KR20010091040A - Trigger for actuating a bail assembly - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A trigger for actuating a bail assembly is provided to reduce the whole size of the trigger, thus capable of limiting a centrifugal force required to maintain the balance of the trigger. CONSTITUTION: A rotor assembly(12) for a fishing reel(10) comprises a rotor(16) having a first rotational axis, a bail assembly(14) that is repositionable relative to the rotor between cast and retrieve positions, and a trigger(78) that is movable relative to the rotor around a second axis between normal and actuated positions. The bail assembly is movable from the retrieve position toward the cast position as an incident of the trigger moving from the normal position to the actuated position. The trigger has a forward projecting leg. A gripping portion is applied to the forward projecting leg to facilitate engagement of the forward projecting leg by a user.

Description

Trigger for Bale Assembly Operation {TRIGGER FOR ACTUATING A BAIL ASSEMBLY}

The present invention relates to a fishing reel, more particularly a fishing reel having a bail assembly that is selectively moveable from a retrieve position to a cast position through the operation of a trigger.

Well-known fishing reel structures use a rotor with a bale assembly. The bale assembly is repositionable between the throwing position and the withdrawal position. In the retracted position, the bail assembly rotates around the line carrying spool due to the rotation of the rotor. Repositioning the bale assembly from the retracted position to the throwing position allows the fishing line to be freed from the spool.

There are a number of fishing reels modified from this type that can reposition the bale assembly in different ways. In the simplest form of the system, it is necessary for the user to hold the bale assembly by hand and pivot it to move the bale assembly from the retracted position to the throwing position.

In order to prevent the bale assembly from directly engaging, the trigger is coupled to any number of fishing reels. In one form, the trigger is mounted on the rotor and moves with the movement of the rotor. With this type of trigger, the rotor can be strategically repositioned so that the trigger is positioned directly underneath the rod, allowing the user to grasp the rod with one hand and reposition the trigger. When the trigger is moved from the normal position to the operating position, the fishing line is prevented from being released when the fishing line is supported by the fingers / fingers by pulling the fishing line from the fishing line roller with the fingers or fingers that activate the trigger. Next, the user pushes the fishing rod in the desired direction and releases the fishing line and throws it.

In another form, the trigger is mounted to the fishing reel so that the rotor rotates with respect to the trigger. The assignee of the present invention proposes this type of fishing reel known as HYPERCAST ™ fishing reel. The HYPERCAST ™ fishing reel is designed so that the trigger can reposition the bale assembly regardless of the rotor's rotational position. One type of structure of the HYPERCAST ™ fishing reel is shown in US Pat. No. 5,620,149.

The assignee of the present invention also proposes another feature on the fishing reel, which eliminates the need for the operator to touch the fishing line during throwing. The feature proposed by the assignee is the SNAPSHOT ™ line holding mechanism. The fishing reel with this feature uses a pivotable arm with a pin at its free end far from the arm pivot position. The action of the trigger causes the bale assembly to be repositioned and the pin arm to be repositioned. When the trigger is activated, the bale assembly moves from the retracted position to the throwing position. In full operation, the pin arm moves so that the pin free end is positioned adjacent the wire on the bale assembly to support the fishing line to prevent the fishing line from being released. The pin arm is spring biased so that when the trigger is released, the pin arm is repositioned so that the pin moves away from the bale wire and the fishing line is released while the bail assembly remains in the throwing position. Such features are shown in US Pat. Nos. 4,921,188 and 5,154,369.

The triggered action bail assembly of the SNAPSHOT ™ fishing line support mechanism proposed for years by the assignee of the present invention was a huge hit. In some fishing reels with a rotor mount trigger, the trigger is mounted to pivot about an axis transverse to the pivot axis for the bale assembly. The trigger is cam against the pin arm and also cam the bail assembly from the retracted position to the throw position.

Generally, the handle portion of a conventional trigger is made of a rigid material that may not be soft to the touch. The user may not feel satisfactory, especially after repeatedly operating three triggers.

