GB2078474A - Fish-hook baiting machine - Google Patents

Abstract

Apparatus for baiting fish-hooks includes two superimposed plates 14 and 18 separated by a gap 15, the plates 14 and 18 having on their opposing faces respective longitudinal grooves 16 and 20 which together define a channel between the plates. In operation, a line having fish-hooks attached is drawn longitudinally along the channel and fish-hooks progressing longitudinally between the plates have their bends engaged by the spokes 35 of a wheel 32 disposed adjacent the plates 14 and 18 and in driving connection with a bait cutting mechanism associated with a bait chamber downstream of the wheel 32. The upper plate 18 is mounted for pivoting upwardly away from the lower plate 14 about a pivot shaft 26 to allow insertion in a transverse direction of a line in the longitudinal grooves 16, 20. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Fish-hook baiting machine THIS INVENTION relates to apparatus for baiting fish-hooks, more particularly for baiting fish-hooks attached at intervals, by respective snoods,to a long line, such as used in commercial line fishing.

Various proposals have been made in the past for machines for automatically baiting fish-hooks. Thus, for example, in Canadian Patent Specification No.

1,049,781, and the corresponding U.S. Patent Specification No. 4,015,359, there is disclosed a machine for use in baiting fish-hooks attached at spaced intervals by snoods to a line. This machine provides, between two superimposed plates spaced apart by a small gap, a channel defined by opposing longitudinal grooves in opposing faces of the plates, along which the line and snoods can pass longitudi nally, means being provided for extending the fish hook shanks transversely from the eyes, (by which the hooks are attached to the snoods and which eyes are retained in the channel), transversely to place the bends of the hooks outside the lateral edges of the plates, which means includes, disposed on either side of the plates, adjacent said lateral edges and rotatable about respective axes parallel to the plane of the plates, respective wheels having spokes pro jecting radially therefrom. In operation of the machine, the bends of the fish-hooks are engaged around the spokes of one or other of the wheels as the line is drawn longitudinally along the channel between the opposing plates. The lateral sides of the plates diverge slightly from the longitudinal direc tion of the channel between the plates, in the direc tion of feed of the line, and the rotational planes of the spoked wheels are correspondingly inclined, the wheels having, furthermore, friction brakes restrain ing rotation thereof, so that the snoods are ten sioned bythe wheels as the line is drawn through the machine, and when the hooks are released by the respective spokes as the wheels rotate, each hook is flipped forwardly by the tension in the snood into and through a bait chamber, to impale a piece of bait disposed in the bait chamber.

The machine described in Canadian Patent Specification No. 1,049,781 and U.S. Patent Specifi cation No.4,015,359, however, has certain disadvan tages. For example, each individual length of line the hooks of which are to be baited must be initially threaded longitudinally through the longitudinal channel, a time-consuming and troublesome opera Aion, and furthermore it is not possible readily to pass through the machine sections of the line having attached thereto buoys, anchors or the like.

It is an object of the invention to provide a machine for baiting fish-hooks which avoid the above-noted disadvantages of the machine of Ca na dian Specification No. 1,049,781 and U.S. Specifica tion No. 4,015,359, and which is thus simple to use in the difficult conditions prevailing at sea and does not entail, in use, indue halts in operation.

According to the invention there is provided apparatus for baiting fish-hooks and which includes two superimposed plates spaced apart by a gap, a channel defined by opposing longitudinal grooves in opposing faces of the plates, means for drawing a line longitudinally along said channel, and means for engaging the bends of hooks progressing longitudinally between said plates with the eyes thereof retained in said channel and the shanks thereof extending transversely from said channel within said gap, and wherein one of said plates is mounted for movement readily from its normal position adjoining the other of said plates to a position remote from the other of said plates and permitting insertion of a line in the longitudinal groove in said other of said plates by movement of the line transversely into position in said groove.Preferably said one of said plates is resiliently retained in said normal position adjoining said other of said plates, whereby the separation of said plates can be increased resiliently, on temporary basis, during operation of the apparatus, by being forced further apart automatically by engagement with, for example, a knot, attachment fitting, or the like on the line.

