle, with reference particularly to landing-
nets, and has for its object the provision of novel, simple and efficient means whereby
such nets, with their appurtenant parts, such as the frame or hoop and the handle
may, for convenience of carriage, when not in use, be all reduced to at least the bulk
of said handle, without necessitating the detachment or separation of any of the parts
from their operative relation.
My invention consists in certain details of construction and in the combinations of
parts as hereinafter more fully described, having reference particularly to the provision
of a hollow handle of ordinary or any preferred length, provided with a longitudinal
slot of approximately even length with the handle and having at each end a lateral
offset or shaped extension, in which slot slides a button, when the same is manually
actuated, sustained in a round plug, or plug of a shape corresponding with that of the
handle in cross-section, of slightly less diameter than the inner diameter of said
handle, in order that the said plug may slide to and fro in the handle under the
impulse of the button and be locked against movement in either direction by the
engagement of the latter with one of the aforesaid offsets. Pivoted in said plug is a
pair of arms of such length that when the plug is withdrawn to the bottom or inner
closed end of the handle such arms will rest wholly within said handle and when the
plug is projected to the other and open end of the handle, with the arms in advance
thereof, said arms are free to be distended in a substantially V shape in which position
they are maintained by a knuckle-jointed rod, which is hinged at each of its ends, or
joined by means of a knuckle-joint, to the outer ends of the aforesaid arms, and by the
spring of the arms, is maintained at an angle whose apex is higher than such ends,
thus forming a rigid frame for the net, which latter is secured to rings which slido
freely on the rod and arms, according as the same are manipulated. When this frame
is folded, in a manner the reverse of the above described opening operation, bringing
the arms and rod sections side by side, the net is wound snugly around the same, the
bulk of the whole being thus slightly less than the inner diameter of the handle and, when
the plug is drawn inwardly, will be drawn wholly within said handle and locked against
accidental projection by the engagement of the button with the offset at the lower
or inner end of the slot.
The details of my invention will be more particularly described and claimed herein-
fter and will be clearly understood upon reference being had to the accompanying
drawings, wherein
Figure 1 is a plan view of my improvements in position for use, the plug which
upports the frame and the portion of the handle contiguous thereto being in
ection.
Figure 2 is a plan view of the improved handle with the frame and net folded and
ontained therein.
Figure 3 is a longitudinal section of the bandle and plug, showing the frame folded
nd inside thereof.
Figure 4 is a similar view to Fig. 2, part of the handle being broken away to more
early show the net wrapped around the frame.
[Price 8d.1

page_text: Figure 5 is an end view of the handle with the plug therein, showing the heads on
the inner ends of the arms, latter being in section.
A represents the net which is secured to the rings a a', the latter loosely encircling
the frame sections 1, said sections being hinged or coupled to each other by the
knuckle-joints 62 63 64 secured to their contiguous ends, the joints 62 having their
shoulders facing outwardly from the centre of the frame and the joint 63 having its
shoulders facing inwardly. The inner ends of the sections 6', or the ends opposite to
those on which are secured half of the knuckle-joints are provided with elongated
heads which are square in cross-section and are beveled or wedge-shaped at their
lower ends on their inner or opposing faces, as shown at 66. Said heads are pivoted
on pins c in a slot or kerf c' in the end of a round plug C, which slot passes clear
through from side to side of said plug, transversely of its axis, affording a clearance
for the swing of the heads 66 on their pins or pivots and having therein a transverse
pin c² midway between said heads and receiving the impact of their beveled portions,
when in the positions shown in Fig. 1, and thus limiting the inward swing of the
lower ends of the heads and, consequently the outward swing of the outer or upper
ends of the same and the arms &, at the same time preventing the latter from bearing
or exerting any strain on the handle-opening or any part other than the pin c².
shown, the lower portion of the plug is bored out, the same being merely for the
purpose of reducing the weight of the plug.
As
D represents the hollow tubular handle which may be of any suitable material and
of any shape, in cross-section, other than round, and has formed therein a longitudinal
slot with oppositely disposed or extending offsets or recesses d' at each end, such
slot affording a slideway for the shank of the button es which is secured in the side
of the plug Cand affords means for the actuation of said plug, the diameter of the
plug being such as to permit of its sliding easily inside of the handle without being so
loose as to cause it to slide unassisted and the dimensions of the arms or sections of
the net-frame are such that when folded and the net wound around it the entire bulk
will be, at greatest, as small as the diameter of the plug, so that when the plug is
drawn into the handle, the frame and folded or wrapped net will freely follow through
the open end of said handle. The lower or inner end of handle D is closed by the
cap d² in which is swivelly secured the chain e, which sustains the snaphook E, which
chain and hook are provided for convenience in carrying, when temporarily out of use,
being hooked in a button-hole of the garments; to the belt; or elsewhere.