In one aspect, the present invention relates to a rotor assembly for fishing reel, wherein the rotor assembly includes a rotor having a first axis of rotation, a bail assembly that is repositionable between a throwing position and a retracting position relative to the rotor, and a normal to the rotor. A trigger movable about a second axis between a position and an operating position. The bale assembly is movable from the retracted position to the throwing position when the trigger is moved from the normal position to the operating position. The trigger has a leg that protrudes forward. A gripping portion is attached to the forward protruding leg so that the user can easily engage the forward protruding leg.

In one form, the forward protruding leg is made of a first material and the handle portion is made of a second material different from the first material.

In one form, the second material may be softer than the first material.

In one form, the second material is a polymer with durometer 60-75 Shore A.

In one form, the forward protruding leg has a free end and the handle portion surrounds the free end of the forward protruding leg.

In one form, a protrusion located on one of the forwardly protruding legs and the handle portion, and a leg located on the other one of the forwardly protruding legs and the handle portion complementary to the protrusion and the forward protruding leg; A recess is provided for connecting the handle portion.

The recess may be formed by an elongated slit in the forwardly protruding leg.

In one form, a plurality of recesses may be formed by a plurality of elongated slits in the forwardly protruding leg.

In one form, the long slit extends completely through the forward protruding leg.

The invention also relates to a trigger for actuating a bale assembly on a fishing reel, the trigger being attached to a support for a trigger to move the bail assembly from a throwing position to a return position by moving the trigger between a normal position and an operating position. And a mount that can be changed, a protruding leg, and a handle portion attached to the protruding leg to allow the user to easily engage and manipulate the protruding leg to change the trigger from the normal position to the operating position.

The protruding leg may be made of a first material and the handle portion may be made of a second material different from the first material.

The second material may be softer than the first material.

The second material may be a polymer with durometer 60-75 Shore A.

In one form, the protruding leg has a free end and the handle portion surrounds the free end of the protruding leg.

In one form, a recess located at one of the protruding legs and the handle portion, and a recess located at another one of the protruding leg and the handle portion complementary to the protrusion and connecting the protruding leg and the handle portion. Is provided.

In one form, the recess is formed by an elongated slit in the protruding leg.

A plurality of recesses may be formed by a plurality of elongated slits in the protruding leg.

In one form, the long slit extends completely through the protruding leg.

In one form, the protruding leg has a length and the trigger extends transversely with the length of the second leg and the second long leg having a length extending transversely with the length of the protruding leg. Have a third long leg with a length.

In one form, the mounting portion is located on the third leg and has a receptacle for the mounting member.

1 is a partially exploded perspective view of a fishing reel having a rotor assembly according to the present invention coupled to the present specification.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the rotor assembly illustrated in FIG. 1 with the trigger on the rotor assembly in the normal position and the bail assembly in the retracted position. FIG.

3 is a side view of the rotor assembly illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 with the trigger moved from the normal position of FIG. 2 to the operating position and the bail assembly moved from the withdrawal position of FIG. 2 to the throwing position.

4 is a view similar to FIG. 3 with the trigger in the normal position and the bail assembly in the retracted position.

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 3 with the rotor assembly in FIG. 3 and the rotor assembly rotated 90 ° about the central axis.

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 5 with the rotor assembly illustrated in FIG. 4;

7 is an enlarged perspective view of a trigger in a state where a handle portion is removed from a trigger.

8 is a perspective view of a rotor assembly variant wherein the trigger on the rotor assembly is in the operating position and the bale assembly is in the throwing position.

9 is a perspective view of the rotor illustrated in FIG. 8 with the trigger in the normal position and the bail assembly in the retracted position.

Referring first to Figure 1, there is shown a fishing reel 10 according to the present invention, the rotor assembly 12 is coupled therein.

Firstly, the present invention mainly relates to the operation of the bail assembly 14 mounted on the rotor 16 and pivoting between the throwing position (see FIGS. 3 and 5) and the withdrawal position (see FIGS. 2 and 4). There are currently numerous different mechanisms for driving a rotor, such as the rotor 16, about a central axis 18 extending back and forth with respect to the fishing reel 10. The apparatus shown in US Pat. No. 5,004,182 referred to herein is just one example. Since the mechanism is not very important in the present invention, it is only generally disclosed herein.

