WO1993016588A1

WO1993016588A1 - Arrangement for automatic repositing of loose fish hooks

Info

Publication number: WO1993016588A1
Application number: PCT/NO1992/000034
Authority: WO
Inventors: Kolbjørn BJØRSHOL
Original assignee: Bjorshol Kolbjorn
Priority date: 1990-09-12
Filing date: 1992-02-26
Publication date: 1993-09-02
Also published as: NO903971D0; NO903971L; NO171661C; NO171661B; AU1378892A

Abstract

An arrangement for automatically repositing loose fish hooks (K) in a particular position in a repository comprising a container (11), a mechanism (10) for the transfer of the fish hooks in bulk form from the container (11) and further along a slide path to a sorting location (at 19-21) and a sorting arrangement (19-21) for sorting the fish hooks for the repository in the particular position. The slide path is formed by a vertical guiding plate (14) which supports the fish hook in a hanging condition with its U-shaped hook portion resting against the top edge of the guiding plate and with the hook leg supported against the side of the guiding plate. The slide surface is terminated with a short bar-shaped first guiding member for the U-shaped hook portion of the hooks and a pair of mutually separated and mutually outwardly diverging, bar-shaped second and third guiding members for hook legs of the hooks. The first guiding member is arranged at a level above the two remaining guiding members with the first guiding member positioned in a plane halfway between the two remaining guiding members.

Description

ARRANGEMENT FOR AUTOMATIC REPOSITING OF LOOSE FISH HOOKS

Present invention relates to an arrangement for automatic repositing of loose fish hooks having the hook portion of the fish hook oriented in a particular, uniform position in a repository, where the arrangement comprises a container, which is adapted to receive the fish hooks in bulk form and which is connected to a mechanism for trans¬ ferring the fish hooks from the container to a sorting arrangement for sorting the fish hooks in the particular uniform position.

With the present invention the objective is an especially simple constructional solution, where a mecha¬ nical sorting of the fish hooks is obtained from bulk form to a particular position in a repository by means of a simple and uncomplicated arrangement, based on a construc¬ tion having few separate parts.

The arrangement according to the invention is characterised in that a vertical guiding plate, which is arranged in the container, forms a slide path, which extends obliquely upwards from the bottom of the container to a higher disposed sorting arrangement, the guiding plate being adapted in a manner known per se to support the fish hook in a hanging condition with its U-shaped hook portion resting against the top edge of the guiding plate and with its hook leg supported against the side face of the guiding plate, that is to say with the hook leg supported in a first group on one side face of the guiding plate and in a second group on the other side face of the guiding plate, while the transfer mechanism is adapted in a manner known per se to transfer the fish hooks singly and in succession in a grouped unsorted con¬ dition from the bottom of the container via the slide path to the sorting arrangement, that the sorting arrangement, which is arranged at the end of the guiding plate, is adapted by slide steering to sort the hooks .in said first and second groups into their respective paths of movement, and that at least the path of movement of the one group is formed by guiding members which are adapted to transfer fish hooks with the hook portion in the uniform position directly to the repository.

It will be possible to employ various types of mechanisms for transferring the fish hooks from the con¬ tainer to the guiding path and along this forwards to the sorting arrangement. For one thing various mechanical gripping and pushing arrangements can be considered which advance the fish hooks in step from the container to the guiding path.

Correspondingly it will be possible to employ vari- ous types of sorting arrangements for sorting the fish hooks in a correct position in an associated repository, for example based on pivotable guide means.

However it is preferred according to the invention that the guiding plate is terminated with a short bar- shaped first guiding member for supporting U-shaped hook portions of the hooks in a first sorting region and a pai-r of mutually separated and mutually outwardly diverging, relatively elongate, bar-shaped second and third guiding members for supporting hook legs of the fish hooks in the first sorting region, the first, short guiding member, which is adapted to support the fish hooks only in the first sorting region, being arranged at a level above the two remaining guiding members, preferably with the first guiding member positioned in a plane halfway between the two remaining guiding members, while the second and third, elongate guiding members in a second sorting region, axially outside the first guiding member, form supports for the U-shaped hook portion of the fish hook for each respective group of fish hooks.

