Abstract: A shrimp trawl or net having a second piggyback net attached to an opening in the top side of the body of the trawl and a pulser to stimulate mature shrimp to enter the opening in the second net. Alternatively, an upper deck is formed in the body of the main trawl and the pulser is positioned so as to stimulate the targeted shrimp species to enter the upper deck while non-targeted species and debris pass out the back of the trawl. Both the piggyback net and the upper deck have a releasably closable back end to allow the operator to close the net or deck during towing operations, and to open the back end after the trawl has been pulled aboard the shrimp boat.

Abstract: A vacuuming apparatus simultaneously vacuums a plurality of parallel rows of plants for removing of insects. A plurality of side-by-side vacuum units are mounted on a mobile support including a tractor-mounted lift to be releasably attached to the front of the tractor. Each vacuum unit includes at least two separate depending intake units located to span two adjacent plant rows. The mobile support includes a frame including a central lift assembly. A parallelogram lift linkage connects the tractor to the lift assembly for vertical positioning of the apparatus. Hydraulical power rams are connected to a tractor driven hydraulic source for control of the position of the apparatus from the tractor. The mobile support frame may include pivoted end frame members, each supporting a vacuum unit and a pair of vacuum inlets. The end frame members are pivoted up and over the ends of the frame for over-the-road travel of the vacuuming apparatus.

Abstract: An ice fishing bobber has an elongate cylindrical tube balance member adjustably positioned within a collar and pivotally mounted to the tip of a fishing pole. The bobber may be adjusted for the weight of various lures to balance the assembly in a substantially horizontal posiiton. A rigid hollow cylindrical member receives a centrally threaded fishing line and is attached beneath the balance member. The bobber may be adjusted by moving the tube within the collar and by removing or adding weights to the balance member to permit the use of a variety of lures of different weights with the bobber. Because of the accurate balance attained, a very sensitive bobber is created. A further embodiment of the invention employs two rigid tubes joined by a flexible tube. The first rigid tube is mounted to the tip of a guided fishing pole. A fishing line is threaded through the tubes and a lure attached. A fish pulling downward on the lure will cause the bobber to deflect downward thereby signaling a catch.

Abstract: A segmental fish lure has a core and a shell with at least one skirt assembly clamped between the core and the shell. The shell and the skirt assembly have passages large enough to pass over the loop of a leader to permit replacement of the shell and skirt assemblies without disturbing the leader.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method and apparatus for fabricating workpieces such as printed circuit boards which include blowing excess solder off the board by a hot air solder leveling technique. A converging/diverging airknife design creates a shock wave, causing a high pressure, low velocity flow pattern which removes solder from the through-holes in the board while leaving sufficient solder on the surface mount features. Additionally, a Mach number of the fluid of less than 0.8 is created.

Abstract: A chum buoy for dispensing chum into salt water fishing characterized by a flotation body, a compartment into which chum may be placed, and distributor through which chum is distributed from the compartment to salt water. The device may be weighted in a lower portion thereof to provide for proper orientation, or the device may be anchored. The chum buoy may have mirrored surfaces on a portion thereof to aid and attract fish.

Abstract: A device for use in ice fishing including means for paying out a line so that, upon the hooking of a fish, the line is swayed so as to effect a rotative motion in a horizontal plate to a reel and a reel support. The rotative motion releases a signalling device from a ready-to-operate position to an operative signaling position.

Abstract: A trotline fishhook holder and fishhook guard is formed by an elongated sleeve having a coextensive slit in its wall. One end of the sleeve is closed by a base end cap and supports an elongated rod coextensive with the sleeve adjacent its inner wall surface opposite the position of the slit for receiving fishhooks when manually placed within the sleeve with the fishhook inverted and its curved end portion overlying an intermediate portion of the rod. The shank of the fishhook projects outwardly through the sleeve slit. A top cap closes the other end of the sleeve.

Abstract: A mounting plate is arranged to overlie an ice fishing opening within an ice plate wherein the mounting plate includes a downwardly extending support cylinder with the cylinder rotatably mounting a spool at its lower end with the spool coaxially aligned with the support cylinder. The cylinder includes an L-shaped guide hook to guide fishing line from the spool and mounts an axially displaced rotatable leg member in a parallel relationship, wherein the leg member includes a projection that cooperates with a further L-shaped member affixed to the spool whereupon rotation of the spool effects rotation of the leg member and the leg member includes a release leg at an upper terminal end thereof whereupon rotation of the release leg effects release of an indicator flag. The apparatus further includes a transparent bubble member to contain heat within the organization to maintain the ice plate opening in a free orientation relative to the apparatus.

Abstract: An apparatus for trapping fire ants includes a trapping container defining an ant nesting space. The trapping container includes a bottom opening at a base end thereof that provides an ant access to the nesting space within the trapping container, and a top opening at the end of the trapping container opposite the base end. A nesting material is positioned within the trapping container above the container bottom opening and closure devices are positioned at both ends of the trapping container for sealably closing the top and bottom openings. A heating device is associate with the trapping container for heating at least a portion of the nesting space to an ant attracting temperature. The heating device also preferably may be used to heat the nesting space to an ant killing temperature after ants have been attracted thereto.

