US3911609A — Instrument for remote fishing

Claim 1

Independent Claim 376 words

In a self propelled fishing float including a hull, outwardly opening casing means carried by said hull, said casing means releasably containing a sinker and hook attached to a fishing line, release means for releasing said sinker and hook from said casing, a motor having a control linkage, an adjustable, wound spring and gearing type timer carried by said hull, and means interconnecting said sinker, hook releasing means and said timer to cause release of said sinker and hook after a predetermined time interval, the improvement comprising: A. a winding and output motion shaft on said timer; B. an actuating cam for said release means, said actuating cam being mounted on said shaft and engageable with said release means upon unwinding of the spring of said timer and rotation of the timer gearing after a predetermined time interval; C. said timer including a first gear attached to said shaft, said first gear having an undercut section wherein no teeth are provided, said first gear engaging other timer gearing which effectively brakes free rotation of said first gear in a manner known per se except when said undercut portion of said first gear is presented to said other gearing, at which time said first gear and shaft are free to rotate within a prescribed limited arc; D. windable spring means connected to said shaft in said timer and means for winding said spring to initiate a controlled, spring driven rotation of said shaft, said shaft being free to rotate under the impulse of said spring free of said other timer gearing when said undercut section of said first gear is presented to said other timer gearing; E. a motor control pawl connected to said shaft and rotatable therewith, and engageable with said motor control linkage to activate said linkage to a motor shut off position, the angular orientation of said pawl with respect to said shaft, said first gear and said release means actuating cam being such that the motor is shut off during free rotation of said shaft under the impulse of said spring substantially immediately when said release means is actuated, whereby said motor control linkage is driven to the shut off position by a rapid impulse stroke when said sinker and hook are released.

Claim 2

Dependent Claim 376 words

In a self propelled fishing float including a hull, outwardly opening casing means carried by said hull, said casing means releasably containing a sinker and hook attached to a fishing line, release means for releasing said sinker and hook from said casing, a motor having a control linkage, an adjustable, wound spring and gearing type timer carried by said hull, and means interconnecting said sinker, hook releasing means and said timer to cause release of said sinker and hook after a predetermined time interval, the improvement comprising: A. a winding and output motion shaft on said timer; B. an actuating cam for said release means, said actuating cam being mounted on said shaft and engageable with said release means upon unwinding of the spring of said timer and rotation of the timer gearing after a predetermined time interval; C. said timer including a first gear attached to said shaft, said first gear having an undercut section wherein no teeth are provided, said first gear engaging other timer gearing which effectively brakes free rotation of said first gear in a manner known per se except when said undercut portion of said first gear is presented to said other gearing, at which time said first gear and shaft are free to rotate within a prescribed limited arc; D. windable spring means connected to said shaft in said timer and means for winding said spring to initiate a controlled, spring driven rotation of said shaft, said shaft being free to rotate under the impulse of said spring free of said other timer gearing when said undercut section of said first gear is presented to said other timer gearing; E. a motor control pawl connected to said shaft and rotatable therewith, and engageable with said motor control linkage to activate said linkage to a motor shut off position, the angular orientation of said pawl with respect to said shaft, said first gear and said release means actuating cam being such that the motor is shut off during free rotation of said shaft under the impulse of said spring substantially immediately when said release means is actuated, whereby said motor control linkage is driven to the shut off position by a rapid impulse stroke when said sinker and hook are released.

Claim 3

Dependent Claim 43 words

The self propelled fishing float recited in claim 1, further including spring biasing means for automatically returning said motor control linkage to a motor run position after it has been driven to the shut off position for enabling subsequent restarting of the motor.

Claim 4

Dependent Claim 66 words

The fishing float recited in claim 2, further including a motor driven propeller for said float, said propeller having spring-biased blades normally urged towards a 90* pitch setting at rest, but centrifugally drivable to a thrust producing pitch range when the propeller is motor driven, whereby the float may be hauled stern first in water with the motor stopped with minimum propeller resistance to the motion.

Claim 5

Dependent Claim 154 words

The self propelled fishing float as recited in claim 2, further wherein said motor Is disposed in a water tight compartment in said hull, said compartment having a pivotable cover secured to the top edge of said compartment at a pivot hinge, said cover having a cam surface adjacent its pivot hinge; and further including variable length motor air inlet and exhaust conduits pivotally secured to said hull adjacent said cover pivot hinge, and resilient means interconnecting the distal ends of said conduits and said cover intermediate said pivot hinge and the opposite edge of said cover, said conduits haveing cam follower surfaces engaged by said cover cam surface, whereby pivoting said cover to an open position causes said conduits to be pivoted to a raised position through said resilient means and lowering of said cover causes said conduits to be lowered to a generally horizontal position through said cover and cam follower surfaces.