Preferably the means for engaging the bends of the hooks is disposed on one side only of the superimposed plates, the other side thereof being left unobstructed to allow passage of attachment lines carrying floats, anchors, and the like, and said one plate is, in this case, preferably pivotable, away from said other plate, about an axis roughly parallel with the longitudinal channel and spaced from said plate, adjacent the sides of the plates which are adjoined by said means for engaging the bends of the fish-hooks.

An embodiment of the invention is described below by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a schematic plan view, with portions removed for ease of illustration, of a fish-hook baiting machine embodying the invention, Figure 2 is a schematic side elevation view of the machine of Figure 1, Figure 3 is a schematic end elevation view of the machine of Figures 1 and 2, Figure 4 is an elevation view, from the opposite end from Figure 3, of the same machine, the view being again schematic and only portions of the machine being shown, Figure 5 is a fragmentary side elevation view, from the opposite side of the machine from Figure 2, showing another part of the machine, Figure 6 is a plan view of the machine, in which the major part of the features shown in Figure 1 have been omitted, for ease of illustration, Figure 7 is a side elevation view of a detail of the machine, as viewed from the opposite side from Figure 2, illustrating operation thereof, Figure 8 is a fragmentary diagrammatic perspective view, illustrating the manner in which a line is fed to the machine with the associated fish-hooks in a preferred orientation, and Figure 9 is a fragmentary plan view corresponding to Figure 8.

Referring to Figures 1 to 3, the machine shown comprises a flat base 10, and, supported above the base 10 by pillars 12, and extending parallel with the base 10, a first plate 14 which, apart from the provi sion of a longitudinal, part-circular groove 16 therealong, in the upper surface of the plate 14, and a bevelling of said upper surface at an entrance end 14a of the plate 14, is substantially planar.

Supported above the plate 14, and spaced slightly therefrom by a slight gap 15, is a second plate 18, which is substantially a mirror image ofthe plate 14 and has, in its underside, a longitudinally extending, part-circular groove 20 which, in conjunction with the directly opposing groove 16, forms, as shown in Figure 4, a longitudinal channel of substantially circular cross section, opening into the gap 15.

The plate 18 is supported by pillars 22 extending upwardly therefrom to respective transversely extending arms 24, each arm 24 being connected with two of the four pillars 22. The arms 24 are pivotally mounted on a longitudinally extending shaft 26 supported by two further pillars 28 upstanding from the base 10. Thus the plate 18, with the pillars 22 and arms 24 can be pivoted upwardly, from the position shown in the solid lines in Figure 3, into the position shown in broken lines in Figure 3. Biassing means, such as a tension spring 30 extending between one arm 24 and a rod 30' secured to the base 10, is preferably utilised to urge the plate 18 and associated pillars 22 and arms 24 into the position shown in the solid lines in Figure 3.

As best shown in Figures 1 and 6, whilst on one lateral side the plates 14,18terminate in continuous straight longitudinal edges parallel with the grooves 20, 16, each plate 14, 18, on the other lateral side thereof, comprises, from the entrance end 14a, 18a, a short portion lab, lab, extending parallel with the grooves 16,20, and connected by a step perpendicularto the longitudinal axis of the grooves 16,20, to a portion 14c. 18e which extends, as viewed in plan, at a slight angle to the direction of the longitudinal axis of the grooves 16,20, diverging away from the grooves 16,20, in the feed direction i.e. from the entrance end 14a towards the opposite end of the plate 14, each portion 14c, 18e terminating at its downstream end in a respective shoulder 14e, 18e, perpendicular to the direction of the axis of the groove 16, 20, the remaining portion of the respective lateral side of the respective plate 14, 18, comprising an edge face 14d, 18d, extending parallel with the longitudinal axis of the respective groove 16,20 than the respective inclined face 14c, 1 & at the greatest distance of the last-mentioned face from the groove 16,20.Thus, the contour of the irregular lateral side of the plates 14, 18, corresponds substantially to that of each lateral side of the two superimposed plates in the machine disclosed in U.S. Patent Specification No.4,015,359, and as will become apparent, for the same reason.

