Float for minnow bucket

Η. M. PIKER ET AL

FLOAT FOR MINNOW BUCKET

2,717,469

Sheets-Sheet 1

Sept. 13, 1955

Filed Aug. ίδ, 1949

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Sept. 13, 1955 η. m. piker etal 2,717,469

FLOAT FOR MINNOW BUCKET Filed Aug, 18, 1949 2 Sheets-Sheet 2

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INVENTOR.

Herbert Λ1. Piker BY W/Hiam L. SchuTtz

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Attorqexf

United States Patent Office

2,717,469

Patented Sept. 13, 1955

2,717,469

FLOAT FOR MINNOW BUCKET

Herbert M. Piker, Wyoming, and William L. Schultz, Hamilton, Ohio, assignors to The Hamilton Metal Products Company, Hamilton, Obio, a corporation of Ohio

Application August 18,1949, Serial No. 110,938

Claims. (Cl. 43—56)

This invention relates to improvements in minnow buckets of the type having associated therewith means for effecting its floatation in the waters being fished and relates particularly to improvements in the means for effecting the said floatation.

Minnow buckets having incorporated therein floatation means are in and of themselves quite old but heretofore such means have been on the cumbersome side and in some instances quite inefficient in that dependence can not be placed thereon that the bucket would float under any and all circumstances.

The principal object of the present invention is the provision of a minnow bucket having associated therewith a float, or means for causing the minnow bucket to float, which is formed of material that is considerably less dense than the water displaced for thereby adding substantially no weight to the bucket.

A further object of this invention is the provision of a novel float member for use with minnow buckets and the like that is extremely light, efficient in use, and of a novel construction which is adapted to be used interiorly of the bucket without materially decreasing the capacity of the bucket.

A still further object of this invention is the provision of an improved floating type minnow bucket that will retain its floating property for the life of the bucket and will not tip or keel over when the usual· covering lid is raised and left in a raised position during the use of the bucket in removing bait from the bucket.

It is to be understood that any modifications may be made in the exact structural details shown and described, within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from or exceeding the spirit of the invention.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is an elevational view of a minnow bucket having incorporated therein the improved float means of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the bucket as seen in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged, fragmentary, vertical, sectional view through the bucket and its float as seen from line 3—3 on Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the preferred form of float means of the present invention.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary top plan view of the float means of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the float means of Fig. 4 arranged in the position it occupies in the bucket.

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary sectional view of a portion of a minnow bucket showing a modification in the float means embodying the principles of the present invention.

Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig. 7 showing a further modification of the float means of the present invention/

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of a complete float member such as disclosed in Fig. 8.

Throughout the several views of the drawings similar reference characters are-employed to denote the same or similar parts. :

The minnow bucket, per se, is of substantially the usual construction of a pail including a body portion 10 cylindrical in cross-section and having secured to its upper end the top 11. The pail is provided at its lower end with a bottom 12 with said bottom 12 .and top 11 secured to the body portion in the usual manner by trolling or seaming the edges to one another as illustrated at 13 in Fig. 3.

The top 11 is provided substantially centrally thereof with an aperture or opening 14 through which access to the interior of the bucket is had for the purpose of supplying bait to the bucket and removing bait from the bucket. The opening 14 is adapted to be closed by a cover IS suitably apertured as at 16 to supply air to the interior of the bucket. If desired, the cover 15 may be reinforced by suitable ribbing such as 17.

Any suitable or desirable means may be employed for retaining the cover 15 in its closed position, that shown in the drawing including a hinge 18 secured to the bucket top 11 in any suitable or desirable manner such as by welding, brazing or the like. The hinge 18 includes a portion turned on itself to provide the hinge eye 19 which is flanked by hinge eyes 20 and 21 integral with and projecting from the cover 15. The hinge eye 19 and cover eyes 20 and 21 are adapted to be aligned with one another to receive the usual hinge pin 22, The cover 15 is locked in its closed position by any suitable or desirable means such as the latch 23 .which -is secured -to the cover 15 by the rivet ,24 The latch 23 includes a substantially stationary, rigid, upstanding post 25 with which cooperates the movable latch finger piece 26 having associated therewith the latch proper 27.

The minnow bucket or pail illustrated in the drawings is normally disposed for transportaffion, in ,a con,tainer, not shown in the drawings, and is adapted to be removed from its container and placed in the water being fished by means of a bail handle 28 which has its ends pivotally connected with eyes 29 and 30 that are secured to and upstand from the bucket or pail top 11.

In use during fishing the minnow bucket is normally placed in the water being fished in· order that fresh: water may be supplied to the minnows or other live bait within the bucket and for which purpose the bucket body lower end is provided, upwardly of its bottom 12, with a plurality of apertures 31.

When the bucket or pail is in the water during fishing the same must float and be sufficiently stable that the user may raise the cover 15 and remove from the bucket or pail the said bait therein. As illustrated in Figs. 4, 5 and 6, the preferred means for forming the float is a member haying a .cross-section with the sides thereof each angularly related thereby having a substantial wedge shape as illustrated in Fig. 3, Preferably, the floatmember 32 is of a length slightly greater than 4he circumference of the bucket or pail interiorly thereof. The float member may be formed of any suitable or desirable material such as cork, cellular type rubber, wood, or the so-palled plastics, such as polystyrene. The float member is preferably made of said plastic and is in the form of “plastic foam” such as Styro-foam and is formed of the said plastic generally known as,polystyrene..

The float member 32 has a top 33, an outer side 34 at right angles to the top, and an inclined inner side 35 together providing the -float member with the cross-section of wedge shape. The member 32 is formed as a substantially rigid elongated piece having ends 36 and 37 with the distance therebetween, as noted above,, slightly greater than the circumference of the bucket or pail interiorly thereof. In practice the member 32 is rolled to bring its ends 36 and 37 into abutment to form a ring such as illustrated in Fig. 6. In order to assist in so rolling the member 32 it is provided with a plurality of

2,717,469 relatively closely adjacent cuts or kerfs 38, which, along with the air pockets or cells in the body of the material, permits this rolling or formation of the member 32 into a.ring. It will be noted that the bases 39 of the kerfs, see Fig. 3, are parallel with the outer face 34 of the member but inwardly thereof, wherefore the lower ends of the kerfs break through the inclined wall 35 at a point upwardly of the bottom of said wall.

It has been found that the most successful results in rolling the member 32 is obtained if the member is backed by a non-elastic though readily flexible or bendable strip of material. Accordingly, a strip of tough paper, fabric, or the like 40, is employed having its one end 41 ad-., hesively attached to one end of the member 32, member end 36 for example. The said strip 40 is then adhesively attached along the outer side 34 of the member 32 and is provided with, a free end 42 beyond the other end of the member 32, member end 37 for example. After ; the member 32 is rolled or formed into its ring formation with its ends 36 and 37 in abutment the free end 42 of the strip is then adhesively secured over the adjacent portion of the said strip as clearly illustrated in Fig. 6.

The member 32 is now in the form in which it is used, namely, a ring as shown clearly in Fig. 6.

The said member 32 after being formed into its ring form is inserted within the minnow bucket preferably by applying pressure to two opposed points or sides of the ring so that it momentarily assumes an oval shape which may be inserted through the bucket or pail opening 14 to be interiorly of the bucket whereupon the ring is allowed to spring back to its normal position which is substantially a true circular ring. The ring is then positioned to its final position within the bucket or pail by being upwardly moved until its upper end 33 engages with the under surface of the top 11 outwardly of the opening 14 and with the outer side or surface 34 of the float member in substantial engagement with the inner surface of the bucket or pail body 10 as clearly illustrated in Fig. 3.

Since the member 32 was made slightly longer than the circumference of the bucket or pail that it engages, the resulting ring, formed by members 32 and 40, has a diameter slightly in excess of the pail or bucket so that a certain tension is placed on the ring for retaining it in position. However, in order to insure the float member remaining in the position it is to occupy, the body 10 of the bucket or pail is provided with an inwardly projecting bead 43 which is located at the lower-most point of the member 32 and thereby confines said member between itself and the pail or bucket top 11.

It should be noted that while the member 32 is preferably made of cellular type of foam plastic it may be made from other cellular type slightly compressible materials that have a density less than an equal amount of water and that can be made and manipulated in the manner as just described. Such materials may take the form of cork, rubber, and even certain types of wood.

As disclosed in Fig. 7, the float member 44 instead of having its inner wall 45 as a straight line to produce a wedge, has its surface rounded and is illustrated in the form of a solid ring which may be cut or formed from a block of cellular type plastic or foam plastic or other type of material as set out above. It will of course be readily understood that the float member 44 may be formed from a continuous length of material as was the member 32 and properly machined to be used in the same manner. In the event the float member is formed as a ring it may be inserted within the body 10 of the bucket or container prior to the attachment of the bottom 12. By fire same token the inwardly projecting bead 43 may be formed after the placement of the float ring.

The modification illustrated in Figs. 8 and 9 contemplates a ring float 46 having a substantially rectangular cross-section as illustrated at 47 in said Fig. 8. The said float member 46 may be cut from a solid sheet or slab of material to form the ring as illustrated in Fig. 9 and would be positioned within the minnow bucket or pail in the same manner as above described in connection with the float ring 44.

It will be appreciated that by forming the inner wall of the float member as a straight inclined side 35 or as a receding rounded side 45 that the opening into the bucket is retained at its maximum instead of being re10 stricted for a distance into the bucket as would result with the form of float as illustrated in Fig. 8. It will also be noted that there has been provided a minnow bucket which otherwise accomplishes the objects initially set forth.