Fish finding method and system

• US 6,771,562 B2
• Filed: 08/26/2002
• Issued: 08/03/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Techsonic Industries, Inc. (Johnson Outdoors, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Techsonic Industries, Inc. (Johnson Outdoors, Inc.)
• Inventors: Rasmussen, Douglas W., Betts, David A., Bennett, Christopher James
• Primary Examiner(s): Pihulic, Daniel T.
• Application Number:
  US10/228,120
• Publication Number:
  US 20040105343A1
• Time in Patent Office: 708 Days
• Field of Search: 367/95, 367/96, 367/98, 367/99, 367/111, 367/134, 367/910
• US Class Current: 367/111
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 93/02 with signalling devices
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 97/00 Accessories for angling fish stringers A01K65/00; landing-nets or landing-spoons for fishing A01K77/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/96 for locating fish
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/003 Transmission of data between radar, sonar or lidar systems and remote stations
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 1/38 specially adapted for water-covered areas G01V1/28 takes precedence

Abstract

A buoy to shore fish finding system has a buoyant station with a sonar transmitter, a sonar receiver, a sonar to electric signal transducer and a radio transmitter all controlled by a microprocessor. The system shore station has a radio receiver and signal display controlled by a shore station microprocessor. The buoyant station microprocessor is programmed to generate sync pulses and to transmit both the sync pulses and transduced sonar echo returns to the shore station while the shore station microprocessor is programmed to display only echo signals received after a sync pulse. The shore station is detachably secured to the arm of the fisherman or to his fishing rod.

Claims

1. A method of fishing which comprises the steps of:

(a) generating a stream of digital electric sync pulses;

(b) transmitting sonar pulses from a buoyant station in response to sync pulses;

(c) detecting sonar echoes at the buovant station and generating electric echo signals in response thereto distinguishable from the sync pulses;

(d) transmitting the electric echo signals to a radio receiver secured to the wrist of the fisherman; and

(e) displaying echo signals which follow a sync pulse generated in real time on a screen detachably secured to the wrist of the fisherman.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the digital electric sync pulses are generated of a preselected waveform, and wherein the electric echo signals are generated in waveforms different from that of the preselected sync pulses waveform.

3. A method of fishing with a fishing rod which comprises the steps of:

(a) generating a stream of digital electric sync pulses of a preselected waveform;

(b) transmitting sonar pulses from a buoyant station in response to sync pulses;

(c) detecting sonar echoes at the buoyant station and generating electric echo signals in response thereto of waveforms different from the preselected sync pulse waveform;

(d) displaying echo signals which follow a sync pulse generated in real time on a screen secured to the fishing rod.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the sync pulses are generated of a preselected pulse length, and wherein the electric echo signals are generated with pulse lengths less than that of the sync pulses.

5. A buoy to shore fish finding system comprising a buovant station having a sonar transmitter, a sonar receiver a sonar to electric signal transducer and a radio transmitter all controlled by a microprocessor programmed to generate sync pulses and to transmit both the sync pulses and transduced sonar echo returns to a shore station having a radio receiver and signal display controlled by a shore station microprocessor that bears means for releasibly securing the shore station to an arm of a fisherman and wherein the shore station microprocessor is programmed to display only echo signals received after a sync pulse.

6. A buoy to shore fish finding system comprising a buoyant station having a sonar transmitter, a sonar receiver, a sonar to electric signal transducer and a radio transmitter all controlled by a microprocessor programmed to generate sync pulses and to transmit both the sync pulses and transduced sonar echo returns to the shore station;

a shore station having a radio receiver and signal display controlled by a shore station microprocessor programmed to display only echo signals received after a sync pulse that is mounted in a housing that bears means for releasibly securing the shore station to a fishing rod.