Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
1036336
The present invention relates to the wrapping of flshing rods, and
more particularly to methods for forming and applying wraps to fishing rods.
Conventionally, a fishing rod is provided with line guides spaced
along the reach of the rod and a line eye, the tip top, at the end of the rod
to extend the line along the rod when it is in use. These line guides may be
eyelets or simple wire loops having suitable opposing flattened ends, or feetJ
which lie against the rod and are held in place by wraps of thread about the
rod. Such a wrap is usually formed by winding a nylon thread or other thread
about the rod and upon the foot of a line guide with turns of the thread lying
side by side in a neat appearing arrangement. The tread is held tight during
the wrapping and the pressure of the resulting wrap tightly holds the line
guide in place. After such a wrap has been wound upon a rod, it is covered
by one or more protective coats of a high quality varnishJ resin or lacquer.
In addition to the rod wraps which hold the line guides in place, other short
wraps may be spaced along the rod to reinforce its basic structure and to
improve the appearance of the rod.
The wrapping of fishing rods is a manual operation requiring a high
tegree of skill and often it takes several years of experience before an
operator can attain suitable skill and sufficient speed to be productive.
Thus, these rod wrapping operations are expensive and amount to a substantial
portion of the cost of the rod. With-the present turbulent labor situation,
a real problem exists in findingJ training and hiring and keeping good wrap-
pers. As a resultJ various expedients have been proposed to mechanize wrap-
ping operations or to find a suitable substitute for such wraps. For exampleJ
it has been suggested that a plastic sleeve could be used as a substitute for
a wrap and such a sleeve could be fitted upon a rod by heat shrinking so that
it will attain sufficient tightness as to hold it in place. This desirable
result has not been attained in that it has been found that a sleeve of a type -`
of plastic suitable for a shrink fit and which can be shrunk into place by
heat will not have sufficient strength to hold a line guide in place and will
; not grip the rod with sufficient tightness so as to prevent it from slipping.
A rod wrap must grip the rod and the foot of a guide so tightly that neither
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the wrap nor the foot under it will slip even when the rod is abused in a
manner which could cause a non-too-tight wrap to slip.
A glueing of a rod wrap in place has been proposed but the materials
forming a rod will not easily accept a glue, or adhesive, and again tight
gripping of the rod is not attained. Moreover, it is desirable that a rod
wrap have a slight degree of flexibility on the rod. Accordingly, most rods
manufactured today are hand wrapped even though the operation is expensive,
and labor problems limit the production of such rods.
The present invention was conceived and developed with the fore-
going and other c~nsiderations in view and is directed to a technique for
affixing a sleeve-like rod wrap which itself is of a novel construction. This
wrap consists of a cylinder of a strong material, such as polyurethane or
nylon which may contain a wrapping of a selected thread embedded within the
cylinder. With the wrapping encased in a tough resin coating of an elastomeric
plastic, the problems which arise when the varnish of a conventional wrap com-
mences to deteriorate are avoided. The improved and simplified method of
applying such a sleeve-like wrap to a rod contemplates that the diameter of
the wrap is increased as by stretching. The increased-diameter wrap is then
treated or fixed such as by freezing, to remain in its expanded state after
the expanding device is removed for at least a short period of time. The
stretched wrap is then placed in position upon a rod, the final step being to ;~ -
return the wrap to its original size, as by returning it to ambient tempera- -
ture, if the operation is freezing, to tightly grip the rod.
It follows that an object of the present invention is to provide a
novel and improved sleeve-like wrap which may be fitted upon a rod to hold a
line guide or the like, and which permits the feet of a line guide to be
serrated or otherwise prepared for tighter gripping by the wrap.
Another object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved
sleeve-like rod wrap which can be produced at a very low unit cost and which
will significantly reduce the cost of production of fishing rods.
Another object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved
sleeve-like rod wrap which is made of selected materials and is a high quality,
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strong product with an encapsulated thread rendering the same considerably
more durable than the present hand wraps.
Another object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved
method of affixing a sleeve-like rod wrap onto a fishing rod which involves
simple, easily performed steps that result in an exceedingly tight fit of the
wrap on the rod.
Another object of the invention is to provide a sleeve-like wrap
for a fishing rod formed as a cylinder of wound thread within a plastic embed-
ment which eliminates conventional varnishing operations and is neat appear- ~-
ing, economical, strong, tough and capable of withstanding considerable abuse.
With the foregoing and other objects in view, the present invention
comprises certain constructions, combinations and arrangements of parts and
elements, and steps and sequences, all as hereinafter described, defined in
the appended claims and illustrated in preferred embodiment in the accompany-
ing drawing, in which:
Figure 1 illustrates a fragment of a fishing rod with a line guide
thereon being held by rod wraps constructed and applied in accordance with
the principles of the invention.
Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of one type of rod wrap
constructed according to the invention but illustrated on a greatly enlarged -
scale. -~ ~
Figure 2a is a fragmentary sectional view similar to a portion of .~ -
Figure 2, but illustrating a modified mode of thread wrapping. -
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Figure 3 is a longitudinal sectional view similar to the showing at
Figure 2, but illustrating a modified form of a rod wrap.
