Fish grip

Abstract

To provide a fish gripping tool having a ratchet mechanism of a simple structure that functions properly and capable of gripping a fish with an appropriate force according to the size of the fish. [SOLUTION] A fish gripping tool 1 has a pair of swinging arms 4A and 4B provided in front of a pair of grips 2A and 2B connected by a support shaft 3, and when the grips 2A and 2B are grasped with the hands, the pair of arms 4A and 4B narrows apart to hold the fish with the lower jaw pinched from the inside and outside. A ratchet mechanism 10 is provided at a location other than the support shaft 3 to displace the grips 2A and 2B when grasped in a direction that narrows the gap between the arms 4A and 4B but prevents them from widening.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This invention relates to a fish gripping device used to hold a caught fish by gripping its mouth or other part. [Background technology]

[0002] When fishing, for example, to photograph a fish you have caught, you may hold the fish by its mouth (for example, by the lower jaw from both the inside and outside) with a fish grip. Fish grips are used because holding the fish directly with your hands can be slippery due to the mucous membrane on its surface. You also want to avoid getting the smell of fish on your hands or getting injured by the fish's fins or spines. Also, some species of fish have poisonous spines. Therefore, you use a tool to hold the fish. In this case, in order to minimize the burden on the fish and to avoid weakening it, it is common to use a fish gripper to clamp the mouth, which is considered to be relatively strong.

[0003] Fish gripping devices that hold fish by pinching the mouth of the fish as described above are described in, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2 listed below. The device described in Patent Document 1 clamps the fish's mouth with the tips of a pair of openable and closable movable teeth. The movable teeth are opened by pulling the operating body in the middle with a finger, and when the finger is released from the operating body, the movable teeth close due to the action of an internal coil spring. The lower jaw is clamped from the inside and outside between the tips of the pair of closing movable teeth.

[0004] Patent Document 2 describes a type of scissors that can be held in the hand like regular scissors for cutting paper and that can be opened and closed by gripping the tip end. By gripping the grip with the hand, a pair of arms at the tip end that swing around the support shaft (connecting part) can be used to pinch the body or mouth of a fish. The support shaft is equipped with a ratchet mechanism (locking mechanism), which can hold (lock) the arms at a desired angle (opening) when closed, preventing the arms from widening apart. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Utility Model Registration No. 3229016 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2012-139149 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] The fish gripping devices described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 have room for improvement in the following respects. In the device described in Patent Document 1, the tips of a pair of movable teeth close together to clamp the fish's mouth, but the force with which the tips close together is determined by the strength of the coil spring built into the fish gripping device. If the force of the coil spring is weak, the fish will lose its grip when it struggles, and it will likely fall off. On the other hand, if the force of the coil spring is too strong, the force clamping the mouth will be too great, which can injure or weaken the fish. Since it is difficult to replace the coil spring according to the size of the fish, it is difficult to always grip the fish with the appropriate force. The small area of ​​the tips of the movable teeth that clamp the fish's mouth also makes it easy to injure and weaken the fish.

[0007] The example shown in Patent Document 2 utilizes a ratchet mechanism to maintain the arm at an appropriate opening angle when gripping the grip with one's hand, allowing for the application of appropriate force to grasp a fish according to its size, etc. However, the ratchet mechanism incorporated into the support shaft has a complex configuration, requiring high-precision machining for its manufacture, which is quite costly. The ratchet mechanism incorporated into the support shaft requires precise machining to ensure smooth opening and closing of the arm, and also requires the use of high-strength components to take into account the magnitude of the force acting on the support shaft. If the ratchet mechanism were made entirely of metal, it would be quite heavy. Furthermore, to release the ratchet mechanism from holding the arm open, the end face (locking cap) of the support shaft incorporating the ratchet must be manually pushed axially by hand, necessitating a cumbersome operation that requires the user to hold the grip with one hand while pressing the side of the support shaft with the other.

