BACKGROUND ART Generally, a pipe like article such as a fishing rod is made of a carbon fiber sheet impregnated with epoxy or a glass fiber sheet impregnated with thermosetting resin such as phenol resin or epoxy.

Comparing the pipe article of a carbon sheet, the pipe article of a glass fiber sheet has drawbacks that it is heavier and has decreased resiliency together with advantageous properties in the tensile strength and resistance to the fracture or spitting. Therefore, the pipe article has been propose to make it having both advantageous properties by using the glass fiber together with the carbon fiber.

Typically, the process for making for example a fishing rod comprises the following steps:

-rolling step of alternatively winding the glass fiber and carbon fiber sheets prepared in a cone shape on a tapered mendril by rolling the mendril so as to have five layers at the front portion thereof and seven layers at the rear portion; -taping step of winding a film of cellophane, polypropylene or polyester after the rolling step ; -heat treating step of heating the mendril with the taped film at the temperature from 130 °C to 180 °C for 150 minutes and cooling it so that the molten thermosetting resin (for example, epoxy or phenol resin) is hardened to form a surface and to prevent the strands of the wound sheets from untying; -peeling off step of removing the film layer on the surface; -separating step of removing the mendril to obtain a fishing rod; and -postreatments of polishing of surface, varnishing and painting.

Such process is similar to those used to make a ski pole and a golf stick, the resultant article is in the spotlight as a substitute of the various pipe article because of its good resiliency lightness.

Whereas, a fishing lover prefers the fishing rod having a good flexibility and a straightening property for easy and long dropping.

Furthermore, a golfer also prefers the golf stick having a good flexibility and straightening property upon impact for the long-flying distance of a ball.

However, the conventional glass fiber sheet (10), as well as the 25 carbon sheet (20) is impregnated with thermosetting resin and has the structure that the longitude strands (lla) and parallel strands (llb) of the fiber strands (ll) having the diameter of 0.13mm-0.12mm are woven

to be arranged in both directions, thereby causing its properties of matter to be disadvantageous.

That is, when a bending force acts on the pipe article made of the conventional glass fiber and carbon sheets, as shown in Fig. 2, the longitudinal strands (lla) are easily flexible, but the parallel strands (llb) integrated with the longitudinal strands (lla) by the thermosetting resin acts to prevent the longitudinal strands (lla) from being flexible, thereby degrading the flexibility of the pipe article. Furthermore, in case of the fishing having different thicknesses and decreased diameter, the different stresses is generated at the longitudinal strands (lla) upon flexing of the parallel strands (llb), thereby causing the straightening property to be degraded.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION It is an primary object of the present invention to provide a novel and improved glass fiber sheet in which the glass fiber strands are arranged in the same direction.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a pipe like article made of such glass fiber sheet together with a carbon sheet to have improved flexibility and straightening property together with the good resiliency of the carbon sheet.

To achieve the above objects, a glass fiber sheet is provided according to the present invention, which comprises a scrim base having a thickness of 0.05mm or less, a plurality of glass fiber strands arranged in the same direction on the scrim base, the scrim base and glass fiber strands thereon being impregnated with thermosetting resin.

According to the present invention, a pipe like article is provided

which is formed bv repeatedly winding a glass fiber sheet with strands arranged in the same direction and a carbon fiber sheet with strands arranged in both directions.

According to the present invention, a tapered pipe type tip member for a fishing rod is provided which comprises a front portion with a relatively decreased diameter on which a glass fiber sheet with strands in the same direction is repeatedly wound in a multiple layer and a rear portion with a relatively increased diameter on which a carbon sheet with strands in both directions is repeatedly wound in a multiple layer.

The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which: BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS Fig. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing the structure of a conventional glass fiber sheet ; Fig. 2 is a partially broken view showing the structure of a conventional fishing rod; Fig. 3 is a schematic perspective view showing a glass fiber sheet of the present invention; Fig. 4 is a partially broken view showing the structure of the fishing rod of the present invention; Fig. 5 is a partially broken view of a top member of the fishing rod according the present invention.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Referring to Fig. 3, the glass fiber sheet (100) according to the present invention is made of a scrim base (120) with a thickness of 0.03mm, a plurality of glass fiber strands (110) having a diameter of 0.13mm and 0.125mm arranged in the same direction on the scrim base (120), the scrim base and glass fiber strands thereon being impregnated with thermosetting resin.

IF the thickness of the scrim of the base (120) woven is excessive, the flexibility and straightening property is degraded. Thus, when the strand (110) for a glass fiber sheet has the thickness of 0.125mm or less, the thickness of the scrim is preferably of 0.05mm or less.

The glass fiber sheet (100) is made in the desired length by the precesses of positioning the strands in the same direction on the scrim base (120) and sticking the strands thereon by impregnating them with thermosetting resin. Thus, the glass fiber sheet (100) is different from the conventional glass fiber sheet in that the parallel strands (110) are arranged in the same direction on the base (120).

Referring to Fig. 4, the pipe article made of the glass fiber sheet (100) and conventional carbon sheet according the invention has highly improved flexibility and straightening property.

The process for making the pipe article of the glass fiber sheet (100) and the conventional carbon sheet (200) is as described above, any necessary article can be made by those having skill in this art. For example, a fishing rod, a golf stick or a ski pole can be made of the pipe article according to the invention by selecting for example a thickness and a diameter for necessary to their respective flexibility and

straightening property.

Whereas, the pipe article according to the present invention is formed by repeatedly winding the glass fiber sheet (100) with strands arranged in the same direction and the carbon fiber sheet (200) with strands arranged in both directions and the strands in the glass fiber sheet (100) are arranged in the longitudinal direction of the pipe article so that their flexibility and straightening property is improved.

Also, to strengthen the flexibility and straightening of the tip member of the fishing rod, as shown in Fig. 5, while a glass fiber sheet (100) with strands (110) in the same direction is repeatedly wound on the front portion with a relatively decreased diameter, a carbon sheet (200) with strands in both directions is repeatedly wound on a rear portion with a relatively increased diameter, so that the tip member has a tapered shape. The numeral (300) in the drawing designates a painting layer.

According to the invention, the pipe like article made of the glass fiber sheet (100) with strands (110) in the same direction together with the carbon sheet (200) with strands in both directions is lighter and has improved resiliency due to the light carbon fiber sheet and further having improvements in the flexibility and straightening property due to the novel structure of the glass fiber sheet.

That is, when a bending force acts on the pipe article of the present invention, as shown in Fig. 4, the pipe article appears a good flexibility because the strands in the glass fiber sheet is parallel arranged with the longitudinal direction of the pipe.

Particularly, the front portion of the tip member for a fishing rod is made of the glass fiber sheet (100) having strands in the same direction,

thereby providing the highly improved flexibility and straightening property. Therefore, the fishing lovers can enjoy the fishing with the best feeling to the bite and can do dropping correctly at a long distance.

According to the present invention, a pipe like article is provided which is formed by repeatedly winding a glass fiber sheet with strands arranged in the same direction and a carbon fiber sheet with strands arranged in both directions.