GB2342835A

GB2342835A - Connection spigot between the segments of a sectional fishing rod

Info

Publication number: GB2342835A
Application number: GB9924459A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Luca Pirazzini
Original assignee: REGLASS H T Srl
Current assignee: REGLASS H T Srl
Priority date: 1998-10-23
Filing date: 1999-10-18
Publication date: 2000-04-26
Anticipated expiration: 2019-10-18
Also published as: ITBO980125V0; IT244803Y1; ITBO980125U1; GB2342835B; GB9924459D0

Abstract

A spigot connection between the segments of a sectional fishing rod, characterised in that it consists of a cylinder provided at one end with a slightly increased diameter culminating in a tip which tapers upwards, the said spigot being made of a rough elastic material of the expanded polymer type.

Description

CONNECTION SPIGOT BETWEEN THE SEGMENTS OF A SECTIONAL FISHING ROD The object of the present invention is a connection spigot between the segments of a sectional fishing rod.

Sectional fishing rods that can be put together consist of a series of segments with progressively decreasing diameter which can be assembled to one another by a press fit.

The most sophisticated materials used to construct the rods, for example carbon fibre reinforced resins, have excellent rigidity properties and are very light but are also extremely expensive and delicate and must therefore be handled with very great care.

Certain techniques of fishing without a reel, such as the technique known as'pole fishing', require that once the fish has been hooked it is pulled in by successively taking off the segments of the rod until the prey is reached, after which the rod must be fitted together again so that fishing can be resumed.

In fishing competitions this operation is repeated even hundreds of times, always in some haste, and it often happens that the edges of two segments are jammed together and become chipped or damaged.

To avoid this problem it is known to use spigots made of a plastic material inserted into the end section of the rod so as to project with a rounded shape which facilitates its insertion into the base of the adjacent segment. This type of solution has certain disadvantages, in that the rigidity of the spigot requires it to fit perfectly into the end that it has to cover and therefore spigots of very many sizes must be made in order to fit the dimensions of the various rod segments available on the market; due to the same rigidity, moreover, during the dismantling action the projecting portion of the spigot can press against the inside walls of the rod segment into which it is fitted and can cause them to crack. Finally, when the rod segments are placed on the ground they can easily become soiled by sand or earth which, on reassembly, remains between the spigot and the inside surface of the segment, scratching and damaging it.

A more general problem with this type of fishing rod is that notwithstanding the lightness of the materials used, if a segment falls into the water it fills up with water and sinks.

The technical objective of the present invention is to overcome the drawbacks mentioned in connection with the known equipment, in other words to develop a connection spigot between the segments of a sectional fishing rod which can be easily adapted to fit segments of various sizes, which prevents damage thereto during the assembly and dismantling operations, and which prevents the rod from sinking.

Within the scope of the said technical objectives, another purpose of the present invention is to achieve the above aims by means of a simple structure which can be actuated relatively simply in practice, which is reliable in use, operates effectively, and which is relatively modest in cost.

These objectives and purposes are all achieved by the present connection spigot between the segments of a sectional fishing rod, which is characterised in that it consists of a cylinder provided at one end with a slight increase in diameter culminating in a tip which tapers upwards, and at the other end with a deep axial internal cavity, the said spigot being made of an elastic material with a rough surface.

Other features will be made particularly clear and evident by the detailed description of a preferred embodiment, presented non-exclusively, of a connection spigot between the segments of a sectional fishing rod according to the invention, which is illustrated indicatively but not in a limitative way in the accompanying drawings, which show: Fig. 1: Side view, partially sectioned, of the spigot according to the invention Fig. 2: Plan view of the invention Fig. 3: Exploded perspective view of the spigot fitted between two segments of a fishing rod With particular reference to the said figures, a connection spigot between the segments of a sectional fishing rod according to the invention is indicated globally by the index number 1.

The spigot 1 has a cylindrical shape and comprises a lower portion 2 with a diameter matched to the inside diameter of the rod segment into which it is to be inserted, and an upper portion 3 with a slightly larger diameter which forms an annular abutment step 4 for the edge of the segment and which culminates in a tip 5 whose shape tapers upwards, in particular as a truncated cone.

In the bottom surface of the spigot 1 there is a hole 6 which is the mouth of an axial cavity 7 that extends inwards into the spigot approximately as far as the level of the upper portion 3 of the spigot 1.

The spigot is made of a spongy, deformable material of the expanded polymer type.

The spigot 1 is inserted with its lower portion 2 into the end of a rod segment, until the step 4 comes up against the edge of the rod segment such that the upper portion 3 and the tip 5 project upwards. By virtue of the compliance of the material from which it is made, accentuated by the presence of the cavity 7, the spigot can adapt to fit even into segments whose diameter in not perfectly matched to its own diameter, without excessive forcing.

During the insertion of a segment into the adjacent segment the tip 5, with its upper face, absorbs any impacts against the edge of the segment into which it is being inserted that may occur because of imperfect alignment, and its bevelled sides facilitate the said alignment.

When two segments are being taken apart, the compliance of the spigot 1 prevents the possibility that, because of any excessive misalignment of the rod segments, the upper portion 3 could press too hard against the inside walls of the edge of the other rod segment and cause them to crack.

It is advantageous that the roughness of the material from which the spigot is made results in the capture and expulsion of any sand or earth particles that may get inside the rod segments, so that the coupling surfaces are kept clean at all times.

The low specific weight of the spigot and the fact that one end of each segment is hermetically closed off also contributes towards making every rod segment completely unsinkable if it should fall into the water.

It is therefore evident how the invention achieves the objectives stated by providing a connection spigot between the segments of a sectional fishing rod which can easily be adapted to segments of various sizes, which prevents damaging of the segments during the operations of assembly and taking apart, and which makes the rod unsinkable.

The version of the invention described can be modified in many respects to produce different variants all within the scope of the inventive concept.

Furthermore, all the details can be replaced by other, technically equivalent options.

In practice, the materials used and the shapes and dimensions involved may be any ones which suit the requirements of the case, without, for all that, departing from the protective scope of the claims that follow.

Claims

CLAIMS 1. Connection spigot between the segments of a sectional fishing rod, characterised in that it consists of a cylinder provided at one end with a slightly increased diameter culminating in a tip which tapers upwards, the said spigot being made of a rough elastic material of the expanded polymer type.
2. Spigot according to Claim 1, characterised in that at its opposite end the said cylinder has a deep axial internal cavity.
3. Spigot according to Claim 1, characterised in that the said tapered tip is substantially of ogive shape.
4. Spigot according to Claim 1, characterised in that the said tapered tip is substantially shaped as a truncated cone.
5. Connection spigot between the segments of a sectional fishing rod according to the one or more of the preceding claims and as described and illustrated for the purposes specified.