[0008] Taking the above points into consideration, the present invention provides a fish gripping device that has a ratchet mechanism with a simple structure that functions properly and can grip fish with an appropriate force according to the size of the fish, etc. In addition, the ratchet mechanism can be constructed at low cost, and the opening of the arms maintained by the mechanism can be easily released with one hand holding the grip of the fish gripping device, and further, the device is provided with a light burden on the held fish, making it less likely to injure or weaken the fish. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The fish gripper of this invention has a pair of swinging arms in front of a pair of grips connected by a support shaft, and when the pair of grips are grasped by hand, the distance between the pair of arms narrows to hold the fish by pinching its mouth (for example, the lower jaw from the inside and outside), A ratchet mechanism for displacing the pair of grips in a direction that narrows (closes) the gap between the pair of arms when the grips are grasped and for locking the grips so that the grips do not displace in a direction that widens (opens) the gap between the arms is provided at a location other than the support shaft. As generally defined, a "ratchet mechanism" refers to a mechanism that transmits intermittent rotational motion in one direction by engaging pawls and prevents rotation in the opposite direction. Figures 1 to 3 show an example of a fish gripping device according to the present invention. A pair of arms 4A and 4B are located in front of (at the top of) a pair of grips 2A and 2B, swinging via a support shaft 3. When grips 2A and 2B are grasped by hand, the swinging arms 4A and 4B, which intersect at the support shaft 3, swing toward each other in a closing direction. It is also preferable to attach a spring near the support shaft 3 or elsewhere so that the grips 2A and 2B (and therefore the arms 4A and 4B) receive a force that naturally opens them. The ratchet mechanism is located somewhere other than the support shaft 3, in the space between the pair of grips 2A and 2B in the illustrated example.

[0010] With this fish gripping device, when the arms are brought close to the fish's mouth and the tips of the arms are positioned inside or outside the fish's lower jaw, for example, and the grip is grasped by hand, the arms are gradually displaced in a direction narrowing the gap between them, closing the arms to an appropriate opening angle according to the size of the fish (for example, the thickness of the lower jaw), etc., at which point the ratchet mechanism stops the arms from moving open. Therefore, when the fish is hung by the lower jaw, it can be held without putting excessive strain on the fish and injuring it as little as possible. Moreover, because the ratchet mechanism is not incorporated into the support shaft, there is no need to consider maintaining smooth opening and closing of the arm or withstanding the mechanical load of the support shaft. In other words, the ratchet mechanism does not require the precision and mechanical strength described in the example of Patent Document 2, so it can be configured as a fish gripping tool that is low-cost, lightweight, and easy to handle.

[0011] The ratchet mechanism in the fish gripping device of the present invention is attached to the pair of grips and is located in the space between the grips (i.e., sandwiched between the pair of grips), and it is preferable that a release operating part for enabling the arm to be displaced in the opening direction is also located in the space between the pair of grips (same as above).

[0012] When the ratchet mechanism is configured as described above, its location between the pair of grips does not interfere with gripping, and the release operation that allows the arms to be displaced in the opening direction is easy. In other words, when you no longer need to hold a fish and want to open the arms, you can release the ratchet mechanism by operating the operating part of the ratchet mechanism. Because the operating part is located in the space between the pair of grips, you can release the ratchet mechanism by operating it with any finger of the same hand while holding the pair of grips with the other hand.

