WO2017134335A1

WO2017134335A1 - Lure

Info

Publication number: WO2017134335A1
Application number: PCT/FI2017/000001
Authority: WO
Inventors: Pasi Ratilainen
Original assignee: T:Mi Pr-Building
Priority date: 2016-02-03
Filing date: 2017-01-31
Publication date: 2017-08-10
Also published as: FI126499B; FI20160051A

Abstract

The object of this invention is a lure (1), which essentially includes a body (2) resembling the shape of a fish and, at a minimum, one hook (4) attached to the body and, in addition, essentially one elongated guide (5) placed in the lengthwise direction of the lure, fixed permanently on the lure, as well as a line attachment point (11), fitted on the guide (5), at which the line (12) is connected flexibly to the lure. The attachment point (11) is fitted so as to move, controlled by the guide (5), in the area between the guide's first end (5.1) and second end (5.2) according to changes in the size of the force (F) acting on the line (12), and the attachment point (11) is connected to a spring (6) so that the loading of the said spring increases as the force (F) increases and decreases as the force (F) decreases, and/or the attachment point (11) is connected to the first magnet (20) so that the repellent force between this magnet and the magnet (21, 22) situated in the direction of action of the force (F), in relation to this magnet, increases as the force (F) increases and the distance (d) between the said magnets decreases, and decreases as the force (F) decreases and the said distance (d) increases, with the consequence that the effect of the change in size of the force (F) on changes in the direction and speed of the lure (2) has been set so as to occur at a delay.

Description

LURE

The object of this invention is a fishing lure, which includes essentially a body resembling the shape of a fish and at least one hook attached to the body.

The purpose of use of the invention is mainly trolling, casting and ice fishing. A lure according to the invention is thus very widely applicable to line fishing. Of the various sub-categories of the lure, the wobbler and the spoon lure are two worth mentioning. Lures according to known techniques are usually attached to the line at the upper surface of the lip or at the body. The line is attached with or without the mediation of a connecting element that withstands the bite of a fish. The lip used in wobblers is attached to the front part of the body and, according to its name, is a plate-like part with an upper surface which is straight, concave or convex. When the lure body, resembling a prey fish, is being pulled forward by its front end, the upper surface of the lip slopes downwards, so that by controlling the speed of the lure it is possible to control the water pressure against the upper lip surface and thus to alter the depth at which the lure travels. The normal direction of pulling the line attached to the lip is forward and upward at an angle, so that the force pulling the line and the characteristics of the lip determine whether the lure will travel forward in a direct line, sink deeper or rise closer to the surface.

When a spoon lure is used, the line is normally attached to the front end of the lure body.

To alter the sideways travelling direction of a lure according to known techniques, the fishing rod is turned to either side or the travelling direction of the boat is altered.

It is desirable that the lure imitates, as closely as possible, the natural movements of a prey fish, and in an attempt to achieve this, the lure is made to change its course as to both direction and depth, as described above. When, for example, the reel of a spinning rod is spun at different speeds, the lure will rapidly sink to swim deeper and rise closer to the surface. In addition, when the direction of the line pulling the lure is altered, the lure can also be made to change its course in the sideways direction.

Corrected version The known technique described above is in widespread use in line fishing. All known products in the field_. are so manufactured that the line or its connecting element are attached to the lure without a structure providing flexibility, which means that even a small change in the size of the force acting on the line or in the direction in which the line is pulled will lead to a rapid change in the course of the lure.

The patent publication US 5,329,721 presents a fishing lure whose centre of gravity may be varied by varying the amount of water in a chamber in its body by means of a plunger and its stem. The patent publication US 2,663,963 presents a solution where an elongated guide is attached to a lure, essentially in its longitudinal direction, and a line attachment point and a spiral spring are fitted on to the guide. The line attachment point is fitted so as to move, controlled by the guide, as the force acting on the line varies and the loading of the spring is fitted to alter as the force mentioned alters.

The patent publication US 5,299,378 presents a spring fitted inside the lure and attached to the hook. The solution does not include a guide as described above, which would contain the line attachment point. The patent publication US 7,069,686 Bl presents a solution where the flexibility is achieved by means of a mechanism in the cylindrical mantle.

