WO2025165366A1

WO2025165366A1 - Improved system and method for attracting crustaceans and other aquatic life

Info

Publication number: WO2025165366A1
Application number: PCT/US2024/014072
Authority: WO
Inventors: Erick Oscar Jorge ARNOLDSON; Basil E. Battah
Original assignee: Spfm Lp
Current assignee: Spfm Lp
Priority date: 2024-02-01
Filing date: 2024-02-01
Publication date: 2025-08-07
Anticipated expiration: 2026-08-01

Abstract

A lure for attracting aquatic life comprises a submersible main body portion that defines a watertight interior volume. A memory (306) within the watertight interior volume stores at least one data file for generating a synthetic sound for attracting aquatic life. At least one sensor (328) detects aqueous ambient conditions for an aqueous environment external to the submersible main body portion and generates aqueous ambient conditions data responsive thereto. A controller (304) within the watertight interior volume connects to the memory and the at least one sensor. A transceiver (316) connected to the controller transmits and receives data to/from the controller. A speaker (310) operably couples to the controller and emits the synthetic sound for attracting aquatic life. The controller receives the aqueous ambient conditions data from the at least one sensor and transmits the aqueous ambient conditions data to a remotely located processing device (502).

Description

IMPROVED SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ATTRACTING CRUSTACEANS AND OTHER AQUATIC LIFE

Inventors:

Erick Oscar Jorge ARNOLD SON

Basil E. BATTAH

Assignee:

SPFM, L.P.

4310 West Ave

San Antonio, Texas 78213 United States of America

Munck Wilson Mandala, LLP P.O. Drawer 800889 Dallas, Texas 75380 (972) 628-3600

IMPROVED SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ATTRACTING CRUSTACEANS AND OTHER AQUATIC LIFE

BACKGROUND

[0001] While there are several examples of systems for attracting aquatic life in the prior art, many are intended for personal use and require that a lure be tethered to a fishing rod or be communicably coupled to some control apparatus. By contrast, the present invention contemplates a self-contained unit specifically designed for larger scale commercial fishing operations.

[0002] Certain embodiments of the present invention are designed to attract crustaceans or fish directly towards a sound source emitting synthetic sounds. Such embodiments comprise a portable unit that may be deployed according to a number of configurations.

SUMMARY

[0003] Before undertaking the DETAILED DESCRIPTION below, it may be advantageous to set forth definitions of certain words and phrases used throughout this patent document: the terms “include” and “comprise,” as well as derivatives thereof, mean inclusion without limitation; the term “or,” is inclusive, meaning and/or; the phrases “associated with” and “associated therewith,” as well as derivatives thereof, may mean to include, be included within, interconnect with, contain, be contained within, connect to or with, couple to or with, be communicable with, cooperate with, interleave, juxtapose, be proximate to, be bound to or with, have, have a property of, or the like; and the term “controller” means any device, system or part thereof that controls at least one operation, such a device may be implemented in hardware, firmware or software, or some combination of at least two of the same. It should be noted that the functionality associated with any particular controller may be centralized or distributed, whether locally or remotely.

[0004] Moreover, various functions described below can be implemented or supported by one or more computer programs, each of which is formed from computer readable program code and embodied in a computer readable medium. The terms “application” and “program” refer to one or more computer programs, software components, sets of instructions, procedures, functions, objects, classes, instances, related data, or a portion thereof adapted for implementation in a suitable computer readable program code. The phrase “computer readable program code” includes any type of computer code, including source code, object code, and executable code. The phrase “computer readable medium” includes any type of medium capable of being accessed by a computer, such as read only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), a hard disk drive, a compact disc (CD), a digital video disc (DVD), or any other type of memory. A “non-transitory” computer readable medium excludes wired, wireless, optical, or other communication links that transport transitory electrical or other signals. A non-transitory computer readable medium includes media where data can be permanently stored and media where data can be stored and later overwritten, such as a rewritable optical disc or an erasable memory device.

[0005] The present invention, as disclosed and described herein, in one aspect thereof, comprises a lure for attracting aquatic life including a submersible main body portion that defines a watertight interior volume. A memory within the watertight interior volume stores at least one data file for generating a synthetic sound for attracting aquatic life. At least one sensor detects aqueous ambient conditions for an aqueous environment external to the submersible main body portion and generates aqueous ambient conditions data responsive thereto. A controller within the watertight interior volume connects to the memory and the at least one sensor. A transceiver connected to the controller transmits and receives data to/from the controller. A speaker operably couples to the controller and emits the synthetic sound for attracting aquatic life. The controller receives the aqueous ambient conditions data from the at least one sensor and transmits the aqueous ambient conditions data to a remotely located processing device.

