GB2385503A

GB2385503A - Lead Safety Clip

Info

Publication number: GB2385503A
Application number: GB0204184A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Arun James Keightley; Ross Keightley
Original assignee: ANCHOR TACKLE Ltd
Current assignee: ANCHOR TACKLE Ltd
Priority date: 2002-02-22
Filing date: 2002-02-22
Publication date: 2003-08-27
Anticipated expiration: 2022-02-22
Also published as: GB2385503B; GB0204184D0

Abstract

A lead safety clip comprising a sleeve having a hollow entry section 5 for a fishing line and an exit section 7 which can receive the body of a line connector, and a hollow cap 11 which can fit over the exit section, the cap when moved lengthwise relative to the sleeve producing a reduction in sleeve diameter. Preferably the clip is formed from plastics material. The sleeve and cap may be tapered, and have screw threads 10, 12 to enable them to engage together. The clip may further comprise a hook (3, fig.1) suitable for suspending a weight.

Description

LEAD SAFETY CLIPS This invention relates to lead safety clips for use by anglers.

Lead safety clips are conventionally threaded onto a fishing line and include some form of hook from which a fishing weight can be suspended. A line connector having a barrelshaped body including eyelets is secured to adjoining ends of the fishing line with the connector body inserted into one open end of the clip which is sleeve-shaped. Should the weight suspended from the clip become entangled in weed, for example, the connector can be pulled from the clip by a fish swimming away from the safety clip exerting sufficient force through the line to which the connector is attached.

One disadvantage of known lead safety clips is their inability to vary the force required to separate the connector body from the sleeve-shaped line.

One object of the present invention is to provide a lead safety clip in which the force required to remove the connector body from the clip can be varied selectively.

In one aspect, the invention provides a lead safety clip for use by anglers which includes an open-ended hollow elongate sleeve having a hollow entry section through which a fishing line can enter the clip and an exit section which is dimensioned to receive and retain a body of a line connector, a hollow cap through which the line leaves the clip and which is dimensioned to locate over the open end of the exit section of the sleeve and means for selectively moving the cap lengthwise of the sleeve, the shape and/or dimension of the cap and the sleeve being such that lengthwise movement of the cap relative to the sleeve away from the exit end of the sleeve produces a progressive reduction in sleeve diameter thereby increasing the pressure imposed by the sleeve on the body of a line connector located within the sleeve.

The lead safety clip may be produced from a plastics material.

In a preferred embodiment, the exit end section of the sleeve includes one or more

lengthwise extending fingers separated by slots, the fingers being movable inwardly through pressure exerted by the internal surface of the cap. In this embodiment, the cap and the sleeve may be formed with tapered surfaces which cooperate to effect inward movement of the fingers.

The external surface of the exit section of the sleeve may carry a screw-thread which cooperates with a complementary screw-thread formed in the internal surface of the cap.

The lead safety clip may include a hook or the like from which a weight can be suspended. In one arrangement a lengthwise extending arm is secured at one end to the outer surface of the clip with its other end flexed into contact with or to a position close to the outer surface of the clip. The arm is shaped to define a hook intermediate its end.

The invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings in which :- Figure 1 is a side view of a lead safety clip in accordance with the invention; and Figure 2 is an exploded section taken through the safety clip illustrated in Figure 1.

The safety clip illustrated in the drawing comprises an open-ended hollow elongate plastics sleeve 1 formed with a lengthwise extending arm 2. The arm is secured at one end to the external surface of the sleeve and includes a hook-shaped central section 3 and a linear end section 4 which lies close to or in contact with the sleeve surface. In use, a weight can be suspended from the hook section 3 of the clip.

The safety clip 1 has an entry section 5 formed with ribs 6 and an exit section 7 whose outer diameter is greater than that of the clip section 5. The internal diameter of the clip section 7 is also larger than that of the entry section 5. Clip section 7 is formed with openended slots 8 over a part of its length. The slots divide the distal end of the clip section 7 into two or more fingers 9. The outer circumference of the clip section 7 is formed with a screwthread 10.

A hollow cap 11 slides over the end of the clip section 7 and is formed internally with

a screw-thread 12 which is complementary to that of the screw-thread 10. Thus, the cap can be moved lengthwise along the clip section 7 by the cooperating threads.