The greatest drawback of the technique first described above is the suddenness with which the lure changes course. When the force acting on the line is increased, the lure will turn rapidly and jerkily downwards, as the fluid resistance of water against the upper surface of the lip increases a certain amount within a very short time. Correspondingly, when the force acting on the line decreases, the lure will turn its course upwards very swiftly, without delay. Similar jerky, rapid movements and changes of direction will occur when the direction of pulling the line is altered. Moreover, changing the direction of pull is the only way of altering the sideways course of lures made according to the known technique.

The greatest drawback of the technique known from the publication US 5,329,721 mentioned above is the inflexibility of the structure during a particular fishing event. Using this technique, it is possible to alter the depth of travelling of the lure by regulating the lure between such fishing events. The US publications mentioned after the first one present solutions allowing flexibility, but they cannot be used to affect the sideways course of the lure. The purpose of this invention is to achieve a lure which avoids the drawbacks in the known technique. The solution according to the invention is characterised by the features listed in the characterizing part of Patent Claim 1.

The greatest advantage of the invention in relation to the known technique may be considered to be that a lure according to the invention behaves flexibly in situations where the size or direction of the force acting on the line is altered. A lure according to the invention will change its course considerably less jerkily than a lure according to the known technique and its movements resemble those of a natural prey fish very greatly. Regardless of a sudden change in the force applied to the line or a rapid change in the direction of pull on the line, the effects of the change will be transmitted to the lure over a longer period of time than is traditional, that is, with a delay, which means that they will be less sudden and these changes in force and direction will also boost the changes of direction, so that the lure will make more lifelike and greater vertical and horizontal movements. A lure according to the invention can also be made to change its course without changing the direction of pull on the line.

Thanks to the invention, the following improvements in comparison to the known technique will also be achieved in line fishing:

The front end of the lure will describe a smaller movement than a lure according to the known technique, in which the front end movement may be almost as large as that of the rear end. This more natural movement is the result of the equipment at the front part of a lure according to the invention.

As a fish strikes at a lure according to the invention and attempts to jerk itself loose, the lure gives at the line attachment point and decreases the effect of the jerks. Thus, the line, the hooks and also the lure body can withstand these peak loads considerably better than lures according to the known technique and the catch will not escape. Thanks to the flexibility, a finer line can be used. This, in turn, improves the characteristics of the lure, such as a scattering sideways movement and diving capability, and this is due to the smaller buoyancy of the line. Also, the fish to be caught will not detect the finer line with its lateral line organ or eyes as well as it would a stronger line.

When the speed of pull is altered, the flexibility of the line attachment point creates advantageous unpredictable changes in the vertical and horizontal position of the lure. In practice, changes in the direction of pull can also be achieved by steering the boat in a non-linear manner, so that fishing rods at different locations in the boat will react in different ways.

In this document, the term lip refers to the diving vane attached to the front end of a lure.

The invention is described in more detail in the attached drawings, of which:

Figure 1 is a 3D representation of a lure according to the invention,

Figure 2 represents the same lure seen directly from above,

Figure 3 represents the same lure seen directly from the side,

Figure 4 represents an enlargement of Detail A in Figure 3,

Figure 5a represents the situation in Figure 4 directly from above,

Figure 5b represents the situation of another embodiment of the invention, in the same situation as in Figure 5a,

Figures 6a and 6b are more detailed representations of the situations in Figures 5a and 5b, Figure 7 represents an embodiment of the invention that differs from those above,

Figure 8 represents yet another embodiment of the invention,

Figure 9 represents an embodiment of the guide incorporated in the invention,

Figure 10 represents an embodiment of the invention in a spoon lure,

Figures 11a and 11 b represent embodiments of the invention where the spring is replaced by a magnet assembly.

The following is an explanation of the structure and action of an advantageous embodiment of the invention, making reference to the Figures listed above.

