WO2008066879A2

WO2008066879A2 - Improved seine net

Info

Publication number: WO2008066879A2
Application number: PCT/US2007/024554
Authority: WO
Inventors: Barnet Liberman
Original assignee: Barnet Liberman
Priority date: 2006-11-30
Filing date: 2007-11-29
Publication date: 2008-06-05
Also published as: WO2008066879A3

Abstract

A fishing net arrangement includes a fishing net having a top edge and a bottom edge, and a diving drone connected to the bottom edge of the net. The diving drone includes a main body having a wall defining an interior space therein, a motor arranged in the interior space, and a propeller coupled to the motor and disposed outside of the interior space.

Description

Improved Seine Net

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates generally to a fishing net. More specifically, the present invention relates to a purse seine net with at least one diving drone attached to the net.

2. Description of the Related Art

Seine nets are well known and widely used in the fishing industry. Typically, a seine net is a generally rectangular-shaped fishing net that has a cork line at its top edge; a plurality of floats attached to the cork line; a lead line at its bottom edge; and a plurality of weights or leads attached to the lead line so that the seine net can hang substantially vertically in the water.

A purse seine net is a type of seine net that has a plurality of rings which are attached to the lead line by connecting straps and are preferably evenly distributed along the lead line. The purse seine net further has a drawstring which passes through all of the rings. When tightened, the drawstring pulls the rings toward each other to close the bottom of the purse seine net, thereby preventing the fish surrounded by the net from "sounding," or swimming down to escape the net.

The lead line and the weights help the bottom edge of the seine net descend in the water during operation. Generally speaking, the faster the bottom edge of the seine net descends, the better. This is because if the bottom edge of the seine net does not descend quickly, the fish might escape from the net while the bottom edge of the net is still descending.

Thus, a need exists for a seine net having means which rapidly descends the bottom edge of the net in the water.

A further need exists for a seine net having means for observing the fish contained by the net.

Yet a further need exists for a seine net having means which is operable to generate a light, a sound and/or a scent to attract fish toward the net in the net .

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION To meet these and other needs, one embodiment of the present invention is directed to an improved seine net which includes a substantially rectangular- shaped fishing net having a top edge and a bottom edge, and a diving drone connected to the bottom edge of the net. The diving drone includes a main body having a wall defining an interior space therein, a motor arranged in the interior space, and a propeller coupled to the motor and disposed outside of the interior space.

Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood, however, that the drawings are designed solely for purposes of illustration and not as a definition of the limits of the invention, for which reference should be made to the appended claims. It should be further understood that the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale and that, unless otherwise indicated, they are merely intended to conceptually illustrate the structures and procedures described herein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary embodiment of an improved seine net in accordance with the present invention; and

Fig. 2 is an enlarged, cross-sectional view of a diving drone used in the exemplary embodiment shown in Fig. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring now to Fig. 1, an exemplary embodiment of an improved seine net in accordance with the present invention is generally designated by reference numeral 10. The seine net 10 has a generally rectangular-shaped mesh web or net 11, which is usually made of nylon. The seine net 10 also has a cork line 12 at its top edge 13; a plurality of floats 14 attached to the cork line 12; a lead line 15 at its bottom edge 20; and a plurality of weights or leads 21 attached to the lead line 15 so that the seine net 10 can hang substantially vertically in the water when in use. Preferably, the floats 14 are substantially evenly distributed along the length of the cork line 12. Similarly, the weights 21 are preferably substantially evenly distributed along the length of the lead line 15.

The seine net 10 further has a plurality of rings 22 which are attached to the lead line 15 by respective connecting straps 23. Of course the rings 22 can be directly attached to the lead line 15 without using the connecting straps 23. Preferably, the rings 22 are substantially evenly distributed along the length of the lead line 15, and are offset from the weights 21. A drawstring or rope 24 passes through all of the rings 22. The drawstring 24, when pulled, draws the rings 22 close to each other to close the bottom of the seine net 10, thereby preventing the fish surrounded by the net 10 from "sounding," or swimming down to escape the net 10.

