Method and fishing lure for producing oscillatory movement

• US 6,665,976 B2
• Filed: 07/18/2001
• Issued: 12/23/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Daron K. West
• Original Assignee: Daron K. West
• Inventors: West, Daron K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Jordan, Charles T.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Alimenti, Susan C.
• Application Number:
  US09/906,942
• Publication Number:
  US 20020104250A1
• Time in Patent Office: 888 Days
• Field of Search: 43/171, 43/261, 43/262, 43/423.1
• US Class Current: 43/17.1
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 85/01 with light emission, sound emission, scent dispersal or the like

Abstract

A fishing lure that oscillates from side to side to provide motion to the fishing lure as way for attracting fish. The lure comprises a body which simulates a living creature, where a central portion thereof includes an intermittently operable motor, and operating in a reversible manner, to achieve the oscillating motion. Further, the motor is controlled by a preprogrammed microprocessor.

Claims

1. An oscillating fishing lure comprising:

a.) a dynamically shaped body having front and rear portions along an axially extending center line, where said body is designed to simulate a living body and selected from the group consisting of fish, worms, bugs, and the like, said dynamically shaped body containing a central housing portion;

b.) a battery powered, reversible electric motor mounted within said central housing portion, said electric motor intermittently and alternately operable in a limited clockwise and limited counter clockwise directions about said center line;

c.) a preprogrammed micro processor operable to effect the intermittent and alternate operation of said electric motor, whereby to effect a side-to-side oscillation of said fishing lure about said center line; and

,

d.) means for securing at least one hook to said body.

2. The oscillating fishing lure according to claim 1, wherein said fishing lure repeatedly oscillates between first and second positions.

3. The oscillating fishing lure according to claim 2, wherein said fishing lure continues to move between said positions when said motor is shut down.

4. The oscillating fishing lure according to claim 3, wherein said motor is sequentially operable for about 1.5 seconds in an ON mode, and about 0.5 seconds in an OFF mode.

5. The oscillating fishing lure according to claim 1, wherein said preprogrammed processor includes an electrical circuit that flips the polarity across said electric motor to effect the reversible motion thereof.

6. The oscillating fishing lure according to claim 5, wherein the flipping of the polarity of said electric motor is controlled by a D-flip flop, with said D-flip flop configured with first and second outputs that are always in the opposite state of operability.

7. The oscillating fishing lure according to claim 1, wherein said electric motor is powered by a replaceable and rechargeable battery.

8. The oscillating fishing lure according to claim 1, wherein said front and rear portions include means for securing hooks thereto.

9. The oscillating fishing lure according to claim 1, wherein said preprogrammed microprocessor is a microelectronic chip board operable to control functions of said electric motor.

10. A vibrating fishing lure, comprising:

a lure body having a cavity;

a hook attached to the lure body;

a DC motor having an eccentrically weighted shaft and being mounted within the cavity of the lure body; and

a control circuit disposed within the cavity of the lure body, wherein the control circuit includes a DC power source and is configured to intermittently reverse the DC voltage polarity from the DC power source to the DC motor to impart vibrations to the lure body while intermittently reversing the direction of DC motor rotation.

11. The vibrating fishing lure of claim 10, wherein the control circuit provides intermittent DC power from the DC power source to the DC motor to impart intermittent vibrations to the lure body.

12. The vibrating fishing lure of claim 10, wherein the lure body comprises a first end section threadedly engaging a first end of a central section and a second end section threadedly engaging a second end of the central section that is opposite the first end.

13. The vibrating fishing lure of claim 10, wherein the control circuit comprises a timer circuit that is configured to intermittently turn a transistor on and off to intermittently provide voltage from the DC power source to the DC motor through the transistor and intermittently change states of a flip flop that reverses the polarity of the DC power source to the DC motor.

14. The vibrating fishing lure of claim 10, wherein the control circuit further comprises two electrodes that complete a circuit from the DC power source to the timer circuit upon placement of the lure body in water.

15. The vibrating fishing lure of claim 10, wherein the lure body is shaped to resemble a living creature.

16. The vibrating fishing lure of claim 10, wherein the eccentrically weighted motor comprises a weight extending 90 degrees.

17. A method of vibrating a fishing lure, comprising:

providing a lure body having a cavity and a hook attached to the lure body;

eccentrically weighting a shaft of a DC motor disposed in the lure body; and

intermittently reversing polarity of DC voltage between a DC power source disposed in the lure body and the DC motor with a control circuit that receives DC voltage from the DC power source and provides DC voltage to the DC motor to intermittently reverse rotation of the DC motor and impart vibrations upon the lure body.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein intermittently reversing polarity of DC voltage comprises:

timing a DC output from a timer circuit of the control circuit to change states of a flip flop of the control circuit that is configured to trigger a first polarity and a second polarity of DC voltage to the DC motor; and

reversing the DC voltage polarity from the DC power source to the DC motor when the flip flop changes states.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising intermittently supplying DC power from the control circuit to the DC motor to impart intermittent vibrations to the lure body.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising timing an output pulse to a transistor of the control circuit to intermittently supply the DC power to the DC motor.