Figures 1-4 show one advantageous embodiment of the invention. These figures represent the lure 1, in this case a wobbler, which includes essentially a body 2 resembling the shape of a fish and the diving vane or lip 3 attached to the body and two hooks 4. In this example, the lip is a thin plate with a concave upper surface and a convex lower surface and is attached to the front part of the body. The lip 3 is adjusted in a position where, proceeding forward from the attachment point 10 (direction of pulling the lure), with the body 2 essentially horizontal in the lengthwise direction, the upper surface 3.1 of the lip is at a descending angle to the horizontal plane. Attached to the upper surface 3.1 of the lip, essentially in the lengthwise direction of the body 2, there is a guide 5 in the shape of a round rod and on it (around it) a spring 6. In this example, the spring is a spiral spring and its operating principle is that of a compression spring and it is fixed to remain in a certain position with regard to the lip with the help of the turned-down first and second ends 5.1 and 5.2 of the guide. These ends of the guide allow the spring to move only between them and, thanks to them, the guide is fixed in position on top of the lip. About the lengthwise middle of the spring there is the attachment point 11, at which the line 12 is attached to the spring 6, either directly or by means of a connecting element. Figure 4 is a more detailed representation of this situation, showing that the spring sections both fore and aft of the attachment point 11 are capable of movement as the attachment point 11 is moved on the guide in the guide's lengthwise direction. Figure 4 represents a situation where the (traction) force F is applied to the line 12, with the effect that the attachment point 11 has moved forward along the guide 5 and the assembly has reached an equilibrium; in other words, the force F and the fluid resistance of water V against the upper surface of the lip and also against other parts of the lure are in equilibrium, so that the lure moves forward at the speed v, essentially in a horizontal position.

Figure 5a represents the situation in Figure 4, seen directly from above. The attachment point 11 is at the distance a from the first end 5.1 of the guide and remains at this location. The line 12 slants upwards, in terms of its sideways position essentially straight along the middle axis x of the lure 1, and the lure travels in this direction. When the size of the force F increases, the resistance against the upper surface 3.1 of the lip also increases, and due to this effect the lure turns at an angle towards the bottom. At the same time, the increase in the force F causes the spring 6 to give in the lengthwise direction, and the line attachment point 11 moves the distance b forward, as shown in Figure 6a. Because of this, the change in the travelling direction of the lure described above will occur at a delay compared to the situation seen with the known technique, in which the line is attached directly to the lip 3 or to another point in the front part of the lure 1. The delay mentioned is due to the time taken by the moving of the attachment point 11 and causes the turning movement of the lure to be smoother and less jerky, making it more like the natural movement of a prey fish. The delay so described also occurs when the force F is reduced.

Figure 5b describes the situation in Figure 4 seen directly from above, with the difference that the central part of the guide 5, which controls the spring and the attachment point 11, is made nonlinear, so that it deviates from the straight line between the first and second ends 5.1 and 5.2 of the guide, this line being on the same vertical plane as the central axis x of the lure. Thus, the guide also causes the spring 6 and the attachment point 11 to deviate from that line. In the situation described in Figure 5b, as the force F is increased and the attachment point 11 moves forward by the distance b, as described above, the attachment point 11 simultaneously moves the distance c away from the straight line between the guide ends 5.1 and 5.2, or from the vertical plane incorporating the central axis x of the lure, as shown in Figure 6b. The force F then causes in the assembly a momentum which will deflect the lure 1 from its course and towards the force F.

When the guide 5 has the deviations mentioned, the spring 6 will be placed around the guide with a small enough tolerance that when moving, the attachment point 11 will follow the shape of the guide. The spring may also be assembled of two sections in which case the attachment point 11 will be placed on the guide 5 so that one of the sections is to the front and the other to the rear of it. The guide 5 may also be realized so that between its ends 5.1 and 5.2 there are either vertical deviations or both vertical and horizontal deviations from the straight line. When there are deviations in both directions, the movements of the lure will vary even more in character. The sharpness of the deviations may be selected according to the case. In some cases, the line between the first and second ends 5.1 and 5.2 of the guide may be placed so that it deviates from the line of the central axis x of the lure 1.

Another embodiment of the invention is shown in Figure 7, where the guide 5 and the spring 6 are fitted inside the body 2. Here, the line 12 attached to the attachment point 11 on the spring comes out of the opening 2.1 at the front of the body. Even in this example, the operating principle of the guide 5 and the spring 6 is the same as that presented in Figure 6a. Whether inside or outside the body, the inventive solution may also be applied in the way shown in Figure 8, where the guide 5 and the spring 6 are placed one after the other, so that the line attachment point is placed on the guide 5 and the first end 6.1 of the spring 6 is attached with a connecting element 13 to the attachment point 11 and the second end 6.2 of the spring is attached to the body 2. As the attachment point 11 moves the distance b along the guide, the spring behind it will extend the length of the distance b, thus acting as an extension spring. Alternatively, a compression spring may be used in the assembly, in which case the connecting element 13 is attached to the second end 6.2 of the spring and the first end 6.1 to the body 2. When moving, the attachment point 11 will follow the lengthwise shape of the guide.

