CA2256832A1 - Aquatic swimming mimic device - fish lure - Google Patents

Abstract

A fish lure device designed to mimic the swimming body motion of aquatic creatures such as fish. The device utilizes a flexible segmented body mechanism which undulates when activated by the oscillating or vibratory motion produced by an offset propeller pulled through water. The undulating lure body also emits sound and vibration waves detectable by fish.

Description

DISCLOSURE OF INFORMATION RE: Invention of Aquatic Swimming Mimic Device - Fish Lure To: Patent Office Inventor: Robert B_ Mancuso Date: December 15, 1998 Purpose of Device Realism of lure features is always desirable, and while many existing fish lures exhibit realistic qualities in appearance and general movement, a need exists to more efficiently and effectively duplicate the actual locomotive action of aquatic creatures such as fish, described as a sinosoidal or "S" wave pattern of body movement. The proposed fish lure is designed to mimic such a movement pattern utilizing minimal mechanisms.
Aside from realistic movement, the proposed fish lure also enhances attractiveness to fish by emitting both sound and vibration through a fluidic medium, mimicing those produced by swimming marine creatures.
These sounds and vibrations are detectable by fish, thereby adding to lure effectiveness.
Description Drawings illustrating invention features are as follows: Figure 1. depicts a side view in perspective, Figure 2 is a top view, Figure 3 displays a front end view, Figure 4 is a close u.p side view of a hinging mechanism, and Figure 5 exhibits a motion graph.
The fish lure primarily consists of a series of segmented body parts flexibly joined together or plates linked edge to edge or flexible one piece unibody material formed to replicate the body shape of an aquatic creature such as a fish, and an attached free spinning propeller blade.
Hitherto, segmented body part or body segment is equatable with plate or section of unibody material.
Segmented body parts can be constructed from any material such as wood, plastic, metal, rubber, fiber glass, ceramic, or fabric. Size dimensions of the whole body and its parts are variable, depending on application.
Number of segments is likewise variable.
From a side view perspective (Fig. l.), segmented body parts 1 are flexibly joined together at their left and right edges or points aligned vertically centered on front and rear faces in a sequence aligned with longitudinal horizontal axis 4, which extends from nose to tail. The body segments are joined together by hinges, chain, cord, ball joints, wire couplings 9, fabric or by any means which allows for a flexible free swinging connection between parts (Fig. 4).
Body segments must be hinged in such a way as to permit side to side horizontal swinging movement of -the;,segments,along the lateral horizontal axis S,.which crosses -the longitudinal hoYvizontal axis, and not any up and down movement along vertical axis 6. For example, hinges placed at both top and bottom of right and left edges or sides of body segments (Fig. 4), will allow only lateral horizontal swinging action of body segments, as will usage of a vertically long hinge and bolt mechanism.

A flexible one piece unibody is constructed of any flexible material such as plastic, rubber, fabrics, knits, and weaves. Size dimensions are variable, depending on application, with the exception that the unit is thinner along its lateral horizontal axis than along its vertical axis in cross-section to allow minimal resistance to lateral horizontal bendage and maximal resistance to vertical bendage. Bending of the material occurs in the direction of least resistance, which is represented by the thinner lateral harizontal cross-section of material.
As required, depending on application, floatation and weighting materials are attached to or incorporated into the body structure at locations conducive to maintaining both vertical uprightness of the body, as shown in Figure 1, and achieving desirable floatation characteristics of the unit as a whole.
The propeller 2 is constructed of metal, plastic, rubber, wood or any material capable of withstanding fluidic pressure, and is designed to transform fluidic pressure into rotational mechanical energy. Size dimensions depend on application.
The propeller mechanism is comprised of one single angled curved or flat blade attached at one end to a propeller shaft 3 around which the propeller spins freely along an arc of which the radius is at.right angle to the longitudinal axis of the shaft. The propeller shaft is attached and fixed to the center of the nose end point of the first leading body segment 8 and points directly ahead of the lure along the longitudinal horizontal axis.
A choice exists as to whether the propeller is attached by a bearing fitting to the propeller shaft or, if the propeller is rigidly attached to the shaft, the shaft is bearing fitted to the leading body segment.
Either means is suitable.
Mode of operation involves the use of unbalanced or eccentric oscillating propeller motion to actuate the fish body mechanism, causing. an undulating or travelling "S" wave pattern to develop in the movement of the body structure (Fig. 2).
Pulling the lure forward by the front leading end of the propeller shaft 7 (attachment point for line or cord) through water or any fluidic medium causes fluidic pressure to build against the angled surface of the nr.ope.ller, causing the propeller to turn in an arc around the shaft.
Posi:=Toning a single propeller blade on only one side of the propeller shaft creates an offset o_r lobsided situation, resulting in_imbalanced motion or vibration of fihe propeller mechanism due to unbalanced drag effect of fluidic pressure on the propeller. Adding weight to the propeller accentuates the effect by increasing the momentum of the unbalanced motion of the propeller. To correct or counter balance the imbalancing effect, the propeller spins around a point which travels along a circle 9 away from and around a central axis-represented by the rest s-tate of the longitudinal axis of the propeller shaft 10. To accommodate the action of the propeller, the propeller shaft swings at an angle along an arc of increasingly-;greater radius closer to the end of the shaft 11, to which the leading body segment is attached. Increasingly lesser rotational swing occurs closer to the leading end of the prt~peller shaft on which it pivots. The end of the propeller tends to follow the same arc traced by a.poin~._om the prapelle~ shaft.

