Abstract:
Disclosed is a side-loading line guide for a fishing pole. The side-loading line guide allows fishing line loaded through the side of the line-eye, and not just by threading the line through the center of the line guide-eye. The line guide has at least one foot for attaching the side-loading line guide to a fishing pole or to a pole tip. The line-eye of the guide is a split ring with the adjacent turns pressed substantially flat together. The line-eye is connected to the foot (or feet) of the guide by a mounting means such as is typical and known in the field.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The present invention is in the field of fishing and the catching of fish (Class 43), and relates to an apparatus for hooking or gathering fish (subclass 4). Specifically, the invention relates to fishing rods and attachments therefor (subclass 18.1). More specifically, the present invention relates to line guides or tips or guiding fishing line as it moves along the fishing-rod (subclass 24). 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention is a side-loading line guide for a fishing pole. The present side-loading line guide is for use on a fishing pole, to retain and guide the fishing line from the line spool or reel along the length of one side of the pole and off the tip of the pole. In an exemplary embodiment, the line guide has a line-eye that is coiled-ring much like a key-ring that has been shortened by half a coil. The coiled-ring line-eye allows fishing line to be loaded into the line guide without having to thread the bitter end of the fishing line through the center of the line-eye of the guide. On a fishing pole, this means that fishing line does not threaded through each line-eye in series down the length of the fishing pole. The side-loading line guide allows a person to change reels, spools on spinning reels, etc., without the need to cut and re-tie the line. 
         [0003]    The present line guide is “side loading” in that the opening split or gap in the line-eye into which the fishing line is inserted is in the side of the perimeter of the upper section of the line-eye, and perpendicular to the length of the fishing rod. The side loading line guide has at least one guide foot for attaching the side-loading line guide to a fishing pole. However, the side loading line guide can also be practiced with two mounting feet. In one embodiment, the line-eye of the present invention has a coiled-ring (typically a metal ring) having about one and a half turns of a helix, with the coils pressed substantially flat together. The coiled-ring line-eye is attached to the foot or feet of the line guide by a mounting means. Mounting means for practice with the present invention are know to and selectable by one of ordinary skill in the art. In combination as described herein, these elements provide a fishing pole line guide that a fishing line can be loaded through the side of the line-eye, and not just by threading the line through the center of the guide-eye. 
         [0004]    For fly fishermen who carry assorted rod-ends with them when fishing, the present side-loading line guide presents an advantage because of its improved facility for removing line from or stringing line onto the rod end of a fishing pole. For the off-shore angler, a failed reel or damaged rod can be changed quickly and with ease. In a fishing derby where time is crucial, the present side-loading line guide is much quicker than threading line through conventional guides and tying a hook on again. When storing multiple rods you can reel up all the line avoiding the annoying tangling that occurs when you&#39;re ready to go fishing the next time. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0005]      FIG. 1  is a side view of a double footed side loading line guide of the present invention. 
           [0006]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a single footed side loading line guide of the present invention. 
           [0007]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of a pole tip or “tip top” side loading line guide of the present invention. 
           [0008]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of an alternative mount for the double footed side loading line guide of the present invention. 
           [0009]      FIG. 5  is an end-on view of the line-eye of the side loading line guide of the present invention. 
           [0010]      FIG. 6  is a side view of an alternative embodiment of the side loading line guide of the present invention with a separated perspective view of the line-eye. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0011]    Referring now to the drawings, the details of preferred embodiments of the present invention are graphically and schematically illustrated. Like elements in the drawings are represented by like numbers, and any similar elements are represented by like numbers with a different lower case letter suffix. It is understood that although most of the figures illustrate a double-footed embodiment of the present side-loading line guide for a fishing pole, the present invention can be practiced as readily in single-footed embodiments. 
         [0012]    As shown in  FIGS. 1-6 , the present invention is a side-loading line guide  10  for a fishing pole. In one embodiment, the side-loading line guide  10  has a line-eye  24  through which the fishing line passes that is a coiled-ring line-eye  26 . In the embodiments shown in  FIGS. 1-5 , the coiled-ring line-eye  26  is much like a key-ring that has its coil shortened by half a turn. The coiled-line-eye  26  in this embodiment consists of a split-ring, which is a helical coil having about one and a half turns. The turns of the coil are biased to normally press flat together. The coiled-ring line-eye  26  has an upper section  32  and a lower section  34 . In a preferred embodiment, the coil ends  28  of the coiled-ring line-eye  26  are disposed in the upper section  32  of the line-eye  26  and are separated from each other by about 180 degrees of arc along the side/perimeter edge  36  of the line-eye  24 . The degree of separation of the coil ends  28  is selectable by the ordinary skilled artisan and can be somewhat more or less that 180 degrees of perimeter arc, in part depending on the material composition of the line-eye  24  and manner in which it is attached to a guide foot  16 . The upper section  32  of the coiled-ring line-eye is defined as that section of the line-eye  24  starting proximate the coil ends  28  and distal to the guide foot or feet  16 . 
