GB2294188A - Apparatus for holding anglers' hooks - Google Patents

Abstract

The apparatus comprises a backing member (1) provided with a plurality of holders (4, 5) for releasably holding hooks (6), the hooks (6) being a press-fit within respective holders and being positioned so that adjacent hooks (6) overlap each other. The backing member (1) may be an insert or may comprise the wall of a hook box. <IMAGE>

Description

APPARATUS FOR HOLDING ANGLERS' HOOKS This invention relates to apparatus for holding anglers' hooks.

Anglers' hooks are usually sold in small numbers, eg in tens or twenties, supplied loose within a small box or bag. Although they have been sold in this way for many years, there remain a number of problems associated with this method of packaging hooks for sale. First of all, if the hooks are counted into the box or bag by hand, there is the possibility that too few hooks or too many hooks will be included.

If there are too few, the purchaser is likely to be dissatisfied and if there are too many this- can reflect badly on the manufacturer's quality control and/or reduce their profit margin. Hooks loosely contained within a box or bag also tend to knock against each other with the possibility of causing damage to each other. It is also difficult to inspect the individual hooks which are jumbled together in a loose form.

The present invention aims to overcome these problems and to provide a number of other advantages.

According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided apparatus for holding a plurality of anglers' hooks, comprising a backing member provided with a plurality of holding means for releasably holding hooks thereon, each hook being a press-fit within a respective hoiding means.

In a preferred form of the apparatus, a magnifying lens is formed in a substantially transparent part thereof, such as a lid, to aid in the inspection of the hooks.

According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided apparatus for containing a plurality of anglers' hooks, at least part cf the apparatus being formed of substantially transparent material and having a magnifying lens formed therein.

Other features of the invention will be apparent from the following description and from the subsidiary claims of the specification.

The invention will now be further described, merely by using of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a plan view of apparatus in the form of a box according to one embodiment of the invention, shown in the open position; Figure 2 as a side view of the box shown in Figure 2 (with the hooks omitted for clarity); and Figure 3 is an enlarged, cross-sectional view of holding means within the box shown in Figures 1 and 2.

Figure 1 shows a box comprising a base portion 1 and a lid portion 2 joined together by a hinge 3. The base portion of the box is provided with a plurality, in this case ten, of first mounting means 4 and the same number of second mounting means 5 for mounting hooks 6 in the box. Each hook 6 is mounted by means of a respective first mounting means 4 holding the shaft 6A of the hook and a respective second mounting means 5 holding a curved part of 6B of the hook. In the arrangement illustrated, the first and second mounting means 4 and 5 are arranged in rows so that the ten hooks 6 are held in a row with adjacent hooks overlapping each other.

The first and second mounting means 4 and 5 are designed such that the hooks 6 are a push-fit therein. The hooks should be held sufficiently securely so they do not fall out of the mountings when the box is subject to normal handling or knocks but should not be held too securely otherwise they may be difficult for an angler to remove, particularly if the angler has cold hands.

The mounting means 4 and 5 may take a variety of forms and one particular form is shown in Figures 1 to 3. As shown in more detail in Figure 3, the mounting means 4 comprises a pair of resilient upstands 7A and 7B projecting from the base of the box. The upstands 7A and 7B are spaced from each other by a space slightly less than the width of the part of the hook 6 which is to be held therein so that when the hook is pushed between the upstands 7A and 7B, they flex apart slightly and thus grip the hook therebetween. Alternatively, or additionally, one or both of the upstands 7A and 7B may be inclined towards the other by around 5 degrees so the spacing between their ends furthest from the base of the box is slightly less than the width of the part of the hook 6 to be received therebetween. The mounting means thus comprises two components between which the hook is a push-fit.

