GB2227704A

GB2227704A - Blow-moulding fishing floats

Info

Publication number: GB2227704A
Application number: GB8902458A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Peter John Drennan; Peter Brownlow
Original assignee: Drennan International Ltd
Current assignee: Drennan International Ltd
Priority date: 1989-02-03
Filing date: 1989-02-03
Publication date: 1990-08-08
Anticipated expiration: 2009-02-03
Also published as: GB8902458D0; GB2227704B

Abstract

A blow moulded fishing float bulb, Fig. 1, is manufactured in a two part mould, Fig 3, which defines one or more cavities 14. A tubular parison P is inserted, the mould closed and gas introduced to expand the parison to take the shape of the cavity. The cavity includes a shallow recess 18 for the material to be compressed therein as the mould parts are closed together thereby to form an integral solid projection 3 on the finished bulb. This projection receives an eye connector, Fig. 2 (not shown), or alternatively the projection could be at the upper end of the bulb for receiving a float stem or antenna. <IMAGE>

Description

Fishing Floats This invention relates to the manufacture of fishing floats, especially floats comprising hollow bulbs.

A known form of fishing float comprises a hollow plastics bulb made by a conventional blow moulding process and mainly responsible for the buoyancy of the float. A stem formed from a plastics tube for example, is attached to the bulb at its upper end and extends upwardly from the bulb. An antenna or tip may be fitted to the free end of the stem. To the lower end of the bulb is fixed an eye connector for attaching the float to a fishing line. The eye connector is a separately moulded part formed with a male connection piece, namely a cylindrical spigot which is fixed into a female socket at the lower end of the bulb. The assembly of the eye connector with the bulb is performed manually and the small size of the eye connector, typically around iOmm in length, makes this job rather intricate.Not infrequently the eye connectors are fixed crookedly leading to wastages.

The present invention aims at a solution to the problem elucidated above and in accordance with one aspect it provides a method of blow moulding a fishing float bulb comprising the steps of introducing a tubular parison between two mould parts, closing the mould parts together to define around the parison a cavity having the shape of the bulb, and introducing gas to expand the parison to take the shape of the cavity, during the closing of the mould parts the material of the parison being compressed therebetween in a region at the inner end of the mould cavity to form on the moulded bulb an integral, solid projection extending from the end thereof.

In accordance with another aspect the invention provides a fishing float comprising a blow moulded bulb having a solid, integrally formed projection protruding from an end thereof, and a separately formed part, such as a line connecting means, fixed to the projection.

In one specific embodiment, the projection takes the form of a cylindrical spigot, at the lower end of the bulb and the line connecting means is an injection moulded component having an eye and a blind bore which receives the spigot. The spigot, and the bore can be made to close tolerances ensuring a good fit between them, and during assembly it has been found easier to locate the eye connector onto a male spigot than it was to insert an eye connector into a female socket according to the prior art technique, and as a consequence the risk of the eye connector being fixed skew is virtually eliminated. A further advantage is that the end of the bulb having the spigot is sealed and a waterproof joint is ensured.

According to another aspect the invention provides an apparatus for producing fishing float bulbs comprising a blow mould having two parts which, when closed together define a cavity of the bulb shape, said mould parts including narrow lands delimiting the edges of the cavity portions therein at the inner end of the cavity, said cavity portions including within said lands shallow recesses for material to be compressed therein as the mould parts are closed together around a parison thereby to form a solid projection on the finished bulb.

The lands define knifing edges for trimming the inner end of the parison but are configured so that parison material is squeezed between the mould parts as they close to form, in essence by an initial compression moulding step, a solid part which will be an integral projection on the blow moulded article.

A clear understanding of the invention will be had from the following detailed description given with reference to the accompanying schematic drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a side view, shown partly in cross-section, of a fishing float bulb made in accordance with the invention; Figure 2 shows on an enlarged scale an eye connector for use with the bulb of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a side view showing one half of a two-part blow mould for producing fishing float bulbs; Figure 4 is a detail fragmentary view taken along the line A-A of Figure 3.

The fishing float bulb shown in Figure 1 is a hollow component form by blow moulding, as will be described below. It comprises a main bulb section 1 having at its upper end a tubular extension 2 over, or into which if preferred, a float stem, for example consisting of a plastics tube, may be telescoped. At its lower end the bulb carries an integral axial projection in the form of a solid, cylindrical pin or spigot 3 constituting a male connection for an eye connector 4 (Fig. 2). The connector 4 is a separately formed injection moulded part formed with an eye ring 5 and an axial blind bore 6 shaped and dimensioned to receive the spigot 3. The shoulder 8 between the bulb and spigot provides a positive stop for abutment by the end of the connector 4 when being assembled with the bulb.

