GB2249006A - Stepped-joint separate rod - Google Patents

Abstract

A stepped-joint separate rod comprising a rod stock 1, at least one forward rod member 2 connected to said rod stock 1, and a telescopic rod member 5 extensible from and compressible into said rod stock. A fitting portion A is defined between the telescopic rod member 5 and the rod stock 1 for maintaining the telescopic rod member 5 in an extended position relative to the rod stock 1, and a joint portion 21 is defined in an extreme end portion of the telescopic rod member 5 for connecting stepwise the forward rod member 2 thereto. The collapsed rod therefore provides a compact assembly for transport. <IMAGE>

Description

STEPPED-JOINT SEPARATE ROD The present invention relates to a stepped-joint separate rod, and more particularly to a stepped-joint separate rod in which a rod stock and at least one forward rod member are jointed together.

An example of the stepped joint separate rods such as casting rods generally used for catching big fish by casting a trick device is shown in Fig. 5.

Such a rod includes a reel seat R mounted on a proximal end portion thereof and a plurality of fishing line guide elements G provided in positions toward a tip of the rod. As shown in Fig. 6, the separate rod of this type is divided into three parts, for example, depending on an entire length of the rod, i.e. one rod stock B and one or two forward rod members C. The rod stock B and the forward rod members C are jointed stepwise together.

Thus, in the general separate rods, the joint portion increases in number as the forward rod members increase in number, which results in a stiff condition of the rod. With the increase of the number of the forward rod members having the fishing line guide elements, the rod assembly becomes bulky when separated. Therefore, the conventional stepped-joint separate rod is divided into reduced parts, e.g. into three parts as shown in Fig. 6, in consideration of the condition when the separated rod members are jointed together and the bulky configuration when separated. This increases a compressed length L2 compared with a predetermined length. In particular, when one carries the rod in a trunk compartment of the car, there is a disadvantage of difficulty of moving the rod in and out of the trunk compartment, which reduces the portability.

The present invention is made in view of the above problems, and has an object to provide a stepped-joint separated rod which has a reduced compressed length of the rod compared with a predetermined length without increasing the number of the rod members to be jointed, and which is, when the rod is carried in the trunk compartment of the car, easy to be manoeuvred in and out of the trunk compartment.

In order to achieve the above-noted object, the present invention is characterized by a stepped-joint separate rod comprising a rod stock, at least one forward rod member connected to the rod stock, a telescopic rod member extensible from and compressible into the rod stock, a fitting portion defined between the telescopic rod member and the rod stock for maintaining the telescopic rod member in an extended position relative to the rod stock, and a joint portion defined in an extreme end portion of the telescopic rod member for connecting stepwise the forward rod member thereto.

The above structure has the following functions and effects.

Referring to Fig. 1, a length for use is determined by extending the telescopic rod member 5 from the rod stock 1 and connecting stepwise the forward rod member 2 to the fitting portion 52 defined in an extreme end of the telescopic rod member 5. In addition, the forward rod member 2 is removed outwardly of the fitting portion 52 and the telescopic rod member 5 is compressed into the rod stock 1, thereby to reduce the compressed length of the rod compared with the compressed length of the conventional stepped-joint separated rod as noted above.

Thus, according to the present invention, an extended length of the telescopic rod member 5 relative to the rod stock 1 can contribute to the overall length of the rod even when the overall length of the jointed rods of the present invention is the same as that of the conventional rod. More particularly, the extended length of the telescopic rod member 5 is distributed to the rod stock 1 and the forward rod member 2, respectively, in the conventional structure, while the rod stock 1 and the forward rod member 2 can be shortened by the extended length of the telescopic rod member 5 in the present invention. As a result, the compressed length of the rod can be reduced compared with that of the conventional rod without increasing the number of rod members to be connected.Therefore, when carried in the trunk compartment of the car, the rod can be easilymoved in and out of the trunk compartment thereby providing good portability.

In particular, the rod assembly even with the fishing line guide elements does not become bulky when separated. Furthermore, the telescopic rod member 5 is accommodated in the rod stock 1 which hardly affects the condition of the rod, which provides the rod with a good condition in combination with the effect of not increasing the number of rod members to be connected. In addition, since the extended length of the telescopic rod member 5 relative to the rod stock 1 can be varied with the types of rod to be used, the stepped-joint separate rod with different conditions can be provided even if the overall length is constant.

The invention will be further described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a fragmentary sectional view of a stepped-joint separate rod embodying the present invention, Fig. 2 is a sectional view in which a telescopic rod member is extended from a rod stock, Fig. 3 is a front view of the entire steppedjoint separate rod, Fig. 4 is a front view of the stepped-joint separate rod when separated, Figs. 5 and 6 illustrate conventional rods, respectively, in which: Fig. 5 is a front view corresponding to Fig. 3, and Fig. 6 is a front view corresponding to Fig. 4.

Referring to the drawings, a stepped-joint separate rod embodying the present invention will be described in detail hereinafter.

Figs. 1 through 4 show a stepped-joint separate rod divided into three parts depending on an entire length thereof, which comprises a rod stock 1 and two forward rod members 2. The rod stock 1 includes a reel seat 3 while each forward rod member 2 includes a plurality of fishing line guide elements 4.

Referring to Fig. 1, the rod stock 1 accommodates a gentle conical telescopic rod member 5 having a smaller diameter than a diameter of the rod stock 1 to be extensible and compressible relative to the rod stock 1. The telescopic rod member 5 defines a first engaging face 51 in an outer periphery of a proximal end portion thereof for engaging a second engaging face 11 defined in an inner periphery of a proximal end portion of the rod stock 1 when the telescopic rod 5 is compressed thereby to maintain the telescopic rod member 5 in a compressed position. The rod stock 1 also defines a third engaging face 12 in an inner periphery of a distal end portion thereof for engaging the first engaging face 51 when the telescopic rod member 5 is extended thereby to maintain the telescopic rod 5 in an extended position.

