METHOD FOR PRODUCING A GUIDE ELEMENT FOR A FISHING ROD LINE

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a guide element (GEL) for a fishing line of a fishing rod, said element comprising a ring (CRG) rigidly connected to a guide body (GDY) intended to be attached to the fishing rod. The method according to the invention is characterized in that it comprises the following steps: - coating the ring (CRG) with a set of reinforcing fibers; - molding the set of reinforcing fibers; - sheathing the ring (CRG) thus coated with resin; and - hardening the guide element thus formed. The method according to the invention does not require machining of materials containing carbon fibers, nor does it require mechanically inserting or gluing the ring into a pre-formed hole in the guide body.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a guide element for a fishing line of a fishing rod, said element comprising a ring rigidly connected to a guide body intended to be fixed to said rod. The present invention relates particularly, but not exclusively, to the general field of fishing rod manufacturing, and more particularly to the field of fishing rod manufacturing comprising a shaft made at least in part using reinforcing fibers.

[0002] Such reinforcing fibers may be made of, among other materials, carbon, glass, aramid, basalt, or other materials known to those skilled in the art. In the prior art, it is common for fishing rod shafts to be provided with a series of rings intended to guide at least one fishing line extending in a direction parallel to the rod shaft (hereinafter referred to as the longitudinal direction) to facilitate both the casting operation and the operation of reeling in a fish that has bitten the hook. [Background technology]

[0003] For many years, fishing rod shafts were made of fiberglass and guide elements were made of metal to be glued or secured to the shaft, but these techniques were unsatisfactory because, first, the surface finish of the metal guide elements tended to be abrasive, thereby causing premature wear of the fishing line, and second, friction caused the fishing line to eventually cut through the metal frame, which, even if not very abrasive, was not hard enough. Furthermore, the metal body of the guide elements and the fiberglass body of the fishing rod shaft to which they were rigidly connected had different deformation and corrosion resistance characteristics, which tended to cause the guide elements to prematurely separate from the fishing rod shaft.

[0004] To overcome these drawbacks, a guide element has been devised in the form of an assembly incorporating a ceramic ring in a guide body made of carbon fibre, said guide element being intended to be fixed to the shaft of a fishing rod, also made of carbon fibre.

[0005] Such a method is described in particular in patent application WO 02 / 04999. However, the inventors of the method claimed in the present patent application have observed that although the method described in the above document partially overcomes the drawbacks of the prior art, other problems still remain unresolved in the implementation of this known method.

[0006] In fact, the method known from (US Pat. No. 5,699,999) carries out the manufacture of the guide body in a first step, which is built on the basis of a stack of carbon fiber sheets that have been pre-impregnated with resin and then hardened, thus obtaining a preform from which the guide body is drawn by machining, which defines, on the one hand, the outer periphery of the guide body and, on the other hand, forms therein a hole intended to receive, by means of a snap fit, a ceramic ring, the inner annular surface of which must be coated with an adhesive paste in order to hold the ceramic ring in place in the hole formed in the guide body.

[0007] Such machining is complex and costly to implement, and even more so in the mass production of many guide rings to be attached to fishing rods (which are also intended for mass production and delivery). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0008] [Patent Document 1] European Patent No. 3424318B1 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0009] The present inventors have devised a solution to all the above problems and developed a simple, low-cost method for implementing this solution easily and quickly. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] The present invention therefore provides a method according to the introductory paragraph, comprising: - coating the ring with at least one set of reinforcing fibers; - shaping the set of reinforcing fibers; - using a resin to coat the ring thus coated; - hardening the guide element thus formed; The present invention proposes a method comprising:

[0011] Unlike the methods known from the prior art, the method according to the invention does not require the use of a stack of reinforcing fiber layers, but rather a set of fibers that can be optimally oriented according to the direction of maximum strength, taken into account both in tension and in bending.

[0012] Furthermore, unlike known methods which involve three successive manufacturing steps, the method according to the invention involves only one step and does not require machining of materials containing carbon fibers, nor does it require mechanical insertion or gluing of rings into pre-made holes in the guide body.

[0013] This method allows for significant savings in terms of production time and costs. Indeed, since no cutting operations are used, the implementation of this method does not result in wear of cutting tools or waste of machining material that is no longer needed, which would otherwise require costly recycling processes. Furthermore, the machining operations provided in the prior art usually generate dust that is difficult to collect, but this dust is not generated in the method according to the present invention.

[0014] Furthermore, since the guide body is made of composite material, its outer surface is mainly composed of resin, preferably epoxy resin, which ensures uniform mechanical and physicochemical behavior with respect to the fishing rod shaft to which the guide body is intended to be fixed.