Claim 6

Dependent Claim 103 words

The self propelled fishing float recited in claim 1, further wherein said casing means comprises a double-ended receptacle, each end containing a sinker and hook attached to separate lines, said casing release means including a pair of release arms, one for each container end for retaining said sinkers and hooks in said receptacle ends, and a pair of triggers levers extending between said release arms and said timer interconnecting means, said trigger lever arranged to be actuated sequentially by said interconnecting means when said timer releases said sinkers and hooks to prevent tangling of said lines upon release of said sinkers and hooks.

Claim 7

Dependent Claim 38 words

The self propelled fishing float as recited in claim 5, further including line holders associated with each of said pair of release arms for said container ends for holding the fishing lines attached to said sinkers and hooks.

Claim 8

Dependent Claim 159 words

The self propelled fishing float recited in claim 5, further wherein said interconnecting means between said timer and said trigger levers includes an actuating cam comprising a first planar body portion secured directly to, and extending transversely of a motion output shaft of said timer for rotation in a plane of rotation normal to said shaft, and a second, generally planar cam section extending co-planar with said body portion and pivotable with respect thereto about an axis lying on said plane of rotation and extending transversely of a radial line extending from the axis of said shaft, said cam section including a sloped under-surface, and a spring biasing means for urging said cam section in co-planar relationship with said body portion, but enabling upward movement of said cam section, said sloped under-surface arranged to ride over said trigger levers when said timer is wound, said cam section actuating said trigger levers after said predetermined time when said timer unwinds.

Claim 9

Dependent Claim 197 words

In a self propelled fishing float including a hull, a water tight compartment in said hull, a propelling motor within said compartment, means for timing the operation of said motor to shut same off after a predetermined time interval, and release means for a line-attaching fishing hook and sinker, said release means being also controlled by said timer for releasing the hook and sinker after a predetermined time interval; the improvement comprising: A. a pivotable cover secured to a top edge of said compartment at a pivot hinge, said cover having a cam surface adjacent its pivot hinge; B. motor air inlet and exhaust conduits pivotally secured at one end to said hull adjacent said cover pivot hinge; C. resilient means interconnecting the distal ends of said conduits and said cover intermediate said pivot hinge and the opposite edge of said cover; D. said conduits including means engaged by said cover cam surface, whereby pivoting of said cover to an open position causes said conduits to be pivoted to a raised position through said resilient means, and lowering of said cover causes said conduits to be lowered to a generally horizontal position through said cover cam surface.

Claim 10

Dependent Claim 197 words

In a self propelled fishing float including a hull, a water tight compartment in said hull, a propelling motor within said compartment, means for timing the operation of said motor to shut same off after a predetermined time interval, and release means for a line-attaching fishing hook and sinker, said release means being also controlled by said timer for releasing the hook and sinker after a predetermined time interval; the improvement comprising: A. a pivotable cover secured to a top edge of said compartment at a pivot hinge, said cover having a cam surface adjacent its pivot hinge; B. motor air inlet and exhaust conduits pivotally secured at one end to said hull adjacent said cover pivot hinge; C. resilient means interconnecting the distal ends of said conduits and said cover intermediate said pivot hinge and the opposite edge of said cover; D. said conduits including means engaged by said cover cam surface, whereby pivoting of said cover to an open position causes said conduits to be pivoted to a raised position through said resilient means, and lowering of said cover causes said conduits to be lowered to a generally horizontal position through said cover cam surface.

Claim 11

Dependent Claim 134 words

In a self propelled fishing float including a hull, A motor driven propeller for driving said hull through water, means for timing the operation of said motor to shut same off after a predetermined time interval, and a fishing hook and sinker release means also controlled by said timer for releasing said hooks after a predetermined time interval coinciding with the motor operation time interval, the improvement comprising: said propeller having spring biased blades normally urged towards a 90* pitch setting at rest, but centrifugally drivable to a thrust producing pitch range when the propeller is motor driven, whereby the propeller stops rotation upon said release of the fishing hook and further whereby the float may be hauled stern first in water with the motor stopped with minimum propeller resistance to the sternwise motion.

Claim 12

Dependent Claim 134 words

In a self propelled fishing float including a hull, A motor driven propeller for driving said hull through water, means for timing the operation of said motor to shut same off after a predetermined time interval, and a fishing hook and sinker release means also controlled by said timer for releasing said hooks after a predetermined time interval coinciding with the motor operation time interval, the improvement comprising: said propeller having spring biased blades normally urged towards a 90* pitch setting at rest, but centrifugally drivable to a thrust producing pitch range when the propeller is motor driven, whereby the propeller stops rotation upon said release of the fishing hook and further whereby the float may be hauled stern first in water with the motor stopped with minimum propeller resistance to the sternwise motion.

Annuity Stage	Window Opens	Payment Deadline	Surcharge Period Until	Estimated Fee	Status
3.5 Years (Year 4)	1978-10-13	1979-04-14	1979-10-14	$2000.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8)	1982-10-13	1983-04-14	1983-10-14	$3760.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12)	1986-10-13	1987-04-14	1987-10-14	$7700.00	Window Closed / Lapsed

Instrument for remote fishing

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