The invention may be embodied in many different ways so that the guide 5 controls the location of the attachment point 11 of the line 12 in relation to the lure body 2 and the lip 3, depending on the force F, and the spring 6 allows the lip and the body a delay for adapting to the changes of flow characteristics caused by the force F.

The body 2, lip 3 and hooks 4 of a lure according to the invention may be components used in lures according to the known technique, in which case the invention is assembled by adding to the structure the guide 5, the spring 6 and the attachment point 11. The invention may also be assembled wholly or in part of new components.

The attachment point 11 may be realized in several ways. It may take the form of a knot to attach the line 12 to the spring or of a sleeve, for example, to which the line or its connecting element is attached and which, in turn, is attached to the spring 6 at a particular location or fitted on to the guide 5 so that it may move along its lengthwise direction, controlled by the guide.

In addition to the extension or compression springs mentioned above, the invention may also be realized using spiral or leaf springs or a rubber band. No type of spring is excluded from the potential methods of realizing the invention. One of the embodiments of the invention is to use an assembly of magnets to replace the spring wholly or in part. Figures 11a and lib show two such assemblies. In Figure 11a, the spring is replaced by two magnets fitted on to the guide 5; in this example, they are ring-shaped. The first magnet 20 is fitted at the rear part of the guide 5 and the second magnet 21 at the front part, with the same-sign ends of the magnets towards each other. In the example shown the ends are positive. The magnets are fitted on to the guide so that their mutual repellent force (the force pushing them away from each other) has pushed the first magnet 20 to the first end 5.1 of the guide, which restricts the movement of this magnet to this position in one direction, and the second magnet 21 to the second end 5.2 of the guide, which restricts the movement of this magnet to this position in the other direction. The first magnet 20 is fitted to move on the guide 5 towards the second magnet 21, so that it may slide on the guide, which goes through it, when the force Fa, in line with the second magnet, is exerted on it. When the force F acting on the line 12 is transmitted to the line attachment point 11, which is connected to the first magnet 20, the force Fa thus generated will move the first magnet 20 along the guide 5 close enough to the second magnet 21 that the force Fa and the repellent force between the magnets create an equilibrium between the magnets. As the force F varies, the first magnet 20 always finds a position required by the new equilibrium dependent on the new size of the force F and thus the line attachment point 11 moves with the variation of the force F and with changes in the distance d between the magnets and allows the lure 1 a delay for adapting to the changes in the lure speed caused by the force F. When the guide is non-linear in the ways described earlier, the magnet assembly also causes the line attachment point 11 to move away from the straight line between the first end 5.1 and the second end 5.2 of the guide, in which case the line attachment point 11 is fitted to deviate from the said line due to the force (F).

The second magnet 21 may either be attached to the second end 5.2 of the guide by any method or its staying at this location may only be secured by the repellent force mentioned above.

Figure lib shows an alternative magnet assembly according to the invention. The first magnet 20 is fitted between two magnets, the second and the third magnets 21 and 22, which are fitted on to the guide 5 using the mechanics described above. The ends facing each other of the second and third magnets will then have electrostatic charges of different signs, and the electrostatic charges of the first magnet 20 fitted between them will be of the same sign as the charges of the ends of the second and third magnets that face the first magnet. In this case, the equilibrium position of the first magnet 20 without the effect of the force Fa is at a point between the second and third magnets 21 and 22 which depends on the strength of the magnetic fields. If the magnetic fields of all the magnets are of equal strength, the first magnet 20 will position itself in the middle of the magnet assembly. As the force F causes the force Fa to be generated, the first magnet 20 will move closer to the second magnet 21 and the distance d between these two magnets decreases and the attachment point 11 of the line 12 attached to the first magnet will move with it. Changes in the size of the force F always change the positions of the first magnet 20 and of the line attachment point 11 and thus the distance d between the first and third magnets. The second magnet 21 of two-magnet assemblies or the peripheral magnets, the second and third magnets 21, 22, of three-magnet assemblies may either be attached to the end/ends of the guide by any method or its/their remaining at this location/these locations may be effected by relying on the repellent force mentioned above. The first magnet 20 or a part of it may in itself function as the line attachment point 11 or the line attachment point 11 may be connected to it.

The forms of embodiment based on magnet assemblies as described above may also be applied to all embodiments of the invention previously presented in this document.

