Winding – tensioning – or guiding – Reeling device – Fishing rod reel
Reexamination Certificate
2002-11-04
2003-11-25
Matecki, Kathy (Department: 3654)
Winding, tensioning, or guiding
Reeling device
Fishing rod reel
C242S232000, C242S233000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06651916
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to bail-tripping devices. More specifically, the present invention relates to spinning-reel bail-tripping devices that return a bail arm that is pivotally mounted from a line-releasing posture to a line-retrieving posture as the rotor, which is rotatably mounted in the reel unit of spinning reel, is rotated in the line-retrieving direction.
2. Background Information
In general, a spinning-reel rotor is furnished with a bail arm for guiding fishing line onto the spool. The bail arm can assume a line-retrieving posture, in which the bail arm guides the fishing line onto the spool outer periphery when the fishing line is retrieved, and a line-releasing posture, in which the bail arm is flipped over from the line-retrieving position so that the bail arm does not get in the way when the fishing line is reeled out from the spool. The rotor is provided with a bail-tripping device for sustaining the bail arm in one of the line-retrieving posture and the line-releasing posture, and for restoring the bail arm from the line-releasing posture to the line-retrieving posture as the rotor rotates in the line-retrieving direction.
As a conventional bail-tripping device, the device disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 10-4839 is known. This bail-tripping device includes: a toggle spring, fitted to the rotor, with the fore end of the toggle spring being interlocked with the bail arm in vicinity of the pivotal center of the bail arm; a shifting member having the fore end that is interlocked with the bail arm in the vicinity of the pivotal center of the bail arm, and the base that shifts to and fro toward the reel unit; and a switching protrusion furnished on the reel unit to come into contact with the shifting member. The toggle spring toggles the bail arm between two postures, and urging and retaining the bail arm in either of the two postures. The toggle spring has a coil spring accommodated in a recess formed in one of the rotor's rotor arms, and a linking component urged by the coil spring. The linking component includes a shaft member pressed upon by the coli spring, and a link fitted to the fore end of the shaft member so as to be pivotable up to a predetermined extent. The fore end of the linking component is interlocked with the bail arm nearby the pivotal center of the bail arm.
When the bail arm is pivoted into the line-releasing posture in the bail-tripping device having this sort of configuration, the shifting member retracts into a position in which the shifting member comes into contact with the switching protrusion. In this situation in the toggle spring, the shaft member is retracted while the linking component pivots until passing the dead point. When the linking component passes the dead point, the shaft member urged by the coil spring is advanced. Then, when the rotor rotates in the line-retrieving direction, the shifting member is brought into contact with the switching protrusion and advances. The advancing of the shifting member pivots the linking component and meanwhile retracts the shaft member until the linking component passes the dead point. Then, when the linking component passes the dead point, the linking component advances, restoring the bail arm into the line-retrieving posture.
When fishing line is reeled out by casting a spinning reel in this manner, reverse rotation of the rotor is blocked; and after catching the fishing line with the thick of the index finger, the bail arm is tripped into the line-releasing posture. In this situation, the rotor is turned to bring the line roller along the fishing rod, so that the fishing line may be grasped readily. Then, in the course of flinging down the fishing rod, the index finger is released from the fishing line, and the tackle's arrival on the water is awaited. At the point the tackle has sunk suitably after arriving on the water, the handle is worked slightly in the reel-in direction to return the bail arm into the line-retrieving position by means of the bail-tripping device.
In the aforementioned conventional configuration, when the toggle spring urges the bail arm, the shaft member does not pivot; only the link pivots with respect to the shaft member. This means that the direction in which the coil spring urges, and the direction in which the linking component presses on the bail arm are different. The power transmitted from the shaft member to the bail arm via the linking component is consequently lessened by what the pivoting angle of the linking component is, which weakens the power with which the toggle spring retains the bail arm in the line-retrieving and the line-releasing postures. Where the toggle spring's retaining power is weakened in this way, the bail arm that has been put into the line-releasing posture during casting could be flipped over into the line-retrieving posture due to inertial force during the casting. If the spring force of the toggle spring is strengthened in order to prevent this, it will weigh on the handle in rotating the rotor in the line-retrieving direction. As a result, the bail arm will be sluggish in returning from the line-releasing posture into the line-retrieving posture.
In view of the above, there exists a need for spinning-reel bail-tripping device which overcomes the above mentioned problems in the prior art. This invention addresses this need in the prior art as well as other needs, which will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A purpose of the present invention is to provide a spinning-reel bail-tripping device in which the bail arm can be securely retained in the line-releasing posture, and the bail arm can return from the line-releasing posture into the line-retrieving posture easily.
A spinning-reel bail-tripping device in accordance with the first aspect of the present invention is a device for returning a bail arm from the line-releasing to the line-retrieving posture as a rotor rotates in the line-retrieving direction. The bail arm is mounted on the rotor so as to be pivotable between line-retrieving and line-releasing postures. The bail-tripping device is furnished with a shifting member, a toggle-spring mechanism, a switching portion, and a restraining means. The shifting member, furnished on the rotor, is a component whose fore end is interlocked with the bail arm, and whose rear end is shiftable at least front-to-rear between a first position and a second position, in cooperation with the pivoting of the bail arm. The first position is parted away from the reel body and corresponds to the line-retrieving posture. The second position is adjoining the reel body and corresponds to the line-releasing posture. The toggle-spring mechanism, whose fore end is rotatably interlocked with the bail arm in a position different from the bail arm's shifting-member interlocking position, is a device for urging toggling the bail arm to between the line-retrieving and line-releasing postures. The switching portion is provided on a front portion of the reel body and has a first inclined face whose end downstream in the rotor line-retrieving rotational direction projects more from a front face of the reel body than its upstream end. The switching portion is for shifting the shifting member beyond the dead point of the toggle-spring mechanism and toward the first position by the first inclined face coming into contact with the rear end of the shifting member that is in the second position when the rotor is rotated in the line-retrieving direction. The restraining means is furnished in between the bail arm and the rotor, and is a means for restraining the bail arm from returning into the line-retrieving posture when the bail arm is disposed in the line-releasing posture. The restraining means is also for releasing the restraint before the rear end of the shifting member reaches the peak edge of the first inclined face by the rotor rotating in the line-retrieving direction with the bail arm disposed in th
Ikuta Takeshi
Ochiai Koji
Takikura Koji
Langdon Evan
Matecki Kathy
Shimano Inc.
Shinjyu Global IP Counselors, LLP
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