         [0013]    In the embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 5 , the coil ends  28  of the helical coil of coiled-ring line-eye  26  are bent slightly away from the line-eye  24 , to help prevent the fishing line from working it&#39;s way into the split or slip-space  40  between the coils in the upper section  32  of the line-eye  24 . 
         [0014]    The side-loading line guide  10  has at least one guide foot  16  for attaching the device  10  to a fishing pole (not shown). See  FIG. 3 . However, the side loading line guide  10  can also be practiced with two mounting feet  16  as exemplified generally in  FIGS. 1-2 ,  4  &amp;  6 . The use of one or more mounting feet  16  to attach a line guide to a fishing rod is known to one of ordinary skill in the art. The specific structural features of the of the guide foot or feet  16  and their point of attachment to the line-eye  24  is not critical as illustrated by the differences in the figures, so long as the utility of the coiled-ring line-eye  26  is maintained (e.g., see  FIG. 3 ). 
         [0015]    A support means  20  connects the guide feet  16  to the coiled-ring line-eye  26 , generally to the lower-section  34  of line-eye  24 . However, the point of attachment of the support means  20  to the line-eye  24  is selectable by the skilled artisan, and can be accomplished in the upper-section of the line-eye  24 , so long as the support means  20  does not interfere with the utility of the line-eye  24 . In the  FIGS. 1-2 ,  4  and  6 , the support means  20  is a pair of legs  22  extending between the coiled-ring line-eye  26  and a guide foot  16 . Support means other than structures similar to the legs  22  exemplified in the figures are known to and selectable by one of skill in the art for practice in the present invention. For example,  FIG. 3  illustrates an embodiment of the present side-loading line-eye  12  wherein the single guide foot  16   a  portion is adapted to slip over and closely receive the top end of a fishing rod tip (not shown). In this embodiment, the guide foot  16   a  is basically has a tapered cylinder portion  44  that receives the rod tip. Also, extending from the tapered cylinder  44  is a flattened extension  46  that protrudes upward from the guide foot  16   a  portion to provide the structure of the support means  20   a  to which the coiled-ring line-eye  26  is connected. 
         [0016]    Alternatively as illustrated in  FIG. 6 , the line-eye  24  of the present side loading line guide  10  was accomplished by a structural embodiment different from the helical coil of the coiled-ring  26  described above. The coiled-ring line eye  26  described above is a single helical coil of substantially greater that one turn (i.e., substantially more than 360 degrees). In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 6 , the line-eye  24   a  was a split-ring line-eye  50 , consisting of a two separate split-rings  52 , each of which was a single turn just under 360 degrees of arc, and were substantially flat but had a small through gap  54  in the perimeter edge  56  of each split-ring  52 . To accomplish this alternative of a split-ring line-eye  50 , two separate split-rings  52  of a single turn each and made of metal were used. The two separate split-rings  52  were stacked flatly adjacent and congruent with each other to initially form the line-eye  24   a.  The split-rings  52  each had a small ring gap  54  in it, sufficient to allow passage of a desired range fishing line gages. The ring gap  54  of each split-ring  52  was distally separated from the other along the perimeter  56  of the adjacent rings  52  by about 180 degrees of arc. The portion of the perimeter edge  56  between the ring gaps  54  formed the slip-space  58  (the space between the rings  52  through which the fishing line was passed into the interior of the split-ring line-eye  50 ), and defined the upper section  32  of the line-eye  24   a.  To finish the line-eye  24   a,  the remaining portion of the perimeter edge  56  of the stacked and flatly adjacent split-rings  52  was fixed together by a joint  60  of solder. Although in the embodiment illustrated, the adjacent split-rings  52  were fixed together with a solder joint, the skilled artisan knows other ways to join or fix the split-rings  52  together, such as by brazing and welding for metal coils and epoxying or plastic welding for plastic and composite materials. The joined together portion of the perimeter edge  56  formed the lower section  34  of the line-eye  24   a.  Thus the split-ring line eye  50  was comprised of a first and second single split-ring  52  with the split-rings  52  being fixed to each other along a perimeter edge  56  of the lower section  34  below the ring gaps  54  of the stacked split-rings  52 . 
         [0017]    The support means  20   a  for connecting the split-ring line-eye  50  to the guide feet  16  were accomplished in this embodiment in a manner similar to that described above for the coiled-ring line-eye  26 . 
         [0018]    While the above description contains many specifics, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the invention, but rather as exemplifications of one or another preferred embodiment thereof Many other variations are possible, which would be obvious to one skilled in the art. Accordingly, the scope of the invention should be determined by the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents, and not just by the embodiments.