Retroreflective fishing line

Abstract

A retroreflective composite fiber product fishing line that offers increased visibility of the retroreflective composite fishing line in a low light environment to a fisherman by reflecting incident light applied to the retroreflective composite fishing line back toward the fisherman.

Claims

1. A retroreflective composite fiber product fishing line, comprising: a retroreflective fiber element, and; a synthetic fiber element; wherein said retroreflective fiber element offers increased visibility of the retroreflective composite fishing line in a low light environment by reflecting incident light shined toward or applied to the retroreflective composite fishing line back in a direction toward a fisherman that shines or applies the light; wherein said retroreflective fiber elements and said synthetic fiber elements are formed into a composite line or string used for fishing.

2. A retroreflective composite fiber product fishing line as recited in claim 1, wherein the retroreflective fiber element is composed of at least 1 flat surface.

3. A retroreflective composite fiber product fishing line as recited in claim 1, wherein said retroreflective fiber element is comprised of at least one flat surface composed of a plurality of consecutively disposed light-reflecting hemispheric metalized spherical glass beads or metalized pyramid shaped prisms.

4. A retroreflective composite fiber product fishing line as recited in claim 1, wherein said retroreflective fiber element is comprised of a plurality of consecutively disposed light-reflecting hemispherically aluminum-coated barium titanate glass beads or pyramid shaped prisms.

5. A retroreflective composite fiber product fishing line as recited in claim 1, wherein said retroreflective fiber element has at least one flat surface comprised of a plurality of consecutively disposed light-reflecting hemispheric metalized spherical glass beads or pyramid shaped prisms that reflect light 160 to 200 degrees in a direction approximately opposite to the direction of incident light applied to the invention.

6. A retroreflective composite fiber product fishing line as recited in claim 1, wherein the retroreflective composite fishing line is comprised of 1 to 8 synthetic fiber element strands.

7. A retroreflective composite fiber product fishing line as recited in claim 1, wherein the retroreflective composite fishing line is comprised of 1 to 8 retroreflective fiber element strands.

8. A retroreflective composite fiber product fishing line as recited in claim 1, wherein each of said synthetic fiber element is comprised of yarn composed of ultrahigh molecular weight, high tenacity, polyolefin filaments.

9. A retroreflective composite fiber product fishing line as recited in claim 1, wherein each of said synthetic fiber element is comprised of Spectra, Dyneema, Dacron, Nylon, Polyvinylidene fluoride, or other high tensile strength synthetic fiber.

10. A retroreflective composite fiber product fishing line as recited in claim 1, wherein the synthetic fiber element exhibits a tenacity of at least 15 gram per denier and a tensile modulus of at least 500 gram per denier.

11. A retroreflective composite fiber product fishing line as recited in claim 1, wherein each of said synthetic fiber element, and each of said reflective fiber element are braided, twisted, entangled, or fused together to form a retroreflective composite fiber product fishing line.

12. A retroreflective composite fiber product fishing line as recited in claim 1, wherein said retroreflective composite fiber product fishing line product has a breaking strength from 1 to 250 pounds of pressure.

13. A retroreflective composite fiber product fishing line as recited in claim 1, wherein said retroreflective composite fiber product fishing line product has a diameter less than 1.5 millimeters.

14. A process for increasing the visibility of a retroreflective composite fiber product fishing line to a fisherman in a low light environment, comprising the steps of; providing at first a minimum of a retroreflective fiber element, and a synthetic fiber element, optionally braiding, twisting, entangling, or fusing the fiber elements together to form a retroreflective composite fiber product fishing line.

15. A process for increasing the visibility of a retroreflective composite fiber product fishing line to a fisherman in a low light environment as recited in claim 14, wherein the retroreflective fiber element is composed of: at least 1 flat surface comprised of a plurality of consecutively disposed light-reflecting hemispheric metalized spherical glass beads or pyramid shaped prisms that reflect light 160 to 200 degrees in a direction approximately opposite to the direction of incident light applied to the invention.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] FIG. 1 is an enlarged drawing of an extracted side view of a retroreflective fiber with 2 flat surfaces comprised of a plurality of consecutively disposed light-reflecting spherical glass beads (3) consecutively disposed on a flat polyester fiber (4). Incident light enters the light-reflecting spherical glass beads (1) attached to the flat polyester fiber (4) and the rounded surface of the bead causes the light ray to bend downward to a point below where the bead is embedded in the polyester fiber. Light striking the metalized back of the embedded portion of the bead is reflected back to the path of entry in the direction approximately opposite of the direction of the incident light (2) to increase the visibility of the fishing line to the user.

[0014] FIG. 2A is an enlarged drawing showing how the retroreflective element (10.) described in FIG. 1 is braided with 1 or more synthetic fiber elements comprised of spun ultrahigh molecular weight, high tenacity yarn (11) to form a braided retroreflective composite fiber product fishing line

[0015] FIG. 2B is an expanded view of the retroreflective fiber (10) described in FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0016] The fiber product having reflective elements of this invention consists at a minimum of 1 retroreflective fiber, made of polyester or other synthetic material receptive to the disposition of light-reflecting hemispheric metalized spherical glass beads or pyramid shaped prisms on one or more flat surface of the retroreflective fiber, comprised by a plurality of consecutively disposed light-reflecting hemispheric metalized spherical glass beads or pyramid shaped prisms. The light-reflecting hemispheric metalized spherical glass beads or pyramid shaped prisms collect and focus incident light from various light sources and reflect it back 160 to 200 degrees approximately in the opposite direction of the incidence of light shined or applied to the invention. This retroreflective fiber is comprised of material with a lower tensile strength that traditional high tenacity ultrahigh molecular weight yarn based on spun polyolefins and therefore were not before seen by the fishing line manufacturers as suitable for inclusion in previous or current fishing line manifestations.

[0017] The fiber product having reflective elements is braided together using a multi-bobbin braiding apparatus with 1 or more synthetic fibers comprised of spun ultrahigh molecular weight, high tenacity yarn to form a long, high tenacity, retroreflective fishing line that Is more visible under low light conditions when incident light source is shined or applied to the retroreflective composite fiber product fishing line than existing manifestations of high visibility fishing line.

[0018] The product of reference is summed up as a retroreflective fiber product fishing line comprising at minimum: a synthetic ultrahigh molecular weight, high tenacity fiber element; a retroreflective fiber element; wherein each of said retroreflective elements is comprised of a plurality of consecutively disposed light-reflecting spherical glass beads or pyramid prisms; wherein each of said light-reflecting spherical micro spherical glass beads or pyramid shaped prisms offers increased visibility of the retroreflective composite fishing line in a low light environment to a fisherman by reflecting incident light applied to the retroreflective composite fishing line back to the fisherman; wherein the said retroreflective fiber element and synthetic fiber element are braided, twisted, entangled, or fused into a line or string used for fishing.

[0019] The novel retroreflective fishing line maintains many of the benefits of existing fishing lines comprised of spun ultrahigh molecular weight, high tenacity yarn while creating the advantage of increased visibility in low light conditions when an incident light source is shined or applied to the retroreflective composite fiber product fishing line that was never previously available to fishermen. The novel retroreflective fishing line allows fishermen to vastly increase their success through more accurate positioning of their lines and detection of bites in low light conditions.