The seine net 10 also has at least one diving drone 25, which is attached to the lead line 15 of the net 10 by a connecting line 26. Preferably, the connecting line 26 has a length which is longer than that of the connecting straps 23 so that the diving drone 25 is disposed below the rings 22 when the net 10 is in use.

As clearly illustrated in Fig. 2, the diving drone 25 preferably includes a substantially cylindrical main body 30, which defines an interior space 30a therein and includes a rear portion 31 and a front portion 32. The front portion 32 preferably has a generally semi-spherical shaped head section 32a, and is preferably releasably connected to the rear portion 32 by a snap-fit connection. The snap-fit connection has a sealing member 33, such as an 0-ring, which is partially received in an annular groove 50 formed in the rear portion 31 or the front portion 32 and is disposed between the rear portion 31 and the front portion 32 so that the snap-fit connection is watertight.

Fixedly mounted in the space 30a is a motor 34. The motor can be a mechanically operated motor, such as via a hand crank, winder, or the like, or more preferably, an electric motor. If an electric motor is used, a battery unit or battery pack 35 for powering the electric motor 34 is also disposed in the space 30a. Preferably, the battery unit 35 is fixedly mounted in the space 30a and is rechargeable. The axle 36 of the motor 34 is coupled to a propeller 40 by a propeller shaft 41 which sealingly passes through the rear end wall 42 of the rear portion 31 in a manner well known in the art.

Preferably, the diving drone 25 further includes a propeller guard 43 which is supported by the rear end wall 42 of the rear portion 31. The propeller guard 43 surrounds the propeller 40 to protect the propeller 40 from contacting the connecting line 26, the drawstring 24, the net 10, or the like in the water. Also preferably, the propeller guard 43 has a peripheral groove 44 through which the connecting line 26 can be symmetrically tied to the diving drone 25 in a manner well known in the art.

The diving drone 25 preferably further includes a control device, such as a switch 45 to allow a user to turn on the diving drone 25. The switch 45 can be mounted on the lateral wall of the front portion 32 and be accessible from the outside of the diving drone 25. In addition, the switch 45 can include an adjustable timer 45a so that it can shut down the electric motor 34 and/or another device of the diving drone 25 after a predetermined period of time.

The diving drone 25 also preferably includes a light source 60 which can be in the form of, for example, a lamp or laser. The light source 60 is mounted on the lateral wall of the rear portion 31. It can also be mounted on the wall of the front portion 32. Preferably, the light source 60 is powered by the battery unit 35 and controlled by the switch 45. The light source 60 is operable to generate a light which acts to repel or scare fish so that during operation, fish surrounded by the seine net 10 are repelled or scared away from the open bottom of the net while the bottom edge of the net is still descending. Alternatively or additionally, the light source 60 is operable to project a fish-attracting or fish-corralling light at the surface of the water surrounded by the net so that during operation, fish surrounded by the net swim to the light projected on the water surface and therefore away from the open bottom of the net while the bottom edge of the net is still descending. In either situation, the light generated by the light source 60 is used to ensure that fish surrounded by the net remain in the net while the bottom edge of the net is still descending .

Moreover, preferably, the diving drone 25 includes a sound and/or scent generating device 46 for generating a sound and/or a scent for attracting or corralling fish. Preferably, the sound and/or scent generating device 46 is mounted on the lateral wall of the front portion 32 and may also be powered by the battery unit 35 and controlled by the switch 45.

Furthermore, the diving drone 25 preferably has a center of gravity 47 which is on the longitudinal axis 49 of the main body 30. The center of gravity 47 is disposed between the center 48 of the length of the diving drone 25 and the front end of the diving drone 25, and preferably between the center 48 of the length of the diving drone 25 and the head section 32a so that the diving drone 25 will naturally descend substantially vertically in the water by gravity with the head section 32a facing downward (i.e., facing the bottom of the water) . Various modifications can be made to the diving drone 25. For example, the connecting line 26 can be tied to one of the rings 22 instead of the lead line 15. Of course the diving drove 25 can be connected to the bottom edge 20 of the net 10 directly without using the connecting line 26. Moreover, as clearly shown in Fig. 2, stabilizing or balancing wings 62 can be mounted on the exterior surface of the main body 30 of the diving drone 25 for preventing the diving drone 25 from rotating in the water. In addition, an observing device such as a camera 63 can be mounted, for example, on the lateral wall of the rear portion 31. Preferably the camera 63 is powered by the battery unit 35. Images captured by the camera 63 can be transmitted to a user on a ship, such as through a cable 64 or other means so that the user can remotely observe fish that are in or proximate the net 10. Rudders (not shown) can also be mounted to the exterior surface of the main body 30 so that the user can remotely control the movement of the diving drone 25 in the water.

