Abstract:
An inter-line fishing rod in which a fishing line is introduced into the inside of the rod and laid therein in the longitudinal direction of the rod. The rod is made up of a plurality of tubular members jointed together. The inside circumferential surface of the tubular member is constituted by a coating film made of water-repelling fluoroplastics to smoothly guide the passing fishing line.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO PRIOR U.S. APPLICATION 
     This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 08/470,446, filed Jun. 6, 1995, which was abandoned upon the filing hereof. Which is a continuation in part of application Ser. No. 08/091,064, filed Jul. 14, 1993 now U.S. Pat. No. 5,488,797. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to an inter-line fishing rod in which a fishing line is introduced into the inside of the fishing rod and laid therein in the longitudinal direction of the rod. 
     An inter-line fishing rod is used for such purposes that a fishline is prevented from tangling on an obstacle around a fishing site, loosening between fishline guides and tangling on the guide. 
     The Japanese Utility Model Application (OPI) No. 169871/88 (the term “OPI” as used herein means an unexamined published application”) discloses an inter-line fishing rod in which the inside circumferential surface of each tubular member is constituted by a ceramic fiber layer to enhance the wear resistance of the surface. 
     According to this proposal, the wear resistance of the inside circumferential surface of each tubular member of the inter-line fishing rod may be enhanced. However, the frictional resistance of the surface is increased to make it difficult for a user to introduce the fishline into the inside the rod. Particularly if the fishline is wet with water, the frictional resistance of the surface so high that the fishline cannot smoothly be put into and out of the rod. It was also found out by the present inventors that the smoothness of the passing fishing line was hindered by water drop inside the rod. That is, resistance is caused on the passing fishing line due to friction between the water drop and the inner circumferential surface of the rod, friction between the water drop and the fishing line and surface tension of the water drop, other than friction between the inner circumferential surface and the fishing line. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention was made in order to solve the problems described above. 
     Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide an inter-line fishing rod into and out of which a fishline can pass smoothly even if it is wet with water. 
     In order to attain the above-noted and other objects, the present invention provides a fishing rod formed by a prepreg made of a synthetic resin and high-strength fibers impregnated with the resin, in which a coating film layer made of a water-repelling substance low in coefficient of friction is provided to constitute the inside circumferential surface of the rod. Since the inside circumferential surface of each tubular member of the fishing rod provided in accordance with the present invention is constituted by the coating film layer made of the water-repelling substance low in coefficient of friction, the frictional resistance of the member to the fishline is so low that it can be smoothly guided in the member to be put into and out of it. 
     To form the coating film layer for each tubular member of the rod, a woven or non-woven fabric made from fluoroplastic fibers, silicone fibers or the like and impregnated with resins, a sheet or tape of fluoroplastics, silicone resins or the like, or a coating paint of fluoroplastics, silicone resins or the like, or of a mixture of epoxy resins and fine grains or particles of fluorine, silicon or the like which are 10μ or less in diameter, can be used as material. The thickness of the coating film layer is 500μ or less, preferably 20 to 200μ. In addition, the thickness of the coating film layer is not restricted to the above-noted range, and may be less than 20μ. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     In the accompanying drawings: 
     FIG. 1 is a side view of a fishing rod which is an embodiment of the present device; 
     FIG. 2 is a cutaway side view of the rod shown in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the rod shown in FIG. 1; and 
     FIG. 4 is a longitudinally sectional view of a fishing rod which is a modification of the embodiment shown in FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view of an alternate embodiment of FIG.  4 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings attached hereto. 
     FIGS. 1,  2  and  3  show an inter-line fishing rod which is an embodiment of the present invention. 
     The fishing rod includes tubular members  51 , each of which is made of a wound prepreg formed by impregnating high-strength fibers with thermosetting resins such as epoxy resins. As the high-strength fibers, carbon fibers, boron fibers, glass fibers, and aramid fibers are employable. Further, ceramic fibers and metal fibers are usable as the high-strength fibers if the high wear-resistance is required for a product. 
     The fishing rod of the invention further includes a coating film layer  52  provided on the inside surface of each tubular member  51  to constitute the inside circumferential surface of the rod. The coating film layer  52  is preferably formed of fluoroplastics (or fluorine-contained polymers), silicone resins, high density polyethylene resins and synthetic waxes, which provide water repelling property and low frictional coefficient. In addition, the high-strength fibers  55  may be mixed into the coating film layer, and further the high-strength fibers thus mixed may be partially exposed from the coating film layer to the inside of the rod. In this case, the orientation of the mixed high-strength fibers is preferably longitudinal, but they may extend circumferentially or spirally with respect to the tubular member  51 . 
     One example of a method of manufacturing each of the tubular members  51  is described as follows: a separating agent is first applied to a mandrel, and a fluoroplastic paint for making the coating film layer  52  is then applied to the agent. After the agent and the paint have dried spontaneously, the prepreg made of thermosetting synthetic resins such as epoxy resins and high-strength fibers impregnated with the resin is wound around the agent and the paint on the mandrel, and a tape is then wound around them. The assembly of these materials is then subjected to a thermosetting treatment so that the tubular member is formed. After that, the tape and the mandrel are removed from the prepreg, so that the tubular member  51  having the coating film layer  52  integrally provided on the inside circumferential surface thereof is manufactured. Instead of the fluoroplastic paint, a tape, a sheet or a woven or non-woven fabric may be wound around the mandrel. Further, the paint or the like may be applied to a surface of the prepreg by coating, spraying, dipping, pressure-depositing, plating, or other physical vapour-depositing. Moreover, after the prepreg is thermoset to form a tubular member having no coating film layer, the paint may be applied to the inner circumferential surface of the thermoset tubular member by spraying, coating, plating, or other physical vapour-depositing. 
     Since the coating film layer  52  is made of a water-repelling substance low in coefficient of friction, the frictional resistance of the film layer to the fishline is so low that the fishline can be smoothly guided in each of the tubular members  51  to be put into and out of it, even if the fishline is wet with water. 
     Although the thickness of the coating film  52  is uniform in the embodiment, the present invention is not confined thereto but may be otherwise embodied so that a coating film  52  having inner annular projections  53  as shown in FIG. 4 is provided to have a smaller area of contact with the fishline than the former coating film. Corner portions  53   a  and  53   b  of the annular projection are preferably rounded as viewed in section. The longitudinal length of the annular projection  53  may be set larger than the longitudinal distance between the adjacent annular projections  53  so that the coating film  52  presents a contour in section as having annular grooves. Moreover, although the projection, in this modification, is formed to extend in the circumferential direction of the tubular member  51 , the projection may be formed to extend spirally as shown in FIG. 5, or longitudinally with respect to the tubular member  51 . 
     Since the inside circumferential surface of each tubular member of an inter-line fishing rod which is provided in accordance with the present device is constituted by a coating film layer made of a water-repelling substance low in coefficient of friction and integrally provided on the other portion of the tubular member, the frictional resistance of the member to the fishline is so low that the fishline can be smoothly guided in the member to be put into and out of it, even if the fishline is wet with water. A desirable effect is thus produced.