The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Mar. 15, 2005
Filed:
Nov. 26, 2002
Jeffrey L. Wieringa, San Marcos, CA (US);
Jeffrey L. Wieringa, San Marcos, CA (US);
3M Innovative Properties Company, St. Paul, MN (US);
Abstract
A protective container for a fishing rod with a reel mounted on a handle portion of the rod. The container includes a rigid elongate tube having an inner surface defining a cavity adapted to receive the fishing rod; and a flexible housing attached to the tube adjacent one end that is adapted to enclose the reel and the handle portion of the rod on which the reel is mounted. That housing includes opposite wall portions having side wall parts each adapted to lie along and across a different side of the reel and handle portion of the rod, which wall portions include peripheral parts extending toward each other from the peripheries of the side wall parts that can be releasably attached together so that opposed inner surfaces of the wall portions define a cavity that can receive the reel and the handle portion of the rod on which it is mounted. The wall portions can be separated to allow the rod and reel to be placed in or removed from the container. The wall portions of the housing include layers of fabric defining their inner and outer surfaces, and layers of thermo formed foam between and bonded to those layers of fabric that provide stiff, shape retaining, flexible, side wall portions shaped and adapted to protect the reel. The side wall portions can have through vent openings that allow evaporation of moisture from the rod and reel when the container is closed.