Fishing – trapping – and vermin destroying – Fishing – Lines and/or leaders
Utility Patent
1998-09-25
2001-01-02
Ark, Darren W. (Department: 3643)
Fishing, trapping, and vermin destroying
Fishing
Lines and/or leaders
Utility Patent
active
06167650
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to fly fishing lines of the type having a flexible core and a body surrounding the core and more particularly to a coated fly fishing line and a method and apparatus for creating such lines.
Fly fishing lines have been available for many years. For at least the last 20 years, fly fishing lines comprising a core surrounded by a plastic body have been available. The cores often are braided material. The body is often polyvinyl chloride (PVC). Such fly lines are commercially available from a number of sources with various characteristics.
In fly fishing, one uses a resilient rod, a reel, a fly fishing line, a leader and a fly. Most of the fly fishing line is contained on the reel. The working end of the fly fishing line passes through guides on the rod end attached to the leader which is attached to the fly. The fly and leader are normally very light and do not have enough mass to be thrown or cast very far on their own. The fly fishing line supplies the mass necessary for casting. The line is cast and carries the leader end fly with it. One casting technique used to obtain long casts involves “shooting” line. Rapid movement is generated in the fly line in the back cast. Then, in the forecast, a body of line held near the reel is allowed to follow the line already beyond the rod tip. The length of line beyond the rod tip is thus increased and the line and fly “shoot” toward the target.
Fly fishing lines are available having various diameter and density profiles along their length, to allow for different types of casting and different actions of the fly after the fly lands on the water.
Prior art fly lines are not perfect. Prior art fly lines often pick up dirt, scum or debris from the water. This makes it more difficult to pass the line easily through the guides on a fly fishing rod. If the line is dirty, shooting does not work as intended and the cast is less optimal. A fly fishing line designed to float on top of the water will sometimes start to sink after picking up dirt in several casts.
Salt water fly fishing is growing in popularity. The above described problems appear to be even more severe in a tropical saltwater environment. It appears to many anglers that fly lines become sticky and dirty more quickly in the salt water environment. Shooting of line is more important in the salt water environment because high winds are often encountered. This requires one to backcast and forecast forcefully in order to shoot the intended length of line through the guides into the wind. If the line is sticky, shooting is impaired and casts are much shorter than intended.
This problem has been recognized and addressed in the past through the use of fly line dressing and fly line dressing kits. A pad for cleaning fly line and small bottles of coating material are sold in many fly fishing stores. One uses the pad to clean the line and apply fresh dressing. These are consumable items as it is anticipated that the coating will dissipate in a short while and/or the line will become dirty over the coating. This approach is far from optimal. Unless one is very conscientious, one only learns that one's fly line needs cleaning and dressing by missing a cast. The technique requires repeated cleaning and an application of a chemical to the fly line which interrupts and interferes with fishing. In order to clean and coat a fly line, one must strip an appreciable length of the line off the rod and reel and then reel it back in after or during the cleaning and coating operation. This often must be done with the rod assembled in an inconvenient location such as on a drift boat or while waiting in saltwater flats. Knots, tangles and damage to the line or leader is common.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides an improved fly fishing line with a permanent coating which overcomes the above-referred problems and others and also a method for making this improved fly fishing line and the apparatus for executing this method.
In accordance with the present invention, a fly line comprising a core surrounded by a body is coated with a fluorocarbon containing material which is cured to the fly line creating a permanent outer coating.
Still further in accordance with the invention, a fly fishing line is provided having a coating consisting of a polytetrafluorethylene contained in an acrylic resin binder permanently cured onto the body of the fly line.
Yet further in accordance with the invention, a fly fishing line is provided having a polytetrafluorethylene containing coating which is built-up from multiple resin applications which are cured as a unit.
Yet further in accordance with the invention, a fly fishing line is provided having a permanent coating which resists soiling, improves the shooting characteristics of the fly line, reduces line tangling, and prevents the degradation of characteristics of the fly line by sunlight and saltwater.
Yet further in accordance with the invention, a method is provided for coating of fly fishing line comprising applying a controlled amount of a coating material containing a residue and a carrier to the fly fishing line, evaporating the carrier, applying a subsequent coating of coating material, evaporating the carrier, applying a third coating of the coating material, evaporating the carrier, and curing built-up coating material onto the fly line.
Still further in accordance with the present invention, the carrier is evaporated from the fly line by means of heating the fly line by passing it through an oven having a controlled temperature.
Yet further in accordance with the present invention, the resin coating is cured on the fly line by passing the coated fly line through an oven for periods longer than required for evaporating the carrier.
Still further in accordance with the present invention, an apparatus is provided having a coating applicator which applies a controlled amount of coating to a fly line, an oven including an evaporator station receiving the line from the applicator and evaporating the carrier in the coating and returning the fly line to the applicator at least once; and, a curing station in the oven in which all of the built-up layers of coating are cured by passing the line through the oven for a period in excess of what is required to evaporate the carrier.
It is the primary object of the present invention to provide a fly fishing line with a permanent coating providing superior shooting capabilities.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a fly fishing line which does not require periodic cleaning and coating with line dressings.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a fly fishing line having a coating which protects the fly fishing line body from ultraviolet degradation.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a fly fishing line with a durable built-up coating providing improved shooting ability, dirt repulsion and uniformity of characteristics.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a fly fishing line with a coating that will last all season and beyond.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a method for applying a coating to a fly line which applies a uniform thin coating of material which is cured to the body of the fly line without damaging the body of the fly line.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for applying a coating to a fly line which applies coating material in multiple controlled passes which can be cured as a unit to the fly line resulting in a uniform durable coating.
REFERENCES:
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patent: 3486266 (1969-12-01), Richardson et al.
patent: 3512294 (1970-05-01), Howald
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patent: 3748168 (1973-07-01), Schmidt et al.
patent: 3820271 (1974-06-01), Martuch et al.
patent: 3830009 (1974-08-01), Collingbourne
patent: 3849929 (1974-11-01), Martuch
patent: 3868785 (1975-03-01), Foote
patent: 3936335 (1976-02-0
Ark Darren W.
The Orvis Company, Inc.
Vickers Daniels & Young
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