Improvements in Landing Nets.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 21st Aug., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 18th Oct., 1894-Accepted, 24th Nov., 1894
Improvements in Landing Nets.
I, ALLAN HOLMES, of the City of Dunedin, in the Colony of New Zealand,
Solicitor, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to anglers' landing nets, and it has for its object to enable
the net holding frame to be collapsed and folded back upon the handle for carrying,
and to be swung out and automatically locked in the distended form ready for use.
The handle is preferably provided with a ferrule having a flat face upon which
the ends of the net holding frame are pivoted. This frame consists of four segments
jointed together, the joint being equidistant from the ends and preferably formed
in the manner of a knee or rule joint with shoulders or stops that limit the motion
about this joint in one direction so as to prevent inward flexure at this joint, whilst
the side joints are without stops so that they may be flexed inwards. The joints
may be equidistant from the centre joint and midway between it and the end joints,
or they may be at different distances from the centre joint, in which case the
joints need not overlap each other when the frame is collapsed. The ends are
formed with ears by which they are pivoted upon studs fixed to the face of the
ferrule and standing up therefrom at opposite sides of an intermediate lug formed
or fixed on said face. The end of the frame is held down by the head of the stud
upon the face, but the end is free to slide upon its stud to a limited extent, the
stud being of sufficient length to admit of the end being lifted so as to enable it to
ride over and pass clear of the end and of the lug, the stud having a nut to allow
of the end being removed from the stud for the purpose of threading the net on
the frame. The ends of the frame have flat faces which, when the frame is dis-
tended, coincide with, and abut against, the sides of the lug so as to limit the
motion in one direction about the pivots. The lug thus acts as a stop to lock the
ends of the frame when in its distended position, the effect, in conjunction with
the stops or shoulders of the diametrically-opposite joint, being to render the frame
sufficiently rigid for use when in its distended position. The net frame is brought
from the distended to the collapsed position, and vice versa, by being swung on its
pivots in a plane parallel or approximately so to the plane of the handle which
may be slightly cut away at its upper side so as to be flush with the face and afford
room for the frame when collapsed. The swinging of the net frame from the
distended to the collapsed position is effected merely by lifting the end on the pin
so that it may pass clear over the lug and the other end, and then turning the
handle slightly so as to cant the net frame and cause it to swing by the effect of its
own gravity to the right. By this motion of the frame the joints are flexed
inwards, and the joint is flexed outwards. The swinging and collapsing movement
is complete when the joint lies upon the handle. In this position the joints either
overlap, or abut, or if at unequal distances from the centre joint, each joint may
Lie within the opposite curved segment of the frame. The swinging movement of
the frame above referred to is limited by the one end segment coming against an
inclined face of the lug, and the frame is sufficiently retained in the collapsed
position whilst being carried.
In order to distend the net for use all that is necessary is to cant it sideways
whilst holding the handle slightly inclined downwards so as to cause the frame to
swing until the heel of the end abuts against the lug, whereupon the first section of
the ring is arrested but the others continue to turn on their joints until the ring is
fully opened out, this position being attained almost instantaneously by the mere
swinging motion of the frame on the centres, as above described. In this position

page_text: the heel of the other end after riding upon the lug, drops down on the pin as soon
as the heel or face coincides with the adjacent side of the lug against which it thus
becomes automatically locked, the rigidity of the joint on the frame attaining the
fully distended form, having the effect of preventing the heel of the end passing
beyond the position of engagement with the side of the lug. Consequently as soon
as it reaches that position the swinging motion is arrested and the end slips down
the pin and becomes interlocked with the lug, whereby the rigidity of the entire
frame is ensured.
It will be obvious that the locking action will be similar if the lug were placed
in front of the two studs instead of between them, that is to say in the same relative
position as that hereafter described with respect to a single stud.
