US 12,127,539 B2
Rapidly adjustable bait protector
Daniel Cortazzo, Santa Cruz, CA (US); Evin Gamal Prather, Redondo Beach, CA (US); and Christian Hamilton, Santa Cruz, CA (US)
Assigned to UNICORN SQUAD, INC., Wilmington, DE (US)
Filed by UNICORN SQUAD, INC., Wilmington, DE (US)
Filed on Dec. 20, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/556,838.
Prior Publication US 2023/0189774 A1, Jun. 22, 2023
Int. Cl. A01K 83/06 (2006.01)
CPC A01K 83/061 (2022.02) 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A rapidly adjustable bait protector comprising:
a cup configured to receive a front portion of a bait fish, said cup comprising a front face; and a tubular element coupled to said front face at a tubular element front end, and open at a tubular element back end to receive said front portion of said bait fish;
wherein said front face comprises a plurality of plug holes connected by one or more slots;
each plug hole of said plurality of plug holes is connected to each other plug hole of said plurality of plug holes by a path through said one or more slots and said plurality of plug holes,
wherein a diameter of said each plug hole is greater than a width of each slot of said one or more slots in a transverse direction of said one or more slots relative to a longitudinal direction of said one or more slots;
a plug configured to be removably inserted into any plug hole of said plurality of plug holes, comprising a line hole passing through said plug and configured to receive a fishing line inserted through said line hole and passing through said front face to couple said fishing line to one or more hooks;
wherein said plug is configured to be moved from a first plug hole of said plurality of plug holes to a second plug hole of said plurality of plug holes without uncoupling said fishing line from said one or more hooks and without moving said one or more hooks, by
removing said plug from said first plug hole without removing said fishing line from said line hole, by sliding said plug along said fishing line;
sliding said fishing line along said one or more slots to said second plug hole; and,
inserting said plug into said second plug hole by sliding said plug along said fishing line;
wherein said plurality of plug holes are at different locations on said front face and comprise a center plug hole at or proximal to a center of said front face, and additional plug holes offset from and connected to said center plug hole,
wherein said center plug hole and said additional plug holes comprise said first plug hole, said second plug hole and at least a third plug hole;
wherein said plurality of plug holes are arranged in a pattern such that the path connects said first plug hole and said second plug hole to said third plug hole via said one or more slots;
wherein at least said first plug hole, said second plug hole and said third plug hole are connected to each other via said path;
wherein said fishing line is restricted by said path wherein said fishing line is configured to move in said one or more slots without uncoupling the fishing line and without removing the fishing line from the line hole; and
wherein said fishing line in said plug is configured to pull the cup from a plurality of locations offset from one another on said front face of said cup that correspond to said plurality of plug holes to create a plurality of spin rates and a plurality of arc circumferences.