[0013] Regarding the ratchet mechanism mentioned above, a) A first engaging claw is provided on one of the pair of grips on the side closer to the other grip, and a lever having a second engaging claw at its tip that can engage with the first engaging claw and having the operating portion at its other end is swingably attached via a support pin to the other grip on the side closer to the one grip, b) When the lever receives a force from a spring attached between the lever and the other grip, the second engaging claw is pressed against the first engaging claw, and both engaging claws come into contact with each other; c) And, at the contact portion where the two interlocking claws come into contact with each other, at least one of the first and second interlocking claws has a gently inclined surface on the side closer to the grip on which the mating interlocking claw is provided, and on the opposite side has an interlocking surface that is approximately perpendicular to the direction in which the two grips approach and separate, and is saw-tooth shaped with a plurality of triangular teeth (the shape when viewed from the axial direction of the support shaft is triangular). It is preferable that the above-mentioned feature is: The fish gripping tool 1 illustrated in FIG. 1 and elsewhere has a ratchet mechanism 10 configured as described above, with reference numerals 11 and 13 in the figure representing the first and second interlocking claws, and reference numeral 14 representing the lever. The lever 14 has the second interlocking claw 13 at its tip end and an operating part 15 at its other end, with a spring 17 attached between it and the grip 2B. The first interlocking claw 11 has a serrated contact portion that comes into contact with the second interlocking claw 13, with a gently inclined surface 11a on the side closer to the grip 2B where the mating second interlocking claw 13 is provided, and a nearly right-angled interlocking surface 11b on the opposite side. In the illustrated example, the contact portion of the second interlocking claw 13 also has a similar serrated shape.

[0014] With the ratchet mechanism configured as described above, the fish grip of the invention can be used as follows. 1) First, with the tips of the pair of arms open (see Figure 1), when the fish gripping device is brought close to the fish and the tips of both arms are to be used to clamp the fish's mouth, the arms are gradually squeezed together by closing the pair of grips. Because the contact portion of at least one of the interlocking claws is serrated as described above, as the grips are narrowed, the interlocking points of both interlocking claws gradually shift so as to narrow the distance between the arms while maintaining their interlocking state. When the interlocking points of the interlocking claws shift, the lever rotates slightly against the force of the spring, causing the second interlocking claw to move over the serrated teeth of the first interlocking claw one by one. 2) When the arms are closed appropriately and the fish's mouth is pinched with the appropriate force (see Figure 2), the grips stop closing further. At this point, the fish's mouth is pinched with the appropriate force, so it can be held in a state that is less likely to injure or weaken it. In this state, the interlocking claws are engaged by the action of the lever and spring. Furthermore, this engagement is achieved when the second interlocking claw contacts the nearly right-angled interlocking surface of the serrated contact portion of the first interlocking claw. This prevents the angle between the grips from widening, and therefore keeps the arms locked so they cannot open up. 3) When it is no longer necessary to hold a fish and you wish to open the arms, you can release the locked state by operating the lever operating part of the ratchet mechanism with your finger (pull it toward grip 2B in the illustrated example). When you operate the lever, the second interlocking claw at the tip separates from the first interlocking claw, releasing the interlocking state between the two, and the distance between the grips and the tips of the arms also increases (see Figure 1). Releasing the locked state by the ratchet mechanism can be done extremely easily with this lever located between the pair of grips. This is because all you have to do is touch the lever operating part with one hand while still holding the pair of grips.

[0015] The fish gripper of the invention has a 1.0 cm long section at the tip of each of the pair of arms that grip the mouth of the fish. 2 It is preferable to have a portion having an area of ​​at least this size. Each of the tip portions 4x of the arms 4A and 4B of the fish gripping tool 1 illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 3 also has a portion with such an area formed as a portion that comes into contact with the mouth of the fish. By clamping the fish across such a wide surface area, the tips are less likely to dig into the fish's mouth, which puts less strain on the fish and therefore makes it less likely for the fish to be injured or weakened.

[0016] In the fish gripping device of the present invention, the pair of grips and the pair of arms including the tip portions are preferably made of fiber-reinforced plastic, such as glass fiber-reinforced resin or carbon fiber-reinforced resin. Fiber-reinforced plastic has sufficient strength to hold a fish, does not rust, and is lighter than metal. Therefore, if the grip and arm are made of fiber-reinforced plastic, it is possible to construct a lightweight fish gripping tool that is easy to use. Furthermore, when a lightweight fish gripping tool is constructed using fiber-reinforced plastic, even if a large area is provided at the tip of the arm, as described above, there is no risk that the fish gripping tool will become heavy and difficult to handle.

