JP7743456B2 - Diamond Lure - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a diamond lure.

Fishing lures, also known as artificial baits, are used to attract fish by disguising them as fish or insects in the water. They come in a variety of shapes, materials, and appearances. For example, lures with a glossy finish have been proposed to attract fish. Patent Document 1 discloses one such lure, characterized by a main body and a translucent stone attached to the main body so as to reflect or transmit external light and emit light.

Utility Model Registration No. 3211458

However, when a fish bites or the lure hits an obstacle such as a rock, the paint on the lure's surface can peel off or the lure itself can crack. Furthermore, depending on the material used to make the lure's surface or body, rust can form. This leaves room for improvement in durability, such as abrasion resistance and corrosion resistance. Furthermore, while conventional lures may appear shiny from a certain direction, their shine may diminish from other angles. Therefore, there was a demand for lures that have an even greater shine when viewed from all angles, making them appear even more shiny.

In light of this situation, the object of the present invention is to provide a diamond lure that is highly durable and appears to shine from various angles.

The inventors conducted extensive research to solve the above problems and discovered that the following invention meets the above objectives, leading to the present invention. Specifically, the present invention relates to the following:

<1> A diamond lure having a main body made of metal or plastic and a glossy portion formed on the surface of the main body, the glossy portion including a plurality of diamond grains and a plating layer that fixes the diamond grains to the main body, the diamond grains being exposed on the surface of the plating layer.
<2> The diamond lure according to <1>, wherein the thickness (T) of the exposed portion of the diamond grains is 0.35 times or more the average grain size (d) of the diamond grains.
<3> The diamond lure according to <1> or <2>, wherein the diamond grains are truncated octahedrons and/or hexahedrons, and the average grain size of the diamond grains is 35 to 850 μm.
<4> The diamond lure according to any one of <1> to <3>, wherein the area occupied by the diamond grains on the surface of the glossy portion is 50 area % or more.
<5> The diamond lure according to any one of <1> to <4>, wherein the glossy portion is formed over the entire surface of the main body.
<6> The diamond lure according to any one of <1> to <4>, wherein the surface of the main body has a first region made of the plating layer and a plurality of second regions which are the glossy portion, and the plurality of second regions are formed at intervals so as to form a striped pattern.

The present invention provides a diamond lure that is highly durable and appears shining from various angles.

FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of a cross section of a portion (area B) of a diamond lure 100 according to an embodiment of the lure of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional schematic view taken along line AA in FIG. 1 . FIG. 2 is a schematic side view showing a cross section of a portion (area C) of the diamond lure 200 according to an embodiment of the lure of the present invention.

The following describes in detail an embodiment of the present invention. However, the following description of the constituent elements is merely an example of an embodiment of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the following description as long as it does not deviate from the gist of the invention. Note that when the expression "~" is used in this specification, it is intended to include the numerical values or physical property values before and after it.

The present invention relates to a diamond lure (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "the lure of the present invention") that has a main body made of metal or plastic and a glossy portion formed on the surface of the main body, the glossy portion including a plurality of diamond grains and a plating layer that fixes the diamond grains to the main body, the diamond grains being exposed on the surface of the plating layer.

In this way, the lure of the present invention has a structure in which a plurality of diamond grains are fixed and exposed from the surface of the plating layer, so that it can be made to have an excellent luster that shines from various angles. This enhances the fish-attracting effect. Furthermore, it makes it easier for fish to get caught when they bite.
In addition, diamonds are highly hard, so they have excellent abrasion resistance and can reduce scratches caused by fish teeth when biting or when coming into contact with rocks. The diamond particles are fixed in place with plating, which provides excellent corrosion resistance and reduces rust. This allows for long-term use.

The diamond lures 100 and 200 according to the present invention will be described below with reference to Figures 1 to 3. In the following description, the left side of the diamond lures 100 and 200, which is the head side, will be referred to as the front, the right side, which is the opposite side, which is the tail fin side, will be referred to as the rear, the dorsal side will be referred to as the top, and the opposite ventral side will be referred to as the bottom.

[First Embodiment]
Fig. 1 is a schematic side view of a cross section of a portion (area B) of a diamond lure 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a schematic cross section taken along line AA in Fig. 1.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the diamond lure 100 has a main body 10 and a glossy portion 20 formed on the surface of the main body 10. The diamond lure 100 has an external shape resembling a fish, with a cross section perpendicular to the front-to-rear direction being a roughly ellipse that is long in the up-down direction and is roughly symmetrical in the left-to-right direction.

