GB2510974A

GB2510974A - Tubular body having decorative layer

Info

Publication number: GB2510974A
Application number: GB1322608.9A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Katsuhiro Oikawa; Futoshi Nishikawa; Naohiro Yamada; Yuji Yokoyama; Eiji Sugaya
Original assignee: Globeride Inc
Current assignee: Globeride Inc
Priority date: 2012-12-27
Filing date: 2013-12-19
Publication date: 2014-08-20
Anticipated expiration: 2033-12-19
Also published as: KR102110897B1; JP6231273B2; CN103891689B; GB201322608D0; TWI590956B; TW201425073A; KR20140085318A; GB2510974B; JP2014124176A; CN103891689A

Abstract

A tubular structure having a decorative layer formed of an active energy radiation-cured ink which is less prone to damage by flexing or bending action. The tubular structure comprising a tubular body (20, fig 4a) and a decorative layer including a coloured layer 32 formed of an active energy radiation-cured ink on a particular region in a surface of the tubular body over half or more of the tubular body. The coloured layer has cut portions 62 formed by cutting off at least a part of the coloured layer. The cut portions 62 partially divide the coloured layer at positions spaced by less than half the circumference of the tubular body. The cut portions may be formed of a coloured layer having a smaller thickness than other coloured layer regions. The tubular structure may be a fishing rod. In an alternative embodiment the thin and thick layers may be reversed.

Description

TUBULAR STRUCTURE HAVING DECORATIVE LAYER

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a tubular structure having a decorative layer in the surface thereof.

BACKGROUND

Various products on the market are provided with various decorations. Such decorations may be provided by printing a decorative layer on the surface of a product through, e.g., ink-jet printing (see, e.g., Patent Literature 1 below). For example, some of fishing rods, a sort of product on the market, are provided with a decorative layer on the surface thereof through ink-jet printing so as to adjust to various user preferences or to stimulate user interest (see, e.g., Patent Literature 2 below).

"F-RELEVANT REFERENCES (4

O LIST OF RELEVANT PATENT LITERATURE

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(\J Patent Literature 1: Japanese PatentApplication Publication No. 2001-31 0454 Patent Literature 2: Japanese PatentApplication Publication No. 2008-206415

SUMMARY

The ink-jet printing mentioned above is a printing method of printers, wherein liquid ink particles are jetted onto a printing substrate to form dots that collectively represent characters and figures. Unfortunately, one problem occurs particularly when printing a decorative layer on a tubular body such as a fishing rod in a printing mode of ink-jet printers as those disclosed in Patent Literature 1 above, wherein an ink jetted from an ink nozzle adheres to the printing substrate and, at the same time, an irradiation unit irradiates the printing substrate with ultraviolet rays to immediately cure the ink adhered to the printing substrate.

Thus, it has been recently pointed out that, in a coating method using a resin composition curable with active energy radiation such as ultraviolet rays, the resin composition cured with the active energy radiation is contracted and is warped or cracked. If a decorative layer is formed of an active energy radiation-cured ink on a product such as a fishing rod having a long tubular body frequently subjected to bending stresses, there is possibility that the decorative layer is removed or damaged by an external force such as bending. When a decorative layer is formed on a part of the surface of a fishing rod as a tubular body partially in a circumferential direction as disclosed in Patent Literature 2 above, such a decorative layer tends to adjust to bending of the fishing rod and thus is less prone to be removed or damaged. In contrast, when a decorative layer is formed over half or more of the circumference (e.g., the entire circumference) of the tubular body, the decorative layer is more prone to be removed or damaged by bending or other forces, due to an increased internal stress (4 C produced by contraction in the composition cured with active energy radiation on the O surface of the tubular body.

In view of the above, the present invention has been devised for an object of providing a tubular structure wherein a decorative layer formed of an active energy radiation-cured ink over half or more of the circumference is less prone to be damaged.

