Florida Intellectual Property Law Blog

The ice-fishing bucket invented by Gene Persinger has received United States Patent No. 6,364,150. According to an article in freepatentsonline.com, this bucket works well for organizing as well as transporting ice fishing rods and tackle. The invention includes a plastic bucket that has a removable lid, which has a large hole cut into it as well as a foam ring fitted around the inner boundary of the hole.

There are slits along the inner circumference of the foam ring that cuts radially for securing the fishing rods. Into the bottom of the ice fishing bucket, there is a foam disk with holes, which receive the handle ends of ice fishing rods. The holes are made maintaining a vertical alignment with the slits that are made in the foam ring above.

For organizing the ice fishing rods, the handle of the rods are placed in the foam disk holes and the rod is then pushed into the corresponding slit on the bucket lid's foam ring. The fishing rods are held in place due to the friction between the slits and the rods. There are also provisions for keeping lures and tackle in the center of the bucket.

A patent has been obtained by a 10-year-old boy for his invention of a device used for dispensing live feeder-guppies to predatory fish kept in aquariums. As reported in an article in www.practical fishkeeping.co.uk, the boy, Evan Loginov was issued the patent number 7,059,270 from the US Patent and Trademark Office, for the purpose of a gadget he formulated for his school's invention fair.

The boy's invention, the "in-tank feeder-fish dispenser" contains the live feeder-fish in a small chamber, which at times keep dispensing them, so that the other fish could chase them around and finally eat them. The benefit of the invention is that the aquarium owner just needs to release a small door containing the small fish during the feeding time. The small fish is let out, but the big fish cannot get into the chamber to eat the other feeder fish.

Loginov disclosed, that the reason behind his invention was his father getting fed up of going out everyday, for the purpose of buying live guppies in order to feed his blood parrot cichlid.

As a Fort lauderdale, Florida Florida patent attorney, I have secured a number of fishing patents for clients focusing on lures, tackle, and other accessories.  A recent article is of interest, however, as it discusses well known manufacturer, Hook & Tackle, and their patented fishing apparel.  

Fishing patents for Hook & Tackle's Air/X design system were recently issued by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.  According to an article in www.landbigfish.com, one of the prime American outfitters, Hook & Tackle is best known for its nautical authentic outdoor and sport fishing apparel. The patented fishing accessories from the company offer exclusive designs for recreational and pro fishermen. Noticeably, the company hosts a technical gear collection that is designed to offer high performance patented fishing gear and the Sportsman's Gear collection which is best suited for after-fishing.      

According to the company, the fishing accessories of Hook & Tackle are flexibly designed to fit different water bodies -land locked fresh water lakes, streams, or open salty oceans. The light-weight sophisticated fabrics from the company are configured to accommodate some great features that includes wrinkle resistance, drying  quickly, stains repulsion and providing maximum protection from sun. The details and uniqueness of product designs is what earns several design copyrights and legal trade dress rights for Hook & Tackle.

Fishing equipment patents such as the convertible fly fishing vest have considerable importance in the fishing world. According to an article in freepatentsonline.com the attributes of fly fishing patents have been carefully tailored to meet the practical requirements of sport fishing. 

The patented vest comprises a mesh panel which forms the rear part of the vest that has a removable rear panel covering the whole mesh panel. The upper edge of the rear panel has been split from the vest. Moreover, the side panel portions are detached from the vest.    

The rear panel is furled into an unfastened pocket from which it extends and an edge of the rear panel is anchored with the pocket. The rear panel in the pocket extends laterally across the rear when placed appropriately and the pocket is zippered.  As the rear panel is secured to the pocket, the entire mesh panel is exposed to offer significant increase in ventilation for the fly fishing person.

As an avid fisherman and Florida Patent Attorney, I am always interested in patenting news relating to the sport.  In this regard, fishing patents have provided an extra edge to the quick-release fishhook genre.   According to an article at www.freepatentsonline.com this versatile patented equipment seems to be a great asset for the anglers. It elaborates that the manageable fishhook can be operated with one hand – releasing a fish caught on the hook without exposing the hands to the hook or sharp fish teeth.

The hook's shank portion has an interior channel connected to a slotted rear shank portion, which extends obliquely from the rear end of the forward hook shank portion. There is an U-shaped hook member having a sharp tip and locking notch, that are attached to the slot in the rear shank portion with a swivel pin displacing from the axis of the forward hook shank portion. Further, the lock rod ride is present in the interior channel, which is spring-biased rearwardly and fained in the locking notch. A distal button connected to the lock rod allows the angler to retract the lock rod from the notch. Through the rotation, the biased lock rod snaps into the locking notch to lock the hook for angling.