According to the invention one achieves that the fish hooks as they are gradually brought into engagement with the guiding plate assume two opposite positions on this, the one position with the hook leg arranged on the inner side of the guiding plate and the other position with the hook leg arranged on the outer side of the guid¬ ing plate. By a cooperation between the first guiding member and a respective one of the two remaining guiding members the fish hooks can be emptied from the first guid¬ ing member and transferred to a respective one of the two remaining guiding members, in that the hook leg is dis¬ placed along the respective one of the two remaining guid- ing members, while the U-shaped hook portion of the hook is steered along the first guiding member, and the hook leg is forcibly steered along an associated one of the two remaining guiding members immediately the U-shaped hook portion of the hook leaves the first guiding member. It will hereby be possible to receive the fish hooks in a reliable and effective manner in a sorted, correct position on each of their respective said remaining guid¬ ing members. The fish hooks on the one of the remaining guiding members can go directly into place in the reposi- tory, while the fish hooks on the other of the remaining guiding members can be led back to the container or if desired further led to the repository via an extra turning arrangement or led further to an extra repository.

It is possible to obtain an easy and simple transfer of the fish hooks from the container to the guiding path by way of simple means and with a simple transfer prin¬ ciple. The arrangement according to the invention is on this occasion characterised in that the guiding plate is arranged in the form of a spiral in the container with a uniformly rising height from a minimum height at the bott- om plane of the container to a maximum height at the ter¬ minating end of the guiding plate, and that the container is subjected by means of a vibrator to a combined vertical reciprocating movement and a reciprocating movement rotat¬ ing about a substantially vertical axis. By way of the afore-mentioned arrangement the fish hooks can be advanced in bulk form on the bottom of the container and climb upwardly along the guiding plate by means of the energy of movement which is supplied to the container via the vibrator. The hooks which are not caught up on the guiding plate creep further around in the con¬ tainer for a subsequent engagement attempt with the guid¬ ing plate. Practice has shown that a substantial portion of the fish hooks can be received in engagement with the guiding plate already at the first attempt. Further features of the invention will be evident from the^* following description having regard to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 shows a container with associated guiding plate and guiding members, illustrated in perspective and viewed obliquely from above.

Fig. 2 shows a section of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 shows the arrangement according to the inven¬ tion viewed from the side.

Fig. 4 shows the arrangement according to the inven- tion viewed from above.

The arrangement according to the invention comprises a base member 10 in the form of a vibration motor. On the top of the vibration motor there is fastened in drive con¬ nection with the vibration motor an upwardly opening con- tainer 11 having a horizontal or substantially horizontal bottom 12 and a vertical or substantially vertical peri¬ pheral wall 13. A quantity of fish hooks K in bulk is adapted to be emptied into the container 11. The container 11 extends in the form of an arc over 270 degrees of its periphery as shown at 13a, while it is provided in the re¬ mainder of the periphery (90 degrees arcuate angle) with an angled off portion 13b. Centrally in the container there is arranged a substantially vertical guiding plate 14. As shown in Fig. 1 and 4 the guiding plate has a spiral contour. The guiding plate has a uniformly rising height from a minimum height (substantially zero milli- metres height) at the inner end of the spiral shape to a maximum height significantly above, that is to say as illustrated in the drawing 2-3 times higher than, the height of the container wall 13 at the outer end of the spiral shape. ' As shown in Fig. 1 and 4 the guiding plate 14 is illustrated with a lower transverse supply opening 15 and a connected guide plate 16 directed obliquely outwards which provides for hooks which are led on the outside of the guiding plate, becoming forcibly steered inwardly into the container within the guide plate 14.

With double arrows. and B in Fig. 3 and 4 there is indicated a reciprocating movement of the container 11 produced by the vibrator 10. More specifically the reci¬ procating movement is a compound vertical movement and rotary movement, that is to say a rotary movement directed obliquely upwards in a counterclockwise direction followed by a rotary movement directed obliquely downwards in the clockwise direction.

