GB2330755A - Angling weight. - Google Patents

Abstract

A weight 2 for a fishing line 4 comprises a longitudinally extending bore for receiving the fishing line, a slot communicating with the bore and a length of resilient material 10 which is removably received within the bore. The length of material can be inserted into or removed from the bore by stretching whereupon it becomes thinner and can be passed through the slot. When released from the stretched condition it becomes thicker and, as it expands in the bore, the line is held as it is pressed against a side wall of the bore so retaining the weight in position on the line. Preferably the weight is made from a lead substitute material.

Description

A WEIGHT FOR A FISHING LINE This invention relates to a weight for a fishing line.

Weights for fishing lines have traditionally been lead weights. The lead weights are toxic and their use has been banned in many countries. In those countries where the use of lead weights has been banned, alternatively materials to lead have to be employed. These alternative materials are harder than lead, and examples of them are tin, tungsten and zinc.

The alternative materials are so hard that they tend to damage the fishing lines. Also, a traditional way of closing lead weights has been for a person doing the fishing to bite the lead weights in order to close a longitudinal slot along each weight and to cause the lead weight to grip the fishing line. The biting cf weights of the alternative materials tends to damage the person's teeth due to the alternative materials being harder than lead.

It is an aim of the present invention to obviate or reduce the above mentioned problems.

Accordingly, in one non-limiting embodiment, the present invention provides a weight for a fishing line, which weight comprises a longitudinally extending bore for receiving the fishing line, a longitudinally extending slot which communicates with the bore, and a length of resilient material, the slot being such that it extends the length of the bore and defines a mouth to the bore, and the length of resilient material being such that it becomes thin when pulled to a stretched condition whereby the resilient material is able to be passed through the slot and into the bore, and such that it becomes thicker when released from the stretched condition whereby the resilient material expands in the bore and presses the fishing line against a side wall of the bore thereby to retain the weight in position on the fishing line.

The use of the resilient material enables the above mentioned hard alternative materials to be used, but avoids these alternative materials having to be bitten in order to close the weights on the fishing line thereby avoiding the damage to the person's teeth. The use of the resilient material also helps to prevent the weight damaging the fishing line if the weight is made of a lead substitute material which is harder than lead.

The bore will usually be of a circular cross sectional shape. Other cross sectional shapes may however be employed.

The slot will usually be such that it occupies only a minor part of the periphery of the bore.

Generally, the slot needs to be large enough to enable the flexible material in the stretched condition to be passed transversely through the slot, but sufficiently narrow to ensure that the flexible material stays in the bore when the flexible material is released from the stretched condition.

The resilient material may be an elastic, a rubber or a latex. Any suitable and appropriate type of resilient material may be employed.

The weight will usually be made of a lead substitute material. The lead substitute material may be tin, tungsten or zinc. Any suitable and appropriate type of lead substitute material may be employed so that, for example, the lead substitute material may also be brass. Where brass is employed, the brass is preferably given a dull or matt finish.

The weight will usually be generally longitudinal in shape. The weight may have any desired outside general shape so that it may be a parallel sided weight or a liquid drop shape.

The present invention also extends to the combination of the weight and the fishing line.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described solely by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 shows a weight being fixed on to a fishing line; Figure 2 shows the weight of Figure 1 in its final condition on the fishing line; Figure 3 is a cross section through the weight and fishing line as shown in Figure 2; Figure 4 is a front view of part of the weight shown in Figures 1 - 3; and Figure 5 is a top view of the part of the weight shown in Figure 4.

Referring to the drawings, there is shown a weight 2 for a fishing line 4. The weight 2 comprises a longitudinally extending bore 6 for receiving the fishing line 4, and a longitudinally extending slot 8 which communicates with the bore 6. The slot 8 is such that it extends the length of the bore 6 and it defines a mouth to the bore 6.

The weight 2 includes a length of resilient material 10. The length of the resilient material 10 is such that it becomes thin when pulled to a stretched condition as shown in Figure 1. In this stretched condition as shown in Figure 1, the resilient material 10 is able to be passed through the slot 8 and into the bore 6. The length of the resilient material 10 is also such that it becomes thicker when released from the stretched condition.

This non-stretched condition is shown in Figure 2. It will be seen that the length of the resilient material 10 has shrunk and it has become sufficiently thick to fill the bore 6. The filling of the bore 6 with the length of the resilient material 10 is s best appreciated from Figure 3. As can be seen from Figure 3, the resilient material 10 has expanded in the bore 6 such that it presses the fishing line 4 against a side wall 12 of the bore 6. Thus the weight 2 is retained in position on the fishing line 4.

If it should be desired to remove the weight 2 from the fishing line 4, the fishing line 4 can be pulled sideways in the direction of the slot 8. This will cause part of the fishing line 4 and/or part of the length of the resilient material 10 to protrude through the slot 8, whereupon the fishing line 4 and the resilient material 10 can easily be separated from the body of the weight 2.

The length of the resilient material 10 thus provides a simple and inexpensive means of securing the weight 2 to the fishing line 4. There is no need for a person fishing to bite the weight 2 and possibly damage their teeth. Also the resilient material 10 helps to stop the body of the weight 2 damaging the fishing line 4.

It is to be appreciated that the embodiment of the invention described above with reference to the accompanying drawings has been given by way of example only and that modifications may be effected. Thus, for example, the resilient material 10 shown in the drawings is a length of elastic but it may be another material such for example as a rubber or a latex if desired. The weight 2 will usually be made of a lead substitute material so that the weight 2 may be made from tin, tungsten, zinc, brass or any other suitable and appropriate desired material. The weight 2 shown in the drawings is generally elongate and of circular cross section, apart from tapered ends. Other shapes may be employed for the weight 2. The weight 2 may be of any suitable and appropriate desired size so that, for example, it may be 3-6mm in diameter and 10-15mm in length.

Claims (8)

1. CLAIMS 1. A weight for a fishing line, which weight comprises a longitudinally extending bore for receiving the fishing line, a longitudinally extending slot which communicates with the bore, and a length of resilient material, the slot being such that it extends the length of the bore and defines a mouth to the bore, and the length of resilient material being such that it becomes thin when pulled to a stretched condition whereby the resilient material is able to be passed through the slot and into the bore, and such that it becomes thicker when released from the stretched condition whereby the resilient material expands in the bore and presses the fishing line against a side wall of the bore thereby to retain the weight in position on the fishing line.
2. 2. A weight according to claim 1 in which the bore is of circular cross sectional shape.
3. 3. A weight according to claim 1 or claim 2 in which the slot occupies only a minor part of the periphery of the bore.
4. 4. A weight according to any one of the preceding claims in which the resilient material is an elastic, a rubber, or a latex.
5. 5. A weight according to any one of the preceding claims in which the weight is made of a lead substitute material.
6. 6. A weight according to claim 5 in which the lead substitute material is brass, tin, tungsten or zinc.
7. 7. A weight for a fishing line, substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
8. 8. The combination of a weight according to any one of the preceding claims, and a fishing line.