WO2001056377A1 - Guarded fishing lure holder and tackle box - Google Patents

Abstract

A fishing tackle box (10) and lid (22) combination in which the lid (22) is hinged and shaped to permit partial access to the box (10) without removing the lid (22) from the top of the box (10) and in which the lid (22) may be stored and held by the bottom of the box (10) when the lid (22) is completely removed from the top of the box (10).

Description

GUARDED FISHING LURE HOLDER AND TACKLE BOX

The present invention relates to article carriers, and more particularly, to a carrier for holding fishing equipment that includes beveled slots that allow fishing lures to be held in place during transport but that allow easy removal of the lures when removal is desired BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The sport of fishing often requires the person fishing (angler) to carry a substantial amount of equipment to the fishing site. This equipment can include rods, reels, bait, artificial lures, knives, weights, floats and the like Often the angler will have different types of equipment for different types of fishing. For example, salt water fishing may require different types of equipment than that used for fresh water fishing or fly fishing As a result, the angler must either carry unnecessary equipment to the fishing site or select only the equipment needed for the particular type of fishing planned and carry only that equipment to the site

Tackle boxes have long been used for storing fishing equipment and/or for carrying selected equipment to a fishing site These boxes come in a variety of shapes and sizes and often are compartmentalized to allow the angler to store the equipment in an organized manner

U S Patent No 4,31 1,262 to Morin teaches a rod and reel caddy designed to assist the angler in transporting a plurality of rod/reel combinations The caddy includes several openings to allow insertion of the reel end of the rod/reel combination therein, and also includes small holes situated around the perimeter of the caddy to allow insertion of fish hooks and/or the hooks of artificial lures

U S Patent No 3,775,895 to Jachim teaches a container for fishing lures designed to hook over the gunwale of a boat The container includes a notched bar extending across the box near the top so the it can receive the hooks on the lures, allowing them to hang within the box A moveable spring-loaded clamping member engages the hooks after they have been placed on the slotted bar to prevent the hooks from coming out of the notches

U S Patent No 4,006,553 to Porter et al teaches a fishing lure tray that utilizes slots ("notches") along one wall of a lure compartment to receive the hook of a lure while the body of the lure lies in the compartment A cover is moved into place to keep the hooks from jumping out of the slots U S Patent No 3,564,755 to Lindgren et al teaches a snelled fish hook holder in which the hooks are inserted into a long slot and the snell is wrapped around the device and anchored

U S Patent No 2,573,431 to Gibson teaches a tackle box that includes removable trays ("bait containers") that have a center handle for carrying The trays include notches for keeping hooks and lures separate from each other and in place U S Patent No 5,440,829 to Parvin teaches a hook holding device that includes a series of holes into which hooks can be inserted to retain them in place A rotatable cover is turned to cover the top of the inserted hook to keep it from jumping out of place

U S Patent No Des 238,873 to West is a design patent for a fishing lure holder The device portrayed in the West patent shows a series of slots along a top bar It cannot be determined from the patent what the slots are for

With any of the above devices, the hooks are either free to jump out of the holes/slots into which they are inserted or some additional means of holding the hooks in place is required (e g a moveable top or cover that comes down over the inserted hooks or the anchoring of the hooks using the snells) The slots allow substantial movement of the hook, i e , they do not fit snugly in the slots Thus, either the hooks can jump out during transport, or the angler must manipulate the top or cover out of the way to access the lure, both of which may inconvenience the angler BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention solves the problems of the prior art by providing a fishing tackle box that has beveled slots situated at various locations around the device The beveled slot takes advantage of the shape of the hook inserted therein to cause the forces of friction to act on the inserted hook By forming the slots in this manner, the hooks of almost any size remain substantially in place during transport but are easily removable when it is desired to remove them No cover is required to hold the lures/hooks in place, minimizing the manipulation required of the user Hooks secured in this manner also reduce the chance of injury because the hooked end is slightly recessed and is therefore shielded The device also includes open compartments to enable the user to carry a variety of other fishing equipment and giving the user easy access to such equipment BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG 1 is a perspective view showing a basic configuration for the fishing tackle box of the present invention with hinged, removable lid in closed position,

FIG 2 is a cut-away perspective view of the box of Fig 1 with one half-portion of the lid raised and showing the beveled shook-hiding slots of the present invention FIG 3 is a perspective view showing the under-structure of the fishing tackle box of the prevent invention,

FIGS 4a through 4c present cut-away views of beveled-hook-hiding slots in the walls of the present invention,

FIGS 5a through 5c illustrate another form of beveled slots, FIG 6 illustrates a divider capable of being inserted into the fishing tackle box of the present invention and containing beveled slots for the holding and protection of hooks,

FIGs 7a and 7b illustrate a pair of the fishing tackle boxs of the present invention is nesting relation,

FIG 8 provides a perspective view of the interior of the preferred embodiment of the present invention