[0006] Definitions for certain words and phrases are provided throughout this patent document, those of ordinary skill in the art should understand that in many, if not most instances, such definitions apply to prior, as well as future uses of such defined words and phrases.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007] All illustrations of the drawings are for the purpose of describing selected embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.

[0008] FIG. 1 is an exploded front view of the portable unit of one embodiment of the present invention;

[0009] FIG. 2 is a rear sectional view of the portable unit of one embodiment of the present invention;

[0010] FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of control circuitry for the lure;

[0011] FIG. 4 is an illustration of a smart ship that may be used within the control circuitry of the lure; and

[0012] FIG. 5 illustrates the wireless interaction between a lure and a remotely located processing device having an application thereon.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0013] FIGS. 1 through 2, discussed below, and the various embodiments used to describe the principles of the present disclosure in this patent document are by way of illustration only and should not be construed in any way to limit the scope of the disclosure. Those skilled in the art will understand that the principles of the present disclosure may be implemented in any suitably arranged system or device.

[0014] This description as well as FIGS. 1 and 2 depict embodiments of the present invention as they relate to a lure designed for use in commercial fishing.

[0015] In one embodiment of the present invention, the lure comprises a portable unit. The portable unit comprises a main body portion. The main body portion may be substantially cylindrical in shape. The main body portion comprises an interior volume into which sound producing components may be disposed. The sound producing components may include sound cartridge configured to cause simulated sounds designed to attract aquatic life to be played through a speaker that is operably coupled to the sound cartridge. The sound cartridge comprises an integrated circuit board or chip. The integrated circuit board may include a microcontroller and memory for storing the simulated sounds. The sound cartridge is further coupled to a power source also disposed within the main body portion.

[0016] In further embodiments, the internal, integrated circuit board is a Bluetooth low energy (BLE) board. A light-emitting diode (LED) light sensor may be coupled to the portable unit's internal circuitry. The LED light sensor may be configured to cause a change in the portable unit's power state (on/off) based on the presence or absence of light.

[0017] In some embodiments, the portable unit further comprises a removable cap. The removable cap is configured for reversible engagement with the main body portion. In such embodiments, the speaker is internal to the portable unit when the removable cap is engaged with the main body portion. When the removable cap is disengaged from the main body portion, access to the interior volume is granted and the sound cartridge may be removably inserted into the interior volume. Additionally, disengaging the removable cap from the main body portion allows for replacement of the power source. It is envisioned that during typical use of these embodiments of the present invention, a plurality of sound cartridges, each storing a different sound, may be used interchangeably within the portable unit.

[0018] In further embodiments, when the removable cap is engaged with the main body portion, a watertight seal is formed to prevent water from entering the interior volume. [0019] In even further embodiments, the speaker may be caused to produce signals that simulate water splashing, the gurgling and moving of waves, and currents or tidal shift against reefs or other geographical features on the ocean floor. The sound cartridge causes the sounds to be played on a loop when the portable unit is powered on.

[0020] In certain embodiments, when powered on, the portable unit produces through the speaker low frequency signals, well-known in the art, that emulate a targeted species’ acoustical signal that said species emits while feeding. The speaker in this embodiment has an effective attractive radius of 100 meters.

[0021] In further embodiments, the portable unit produces low frequency sound pressure, at frequencies well-known in the art, through the speaker and has an effective range of 1,000 meters.

[0022] In some embodiments, the power source providing power for the sound producing functionality of the portable unit is two (2) AA LR6 1.5V batteries connected in parallel, and the portable unit has an expected battery life of 400 hours when powered on.

[0023] In one embodiment, the main body portion has a length of 111.15 mm, a diameter of 47.68 mm, and a wall thickness of 3 mm. In this embodiment, the main body portion is constructed of ABS 90 (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene). Additionally, the speaker is a 40mm speaker.

[0024] In certain embodiments of the present invention, the portable unit may be configured for placement inside square traps. The portable unit may be attached on the top of a trap or inside bait bags. When these traps are deployed, they may come to rest on the ocean floor or be suspended from a fixed structure. In further embodiments, the portable unit may be deployed in dependent from a trap.