Abstract: A method of bonding two carbon/carbon composite pieces or a carbon/carbon mposite piece and a graphite/aluminum metal matrix composite piece together by(1) forming a uniform coating of molten AgNO.sub.3 on the surfaces to be bonded at a temperature above the melting point of AgNO.sub.3 but below the decomposition temperature of AgNO.sub.3 ;(2) placing the molten AgNO.sub.3 coated surfaces to be bonded into contact with each other;(3) decomposing the molten AgNO.sub.3 to form a silver metal layer bonding the pieces together.If a graphite/aluminum metal matrix composite piece is being bonded, a silver diffusion step may be added at the end of the process to strengthen the silver bond to the metal cladding or metal matrix of the metal matrix composite piece.

Abstract: A snagless fishing lure for attachment to a fishing line. The fishing lure includes a decoy body with an attached base. A fish hook having first and second hook members and means for urging the hook members away from one another is attached to the base. A depressible trip lever is also pivotally attached to the base. The trip lever has an elongated lever arm with a first end movable relative to the base member and a second end opposed to the first end. A hook contacting member is contiguously attached to the second end of the elongated lever arm. The hook contacting member has a central longitudinal junction and a pair of flanges depending therefrom. When the fishing lure is cocked for operation, the first and second hook members are retained behind hook retaining flanges perpendicular to the base. The hook contacting member is interposed between the base and the retained hooks.

Abstract: An elongated, upwardly opening V-shaped trough for measuring fish. The trough has spaced apart indicia at measured intervals from one closed end of the trough for indicating the length of a fish placed in the trough. Auxiliary indicia are placed at appropriate distances along the trough to signify the legal limit for various species of fish likely to be encountered by a fisherman.

Abstract: This invention is directed to a control system and method of vacuum brazing of aluminum workpieces in a chamber wherein the combination of the partial pressure of water and the partial pressure of oxygen is adjusted to be within a determined desired combination pressure range as a function of the temperature within the chamber as the workpieces are heated up to a temperature of about 500.degree. C.

Abstract: A fishing lure card for holding fishing lures and a card holder for holding a plurality of these cards are disclosed. The fishing lure card includes a row of vertical interconnected transparent tubular sleeves, in which fishing lures may be suspended, and a pair of mounting ears. The card holder has two laterally spaced vertical side members having slots to receive the mounting ears of the fishing lure cards. The card holder further includes a detachable cover and is pivotably attachable to the gunnel of a boat. This arrangement keeps fishing lures readily available, visible and untangled when the card holder is mounted to the side of a boat.

Abstract: The invention relates to the electric heating of animal scent using a wick to draw scent from a container and a resistive heating element.

Abstract: A storage device, preferably one sufficiently buoyant to float on water, comprises a hollow multiple compartment housing including a first compartment for storing emergency supplies or tackle, a second compartment for storing a spool containing a stored portion of a fishing line wound around said spool, an access opening to extend and wind an exterior portion of the line around a recessed wall portion of the housing that surrounds the second compartment without disturbing the portion of the line stored on the spool and a hollow third compartment having a light reflecting portion at its forward axial end. A handle for the multiple compartment housing comprises thin connecting means extending radially outwards from the multiple compartment housing to connect the latter with a hollow storage chamber that is located radially outward and axially rearward of the second compartment. The radially outward position of the handle provides a mechanical advantage to hold the device when a fish bites.

Abstract: The rod has replaceable line guides and consists in at least one tubular element incorporating a socket insert serving to accommodate a corresponding shank with which the guide is provided, the insert being located between the internal and external surfaces of the tubular element, and its socket filled with a quick-setting melt-down glue that ensures stable anchorage of the shank; the tubular structure is fashioned by winding first sheets of composite material onto a mandrel until a given thickness is reached, then applying and fixing the insert to the external surface of the first winding to establish the socket, whereupon further material is wound on to an increased thickness, sufficient at least to embed the insert. Alternately, the insert may be made from dissolvable material.

Abstract: A frog-like, relatively rigid body portion includes a first body rod reciprocatably mounted through the body arranged parallel to a second body rod, with a connector bar slidably mounted overlying the second body rod and fixedly mounted to the first body rod, whereupon reciprocation of the first body rod effects oscillation of leg portions of the frog-like body. Each of the legs includes a jointed member and includes spring portions to effect oscillation of the leg members upon reciprocation of the first body rod in simulation of a swimming frog-like creature.

Abstract: In order to connect two adjacent elements (E1,E2) joined, for example, onto a satellite solar panel, an antifriction joint (10) is used. The deployment kinematics of the joint enable deployment to be done extremely accurately. The joint comprises two braces (12,14) suitable for rolling one onto the other by two cylindrical surfaces (12a,14a). Guiding of rolling is ensured by two flexible members, such as rolling plates (16,28) extremities are secured to the braces and which pass by crossing between the cylindrical surfaces (12a,14a). A traction prestressing stored in the plates avoids any stray movement between the braces, especially at the time of deployment. The drive torque ensuring the automatic deployment of the joint and its end-of-travel locking are ensured by elastic bands (36) connecting the two braces and each formed of two superimposed plates. Successive joints may be joined using a synchronization deployment mechanism.