Mounted adjacent the inclined faces 14c, 18e of the plates 14, 18, is a spoked wheel 32, which is secured to a horizontal shaft 34, the axis of which is perpendicularto the plane containing the sloping faces 14c, 1 & The wheel 32 comprises spokes 35, extending radially from a central hub, the arrangement being such that, during rotation of the wheel 32, the spokes 35 rotate in a plane parallel with and closely con tiguousto the sloping faces 14c, 1 & of the plates 14, 18, each spoke 35, at the highest point of its arc, projecting above the upper plate 18.

Spaced from the shaft 34 horizontally in the longitudinal direction of the grooves 16,20, is a second shaft 36, extending parallel with the shaft 34. The shafts 34,36 are rotatably mounted in respective bearings 38 fixed with respect to the base plate 10.

At its end remote from the plates 14, 18, the shaft 36 carries a cam disc 40, while adjacent its other end the shaft 36 extends through a vertical mounting plate 42 (Figure 4) secured to the base plate 10, and at said other end carries a bevel gear 44 meshing with a bevel gear 46 disposed at the lower end of a vertical shaft 48 rotatably mounted in bearings 38 secured to the mounting plate 42 and the base plate 10. At its upper end the shaft 48 carries a bait slicing blade 50. The blade 50 extends substantially in a horizontal plane and, as shown in Figure 1, comprises two arms, of arcuate form, extending from a central hub.The plane of the blade 50 is disposed slightly above the upper surface of the plate 18 in the normal position of the latter, the arrangement being such that in rotation of the blade 50, each arm thereof in turn can pass through a narrow gap defined between, on the one hand, the lower end of a feed portion 52 of a bait hopper 54, and a horizontal guard plate 53 to which hopper 54 is secured, and, on the other hand, the upper limits of the plate 18, of a vertical wall 56 extending parallel with and spaced from the plane of the faces 14d, 1 8d and of a gate 60.

A horizontal plate 62 secured to the underside of plate 14 extends laterally beyond the face 14d. A baiting chamber is defined above the plate 62 between the wall 56 and the faces 14d, 18d, the baiting chamber also being bounded, on its downstream side, by the gate 60 and being partly bounded, on its upstream side, by the shoulders 14e, 18e. The wall 56 is secured to the plate 62, while the gate 60 comprises a plurality of parallel, horizontally extending bars 66 each connected at one end to a plate connected to a vertical post 67 which in turn is mounted for pivotal movement about its vertical axis on the plate 62.The axis of post 67 is spaced transversely from the faces 14d, 18d, and is also spaced, in the downstream direction, from the shoulders 14e, 18e, the bars 66, in the normal position of the gate, extending from the post 67 towards the faces 14d, 18d, and the gate being pivotable, against spring bias, to swing the free end of the bars in the downstream direction and away from the faces 14d, 18d.

A horizontal rod 80 is mounted in a bearing 81 for pivotal movement about its axis relative to the base plate 10, the rod 80 extending almost parallel with the shafts 34 and 36. The rod 80 carries, at its free end nearer the plates 14, 18, an upwardly extending lever arm 82 (Figure 7) which, in an uppermost and rearwardmost position thereof (shown in full lines in Figure 7) lies just downstream of the transverse shoulders in the plates 14, 18, at the upstream ends of the sloping faces 14c, 1 & In this position, as shown in Figure 7, the upper end of arm 82 extends across the gap 15 between the plates 14,18. However, the arm 82 may be pivoted forwardly and downwardly, by pivotal movement of the shaft 80, into the position shown in broken lines in Figure 7, in which the arm 82 is wholly below the gap 15.