[0015] The method according to the invention can be carried out manually, for example by inserting a plastically deformable thread into a set of reinforcing fibers, then winding this assembly around a ceramic ring, and then shaping the free end of the assembly that is left free, thereby forming a base having a shape that allows the guide element to be fixed to the shaft of the intended fishing rod. The whole thus formed can then be coated with a resin to increase its rigidity, which can be cured at room temperature or by heating.

[0016] Preferably, the coating step also includes at least one step of gripping the ring by contact with at least one portion of a set of reinforcing fibers arranged around the ring.

[0017] The guide element can be configured such that a ring coated with a set of reinforcing fibers is directly connected to the base of the guide body. In another embodiment of the invention, if the guide element is intended to have at least one leg connecting a bonding region located near the outer periphery of the ring to the base part of the guide body, the coating step comprises at least one step of gripping said ring by contact with at least one part of a set of reinforcing fibers located around the ring, one end of said part left free after said gripping being positioned along said leg between the bonding region and the base part.

[0018] Alternatively, the guide element may have at least one leg connecting a ring coated with a set of reinforcing fibers to the base of the guide body. According to a particular embodiment of the invention in which the guide element is intended to have at least first and second legs connecting first and second bonding regions arranged around the outer periphery of the ring (CRG) to at least a single leg of the guide body, the coating step includes at least one step of gripping said ring (CRG) by contact with at least one portion of a set of reinforcing fibers arranged around the ring, one end of said portion remaining free after said gripping being positioned along at least one of the two legs, between the corresponding bonding region and the base portion.

[0019] This embodiment allows doubling the thickness of the legs and thus significantly increasing their rigidity. This is preferably applied to each of the two legs to optimize the overall rigidity. In fact, not only is the thickness of each of the two legs doubled, but the thickness of the reinforcing fibers that grip the ring is also doubled, so that the entire guide element thus obtained has a uniform fiber thickness.

[0020] According to an advantageous embodiment of the above method, the molding step and the coating step each comprise the following steps: - inserting the ring coated with the set of reinforcing fibers into a mold having an annular groove connected to at least one outflow groove intended to receive at least one length of fibers in addition to the length of fibers used to coat the ring; - filling the mould with resin.

[0021] Such an embodiment, in addition to the inventive advantages described above, makes it possible to choose a cross section of the guide body that goes beyond the constraints imposed by known techniques. In this embodiment of the invention, the resin may be cured at room temperature, but according to an advantageous embodiment of the method, the curing step comprises heating the mould so filled.

[0022] This shortens the manufacturing time of the guide element according to the invention and reduces the risk of deformation of said guide element during the curing step. Furthermore, resins cured by heating exhibit a more efficient behavior in terms of mechanical strength.

[0023] According to a variant of the above invention, an additional length of fiber extends beyond the outflow groove and is arranged in a linear groove intended to form the basis of the guide body, this linear groove being in the extension of the outflow groove and substantially perpendicular to the plane containing the circular groove.

[0024] According to a particular variant of the above invention, the linear grooves are intended to receive removable cylinders coated within the hollow portion of at least one of the sets of reinforcing fibres before the filling step.

[0025] Such a deformation creates a cylindrical sheath rigidly connected to the guide ring that can receive the end of the fishing rod, thereby allowing the "head" ring, intended to withstand the violent forces generated during casting or by a resisting fish, to be perfectly and strongly positioned, despite being connected to the thinnest end of the fishing rod.

[0026] According to a variant of a preferred embodiment of the invention, the method comprises a step of inserting one end of a set of reinforcing fibers left free after coating the ring into a hollow part of said set intended to be located near the bonding area.

[0027] This modification makes it possible to double the thickness of the hollow section into which the ends of the set of reinforcing fibers are inserted, thereby significantly increasing the strength of that section. According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, said set of reinforcing fibers intended to coat the ring comprises a hollow braid.

[0028] This embodiment forms a bead that completely envelops the periphery of the ring, thereby optimally strengthening the connection between the ring and the guide body. Furthermore, since the braid is hollow, it is relatively easy to insert other fibers longitudinally, which further increases the rigidity of the guide element.

[0029] Furthermore, according to one of its material aspects, the invention also relates to a guide element for a fishing line of a fishing rod obtained by carrying out the method as described above. Furthermore, according to another of its material aspects, the invention also relates to a mold for carrying out the method according to the above description.