The first and second mounting means 4 and 5 may be arranged in other positions and patterns within the box depending upon the size and shape of the box and the number and size of hooks to be held therein. The illustrated arrangement has been found to be advantageous as by overlapping the hooks to some extent, the overall length of the box can be reduced. Also, by careful selection of the distance between adjacent hooks and appropriate alignment of the mounting means 4 and 5, the hooks can be held in an attractive way which clearly displays their shape and quality. The mounting means may be provided on any wall of the box.

It has been found that at least two mounting means are preferably provided for each hook and positioned such that the hook is prevented from sliding within the mounting means. The mounting means are thus preferably positioned so as to hold parts of the hook which are not parallel to each other, eg one on the shaft 6A of the hook and one on a curved part 6B of the hook, eg at right angles to the shaft 6A.

In an alternative arrangement, a single mounting means for receiving each hook by a push fit may be provided and other locating means, eg one or more ribs, provided in the box to prevent the hooks sliding within the mounting means. In some cases, the locating means may be provided by one or more side walls of the box.

It will be appreciated that by providing specific mounting positions for each hook, there is no longer any need to count the number of hooks put into a box as it will be self evident if there are too few or too many hooks for the number of mounting positions provided. Moreover, by mounting the hooks in this manner they are clearly presented enabling the manufacturer and the user to check their condition and quality.

To aid inspection of the hooks further, the lid portion 2 of the box is preferably provided with a magnifying glass 8, eg with a focal length of around 50-60mm. A hook 6 can thus be removed from the box and inspected through the magnifying lens 8 in the lid of the box. The box may be open and may be turned over to do this, but the other hooks are, of course, held in position by their respective mounting means.

The magnifying lens 8 is preferably able to provide a magnification of around 1.5x to 3x.

As shown in Figure 2, the magnifying lens 8 is preferably provided in the lid 2 of the box in a position such that when the lid is closed the magnifying lens 8 at least partially overlaps the array of hooks 6 visible through the lid.

Such a magnifying lens may also be provided in the lid of a conventional hook box, ie a box in which the hooks are supplied loose.

The box is also preferably provided with an aperture 9 or other hanging means to enable it to be hung on some form of display apparatus. Information regarding the name of the manufacturer, the type of hook, their size and number etc may be printed on the outer faces of the box or provided on labels applied thereto. Because of the attractive display of hooks in the box and the abilitv to provide this information on the box itself, there is not need to mount the box on a display card for retail purposes (which is usually required for conventional boxes in which hooks are loosely contained).

Besides the mounting means 4 and 5, the magnifying lens 8 and the aperture 9, the box may be of conventional design. Such boxes are preferably made of a transparent plastics material such as cellulose acetate with a living hinge formed between the base portion 1 and the lid portion 2. It will be appreciated that mounting means 4 and 5 such as those described above may be integrally moulded with the box. Also, the magnifying lens 8 may be formed as an integral moulding with the lid of the box, preferably with a convex face on the inner surface of the lid and a flat face on the outer surface thereof. The aperture or other hinging means may also be formed by a moulding operation.

In an alternative arrangement (not shown) the mounting means 4 and 5 may be formed on a backing plate or tray which can be inserted into a plain box. In another arrangement (not shown) the mounting means may be formed on a backing plate which is then mounted on a display card, within a bubble pack, or bag or some other form of packaging. The backing plate is preferably formed of a plastics material so that it and the mounting means can be formed by an injection moulding process but other forms can be envisaged, eg a cardboard backing member with holes or other mounting means for mounting and locating the hooks thereon.

it will be appreciated that the provision of mounting means as described above provides a number of advantages: * it is self-evident whether the correct number of hooks have been provided * the hooks are held in place so they do not rattle around (which can blunt the points or cause other damage) * the hooks are clearly displayed making it easier for the manufacturer and the user to check their quality * the hooks are displayed in an attractive manner The provision of a magnifying lens in the lid of the box also aids the inspection of the hooks by the user so enabling him to check whether they have become blunted, the barbs broken or if they have been damaged in any other way.

