Winding – tensioning – or guiding – Reeling device – Fishing rod reel
Reexamination Certificate
2000-10-10
2002-01-08
Rivera, William A. (Department: 3653)
Winding, tensioning, or guiding
Reeling device
Fishing rod reel
Reexamination Certificate
active
06336604
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to fishing line guide mechanisms for spinning reels. More particularly it relates to a spinning-reel fishing line guide mechanism, for guiding fishing line onto the reel spool, mounted on one of a pair of the bail support members pivotally supported endwise on the pair of rotor arms.
2. Description of Related Art
In a spinning reel, a rotor is configured to rotate about a spool. A fishing line guide mechanism for guiding a fishing line on to the spool is mounted at an end of one of a pair of bail support members. The bail support members and the fishing line guide mechanism are rotatable together with the rotor about the spool. The bail support members and the line guide mechanism are pivotal between a line-release position and a line-winding position. The fishing line guide mechanism is provided with a stationary shaft fixed at proximal end to one of the bail support members, a stationary shaft cover which is fixed to a distal end of the stationary shaft and on which one end of the bail is mounted, and a line roller rotatably supported on the stationary shaft between the stationary shaft cover and the bail support member. In the fishing line guide mechanism, the bail is swung to the line release position when the fishing line is to be released, and the fishing line is released from the forward end of the spool. Also, in winding the fishing line onto the spool, when the bail is swung into the fishing line winding position and the handle is rotated, the fishing line is guided and brought into contact with the outer circumferential surface of the line roller by the bail, and, changing the direction of the fishing line, is guided by the line roller and wound around the outer circumference of the spool.
In the spinning reel, the fishing line is released when the bail support members and the line guide mechanism are pivoted to the line release position. The fishing line is wound around the spool and an axis defined therein, the axis extending in a direction corresponding to the direction the fishing line travels when released from the spool. When the fishing line is released or cast out from the forward end of the spool, the fishing line spirals as it comes off the spool, generating twists in the fishing line. As the fishing line is wound back around the spool, it is drawn in along a path parallel to the axis of the spool and wound onto the circumferential periphery of the spool guided by the bail and the line roller. As a result, twists in the line occur, the twists being directionally reversed from the way the fishing line turns when released. For example, in a spinning reel in which the fishing line is to be wound clockwise as viewed from the forward end, when the fishing line is wound around the spool, counterclockwise twists in the line are generated upstream with respect to the winding direction. In general, in the spinning reel, in order to prevent twists in the fishing line fed off the spool, the fishing line is wound onto the spool in a twisted condition. In this case, if the same line twists were generated in opposite directions when feeding out line when winding on line, there would be no extra twist left in the fishing line wound around the spool.
However, in some cases while the line roller is guiding the fishing line, extra line twists are generated in the fishing line due to contact between the line roller and the fishing line. More specifically, when reeling in line under drag tension for example, the magnitude and/or direction of force applied to the fishing line changes due to contact resistance against the line roller. Consequently unanticipated torsion or bending force is applied to the fishing line, resulting in the generation of extra line twists, as mentioned above. As a result, the conventional fishing reel suffers from the problem that line twists are left in the fishing line wound around the spool, which makes it difficult to feed out the line smoothly, and even can make casting the fishing rig in a desired direction impossible.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. 08-23834 and 08-23836 disclose technical approaches to overcome the above-described line twisting problem. The spinning reels disclosed in the two above publications are provided with a fishing line guide mechanism in which a line roller is formed into a tapered shape gradually increasing its diameter in the line winding rotational direction of the rotor (on the front end side of the line roller) and a line guide portion is formed on the bail support member side of the line roller or on the bail support member. In this fishing line guide mechanism, the line roller is disposed so that the fishing line is at a bias toward the bail support member and the fishing line is guided to the spool while the fishing line is in contact with the line guide portion to thereby restrict the movement thereof in the axial direction. With such an arrangement, the movement of the fishing line in the axial direction is suppressed by the line roller and the line engagement between the line roller and the bail support member is prevented. Also, the line roller is formed into the tapered shape having its diameter gradually increased in the line winding rotational direction so that a frictional force difference is generated between the fishing line and the large diameter side and the small diameter side of the line roller and a reversed line twist from that of the line feeding mode is generated in the fishing line.
In the above-described conventional fishing line guide mechanism, since the fishing line is biased toward the bail support member and the fishing line is brought into contact with the line guide portion for guidance, the movement of the fishing line is suppressed and the fishing line engagement is moderated. However, when the fishing line is brought into contact with the line guide portion located on the bail support member side, the line twist in the same direction as that in the line feeding direction is generated, so that it is impossible to accurately generate the line twist that is reversed to that in the line feeding mode.
Also, since the line twist that is reversed to that in the line feeding mode is generated by utilizing the fact that the frictional force on the large diameter side is greater than that on the small diameter side in the circumferential surface of the line roller formed in the form of a tapered shape having the diameter gradually increased in the line winding rotational direction of the rotor (on the front end side of the line roller), it is difficult to accurately generate the line twist.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,769,344 to Kaneko et al. also addresses line-twisting problems in a spinning reel. The gist in every one of the forty-nine embodiments disclosed in this patent is to maintain fishing line being reeled onto the spinning reel spool in contact with a line guide associated with the line guide roller. In particular, the Kaneko et al. configuration is for keeping the fishing line in contact with the guide despite change in line position on the guide roller as the diameter of wound-on line increases.
In every one of the Kaneko et al. embodiments the fishing line is urged toward the bail arm in order to urge the line against the line guide in its many configurations. Accordingly, the rollers of the embodiments are all tapered toward the bail arm in its many corresponding configurations. This is true also of the roller proximate the bail arm in the dual-roller embodiments. One of the embodiments in the Kaneko et al. patent sets the line roller rotational axis obliquely with respect to the rotor axis, wherein the axial end of the line roller is bent generally backward toward the reel main body.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is accurately to impart in fishing line passing over a line roller, when winding the line onto a spinning reel spool under drag tension, line twist that is the reverse of twist occurring in the line when feeding it out.
One aspect of the present invention is a fis
Aratake Seiichi
Hirayama Hirokazu
Kawabe Yuzo
Morise Taisei
Rivera William A.
Shimano Inc.
Shinjyu Global IP Counselors, LLP
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