Figure 4 is a diagrammatic sectional view of a rod wrap formed as a
unitary member which may also represent wraps illustrative of a first step of
a sequence of applying the wrap to a fishing rod in accordance with the inven-
tion.
Figure 4a is a diagrammatic view similar to Figure 4 but illustrat-
ing the expander as being expanded to enlarge the diameter of the rod wrap.
Figure 4b is a diagrammatic view of the enlarged rod wrap of Figure
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1936336
4a after it has been frozen and with the expander removed.
Figure 4c is a diagrammatic view of the enlarged, fro~en rod wrap
fitted upon a rod with the foot of a line guide being in place.
Figure 4d is a diagrammatic view similar to Figure 4c but after the
rod wrap has warmed to ambient temperature and has shrunk upon the rod.
Figures 5 and Sa are enlarged fragmentary perspective views showing
the foot of a line guide to be placed under a wrap, having a serrated surface
thereon.
Referring first to Figure 1 of the drawing, a pair of the improved
wraps W, sleeve-like members, are fitted upon a rod R to hold the opposing
feet F of a line guide G. The general appearance of these wraps is conven-
tional, and it is essential that they fit very tightly about the rod, with the
foot portions F of the line guide being extended underneath each wrap, as
illustrated. In one embodiment of a wrap W, each wrap is formed as a tight
winding of thread 20. Conventionally, the thread is wound directly upon the `-
rod, and in the preferred embodiment, the thread is wrapped upon a thin inner
sleeve 21. The thread 20 is also within an outer cover 22 so that the sleeve -~
21 and outer cover fully embed the thread. Preferably, this thread 20 is of
nylon and the inner sleeve 21 and outer cover 22 are a clear polyurethane.
The diameter of this wrap W, ~hen it is first formed, will be established by ~ -
the diameter of the rod R at the point where the wrap is to be placed, and
the inside diameter of a wrap W will be measurably less than the rod diameter
at that point in order to produce a tight fit of the wrap upon the rod, as
hereinafter described. Other proportions of the wrap, its thickness and
length, may be varied. The wrap may be of any selected length and the thick-
ness will depend upon the diameter of the thread and the amount of plastic
used for the sleeve 21 and cover 22. While the wrap may be formed by winding
a length of thread upon the inner sleeve 21, as a continuous wind about the
sleeve, a wrap W' may also be formed by weaving thread upon the sleeve 21 as
indicated at 20' at Figure 2a. In either arrangement, a short reach of the
plastic cover 22 extends beyond the wrapped thread at each end of the wrap to ~; -
provide for a neatly finished edging 23, and also to better contain one or
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1~36336
more ends 24 of the thread wrapping, as hereinafter further described.
Although a nylon thread 20 is preferred, other strong fiber materi-
als of synthetic resin plastics can be used. The plastic materials 21 and 22
which embed this thread are preferably tough, thermoplastic types of poly-
urethane, such as the type known as Pellethane*, manufactured by The Upjohn
Co. of Kalamazoo, Michigan. Other strong, tough, plastic polymers such as
styrene butadiene, and natural and synthetic rubbers may also be used to form
either the thread or the wrap. Other resins, which are used to form this
wrap W, must have similar characteristics to nylon and polyurethane, in that
such materials must have sufficient resilience as to permit them to be
stretched,and they must be capable of being fixed while in a stretched state
at least for a short period of time. It is believed that the stretching ac- ~;
tion may be either a resilient, an elastomeric, or a plastic-memory phenomenon
of a type commonly observed in many synthetic resins. The basic feature of
the stretching action herein considered resides in the fact that the resin may
be stretched, or expanded, and then remain in a stretched, or expanded, state
for a short time period before recovery, that is, before returning to, or
approximately to, the initial unstretched state. This may be accomplished
with some materials by softening them with volatile solvents, such as, for
example, polyurethane can be softened and expanded with methylene chloride.
This may also be accomplished by holding the material stretched for an extend- -~
ed time period or, more quickly and as preferred, by lowering the temperature
of the material by chilling below ambient temperature and in some cases, to
cryogenic temperature. This latter operation, which as above stated consti-
tutes the preferred mode according to the present invention, will be herein-
after referred to as "freezing". When so frozen, the plastic resins suitable
for the purpose at hand will return to their original state once the materials
are warmed to ambient temperature, an operation which will be hereinafter
referred to as "warming".
A rod wrap may alternatively be formed without the use of thread.
