GB2094121A - Fishing rod reel - Google Patents

Abstract

A fishing rod reel is arranged to use to emit a clicking noise in at least one of the directions of rotation of a rotatable spool which is provided in the reel. A toothed wheel (33) is arranged to rotate as said spool rotates and there is also provided a pair of pawl-carrying members (50 and 51) which carry respectively pawls (54 and 55) which are adapted to engage said toothed wheel (33) in order to produce a clicking nose. Each member (50 and 51) is movable by means of a manually operable control member (58) between a position in which the associated pawl is in an operative position to engage said toothed wheel (33) and an inoperative position in which said pawl cannot engage said toothed wheel (33). <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Fishing rod reel This invention relates to a fishing rod reel which in use would be mounted near to the butt end of a fishing rod and on to which, or from which, a fishing line can be wound as may be required. One common requirement for such a fishing rod reel is that a clicking noise shall be emitted by the reel as it rotates in at least one direction of rotation - usually in that direction which results in the fishing line being paid out. It is also desirable that a reel shall be capable of being used either by a right-handed or a left-handed fisherman and it is usually necessary to arrange that the above-mentioned clicking noise can be emitted in either mode of operation. One object of the present invention is to provide an improved fishing rod reel in which the above-mentioned desiderata at least can be effected in an easy and efficient manner.

In accordance with the invention there is provided a fishing rod reel having a rotatable spool, a toothed wheel which in use will rotate as said spool rotates, a pair of spring-loaded pawls which are engageable with said toothed wheel, each of said pawls being mounted on a movable pawl-carrying member arranged so that each member is movable between a first position in which the associated pawl is in an operative position and a second position in which said pawl is in an inoperative position, and a manually operable control member which can be actuated by a user and which is adapted, on actuation, to move either of said pawl-carrying members from its first position to its second position or vice-versa, one of said pawls when in its operative position being adapted to engage said toothed wheel so that a clicking noise will be emitted as the latter rotates in one, but only in one, direction of rotation and the other pawl when in its operative position being adapted to engage said toothed wheel so that a clicking noise will be emitted as the latter rotates in the opposite, but only in the opposite, direction of rotation.

Preferably, said manually operable control member is rotatable and is capable of being turned by the user into any one of four positions corresponding respectively to a position in which neither pawl is engaged with the toothed wheel (so that no clicking noise will be emitted irrespective of the direction in which the toothed wheel rotates), a position in which both pawls are engaged with the toothed wheel (so that a clicking noise will be emitted in both directions of rotation of the toothed wheel) and to other positions in which one or the other of said pawls is engaged with the toothed wheel.

Conveniently, the fishing rod reel is also provided with frictionally actuated means which is also operable by the userforthe purpose of applying and adjusting a braking force against the rotation of the spool whereby a tension can be applied to the fishing line whilst it is being pulled out by a fish which has been caught on an associated hook.

The invention will now be more particularly described with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein Figure 1 is an elevation of one example of a fishing rod reel constructed in accordance with the invention looking from one side of the reel, Figure 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1, Figure 3 is another elevation looking in the direction of the arrow 'A' of Figure 2 but with the handle, spool and mounting plate removed, Figure 4 is a fragmentary elevation similar to the view shown in Figure 3 but showing also a pair of the mounting plate which is not shown in Figure 3, and Figure 5 is a fragmentary elevation similar to the view shown in Figure 3 but showing a position in which both of the pawls are in their inoperative positions in which they do not engage the associated toothed wheel.

Referring now to the drawings there is shown therein a fishing rod reel generally indicated by reference numeral 10 which includes a housing embodying a cylindrical wall portion 11 and a side portion 12. Within the housing is mounted a central disposed axially extending stationary spindle 13 which at one end 14 is of reduced diameter and is riveted over or otherwise secured so as to be connected to one side portion 12. At its opposite end said stationary spindle 13 is formed with an annular groove 15 which serves to receive a catch member 16. Said catch member is radially movable and includes a portion 17 which is urged radially inwardly by a spring 18 so as to enter into said groove 15 to retain in position a lock plate 19 to which said catch member 16 is attached.The catch member 16 is formed with a slot 20 disposed on the opposite side of said spindle 13 to the portion 17 and is connected to a button 21 on the exterior of the lock plate 19, said button 21 being connected to the catch member 16 by means of a stem 22 which extends through an elongated slot 23 formed in said lock plate 19. Thus the lock plate 19 can be withdrawn from the spindle 13 by pushing the button 21 radially inwardly against the pressure exerted by the spring 18 to remove the portion 17 of the catch member 16 from the groove 15 whereupon said lock plate 19 can be withdrawn axially from the end of the spindle 13.

