WO2005070201A2

WO2005070201A2 - Apparatus for lighting an area consequent upon a bite from a fish during fishing

Info

Publication number: WO2005070201A2
Application number: PCT/GB2005/000194
Authority: WO
Inventors: Martin David Locke
Original assignee: Sskc Design And Developments Ltd
Priority date: 2004-01-23
Filing date: 2005-01-21
Publication date: 2005-08-04
Also published as: WO2005070201A3; GB0401503D0; GB2410165B; GB2410165A

Abstract

Apparatus (2) for lighting an area (19) consequent upon a bite from a fish during fishing, which apparatus (2) comprises at least one transmitter (18) and at least one receiver (24), the transmitter (18) having holder means (15, 16) for holding a fishing line (8) such that a bite or an attempted bite from the fish causes the transmitter (18) to transmit to the receiver (24), and the receiver (24) having lighting means (22) for giving an alarm consequent upon receiving the transmission from the transmitter (18). The transmitter (18) and receiver (24) preferably operate in coded communication with each other in order to avoid false alarms.

Description

APPARATUS FOR LIGHTING AN AREA CONSEQUENT UPON A BITE FROM A FISH DURING FISHING

This invention relates to apparatus for lighting an area consequent upon a bite from a fish during fishing. There are often occasions when it is not convenient for anglers to watch their rods in order to see if they are getting a bite from a fish. This is especially so when fishing for fish such as carp, when bites from the fish come very rarely. At night, the anglers may prefer to wait in a comfortable location such for example as a tent or a bivvy. They rely on bite alarm apparatus for indicating when they are getting a bite from a fish on their rods. There are various different types of bite alarm apparatus for providing this indication. When a bite alarm occurs, problems often arise in that the anglers are in a location such for example as a tent or a bivvy without good lighting. It is essential to get to the fishing rod receiving the bite as soon as possible and often anglers may not be able to find required pieces of clothing or required pieces of fishing equipment quickly enough due to poor lighting. For example, it is difficult to find things by torch light. In addition, holding a torch with one hand means that an angler only has one other hand free for putting on items of clothing. It is an aim of the present invention to obviate or reduce the above mentioned problem. Accordingly, in one non-limiting embodiment of the present invention there is provided apparatus for lighting an area consequent upon a bite from a fish during fishing, which apparatus comprises at least one transmitter and at least one receiver, the transmitter having holder means for holding a fishing line such that a bite or an attempted bite from the fish causes the transmitter to transmit to the receiver, and the receiver lighting means for lighting the area consequent upon receiving the transmission from the transmitter. The apparatus of the present invention is thus able to provide a light exactly where required and exactly when required. There is no need to leave one or more torches on for long periods of time, thereby running down their batteries. There is also no need to try and find torches to switch them on when the bite alarm goes off. With the apparatus of the present invention, the required light is provided exactly when required, and without wastage of power. As a result, an angler is able to rest or sleep in a location such as a tent of bivvy comfortably and without unnecessary light, secure in the knowledge that when the bite alarm occurs, then the required light will immediately be provided. In one embodiment of the invention, the apparatus may be one in which the transmitter simply transmits to the receiver an appropriate signal, without any coding of the signal. With such apparatus, there is a possibility that a transmitter from one angler might cause operation of the lighting means of another angler in the vicinity. In order to prevent this possibility, the apparatus of the present invention may be one in which the transmitter and receiver are such that they operate in coded communication with each other in order to avoid false alarms. The apparatus may have the code provided by user-selectable switches in the transmitter and also in the receiver. With such apparatus, an angler chooses a switch combination at random, and makes the transmitter and receiver both have the same switch positions. In this way, a predetermined code is set for both the transmitter and the receiver. Any additional transmitters, for example for use on more than one fishing rod, can be set to the same switch positions. An advantage of this type of apparatus is that the setting of the code is simple. However, the number of codes is in practice limited by the physical size of the switches so that, for example, there may be only eight switches in the apparatus which gives 256 possible choices of codes. In order to give a greater choice of codes, the apparatus of the present invention may be one in which the apparatus has the code secured in a memory in the transmitter and also in the receiver. This avoids the need to have the user-selectable switches, and there are an extremely large number of codes that can be used and provided in the memory of the transmitter and the memory of the receiver. The chances of a false alarm from neighbouring angling equipment are substantially eliminated with such apparatus. With such apparatus, the code may be programmed into the transmitter by a manufacturer. The receiver then has to receive and retain the code in the transmitter, whereby the receiver learns the code that is in the transmitter. The action required to achieve this is not straight forward, and it has to be done by the angler. More specifically, the procedure involves