At its opposite end, the shaft 80 has secured thereto a lever arm 84 which is pivotally connected at its lower end to a horizontal slide 86 which is slid able longitudinally in bearers 87 fixed with respect to the base plate 10. The slide 86 carries, at its end remote from the lever arm 84, a cam follower roller 88 which bears against the circumference of the cam plate 40 fixed to the shaft 36. The slide 86 is urged longitudinally, to urge the roller 88 against the circumference of the disc 40, by a spring 89.

The disc 40 is provided, at intervals therearound, for example, as shown in Figure 5, intervals of 180 , with recesses or notches 90, each capable of receiv ing the roller 88.

In operation of the machine, the main line to which the snoods, bearing the hooks are attached, is drawn longitudinally through the channel defined by the grooves 16,20, the snoods and the eyes of the hooks also being retained within this longitudinal channel in substantially the same way as in the arrangement described in U.S. Patent Specification No. 4,015,359.

As shown in Figures 2 and 8, at the entrance ends of the plates 14, 18, the opposing surfaces of the plate diverge outwardly in the upstream direction, so that as the hooks are fed between the plates they are oriented so that their bends lie in the plane of the gap 15, and thustheireyes, disposed perpendicular to the plane of the bends, and which are of too great a diameter to pass into the gap 15, are constrained to pass along the channel defined by the grooves 16, 20. The hooks are so fed to the plates 14, 18, that each hook lies on the side of the axis of the grooves 16,20, which is nearer the wheel 32, and the point of each hook is disposed on the side of the respective shank which is remote from the groove.This is achieved by supplying the hooks to the plates 14,16, from a magazine (Figure 8) comprising a bar 95, over which the hooks have previously been disposed one after the other, each with the same orientation and a parallel bar 96 disposed above the bar 95, and terminating, at its downstream end, in a resilient finger 97 normally bearing against the upstream end of the bar 95 but displaceable slightly therefrom to allow passage of a fish-hook by tension applied to the snood of the fish-hook.

Thus, during operation of the machine, the snood of each hook is first drawn into the channel between the plates 14, 18, by the line, after which the hook itself is drawn between the plates. Immediately after leaving the magazine 95, 97, each hook, in turn, pas -ses into the gap between the plates and engages 2round the upper end of the lever arm 82, which at that time is in the position shown in solid lines in Figure 7.As the line is drawn through the machine, the line, and the snood attached to the hook engaged with the lever 82, are progressively tensioned, until the moment thereby applied to the lever arm 82 is sufficiently great to overcome the bias applied by the spring 89 to slide 86, whereupon the slide 86 is drawn back, removing the roller 88 from the notch 90 in which itwas previously engaged, the lever 82 at the same time pivoting forwardly into the position shown in broken lines in Figure 7, to allowthe hook 100 to spring forwardly to engage the spoke 34 of the wheel 32, the tension in the line and the snood then serving, via engagement of the hook with the spoked wheel, to rotate the wheel 32.The shaft 36 is in driving connection with the shaft 34, via a toothed endless belt 102 engaged with correspondingly toothed pulleys 103 and 104 secured to the shaft 34 and 36 respectively. Thus, when the hook 100 springs forward causing rotation of the wheel 32 to commence, the disc 40 similarly commences rotation so that the respective notch 90 is out of register with the roller 88 by the time that the spring 89 returns the slide 86 back into the position in which the roller 88 engages the periphery of the wheel 40. If desired, the lever arm 82 may be off-set laterally slightly with respect to the spokes 34 of the wheel 32 and the arrangement may be such that the bend of a hook is already engaged behind a respective spoke 34 and has already caused some rotation of the disc 40 before the hook has been completely released by the lever 82.In either case, the arrangement is such that after the hook has been released by the lever 82, the disc 40 is free to rotate, and with it the shafts 36 and 34, until the roller 88 engages in the next notch 90. During rotation of the wheel 32, in the same manner as described in U.S. Patent Specification No. 4,015,359 the bend of the hook, as the spoke passes along the inclined faces 14c, 1 & is drawn progressively further transversely from the grooves 16,20, until the spoke 34 with which the hook is engaged passes, at its free end, belowthe levei of the gap 15, at which point the hook is released, and by virtue of the tension in the line and the snood, is whipped forwardly into the baiting chamber defined between the gate 60 and the opposing shoulders 14e, 18e, and the faces 14d, 1 8d and the opposing side wall 56, to impale a piece of bait disposed in the baiting chamber.The tension on the line and snood further ensures that pressure is applied to the gate 60 from the hook, via the impaled bait, until the gate 60 swings open against the spring bias applied thereto, to release the impaled bait.