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT FIG 1 shows a basic configuration for the fishing tackle box 10 of the present invention The fishing tackle box includes a bottom 12, four side walls 14, 16, 18, and 20, and handle 22 A main compartment 24 is formed by the side walls 14, 16, 18, and 20 and the bottom 12 Optionally, the box can include interior walls or dividers which may be slidable removable to allow maximum flexibility as to compartment size These interior walls can create smaller sub-compartments within the main compartment 24 formed by the sidewalls

As shown in Fig 2, situated along the top of any or all of the walls are beveled slots 40 As shown, each beveled slot 40 is situated in the wall to create an angled or beveled surface such that the pointed end of any hook placed in the beveled slot 40 will always contact the beveled surface and hooks held in the slot are adequately guarded against accidental contact with the user

These beveled slots 40 may be situated along any wall, either interior or exterior (side) walls It is most favorable to have the beveled slots 40 situated such that the beveled surface faces the outer edge of the side walls, this is the most desirable position because the lure will hang on the inside of the box Thus, if one of the lures is knocked loose during, for example, removal of the lure will tend to drop inside the box, rather than outside the box

The present invention can take several optional forms For example, it may be desirable to alternate between the beveled slots 40 of the present invention and straight holes, such as the holes shown in the Morin patent, to cover the situation in which a particular device or lure might fit more readily into a hole rather than a slot Further, there are numerous configurations for installing the "interior" walls so as to form compartments of different sizes and shapes In a well known manner, the interior walls can be made removable by including slots into which the interior walls may slide This would allow the user to form a different configuration depending upon the size and amount of equipment being brought on a particular fishing trip

The walls and handle can be formed of any know material suitable for forming a box-like structure with a handle As previously mentioned, the wall material must be of a thickness that will allow the hook to hang onto the slot while the hook point does not extend beyond the beveled surface The applicant has found that polyethylene, polyprophylene, Lexan, and the like are useful as the wall material Further, the applicant has used PVC piping to form the handle Obviously, many other materials may be used for the walls and handle

In the drawings and the above description, the slots are formed in a vertical orientation, i e , the slotted portion is perpendicular with respect to the bottom of the box However, it may also be desired to use horizontally oriented slots in some locations, i e , slotted portions that are parallel with respect to the bottom of the box These slots could be placed in horizontal shelf portions that do not have vertical walls

The box is preferably constructed using a molding technique such an extrusion or injection molding, with the entire box being a single piece, i e , the handle, side walls, and interior walls are formed from a single mold The walls and the majority of the box could be much thinner than the approximately 3/8 inch thickness needed to form the beveled edge The slotted portions are then molded so that a thicker "lip" portion extends outward, giving a thicker area in which the beveled slot is molded, as seen in FIGs 4a through 4d A box so constructed is lighter in weight, very durable, and can be formed so that the boxs are stackable for store display or storage Important aspects of the "hide a hook" beveled slot are emphasized in FIGs 4a through 4d,

5a through 5c The slot is beveled to a preferred angle of about 30 degrees As shown, a hook placed in a beveled slot 40 will rest, point first, along the beveled surface 42 The weight of the lure pulls down on the hook point, and the beveled surface causes the hook to fit rather snugly in the slot There is very little room for the hook to move, so as the user carries the box, the lure remains substantially in position The embodiment of FIGs 5a through 5c differs from that of FIGs 4a through 4d in that in there is an opposing support angle below the slot to present a smooth transition The right and left sides of the slot are enclosed to capture the hook from each side The depth of the slot and the walls should approximate the size of the bits of a large lure, treble hook, about 3 45 inch This depth, coupled with the enclosure, not only protects the angler from catching on the outside hook, but also helps to keep the lure from twisting As can be seen from the drawings, the top of each side wall is chamfered to guide the hook into the slot

On the divider shown in FIG 6, there is a securing hook which fits into a beveled "hide a hook" slot on the box This mechanism locks together the divider and the box and allows the divider to be placed at any location where a beveled hook slot is found This basically eliminates the need for divider guides along the inside of the box

As shown in FIG. 7, the box is divided into two lobes to facilitate stacking

FIG 8 illustrates several conveniences that can be added to the box The handle has several Vi inch holes to store hemostats, screw drivers, or any tool which will fit into them Along side the handle on each side is a tray to store small terminal tackle such as hooks, weights, or swivels. Along side each tray, at the spot marked "A" in FIG 8 is a slot to receive a knife blade When the box is molded from translucent material, the handle can double for a light holder This use of the handle to light up an open box without a lid is quite useful. A typical example of such light is one produced by Home Equipment Manufacturing Company of Westminster, California, which is a six inch utility, fluorescent light that is battery operated using four AA batteries Other light fixtures such as those based on bioluminescence can be utilized and it is within the skill of the art to modify the handle in the manufacturing process to accommodate any particular light

As can be seen, the preferred embodiment is provided with a lip This lip provides not only added sturdiness, but also provides added protection against accidental encounters with or disengagement of hooks contained in the beveled slots

A lid is provided for the fishing equipment box of the present invention that is designed to permit storage of the lid when it is not needed Storage is necessary to eliminate the problem or losing or stepping on the removed lid FIG 1 shows the box 10 with the lid 22 in the normal position Also seen is the box handle