To the above end, a tubular structure according to the present invention comprises: a tubular body; and a decorative layer including a colored layer formed of an active energy radiation-cured ink on a particular region in a surface of the tubular body over half or more of the tubular body, wherein the colored layer has one or more cut portions formed by cutting off at least a part of the colored layer, and the cut portions partially divide the colored layer at positions spaced by less than half the circumference of the tubular body.

In the above tubular structure, the colored layer formed of an active energy radiation-cured ink extends half or more of the circumference of the tubular body; but the colored layer is partially divided by cut portions at positions spaced by less than half of the circumference of the tubular body; therefore, the internal stress produced by cure with active energy radiation is effectively released and is diffused and reduced at the cut portions. Therefore, the colored layer is less prone to be damaged (e.g., cracked) even when the tubular body is under an external force such as bending. This is beneficial in tubular structure products such as a fishing rod frequently subjected to forces such as bending. Further, in the above tubular structure, the colored layer formed over half or more of the circumference of the tubular body can improve the external appearance and visibility.

In the above arrangement, active energy radiation collectively refers to electron beams, X-rays, ultraviolet rays, high energy electron beams such as low-wavelength visible (\J light, and electromagnetic waves; and particularly, ultraviolet rays is preferable in view of simplicity and prevalence of the irradiation devices ordinarily available therefor.

However, the types of active energy radiations and inks to be cured therewith are not particularly limited.

Further, the "cut portion" in the above arrangement refers to a concave region or a missing region in the surface of the colored layer formed by cutting off at least a part of the colored layer. Alternatively, the cut portion may be formed of a colored layer thinner than the colored layer in the other part. That is, partial division of the colored layer in the present invention may naturally indicate that the colored layer is divided at only a part of the region where it extends, and may also include the case where the colored layer partially remains at the division sites (i.e., the colored layer is not totally removed).

If the cut portion is formed of a colored layer thinner than the colored layer in the other part, the cut portion can also be decorated with a beneficial effect.

Additionally, in the above arrangement, the cut portion comprises a plurality of axial cut portions extending in a generally axial direction of the tubular body; and the plurality of axial cut portions may be provided at different circumferential positions axially staggered from each other. In this case, at least one pair of the axial cut portions axially adjacent to each other may axially overlap with each other at the axial ends thereof by a particular length while being circumferentially spaced from each other at particular intervals. Alternatively, the axial end positions of at least one pair of the axial cut portions axially adjacent to each other may be axially aligned with each other while being circumferentially spaced from each other. If the entirety of the plurality of axial cut portions ranges over the entire axial length, damage to the colored layer is prevented in the entire decorative layer with a beneficial effect.

ADVANTAGES

In the tubular structure of the present invention, the colored layer is partially divided by o cut portions at positions spaced by less than half of the circumference of the tubular C body; therefore, even if a decorative layer (colored layer) is formed of an active energy radiation-cured ink over half or more of the circumference, the internal stress produced by cure with active energy radiation is effectively released at the cut portions, making the decorative layer less prone to be damaged.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Fig. 1 is a side view of a fishing rod as an example of a tubular structure of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a partial isometric view showing an example of a decorative layer provided on the surface of the rods of the fishing rod shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view of the rod shown in Fig. 2 having the decorative layer Fig. 4a is a cross sectional view taken along the lineA-A in Fig. 2 (a cross section through the middle of lattice portions in a lattice pattern); Fig. 4b is a cross sectional view taken along the line B-B in Fig. 2 (a cross section along the joints of corners in the lattice of the lattice pattern).

FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view taken along the C-C line in FIG. 2.

Fig. 6 is an expansion plan of the colored layer portion shown in Fig. 5.

FIG. 7 is a cross sectional view taken along the D-D line in FIG. 2.

Fig. 8 is a cross sectional view according to a variation of Fig. 7.

DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS

An embodiment of a tubular structure having a decorative layer according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

Fig. 1 shows a fishing rod 1 as an example of a tubular structure of the present (\J invention. As shown, the fishing rod 1 comprises a plurality of rods as tubular bodies, that is, a base rod 3 having a grip 3a, a first intermediate rod 5, a second intermediate rod 7, and a tip top rod 9 having a fishline fastener 9a. In this case, the rods 3, 5, and 7 may be arranged to be telescopic or ordinarily jointed; and the rod bodies (the tubular body 20; see Fig. 3) constituting the rods 3, 5, and 7 may be formed by winding a fiber-reinforced prepreg made of a reinforced fiber impregnated with a synthetic resin (or may be formed of a metal such as steel). The rods 3, 5, and 7 may be provided with a decorative portion A. The decorative portion A may be formed by ink-jet printing and include: a continuous pattern Al extending at least half or more of the circumference of the rods 3, 5, and 7 (or the entire circumference thereof in this embodiment) (this pattern has a thin colored layer 32A and a thick colored layer 32B to be described later); a linear pattern A2 linearly extending at least half or more of the circumference of the rods 3, 5, and 7 (or the entire circumference thereof in this embodiment) (a linear pattern extending in the circumferential direction of the circular section); A3 (a linear pattern extending circumferentially in a obliquely snaking pattern); a lattice pattern A4 extending at least half or more of the circumference of the rods 3, 5, and 7 (or the entire circumference thereof in this embodiment); and a gradated pattern AS extending at least half or more of the circumference of the rods 3,5, and 7. The gradated patternA5 may include gradated portions AS' composed of, e.g., a region having a lower ink thickness than other portions (e.g., these gradated portions AS' may linearly extend in the axial direction and have a predetermined width in the circumferential direction), the gradated portions AS' being circumferentially arranged at intervals. The gradated portions AS' may have ink thicknesses gradated stepwise along, e.g., the circumferential or axial direction. Alternatively, the gradated portionsAS' may have gradually gradating ink colors.

(\J As shown in Fig. 3, the decorative portion A (Al, A2, A3, A4, and AS) may comprise a decorative layer SO formed on a predetermined region of the surface of the tubular body 20 constituting the rods 3, 5, and 7. More specifically, the decorative layer 50 may comprise a first ground layer 30 (having a thickness of, e.g., 5 to 20 pm) formed on the tubular body 20, a second ground layer 31 formed on the first ground layer 30 (having a thickness of, e.g., S to 20 pm), a colored layer 32 formed on the second ground layer 31 (having a thickness of, e.g., 10 to 60 pm), and a transparent protective layer 33 formed on the colored layer 32 (having a thickness of, e.g., 15 to 25 pm); and these layers may be stacked one over another The first ground layer 30 may be provided to smoothen the outer surface of the tubular body 20; and the first ground layer 30 may comprise, for example, a synthesized resin such as epoxy, urethane, acrylic, acrylic silicone, or silicone, and may be formed by various coating methods such as air spray coating, die coating, and brush coating.

Also, the first ground layer 30 may be colored with a pigment mixed therein.

The second ground layer 31 may be intended to conceal the ground coat and adjust the brightness and color tone of the colored layer 32, and may comprise a light reflection layer and a white layer The light reflection layer may be formed by applying a material formed by mixing a plurality of particles having lustrousness (hereinafter referred to as "lustrous particles") into a lustrous material such as a synthetic resin (acrylic-based resin, epoxy-based resin, or vinyl-based resin) uniformly to a desired density.

The lustrous particles mixed into the synthetic resin may be metal materials having lustrousness and various colors, such as Al, Cu, Ag, Mg, In, Cr, Si, Ni, Ti, Au, Rh, and Pt. In this case, the particles may have a size of 2 pm or smaller, or preferably 0.3 pm to 1 pm, and a thickness of 1 pm or smaller, or preferably 0.03 pm to 0.5 pm. That is, if the particle bodies have a size and a thickness outside the above ranges, the lustrous particles cannot be arranged in the synthetic resin uniformly at a desired density, and a (\J uniformed lustrous appearance cannot be attained due to conspicuous borders of the lustrous particles and irregular reflection direction of light.