The bait is preferably in the form of whole fish, loaded into the hopper 54, the fish being of a size such as to pass conveniently one at a time lengthwise vertically downwardly within the hopper portion 52 to be arrested by engagement with the plate 62, so that as each fish in turn engages the plate 62, initially only a small portion of the length of the fish is disposed within the bait chamber proper, the remainder extending upwardly within the hopper portion 52.

Rotation of the shaft 36 causes, via the bevel gears 44,46, corresponding rotation of the blade 50, the arrangement being such that during the passage of each hook 100 along the plates 14, 18, one arm of the blade 50 passes through the cap below the lower end of the hopper portion 52 to sever, from the portion of the bait fish within the hopper portion 52 and the hopper 54, the portion of the bait fish within the hopper chamber proper, this step preferably taking place immediately prior to release of the hook by the respective spoke 34, so that the portion of the bait to be impaled on the particular hook concerned is severed from the remainder of the bait prior to being impaled by the hook and drawn from the baiting chamber. As described in U.S.Patent Specification No. 4,015,359, the action imparted to the hook by the sloping plate edges in combination with the spoked wheel is such that the hook point enters the skin of the bait fish on one side thereof and emerges from the skin of the bait fish on the other side thereof, thus ensuring reliable retention of the bait on the hook.

If desired, friction braking may be applied to the spoked wheel 32, directly or indirectly, as disclosed in U.S. Patent Specification No.4,015,359, or, alternatively, the resistance to cutting by the blade 50 presented bythe bait within the bait chamber may provide sufficient retardation to the wheel 32 to ensure that the hook snoods are appropriately tensioned. (It will be appreciated that the line is drawn forwardly through the apparatus by a winch or the like (not shown) disposed upstream of the apparatus).

In order to prevent reverse rotation of the disc 40 and shaft 36 etc. e.g. in the event of a breakage in the line, a pawl 120 may be provided, pivotally mounted in a pillar 122 secured to the plate 110, the pawl 120 cooperating with the securing studs 124 which stand proud of the face of the disc 40.

As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, it is normal practice, in commercial line fishing, for several miles of line to be laid at a time, the line having attached thereto, at either end, by attachment lines or the like, a marker buoy and an anchor, and also having, at intervals therealong, subsidiary anchors attached to the main line by respective attachment lines. Furthermore, the line laid normally comprises a plurality of individual sections of line, for example of 500 yards in length, adjoining sections being connected together by knots or suitable fittings.

Such knots or fittings used to connect individual lengths of the main line together or to connect attachment lines to the main line, and the attachments such as buoys and anchors themselves, present obstacles to the passage of the line through an apparatus such as shown in U.S. Patent Specification No. 4,015,359, in which the superimposed plates are fixed with respect to one another, which render impracticable the use of the apparatus as disclosed in U.S. Patent Specification No. 4,015,359 in the type of commercial line fishing referred to above.In the apparatus disclosed with reference to the accompanying drawings, on the other hand, localised enlargements in the effective diameter of the main line passing through the apparatus, produced by such knots or attachment fittings, simply displace the plate 18 upwardly slightly from the plate 14, against the bias of spring 30, to allow the temporary enlargements to pass through, while attachment lines connected with marker buoys, anchors or the like can pass through the apparatus extended transversely with respect to the main line through the gap 15 beyond the longitudinal edges of the plates 14, 18 remote from the wheel 32, the marker buoys, anchors etc. also passing on the corresponding side of the apparatus, all without difficulty.Similarly, there is no need, in setting up the machine initially, to thread one end of the main line through the longitudinal channel. Instead, it is merely necessary to pivot the plate 18 upwardly, away from the plate 14, to extend the main line along the groove 16 in the plate 14, and then to lower the plate 18 again to its normal position.