(Main body 10)
The main body 10 has an appearance resembling a fish and is made of metal or plastic. Examples of metals that can be used include lead, tungsten, stainless steel, iron, zinc, copper, and alloys thereof. Examples of plastics that can be used include synthetic resins such as acrylic, AS, ABS, polycarbonate, vinyl chloride, and polypropylene. The size of the main body 10 can be the same as that of a typical lure and is not particularly limited.

Furthermore, the head side of both sides of the main body (both left and right sides) has artificial eyes 30, which are made of synthetic resin or other materials processed into a shape resembling a fish's eye, or are created using paint, holograms, etc. The tip of the main body 10 on the head side and the rear end on the tail fin side each have a metal ring as a connection part 32 for attaching a fishing line or fishing hook, although this is not limited to this.

(Glossy portion 20)
The glossy portion 20 includes a plurality of diamond grains 24 and a plating layer 22. The glossy portion 20 is the portion other than the artificial eye portion 30, and is formed over the entire surface of the main body portion 10. The plating layer 22 is formed over the entire glossy portion 20 and fixes the diamond grains 24 to the main body portion 10.

(Diamond grain 24)
The shape of the diamond grains 24 is not particularly limited, but a truncated octahedron and/or a hexahedron is preferred, with a truncated octahedron being more preferred. This shape facilitates high-density adhesion of the diamond grains 24 to the surface of the main body 10, further improving gloss and abrasion resistance from various angles. Furthermore, the flat portions of the diamond grains 24 with the largest area on their outer surfaces are easily adhered substantially parallel to the surface of the main body 10, improving the stability of the adhered diamond grains 24.

A truncated octahedron is a regular octahedron in which the six vertices have been removed to form a square pyramid, leaving six square flat surfaces. It consists of six square faces and eight hexagonal faces. A hexagonal octahedron is a truncated octahedron in which the six square flat surfaces have been equally expanded until the vertices of adjacent square flat surfaces meet. A hexagonal octahedron consists of six square faces and eight triangular faces.

There are no particular limitations on the size of the diamond particles 24, but those with an average particle size (d) of 30 to 1000 μm can be used. Because this further improves glossiness from various angles, the average particle size (d) of the diamond particles 24 is preferably 35 to 850 μm, more preferably 150 to 850 μm, and even more preferably 250 to 850 μm. The average particle size (d) of the diamond particles 24 is the average value of the particle sizes of 100 diamond particles of any given type. The particle size of each diamond particle is the average value of the long and short sides of the circumscribing rectangle; for example, the long and short sides of the circumscribing rectangle of the diamond particle can be determined using an image measuring device to calculate the particle size.

Diamond grains 24 are distributed throughout the entire glossy portion 20. If the diamond grain occupation rate on the surface of the glossy portion 20 is low, gloss and durability may be insufficient. Therefore, the diamond grain occupation rate on the surface of the glossy portion 20 is preferably 50 area% or more, more preferably 60 area% or more, and even more preferably 70 area% or more. The diamond grain occupation rate on the surface of the glossy portion 20 can be calculated from a processed image obtained by binarizing a microscopic image of the surface of the glossy portion 20. For example, a rectangular region with a side length eight times the average diameter (d) of the diamond grains is used as the measurement region, and eight arbitrary points on the surface of the glossy portion 20 are photographed using a microscope such as a digital microscope. The photographed images are each binarized, and the diamond grain occupation rate is calculated from each processed image. The average of these values is then used to determine the diamond grain occupation rate on the surface of the glossy portion 20.

(Plating layer 22)
The plating layer 22 is a layer formed on the main body 10 to fix the diamond grains 24 to the main body 10. The plating layer 22 is a metal layer formed by plating with a metal such as nickel or its alloy. The diamond grains 24 are arranged and fixed in a single row (single layer) on the main body 10, with the diamond grains 24 exposed on the surface of the plating layer 22. The glossy portion 20 can be formed by arranging the diamond grains 24 on the main body 10 and plating them with a metal using conventional electrolytic plating or the like. The diamond grains 24 may be fixed to the main body 10 via a base layer. In the diamond lure 100, the base layer 22a is plated on the main body 10, and then the diamond grains 24 are arranged and plated again to fix the diamond grains 24. The plating layer 22 consists of the base layer 22a and the fixed plating layer 22b.

