682,421. Baiting machines. HOPKINS, T. H. M., and BAUERNFEIND, G. June 12, 1950 [July 22, 1949], No. 14638/50. Class 48. In a machine for automatically, baiting a fishing line having hooks spaced therealong, the line is drawn through a hookaligning nozzle into a hook-baiting arrangement which includes bait-severing means and relatively movable sectional members defining line and hook guiding channels, the hookguiding channel being connected with, and laterally situated with respect to, the line-guiding channel. As shown the machine has a base 1 supporting spaced longitudinal bars 2, 3 the bar 3 having spaced thereabove a bar 21 which is supported by bridge members 22, 23, 24 extending from bar 2 and is connected to a flange 20 at one end of bar 3. Pressed against the bars 3, 21 is a bar 27 which is carried on members 28, 29 pivoted to the base 1 and is displaceable away from the bars 3, 21 by a pivoted handle 40 and linkage 37, 39. The three bars 3, 21, 27 have longitudinal arcuate grooves 79, 80, 81 respectively which together form a line-guiding channel 82 communicating with a hook-guiding channel 74 formed by the space between the bars 3 and 21. A plate 76 having a wedge-shaped recess 77 is secured to the top of bar 3 over a portion of its length. A two-part hook-aligning nozzle 145, 146, Figs. 1, 5, 6, is secured in alignment with the hook and line guiding channels 74, 82 with one part 145 secured to the fixed flange 20 of bar 3 and the other part 146 secured to the bar 27 to be movable therewith. The two parts 145, 146 are complementary and have a wide bellmouthed entry end 150 with a rolled-back lip 150a leading into a line and hook guiding channel 151. This channel 151 opens into an enlarged annular chamber 152 concentric with a smaller line guiding channel 167 at the exit end of the nozzle. The nozzle part 145 has two arcuate septum-like plates 159, 160 secured adjacent its exit end to define part of the inner channel 167 and to divide chamber 152 into upper and lower hook-guiding chambers 154, 157 connecting with channel 167 by channels 155, 156 and 158. The channels 155 and 156 are defined between the plates 160 and 159 and the apex of a wedge-shaped hook deflecting ridge 164 formed on the wall of channels 151, 152. The upper and lower chamber parts 154, 157 taper towards the exit end into a common rectangular hook-guiding aperture 170 which aligns with the channel 74 in the baiting portion proper. The nozzle-part 146 has a semi-circular line exit channel the edges 175 of which abut the edges of the plates 159, 160 to complete the line channel 167, and its channel 151 has hook guiding grooves 171, 172 which are divided by a wedgeshaped ridge 173 and lead to shallow chambers 154<SP>1</SP>, 157' complementary with the chambers 154, 157 of the part 146. A bait severing knife blade 85 is arranged to slide in opposed grooves in the bars 2 and 21 respectively and pivotally secured to its underside is a V-shaped member 90 having pins 91, 92, projecting downwardly from its arms. A third pin 93 projects upwardly from the member 90 through a tre-foil shaped aperture 81 in the blade 85 and hooks into a chain 60 which passes round and is secured to a spring-loaded rotatable drum 58. Beneath the drum 58 and bearing on the bar 76 adjacent the connection between the nozzle 145, 146 and the bars 3, 27 is a pin 69 which is carried on one end of a spring- loaded pivoted arm 66, 67. In front of the knife blade 85, a bait hopper (not shown) is pivotally mounted to deliver bait into the space between the bars 2, 3 where the bait is releasably held by a spring-pressed plunger 107 projecting through an aperture in the bar 2. The rear end of the plunger 107 is engaged by one end 115 of a pivoted lever the other end of which engages the end 121 of a second pivoted lever 119 having its remote end 122 bearing on the pin 91 of the blade 85, so that when the blade 85 is in its retracted position the plunger 107 is also retracted against its spring. A spring-pressed gate 124 is arranged normally to close the passage between the bars 2, 3 and provide rear support for the bait. In operation the line guiding channel 82 and hook aligning nozzle are opened up by means of the handle 40 and a line 176, Fig. 11, is placed therein, the line end being tied to an anchored buoy and the machine then closed. When the line is pulled through the machine a hook 179 attached by a line 177 to the main line 176 enters the nozzle 145, 146 and irrespective of its orientation on entry, is guided by the ridges or grooves in the nozzle to lie at the exit end in the rectangular aperture 170 with its shank 178 passing through the channel 158 into the line guiding channel 167. The line 176 and hook 179 thus enter the appropriate channels 82, 74 in the baiting portion proper where the hook 179 engages the pin 69. The pin 69 is pulled against its spring by the hook to describe a curved path across the plate 76, carrying the hook with it to be aligned with the pin 92 of the blade 85. At this point the pin 69 lies over the wedge-shaped recess 77 in the plate 76 thus allowing the hook to drop therefrom and engage the pin 92. Further movement of the hook through the machine first swivels the V-member 90 without moving the blade 85, the consequent displacement of pin 91 allowing the plunger 107 to engage the bait 181 which has dropped from the hopper. When the pin 93 engages the forward end of the tre-foil aperture 87 the blade is pulled along against the spring-loading of the drum 66 and allows further projection of the plunger 107 to clamp the bait firmly against the bars 3, 21, where it is severed below the hopper by the knife 85. As the hook reaches the end of the plate 76 it drops from the pin 92 and firmly impales the severed bait, Fig. 14, until the spring-loading of the gate 124 is overcome and the baited hook leaves the machine. The blade 85 is pulled back on release of pin 92 by the spring-loaded drum 66 rewinding the chain 60, the pin 91 re-engaging the lever arm 122, where it had stopped, to effect retraction of the plunger 107 and allow a further supply of bait to fall ready for the next hook. Specifications 634,965 and 656,372 are referred to.