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A method of forming such lustrous particles may include, e.g., depositing or sputtering the above metal material onto a film-like supporting substrate comprising Teflon (trademark) or a silicone resin to form a metal layer, peeling off the metal layer from the supporting substrate, and smashing the metal layer The plurality of lustrous particles thus formed should preferably be arranged uniformly at such a density as to sufficiently exhibit the lustrousness thereof and to generate a desired color More specifically, the density of the lustrous particles mixed into the synthetic resin should preferably be such that the number of lustrous particles in a unit area is 50,000 to 20,000,0001mm2. The light reflection layer thus formed may provide lustrous appearance that is uniform and desirably colored.

In addition to the above arrangement, the light reflection layer may also be formed, e.g., by mixing, into a minute amount of synthetic resin, any one or any combination of metal pieces of gold, silver, copper, aluminum, chrome, cobalt, nickel, iron, and zinc and particles of pigments, etc., diluting the mixture with a large amount of solvent, spraying the mixture by gun spray coating, etc., and then removing (vaporizing) the solvent. The appearance to be formed may be varied by varying the sizes of metal pieces and particles of pigments, etc. and the combination thereof.

Alternatively, the light reflection layer may be formed mainly of metals such as Cr, Ni, Ti, Al, Ag, and Be, alloys such as TiN, TiCN, CrN, and Fe-Cr-Ni, and ceramics such as Ti02 and SiC; this may also improve the appearance. Such a light reflection layer including metals or ceramics may be formed by physical vapor deposition such as ion plating, sputtering, or deposition, chemical vapor deposition, dry plating such as vacuum vapor deposition, or wet plating. The white layer may be formed by ink jet as well as by applying a synthetic resin. In this case, the white layer should preferably conceal the (\J ground coat and facilitate the adjustment of brightness of the colored layer.

The colored layer 32 formed on the second ground layer 31 may have, for example, optical transparency and may be formed of an active energy radiation-cured ink over half or more of the circumference of the tubular body 20. The material constituting the colored layer 32 may be formed by, for example, placing a curing agent into a primary material made by mixing a colorant such as a pigment or dye into a transparent or translucent synthetic resin such as epoxy or urethane; but this embodiment employs an ultraviolet rays-cured ink that is cured when subjected to ultraviolet rays serving as a curing beam (active energy radiation). The light-cured ink used may be acrylic-based or epoxy cation-based; and particularly, the ultraviolet rays-cured ink may be polyfunctional monomer and acrylate oligomer mixed with a sensitizing agent. Such an ink is used because the sensitizing agent may form radicals and trigger chain reactions of oligomer and monomer. Further, the ink used may be heat-cured, solvent (water or organic materiaD-dried, or double fluid reactive.

The protective layer 33 formed on the colored layer 32 may be formed of a transparent or translucent synthetic resin such as epoxy, urethane, acrylic, or acrylic silicone.

Figs. 4a and 4b show a cross section of a lattice paftern A4 (see Fig. 2) illustrating an example of the decorative portion A. Fig. 4a is a cross sectional view taken along the line A-A in Fig. 2 and showing a cross section through the middle of lattice portions (colored layer portions 32x to be described later) in the lattice pattern; Fig. 4b is a cross sectional view taken along the line B-B in Fig. 2 and showing a cross section along the joints of the corners 70 (see Fig. 2) of the lattice portions (colored layer portions 32x to be describe later) (i.e., along the circumferential side edges of the colored layer portions 32x).

The colored layer 32 constituting the decorative layer 50 (see Fig. 3) of the lattice pattern A4 extending the entire circumference of the rods 3, 5, and 7 (the tubular body (4 o 20) may include rectangular colored layer portions 32x and rectangular cut portions 60 C from which the colored layer 32 is completely removed (cut offl; and these portions may be arranged alternately in the axial direction and the circumferential direction (see Fig. 2). As a result, the colored layer 32 may be partially divided by the cut portions 60 at positions spaced by less than half the circumference of the tubular body 20. In this case, the corners 70 of each colored layer portion 32x may be connected (joined) to the corners 70 of the neighboring colored layer portions 32x; therefore, through the joints of these corners 70, the colored layer 32 may not be divided but continuous along the circumferential side edge thereof over the entire circumference, as shown in Fig. 4b.

Figs. 5 and 6 show cross sections of a gradated pattern AS (see Fig. 2) illustrating an example of the decorative portion A. Fig. S is a cross sectional view taken along the line C-C in Fig. 2; Fig. 6 is an expansion plan of the colored layer portion shown in Fig. 5.

As shown, the colored layer 32 of the gradated paftern A5 formed over half or more of -la-the circumference of the rods 3, 5, and 7 (tubular body 20) may also include cut portions 62 partially dividing the colored layer 32 at positions spaced by less than half the circumference of the tubular body 20. That is, as shown in Fig. 5, the colored layer 32 may extend over half or more of the circumference of the tubular body 20 from one circumferential end thereof 32a to the other circumferential end thereof 32b; and the colored layer 32 may have a cut portion 62 at a position spaced by less than half the circumference of the tubular body 20 from both the one circumferential end th4ereof 32a and the other circumferential end thereof 32b.

The cut portion 62 in the colored layer 32 of the gradated pattern AS may comprise a plurality of axial cut portions 62A extending in the axial direction X of the tubular body 20, as clearly shown in Fig. 6 (Fig. 2). Further, as shown, the plurality of axial cut portions 62A may be provided at positions different from each other in the circumferential direction Y and staggered from each other in the axial direction X. More specifically, at least one pair of axial cut portions 62A adjacent to each other in the axial direction X may overlap with each other at axial ends 62' thereof by a length L in the axial direction X while being spaced from each other at particular intervals in the circumferential direction Y. Alternatively, as to a part or all of the plurality of axial cut portions 62A, the axial end positions 62a of at least one pair of axial cut portions 62A adjacent to each other in the axial direction X may be axially aligned with each other while being circumferentially spaced from each other at particular intervals. In either case, in the colored layer 32 of the gradated pattern AS, the plurality of axial cut portions 62A as a whole may extend the entire length in the axial direction X (cover the entire length in the axial direction).

In the embodiment, each of the axial cut portions 62A may extend straight in the axial direction along the longitudinal central axis of the tubular body 20; alternatively, the axial cut portions 62A may extend obliquely at an angle with the longitudinal central axis of the tubular body 20. The phrase "generally axial direction" herein should be interpreted in this way.

Fig. 7 (a cross sectional view taken along the line D-D in Fig. 2) shows a cross section of a continuous pattern Al (see Fig. 2) illustrating an example of the decorative portion A. As shown, the colored layer 32 (32A and 328) of the continuous pattern Al formed over the entire circumference of the rods 3, 5, and 7 (tubular body 20) may also have one or more cut portions 64 partially dividing the colored layer 32 at positions spaced by less than half the circumference of the tubular body 20. In this case, the cut portions 64 may be formed of a colored layer 32A thinner than the colored layer 328 in the other part. That is, the colored layer 32 of the continuous pattern Al may include the colored layer 32A having a small thickness and the colored layer 328 having a large thickness; and the thin colored layer 32A may serve as the cut portions 64 partially dividing the (\J thick colored layer 32B at positions spaced by less than half the circumference of the tubular body 20. Additionally, the thin colored layer 32A may form a pattern of characters, figures, or drawings in the continuous pattern Al.

In the fishing rod 1 as a tubular structure according to the embodiment as described above, the colored layer 32 of the decorative portion A formed of the active energy radiation-cured ink may be formed over half or more of the circumference of the tubular body 20 but may be partially divided by the cut portions 60, 62, and 64 at positions spaced by less than half the circumference of the tubular body 20; therefore, the internal stress produced by cure with active energy radiation can be effectively released, diffused, and reduced at the cut portions 60, 62, and 64. Therefore, the colored layer is less prone to be damaged (e.g., cracked) even when the tubular body 20 is under an external force such as bending (in the presence of a portion of the colored layer 32 that is continuous over half or more of the circumference (e.g., the joints of corners 70 in the lattice pattern A4 shown in Figs. 4a and 4b (see Fig. 4b))).