The operation of my improvements is as follows:
The button e, being first in the position illustrated in Figures 2 and 4 of the
drawings, is pushed to the right turning the plug and its attached parts correspondingly,
until in alignment with the slot d, whereupon it is pushed upwardly in said slot until
it reaches the other end thereof, carrying the plug, etc. to the point shown in Figure 1,
the button being there pushed further to the right and thus brought into engagement
with the offset at the upper end of the slot d, for the purpose hereinbefore stated.
Thus far the frame is still in its folded condition, yet is projecting entirely outside of
and beyond the end of the handle D. Now, the net A is unwound entirely, until it
.merely hangs, unstretched, from the rings a a', thus leaving the sections or arms b¹
free to be distended into the V shape hereinbefore mentioned, bringing the beveled
portions of the heads into contact with the pin c². In this position the normal
distance between the outer ends of the sections 61 is considerably less than a distance
equal to the combined lengths of the sections b, consequently the outer ends of the
sections b¹ must spring outwardly sufficiently to allow of the sections b being brought
from a position the reverse of to the position occupied by said sections as shown in
Figure 1, which they do in response to an outward thrust exerted thereon, which out-
ward movement is limited by the shoulders of the knuckle-joints. After the joint 63
has passed the plane of the outer ends of the sections or arms b' such sections spring
inwardly again to approximately their normal positions, thus exerting a strong
pressure, against the inward tendency of the sections b, of such degree as to wholly
prevent accidental collapsing of the frame. The rings a a¹ are of such size as to

page_text: permit their freely sliding on the frame-sections, in the opening and closing operations,
without binding thereon.
To place the parts in their original positions, the sections are pushed inwardly
against the spring pressure of the arms & until they pass the plane of the ends of the
latter, said arms are then drawn inwardly towards each other, causing the same
action on the part of sections b. When the sections have all come into close relation
the rings will occupy the positions shown in Figure 3, whereupon the net A is wound
around said sections as snugly as possible, the button ³ released from engagement
with the upper slot-recess and slid downwardly in the slot and into engagement with
the lower recess thereof, the plug C being thereby drawn into the handle and clear to
the lower end thereof, drawing in after it the arms or frame-sections and the net in
their folded conditions, into a position wholly within the confines of the handle, thus
the net is protected from injury and all the parts are in operative connection and ready
for use, after the frame is distended, at all times, occupying little space when folded
and not in use.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed as communicated to me by my foreign
correspondent I declare that what I claim is :
1. The combination of a hollow handle and a folding net-frame, said handle
supporting said frame in its open condition and receiving the same into its interior in
its folded condition, substantially as and for the purpose specified.
2. The combination of a hollow handle, a folding net-frame, and a sliding plug in
the handle, said plug supporting said frame in its open condition and drawing the
same within said handle in its folded condition, substantially as and for the purpose
specified.
3. The combination of a folding net-frame composed of two sections pivoted at
their inner ends in a handle and, at their outer ends diverging and connected, by
knuckle-joints, to two other sections which converge and are connected at their
adjacent ends by a knuckle-joint, substantially as and for the purpose specified.
4. The combination of a hollow handle, a sliding plug therein supporting, pivotally,
two sections of a folding net-frame, said sections at their outer ends diverging and
being connected, by knuckle-joints, to two other sections which converge and are
connected at their adjacent ends by a knuckle-joint, substantially as and for the
purpose specified.
5. The combination of the net A supported on the sections 66, the interposed
knuckle-joints 62 63 64, the heads on the sections b', the pins c for the support of
said heads and the pin c² interposed between the latter, said pins being supported in a
plug adapted to slide in a hollow handle, substantially as and for the purpose
specified.
6. The combination of a hollow handle having therein a longitudinal slot d with
oppositely disposed offsets d' at each end, a sliding plug with a knob or button whose
shank rests in said slot, and a folding net-frame supported by said plug, substantially
as and for the purpose specified.
7. The combination of a hollow handle having therein a longitudinal slot d with
the offsets d' at its ends, a sliding plug with a slot c', the pins c and the pin c² therein,
the sections with their beads 65 pivoted on the pins c, the joints 63 64, the sections b
connected by the joint 63, and the rings a a¹ on said sections supporting a net,
substantially as and for the purpose specified.
Dated this 11th day of November 1800
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.