[0017] In the invented fish gripping tool, it is even more preferable that the part of the grip that comes into contact with the hand (all or part) is covered with rubber (anti-slip rubber). In the examples of FIGS. 1 to 3, rubber 2r is attached to the surface of the outer portion of each of the grips 2A and 2B. If even a portion of the grip where your hand touches it is covered with rubber, it will be less likely to slip even when your hand or the grip is wet. Having a grip that is less likely to slip is particularly important when holding a heavy fish. As mentioned above, a grip that is less likely to slip is also beneficial when releasing the ratchet mechanism lock using only one hand. [Effects of the Invention]

[0018] The fish gripping device of the invention can close the tip of the pair of arms to an appropriate opening angle according to the size of the fish (thickness of the lower jaw, etc.) and maintain that opening, so it can hold the fish without injuring or weakening it as much as possible. Moreover, the ratchet mechanism for locking (fixing) the opening angle of the arms can be constructed as a low-cost, lightweight device. In addition, the locked state by the ratchet mechanism can be easily released, and the device can be configured so that the release can be performed with the fingers of one hand while holding the pair of grips with the same hand. It is also possible to make the fish gripping tool lightweight and non-slip. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0019] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a front view showing a state in which the arms 4A and 4B of the fish gripping tool 1 are spread apart (opened). [Figure 2] 1 is a front view showing a state in which the distance between arms 4A and 4B of the fish gripping tool 1 is narrowed (closed). [Figure 3] 1 is a perspective view showing a state in which the arms 4A and 4B of the fish gripping tool 1 are spread apart (opened). FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0020] An embodiment of a fish gripping tool according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The fish gripper 1 shown in FIG. 1 is used to hold a fish by pinching its mouth when, for example, taking a photograph of the caught fish.

[0021] Fish clamp 1 is a scissors-type fish gripping tool that has a pair of grips 2A and 2B that the user holds in their hands and operates, and a pair of arms 4A and 4B that swing open and close in front of them, with a support shaft 3 between them. One grip 2A, one arm 4A, and part of the support shaft 3 are made of a single piece of glass fiber reinforced resin, while the other paired grip 2B, the other arm 4B, and part of the support shaft 3 are also made of a single piece of glass fiber reinforced resin, with these two pieces swingably connected by the support shaft 3. Considering that the tool will often get wet, the outer surfaces of each of grips 2A and 2B, i.e., the parts that come into contact with the hands when gripping it, are covered with anti-slip rubber 2r.

[0022] When the grips 2A and 2B and the arms 4A and 4B are in an open state as shown in Fig. 1, by grasping the pair of grips 2A and 2B with your hands and closing them, the pair of arms 4A and 4B can be moved closer together in a closing direction, with the support shaft 3 as a fulcrum. By closing the arms 4A and 4B and bringing their tip ends 4x closer together as shown in Fig. 2, the fish's lower jaw can be pinched and held from the inside and outside. The tip ends 4x of the arms 4A and 4B each have small irregularities to prevent slipping, but the roughly flat part that comes into contact with the fish being held extends closer to the support shaft 3 as shown, so that each of the tip ends 4x is about 1.5 cm 2 The tip 4x of each of the arms 4A and 4B is made to have a considerable thickness (about 1 cm) as shown in FIG. 3, and the flat portion is extended toward the support shaft 3 as described above, so the length in the vertical direction shown in FIG. 1 is also increased (about 1.5 cm), so the area is about 1.5 cm. 2 It is as follows. A spring (not shown) is built in near the support shaft 3 so that the arms 4A and 4B are spaced apart when no gripping force is applied.

[0023] As mentioned above, the grips 2A and 2B and arms 4A and 4B are made of glass fiber reinforced resin, but as shown in Figure 3, the opposing inner portions of the grips 2A and 2B have hollow portions 2c formed therein. The hollow portions 2c are provided in these portions to reduce the weight of the grips 2A and 2B (and therefore the fish gripping device 1), but also to allow the ratchet mechanism 10 to be attached to the space between the grips 2A and 2B. The ratchet mechanism 10 is generally a transmission mechanism that transmits rotation in only one direction, formed by the meshing of various types of claws. In the case of the fish gripping device 1, the ratchet mechanism 10 transmits the movement in the direction of closing the grips 2A and 2B to the arms 4A and 4B (in the closing direction), and locks the movement in the direction of opening the arms 4A and 4B.