By arranging a bulk quantity of fish hooks in the container 11 and thereafter subjecting the latter to the reciprocating movement, as illustrated by the arrows A, B, the fish hooks can be forcibly steered in a path of move¬ ment in the counterclockwise direction in the container 11. A significant portion of the fish hooks will hereby, already at the first attempt, hook themselves fast and climb upwardly along the upper slide path surface 14a of the guide plate. Gradually the hooks will assume a hanging position on the guiding plate with the U-shaped hook por¬ tion of the hook resting against the slide path surface 14a and with the leg of the hook supported against respec¬ tive inner surface 14b and outer surface 14c of the guid- ing plate. At the outer end of the guiding plate (at its relatively highest portion) a cavity is made having a countersinking 17 in the guiding path extending obliquely upwards and outwards. The countersinking 17 is defined innermost with a shoulder portion 18. As a direct extension of the countersinking a relatively short, bar- shaped guiding member 19 extends endways outwards. The guiding member 19 has a slightly downwardly sloping con¬ tour from the upper end edge of the plate 14, so that the hooks slide off from the guiding member 19 relatively easily. The guiding member 19 is arranged at a certain height above and arranged in a vertical plane arranged halfway between two elongate, bar-shaped, substantially horizontally extending (second and third) guiding members 20, 21, which are arranged horizontally spaced from each other and which diverge obliquely outwards from each other, for example as illustrated, at an angle of 5 - 10 degrees, or with a similarly outwardly diverging contour at a mutual acute angle.

On omitting the one guiding member, for example the guiding member 20, the hooks, which are normally trans¬ ferred to the guiding member 20, will be emptied via the guiding member 19, directly^*back into the container. This involves only the guiding member 21 bringing the hook -into position in a repository, while the sorting capacity is then reduced correspondingly on guiding back certain hooks to the container directly on the guiding member 19 outside the guiding member 21.

Claims

P A T E N T C L A I M S

1. Arrangement for automatic repositing of loose fish hooks (K) having the hook portion of the fish hook orien- ted in a particular, uniform position in a repository, where the arrangement comprises a container (11) , which is adapted to receive the fish hooks (K) in bulk form and which is connected to a mechanism (10) for transferring the fish hooks from the container to a sorting arrangement (19-21) for sorting the fish hooks in the particular uni¬ form position, characterised in that a vertical guiding plate (14) , which is arranged in the container, forms a slide path (at 14a) , which extends obliquely upwards from the bottom of the container to a higher disposed sorting arrangement (19, 21), the guiding plate (14) being adapted in a manner known per se to support the fish hook (K) in a hanging condition with its U-shaped hook portion resting against the top edge (at 14a) of the guiding plate (14) and with its hook leg supported against the side face (14b and 14c respectively) of the guiding plate (14) , that is to say with the hook leg supported in a first group on one side surface (14b) of the guiding plate and in a second group on the other side face (14c) of the guiding plate, while the transfer mechanism (10) is adapted in a manner known per se to transfer the fish hooks singly and in succession in a grouped unsorted condition from .the bottom of the container via the slide path (at 14a) to the sorting arrangement (19-21) , that the sorting arrangement (19-21) , which is arranged at the end of the guiding plate (14) , is adapted by slide steering to sort the hooks in said first and second groups into their respective paths of movement, and that at least the path of movement of the one group is formed by guiding members (19, 20 or 19, 21) which are adapted to transfer fish hooks (K) with the hook portion in the uniform position directly to the repository.

2. Arrangement in accordance with claim 1, characteri- sed in that the guiding plate (14) is terminated with a short bar-shaped first guiding member (19) for supporting the U-shaped hook portion of the hooks in a first sorting region and a pair of mutually separated and mutually out- wardly diverging, relatively elongate, bar-shaped second and third guiding members (20, 21) for supporting the hook leg of the fish hooks in the first sorting region, the first, short guiding member (19) , which is adapted to support the fish hooks only in the first sorting region, being arranged at a level above the two remaining guiding members (20, 21) , preferably with the first guiding member (19) positioned in a plane halfway between the two remain¬ ing guiding members (20, 21) , while the second and third, elongate guiding members (20, 21) in a second sorting region, axially outside the first guiding member (19) , form supports for the U-shaped hook portion of the fish hook for each respective group of fish hooks.

3. Arrangement in accordance with claim 1, characteri- sed in that the guiding plate (14) is arranged in the form of a spiral in the container (11) with a uniformly rising height from a minimum height at the bottom plane (12) of the container to a maximum height at the terminating end (at 17, 18) of the guiding plate, and that the container (11) is subjected by means of a vibrator (at 10) to a combined vertical reciprocating movement and a recipro¬ cating movement rotating about a substantially vertical axis.

4. Arrangement in accordance with one of the claims 1 to 3, characterised in that the guiding plate (14) is provided with a transverse lower hook supply opening (15) and a connected hook guide plate (16) from outer wall (13b) of the container (11) to the guiding plate (14) in order to lead hooks from a container portion outside the guiding plate (14) to a container portion within the guiding plate (14) .