Abstract:
A fishing reel includes a clicking mechanism that produces an audible indication when fishing line is payed out from a rotatable line spool. The audible indication is created by the interaction of a clicking member and a flexibly mounted tab. The clicking mechanism is constructed such that the audible indication will not occur as the crank handle is being turned by a user to retrieve the fishing line.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention relates generally to fishing reels, and more particularly to clicking mechanisms for conventional trolling/bait cast fishing reels that produce an audible indication when fishing line is payed out. 
   Conventional trolling/bait cast fishing reels are known to include mechanisms that create a clicking noise when fishing line is payed out from the reel, such as when a fish takes a bait. This clicking noise is also audible, however, while the user reels in the fishing line. While the user typically has the option of disengaging the clicking mechanism, such disengagement will also prevent clicking during pay out. It is thus desirable to have a fishing reel employing a clicking mechanism that automatically creates a clicking noise while the fishing line pays out but does not when the fishing line is retrieved. 
   SUMMARY 
   The present invention recognizes and addresses considerations of prior art constructions and methods. 
   According to one aspect, the present invention provides a fishing reel comprised of a line spool, a reel frame carrying the line spool, and a bait click mechanism. The line spool is capable of rotating in first and second opposite rotational directions. The bait click mechanism provides an audible indication when fishing line is payed out in the line spool&#39;s first rotational direction. The bait click mechanism remains substantially silent when fishing line is retrieved in the line spool&#39;s second opposite rotational direction. 
   In some embodiments, the bait click mechanism employs a pawl and ratchet wheel arrangement. In this arrangement, the pawl preferably rotates with the line spool. For example, the pawl may be attached to the line spool with a suitable mounting plate. 
   In addition, the bait click mechanism may include a tab flexibly connected to the reel frame and a clicking member mechanically linked to the ratchet wheel. The clicking member may have at least one protrusion extending radially outward. When this protrusion comes into contact with the tab, an audible indication is created. 
   The accompanying drawings, incorporated in and constituting part of this specification, illustrate one or more embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     A full and enabling disclosure of the present invention, including the best mode thereof, directed to one of ordinary skill in the art, is set forth in the specification, which makes reference to the appended drawings, in which: 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a trolling/bait cast fishing reel mounted on a fishing rod, the reel being constructed in accordance with the present invention. 
       FIG. 2  is a partially cut-away top view of the fishing reel of  FIG. 1 . 
       FIG. 3  is a perspective exploded view showing internal components from one side of the fishing reel of  FIG. 1 . 
       FIG. 4  is a partially assembled view of the components shown in  FIG. 3 . 
       FIG. 5  is a side view in partial cross section showing the bait click mechanism wherein pawls are engaged with a ratchet wheel. 
       FIG. 6  is the same as  FIG. 5  except that the pawls are not engaged with the ratchet wheel. 
       FIG. 7A  is a side view of the bait click mechanism looking toward the flange of the line spool with a tab positioned for contact with a clicking member. 
       FIG. 7B  is the same as  FIG. 7A  except the tab is positioned so that it cannot contact the clicking member. 
   

   Repeat use of reference characters in the present specification and drawings is intended to represent same or analogous features or elements of the invention. 
   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
   Reference will now be made in detail to presently preferred embodiments of the invention, one or more examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Each example is provided by way of explanation of the invention, not limitation of the invention. In fact, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the scope and spirit thereof. For instance, features illustrated or described as part of one embodiment may be used on another embodiment to yield a still further embodiment. Thus, it is intended that the present invention covers such modifications and variations as come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents. 
   Referring to the drawings, and particularly to  FIG. 1 , a reel  10  according to the present invention is shown attached to a fishing rod  12 . As one skilled in the art will appreciate, reel  10  is of the type referred to as a trolling/bait cast reel although principles of the present invention may apply to other reel types as well. Fishing line  14  is fed through line guide  16 , up fishing rod  12 , and attaches to bait or a fishing lure (not shown). A user might hold fishing rod  12  at handle  20 , or at any other convenient location. 