[0024] The ratchet mechanism 10 in the fish gripping tool 1 has the following configurations a) to d). a) First, the first interlocking claw 11 is attached and fixed to the inside of one grip 2A, i.e., the side closer to the other grip 2B. The interlocking claw 11 is made of plastic, and its base is attached to the hollow portion 2c of the grip 2A via a support pin 12 provided in the grip 2A, and a protruding piece extends toward the other grip 2B, with saw-like teeth (described later) provided on its underside.

[0025] b) A lever 14 is attached to the other grip 2B on the inner side thereof, closer to the one grip 2A, and a second interlocking claw 13, which has sawtooth similar to that described above and interlocks with the first interlocking claw 11, is provided on the upper tip of the lever 14. The lever 14, including the second interlocking claw 13, is made of plastic, and is attached by partially utilizing the hollow portion 2c of the grip 2B so that it can swing around a support pin 16 provided in the grip 2B.

[0026] c) A spring 17 is attached to the support pin 16, which contacts the inner surface of the grip 2B and the lever 14. The lever 14 receives force from the spring 17, which presses the second interlocking pawl 13 against the first interlocking pawl 11 to interlock it. However, an operating part 15 is formed on the side of the lever 14 opposite to the side having the second interlocking pawl 13, and when the operating part 15 is pulled by a finger toward the grip 2B, the lever 14 swings and the interlocking pawls 11 and 13 disengage.

[0027] d) As shown in the lower cutout diagram of FIG. 1, the meshing portions of the interlocking pawls 11 and 13 have sawtooth shapes. Specifically, the first interlocking pawl 11 has a gently inclined surface 11a (a surface with a gentle slope relative to the direction of approach and separation between the grips 2A and 2B) on the side closer to the grip 2B where the mating second interlocking pawl 13 is attached, and on the opposite side, a meshing surface 11b that is approximately perpendicular to the direction of approach and separation between the grips 2A and 2B. Each of these tooth protrusions has a triangular cross section with its apex tilted toward the grip 2A. The interlocking pawl 13 also has a gently inclined surface 13a similar to the above on the side closer to the grip 2A where the mating first interlocking pawl 11 is attached, and on the opposite side, a meshing surface 13b that is approximately perpendicular to the direction of approach and separation. The meshing pawl 13 also has a gently inclined surface 13a similar to the above on the side closer to the grip 2A where the mating first interlocking pawl 11 is attached, and on the opposite side, a sawtooth shape with a plurality of triangular wave-shaped protrusions (protruding teeth) that are approximately perpendicular to the above-mentioned meshing surface 13b. Each protrusion of this tooth has a triangular cross section with the apex tilted toward grip 2B.

[0028] The fish gripping tool 1 configured as above can be used as follows 1) to 3). 1) First, with the tips 4x of the pair of arms 4A and 4B open as shown in Figure 1, bring the tips 4x close to the fish's mouth so that the tips 4x can pinch the fish's lower jaw from the inside and outside, and then grip the pair of grips 2A and 2B together by hand. Because the first and second interlocking claws 11 and 13 of the ratchet mechanism 10 have the sawtooth configuration described above, as the grips 2A and 2B are closed, the interlocking claws 11 and 13 slide along their respective gently inclined surfaces 11a and 13b, gradually shifting the interlocking teeth one by one by gradually swinging the lever 14 against the force of the spring 17. By closing the grips 2A and 2B while the ratchet mechanism 10 is functioning in this way, the distance between the tips 4x of the arms 4A and 4B gradually closes (narrows)