the angler causing the transmitter to transmit its alert signal, whilst simultaneously configuring the receiver to be in the appropriate state for receiving the transmitter signal and remembering it. This procedure may be rather complicated for some anglers who are not technically minded, and there is a large opportunity for error in the set-up procedure. In order to overcome the above problems that may occur, it is preferred that the apparatus of the present invention is one in which the apparatus has the code on code-carrying means which is external to the transmitter and receiver, and which is loaded into the transmitter and receiver consequent upon a user inserting the code-carrying means into the transmitter and receiver. The apparatus may then be one in which the transmitter and receiver each has a receiving portion for receiving the code-carrying means, and a reader device for reading the code on the code-carrying means when the code-carrying means is in the receiving portion. Any suitable and appropriate reader device may be employed. In one embodiment of the invention, the preferred apparatus is one in which there is a separate one of the code-carrying means for each transmitter and receiver, and in which each one of the code-carrying means is required to be left in its transmitter or receiver for enabling the coded operation of the transmitter and receiver. With such apparatus, the transmitter and receiver do not normally retain the code when the code- carrying means is removed. In an alternative embodiment of the invention, the preferred apparatus may be one in which there is a single code-carrying means for the transmitter and receiver, the transmitter and receiver being such that they are able to retain the code for the code-carrying means after the code has been loaded into the transmitter and receiver and the code-carrying means has subsequently been removed from the transmitter and receiver. In this embodiment of the invention, any suitable and appropriate memory means may be employed for retaining the code on the code-carrying means. In all appropriate embodiments of the invention, the code is preferably a binary code. Other types of code may however be employed. Preferably, the code-carrying means is a card. The card may thus be a data memory card. Other types of code-carrying means may be employed. The lighting means may be a light source formed by a halogen light. Any suitable and appropriate type of light source giving the required lighting may be employed. The apparatus of the present invention may include a removable cover for the transmitter and/or a removable cover for the receiver or a part of the receiver. The covers can be made in different colours and/or designs, thereby enabling the anglers to personalise their apparatus. Embodiments 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 typical use of apparatus which utilises a transmitter and a receiver and which is for lighting an area consequent upon a bite from a fish during fishing; Figure 2 illustrates a first type of apparatus that may be used in the general situation indicated in Figure 1 ; Figure 3 illustrates a second type of apparatus that may be used in the general situation shown in Figure 1 ; Figure 4 shows a third type of apparatus that may be used in the general situation shown in Figure 1; and Figure 5 shows a fourth type of apparatus that may be used in the general situation shown in Figure 1. Referring to Figure 1 , there is shown apparatus 2 for lighting an area consequent upon a bite from a fish during fishing. In Figure 1, there is shown a fishing rod 4 mounted on a bank 6. The fishing rod 4 has a line 8 entering into water 10. The line 4 is from a reel 12 mounted on a handle part of the fishing rod 4 as shown. The line 8 passes through a V-shaped portion 15 in a bite alarm device 16 which includes a transmitter 18. During use of the apparatus 2, the transmitter 18 is able to transmit radio signals 20 to lighting means 22 which includes a receiver 24. The lighting means 22 with its receiver 24 is able to be positioned near an angler 26. As shown in Figure , the angler 26 is in an area in the form of a tent 19. The angler 26 is shown comfortably asleep in a sleeping bag 21, with his or her head resting on a pillow 23, and with night time being indicated by a moon 25. The angler 26 is thus able to be remote from the fishing rod 4 in the comfort of the tent 19 whilst waiting for a bite from a fish. The apparatus 2 is especially convenient for use by anglers when fishing for fish such for example as carp which bite only very infrequently. Figure 2 shows first apparatus 28 which could be the apparatus 2 in Figure 1. The apparatus 28 comprises four transmitters 30. Each transmitter 30 is for a separate fishing rod so that the angler 26 could be fishing with four separate fishing rods 4. Each transmitter 30 comprises a bite detector and alarm circuit 32 and a transmitter circuit 34. The transmitter circuit 34 is able to transmit a radio signal 36 to a receiver 38. The receiver 38 comprises a receiving circuit 40 and a remote alarm circuit 42. The remote alarm circuit 42 triggers the lighting means 22. The apparatus 28 is such that the transmitters 30 and the receiver 38 each have the same code. This code is set by a person such as the angler 26 moving eight switches 44 up to down to give a binary code. As shown, each switch in each transmitter 30 and in the receiver 38 has to be in the same position for all units. This type of code is easy for the angler to set but suffers from the disadvantage that it is only easily possible to get eight switches in the transmitters 30 and the receiver 38. More switches would cause the transmitters 30 and the receiver 38 to become too bulky. With the limitation of eight switches 44, there are only 256 possible choices of code. This means that the number of codes able to be