The profile of the guide 5 may be round, angular or a combination of these shapes. In addition to the ways shown in the Figures, its first end 5.1 and second end 5.2 may be realized in any known way. Attaching the guide to the lip 3 or the body 2 may be realized using a screw, glue, or a pressed- on joint, for example.

When the guide 5 and the spring 6 are placed inside the body 2, the structure may be assembled according to Figure 7, for example, so that the guide 5 and the spring 6 are first attached to the detached bottom section 2.2 of the body and the line 12 to the attachment point 11, after which the bottom section 2.2 is fitted into the depression 2.3 in the body.

When the guide 5 and the spring 6 are fitted on top of the lip 3, they will reduce the wobbling of the front part of the lure by increasing the weight and fluid resistance of the front part. The guide and spring can also be fitted to the lip so that they are wholly or in part in a groove of the lip. The guide may be made of steel, light alloys, plastics or any other material capable of being worked or cast. A cost-effective material for the guide 5 to be used together with the magnet assembly is stainless steel.

The guide 5 may be fitted in the lure lip 3 either in line with the lengthwise axis of the lure or at an angle to it. Figure 9 shows an exaggerated view of a situation where the angle between the lengthwise direction of the guide 5 and the central axis x of the lure is a. The guide 5 according to the invention is considered to be essentially in line with the lengthwise axis of the lure when the attachment point 11 fitted on to it is capable of moving at least backwards and forwards in relation to the lure body, with a relatively small change in the force F.

Figure 10 shows an embodiment of the invention with a lipless lure 1, such as a spoon lure. In this case, the guide 5 and the spring 6 are fitted at the side of the spoon lure. Alternatively, they may also be fitted at the front of the spoon lure.

It should be noted that even though this explanation is limited to one type of advantageous embodiment of the invention, this does not imply a desire to limit the use of the invention to an example of this type alone; rather, many variations are possible within the inventive idea defined in the patent claim.

Claims

Patent claims

1. A lure (1), which

a. includes essentially a body (2) resembling the shape of a fish and at least one hook (4) attached to the body;

b. includes essentially an elongated guide (5) in the lengthwise direction of the lure,

attached permanently to the lure;

c. contains a line attachment point (11) fitted to the guide (5), at which the line (12) is fixed flexibly to the lure,

and in which lure:

d. the attachment point (11) is fitted to move, controlled by the guide (5), in the area

between its first end (5.1) and second end (5.2) as the size of the force (F) acting on the line (12) changes,

e. the attachment point (11) is connected to a spring (6) so that the loading of the said

spring increases as the force (F) increases and decreases as the force (F) decreases, and/or the attachment point (11) is connected to a magnet, such as to the first magnet (20), in such a way that the repellent force between this magnet and a magnet, such as the second or third magnet (21, 22) which is on the side from which the force (F) acts in relation to this magnet, increases as the force (F) increases when the distance (d) between the said magnets decreases, and decreases as the force (F) decreases when the said distance (d) increases,

with the consequence that the effect of the change in the size of the force (F) on the changes of direction and speed of the lure (1) has been set to occur at a delay, characterized in that the guide (5) comprises at least one deviation from the straight line between its first end (5.1) and second end (5.2), in which case the attachment point (1) is fitted to deviate from the said line due to the effect of the force (F).

2. A lure according to patent claims 1 or 2, characterised in that the guide (5) contains at least one deviation from the perpendicular plane including the central axis (x) of the lure, in which case the attachment point (11) is fitted to deviate from the said plane due to the effect of the force (F).

3. A lure according to patent claim 3, characterised in that it contains a lip (3), the upper surface (3.1) of which is fitted to function as a diving vane when the force (F) acts on the line attachment point (11).

4. A lure according to patent claim 5, characterised in that the guide (5) is attached to the upper surface (3.1) of the lip.

5. A lure according to any of patent claims 1-3, characterised in that the guide (5) and/or spring (6) and/or magnet assembly are at least partly fitted inside the body or at the side of it.

6. A lure according to any of patent claims 1-5, characterised in that the spring (6) and/or one magnet at least (20, 21, 22) is fitted around the guide (5).

7. A lure according to any of patent claims 1-6, characterised in that when the lure includes a spring, the spring (6) is fitted along the imagined continuation of the guide (5).

8. A lure according to any of patent claims 1-8, characterised in that the guide is made of

stainless steel, steel, light alloys, plastics or any other material capable of being worked or cast.