Claims (16)

1 Apparatus for holding a plurality of anglers' hooks, comprising a backing member provided with a plurality of holding means for releasably holding hooks thereon, each hook being a press-fit within a respective holding means.

2 Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 in which the holding means provided for each hook comprises at least two mounting means for receiving non-parallel parts of the hook.

3 Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 in which the holding means provided for each hook comprises a single mounting means and one or more locating means for preventing the hook from sliding within the mounting means.

4 Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, 2 or 3 in which the holding means provided for each hook comprises mounting means having two components between which part of the hook is a push-fit.

5 Apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim in which the holding means for the plurality of hooks are arranged in a row.

6 Apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim in which the holding means for the plurality of hooks are positioned such that adjacent hooks overlap each other.

7 Apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim in which the backing member and the holding means are formed of a plastics material and are integrally moulded together.

8 Apparatus as claimed in claim 7 in which the backing member comprises the wall of a box.

9 Apparatus as claimed in claim 7 in which the backing member comprises an insert for inserting within a box.

10 Apparatus as claimed in claim 7 in which the backing member is attached to a display card.

11 Apparatus as claimed in claim 8 or 9 in which at least the lid of the box is formed of a substantially transparent plastics material.

12 Apparatus as claimed in claim 11 in which a magnifying lens is formed in a part of the box formed of a substantially transparent plastics material.

13 Apparatus as claimed in claim 8, 9, 11 or 12 in which the box is formed as a one-piece integral moulding.

14 Apparatus for containing a plurality of anglers' hooks, at least part of the apparatus being formed of substantially transparent material and having a magnifying lens formed therein.

15 Apparatus as claimed in claim 14 in the form of a box with a substantially transparent lid with the magnifying lens formed in part of the lid.

16 Apparatus for holding a plurality of anglers' hooks substantiaby as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Apparatus for containing a plurality of anglers hooks as claimed in claim ' 3 and substantially as hereinbefore described.

16 Apparatus as described in any preceding claim with hooks held or contained therein.

17 Apparatus for holding a plurality of anglers' hooks substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

18 Apparatus for containing a plurality of anglers' hooks as claimed in claim 14 and substantially as herein before described.

CLAIMS 1 Apparatus for holding a plurality of anglers' hooks, comprising a backing member provided with a plurality of holding means for releasably holding hooks thereon, each hook being a press-fit within a respective holding means, the holding means being positioned such that adjacent hooks overlap each other.

2 Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 in which the holding means for the plurality of hooks are arranged in a row.

3 Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 or 2 in which the holding means provided for each hook comprises first mounting means and one or more locating means for preventing the hook from sliding within the first mounting means.

4 Apparatus as claimed in claim 3 in which the locating means comprises second mounting means, the first and second mounting means being arranged to receive non-parallel parts of the hook.

5 Apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim in which the holding means provided for each hook comprises mounting means having two components between which part of the hook is a push-fit.

6 Apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim in which the backing member and the holding means are formed of a plastics material and are integrally moulded together.

Apparatus as claimed in claim 6 in which the tacking member comprises the wall of a box.

Apparatus as claimed in claim @ in which the backing member comprises an insert t@r inserting within a box.

9 Apparatus as claimed in claim @ in which the backing member is attached to j display card.

10 Apparatus as claimed in claim 7 or 8 in which at least the lid of the box is formed of a substantially transparent plastics material.

11 Apparatus as claimed in claim 10 in which a magnifying lens is formed in a part of the box formed of a substantially transparent plastics material.

12 Apparatus as claimed in claim 7, 8, 10 or 11 in which the box is formed as a one-piece integral moulding.

13 Apparatus for containing a plurality of anglers' hooks, at least part of the apparatus being formed of substantially transparent material and having a magnifying lens formed therein.

14 Apparatus as claimed in claim 13 in the form of a box with 2 substantially transparent lid with the magnifying lens formed in part of the lid.

15 Apparatus as described in any preceding claim with hooks held or contained therein.