The plating amount is controlled to the extent that the diamond grains 24 are exposed on the surface of the plating layer 22. However, if too much of the diamond grains 24 are exposed, the diamond grains 24 will not adhere well and wear resistance will tend to decrease. Therefore, the thickness (T) of the exposed portion of the diamond grains 24 (see Figure 2) is preferably 0.65 times or less the average grain size (d) of the diamond grains 24. The thickness (T) of the exposed portion of the diamond grains 24 is sufficient as long as the diamond grains 24 are exposed. It may be 0.1 times or more, 0.2 times or more, or 0.3 times or more the average grain size (d) of the diamond grains 24, but 0.35 times or more is preferred. When the thickness (T) of the exposed portion of the diamond grains 24 is 0.35 to 0.65 times the average grain size of the diamond grains 24 (i.e., 0.35 × d≦T≦0.65), gloss can be further improved, the diamond grains 24 will be more stably adhered, and durability will be improved. More preferably, it is 0.45 to 0.65 times the average particle size of the diamond grains 24 (i.e., 0.45 x d≦T≦0.65). The thickness (T) of the exposed portions of the diamond grains 24 is the average value obtained by measuring the distance from the tip of the diamond grains 24 to the plating layer 22 at any eight points using a microscope such as a digital microscope.

[Embodiment 2]
Fig. 3 is a schematic side view of a cross section of a portion (area C) of a diamond lure 200 according to another embodiment of the lure of the present invention. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 3, parts having the same structure and function as the components of the embodiment shown in Figs. 1 and 2 are designated by the same reference numerals as in Figs. 1 and 2, and their description will be omitted.

The diamond lure 200 shown in Figure 3 has a main body 10 with an external shape resembling a fish, and a first region 40 and multiple second regions 42 formed on the surface of the main body. The first region 40 is composed of a plating layer 23. The second regions 42 are elongated regions formed approximately symmetrically in the left-right direction near the center of both sides of the main body 10, and the glossy portion 21 is composed of multiple second regions 42. The second regions 42 are composed of multiple diamond grains 24 and a plating layer 22, and the diamond grains 24 are fixed in an exposed state on the surface of the plating layer 22. The multiple second regions 42 are formed at intervals so as to form stripes parallel to the front-to-rear direction or at a predetermined angle to the front-to-rear direction (i.e., θ in Figure 3 is 0 to 90°).

In addition, to improve glossiness, the glossy portion 21 preferably has an area ratio of diamond grains 24 on the surface of each second region 42 of 50 area% or more, more preferably 60 area% or more, and even more preferably 70 area% or more.

The plating layer 23 of the first region 40 can have the same configuration as the plating layer 22 of the second region 42. Such a diamond lure 200 can be formed by arranging diamond grains 24 to form striped, elongated regions on both sides of the main body 10, plating with nickel or the like, coating the main body 10 with the plating, and then fixing the diamond grains 24. As with the diamond lure 100, the diamond grains 24 may be fixed to the main body 10 via a base layer. The amount of plating is the same as that of the diamond lure 100.

Note that diamond lures 100 and 200 are examples of diamond lures according to the present invention, and diamond lures according to the present invention are not limited to these diamond lures 100 and 200. The shape of the glossy portion may be changed as appropriate depending on the shape of the main body. From the perspective of glossiness, however, it is preferable that the glossy portion be formed on 50% or more of the surface area of the main body, more preferably 60% or more, and even more preferably 70% or more. The diamond lure may have a known structure inside the main body for adjusting buoyancy or the center of gravity, and may be provided with a lip component or fin-shaped component in addition to the main body. Furthermore, the external shape of the diamond lure is not limited to a fish-like shape, and may also be a shape that resembles other organisms that fish feed on, such as earthworms, insects, lizards, frogs, shrimp, crabs, crayfish, and squid.

The present invention will be explained in more detail below using examples, but the present invention is not limited to the following examples as long as the gist of the invention is not altered.

[Example 1]
The lures of Examples 1-1 to 1-3, which are diamond lures having the shape shown in FIG. 1, and Comparative Example 1 were used to evaluate the glossiness.
Example 1-1: A diamond lure (70% of the surface area of diamond particles) with a single row (single layer) of diamond particles (truncated octahedron-shaped diamond abrasive particles with an average particle size of 400 μm) fixed to a fish-shaped lead body by nickel plating.
Example 1-2: A diamond lure with the same structure as Example 1-1, except that the amount of plating used to fix the diamond particles was changed to make the diamond particle area ratio 60%. Example 1-3: A diamond lure with the same structure as Example 1-1, except that the amount of plating used to fix the diamond particles was changed to make the diamond particle area ratio 50%. Comparative Example 1: A lure with a hologram processed on the surface of the fish-shaped main body.