inserted into different ones of the apparatus 28 is very restricted. This in turn means that there is a high likelihood that other anglers will choose the same code as the angler 26. This in turn means that in crowded areas, for example during fishing competitions around lakes, neighbouring anglers are likely to have the same codes in their apparatus 28, with the result that the apparatus from a neighbouring angler may cause the light 22 of another angler's apparatus to come on. Referring now to Figure 3, there is shown second apparatus 46 which may be the apparatus 2 shown in Figure 1. The apparatus 46 overcomes the above mentioned problems with the apparatus 28. For ease of comparison and understanding, similar parts in the apparatus 28, 46 have been given the same reference numerals. In Figure 3, it will be seen that the code-providing means in the form of the switches 44 have been replaced by a long channel code in an internal memory 48 in the transmitters 30, and in an appropriate internal memory 50 in the receiver 38. The codes in the four transmitters 30 are different from each other and in Figure 3 they have been identified as code A, code B, code C and code D. It will be seen that the internal memory 50 in the receiver 38 is able to receive all four codes A, B, C and D. The apparatus 46 operates very satisfactorily in that the codes A, B, C and D are very long codes. There are an extremely large number of codes available and so there is virtually no possibility of any angler inadvertently setting off the apparatus of another angler. However, the apparatus 46 suffers from the disadvantage that the chosen code would usually be inserted into the transmitters 30 by the manufacturer at the time of manufacture. It is left to the end user such for example as the angler 26 to program the code into the receiver 38. This is done by the angler 26 having to set up each transmitter 30 in turn and cause the transmitter 30 to transmit its alert signal, whilst simultaneously configuring the receiver 38 to receive the transmitted signal. There is a large opportunity for error in this set up. In addition, it is inconvenient to have to do the procedure four times with each of the four transmitters 30. Thus whilst the apparatus 46 overcomes the limited code availability problem of the apparatus 28, the apparatus 46 creates its own problems of difficulty and nuisance in being set up ready for operation. Referring now to Figure 4, there is shown third and preferred apparatus 52 of the present invention. Similar parts as the apparatus 28, 46 have been given the same reference numerals for ease of comparison and understanding. In the apparatus 52, a long channel code is able to be employed and this is shown as code A. Each transmitter 30 has the same code, i.e. code A. The long channel code is on code-carrying means 54. A code-carrying means is also provided for the receiver 38. Thus the receiver 38 and each one of the transmitters 30 has its own code-carrying means 54. This code- carrying means 54 is external to the transmitter 30 and the receiver 38. The code-carrying means 54 carried a long chain code shown as code A, and this code A is loaded into the transmitters 30 and the receiver 38 consequent upon a user such as the angler 26 inserting each code-carrying means 54 into the appropriate transmitter 30 and receiver 38. The transmitters 30 and the receiver 38 each has a receiving portion 56 for receiving the code-carrying means. The transmitters 30 and the receiver 38 also each has a reader device (not shown) for reading the code on the code-carrying means 54 when the code-carrying means 54 is in the receiving portion 56. During operation of the apparatus 52, the code-carrying means 54 is required to be left in its receiving portion 56 for enabling the transmitters 30 and the receiver 38 to operate. On removal of the code-carrying means 54, the transmitters 30 and the receiver 38 do not retain the code and they cease to operate. In the case of the four receivers 30, the code-carrying means 54 would only be inserted into that receiver or receivers 36 that equaled the number of fishing rods 4 to be used by the angler 26. As shown in Figure 4, the code A is a binary code, and the code-carrying means is in the form of a data memory card. Referring now to Figure 5, there is shown fourth and preferred apparatus 58 of the present invention. Similar parts as in the apparatus 52 have been given the same reference numerals for ease of comparison and understanding. In the apparatus 58, the transmitters 30 and the receiver 36 each has memory means 60 for receiving and memorising the code A on the code-carrying means 54. This means that the transmitters 30 and the receiver 38 only require to be set up once, and the code-carrying means 54 does not have to be inserted into the transmitters 30 and the receiver 38 each time the apparatus 58 is required to be used. This is because the memory means 60 is able to retain the code after the code-carrying means 54 has been inserted into the receiving portion 56 and then removed. This in turn means that only one code-carrying means 54 is required, although separate code-carrying means 54 each transmitter 30 and the receiver 38 could be employed if desired. It is to be appreciated that the embodiments of the invention described above with reference to the drawings have been given by way of example only and that modifications may be effected. Thus, for example, more or less than the illustrated four transmitters 30 may be employed, and more than one receiver 38 may be employed. The code-carrying means 54 may be in a form other than a card. The code may be in a form other than a binary code. The apparatus 52, 58 may be such that the transmitters 30 and the receiver 38 are each provided with a removable cover. The removable cover can be personalised as may be required , for example by