2 The first leading segment of the body structure must track and follow the movement of the propeller shaft to which it is attached, resulting in a likewise circular swing motion. However, because of the one way hinging mechanism linking body segments, movement is more exaggerated toward horizontal side to side movement than toward vertical up and down movement. More force is required to lift or push down because the body segments act as one whole rigid unit in the direction of the vertical axis. To move one segment requires moving all segments with leveraged resistance increasingly greater the closer to the tail. Less energy is needed to move a limp horizontally flexible'body side to side because of a lack of unified leveraged resistance. The result is a repetitive cycle of motion skewed toward side to side lateral movement 12 of the leading body segment.
In turn, and in sequence, other trailing body segments must follow the same movement pattern of the first leading segment because of their direct connectiveness. Movement of all segments occurs in unison. However, each body section movement is out of phase with other segments in terms of lateral horizontal positioning (Fig. 5). When one segment is at a certain point in the lateral cycle of movement, the next trailing segment has not yet arrived at the same point., and less so for remaining segments successively. At some point, given enough segments, at least two segments will be so out of phase they will represent opposite extremes in the movement cycle. These points mark opposite peaks of a complete sine wave with all other segment positions representing points in between to complete an "S" wave pattern. Therefore, a sinosoidal wave pattern develops in the movement of the body structure ~ompr_ised of the various differential phase positions of segments, which is the result of a lag effect.
The constant lateral side to side movement of the first leading segment repetitively causes a new wave pattern to develop. Each new wave travels from nose to tail or front to rear of the body structure, the result of all body segments reaching every position of a common cycle, except at different times and points along the longitudinal horizontal axis. For example, each peak 13 (Fig. 2,3, and 5) represents the point when, in succession, each body segment has reached maximum lateral horizontal movement away from the longitudinal horizontal axis before collapsing back to center and subsequently rising to form a new peak on the opposite side of the central axis. That the wave peak appears to travel along the longitudinal horizontal axis is the result of relay action occurring among the body segments. Each body segment 14 can only.rnove laterally in line with a fixed point on the longitudinal horizontal axis 15. Therefore, as one body segment peaks at i-~s own~respective location along the longitudinal horizontal axis, the next trailing segment is about to take the peak position at its location as the first moves out of peak position, and so on, in succession. The result is a shifting peak, travelling in a relay fashion from one point to another along the longitudinal horizontal axis. The same process underlies the travelling motion of all other points in the sine wave pattern, and combined, production of a whole travelling wave is achieved. The travelling wave pattern The travelling wave pattern or rippling effect or whipping action mimics marine creature movement such as the motion of a swimming fish body.': The The undulating wave mechanism also creates fluidic pressure as its leading wave arcs press continually back against the water medium, causing rhythmic pressure waves to develop. These pressure waves are emitted through the water and are detectable as vibration and/ or sound.

3 Modification The fish lure is also capable of being self-propelled because of both the propeller and undulating wave motion of the body structure. Powering the propeller blade with a motor, elastic, cord activated pulley wheel or any other kind of energetic device attachable to the propeller shaft to which the propeller is fixed, will cause the propeller to spin and produce thrusting vortex action. within a fluidic medium.
In addition, the associated vibratory or oscillating motion of the propeller and,i-ts attached weights, as described, will cause the attached body structure to undulate, as also described. Travelling wave motion along the body structure will cause the leading side of wave arcs to continually push against a fluidic medium, producing thrust in the opposite direction of wave travel.

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Claims (7)

The embodiments of the invention in which in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1 A device pulled through water for luring fish and other aquatic creatures by means of an undulating or travelling wave body motion which mimics the swimming body motion of aquatic creatures such as fish, comprising a single oscillating propeller blade revolving off-balanced about a shaft attached inline to the lead end of a row of flexibly joined body segments.

2 A device as defined in claim 1, in which the propeller of any size is comprised of any sufficiently rigid and weighty material and is attached at one of its ends to the shaft by means of a bearing fitting or hollow tube to allow the propeller free play to only revolve along an arc of which the plane of the arc is at right angle to the longitudinal or long axis of the shaft.

3 A device as defined in claim 1, except the propeller is rigidly attached to the shaft and the shaft is bearing fitted to the lead end of the row of body segments.

4 A device as defined in claim 1, in which the body segments are comprised of any sufficiently rigid material of variable size, weight, and number flexibly attached together by one way hinges or connecting strips of any flexible material which allow only swing hinge side to side motion of the segments along only one common lateral path or axis of travel.

A device as defined in claim 1, except the row of body segments may be replaced, in whole or part, by a single flattened flexible body of unibody construction.

6 A device as defined in claims 1 and 4, in which the row of body segments or flexible unibody is cut and/or formed to resemble the shape and appearance of an aquatic creature such as a fish.

7 A device as defined in claims 1 and 4, in which the resulting undulating or travelling wave body motion, as well as the rotating propeller, can be used to self-propel the device when the propeller is actuated or energized by any means.