[0030] Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will become more apparent on reading the following description of particular embodiments, given as illustrative and non-limiting examples, and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0031] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of a guide element for a fishing line of a fishing rod obtained by implementing the invention; [Figure 2] 1A to 1C are perspective views illustrating steps in the manufacture of such a guide element. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing details of the manufacturing step shown in the previous figure. [Figure 4] 1 is a schematic diagram showing a cross section of a guide element according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a coating step according to a particular embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is another schematic diagram illustrating a coating step according to certain embodiments of the present invention. [Figure 7] 1 shows a perspective view of an advantageous embodiment of a guide element according to the invention; [Figure 8] 1 is another perspective view of a mould half intended to be assembled together with a complementary mould half to carry out the method according to the invention; FIG. [Figure 9]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an element for guiding a fishing line of a fishing rod obtained by implementing a variant of the invention; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0032] FIG. 1 shows a guide element GEL for a fishing line of a fishing rod, comprising a ring CRG, for example made of ceramic material, rigidly connected to a guide body GDY, which is intended to be fixed to said fishing rod by a base FTN connected to the guide body via first and second legs (LG1, LG2).

[0033] Figures 2 and 3 show the manufacturing steps of the guide element shown in the previous figures, which include the following steps: - coating said ring CRG with at least one braided CTR of reinforcing fibers; - forming a braided CTR from the reinforcing fibers.

[0034] As shown in these figures, the ring CRG is gripped by contact with the braided CTR of reinforcing fibers arranged around the ring, i.e., the ring CRG is not separated from the braided CTR of reinforcing fibers by a layer of resin, and the resin is intended to be applied to the assembly formed by coating the ring CRG by gripping it with the braided CTR.

[0035] According to a preferred embodiment of the invention shown here, the braid CTR of reinforcing fibers coating the ring CRG is a hollow braid. This embodiment forms beads (BR1, BR2) that completely encase the periphery of the ring CRG, thereby providing an optimally strong connection between the ring CRG and the guide body, as shown in Figure 4 (partial cross-section in a plane perpendicular to the plane of the ring).

[0036] The manufacturing steps are intended to be followed by the steps shown below: - using a resin to coat the ring CRG thus coated; and - hardening the guide element thus formed.

[0037] Unlike the methods known from the prior art, the method according to the invention does not require the use of a stack of reinforcing fiber layers, but rather a set of reinforcing fibers, formed here by a braided CTR of fibers, which set of reinforcing fibers can be optimally oriented according to the direction of maximum strength considered both in tension and in bending.

[0038] In the manufacturing method described herein, the end LG2 of the braided CTR, which is left free after coating with the ring CRG, is inserted into a portion of the hollow body of the fiber CTR at the point indicated by the arrow INT and pulled out from the hollow body of the fiber CTR at the point indicated by the arrow OUT.

[0039] In other embodiments not shown here, the reinforcing fiber braid CTR need not be hollow, and one end of the braid left free after coating the ring CRG can be passed through said braid to allow gripping of the ring in a slip knot manner similar to the grip obtained with the insertion technique described in the previous paragraph.

[0040] 5 is a schematic illustration of a coating step including at least one step of gripping the ring CRG with at least a part of the set of reinforcing fibers, in this case performed in a clockwise direction. In this example, the first free ends EXT11 of the first set of reinforcing fibers CTR1 and the second ends EXT12 left free after said encircling are arranged alongside and substantially parallel to each other so as to be fixed together during the coating step to form the first leg LG1.

[0041] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention in which the set of reinforcing fibers CTR1 is a hollow braid, the second end EXT12 can be inserted into the first end EXT11 where the two ends meet near the ring CRG, thereby forming a first bonding region.

[0042] This embodiment makes it possible to double the thickness of the first leg LG1 and therefore to significantly increase its stiffness. 6 is a schematic illustration of a coating step similar to the previous figures, including at least one step of gripping the ring CRG with at least a portion of the set of reinforcing fibers, in this case performed in a counterclockwise direction. In this example, the first free ends EXT21 of the second set of reinforcing fibers CTR2 and the second ends EXT22 left free after said encircling are arranged alongside and substantially parallel to one another so as to be fixed together during the coating step to form the second leg LG2.

[0043] In a preferred embodiment of the invention in which the set of reinforcing fibers CTR2 is a hollow braid, the second end EXT22 can be inserted into the first end EXT21 where the two ends meet near the ring CRG, thus forming a second bonding region.

[0044] The combined embodiment of the two coating steps described in Figures 5 and 6 makes it possible to double the thickness of the first and second legs LG1 and LG2 and consequently also double the thickness of the base FTN, thus significantly increasing the rigidity of all these elements.

[0045] Furthermore, not only do the two legs LG1 and LG2 each have a double thickness, but the thickness of the reinforcing fibers gripping the ring CRG is also doubled, so that the entire guide element obtained has a uniform fiber thickness.