As exemplified at Figure 3, a modified wrap W" includes an inner, cylindrical
* Trademark
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1~36336
`~ sleeve 20" of a strong plastic material, such as nylon, or a hard, high-tensile
strength polyurethane, which is suitably encased within a plastic, outer cover
22" of a clear, tough, water-resistant material, such as polyurethane or other
elastomers. The modified wrap W" is also formed with a short portion of the
cover 22" extending beyond each end of the sleeve 20" as an edging 23" to im-
prove the appearance of the unit. Also, if the cover 22" is transparent, the
sleeve 20" may be of a selected color and surface texture to provide for a
distinctive unit. A further modified, simplified wrap can consist of a cylin-
drical sleeve of a single material. A strong, tough polyurethane such as
Pellethane* 2103-9Oa manufactured by the Upjohn Company of Kalamazoo, Michigan,
U.S.A., or a nylon material may be used for this purpose, although the quality
and appearance of this simplified, one-piece wrap may not always be as good as
that of the wrap W.
Such unitary or two-piece, or even the threaded wraps, may be formed
by several conventional processes such as by extrusion or by injection molding
processes. The rod wrap may also be formed without the inner sleeve 21 by
coating the thread with an elastomeric plastic such as polyurethane, and the
wraps of the thread may then be fused together, either before or when the outer
cover 22 is applied by extrusion or in any other manner, such as by injection
molding or spraying. Also, in injection molding, the pressure may be such as
to force the plastic forming the outer cover 22 into and through the inter-
stices of the thread fibers. In either case, the fusion operation of the coat-
ing on the adjacent wraps or high pressure injection molding will form the
;~ equivalent of the inner sleeve 21, if such a sleeve is not provided in advance
- of forming the cover 22.
It is essential that the wraps W and W' be fitted upon the fishing
rod with an exceedingly tight fit which is comparable to that which can be
attained when a thread is wrapped about a rod in a conventional manner. In
accordance with the preferred mode of practicing the present invention, to
attain this very tight fit, the wrap W is forcibly expanded to a size greater
than the diameter of the fishing rod at the point where the wrap is to be
placed. Once expanded, the wrap is frozen and to a temperature where it will
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~036336
not immediately return to its initial size although it will do so when warmed
to ambient temperature. The freezing temperature will depend upon the plastic
materials forming the wrap and a suitable low temperature for a given resin
can be easily determined by simple experiments. For example, with the nylon
thread and polyurethane cover, a temperature of approximately 10 F was found
to be sufficient. Cryogenic temperatures ~as might be obtained by using
liquid nitrogen) may be preferable to extend the time before the wrap waTms.
Thereafter, the frozen wrap is fitted upon the fishing rod, with the
foot of a guide being placed underneath it at a proper position. The wrap is
then allowed to warm to ambient temperature. Responsive to this warming, the
wrap regains its natural elasticity to contract to its original size, or
nearly so, and to grip the rod and a line guide foot F with an exceedingly
tight fit, for the initial size of the wrap will be somewhat less than the
diameter of the rod at the point where the wrap is to be placed, as heretofore
mentioned.
This sequence of operations is diagrammatically illustrated at Fig-
. ures 4, 4a, 4b, 4c and 4d. The expansion of the wrap W to an increased diam-
eter may be accomplished with any suitable tool, and a conventional expander
; E may be used for this purpose. The expander E, as illustrated, is a simp}e
cylindrical tube having a circumferential array of longitudinal slots 29 in
the walls, each of which commences at a hole 29' near one end of the tube and
terminates at the opposite end of the tube, and with the slots being opposite-
ly directed from adjacent slots in an alternating manner as illustrated in the
figure. The passageway through the tube is a tapered core 30 extending through
the expander E. When a taper pin, not shown at Figures 4 and 4a, which corres-
ponds to the tapered core 30 of the expander, is driven into the expander the
slots will spread apart, as illustrated at Figure 4a, to increase the diameter
of the wrap W. The wrap, the expander and the pin may then be subjected to a
reduced temperature to freeze ~he wrap. When the wrap is frozen, the pin may
be removed from the expander E to permit it to contract and then be removed
; from the wrap to leave a frozen, expanded wrap W as shown at Figure 4b. There-
after, the frozen wrap W is placed upon a fishing rod R with the foot F of a
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guide G in place, as shown at Figure 4c. As the wrap warms, it reduces in
size to tightly grip the rod and foot as shown at Figure 4d. For a better
fit and a tighter gripping of the foot by the wrap, the upper surface of a
foot may be corrugated as shown at f at Figure 5 or even knurled as at f' as
shown at Figure Sa. Such corrugations are not possible with conventional
wraps because they will cut the threads or the wrap; accordingly a much better
gripping by this improved wrap with a corrugated foot is possible.
It was discovered that when the specified polyurethane resin forming
the inner sleeve 21 and outer cover 22 would freeze at approximately 10 F.,
the nylon threads would also remain in the expanded state, as shown at Figure
4b. The fro~en wrap may be stored for a substantial time period, then placed
or fitted on a rod, and thereafter will return to, or nearly to, its initial
si7e upon thawing.
~ nce a wrap W, W' or Wt' is placed upon a fishing rod R and allowed
to warm, it-will shrink and grip the rod tightly. ~owever, to attain an even
tighter grip upon the rod, the rod can conceivably be placed in an oven and
heated to a temperature approximating 300 F. to cause a further shrinking
action and gripping of the rod.
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