The frame 20 in FIG. 1 provides support for an operating mechanism 22 in which the rotor 16 forms part. Through the crank handle, the shaft 26 to which the rotor 16 is attached is rotated. With the bail assembly 14 in the retracted position, the rotation causes the fishing line to be wound around the fishing line conveying spool 28.

The fishing line conveying spool 28 is driven by an oscillating mechanism (not shown) which is part of the operating mechanism 22 via a pinion gear 26 having a rotor 16 and a partially shown front extension. It is mounted on the extending shaft 30. Through the vibrating mechanism, the shaft 30 and the fishing line conveying spool 28 above the shaft reciprocate along the shaft 18 so that the fishing line is evenly distributed on the spool 28.

Next, the detail of the rotor assembly 12 is demonstrated. The rotor 16 consists of a cylindrical body 34 that fits into the wall 36 behind the body 34. Oppositely the first and second bale ears 38, 40 have an axis 18 forward from the wall 36 such that some space is maintained between the bale ears 38, 40 and the body 34. ) And generally parallel to.

The bail assembly 14 consists of first and second arms 42, 44 connected therebetween with a bail wire 46. At one end 48 of the bale wire 46, a line roller assembly is provided at the connection point of the bale wire 46 and the bale arm 42 to function in a conventional manner.

The bale arm 44 has a mounting post 52 extending radially inward through the aperture 54 through the bale ear 40. The arm 42 has a substantially flat surface 55 facing radially inward with respect to the first axis 18 and is mounted to the other veil ear 38 via the pin 56, thereby providing a mounting post 52 and Pins 56 guide the bale assembly to pivot as a unit about the second axis relative to the rotor 20. The veil ears 38 have a substantially flat face 59 that is directly exposed to and facing the veil arm face 55. Faces 55 and 59 are guided relative to each other about the second axis when the bale assembly 14 is repositioned. Mounting posts 52 and pins 56 are supported in place by conventional clips 60 and 62, respectively.

Via an overcenter bias mechanism 64, the bale assembly 14 is pivotally driven to the throwing position and the retracting position, respectively. The overcenter bias mechanism 64 has a conventional structure. In brief, the overcenter biasing mechanism 64 is comprised of a shaft member 66, a shaft receiver member 68, and a coil spring 70. The shaft member 66 has a post 72 pivotally mounted to the bale arm 42 at a position offset from the second axis 58. The shaft member 66 protrudes through the spring 70 and the hole 74 passing through the shaft receiver member 68. The shaft receiver member 68 has a post 76 directed into the ear 38 to rotate about an axis parallel to the axis of rotation of the post 72 and spaced apart from the axis of rotation.

The posts 72, 76 are provided with a spring 70 acting between the shaft member 66 and the shaft receiver member 68 with the bale assembly 14 moved toward the retracted position to apply torque on the bail assembly 14. Relatively positioned to fully drive the bail assembly 14 to its retracted position. When the bale assembly 14 moves past the overcenter position from the retracted position to the throwing position, the spring 70 acts between the shaft member 66 and the shaft receiver member 68 to bring the bale assembly 14 to the throwing position. Run completely.

The bale assembly 14 may be repositioned from the retracted position to the throwing position by arranging the trigger 78, the pin arm 80, and the bale arm 42 to cooperate. A trigger 78 is mounted on the post 82 on the bale ear 38 to pivot about the third axis 84 between the normal position shown in FIGS. 2 and 4 and the operating position shown in FIGS. 3 and 5. . A pin arm 80 that cooperates with the trigger 78 is mounted to the ear 38 via the pin 86 and rotates about the fourth axis 88 relative to the rotor 20.

With the bale assembly 14 in the retracted position, the trigger 78 pivots from the normal position to the operating position, causing the trigger 78 to contact the pin arm 80 and impinge the pin arm 80 to move the arrow 90. In the direction about the axis 88. In this way, the edge 92 on the pin arm 80 is supported relative to the post 94 on the arm 42. The post 94 is offset from the axis 58 such that an edge action on the post 94 causes the arm 42 to pivot in the direction of the arrow 96 about the axis 58, which causes the bail assembly 14 to be retracted. The overcenter biasing mechanism 64 drives the bale assembly 14 to the throwing position completely by moving it from the overcenter position between the throwing position and the withdrawal position.

Referring next to FIGS. 2-7, the structure of the trigger 78, the pin arm 80 and the cooperative relationship between them and the bail assembly 14 is clearly shown. The trigger 78 has a first long leg 98 having a length extending substantially radially with respect to the first axis 18. The trigger 78 has a second long leg 100 having a length extending substantially circumferentially with respect to the rotor, ie, in a direction generally parallel to the third axis 84 about the first axis 18. . The trigger 78 has a third protruding leg 102 that protrudes forward with a length extending substantially parallel to the first axis 18. In the illustrated embodiment, there is a monolith that forms the first, second, and third long legs 98, 100, 102, respectively.

The first long leg 98 of the trigger 78 is attached to the post 82 on the bale ear 38 via a screw 104. The post 82 is positioned adjacent the front end 105 of the bale ear 38, which forms the foremost extension of the rotor 20. The second long leg 100 has a substantially straight edge 106 extending in a line substantially parallel to the third axis 84.

The pin arm 80 has a slightly curved shape with a thick mount 108 through which the pin 86 penetrates. The pin arm 80 has a ramp-shaped portion 110 in which the radial projection about the first axis 18 with which the pin arm 80 moves forward from the mounting portion 108 is increased. . The ramp feature 110 of the pin arm 80 terminates at a curved front edge 112 positioned to abut the straight edge 106 on the trigger 78. When the trigger 78 is pivoted about the axis 84 from the normal position to the operating position in the direction of the arrow 114 (see FIG. 1), the straight edge 106 on the trigger 78 moves backwards to pin the arm. Supported against curved edge 112 on ramp-shaped portion 110 of 80. As the trigger 78 continues to pivot, the straight edge 106 progressively cams the pin arm 80 from the first position shown in FIG. 4 to the second position shown in FIG. 3 in the direction of the arrow 90.

The pin arm 80 has an undercut that forms an operating edge 118 that engages the post 94 on the bale arm 42. The post 94 is offset with respect to the axis 58 such that the pin arm 80 pivots from the first position to the second position, through the post 94, from the retracted position to the throwing position. Driving past the overcenter position of the bale assembly 14 causes the overcenter biasing mechanism 64 to drive the bale assembly 14 to the fully thrown position.

Since the trigger 78 pivots on the bale ears 38 and the trigger 78 is configured as shown, the trigger 78 radially outwards on the bale arm 42 with respect to the first axis 18. It should not be stacked. The third axis is preferably located radially inward of the face 59 with respect to the first axis 18. This allows a relatively small trigger 78 to be used.

The relationship between the axes 18, 58, 84, 88 facilitates the operation of the bale assembly. The third axis 84 for the trigger 78 is located in front of the bale arm axis 58 and the pin arm axis 88. Movement of the trigger 78 through a user or unacceptably large swing range may produce a positive torque on the bail assembly 14 via the trigger 78 without applying excessive force on the trigger 78. Can be.

The pin arm 80 has a pin 120 embedded therein so as to cantilever protrude from the free end 122 of the pin arm 80. The pin 120 moves together with the pin arm 80 in one piece. With the bail assembly 14 in the throwing position and the pin arm 80 in the second position, the pin 120 is in first relationship with the bail wire 46 adjacent the pin (see dashed line position in FIG. 3) and Here, the fishing line on the fishing line conveying spool 28 can be freely released by the unwinding motion around the shaft 18. With the pin arm 80 repositioned to the second position shown in solid line in FIG. 3 and the bail assembly 14 is in the throwing position, the pin 120 is in second relationship with the bail wire 46. In this state, the fishing line extending away from the fishing line conveying spool 28 is wound around the pin 120 so that it is prevented from being released from the spool 28 by an unwinding operation about the shaft 18. .