There is also provided a handle 24 provided with a roller portion 25 which can be gripped by a user, said handle 24 being connected to a generally cylindrical drive member 26 which is provided at its axially inner end with dogs which are engageable with similar dogs formed at the adjacent axial end of a driven member 27, said handle 24 and cylindrical drive member 26 being connected to said lock plates 19 to form a detachable assembly. Said members 26 and 27 each have an inner diameter which corresponds to the external diameter of said spindle 13 so that they are capable of rotating thereon. Parts of the exterior surfaces of said driving member 26 and driven member 27 provide bearing surfaces for a reel 28 having an internal cross-section of generally frusto-conical configuration adapted to receive a fishing line which can thus be wound onto said reel 28.It will of course be understood that the aforesaid lock plate 19 can be disengaged from the spindle 13 so that the assembly of lock plate 19, handle 24 and drive member 26 can be withdrawn from said spindle in order to permit the reel to be removed or changed as may be desired, different reels normally being used to accommodate different kinds of fishing line.

The aforesaid driven member 27 is provided integrally at that axial end opposite to the end having the aforesaid dogs with a gear wheel 29 which meshes with a smaller gear wheel 30 which is integrally connected with another gearwheel 31 having a larger diameter than the gearwheel 30 and said gearwheel 31 itself meshes with gear teeth 32 formed on a sleeve 32a and which serves to drive the reel 28 via dogs 32b formed respectively on said sleeve and said reel and the aforesaid gearing is arranged so that any given number of revolutions of the handle member 24 will effect a greater number of revolutions of the reel 28.

The aforesaid gear wheel 29 also serves to drive another gearwheel 33 mounted on a spindle 34on which is also mounted a pair of pressure plates 35 and 36 together with discs of friction material 37 and 38, the latter being connected to the gearwheel 33.

The outer end of said spindle 34 is threaded and mounted on the threaded end is a nut in the form of a rotatable knob 39. Two springs 40 and 40a are located between said pressure plate 35 and one end of the knob 39. Said springs have the effect of compressing the assembly of pressure plates 35 and 36, gear wheel 33, friction pads 37 and 38 and a pawl control plate 41 (to be described later) but spring 40a (which is the stronger one) exerts little or no pressure when the rotatable knob 39 is turned to a position at or near to its outermost limit and in this position the weaker spring 40 will exert a compressing force on the aforementioned assembly which is mounted on the spindle 34. The springs can thus be arranged, by adjustment of the knob 39, to provide (by inter-action of the two friction pads 37 and 38) a variable resistance opposing rotation of the gear wheel 33 on the spindle 34.Said knob 39 can thus be readily adjusted by a user of the reel from the exterior of one side thereof in order to adjust the tension on the fishing line as the latter is being paid out as a fish runs with the line.

The pawl control plate 41 (to which said friction pad 37 is attached), has three radially extending projections namely lugs 42 and 43 together with a lug 44 which is disposed between the lugs 42 and 43.

The lug 44 is formed with a lip 45 which projects out of the plane of the paper as seen in the view of Figure 3 whereas the lugs 42 and 43 each have a lip 46 or 47 which extend in directions into the plane of the paper as seen in Figure 3. there is also provided a plate 48 (see Figures 2 and 4) which is provided with an arcuate slot 49 through which said lip 45 projects.

Thus the friction between the aforesaid friction pads 37 and 38 ensures that when the gear wheel 33 is turned in one direction of rotation by rotation of the handle 24 then said plate 41 will turn until the lip 45 engages one end or the other of the arcuate slot 49, thus preventing any further rotation of the pawl control plate 41.

The reel is also provided with a pair of pawl carrying members 50 and 51 which are pivoted on pivots 52 and 53 to the aforesaid mounting plate 48 and each of said members 50 and 51 carries a pawl 54 or 55 which is of generally triangular configuration and which is pivotally connected to the associated pawl carrying member. Pawl 54 is engaged along its outer edge by a spring 56 whereas pawl 55 is engaged along its outer edge by a spring 57, said springs also tending to urge the pawl carrying members 50 and 51 inwardly on their pivots 52 and 53. There is also provided a cam 58 formed at one end of a manually operable control member 59 which projects at the opposite end through the side portion 12, said member being supported at said end adjacent to the cam 58 by a portion 60 which engages in an aperture formed in the plate 48.Said control member 59 is provided with a spring-loaded plunger 61 which is adapted to enter into any one of four apertures or depressions 62 formed in the mounting plate 48 so that said control member 59 can be set in any one of four positions namely a position as indicated in Figure 3 in which both of said pawl carrying members 50 and 51 and their associated pawls 54 and 55 are in relatively inner positions in which the inner ends of the pawls 54 and 55 engage the toothed wheel 33, a position as shown in Figure 5 in which each of said pawl carrying members 50 and 51 is moved to a radially outer position in which said pawls 54 and 55 are disengaged from the gear wheel 33, another position in which the member 50 is moved outwardly so that said pawl 54 will be lifted from engagement with the gear wheel 33 whilst the pawl 55 will still be engaged with said gearwheel, and a fourth position in which the member 51 is moved outwardly so that said pawl 55 will be lifted from engagement with the gear wheel 33 whilst the pawl 54will remain in engagement with the gear wheel 33.

