Improvements in Landing Nets.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Aug., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 31st Aug., 1896-Accepted, 14th Nov., 1898
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Landing Nets.
I, ALLAN HOLMES of Dunedin in the British Colony of New Zealand,
Solicitor, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to anglers' landing nets of the kind wherein the net holding
frame is adapted to be collapsed and folded along the handle for carrying and to
be distended and locked in position for use, the change of form and position of the
frame being produced by a swinging movement of the frame substantially in its
own plane and the locking and release of the locking devices being effected
automatically by the action of gravity.
The net frame is composed of four members united by rule joints to prevent
inward or reverse flexure when the frame is in the straightened or collapsed
position. According to one arrangement two of the members terminate in knuckles
which are pivoted upon the same pin or stud carried by a tongue pivoted
in a head rigidly fixed to the handle the tongue being capable of limited motion
about its pivot. The head consists of a ring concentric with the stud and carried
by a ferrule fixed to the handle, its upper edge being formed with two notches
respectively adapted to receive the members of the net frame or, as the case may
be, sockets in which the heel euds of those members are fixed. This ring serves
both to lock and to support the net frame when in the distended position so as to
relieve the centre pin of racking strain. The edge of the ring is formed with a
cam-like incline rising gradually from the plane of the upper side of the handle
on which the net frame lies when in the collapsed position, said incline leading up
to and terminating at the first notch whilst the edge of the ring at the opposite
side is elevated above the level of the portion intermediate of the notches so as to
act as a stop to arrest at the proper moment that member of the net frame which
is to engage in that notch. The end of the tongue plays in a slot in the ring
which permits sufficient pivotal motion of the tongue about its centre and therefore
sufficient deviation of the stud from its normal position to allow the members of
the frame to ride up the incline and to fall into the notches.
It is to be observed that the members (or the hinge sockets in which their beel
ends are fixed) are oppositely tangential to the centre stud and that the notches are
correspondingly tangential so that as the one member passes over the first notch
the two do not correspond in tangential direction and the member is thus able to
pass over that slot without falling into it whereas the other member is provided
with a lug which projects downwards within the ring in position to come against a
stop fixed within the ring so as to arrest the said member immediately it coincides
with the notch, the operations of distending and locking and of unlocking and
collapsing the net frame being as follows:-Assuming the net frame to be in the
collapsed form, if the handle be held with the head somewhat downwards the
notched edge of the head being uppermost but inclined laterally the net frame (as
soon as it is released from the retaining loop or other device which keeps it in
position along the handle whilst carrying) will swing as a whole about the pivot.
The members ride up the incline until the one member cones over the first notch
where it is arrested by the stops whilst the other member passes on over that
notch (the jointed net frame meanwhile opening out to its distended form) until
the leading member meets its stop whereupon the members respectively coincile

page_text: with and fall into their corresponding notches and become locked. The unlocking
is effected by inverting the net frame so as to bring the notched edge of the head
downwards and so holding and moving the handle as to cause the frame to swing in
the reverse direction as will be readily understood. It will be obvious that the
engagement of the leading member with the first notch might be equally well
prevented by making it and its corresponding notch rather broader than the
other notch.
In a modified arrangement which is substantially similar in operation the head is
a flat disc having two notches the centre stud being fixed to the disc and the
members having themselves no rising and falling motion but being provided with
pawls loosely pivoted to them so as to rise and fall in planes perpendicular to the
disc. The pawl of the leading member merely rests on the disc and is adapted by
its tangential position or by its breadth relatively to that of the first notch to pass
clear over the said notch without engaging in it, whilst the other pawl has a Ing
adapted to drop past the edge of a portion of the disc of reduced radius so as to
meet the projecting stop-like side of the first notch and so cause that member to be
arrested and the pawl to fall into engagement with said notch. A stop is so placed
that when the other member meets it, its pawl will exactly coincide with and fall
into the corresponding notch. In other respects the operations of distending and
locking, and of unlocking aud collapsing, the net frame are performed as before.
Dated this 10th day of August 1896.
A. M. & WM. CLARK,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.
Improvements in Landing Nets.
I, ALLAN HOLMES of Dunedin in the British Colony of New Zealand,
Solicitor, 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 relates to anglers' landing nets of the kind wherein the net
holding frame is adapted to be collapsed and folded along the handle for carrying,
and to be distended and locked in position for use, the change of form and position
of the frame being produced by a swinging movement of the frame substantially
in its own plane and the locking and release of the locking devices being effected
automatically by the action of gravity.
I will describe the improvements with reference to the accompanying drawings
forming part of this Specification wherein
Figure 1 is a plan view of the net frame distended and Figure 2 is a side view
of the net frame collapsed and folded back upon the handle.
Figure 3 is a plan, Figure 4 a side view, and Figure 5 a central longitudinal
section of the preferred means of locking the frame in the distended position, the
parts being shewn in full lines in the collapsed and in dotted lines in the distended
and locked positions.
Figure 6 is a plan and Figure 7 a side view of a modified means of locking the
net frame, also shewing the parts in the collapsed and distended positions in full
and dotted lines respectively.
Figure 8 shews details.
The net frame is composed of four members A' A' A'A' (which are represented
as straight but which might be segments forming a circular frame) jointed together
at a a the joints a being in the form of rule joints to prevent inward or
reverse flexure at those joints when the frame is in the straightened or collapsed