With the bale assembly 14 in the retracted position, the pin arm 80 is forcibly pushed to the first position by the torsion spring 124. The spring 124 has a circular shape with offset ends 126, 128 protruding into the pin arm 80 and the bale ears 38, respectively. Spring 124 is mounted such that pin arm 80 is generally biased into the first position. The bias generated on the pin arm 80 also causes the curved edge 112 of the pin arm 80 to engage with the trigger 78 to pivot the trigger to its normal position.

Next, the operation sequence of the trigger 78, the pin arm 80, and the bale assembly 14 is shown in the rotor assembly 12 state of FIG. 4, that is, the bale assembly 14 is in the retracted position and the trigger 78 is normal. The description starts with the position. By moving the trigger 78 in the direction of the arrow 114, the edge 106 on the trigger 78 cams the pin arm 80 such that the reverse force is applied on the curved edge 112 of the pin arm 80. Being applied to move the pin arm 80 towards the second position. At this time, the pin arm edge 118 drives the post 94 on the bale arm 42 to move the bail assembly 14 past the overcenter position, thereby causing the overcenter bias mechanism 64 to bail assembly 14. Drive) to the throwing position. With the trigger 78 held in the operating position, the pin arm 80 remains in the second position and the pin 120 maintains the aforementioned second relationship with the bail wire 46. Thus, the fishing line is prevented from being released from the fishing line conveying spool 28. The user releases the trigger 78 while throwing the fishing reel and the fishing rod in the desired direction while maintaining the above state. With the bale assembly 14 in the throwing position, the trigger 78 is released and the spring 124 drives the pin arm 80 to return to the first position. At this time, the curved edge 112 on the pin arm 80 acts against the trigger edge 106 to force the trigger 78 to return to its normal position.

By rotating the rotor 20 through the crank handle 24, the bale assembly 14 is automatically returned to the retracted position. As shown in FIG. 1, the automatic return is a trip link driven rearward from the retracted position by the post 132 on the bale arm 44 as the bail assembly 14 moves from the retracted position to the throwing position. 130 is achieved. The trip link 130 moves to the extended position with respect to the force generated by the coil spring 134 mounted against it. When the rotor 20 rotates with the bail assembly 14 in the throwing position, the trip link 130 in the extended position acts against a portion of the frame 20 such that the front edge 136 on the trip link 130 is moved. It acts against the post 132 on the bale arm 44 to force the bale assembly forward to force it from the throwing position to the recovery position.

A removable cover 138 can be provided on the bale arm 40 to keep the trip link 130 fixed in place to access it. A similar removable cover 140 is provided on the bale ears 38 to securely receive the overcenter biasing mechanism 64.

In order to facilitate the operation of the trigger 78, a handle 142 is provided on the third long leg 102. The handle portion 142 is preferably formed of a different material than the material forming the third long leg 102. The third long leg 102 is made of a material, for example metal, plastic, or composite, capable of withstanding the actuation force applied to the leg. Handle portion 142 is preferably made of a soft touch material. It is preferable that the material for manufacturing the handle portion 142 is softer than the material for forming the third long leg 102. Suitable materials for this purpose are polymers with durometer 60-75 Shore A. The polymer may be preformed by pressing onto the free end of the leg 102 to surround the free end 144. Alternatively, the handle portion 142 may be molded in place around the third long leg 102.

In the illustrated embodiment, the third long trigger leg 102 has a small cross-sectional area cut in the transverse direction with the length of the leg 102 so that an annular shoulder 145 facing forward is formed around the trigger leg 102. Is formed. The small diameter portion 146 supports the handle portion 142. The portion 146 has substantially flat faces 147 and 148 that face oppositely to which the polymer is directly applied. A row of recesses / slits 149 is formed partially, more preferably fully, through the small diameter trigger portion 146 between the faces 147 and 148. By molding the polymer over the trigger portion 146, the polymer flows into the slit 149 and a protrusion is formed in the slit 149 that locks the handle 142 in place. The rearward movement of the handle portion is further suppressed by the annular shoulder 145.

Alternatively, as shown by the dashed lines in FIG. 7, one or more protrusions 150 may be used in place of or in combination with the slits 149. Since the polymer flows around the protrusions 150, the polymer is bonded when cured, and recesses complementary to the protrusions 150 are secured therein.