In operation, and considering the positions shown in Figure 3, if the handle 24 is rotated in such a direction as to cause the gear wheel 33 to be rotated in an anti-clockwise direction as seen in Figure 3 then the plate 41 will also be carried in an anticlockwise direction so that the lip 54 of lug 44 will engage the left-hand end of the arcuate slot 49 (as shown in Figure 4) whilst at the same time the lip 47 of the lug 43 will move into a position in which it will turn the pawl 55 on its pivot in a clockwise direction and therefore remove its inner end from engagement with the teeth of said gear wheel 33. Any continued movement of the gear wheel 33 in the anti-clockwise direction will however result in a clicking noise being emitted by virtue of the engagement between the pawl 54 and the teeth of said gear wheel 33. Correspondingly if the gear wheel 33 is turned in a clockwise direction as seen in Figure 3 by means of the handle 24 the plate 41 will also rotate in a clockwise direction until the lip 45 on the lug 44 engages the right-hand end of the arcuate slot 49 (see Figure 4) whilst at the same time the lip 46 on the lug 42 will turn the pawl 54 in an anti-clockwise direction to disengage it from the teeth of the gear wheel 33. In this condition the pawl 55 will remain in engagement with the teeth of the gear wheel 33 so that a clicking noise will be emitted whilst the gear wheel 33 continues to be rotated in a clockwise direction. Thus in the position shown in Figure 3 the gear wheel 33 and the pawls are set so that a clicking noise will be emitted in either direction of rotation of the handle and, with it, the reel 28 itself.Obviously with both of the pawls 54 and 55 disengaged from the gear wheel 33 by movement of the cam 58 into the position shown in Figure 5 then no clicking noise will be emitted irrespective of the direction of rotation of the reel 28. If however the cam 58 is turned to a position in which one only of the pawls 54, 55 engages the teeth of the gear wheel 33 then a clicking noise will be emitted in one or the other (but only one) direction of rotation. As previously explained the cam 58 is very easily adjustable from the exterior of the reel assembly by turning the knob 59 so that it can very easily be arranged to produce a clicking noise in both directions of rotation, or in one or the other direction of rotation, or the knob 59 can be set so that no clicking noise will be produced at all. Furthermore actuation of the control knob 39 which is also accessible from the exterior of the reel can be used to control the tension which is applied to the line on the reel 28.

Claims (9)

1. A fishing rod reel having a rotatable spool, a toothed wheel which in use will rotate as said spool rotates, a pair of spring-loaded paws which are engageable with said toothed wheel, each of said pawls being mounted on a movable pawl-carrying member arranged so that each member is movable between a first position in which the associated pawl is in an operative position and a second position in which said pawl is in an inoperative position, and manually operable control member which can be actuated by a user and which is adapted, on actuation, to move either of said pawl-carrying members from its first position to its second position or vice-versa, one of said pawls when in its operative position being adapted to engage said toothed wheel so that a clicking noise will be emitted as the latter rotates in one, but only in one, direction of rotation and the other pawl when in its operative position being adapted to engage said toothed wheel so that a clicking noise will be emitted as the latter rotates in the opposite, but only in the opposite, direction of rotation.

2. Afishing rod reel as claimed in Claim-1 wherein said manually operable control member is rotatable and is capable of being turned by the user into any one of four positions corresponding respectively to a position in which neither pawl is engaged with the toothed wheel (so that no clicking noise will be emitted irrespective of the direction in which the toothed wheel rotates), a position in which both pawls are engaged with the toothed wheel (so that a clicking noise will be emitted in both directions of rotation of the toothed wheel) and two other positions in which one or the other of said pawls is engaged with the toothed wheel.

3. A fishing rod reel as claimed in either of the preceding claims wherein each of said pawl-carrying members is pivotable about an axis which is remote from the associated pawl.

4. Afishing rod reel as claimed in Claim 3 wherein each pawl is mounted on the associated pawl-carrying member so as to be angularly movable relative thereto.

5. A fishing rod reel as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the manually operable control member is connected to a cam which is adapted, on actuation of said control member, to engage one or both of pawl-carrying members to move it or them from the first position to the second position or vice-versa.

6. Afishing rod reel as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein there is provided a pawl control plate which is arranged, on rotation of the rotatable spool in one direction of rotation to disengage from said toothed wheel either pawl which, in the other direction of rotation, is in engagement with said toothed wheel.

7. A fishing rod reel as claimed in Claim 6 wherein said pawl control plate is angularly movable on a pivot which also forms the pivot for said toothed wheel, stop means being provided for limiting the degree of such angular movement of the pawl control plate.

8. Afishing rod reel as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein there is provided frictionally actuated means which is also operable by the userforthe purpose of applying and adjusting a braking force against the rotation of the spool whereby a tension can be applied to the fishing line whilst it is being pulled out by a fish which has been caught on an associated hook.

9. A fishing rod reel substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings.