GB2390965A

GB2390965A - Light emitting stick

Info

Publication number: GB2390965A
Application number: GB0216840A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Andrew James O'gorman
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2002-07-19
Filing date: 2002-07-19
Publication date: 2004-01-28
Also published as: GB0216840D0

Abstract

The float comprises a sleeve adapted to slide over a light emitting stick attached to the tip of a float. The sleeve is less dense than water and, together with a cap attached to the tip of the light emitting stick, causes the light emitted from the stick to be obscured when a fish pulls the float into the water. The sleeve may be opaque or translucent.

Description

Improved Fishina Float Indicator Field of the Invention

5 The present invention relates to fishing floats. It is particularly applicable, but in no way limited, to luminous or light-emitting floats used when catching fish after dark. Backaround to the Invention

Catching fish in poor light conditions or at night can be problematic because the angler cannot see immediately when a fish has taken the bait. This is because, a..

À- in poor light or night time conditions, the angler cannot see when the tip of the float is pulled below the water surface. Attempts have been made to overcome 15 this problem by attaching an illuminated or luminous tip to the top of the float One example of this type of product is distributed by Luminasa (Europe) Limited of Spectrum House, Woodcock Road, Warminster, Wilts AB12 9DX and which is sold under the STARLITE (RTM) trade mark. These attachments work on the principle of chemi-luminescene whereby two non-toxic, non-corrosive chemicals 20 held inside a plastic tube are initially separated by a wall of glass. When the plastic tube is bent the glass wall breaks allowing the chemicals to mix and causing a chemical reaction. The resultant powerful luminescent glow lasts between four and six hours. Depending on the size of the tube then these can be visible for as much as 160 yards from the angler. These products are used in 25 a whole number of different branches of angling. For example, tench anglers fix them on floats to fish tip margins, river anglers wrap them to quiver tips, and carp hunters tape them to bobbins.

As an alternative to chemi-luminesence an LED device plus lithium cell battery, 30 or similar, can be used to create the necessary illumination. In either case, the principle is the same. A luminous or illuminated tip is attached to a float, making the float visible from a distance in the dark.

An example of such a device is described in JP 2001 202801 in the name of 35 Lumica Corp.

However, whilst the above devices represent an improvement over having no light at all, they suffer from one major disadvantage. When the tip of the float is pulled under water the light still shines out. In clear water the light is still visible even when the float is under water. Thus, the angler is still not given a clear and 5 unambiguous signal that he has a bite.

It is the object of the present invention to overcome or mitigate this problem.

DescriDtion of the Drawings The invention will be further described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawing in which: A.

:e Figure 1 illustrates a float with a light-emitting tip in a static position awaiting a 15 bite; A. À Figure 2 illustrates the float of Figure 1 where a bite has started to pull the float under water and a sleeve is moving upwards to partially obscure the light; À À.''. '

20 Figure 3 illustrates a submerged float in which the sleeve has extinguished the light; Figure 4 illustrates the various components of the illuminated tip of the float.

25 Descrintion of the Preferred Embodiments Embodiments of the present invention are described below by way of example only. These examples represent the best ways of putting the invention into practice that are currently known to be applicable although these are not the only 30 ways in which this could be achieved.

Figures 1 to 3 show how a device, generally shown as 10, according to the present invention operates. A float 10, which can be of conventional design, has attached to its upper end a light-emitting tip. This tip can also be of conventional 35 design and could be of the STARLITE (RTM) type. A moveable sleeve 13 is positioned over the light-emitting tip and its connection to the float. The sleeve is

prevented from becoming detached from the float by a cap 14 at one end and by the body of the float of the other. The sleeve in this example has an uppermost in use end 15 which has a larger diameter than the body of the sleeve itself.

This increases the surface tension and assists the sleeve in floating on the water 5 surface.

When the float is at rest in the water, before a bite, it floats as shown in Figure 1.

Once a bite starts to pull down on the float then the water level will rise and the sleeve will start moving up the float towards the cap 14. This is shown in Figure 10 2. As this happens the light will start to be extinguished. Once the float is fully submerged, as shown in Figure 3, the light is completely extinguished by the opaque sleeve having surrounded the entire length of the light-emitting tip. Once A..

a fish has been caught and landed and the float re-deployed, it will, once again me adopt the configuration shown in Figure 1.

1 5 The components of the invention are shown in Figure 4. I.

The designer has a good deal of freedom in designing the various components. À The cap 14 can be of any suitable shape or material, providing it fits tightly onto '.,.

20 the lightemitting tip. For example, it could form an integral part of one end of the light-emitting tip. The sleeve 13 can be of any diameter so long as it passes freely over the light-emitting tip and is restrained by the cap 14 at one end and the body of the float 11 at the other end. With regards to materials, the sleeve can be completely opaque, e.g. manufactured from black plastic, or could be 25 translucent but of a highly distinctive colour. The appearance of this colour with the light shining through it would also give the angler a signal that a bite had been obtained.

The flange 15 around one end of the sleeve can be of any suitable size, shape or 30 configuration to provide the necessary buoyancy to the sleeve.

Thus, according to one aspect of the invention there is provided a bite indicator comprising: 35 i) a light-emitting portion attached to or integral with a fishing float; ii) an opaque sleeve, adapted to slide over the light-emitting portion of the

float, the sleeve being less dense than water. This arrangement has the advantage that an angler knows straight away that a fish has taken the bait by the disappearance of the light on the tip of the float.

5 The invention extends to both the components necessary to adapt an existing float in this way, in a kit of parts if necessary, and to a complete float including these features. It will be appreciated that it can be applied to any of the different types of float used in different branches of angling. A connector or connecting means is required to attach the light-emitting tip onto the top of the float. The 10 sleeve simply slides over the tip before it is connected to the float and is retained in place by a cap. The top of the float may be specifically designed to make it easier to attach a light-emitting tip onto the float. A.,;.

e,; a, À -- À me.. en e À L e a.

Claims

1. A bite indicator device comprising: i) an opaque sleeve adapted to slide in use over a light emitting 5 stick adapted to be attached to the tip of a float, said opaque sleeve being less dense than water; ii) a cap adapted to attach to the tip of the light emitting stick.

2. A bite indicator device as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the opaque sleeve

10 incorporates a buoyancy flange.

3. A bite indicator device as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the opaque sleeve is substantially non-transparent to light.

15

4. A bite indicator device as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein the opaque sleeve is translucent to light, causing a colour change to the light emitted from the light emitting stick as it passes through the sleeve.

5. A bite indicator device as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the 20 device further comprises a light emitting stick or portion adapted to be attached to a fishing float.

6. A bite indicator device as claimed in Claim 5, wherein the device further comprises a connecting means, or variety of connecting means, adapted to 25 connect the light emitting portion to a fishing float.

7. A bite indicator device as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the device also incorporates a fishing float.

30

8. A bite indicator device substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in any combination of the accompanying drawings.