This arrangement offers mechanical advantages. At the same time, the arrangement allows the trigger configuration to be of a relatively small shape in which a substantial finger space can be maintained between the fishing rod on which the fishing reel 10 is mounted and the trigger 78. In addition, the relatively small shape of the trigger 78 may limit the centrifugal force necessary to maintain balance.

8 and 9 show a variant rotor assembly 150 according to the present invention. The rotor assembly 150 has a peripheral space edge 154 on the rotor ear 155 opposite the trigger 152 corresponding to the trigger 78 with the corresponding edge 156 (see FIG. 1) on the rotor ear 38. The point mounted at is different from the rotor assembly 12. Trigger 152 operates and cooperates in the same manner as described for fishing reel 10 with pin arm 158 and bale assembly 160 corresponding to pin arm 80 and bale assembly 14.

The foregoing description of the preferred embodiment merely illustrates the broad concept contained in the present invention.

Claims (20)

Rotor with a first axis of rotation, A bale assembly repositionable between the throwing position and the retracting position relative to the rotor, and A trigger movable about a second axis between a normal position and an operating position with respect to the rotor Including, The rotor has front and rear ends spaced axially with respect to a first axis, The bail assembly is movable from the retracted position to the throwing position when the trigger is moved from the normal position to the operating position, The trigger has a leg protruding forward, and the handle is attached to the leg protruding forward, the user can easily engage the leg protruding forward Rotor assembly for fishing reel. The fishing assembly rotor assembly of claim 1, wherein the forwardly protruding leg is made of a first material and the handle portion is made of a second material different from the first material. 3. A fishing reel rotor assembly as set forth in claim 2, wherein said second material is softer than said first material. 4. The rotor assembly of claim 3 wherein the second material is a polymer with durometer 60-75 Shore A. 4. The fishing reel rotor assembly according to claim 3, wherein the forward protruding leg has a free end and the handle portion surrounds the free end of the forward protruding leg. 4. The leg according to claim 3, further comprising: a protrusion located at one of the forwardly protruding legs and the handle portion, and a leg protruding forwardly and positioned at the other one of the forwardly protruding leg and the handle portion complementary to the protrusion; Rotor assembly for fishing reel provided with a recess for connecting the handle portion. 7. The fishing reel rotor assembly as set forth in claim 6, wherein said recess is formed by an elongated slit in said forwardly protruding leg. 7. The rotor assembly of claim 6 wherein the plurality of recesses are formed by a plurality of elongated slits in the forwardly protruding leg. 8. A fishing reel rotor assembly as set forth in claim 7, wherein said long slit extends completely through said forwardly protruding leg. A trigger for actuating a bail assembly on a fishing reel, A mounting portion attached to the support for triggering to change the bale assembly from the throwing position to the withdrawal position by moving the trigger between a normal position and an operating position, Protruding legs, and A handle portion attached to the protruding leg to allow the user to easily engage and manipulate the protruding leg to change the trigger from the normal position to the operating position. Trigger containing. The trigger of claim 10, wherein the protruding leg is made of a first material and the handle portion is made of a second material different from the first material. The trigger of claim 11, wherein the second material is softer than the first material. 13. The trigger of claim 12, wherein said second material is a polymer with durometer 60-75 Shore A. The trigger of claim 12, wherein the protruding leg has a free end and the handle portion surrounds the free end of the protruding leg. The recess of claim 12, wherein the protrusion is located at one of the protruding legs and the handle, and the recess is located at the other one of the protruding leg and the handle, which is complementary to the protrusion, to connect the protruding leg and the handle. Trigger provided. The trigger of claim 15 wherein said recess is formed by an elongated slit in said protruding leg. The trigger of claim 15 wherein the plurality of recesses are formed by a plurality of elongated slits in the protruding leg. The trigger of claim 15, wherein the long slit extends completely through the protruding leg. 11. The method of claim 10 wherein the protruding leg has a length and the trigger extends transversely with the length of the second leg and the second long leg having a length extending transversely with the length of the protruding leg. A trigger comprising a third long leg having a length. 20. The trigger of claim 19 wherein the mounting portion is located on the third leg and includes a receptacle for the mounting member.