[0046] Such a combined embodiment of the two coating steps described in Figures 5 and 6 is carried out by wrapping a second set of reinforcing fibers having ends EXT21 and EXT22, as shown in Figure 6, around a first set of reinforcing fibers having ends EXT11 and EXT12, as shown in Figure 5. In such an embodiment, the ring CRG is gripped by the second set of reinforcing fibers CTR2 through contact with the first set of reinforcing fibers CTR1, rather than through direct contact with the ring CRG itself. Thus, the ring CRG is not separated from the first set of reinforcing fibers CTR1 by a resin layer, nor are the first set of reinforcing fibers CTR1 and the second set of reinforcing fibers CTR2, which are in direct contact with each other, intended to be applied to an assembly formed by coating the ring CRG gripped by the two sets of reinforcing fibers CTR1 and CTR2.

[0047] 7 and 8 show an advantageous embodiment of the above method, which should be considered together, in which the forming and covering steps respectively comprise the following steps: - inserting the ring coated with a braid of reinforcing fibers into a mold MLD having an annular groove ANGR connected with at least one outlet groove (EGR1, EGR2) intended to receive at least one length of braid in addition to the length used to coat the ring; - filling said mold MLD with resin.

[0048] In an embodiment of type MLD, only half of which is shown here, the outflow grooves (EGR1, EGR2) are connected to a straight groove RGR intended to form the basis of the guide body, said straight groove RGR being substantially perpendicular to the plane containing the circular grooves.

[0049] 9 shows a guide element PTR obtained using a mold in which the straight grooves have a cylindrical section intended to receive a removable cylinder coated in at least one portion of the braid of reinforcing fibers before the filling step. Furthermore, the mold used to manufacture the guide element PTR shown here includes first, second and third outflow grooves intended to form first, second and third legs (LG1, LG2 and LG3), the third leg LG3 being centrally located and in the extension of the base FTN of the guide element PTR.

[0050] Such a modification results in a cylindrical sheath rigidly connected to the guide ring CRG, which can receive one end of the fishing rod RDX, thereby allowing perfect and strong positioning of the "head" ring CRG, which is intended to withstand the intense forces generated during casting and by a resisting fish, despite being fastened to the thinnest end of the fishing rod.

Claims

1. 1. A method for manufacturing a guide element (GEL) for a fishing line of a fishing rod, said element comprising a ring (CRG) rigidly connected to a guide body (GDY) intended to be coupled to said fishing rod, comprising: - coating said ring (CRG) with a set of reinforcing fibers (CTR); - shaping said set of reinforcing fibers (CTR); - using a resin to coat said ring (CRG) thus coated; - hardening the guide element thus formed; A method comprising:

2. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the coating step includes at least one step of gripping the ring (CRG) by contact with at least one portion of a set of reinforcing fibers arranged around the ring.

3. The molding step and the coating step each include: - inserting said ring (CRG) coated with said set of reinforcing fibers (CTR) into a mold (MLD) having an annular groove (ANGR) connected to at least one outlet groove (EGR1, EGR2) intended to receive at least one length of fibers in addition to the length used to coat said ring (CRG); and - filling said mold (MLD) with resin, 3. The method of claim 1 or 2, comprising:

4. 4. A method according to claim 3, characterized in that the curing step comprises the step of heating the mould (MLD) thus filled.

5. 5. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the additional length of the fibres extends beyond the outlet grooves until it is accommodated in a straight groove (RGR) intended to form the basis of the guide body, this straight groove being in the extension of the outlet grooves (EGR1, EGR2) and substantially perpendicular to the plane containing the circular groove (ANGR).

6. 6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that the straight grooves (RGR) are intended to receive a removable cylinder coated in at least one hollow portion of a set of reinforcing fibers before the filling step.

7. 7. The method according to claim 1, wherein, when the guide element is intended to have at least one leg connecting a bonding area arranged in the vicinity of the outer periphery of the ring (CRG) to a base part of the guide body, the coating step comprises at least one step of gripping the ring (CRG) by contact with at least one part of the set of reinforcing fibers arranged around the ring (CRG), one end of the part left free after gripping being arranged along the leg between the bonding area and the base part.

8. 8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the guide element is intended to have at least a first leg and a second leg connecting a first bonding area and a second bonding area arranged near the outer periphery of the ring (CRG) to a single base part of the guide body, the coating step comprising at least one step of gripping the ring (CRG) by contact with at least one part of the set of reinforcing fibers arranged around the ring (CRG), one end of the part left free after gripping being arranged along at least one of the two legs between the corresponding bonding area and the base part.

9. 9. A method according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that it includes a step of inserting one end of the set of reinforcing fibres left free after coating the ring into a hollow part of the set intended to be located near the bonding area.

10. 10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the set of reinforcing fibers (CTR) comprises a hollow braid.

11. A guide element (GEL) for a fishing line of a fishing rod obtained by carrying out the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

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