page_text: position, Figure 2. The two members A¹ A terminate in knuckles intersecting
like those of a hinge which are pivoted upon the same pin or stud B.
In Figures 1 to 5 this stud B is fixed to a pivoted support permitting of a
combined angular and bodily motion of the stud for a purpose hereafter explained,
the stud support being a tongue C pivoted at c in a head D rigidly fixed to the
handle E, the tongue C being capable of limited motion about its pivot. The head D
is a ring concentric with the stud B and carried by a ferrule or other attach-
ment to the handle E, its upper edge being formed with two notches d¹ d
respectively adapted to receive the members A¹ A of the net frame or, as the case
may be, sockets in which the heel ends of those members are fixed. This annular-
head D serves both to lock and to support the net frame when in the distended
position so as to relieve the centre pin B of racking strain. The edge of the ring
is formed with a cam-like incline d rising gradually from the plane of the upper
side of the handle E on which the net frame lies when in the collapsed position,
said incline d leading up to and terminating at the notch d¹ which receives the
member A whilst the edge of the ring at the opposite side dis elevated above the
level of the portion d intermediate of the notches d' d' so as to act as a stop to
arrest the member A of the net frame at the proper moment to cause it to engage
in the notch d. The end of the tongue C plays in a slot el in the ring which
permits sufficient angular motion of the tongue C and stud B about the centre c and
therefore sufficient motion of the stud B in a plane perpendicular to the plane of
the ring D to allow the members A¹ A of the frame to ride up the incline d and.
to fall into the notches d' d. The pivot c of the tongue being at the opposite side
of the head to the notches the net frame is rigidly supported when in the distended
position.
It is to be observed that the members A'A' are oppositely tangential to the centre
stud B and that the notches d' d' are correspondingly tangential so that as the
member A passes over the notch d' the two do not correspond in tangential
direction and the member A is thus able to pass over that notch without falling.
into it whereas the member A¹ is provided with a lug e which projects downwards.
within the ring D in position to come against a stop e fixed within the ring so as to
arrest the member Af immediately it coincides with the notch d', the operations of
distending and locking the net frame and of unlocking and collapsing it being as
follows: Assuming the net frame to be in the collapsed form shewn in Figure 2,
if the handle be held with the head D somewhat downwards the notched edge of
the head being uppermost but inclined laterally so that the side at which the
notch d' is situate is somewhat lower than the other side, the net frame (as soon as
it is released from the retaining loop for other device which keeps it in position
along the handle whilst carrying) will swing as a whole about the pivot B in the
direction of the arrow. The members A A¹ ride up the incline d, the one
member A' being arrested by the stops e e¹ when it comes over the notch d' whilst
the member A passes on over that notch d' (the jointed net frame meanwhile
opening out to its distended form) until it meets the stop d' whereupon the
members A A' respectively coincide with and fall into their corresponding
notches d d and become locked. The unlocking is effected by inverting the net
frame so as to bring the notched edge of the head D downwards and so holding
and moving the handle as to cause the frame to swing in the reverse direction as
will be readily understood. It will be obvious that the engagement of the
member A with the notch d' might be equally well prevented by making it and its
corresponding notch d' rather broader than the notch d¹.
The modification shewn in Figures 6 7 and 8 is substantially similar in operation
but differs inasmuch as the head D in this case is a flat disc D having notches d d
and stops ed the centre stud B being fixed to the disc and the members A' A*
having themselves no rising and falling motion but being provided with pawls f¹f*
loosely pivoted to them at so as to rise and fall in planes perpendicular to the
disc D. The pawl of the member A' merely rests on the disc D and is adapted
(by its tangential position and if necessary also by its breadth relatively to that of

page_text: the notch d¹) to pass clear over the notch d' without engaging in it whilst the
pawlf has a lug e adapted to drop past the edge of the portion d of the disc of
reduced radius so as to meet the projecting stop-like side of the notch d¹ and so
cause the member A¹ to be arrested and the pawl to fall into engagement with said
notch. The stop is so placed that when lug e projecting from the pawl f' meets
it the pawl will exactly coincide with and fall into the notch d'. Or the
notch may be shorter than the notch d' and the pawlf provided with a heel
adapted to slide on the plate D and passes clear of the inner end of the notch d¹
but fall into the notch d. In other respects the operations of distending and
locking, and of unlocking and collapsing, the net frame are performed as before.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. A collapsible net frame constructed of jointed segments and pivoted to swing
in its own plane as a whole about a centre pin, in combination with a frame
supporting and locking ring or head having notches normal to the plane of the net
frame and adapted to receive and engage with the pivoted members of the net
frame when the latter is distended and with stops limiting the swinging motion of
the frame so as to ensure coincidence of the frame members with the notches, the
centre pin being carried by a pivoted support so as to be capable of limited move-
ment in a plane perpendicular to the plane of the ring or head in order to permit
of the net frame engaging in the said notches, the locking and unlocking being
effected by the gravity of the moving parts substantially as specified.
2. A collapsible net frame constructed of jointed segments pivoted to swing in
its own plane as a whole about a centre pin fixed to a supporting and locking diso
or head, in combination with pawls pivoted to the pivoted member of the net frame,
and with notches in the disc or head adapted to receive and engage with the said
pawls when the net frame is in the distended position, and with stops for limiting
the swinging motion of the frame so as to ensure coincidence and engagement of the
pawls with the notches, the locking and unlocking being effected by the gravity of
the pawls substantially as specified.
Dated this 31st day of August 1896.
A. M. & WM. CLARK,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.
A. M. & WM. CLARK,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.