different colours and/or designs. If desired, the apparatus of the invention shown in Figure 1 could operate without the use of codes.

Claims

1. Apparatus for lighting an area consequent upon a bite from a fish during fishing, which apparatus comprises at least one transmitter and at least one receiver, the transmitter having holder means for holding a fishing line such that a bite or an attempted bite from the fish causes the transmitter to transmit to the receiver, and the receiver having lighting means for lighting the area consequent upon receiving the transmission from the transmitter.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 in which the transmitter and receiver are such that they operate in coded communication with each other in order to avoid false alarms.

3. Apparatus according to claim 2 in which the apparatus has the code provided by user-selectable switches in the transmitter and also in the receiver.

4. Apparatus according to claim 2 in which the apparatus has the code secured in a memory in the transmitter and also in the receiver.

5. Apparatus according to claim 2 in which the apparatus has the code on code-carrying means which is external to the transmitter and receiver, and which is loaded into the transmitter and receiver consequent upon a user inserting the code-carrying means into the transmitter and receiver.

6. Apparatus according to claim 5 in which the transmitter and receiver each has a receiving portion for receiving the code-carrying means, and a reader device for reading the code on the code-carrying means when the code-carrying means is in the receiving portion.

7. Apparatus according to claim 5 or claim 6 in which there is a separate one of the code-carrying means for each transmitter and receiver, and in which each one of the code-carrying means is required to be left in its transmitter or receiver for enabling the coded operation of the transmitter and receiver.

8. Apparatus according to claim 5 or claim 6 in which there is a single code-carrying means for the transmitter and receiver, the transmitter and receiver being such that they are able to retain the code from the code- carrying means after the code has been loaded into the transmitter and receiver and the code-carrying means has subsequently been removed from the transmitter and receiver.

9. Apparatus according to any one of claims 5 - 8 in which the code is a binary code.

10. Apparatus according to any one of claims 5 - 9 in which the code- carrying means is a card.

11. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims in which the lighting means is a light source formed by a halogen light.

12. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims and including a removable cover for the transmitter and/or a removable cover for the receiver or a part of the receiver.