Appeal No. 2003-1981 Page 6
Application No. 09/715,684
depressing the thumb button 26 the line 14 is braked or held against the inside of the
front cover and is prevented from exiting the reel so that the reel and rod can be swung
in an arc from in front of the fisherman to behind the fisherman and then as the rod is
swung forward, the thumb button is released, whereupon the hook and bait on the end
of the line will pull the line from the reel until the hook and bait drops gently into the
water. At this point, the crank handle 20 can be rotated to retrieve the line and hook
and hopefully a fish caught thereon.
Batick teaches (column 2, line 37, to column 3, line 25) that:
A handicapped person, and in particular a person that has nerve or
muscle disorder or damage in the arm and hand, is not able to grip the handle 10
on the rod 11 to hold same during casting, during the wait for a fish to nibble or
bite, and during retrieve of the line.
The improvement is directed to a holding apparatus 30 which can be
removably attached to the handle 10 of a rod in juxtaposed relationship to the
reel which facilitates holding the rod 11 and manipulating the reel 12 by a
handicapped person. Specifically, the holding apparatus includes a frame 40
which is composed of a pair of spaced apart side walls 42 and 44 and a pair of
spaced apart end rods 46 and 48 extending between the side walls. The side
walls 42,44 lie parallel to each and parallel to the handle 10 of the rod. The end
rods 46,48 are threaded at 47 and 49, respectively, into opposite end portions of
side wall 42. The rods 46,48 pass through apertures 50 in the opposite end
portions of the side wall 44 so that the wall 44 can be moved along the axes of
the rods 46 and 48 toward and away from the wall 42. A pair of identical
compression springs 52 are mounted between the walls 42 and 44 with each
spring surrounding one of the rods 46 or 48, with the springs 52 urging the wall
44 away from the wall 42. The rods 46 and 48 are rigidly secured to cylindrical
expandable connectors or clamps 54 and 56 and projects radially from said
cylindrical connectors or clamps. The cylindrical connectors 54,56 are
substantially identical and are composed of a circular band of material 55, such
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