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment but is capable of various modifications within the purport thereof. For example, although the above embodiment is a fishing rod as a tubular structure, the present invention may be applied to various tubular products (tubular bodies). Further, the arrangements of the above three decorative portions (Figs. 4a and 4b, Figs. 5 and 6, and Fig. 7) may be desirably combined. For example, the cut portions 60 in the lattice pattern A4 shown in Fig. 4a may be formed of the thin layer 32A in the continuous patternAl shown in Fig. 7.

Also, the airangement of the colored layer 32 (32A and 32B) shown in Fig. 7 may be modified as shown in Fig. 8. That is, the colored layer shown in Fig. 8 may include the thin colored layer 32A and the thick colored layer 32B that may be arranged reversely to the embodiment shown in Fig. 7, wherein the thick colored layer 32B may be provided at a position corresponding to the cut portion 64 in the thin colored layer 32 extending (\J over half or more of the circumference (the thick colored layer 32B may extend over half or less of the circumference of the tubular body 20). The thick colored layer 32B may have a poition projecting radially from the cut poition 64 of the thin colored layer 32, and this portion may not be restricted by the thin colored layer 32A; therefore, this projecting portion may deform circumferentially to release the stress produced by ultraviolet rays curing. In the arrangement shown in Fig. 8, one or more cut portions 60 may either be provided or not provided to divide the thin colored layer 32A at portions spaced by less than half the circumference of the tubular body 20.

Fuither, in the above embodiment, ultraviolet rays may be used as active energy radiation for curing the ink in the colored layer; additionally, other active energy radiations usable may include high energy electron beams such as election beams, X-rays, and low-frequency visible light and electromagnetic waves. The active energy radiation-cured resin composition as an ink for constituting the colored layer may be applied to the surface of a wide variety of substrates, such as paper, rigid and flexible plastics, metal substrate, cement, glass, stone, ceramic, wood, etc.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

1 fishing rod (tubular structure) 3, 5, 7 rods 20 tubular body 32 colored layer 32A thin colored layer 32B thick colored layer decorative layer 60, 62, 64 cut portions 62A axial cut portion (4

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS: 1. A tubular structure comprising: a tubular body; and a decorative layer including a colored layer formed of an active energy radiation-cured ink on a particular region in a surface of the tubular body over half or more of the circumference of the tubular body, wherein the colored layer has one or more cut poitions formed by cutting off at least a part of the colored layer such that the cut poitions paitially divide the colored layer at positions spaced by less than half the circumference of the tubular body.
2. The tubular structure of claim 1 wherein the cut portions are formed of a colored layer having a smaller thickness than other colored layer regions.
3. The tubular structure of claim 1 or 2 wherein the cut portions comprise a plurality of axial cut portions extending in a generally axial direction of the tubular body, wherein the plurality of axial cut portions are provided at different circumferential positions, and wherein the plurality of axial cut portions are provided axially staggered from each other.
4. The tubular structure of claim 3 wherein at least one pair of the axial cut portions axially adjacent to each other axially overlap with each other at axial ends thereof by a length while being circumferentially spaced from each other at particular intervals.
5. The tubular structure of claim 3 wherein axial ends of at least one pair of the axial cut portions axially adjacent to each other are axially aligned with each other while being circumferentially spaced from each other at particular intervals.
6. The tubular structure of any one of claims 3 to 5 wherein an entirety of the plurality of axial cut portions ranges over the entire axial length.
7. The tubular structure of any one of claims ito 6 wherein the colored layer is formed over an entire circumference of the tubular body.
8. The tubular structure of any one of claims ito 7 wherein the tubular body is a rod of a fishing rod. (4