The mould used for making the bulb is made in two complementary halves or parts and for the purposes of the present specification it will be necessary to describe only one mould half. The mould half depicted in Fig. 3 has three mould cavities 10A, lOB, 10C to enable float bulbs of three different sizes to be produced using the same mould. The cavities are the same except for their dimensions and a description of one cavity will be sufficient.

The mould half comprises a main block 12 with a flat face 13 arranged for face-to-face abutment with the other mould half when the two mould parts are closed together, correct alignment between the mould parts being ensured by the dowel rods 10 which interconnect them. A depression machined in the face 13 defines the mould cavity portion or half including a main bulbous section 14 and a cylindrical upper end portion 15. In conventional manner a knifing block 16 is fastened to the top of the main block 12 and defines an outer end part of the mould cavity portion. At the inner most end there is a semi-cylindrical recess 18 having a maximum depth not greater than twice the thickness of the parison to be used, and forming an axial extension of the main cavity section.The edge of the inner end of the cavity portion, including the recess 18, is delimited by a continuous narrow land 19, and from the land 19 to the lowermost edge of the block 12, i.e. over the area denoted by numeral 20, the face 13 is relieved so that a narrow slot is formed when the mould parts are closed together.

With the mould parts initially opened apart, a tubular parison P is lowered between them such as from an extrusion head located above the mould, until the lower end of the parison is at a level between the lower edge of the block 12 and the recess 18. The mould parts are then closed together. The lower end portion of the parison becomes flattened but is accommodated in the slot defined by relieved face areas 20, as illustrated at 22 for mould cavity 10C. In the region of the lower end of the mould cavity the material of the parison becomes compressed between the closing mould parts causing it to fill their recesses 18 and a small lower end portion of the main cavity, the lands 19 eventually coming together to sever the compression moulded element from the flattened portion 22. In known manner the knifing blocks 16 sever the upper end portion of the parison at the upper edge of block 12. With the mould parts now tightly closed, a blow pin is introduced into the upper end of the parison and the latter is inflated to take the shape of the mould cavity. After allowing the plastic material to cool and set the mould parts are opened apart and the severed portions of the parison are discarded to leave the finished float bulb as shown in Figure 1.

Whereas the invention has been described in relation to a bulb formed with an integral spigot for mounting an eye connector, the bulb could alternatively be made so that, in the finished float the spigot is at the upper end of the bulb for receiving a float stem, antenna or the like.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A method of blow moulding a fishing float bulb comprising the steps of introducing a tubular parison between the two mould parts, closing the mould parts together to define around the parison a cavity having the shape of the bulb and introducing gas to expand the parison to take the shape of the cavity, during the closing of the mould parts the material of the parison being compressed therebetween in a region at the inner end of the mould cavity to form on the moulded bulb an integral solid projection extending from the end thereof.

2. A method as claimed in Claim 1 wherein an excess flattened portion of the parison beyond the projection is severed from the compression moulded element by closure of the mould parts.

3. A fishing float comprising a moulded bulb having a solid integrally formed projection protruding from an end thereof and a separately formed part fixed to the projection.

4. A fishing float as claimed in Claim 3, wherein the projection has the form of a cylindrical spigot.

5. A fishing float as claimed in Claim 3, wherein the bulb is formed with a shoulder between the bulb and the spigot.

6. A fishing float as claimed in Claim 3 or 5, wherein the separately formed part is an injection moulded component having a blind bore which receives the projection.

7. A fishing float as claimed in any one of Claims 3 to 6, wherein the separately formed part is an eye connector.

8. An apparatus for producing fishing float bulbs comprising a blow mould having two parts which when closed together define a cavity of the bulb shape, said mould parts including narrow lands delimiting the edges of the cavity portions therein including within said lands shallow recesses for material to be compressed therein as the mould parts are closed together around a parison thereby to form a solid projection on the finished bulb.

9. An apparatus as claimed in Claim 8, wherein the lands define knifing edges for trimming the inner end of the parison.

10. An apparatus as claimed in Claim 8 or 9, wherein on the sides of the lands remote from the cavity portions the mould parts are relieved to define a slot extending from the lands to the mould edge when the mould parts are closed together.

11. An apparatus as claimed in Claim 8, 9 or 10 wherein, the mould defines a plurality of mould cavities.

12. A method of blow moulding a fishing float bulb substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

13. A fishing float substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

14. An apparatus for producing fishing float bulbs substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.