The guard plate 53, which, together with the hopper 54 and the plate 18 etc. is omitted in Figure 1; is fixedly supported by support members 55 and 57 upstanding from the base 10, and the plate 53 itself supports, by its lower end, the bait hopper 54. The plate 53 also supports the bearing 38 forthe upper end of the shaft 48. The form and mounting of the plate 18 and the plate 53 and bait hopper 54 are such asto allowthe substantial upward pivoting of plate 18 about shaft 26 as shown in Figure 3. The plate 10 may be provided with suitable supporting feet or the like (not shown).

It will be appreciated that many details of the machine described with reference to the accompanying drawings may be varied without departing from the scope of the invention. Thus, for example, the manner of mounting of the plate 14 relative to the supporting base or frame of the machine, and the manner of movable mounting of the plate 18 may be varied, as may the manner in which driving connection is effected between the spoked wheel 32 and the blade 50, etc.

Claims (8)

1. Apparatus for baiting fish-hooks and which includes two superimposed plates spaced apart by a gap, a channel defined by opposing longitudinal grooves in opposing faces of the plates, means for drawing a line longitudinally along said channel, and means for engaging the bends of hooks progressing longitudinally between said plates with the eyes thereof retained in said channel and the shanks thereof extending transversely from said channel within said gap, and wherein one of said plates is mounted for movement readily from its normal position adjoining the other of said plates to a position remote from the other of said plates and permitting insertion of a line in the longitudinal groove in said other of said plates by movement of the line transversely into position in said groove.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said one of said plates is resiliently retained in said normal position adjoining said other of said plates, whereby the separation of said plates can be increased resiliently, on a temporary basis, during operation of the apparatus, by being forced further apart automatically by engagement with, for example, a knot, attachment fitting, or the like on the line.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the means for engaging the bends of the hooks is disposed on one side only of the superimposed plates, the other side thereof being left uRobstructed to allow passage of attachment lines carrying floats, anchors, and the like.

4. Apparatus according to claim 3 wherein said one plate is pivotable, away from said other plate, about an axis roughly parallel with the longitudinal channel and spaced from said plate, adjacent the sides of the plates which are adjoined by said means for engaging the bends of the fishhooks.

5. Apparatus according to any of claims 1 to 4 including, disposed upstream of said plates, a magazine including a bar over which hooks to be baited may be disposed, one after the other, with the same orientation, and a member disposed above said bar and terminating at its downstream end, in a resilient finger normally bearing against the ;upstream end of said bar but displaceable slightly ,therefrom to allow passage of a fish-hook by tension applied to the fish-hook.

6. Apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein said means for engaging the bends of hooks progressing longitudinally between said plates, comprises a stop member moveable between a first position in which it extends across the plane of the gap between said plates and a second position in which it is displaced in the downstream direction and out of the plane of said gap to allow a hook to slip therefrom in the downstream direction to prog ress further along said gap, said means further including a spoked wheel rotatable in a plane transverse to the plane of said gap and extending generally in the longitudinal direction of said channel, said spoked wheel being in driving connection with a bait cutting device associated with a bait chamber dis posed downstream of said spoked wheel, whereby the bait cutting device can be driven by rotation of said spoked wheel as a result of engagement of a spoke of the spoked wheel by a fish-hook drawn along said channel, said stop member being resi liently biased into said first position thereof and detent means associated with said bait cutting means and/or said spoked wheel being coupled with said stop member and being arranged to prevent rotation of said spoked wheel and operation of said bait cutting means while the stop member is in said first position thereof.

7. Apparatus for baiting fish-hooks, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as shown in,the accompanying drawings.

8. Any novel feature or combination offeature described herein.