   Fishing reel  10  includes a crank handle  22  for winding fishing line  14  onto line spool  18  (which is rotatably mounted within reel frame  21  as shown). In particular, crank handle  22  is operatively connected to line spool  18  through a drive mechanism (not shown) within the right side of reel  10 . Reel frame  21  further includes a typical mounting foot  23  for attachment to rod  12 . 
   A shaft  24  extends through the middle of reel  10  for rotatably supporting line spool  18 , subject to the drag imposed by the reel&#39;s drag mechanism. In this regard, one or more ball bearing assemblies  26  form an interface between line spool  18  and shaft  24  on either side of reel  10 . A bait click mechanism  28  is provided under a left side cover  30 , which is attached to reel frame  21  with screws or other suitable fasteners. 
   The component parts of bait click mechanism  28  are shown in  FIG. 3  in an exploded view. A mounting plate  32  is attached to the outside flange wall of line spool  18  by any suitable means such as screws (not shown) extending through screw holes  34 . Alternatively, mounting plate  32  can be formed as an integral part of the line spool itself. A ratchet wheel  36  seats against but is capable of free rotation with respect to mounting plate  32 . Mounting plate  32  preferably is constructed of wear-resistant plastic so that ratchet wheel  36  may rotate against the mounting plate without damaging the mounting plate over time. 
   A clicking gear  38  is located adjacent to ratchet wheel  36  and includes a configured portion seated in hole  40  of ratchet wheel  36 . Ratchet wheel  36  includes ratcheting steps  42  about its circumference and is preferably made of aluminum or stainless steel. Clicking gear  38  includes multiple clicking teeth  44  located around its circumference. The number of clicking gear teeth may be selected to achieve a desired clicking frequency. As one skilled in the art will appreciate, a larger number of clicking gear teeth will result in more clicks per rotation of line spool  18 . Clicking gear  38  is preferably constructed of wear-resistant plastic, but other suitable materials could also be used. 
   A pawl  46  mounts about a boss encircling mounting hole  48  and is secured with screw  50 . Pawl  46  is preferably constructed of metal or other suitable material. As can be seen, pawl  46  has a U-shaped sheath  52  protruding from the body of the pawl. Sheath  52 , which may be constructed of spring steel or the like, lightly engages (i.e., presses against) either side of ratchet wheel  36  so that the ratchet wheel and pawl axially align. 
   Ratcheting is the condition where ratchet wheel  36  spins with pawl  46  sliding over ratcheting steps  42  (see  FIG. 6 ). Sheath  52 , by lightly gripping ratchet wheel  36 , provides sufficient frictional force to urge pawl  46  into contact with ratchet wheel  36  when the ratchet wheel spins in the opposite rotational direction (see  FIG. 5 ). That is, if ratcheting occurs in a first rotational direction (see  FIG. 6 ), then pawl  46  and ratchet wheel  36  engage in a second opposite rotational direction (see  FIG. 5 ). 
   Optionally, a second pawl  53  may be mounted opposite to pawl  46 . The second pawl includes a sheath  55  and is secured to mounting plate  32  with screw  51 . The addition of second pawl  53  decreases the total load upon each pawl when the pawls engage ratchet wheel  36 , and also provides balance to the system. 
   Referring now specifically to  FIGS. 2 and 3 , washer  54  and retaining ring  56  preferably secure ratchet wheel  36  and clicking gear  38  on a cylindrical extension of mounting plate  32  extending away from line spool  18  coaxially with shaft  24 . Shaft  24  protrudes beyond clicking gear  38  and has a transverse pin  58  extending through a hole near the distal end of shaft  24 . The distal end of shaft  24  and pin  58  sit within annular bushing  60  and against plate bushing  62 . Bushings  60  and  62  are fixed within bushing seat  64 , which is integral with cover  30  as shown. Pin  58  and the matching cut-outs in bushing  60  and seat  64  prevent shaft  24  from twisting relative to reel frame  21 . 
