Winding – tensioning – or guiding – Reeling device – Fishing rod reel
Reexamination Certificate
2000-08-11
2002-05-28
Marcelo, Emmanuel M. (Department: 3653)
Winding, tensioning, or guiding
Reeling device
Fishing rod reel
C188S18100R
Reexamination Certificate
active
06394381
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to reel-braking devices; in particular to dual-bearing reel centrifugal braking devices for braking under centrifugal force the spool fitted rotatively to the reel unit.
2. Description of Related Art
In dual-bearing reels referred to as bait reels, utilized mainly for lure fishing, generally braking force is made to act on the spool so that backlash does not occur when casting. “Backlash” herein is the phenomenon of the rotational speed of the spool being faster than the line wind-out speed. As this type of braking mechanism, centrifugal braking devices that employ centrifugal force developing from spool rotation to brake the spool are known.
Centrifugal braking mechanisms of this class are in general provided with: shifters allowed to shift in the diametric direction of the spool (guide shaft axial direction) on guide shafts that are arranged radially on a rotor that rotates coupled with the spool; and a brake element to the outer peripheral side of the shifters, provided enabling shifter contact. Among these sorts of centrifugal braking devices, that disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Gazette Reg. No. 2535505 enables adjusting the number of shifters that can come into contact the brake element.
The centrifugal braking device disclosed in the above-noted gazette is provided with a switching mechanism that by translating the shifters diametrically with respect to the spool switches between an inoperative state in which the shifters cannot come into contact with the brake element and an operative state for contact with the brake element. The switching mechanism includes pairs of fixing projections formed projecting toward the shifters on lateral walls of recesses formed in a shifter-fitting section of the rotor, and annular shifter projections that enable interlocking with the fixing projections and that are furnished on the shifters. The shifter projections, or the fixing projections, are elastically deformable components and by elastic deformation enable disengagement of the interlocking.
Wherein switching between the operative state and the inoperative state is carried out, the annular shifter projections on the shifters are caught and pulled with the fingertips to shift the shifters diametrically. Shifting the shifters from the operative state diametrically inward by elastically deforming the shifter projections to carry them past the fixing projections and dispose the shifter projections inward thereof switches them into the inoperative state, in which the shifters cannot come into contact with the brake element. Again, shifting the shifters from the inoperative state diametrically outward to dispose the shifter projections outward switches the shifters into the operative state.
In the foregoing conventional centrifugal braking devices, the shifters are switched between the operative state and the inoperative state by shifting them diametrically with respect to the spool, elastically deforming either the fixing projections or the shifter projections, wherein the shifter projections ride against and beyond the fixing projections. Accordingly, because the shifting directions when switching and when braking the shifters are the same, loosening the interlocked state of the two sets of projections to make handling easier risks that when braking, the shifter projections on the shifters in the inoperative state will ride past the fixing projections and come into contact with the brake element. Therefore, in the foregoing conventional configuration, the interlocked state between the two sets of projections has to be adjusted tight enough to keep the shifter projections from riding past the fixing projections under centrifugal force. In practice, the interlocked state is tightened by making the elastically deformable projections among the two sets of projections harder, or by enlarging the extent of engagement of the two sets of projections. An accordingly tightened engagement makes a comparatively large force necessary for the switching operation, making handling during switching difficult.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to enable the switching operation in a centrifugal braking device switchable between inoperative and operative states to be carried out with light force.
The centrifugal braking device for a dual bearing reel according to aspect 1 of the present invention is a device for braking a spool which is rotatably provided with a reel body by using a centrifugal force, including a plurality of guide shafts, a plurality of shifters, a brake element of a cylindrical shape, and a switching means. The guide shafts are shafts which are radially provided with a rotor which rotates together with the spool. The shifters are members attached to the guide shafts in a movable manner in an axial direction rotatably around the axis. The shifters are capable of moving in a radius direction of the spool. The brake element is a member disposed at an outer peripheral side of the plurality of shifters. The brake element is non-rotatably provided with respect to the reel body and may be made contact with the shifters which are moved in the radius direction. The switching means is a means for switching a state of the shifters to an inoperative state in which no contact with the brake element is possible or to an operative state in which a contact with the brake element is possible by changing a rotational position of the shifters around the axis.
In this centrifugal braking device, when the spool rotates, the rotor also rotates and the shifter attached to the guide shaft moves in the radius direction to make contact with the brake element. When the shifter makes contact with the brake element, the spool is braked by a frictional force. The braking force generated at this time depends on the number of the shifters which make contact with the brake element, and the number of the shifters which make contact is changeable by using the switching means. That is, if the state of the shifter is switched to the inoperative state by using the switching means, the shifter cannot make contact with the brake element. This switching operation may be carried out by changing a rotational position of the shifter around the guide shaft. Since the rotational direction around the guide shaft is different from the moving direction of the shifter (i.e., the axial direction of the guide shaft), a large force is not necessary for the switching operation in the rotary direction and the operation may be carried out by using a small force. Since the switching operation may be carried out with a small force, it may be performed all at once by using another member instead of performing it one by one manually. Moreover, since the operation direction is the rotary direction, not the radius direction of the spool, the switching operation is easily performed all at once.
The centrifugal braking device for a dual bearing reel according to aspect 2 of the present invention is a device as set forth in aspect 1, wherein each of the guide shafts is provided inside of a plurality of recesses which is radially provided around an outer periphery portion of the rotor with an opening facing an outer peripheral side thereof; and the switching means includes: a shifter projection disposed at the shifters so as to project in a radius direction of the guide shafts; a guide provided with one of side walls of the recess which opposed to each other in a rotary direction, the guide being engaged with the shifter projection and non-rotatably guides the shifter to a position at which a contact with the brake element is possible in a manner movable in the axial direction; and a restricter provided with the other one of the side walls, the restricter being engaged with the shifter projection and restricts the shifter so that the shifter cannot make contact with the brake element. In this case, when the shifter projection of the shifter is directed to the guide provided with one of the side walls of the recess, the state of the shifter is
Marcelo Emmanuel M.
Shimano Inc.
Shinjyu Global IP Counselors, LLP
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