(evaluation)
The lures of Examples 1-1 to 1-3 and Comparative Example 1 were visually observed from various angles and evaluated for gloss. The evaluation was carried out by 10 panelists, and the gloss was evaluated according to the following criteria. The evaluation results are shown in Table 1.
◎: Eight or more out of ten people answered that it has gloss (sparkle) from various angles.
Good: Seven out of ten people answered that it has gloss (sparkle) from various angles.
△: Less than 6 out of 10 people answered that there was gloss (sparkle) from various angles.

As shown in Table 1, in Example 1, when the area occupied by diamond grains on the surface of the glossy portion was 60% or more, the results showed excellent gloss (sparkle) from various angles. Of these, 70% or more was the most glossy, and a high fish-attracting effect could be expected.

[Example 2]
The diamond lures of Examples 2-1 to 2-4, which are diamond lures having the shape shown in FIG. 1, were used to evaluate the glossiness.
Example 2-1: A diamond lure in which diamond grains (truncated octahedron-shaped, diamond abrasive grains with an average grain size of 400 μm) were fixed in one row (one layer) by nickel plating onto a fish-shaped lead body (thickness (T) of the exposed part of the diamond grains = 65% of the average grain size).
Experiments 2-2 to 2-4: Diamond lures with the same configuration as Example 2-1, except that the plating conditions were changed so that 45%, 35%, and 25% of the average particle size of the diamond particles were exposed from the plating layer.

(evaluation)
The glossiness of the diamond lures of Examples 2-1 to 2-4 was evaluated in the same manner as in Example 1. Table 2 shows the evaluation results.

As shown in Table 2, in Example 2, when the exposed amount of diamond grains (thickness of the exposed portion) was 35% or more of the average diameter of the diamond grains, the results showed excellent gloss (sparkle) from various angles. Of these, diamond grains with an average diameter of 45-65% had the highest gloss, and were expected to have a high fish-attracting effect.

Furthermore, experiments in which diamond particles were fixed to a metal substrate using nickel plating showed that the holding power of the diamond particles decreased when the amount of exposed diamond particles exceeded 65% of the average particle size of the diamond particles. This suggests that a similar trend applies to diamond lures, with wear resistance decreasing when the amount of exposed diamond particles exceeds 65% of the average particle size of the diamond particles.

[Example 3]
The diamond lures of Examples 3-1 to 3-4, which are diamond lures having the shape shown in FIG. 1, were used to evaluate the glossiness.
Example 3-1: A diamond lure (70% diamond grain area) in which diamond grains (truncated octahedron shape, average grain size 850 μm diamond abrasive grains) are fixed in one row (one layer) by nickel plating on a fish-shaped lead body.
Experiments 3-2 to 3-4: Diamond lures with the same configuration as in Example 3-1, except that the average particle size of the diamond particles was changed to 250 μm, 35 μm, and 30 μm.

As shown in Table 3, in Example 3, when the average particle size of the diamond particles was between 35 and 850 μm, the results showed excellent gloss (sparkle) from various angles. Of these, when the average particle size of the diamond particles was between 250 and 850 μm, the gloss was the highest, and a high fish-attracting effect could be expected.

[Example 4]
When fishing was actually carried out using the diamond lure of Example 1-1, fish were caught. Furthermore, there were almost no scratches on the lure after fishing, demonstrating excellent durability.

The lure of the present invention can be used for various types of fishing.

10 Main body portion 20, 21 Glossy portion 22, 23 Plated layer 22a Base layer 22b Adhesive plated layer 24 Diamond grain 30 Artificial eye portion 32 Connecting portion 40 First region 42 Second region 100, 200 Diamond lure T Thickness of exposed portion of diamond grain

Claims (4)

The device has a main body made of metal or plastic and a glossy portion formed on the surface of the main body,
the glossy portion includes a plurality of diamond grains and a plating layer that fixes the diamond grains to the main body portion, the diamond grains being exposed on a surface of the plating layer,
a first region formed of the plating layer and a plurality of second regions that are the glossy portions on a surface of the main body;
A diamond lure in which a plurality of the second regions are formed at intervals so as to form stripes . The diamond lure of claim 1, wherein the thickness (T) of the exposed portion of the diamond grains is 0.35 times or more the average grain size (d) of the diamond grains. the diamond grains are truncated octahedrons and/or hexa-octahedrons;
The diamond lure according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the average particle size of the diamond particles is 35 to 850 μm. The diamond lure according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the area ratio of the diamond grains on the surface of the shiny portion is 50% or more.