The telescopic rod 5 has a greater length than a length 21 of the rod stock 1, and more particularly the telescopic rod 5 is increased in its extended length by 50% to 150%, preferably about 70% of the length of the rod stock 1.

The telescopic rod 5 defines a flared first joint portion 52 in an inner periphery of a distal end portion thereof for connecting the larger-diameter forward rod member 2a of the two forward rod members 2 thereto. Each forward rod member 2 defines a tapered second joint portion 21 in an outer periphery of a proximal end portion thereof. The larger-diameter forward rod member 2a also defines a flared third joint portion 22 in an inner periphery of a distal end portion thereof. The larger-diameter forward rod member 2a is fitted in the distal end portion of the telescopic rod member 5 while the smaller-diameter forward rod member 2b is fitted in the distal end portion of the larger-diameter forward rod member 2a.

The first and third engaging faces 51 and 12 form a fitting section A for maintaining the telescopic rod member 5 in the extended position relative to the rod stock 1.

In order to interconnect stepwise the forward rod members 2, the first, second and third joint portions 52, 21 and 22 may be defined as straight portions, instead of the tapered or flared portions.

In the stepped-joint separate rod as structured above, the telescopic rod member 5 has a compressed length 22 when retracted into the rod stock 1 substantially the same as length 23 of each forward rod member 2. The telescopic rod member 5 is swung out of the rod stock 1 to be maintained in the extended position to connect the larger-diameter forward rod member 2a thereto which in turn connects the smallerdiameter forward rod member 2b thereto.As a result, assuming that an overall length of the rod connecting the separate rod members using the telescopic rod member 5 as shown in Fig. 3 is the same as an overall length of the conventional stepped-joint separate rod as shown in Fig. 5, the extended length of the telescopic rod member 5 is portioned out to the rod stock B and the two forward rod members C, respectively, in the conventional rod. In other words, the lengths of the rod stock 1 and the forward rod members 2 of the present invention can be reduced by the extended length of the telescopic rod member 5 compared with the conventional rod stock and forward rod members.

Thus, the compressed length L1 of the steppedjoint separate rod according to the present invention is reduced compared with a compressed length L2 of the conventional rod, which can provide good portability and allows the user to easily move the rod in and out of the trunk compartment of the car, for example. In addition, since the compressed length L1 of the rod is reduced without increasing the separate rod members in number, it does not become bulky when the separate rod members having the fishing line guide elements 4 are separated. The telescopic rod member 5 is compressed into the rod stock 1 which hardly affects the condition of the rod, as a result of which the rod maintains a good condition in combination with the effects that the number of the separate rod members is not increased.Moreover, the stepped-joint separate rod in various conditions can be realized by varying the extended length of the telescopic rod member 5 according to the types of the rod, even if the overall length of the rod is constant.

The telescopic rod member 5 can be compressed into the rod stock 1 and maintained in the compressed position by engagement between the first and second engaging faces 51 and 11 with the forward rod members 2 being connected to the telescopic rod member 5, thereby to adjust the overall length of the rod to a smaller dimension and thus to vary the moment as well as the condition of the rod. As shown in Fig. 1, it is preferable to define an annular bulge portion 53 in outer peripheries of an intermediate portion of the telescopic rod member 5 to engage the third engaging face 12 of the stock rod 1 when the telescopic rod member 5 is maintained in the compressed position, thereby to prevent clattering of the telescopic rod member 5 in the extreme end portion thereof.

The rod stock 1, separate forward rod members 2 and the telescopic rod member 5 are manufactured by a common method using a prepreg. More particularly, a prepreg sheet impregnating synthetic resin with a super-strong fiber such as a carbon fiber is wound around a mandrel, around which a cellophane adhesive tape is helically wound to restrain the mandrel, thereby to compress the wound prepreg, which is subsequently heated in a heating furnace. This heating hardens the synthetic resin in the wound prepreg. Next, the mandrel is removed, the cellophane adhesive tape is peeled off, and opposite ends are cut off to manufacture the rod stock 1, forward rod members 2 and telescopic rod member 5. However, the manufacturing method of each rod member 1, 2 or 5 is not limited to the described one.

Although the above-described stepped-joint separate rod comprises one rod stock 1, two forward rod members 2 and one telescopic rod member 5, the number of forward rod members is not specifically limited and may be one or more than three.

Claims (6)

1. A stepped-joint separate rod comprising; a rod stock, at least one forward rod member connected to said rod stock, a telescopic rod member extensible from and compressible into said rod stock, a fitting portion defined between said telescopic rod member and the rod stock for maintaining the telescopic rod member in an extended position relative to the rod stock, and a joint portion defined in an extreme end portion of the telescopic rod member for connecting stepwise the forward rod member thereto.

2. A stepped-joint separate rod as claimed in Claim 1 wherein said fitting portion includes a first engaging face defined in an outer periphery of a proximal end portion of the telescopic rod member and a third engaging face defined in an inner periphery of an extreme end portion of the rod stock.

3. A stepped-joint separate rod as claimed in Claim 2 wherein said telescopic rod member has a greater length than the length of the rod stock.

4. A stepped-joint separate rod as claimed in Claim 3 wherein said telescopic rod is increased in length by 50% to 150% of the length of rod stock.

5. A stepped-joint separate rod as claimed in Claim 2, 3 or 4 wherein said telescopic rod member defines an annular bulge portion in outer peripheries of an intermediate portion thereof.

6. A stepped-joint separate rod substantially as herein described with reference to Figs. 1 to 4 of the accompanying drawings.