[0025] In one embodiment, the portable unit is adapted for use at depths between 38 meters (125 ft.) and 182 meters (600 ft.).

[0026] In some embodiments, the main body portion further comprises an inner housing bracket for supporting its internal components. In these embodiments, the main body portion further comprises a speaker bracket to support and secure the speaker within the portable unit.

[0027] In additional embodiments, an LED light may be included to indicate the mode or state of operation of the lure.

[0028] In a further embodiment, the device provides an aquatic life simulation submersible main body portion capable of producing sounds to mimic aquatic life and read the environmental conditions of the water. More specifically, the device comprises an aquatic life simulation apparatus that closely replicates the natural behavior and sounds of live bait species and other aquatic species with regard to their physical appearance and sound patterns. The device is also capable of reading environmental conditions of the water and communicating with surface electronic devices capable of changing their various characteristics of the device based upon changes in the environmental conditions of the water.

[0029] In one object, a multiple mode fishing lure includes an aqueous ambient condition monitoring means for acquiring aqueous ambient condition data for the surrounding water and communicatively coupled the data to a controller. An external device is configured to read the acquired aqueous ambient condition data from the multiple mode fishing lure.

[0030] In a further object, the multiple mode fishing lure includes a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag programmed with fishing lure information. An external processing device is configured to read the RFID tag to obtain the fishing lure information.

[0031] In yet another object, a multiple mode fishing lure includes a controller having fishing lure information associated therewith. The multiple mode fishing lure further includes a Bluetooth transceiver capable of communicating said fishing lure information with an external processing device from the controller.

[0032] In another object, the multiple mode fishing lure further includes a wireless transceiver for communicating information between the multiple mode fishing lure and an external device. The external device can update sound files stored within a memory associated with the controller which may then be broadcast via a speaker.

[0033] In a further object, the apparatus may communicate with electronic devices such as onboard computers, tablets, hand-held PDAs and smart phones. These devices include wireless communications hardware, such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or radiofrequency antennas. A custom application is loaded onto the electronic devices that are program to receive recorded data through the wireless communications hardware. The application also allows the user to send commands to the apparatus to modify acoustical patterns.

[0034] Referring now to Fig. 3, there is illustrated a functional block diagram of control circuitry 302 for controlling operation of the portable lure unit. The main portions of the control circuitry 302 include the controller 304 and an associated memory 306. The controller 304 may comprise any type of processing unit that is configured to control the operations of the portable lure unit in the manner described herein. The memory 306 stores the control programming for the various operations performed by the controller 304 and further stores the data files for generation of the sounds that simulate aquatic life as more particularly described herein. The control circuitry 302 disposed within the interior volume provides for RFID and Bluetooth capabilities, the ability to capture environmental conditions of the surrounding water using a variety of sensors, remotely changing the sounds played by the lure and turning the lure unit on and off.

[0035] The controller 304 uses the sound files stored within the memory 306 to control the operation of a sound generator 308. The generated sounds mimic aquatic life sounds within a particular area. The sound files closely replicate the natural behavior and sounds of live bait fish species or other aquatic species with regard to physical appearance and sound patterns. The physical appearance is achieved by the configuration of the housing surrounding the control circuitry. The sound generator 308 reproduces the aquatic sounds defined by the files within the memory 306 and outputs them through the associated speaker 310. This creates the audible sounds to attract other forms of aquatic life to the lure unit. The memory 306 may also store fishing lure information that may be transmitted to a remote processing device via the transceiver 316 such as identification or operation information. The external device can also update, change or add sound files within the memory 306 which are broadcast via the speaker 310.

[0036] The controller 304 also has associated therewith at least one LED 312 and electrodes 314. The LED 312 may be used for indicating the particular mode of operation of the lure unit. The modes of operation may be changed through the controller 304 in a number of manners. In a first manner, the mode may be changed by contacting electrodes 314 located on the surface of the lure. These electrodes 314 are electrically connected to the controller 304 and physical contact by a user or with water enable selection of a particular mode of operation by the controller 304. Additionally, modes may be altered by the controller 304 wirelessly through a transceiver 316 that receives wireless signals via an antenna 318 from a remote processing unit. The wireless signals received by the antenna 318 may comprise any number of wireless signal protocols such as Bluetooth, RF transmissions, etc. The controller 304 would wirelessly communicate with a remotely located processing device having an application thereon that allows control of the lure unit as more fully described herein.