The outer surface of the end 14 of clip section 7 of the sleeve is tapered inwardly towards the sleeve distal end. The internal surface of the end 15 of the cap 11 is also tapered whereby engagement between the tapered end 14 and the tapered surface 15 causes the fingers 9 to flex inwardly towards the centre line of the sleeve.

In use, a fishing line is threaded through the entry section 5 of the clip and passes into and through exit sleeve exit section 7 and the hollow cap 11. The line is then cut and a conventional line connector including a barrel-shaped body and eyelets at each end of the body is secured to the adjoining ends of the line. The diameter of the connector body is slightly less than the internal diameter of the end section of the exit section 7 of the sleeve and defines a snug fit therein. Movement of the cap lengthwise of the sleeve via the screw-threads 10, 12 causes the tapered ends 14,15 of the sleeve and the cap respectively to engage to cause the fingers 9 to move inwardly thereby exerting progressively greater force upon the barrel-shaped body of the connector. The force required to remove the connector from the sleeve is thereby progressively increased.

Conventionally, a weight is suspended from the hook-shaped section 3 of the clip by a line with the ribbed entry end section 5 acting to retain the weight on the clip. In the event that the weight becomes entangled in, say, weeds, the weight carrying line can be pulled from the clip through the narrow space defined between the arm 2 and the opposed surface of the clip.

On occasions where a weight is not removed, a fish which has taken a baited hook can come to harm if it is unable to free the line from the clip. This can be achieved simply by the force imposed on the connector through the connected line as the fish swims away from the clip. In these circumstances, the weed entangled clip does not inhibit movement of the fish away from the weeds.

Conventionally, the cap is simply a push-fit on the end of a sleeved lead safety clip.

This sometimes leads to the cap inadvertently being removed from the clip. Also, the force required to remove the line connector from the clip may need to vary depending, for example,

on the species of fish being sought. Lead safety clips in accordance with the present invention enable an angler selectively to vary the force required to remove the connector from the sleeve simply by moving the cap lengthwise of the clip.

Other ways of effecting lengthwise movement of the cap relatively to the clip and causing increased pressure between the cap and the clip exit section can be employed. Thus, the internal surface of the cap may be tapered relative to the outer surface of the exit section of the sleeve.

It will be appreciated that the foregoing is merely exemplary of lead safety clips in accordance with the invention and that various modifications can readily be thereto without departing from the true scope of the invention.

Claims

CLAIMS 1. A lead safety clip for use by anglers which includes an open-ended hollow elongate sleeve having a hollow entry section through which a fishing line can enter the clip and an exit section which is dimensioned to receive and retain a body of a line connector, a hollow cap through which the line leaves the clip and which is dimensioned to locate over the open end of the exit section of the sleeve and means for selectively moving the cap lengthwise of the sleeve, the shape and/or dimension of the cap and the sleeve being such that lengthwise movement of the cap relative to the sleeve away from the exit end of the sleeve produces a progressive reduction in sleeve diameter thereby increasing the pressure imposed by the sleeve on the body of a line connector located within the sleeve.
2. A lead safety clip as claimed in claim 1 produced from a plastics material.
3. A lead safety clip as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the exit end section of the sleeve includes one or more lengthwise extending fingers separated by slots, the fingers being movable inwardly through pressure exerted by the internal surface of the cap.
4. A lead safety clip as claimed in claim 3 wherein the cap and the sleeve are formed with tapered surfaces which cooperate to effect inward movement of the fingers.
5. A lead safety clip as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the external surface of the exit section of the sleeve may carry a screw-thread which cooperates with a complementary screw-thread formed in the internal surface of the cap.
6. A lead safety clip as claimed in any one of the preceding claims which includes hook means from which a weight can be suspended.
7. A lead safety clip as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein a lengthwise extending arm is secured at one end to the outer surface of the clip with its other end flexed into contact with or to a position close to the outer surface of the clip.

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8. A lead safety clip as claimed in claim 7 wherein the arm is shaped to define a hook intermediate its end.
9. A lead safety clip substantially as herein described and as described with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings.