GB2408436A

GB2408436A - Pole winder

Info

Publication number: GB2408436A
Application number: GB0327396A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Kenneth W Tasker
Original assignee: Fox International Group Ltd
Current assignee: Fox International Group Ltd
Priority date: 2003-11-25
Filing date: 2003-11-25
Publication date: 2005-06-01
Also published as: GB0327396D0

Abstract

A pole winder comprising an elongate member (10) around which a fishing line can be wound so that each successive loop of the winding extends along the length of the winder when the pole winder is in use. The pole winder is provided with a slider (30) constructed to slide along the length of the pole winder. A movement inhibitor (28, 42) is provided to inhibit movement of the slider (30) against movement under the force of gravity or accidental jarring of the pole winder. At the same time it freely allows movement of the slider (30) along the length of the pole winder by the application of manual force. The slider (30) is provided with line retaining means (44) to enable the end of a length of fishing line to be retained by the slider (30). There may be a number of such pole winders, each held as a close fit in a tray (48, fig 6).

Description

A pole winder The present invention relates to a pole winder comprising an

elongate member around which a fishing line can be wound so that each successive loop of the winding extends along the length of the winder when the pole winder is in use.

A problem with such a construction is that there remains a length of the line which is not long enough to go the full length of the winder and which may therefore be loose. This is unsightly and may also get snagged.

The present invention seeks to provide a remedy.

The present invention is therefore directed to a pole winder having the construction set out in the opening paragraph of the present: specification, in which the pole winder is provided with a slider constructed to slide along the length of the pole winder, with a movement inhibitor to inhibit movement of the slider against movement under the force of gravity or accidental jarring of the pole winder whilst at the same time freely allowing movement of the slider along the length of the pole winder by the application of manual force, the slider being provided with line retaining means to enable the end of a length of fishing line to be retained by the slider.

As a result, when the pole winder is in use and a length of line is wound around it, winding the line around the opposite ends of the winder alternately, when the winding is complete, the remaining free length of line can be secured to the line retainer of the slider and the slider slid to a position such as to take up the slack in this last remaining portion of the line.

Preferably, the movement inhibitor comprises a series of teeth extending along the length of the pole winder, and a detente resiliently held on the slider so that the detente engages successive troughs between adjacent teeth as the slider is moved along the length of the pole winder.

Preferably, the pole winder has at least one flange extending along its length to resist any tendency of the line to slip off the pole winder on that side thereof.

Preferably, there are two such flanges on opposite sides of the pole winder. The slider may be provided with clip portions which snap over opposite edges of the or one of the flanges. The clip portions may be held together by two transverse portions. The! detente is preferably provided on a springy bridging portion which extends between the said transverse portions.

The invention extends to a plurality of such pole winders, each held as a close fit in a tray. Opposite sides of the tray may be provided with a series of teeth between adjacent pairs of which are received tongues formed on the opposite ends of the pole winders. This inhibits the pole winders in the tray from sliding around after one or more of the pole winders have been removed from it.

An example embodiment of the present invention will now be described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows a plan view of such a pole winder; Figure 2 shows, on a larger scale, an end view of the pole winder shown in Figure 1; Figure 3 shows a perspective view of parts of the pole winder shown in Figures 1 and 2; Figure 4 shows a further perspective view of the parts shown in Figure 3 from the opposite direction; Figure 5 shows parts of the pole winder shown in Figure 4 as an elevational side view; Figure 6 shows, on a different scale, a plan view of a series of pole winders held in a tray, each as shown in Figures 1 to 5; and Figure 7 shows a further plan view of parts of the assembly shown in Figure 6, on a larger scale.

The pole winder shown in Figure 1 comprises an elongate plastics material 10 being formed with integral flanges 12 and 14 extending on opposite sides of the elongate member 10 along the whole length thereof, and a plastics bridging portion 16 which connects the two flanges 12 and 14 together and which is formed with two large apertures 18 and 20 extending along the length of the pole winder 10 to reduce the total amount of plastics material used in its length. The ends of the bridging portion 16 are provided with Teflon coated end portions 17. The bridging portion 16 is formed with an elongate small aperture 22 extending along the centre of the bridging portion lO and a tongue 24 which projects inwardly towards the aperture 20. The aperture 22 and tongue 24 together enable one end of a fishing line to be wound around them and hence secured to a central portion of the pole winder. A thickened lower strip 26 on the outside of the flange 12 extends substantially the whole length of the pole winder and is provided along an upper edge thereof, which is part-way between the upper and lower edges 34 and 36 of the flange 12, with a series of teeth 28.