[0037] By enabling communication of information such as aquatic environment conditions to a remotely located processing unit via the transceiver 316, the remotely located electronic device can change various characteristics of the operation of the apparatus and playback of sounds based upon the changes in the environmental conditions of the water in real time to provide better opportunities for attracting other aquatic life. The changes provided by the remote processing device may be user controlled responsive to a user viewing the provided environmental conditions data or automatically controlled wherein certain environmental condition trip points cause the remote processing device to automatically adjust the operation of the lure unit in a predetermined fashion.

[0038] The controller 304 may also have associated therewith a variety of sensors for detecting different environmental conditions with respect to water surrounding the lure unit. The sensors read the environmental conditions of the water surrounding the lure unit. A motion sensor 320 may detect rapid changes in motion of the lure unit or rapid deceleration of the lure unit caused by for example impacting and sinking into the water. This information may be used by the controller 304 to control or initiate operations of the lure unit. A temperature sensor 322 detects the water temperature in which the lure unit is currently located and provides this information to the controller 304. A vibration sensor 324 detects vibrations within the water near the lure unit. A water direction sensor 326 detects the direction of movement of the water passing by the lure unit. The water direction sensor 326 could detect currents flowing past the lure unit or direction of waterflow in for example a river. The water property sensor 328 can be configured to detect any of a variety of water characteristics within the surrounding water. These characteristics can include salinity, pollution levels, or any other characteristics which could affect the aquatic life that is attempting to be attracted by the lure.

[0039] The control circuitry 302 and the other components of the devices within the interior cavity of the lure unit are powered by a power source 330. In most cases, the power source 330 will comprise a battery but other types of power sources that may be self-contained within the lure unit can be utilized.

[0040] Referring now to Fig. 4, there is illustrated an example of an upgraded smart chip 402 which may be utilized within the control circuitry 302. The smart chip 402 may operate either as the controller 304 of Fig. 3 or the entire control circuitry 302.

[0041] Referring now to Fig. 5, there is illustrated an example in which a remotely located processing device 502 may wirelessly communicate with the lure unit 504 using a wireless communications protocol. The processing device 502 may comprise an a smart phone such as an iPhone® or Android®, an iPad®, a laptop computer, onboard computers, tablets, hand-held PDAs or any other portable processing device.

[0042] The processing device 502 would have installed thereon an application 506 that provided in the ability to control the operation of the lure unit 504 via a wireless communications protocol. The wireless communications protocol may comprise Bluetooth, RF technologies, or any other well- known wireless communication protocol that would enable communications between the processing device 502 and the lure unit 504. The lure unit 504 may also include an RFID tag 508 that provides information regarding the lure 504 to the application 506 on the processing device 502. The application 506 is loaded onto the processing device 502 and receives recorded data through wireless communications hardware of the processing device 502. The application 506 allows the user to send commands to the lure controller to modify acoustical patterns that are being played. As mentioned previously, these adjustments to the acoustical map patterns may be based upon environmental information provided from the sensors within the lure unit 504 or the application may automatically adjust various system operating characteristics based upon predetermined values being detected within the aquatic environment.

[0043] The RFID tag 508 may include information enabling control of the lure functions or enabling the downloading of new sounds associated with different aquatic life using the wireless link between the processing device 502 in the lure unit 504. The RFID tag 508 is programmed with fishing lure information enabling the external processing device 502 to read the RFID tag 508 and obtain fishing lure information.

[0044] Although the present invention has been explained in relation the various embodiments, it is to be understood that many other possible modifications and variations can be made and would be understood by those persons of ordinary skill in the art, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

[0045] Although the present disclosure has been described with various embodiments, various changes and modifications may be suggested to one skilled in the art. It is intended that the present disclosure encompass such changes and modifications as fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS

1. A lure for attracting aquatic life comprising: a submersible main body portion, wherein the main body portion defines a watertight interior volume; a memory within the watertight interior volume for storing at least one data file for generating a synthetic sound for attracting aquatic life; at least one sensor for detecting aqueous ambient conditions for an aqueous environment external to the submersible main body portion and generating aqueous ambient conditions data responsive thereto; a controller within the watertight interior volume and connected to the memory and the at least one sensor; a transceiver connected to the controller for transmitting and receiving data to/from the controller; a speaker operably coupled to the controller and configured to emit the synthetic sound for attracting aquatic life; and wherein the controller receives the aqueous ambient conditions data from the at least one sensor and transmits the aqueous ambient conditions data to a remotely located processing device.