Thus, while there have shown and described and pointed out fundamental novel features of the present invention as applied to a preferred embodiment thereof, it will be understood that various omissions and other substitutions and modifications/changes in the form and details of the devices illustrated, and in their operation, may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, it is expressly intended that all combinations of those elements and/or method steps which perform substantially the same function in substantially the same way to achieve the same results are within the scope of the invention. Moreover, it should be recognized that structures and/or elements and/or method steps shown and/or described in connection with any disclosed form or embodiment of the invention may be incorporated in any other disclosed or described or suggested form or embodiment as a general matter of design choice. It is the intention, therefore, to be limited only as indicated by the scope of the claims appended hereto.

Claims

1. A fishing net arrangement comprising: a fishing net having a top edge and a bottom edge; and a diving drone connected to the bottom edge of the net, the diving drone comprising: a main body having a wall defining an interior space therein; a motor arranged in the interior space; and a propeller coupled to the electric motor and disposed outside of the interior space.

2. The fishing net arrangement of claim 1, wherein the motor comprises an electric motor and wherein the diving drove further comprises a battery unit arranged in the interior space for powering the electric motor.

3. The fishing net arrangement of claim 2, wherein the battery unit comprises a rechargeable battery .

4. The fishing net arrangement of claim 2, wherein the diving drone further comprises a light source supported by the wall, the light source being configured to generate at least one of a fish attracting or corralling light and a fish repelling light.

5. The fishing net arrangement of claim 4, wherein the light source is powered by the battery unit.

6. The fishing net arrangement of claim 2, wherein the diving drone further comprises a sound generating device supported by the wall, the sound generating device being configured to generate a fish attracting or corralling signal.

7. The fishing net arrangement of claim 6, wherein the sound generating device is powered by the battery unit.

8. The fishing net arrangement of claim 2, wherein the diving drone further comprises a scent generating device supported by the wall, the scent generating device being configured to generate a fish- attracting or fish-corralling scent.

9. The fishing net arrangement of claim 8, wherein the scent generating device is powered by the battery unit.

10. The fishing net arrangement of claim 2, wherein the diving drove further comprises an observing device supported by the wall.

11. The fishing net arrangement of claim 10, wherein the observing device comprises a camera for transmitting images captured by the camera to a user.

12. The fishing net arrangement of claim 11, wherein the camera is powered by the battery unit.

13. The fishing net arrangement of claim 1, wherein the diving drove further comprises a propeller guard supported by the wall and surrounding the propeller .

14. The fishing net arrangement of claim 13, wherein the propeller guard has a peripheral groove for receiving a connecting line which connects the diving drove to the bottom edge of the fishing net.

15. The fishing net arrangement of claim 1, wherein the diving drove further comprises stabilizing wings supported by the wall.

16. The fishing net arrangement of claim 2, wherein the diving drove further comprises a control device supported by the wall for controlling operation of the electric motor.

17. The fishing net arrangement of claim 16, wherein the control device comprises a timer.

18. The fishing net arrangement of claim 1, wherein the main body comprises a front portion and a rear portion which is sealingly and releasably connected to the front portion.

19 The fishing net arrangement of claim 18, wherein the front portion comprises a head section, the diving drove having a center of gravity so that the diving drove will descend substantially vertically in water by gravity with the head section facing downward.

20. The fishing net arrangement of claim 1, wherein the fishing net further comprises a plurality of floats attached to the top edge and a plurality of weights attached to the bottom edge.