As a Florida patent lawyer and avid fisherman, I enjoy following new news relating to the industry.  In this regard, a new fishing patent has been awarded to St. Croix's Legend. The U.S. patented St. Croix's Legend ice rods features an ultra-sensitive spring built-in indicator system as confirmed in an article in www.stcroixrods.com. The system built out of durable, high-tension stainless steel plated with 24K gold is attached to the tip top of the rod. This indicator allows the anglers to see the slightest knock or bite much in advance before it is actually felt.       

The ice rod is available in a range of five models from medium-heavy to ultra-light. In addition, there are three spring indicators - light, medium and medium-heavy. The indicators can be effortlessly interchanged by switching from light to medium to medium-heavy, etc. Each type of rod can use two different springs fitting to the styles and weights. This unique system is an important accessory that makes fishing much easier when compared to other styles of rods or spring robbers.

As a Florida patent attorney, I have a number of clients with an interest in patenting fishing equipment and supplies.  Another fishing patent from Hardy Rods & Reels has resulted in an every growing emergence of a range of rods and reels that are suitable for all circumstances and every kind of fishing.  According to an article in yagersflies.com, the consumer has the privilege of tailoring their choices to go with their personal preferences for line weight, rod length, rod price and action.

No matter what rod the consumer chooses, he/she will be assured of the fact that the products have been hand made to the highest standards. The company has also come up with an Original User Unconditional Lifetime Warranty, placed on all the Graphite Fly Rods and their entire series of Fly Reels. The other rods from Hardy come with a lifetime warranty against the manufacturing and material defects for the original buyer. The company also guarantees the consumer that it will be replacing and repairing the damaged products.

At present, Hardy offers nine different lines of reels, which reflect innovative design and rich heritage.

If you're an ice fisherman, the patent pending Auger Buddy may make your fishing trips easier. The inventors of the Auger Buddy have recently reached the patent pending stage for their lightweight, hand-operated sled, which transports the power auger and other ice fishing equipment across ice and snow. An article at www.pr.com touts the Auger Buddy as a hassle-free solution for carrying equipment and tackle to and from fishing holes. It's convenient, and it also gives fisherman more time to fish and less time lugging.

You'll see that many new inventions capitalize on convenience and work to give people more time. In this time-pressed culture, we need all the extra moments we can get.

As a Miami patent attorney, I live less than a 90 minute drive from Islamorada in the Florida Keys-reputed to be the sportfishing capital of the world and have a special interest in fishing and fishing patents.

Patenting fishing equipment is a niche practice area of the firm and the patented quick release modular fly-fishing reel caught my attention.  As per an article at freepatentsonline.com, the patented modular fly fishing reel comes with several characterized features that make it unique. Its boasts of a changeable spool, flexible drag and a reversible clutch mechanism. The equipment invented by Robert W. Koelewyn is enclosed within a frame of sidewalls. Usually, it has a removable cylindrical axle cartridge mounted on the mounting socket of the frame side wall.

The spool has a removable hub, which is secured on the axle tube through a quick release mechanism.  The axle cartridge consists a drag assembly that is adjustable through a drag nut located close to the frame side wall. The drag is adjustable through the drag knob, which turns with the spool. Further the drag could also be adjusted through the number and type of drag washers as well as the spring present to compress the drag washers. The modular Fly fishing reel offers a genuinely well set mechanism for the anglers.

An elongated hollow fishing lure pouch has obtained the US Patent 5992082. The invention of Barefoot, Harold E. (Tipp City, OH, US) permits a fishing lure to be retained in a hollow pouch with a fishing rod and reel (when not fishing).

According to an article in www.freepatentsonline.com, the lure can be held without worrying about the potential interference of objects or persons with the fishhooks on the lure.

The lure pouch is made of a relatively flexible elastomeric material, which has a high memory retention and can be operated by squeezing the opposite ends of the pouch towards each other by opening a slit that extends lengthwise of the pouch. This slit allows the lure placing or removal from the pouch. The pouch conveniently helps the installation and the removal of the lure without having to handle the lure and the hooks physically. The pouch also covers the lure and shields it from the rods while carrying.