# US 9,038,310 B2 · Ballast weight for a fishing line > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 9,038,310 B2 - Document ID: US9038310B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 13/468,785 - Filed: 2012-05-10 - Published: 2013-11-14 - Granted: 2015-05-26 - Earliest claimed: 2012-05-10 - Applicants: Gianni Gaudieri - Inventors: Gianni Gaudieri - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9038310B2 ## CPC - A01K 95/00: Sinkers for angling (for trawling A01K75/06) - A01K: ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; AVICULTURE; APICULTURE; PISCICULTURE; FISHING; REARING OR BREEDING ANIMALS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; NEW BREEDS OF ANIMALS ## Abstract A ballast weight for a fishing line, comprising a main body (1) destined to be associated to a fishing line, which comprises a through-channel (10) provided with an inlet opening (11) and an outlet opening (12) located on the external surface of the main body (1), said through-channel (10) being overall orientated in a parallel direction to a longitudinal axis (x) of the main body (1) and being provided with a progression and a breadth that are variable. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A ballast weight for a fishing line, comprising a main body (1) destined to be connected, during use, to the fishing line, which main body (1) comprises a front portion (2) and a rear portion (3) on which, at a tail end of the main body (1), an eyelet (7) is provided to enable connection of the main body (1) to the fishing line, characterised in that the main body comprises a through-channel (10) provided with an inlet opening (11) and one and only one outlet opening (12) located on the external surface of the main body (1), said through-channel (10) being overall orientated in a parallel direction to a longitudinal axis (x) of the main body (1) and being provided with a progression and a breadth that are variable, said through-channel (10) being structured such that, during a flight stage of the ballast weight, (a) the fishing line is attached to the eyelet (7) and the fishing line does not pass through the through-channel (10) and (b) there is created through an entire length of the through-channel (10) an effective flow of air that facilitates the flight of the ballast weight, the morphological characteristics of the profile of the through-channel (10) being such that, during the flight stage of the ballast weight there is created, through the entire length of the through-channel (10), an effective flow of air, the main body being free from the presence of a fish hook. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The ballast weight according to claim 1, wherein said through-channel (10) exhibits, on a longitudinal vertical section plane, an upper profile (13) which comprises a first tract (131), arranged in proximity of the inlet opening (11), which exhibits a convex development. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The ballast weight of claim 2, wherein said upper profile (13) of the through-channel (10) exhibits a second tract (132), connected to the first tract (131), which second tract (132) exhibits a concave development and terminates at the outlet opening (12). ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The ballast weight of claim 3, wherein said upper profile (13) of the through-channel (10) exhibits a third tract (133) arranged consecutively to the second tract (132), which third tract (133) exhibits a progression that is substantially straight and parallel to the longitudinal axis (X). ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) The ballast weight of claim 3, wherein said upper profile (13) of the through-channel (10) exhibits a third tract (133) arranged consecutively to the second tract (132), which third tract (133) exhibits a declining progression. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The ballast weight of claim 5, wherein said third tract (133) comprises an end tract (134) that is straight or slightly concave and which is connected to the third tract (133) at a projecting loop (134a). ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The ballast weight of claim 1, wherein said through-channel (10) exhibits, on a vertical longitudinal section plane, a lower profile (14) which comprises a first tract (141), arranged in proximity of the inlet opening (11), which exhibits a convex development. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The ballast weight of claim 7, wherein said lower profile (14) of the through-channel (10) comprises a second tract (142), connected to the first tract (141), which exhibits a concave development and terminates at the outlet opening (12). ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The ballast weight of claim 8, wherein said lower profile (14) of the through-channel (10) comprises a third tract (143) arranged consecutively to the second tract (142) which third tract (143) exhibits a progression that is substantially straight and parallel to the longitudinal axis (X). ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The ballast weight of claim 8, wherein said lower profile (14) of the through-channel (10) comprises a third tract (143) arranged consecutively to the second tract (142) which third tract (143) exhibits a declining progression and which is connected to the second tract (142) by means of a convex loop (143a). ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The ballast weight of claim 1, wherein the through-channel (10) is internally provided with shaped tabs (20). ### Claim 12 (depends on 4) The ballast weight of claim 4, wherein an upper tract (111) and a lower tract (112) intersect a vertical longitudinal mid-section plane at respective mid-points (111a, 112a) that lie on distinct vertical transversal planes, said mid-point (111a) of the upper tract (111) lying on a vertical transversal plane that is more advanced with respect to the mid-point (112a) of the lower tract (112). ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The ballast weight of claim 1, wherein the outlet opening (12) of the through-channel (10) exhibits, on a frontal projection plane, an oval outline. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The ballast weight of claim 13, wherein the outlet opening (12) is provided with a mobile plate, rotatably constrained to the outline of the outlet opening (12) about a transversal axis, which mobile plate is free to rotate idle between a closed position, in which it occludes the outlet opening (12) and an open position, in which it does not occlude the outlet opening (12). ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The ballast weight of claim 1, wherein the main body (1) is provided with at least a stabilising wing (4) which projects from the main body (1) in an external direction. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The ballast weight of claim 1, wherein the main body (1) is provided with a frontal point (22) which projects forward of the front portion (2) of the main body (1). ### Claim 17 (depends on 1) The ballast weight of claim 1, comprising two flanked through-channels (10, 101) which develop with a reciprocally parallel progression. ### Claim 18 (depends on 1) The ballast weight of claim 1, comprising three through-channels (10, 101, 102) which develop with a parallel or helical progression about the longitudinal axis (X). ### Claim 19 (depends on 5) The ballast weight of claim 5, wherein an upper tract (111) and a lower tract (112) intersect a vertical longitudinal mid-section plane at respective mid-points (111a, 112a) that lie on distinct vertical transversal planes, said mid-point (111a) of the upper tract (111) lying on a vertical transversal plane that is more advanced with respect to the mid-point (112a) of the lower tract (112). ### Claim 20 (depends on 1) The ballast weight of claim 1, wherein said through-channel (10) exhibits, on a longitudinal vertical section plane, an upper profile (13) and a lower profile (14), wherein, along a central tract of the upper profile (13), a distance from the lower profile (14) to the upper profile (13) is greater than (a) a distance from the upper profile (13) to a top of the main body (1) plus (b) a distance from the lower profile (14) to a bottom of the main body (1). ### Claim 21 (depends on 1) The ballast weight of claim 1, wherein the through-channel (10) is defined by a perimeter wall, the through-channel (10) having a central, empty, portion running longitudinally through a center of a cross sectional area of the through-channel (10), the central portion being unobstructed during the flight stage of the ballast weight. ### Claim 22 (depends on 1) The ballast weight of claim 1, wherein the through-channel (10) is defined by a perimeter wall, a volume defined by the perimeter wall being empty during the flight stage of the ballast weight.