2. The lure of Claim 1 further comprising: a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag located within the submersible main body portion, the RFID tag programmed with lure information describing the lure; and wherein lure information may be read from the RFID tag using the remotely located processing device.

3. The lure of Claim 1 further including an LED light sensor for actuating the controller to transmit the aqueous ambient conditions data to a remotely located processing device responsive to detection of an absence of light.

4. The lure of Claim 1, wherein the memory further stores lure information describing the lure, further wherein the controller transmits the lure information to the remotely located processing device using the transceiver responsive to a request from the remotely located processing device.

5. The lure of Claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor detects water properties.

6. The lure of Claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor comprises a water direction detector, a vibration detector and a temperature detector.

7. The lure of Claim 1, wherein the transceiver comprises a Bluetooth transceiver.

8. A lure for attracting aquatic life comprising: a submersible main body portion, wherein said submersible main body portion has an interior volume; memory within the interior volume of the submersible main body portion having stored thereon at least one synthetic sound file for attracting the aquatic life; at least one sensor for detecting aqueous ambient conditions for an aqueous environment external to the submersible main body portion and generating aqueous ambient conditions data responsive thereto; a controller within the interior volume and connected to the memory and the at least one sensor; a transceiver within the interior volume connected to the controller for transmitting and receiving data to/from the controller; a speaker operably coupled to the controller and configured to emit at least one synthetic sound for attracting the aquatic life responsive to the at least one synthetic sound file; and a removable cap configured for reversible engagement with said submersible main body portion to create the interior volume.

9. The lure of Claim 8 further comprising: a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag located within the submersible main body portion, the RFID tag programmed with lure information describing the lure; and wherein lure information may be read from the RFID tag using the remotely located processing device.

10. The lure of Claim 8 further including an LED light sensor for actuating the controller to transmit the aqueous ambient conditions data to a remotely located processing device responsive to detection of an absence of light.

11. The lure of Claim 8, wherein the memory further stores lure information describing the lure, further wherein the controller transmits the lure information to the remotely located processing device using the transceiver responsive to a request from the remotely located processing device.

12. The lure of Claim 8, wherein the at least one sensor detects water properties.

13. The lure of Claim 8, wherein the at least one sensor comprises a water direction detector, a vibration detector and a temperature detector.

14. The lure of Claim 8, wherein the transceiver comprises a Bluetooth transceiver.

15. The lure of Claim 8, wherein the synthetic sound for attracting aquatic life comprises one of: a simulated water splashing sound, a simulated sound of wave gurgling, a simulated sound of wave movement, a simulated sound of water currents, a simulated sound of tidal shifts on a reef, a simulated sound of water interacting with geographic features on an ocean floor, non-naturally occurring sound waves, low frequency signals that emulate a selected acoustical signal of a feeding species or low frequency sound pressure designed to attract rather than repel aquatic life.

16. A system for attracting aquatic life comprising: a lure for attracting the aquatic life, the lure comprising: a submersible main body portion, wherein the main body portion defines a watertight interior volume; a memory within the watertight interior volume for storing at least one data file for generating a synthetic sound for attracting aquatic life; at least one sensor for detecting aqueous ambient conditions for an aqueous environment external to the submersible main body portion and generating aqueous ambient conditions data responsive thereto; a controller within the watertight interior volume and connected to the memory and the at least one sensor; a transceiver connected to the controller for transmitting and receiving data to/from the controller; a speaker operably coupled to the controller and configured to emit the synthetic sound for attracting aquatic life; wherein the controller receives the aqueous ambient conditions data from the at least one sensor and transmits the aqueous ambient conditions data; and an application implemented on a remotely located processing device for receiving the aqueous ambient conditions data, wherein the application may control operation of the lure by providing control signals to the controller.

17. The lure of Claim 16 further comprising: a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag located within the submersible main body portion, the RFID tag programmed with lure information describing the lure; and wherein lure information may be read from the RFID tag using the remotely located processing device.

18. The lure of Claim 16, wherein the at least one sensor comprises a water direction detector, a vibration detector and a temperature detector.

19. The lure of Claim 16, wherein the transceiver comprises a Bluetooth transceiver.

20 The lure of Claim 16, wherein the memory further stores lure information describing the lure, further wherein the controller transmits the lure information to the application on the remotely located processing device using the transceiver responsive to a request from the application.