A slider 30 is provided with clip portions 32 at intended upper and lower extremities of the slider 30 to clip over the upper and lower edges 34 and 36 of the flange 12 in such a way as to facilitate sliding of the slider 30 along the pole winder 10.

The slider 32 is formed with transverse connecting portions 38 which connect the clip portion 32 on the top of the slider 30 with that on the bottom thereof. The slider 30 is further provided with a bridging portion 40 which extends from one of the transverse portions 38 to the other and is formed on the underside with a V-shaped detente 42 which engages a trough between adjacent pairs of teeth 28. The bridging portion 40 is sufficiently thin so that it is springy and resilient. This means that whereas it holds the detente 42 between two adjacent teeth 28 against gravitational forces and jarring, the upper and lower sides of the slider 30, which may be formed with ribbing 4/, can be gripped by the user and urged along the length of the pole winder with the detente 42 jumping in and out of successive troughs between successive adjacent pairs of teeth 28 under the resilient action of the bridging portion 40. Tongue- like portions 44 and 46 extend from the upper and lower sides of the slider 30 to slide along the side of the flange 12 and inhibit movement of the slider 30 in lo directions towards and away from the opposite flange 14.

Figure 6 shows how a series of pole winders 10, each constructed as shown in Figures 1 to 5, may be held in a compact fashion with each pole winder (apart from an end pole winder) being sandwiched between two other pole winders such that their elongate sides are adjacent. They may be held in this fashion in a tray 48, which is provided with sidewalls 50 to inhibit movement of the pole winders off the tray.

The internal sides of the walls 50 are formed with a series of teeth 52, and each end of each flange 12 and 14 is provided with a tongue 54. The tongues 54 engage between respective pairs of adjacent teeth 52. This inhibits the pole winder from sliding around haphazardly in the tray when one or more of them have been removed.

When one of the pole winders 10 is in use, one length of a fishing line is wound around the tongue 24 and through the aperture 22 to secure that end to the pole winder, and then the rest of the fishing line is I wound around one end of the pole winder, then the other and so on alternately so that successive loops of the wound fishing line extend along the length of the pole winder between the flanges 12 and 14. When the winding is complete so that all but a length of line which is shorter than the length of the whole winder is wound around the latter, this end of the fishing line is tucked around the tongue 44, and the slider 30 is slid along the length of the pole winder until this last length of the fishing line becomes taut.

Numerous variations and modifications may occur to the reader without taking the resulting construction outside the scope of the present invention. For example, the slider 30 may be inhibited from gravitational and accidental jarring movement by means of a synthetic rubber friction member, for example, extending inwardly from the tongue portion 44, so that it provides a light friction contact between that tongue portion 44 and the side of the flange 12. This retaining device could be used instead of the detente 42 and teeth 23.

Claims

Claims: 1. A pole winder comprising an elongate member around which a

fishing line can be wound so that each successive loop of the winding extends along the length of the winder when the pole winder is in use, in which the pole winder is provided with a slider constructed to slide along the length of the pole winder, with a movement inhibitor to inhibit movement of the slider against movement under the force of gravity or accidental jarring of the pole winder whilst at the same time freely allowing movement of the slider along the length of the pole winder by the application of manual force, the slider being provided with line retaining means to enable the end of a length of fishing line to be retained by the slider.
2. A pole winder according to claim 1, in which the movement inhibitor comprises a series of teeth extending along the length of the pole winder, and a detente resiliently held on the slider so that the detente engages successive troughs between adjacent teeth as the slider is moved along the length of the pole winder.
3. A pole winder according to claim 1 or claim 2, in which the pole winder has at least one flange extending along its length to resist any tendency of the line to slip off the pole winder on that side thereof.
4. A pole winder according to claim 3, in which there are two such flanges on opposite sides of the pole winder.
5. A pole winder according to claim 3 or claim 4, in which the slider is provided with clip portions which snap over opposite edges of the or one of the flanges.
6. A pole winder according to claim 5, in which the clip portions are held together by two transverse portions.
7. A pole winder according to claim 6, in which the detente is provided on a springy bridging portion which extends between the said transverse portions.
8. A combination of a plurality of pole winders, each as claimed in any preceding claim, and a tray in which each pole winder is held as a close fit.
9. A combination according to claim 8, in which opposite sides of the tray are provided with a series of teeth between adjacent pairs of which are received tongues formed on the opposite ends of the pole winders.
10. A pole winder substantially as described herein with reference to and as illustrated in Figures 1 to 5 of the accompanying drawings.
11. A combination of a plurality of pole winders and a tray substantially as described herein with reference to and as illustrated in Figures 6 and 7 of the accompanying drawings.