[0029] 2) As arms 4A and 4B close together, as shown in Figure 2, the tips 4x narrow together and the fish's lower jaw is properly clamped. When this occurs, the fish's lower jaw is clamped with the appropriate force, and each tip 4x contacts the jaw over a wide area, allowing the fish to be held without damaging or weakening it. At this point, the interlocking pawls 11 and 13 of ratchet mechanism 10 are engaged by lever 14 and spring 17, preventing (locking) the opening of grips 2A and 2B or arms 4A and 4B. Even if a force acts to open grips 2A and 2B or arms 4A and 4B, the nearly right-angled interlocking surfaces of the saw-tooth contact portions of each interlocking pawl 11 and 13 come into contact with each other. Therefore, unlike in 1), lever 14 does not swing, and therefore the interlocking teeth do not shift.

[0030] 3) When it is no longer necessary to hold a fish and the arms 4A and 4B are to be separated, the lever 14 of the ratchet mechanism 10 is operated to release the lock. To release the lock, simply pull the operating part 15 of the lever 14 toward the grip 2B with your fingers. This swings the lever 14, disengaging the second interlocking claw 13 at the tip from the first interlocking claw 11, releasing the interlocked state between the arms 4A and 4B. This releases the grip 2A and 2B and returns the distal ends 4x of the arms 4A and 4B to the widely separated state shown in FIG. 1. Releasing the lock in this way can be easily achieved by simply operating the lever 14 located between the pair of grips 4A and 4B. Simply holding the grips 4A and 4B with one hand and touching the operating part 15 of the lever 14 with any finger on the same hand eliminates the need to use both hands. [Industrial Applicability]

[0031] The invented fish gripping device can be used as a means to hold a caught fish by pinching its mouth, which is advantageous when fishing and wanting to avoid injuring or weakening the fish as much as possible. [Explanation of symbols]

[0032] 1 fish grip 2A / 2B Grip 3 Support shaft 4A·4B Arm 4x tip 10 Ratchet mechanism 11·13 Interlocking claws 14 Lever 15 Control section

Claims

1. A pair of swinging arms are provided in front of a pair of grips connected by a support shaft, and when the pair of grips are gripped by hands, the distance between the pair of arms narrows to hold the fish by pinching its mouth. This fish gripping tool is characterized in that a ratchet mechanism is provided at a location other than the support shaft portion, which displaces the pair of grips in a direction narrowing the gap between the pair of arms when the grips are grasped, but prevents the grips from displacing in a direction widening the gap between the arms.

2. The fish gripping device according to claim 1, characterized in that the ratchet mechanism is attached to the pair of grips and is located in the space between the grips, and a release operating portion for enabling the arms to be displaced in the direction of spreading is also provided in the space between the pair of grips.

3. Regarding the above Chet mechanism, a) a first engaging claw is provided on one of the pair of grips on a side closer to the other grip, and a lever having a second engaging claw at its tip that can engage with the first engaging claw and having the operating portion at its other end is swingably attached via a support pin to the other side of the other grip on the side closer to the one grip; b) When the lever receives a force from a spring attached between the lever and the other grip, the second engaging claw is pressed against the first engaging claw, and both engaging claws come into contact with each other; c) And, at the contact portion where the two interlocking claws come into contact with each other, at least one of the first and second interlocking claws has a gently inclined surface on the side closer to the grip on which the mating interlocking claw is provided, and on the opposite side has an interlocking surface that is approximately perpendicular to the direction in which the two grips approach and separate, and is serrated with a plurality of triangular teeth.

3. The fish gripping tool according to claim 2, wherein:

4. The tip of each of the pair of arms that clamp the mouth of the fish is to have a length of 1.0 cm as the part that comes into contact with the mouth of the fish. ２ 2. The fish gripping tool according to claim 1, characterized in that there is a portion having an area of ​​at least 100 mm.

5. 2. The fish gripping tool according to claim 1, wherein the pair of grips and the pair of arms including the tip portions are made of fiber reinforced plastic.

6. 2. The fish gripping tool according to claim 1, wherein the portions of the pair of grips that come into contact with the hands are covered with rubber.

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