Winding – tensioning – or guiding – Reeling device – Fishing rod reel
Reexamination Certificate
2000-02-03
2001-09-11
Marcelo, Emmanuel M. (Department: 3653)
Winding, tensioning, or guiding
Reeling device
Fishing rod reel
C242S319000, C242S322000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06286773
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a double bearing reel, and more particularly to a double bearing reel provided with a drag mechanism for braking a spool where the drag mechanism is controlled by movement of a lever.
B. Description of the Related Art
A fishing reels having drag mechanisms are known. A lever drag type double bearing reel for braking a spool by movement of a spool shaft in an axial direction by means of a lever is known as a double bearing reel. This double bearing reel is provided with a reel body having a pair of side plates, a spool shaft supported on the reel body movably in the axial direction, a spool rotatably supported to the spool shaft, a drag mechanism for braking the spool and a torque transmission mechanism for rotating the spool by the rotation of a handle.
The spool is movable in the axial direction together with the spool shaft. The drag mechanism is provided with a brake disc provided on an outer surface at one end of a flange portion of the spool, a frictional disc which may be pressed into contact with the brake disc, and a spool shaft moving mechanism for moving the spool shaft in the axial direction. The frictional disc is rotatably supported to the spool shaft, and a torque from the handle is transmitted to the frictional disc through the torque transmission mechanism. The spool shaft moving mechanism has a drag lever pivotably supported on the reel body, a cap member fixed to one end of the spool shaft, and a cam member disposed between the drag lever and the cap member and mounted so as to be unrotatable on the reel body. A slant cam is formed on the cam member. When the drag lever is swung, the drag lever rides over the slant cam so that the cam member pushes the cap member to thereby move the spool shaft in one axial direction. The movement of the spool shaft in the other axial direction is performed by a biasing force of, for example, a coil spring disposed between the frictional disc and the brake disc.
In such a double bearing reel, the drive force produced by rotation of the handle is transmitted to the frictional disc of the drag mechanism through the torque transmission mechanism and transmitted to the spool by the press contact between the frictional disc and the brake disc.
In the thus constructed drag mechanism, the adjustment of the drag force (brake force) is performed by pivotal movement of the drag lever mounted at one end of the spool shaft in one direction. When the drag lever is pivotally moved in one direction, the spool shaft is moved in one axial direction by the cam member, and the spool approaches the drag mechanism so that the brake disc is brought into pressing contact with the frictional disc. In such a double bearing reel, the brake force of the drag mechanism is adjusted by the operation of the drag lever and at the same time, the spool is kept in a free rotation condition by separating the brake disc and the frictional disc from each other.
PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED BY THE INVENTION
In general, in such a kind of a drag mechanism, a magnitude of the brake force depends upon the number of the disc members of the two discs to be brought into pressing contact with each other and a diameter/area of the portions where the brake force is to be generated. In particular, the greater the diameter of the portions where the brake force is to be generated, the greater the brake torque to the pressure force will be. The greater the area, the greater the frictional force will be. However, in the double bearing reel having the above-described conventional drag mechanism, since the brake disc is provided at an end face of the spool, the diameter or the area of the brake disc is limited by the size of the spool (diameter of the flange portion). Typically, the brake disc in prior art reels has a diameter that is about 70% of the diameter of the flange. For this reason, in the conventional double bearing reel, the brake area is much smaller in comparison with the area of the flange portion. The smaller of the diameter of the spool, the smaller the brake force will become. Accordingly, in the lever drag mechanism mounted on the small diameter spool, in order to produce the larger brake force, it is necessary to increase the pressure force (thrust load). If the pressure force is increased, then the brake performance becomes worse. For example, the lever operation needs a greater power. It is difficult to finely adjust the brake force by the fine operation of the lever. Also, the variation in brake force due to the corrugation or the like of the contact surfaces between the frictional disc and the brake disc is remarkable so that the smoothness upon the drag operation is deteriorated. Furthermore, the durability of the frictional disc or the brake disc would be degraded. Thus, particularly in case of the small diameter spool, it is necessary to increase the pressure force if the large brake force is to be obtained. Accordingly, it is difficult to enhance the brake performance.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to enhance the brake performance while suppressing the pressure force operating in the double bearing reel having the drag mechanism.
In accordance with the present invention, a double bearing reel includes a reel body, a handle member, a spool shaft, a spool, a drag mechanism and a torque transmission mechanism. The handle member includes a handle shaft rotatably supported on the reel body. The spool shaft is disposed in parallel with the handle shaft. The spool has a fishing line winding drum portion for winding the fishing line and flange portions formed on both sides of the fishing line winding drum portion and is mounted on the spool shaft. The drag mechanism has a brake disc disposed coaxially with the spool in cooperation with the spool, a frictional disc disposed to face and to be engagable with the brake disc and non-rotatable in a fishing line feeding direction, and a moving mechanism for braking the spool by a relative movement between the brake disc and the frictional disc in a press contact direction. A brake diameter in relation with diameters of the brake disc and the frictional disc is 90% or more of a fishing line windable diameter of the spool. The torque transmission mechanism is a mechanism for transmitting a rotation of the handle shaft through the drag mechanism to the spool.
In this double bearing reel, when the handle is rotated in the fishing line winding direction, the frictional disc is rotated through the torque transmission mechanism. Then, the rotation is transmitted to the spool through the brake disc so that the spool is rotated in the winding direction to wind the fishing line around the spool. When the fish is hooked by a fishing device mounted at a tip end of the fishing line on the way of the winding operation and the drag mechanism is operated so that the spool is rotated in the fishing line feeding direction, the brake disc is rotated in the fishing line feeding direction in cooperation with the spool. In this case, since the frictional disc is not rotatable in the fishing line feeding direction, the brake force in response to the press contact force between the brake disc and the frictional disc is applied to the spool. At this time, the brake force depends upon the brake diameter of the spool, i.e., a maximum diameter of the portion where the brake disc and the frictional disc are brought into pressing contact with each other. Since this brake diameter is 90% or more of the fishing line windable diameter, i.e., the diameter of the flange portion and is greater than that of the conventional reel. Even in a spool having a small diameter, in order to increase the brake force, it is unnecessary to increase the pressure force to an excessive extent, and it is possible to enhance the brake performance.
Preferably, the torque transmission mechanism includes a pinion gear supported on the spool shaft and rotated in one-piece manner with the frictional disc, a main gear mounted non-rotatably on the handle shaft and eng
Marcelo Emmanuel M.
Shimano Inc.
Shinjyu Global IP Counselors, LLP
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