25 of the TACKLE-RACK unit and the two lobes 26 of the main unit The lid 22 has ribs 27 and 28 which will guide rainwater away from the insides of each lobe of the main unit, hinges 30 to allow the user to open either side, and handle 32 to lift the lid Both handles of the lid 32 as well as the ribs 27 and 28 are used to secure the lid when it is stored on the underside of the main unit (see FIG 10) FIG 2 shows the lid 22 with one side in the upright position This allows the angler to remove a lure and also reveals one of the dividers 47, one of the storage bins 34, as well as one of the slots 36 to hold a knife or hemostat FIG 2 also shows notches 40 that hold lures

FIG 9 shows the underside of a section of the lid 22 The eight snap guide ribs 38 are designed to inset into the beveled notches 40 of the box to snap down and secure the lid Each lid half is a mirror image of itself containing both a hinge body 42, as well as an accepting hinge pin 44 In the preferred embodiment, the pin is pressure fitted (snap fitted) into the hinge body where it is held by the resilience of the hinge material This design requires only one mold to make each half The design of the box-lid combination solves the problem of storing the removed lid FIG 3 shows space between the two lobs 26 of the main unit as well as the space 46 for the bisecting ribs The inside 48 of each lobe 26 is tapered to provide friction on the ribs 27 and the handle 32 of the lid 22 when it is placed on the bottom of the box

FIG 10 shows how the lid handle 32 and inside ribs 27 of the lid 22 are friction fit to hold the lid in place while allowing the angler to pick up the box by the handle of the main unit with the lid 22 securely attached to the bottom EXAMPLE OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The parts of the box and lid assembly include the following lid 22 (FIGs 1, 2, 3, 9, and 10), handle 32 of the lid 22 found on each lid half (FIGs 1, 2, and 10), inside rib 27 of the lid 22 atta ;hed to the lid handle 32 (FIGs 1, 2, and 10), bisecting rib found where eac l lid half meets (FIGs 1, 2, and 10), snap guide ribs 38 found on the underside of each lid half (FIG 9), hinge (FIG 1), hinge body 42 (FIG. 9), hinge pin (FIG. 9); beveled notches 40 where lure hooks hang and/or the snap guide ribs insert (FIG. 2), knife/hemostat slot 36 (FIG. 2); storage bin 34 (FIG. 2), lobes 26 of the box (FIGs 1, 2, 3, and 10), inside wall 48 of the lobe, contacts the lid ribs and lid handle 48 (FIGs 3 and 10), space 46 at bottom of the lobe to receive bisecting ribs 29 (FIG 3), divider 47 (FIG 8), hook 49 on the divider, snap into the beveled slot of the main unit (FIGs 2 and 10), handle 25 of the box body (FIGs 1, 2, 3, and 10)

The fishing tackle box is manufactured using plastic injection molding The material of choice is polyprophylene, but other plastic materials can be used Polypropylene is used in this case due to its resilient properties Clarified type of polypropylene is used to increase visibility throughout the unit

The injection molding process for the box unit runs at 410 degrees for a cycle of 38 seconds The lid/divider family-mold runs at 410 degrees for a cycle of 43 seconds While these settings work for our particular molds, they are not absolute Other settings may be employed in accordance with the routine skill of the art By means of the present invention, the angler is able to store the lid under the fishing tackle box body, thereby giving the angler better access to the lures hanging in the box, and keep the lid from being lost or stepped on Since there is no room in the construction to place a release or snap, the lid must be the right size and shape to conform to the bottom of the fishing tackle box and stick Natural friction between like plastics as well as molded in appliances is used to maintain a large area of contact between the lid and the bottom of the box This gives the unit the flexibility to permit friction fitting of the lid on the bottom of the box with a sticking capability, and also increases the stability of the overall package When the box is open with the lid removed, but with the box sitting tightly in the lid, the overall combination is much more stable This reduces the chances of an angler kicking it or otherwise tipping the box and dumping the contents into a boat, or even into the water These units can also be stacked on top of each other for storage or display

Claims

CLAIMSWhat is claimed is:

Claim 1. A combination of a fishing tackle box and a hinged, removable lid for said tackle box, said box consisting of two upwardly opening and generally parallel lobes connected at the top edge thereof by an upwardly extending handle, generally centrally located of said lobes, and connected thereto over a substantial portion of the inner edges of said lobes, said lid consisting essentially of two identical lid portions hingedly connected to each other in a manner to generally cover the lobed box and having a slot centrally there through to permit the handle of said box to pass there through when the lid is placed in closing relationship to the box and permitting the inner half of the lid to be opened without totally removing the lid from the box

Claim 2. A combination of a fishing tackle box and a hinged, removable lid for said tackle box in accordance with Claim 1, in which the lid is additionally impressed with the general shape and form of the bottom of said box to permit the insetting of the box into the top of said lid when said box is being used in open condition

Claim 3. A combination of a fishing tackle box and a hinged, removable lid for said tackle box, in accordance with Claim 2, wherein the spacing of said lobes from each other is sufficient to permit the handle of a second box to be inserted therein when the boxes are placed in stacking relation