Instead of the ends of the frame being pivoted on separate studs, they may be
pivoted on the same stud, and be locked by abutting against a lug situated within
the frame when in the distended position. In this case the one end of the frame
is necessarily above the other and the undermost one is prevented from rising by a
shoulder on the pivot. The lug is made high enough to engage with the upper-
most end of the frame and the upper part of the stud extends so much higher as
to allow the uppermost end of the frame to rise high enough to pass clear over the
lug. In this case the frame is locked in the distended position by the two end
sections abutting against the rear face of the lug. The part on which the studs
are fixed may be a plate attached to the handle by screws instead of being formed
on a ferrule and the form of the net frame instead of being circular might be
oval, pear-shaped, or square, by varying the form of the segments composing the
frame.
Dated this 21st day of August 1894
A. M. & WM. CLARK,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.
VAMI ZEIN DIFICATION.
Improvements in Landing Nets.
I, ALLAN HOLMES, of the City of Dunedin, in the 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, and it has for its object to enable
the net holding frame to be collapsed and folded back upon the handle for carry-
ing, and to be swung out and automatically locked in the distended form ready
for use.
I will describe the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings,
forming part of this Specification, wherein
Figure 1 is a perspective view of the improved landing net.
Figure 2 is a plan view of the net frame in distended form, the net being removed.
Figure 3 is a plan view, and Figure 4 a side view, of the net frame collapsed
and folded back upon the handle.
Figure 5 is a cross-section, on line 5-5 Figure 2, shewing the mode of locking
the frame in the distended form.
Figures 6 and 6A are plan views, and Figure 7 a cross-section of a modification.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all the figures.
The handle A is provided with a plate B upon which the ends of the net holding
frame C are pivoted. This frame consists of four segments jointed together at c
and c', c', the joint c being equidistant from the ends and preferably formed in the
manner of a knee or rule joint with shoulders or stops, as shewn, that limit the
motion about this joint in one direction so as to prevent inward flexure at this joint,

page_text: whilst the side joints c¹, c¹, are without stops so that they may be flexed inwards,
as shewn in Figure 3. The joints c', c', are represented as equidistant from the
centre joint c and midway between it and the end joints, but they may be at
different distances from the joint c. The ends x, y, are formed with ears by
which they are pivoted upon studs D, E, fixed to the plate B. The end of the
frame is held down by the head of the stud D upon the plate B, but the end y
is
free to slide upon its stud E to a limited extent, the stud E being of sufficient
length to admit of the end y being lifted so as to enable it to ride over and pass
clear of the end x and of the lug B, the stud E having a nut G or other fastening,
to allow of the end y being removed from the stud for the purpose of threading the
net on the frame C. The ends of the frame have flat faces which, when the
frame is distended, coincide with, and abut against, the lug B' so as to limit
the motion in one direction about the pivots D, E. The lug B' thus acts as a stop
to lock the ends of the frame C when in its distended position, as shewn in
Figures 1, 5, and 6, the effect, in conjunction with the stops or shoulders of the
diametrically opposite joint c, being to render the frame C sufficiently rigid for use
when in the distended position.
It will be seen that the net frame C is brought from the distended to the collapsed
position, and vice-versa, by being swung on its pivots in a plane parallel or approxi-
mately so, to the plane of the handle. The swinging of the net frame C from the
distended to the collapsed position is effected merely by lifting the end y on the
pin E (as shewn in dotted lines in Figure 5,) so that it may pass clear over lug B'
and the other end x, and then turning the handle A slightly so as to cant the net
frame C and cause it to swing by the effect of its own gravity to the right, as
indicated by the curved arrows in Figure 2. By this motion of the frame the
joints el are flexed inwards, as indicated by the straight arrows in the same figure,
and the joint c is flexed outwards. The swinging and collapsing movement is
complete when the joint c lies upon the handle, as indicated in Figure 3. In this
position the joints c either overlap, as shewn in Figure 3, or abut, or if at unequal
distances from the centre joint c, each joint c' may lie within the opposite curved
segment of the frame. The swinging movement of the frame C above referred to,
is limited by the one end segment coming against a stop which in Sheet 1 of the
drawings is formed by the face 62 (Figure 2) of the lug B' and on reaching the
position shewn in Figure 3 the frame C is sufficiently retained in the collapsed
position whilst being carried. The stop may, however, be formed by a stud H
fixed in the plate B or handle, as shewn in Figure 8, Sheet 2.
In order to distend the net for use, all that is necessary is to cant it sideways
whilst holding the handle slightly inclined downwards so as to cause the frame C
to swing in the direction of the arrow, Figure 3, until the heel z of the end a abuts
against the lug B', whereupon the first section of the ring is arrested but the others
continue to turn on their joints until the ring is fully opened out, as in Figure 2,
this position being attained almost instantaneously by the mere swinging motion of
the frame on the centres D, E, as above described. In this position the heel z of
the other end y after riding upon lug B', drops down on pin E as soon as the heel
or face z coincides with the adjacent side of the lug B' against which it thus
becomes automatically locked, the rigidity of the joint c, on the frame attaining
the fully distended form, having the effect of preventing the heel z of the end y
passing beyond the position of engagement with the side of lug B'. Consequently
as soon as it reaches that position the swinging motion is arrested and the end y
slips down the pin E and becomes interlocked with the lug B', whereby the
rigidity of the entire frame is ensured.
It will be obvious that the locking action will be similar if the lug B¹ were
placed in front of the two studs D, E, instead of between them, that is to say in
the same relative position as that hereafter described with respect to a single stud.
Instead of the ends of the frame being pivoted on separate studs, they may be
pivoted on the same stud, as in Figures 6 and 7, and be locked by abutting against
a lug B' situated within the frame C when in the distended position. In this case

page_text: the one end of the frame is necessarily above the other and the undermost one is
prevented from rising by a shoulder on the pivot. The lug B' is made high
enough to engage with the uppermost end of the frame and the upper part of the
stud extends so much higher as to allow the uppermost end of the frame to rise
high enough to pass clear over the lug B'. In this case the frame is locked in the
distended position by the two end sections abutting against the rear face of the
lug B¹.
The form of the net frame C, instead of being circular, as shewn, might be oval,
pear-shaped, or square, by varying the form of the segments composing the frame.
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 landing net frame constructed of segments jointed together and
pivoted to the handle so as to be adapted to collapse and swing back along the
handle in the manner specified.
2. A collapsible landing net frame constructed of jointed segments and pivoted
to a handle so that it may be collapsed and folded back along the handle or
distended, as described, by a swinging motion of the frame a lug against which the
pivoted ends of the frame are adapted to abut and engage, the one by swinging on
its pivot and the other by a sliding motion on its pivot, in the manner described, so
as to limit the swinging motion of the frame and lock it in the distended position,
as set forth.
3. A collapsible landing net frame constructed of jointed segments and pivoted
at its ends upon separate pivots, as described, said pivots being so situated with
regard to a lug that the ends of the frame will be adapted to abut or engage
against it, the one extremity being free to slide upon its pivot so as to enable it to
pass clear over the lug and over the other extremity when the frame is to be
collapsed and swung rearward on to the handle, as described.
4. A collapsible landing net frame constructed of jointed segments and pivoted
on separate pivots, as described, in combination with a stop with which the ends
are adapted to engage, as described, in order to retain the frame in the collapsed
position, substantially as specified.
5. A collapsible landing net frame constructed of jointed segments, its ends being
superposed and pivoted upon a single pivot, in combination with a stop against
which the ends are adapted to abut or engage so as to limit the pivotal motion of
the frame and lock it both in the distended and collapsed positions, as specified.
Dated this 18th day of October 1894.
A. M. & WM. CLARK,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.
A. M. & WM. CLARK,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.