     FIGS. 5 and 6  show a view of the bait click mechanism cut-away between ratchet wheel  36  and mounting plate  32 . In these Figures, the reel is shown from the inside of the reel looking out, with cover  30  as the background. In  FIG. 5 , pawls  46  and  53  are engaged with ratchet wheel  36 . This condition occurs when line spool  18  rotates in a first rotational direction. Pawls  46  and  53  are not engaged with ratchet wheel  36  in  FIG. 6 , which occurs when line spool  18  rotates in the second opposite rotational direction. In this second opposite rotational direction, pawls  46  and  53  ratchet against ratchet wheel  36  (i.e., ride over ratcheting steps  42 ). 
   Referring to  FIGS. 3 ,  4 ,  7 A, and  7 B, a flexible tab  66  is used to create a clicking noise. In this case, tab  66  is part of a pivotal member  67  retained on the stalk of clicking selector  68 . In particular, the stalk of clicking selector  68  passes through a boss  74  in cover  30  and a hole  76  in pivotal member  67  and is retained by washer  70  and C-clip  72 . Preferably, member  67  is made of suitable metal such as spring steel, but could be made of any other suitable material. Boss  74  defines a slot in which clicking selector  68  can be laterally moved to turn the clicking mechanism on and off. 
   A spring  78  extends between a fixed point on cover  30  and pivotal member  67 . In this embodiment, for example, spring  78  attaches to cover  30  by screw  80  and attaches to member  67  at hole  82 . Spring  78  creates tension in tab  66  such that tab  66  resists radial deflection. The spring rate of spring  78  is selected to provide appropriate resistance to radial deflection in tab  66  so that clicking gear  38  and ratchet wheel  36  will not rotate in the second rotational direction of line spool  18  despite the frictional forces from sheaths  52  and  55 . Specifically, the spring rate of spring  78  only need be sufficient to overcome the frictional forces between the rotating mounting plate  32 /sheathes  52  and  55  and the non-rotating ratchet wheel  36 /clicking gear  38 . 
   Referring again specifically to  FIG. 3 , a pusher  84  and a compression spring  86  sit within a box  94  defined in cover  30 . A plate  88 , held in place by a screw  90  threaded into hole  92 , covers box  94 . A portion of pusher  84  protrudes through the end of box  94  and into boss  74  through cut-out  96 . As shown, pusher  84  includes a flange  87  about its midsection against which spring  86  acts but which also retains pusher  84  in relation to box  94 . Preferably, the pusher is constructed of metal but could be made of other suitable materials providing sufficient durability and rigidity. 
   The tip of pusher  84  not within box  94  exerts pressure against the stalk of clicking selector  68 . As clicking selector  68  is urged to different sides of boss  74 , pusher  84  resists this urging. The tip of pusher  84  is slightly rounded so that the tip engages the stalk of selector  68  in a cam-follower type engagement. When sufficient lateral force is exerted upon clicking selector  68 , the tension from spring  86  on pusher  84  is overcome and clicking selector  68  moves to the opposite lateral side of boss  74 . Pusher  84  then moves back into its extended position to retain selector  68 . 
   The position of pusher  84  and clicking selector  68  in both positions within boss  74  can be seen in  FIGS. 7A and 7B . In  FIG. 7A , tab  66  is in a first position capable of contact with a tooth of clicking gear  38 . In  FIG. 7B , tab  66  is in a second position where the tab is not capable of contact with a tooth of clicking gear  38 . When the tab is in the second position (“off”), no audible clicking will be produced from the clicking gear/tab arrangement when a fishing line pays out. When the tab is in the first position (“on”), however, an audible sound will be made when the fishing line pays out. 
   A closer look at  FIGS. 6 and 7A  shows why the bait click mechanism remains substantially silent while the fishing line is retrieved (which occurs when the user turns crank handle  22 ).  FIG. 6  shows the condition where pawls  46  and  53  are ratcheting with respect to ratchet wheel  36 . As previously noted, pawls  46  and  53  are connected to line spool  18 , and thus the pawls must revolve about shaft  24  if line spool  18  is rotating. 
   Because ratchet wheel  36  and clicking gear  38  do not spin when pawls  46  and  53  are ratcheting, however, the bait click mechanism will remain substantially silent during retrieval even if tab  66  is “on.” This is because the resistance provided by tab  66  is greater than the relatively small frictional force between spinning mounting plate  32  and stationary ratchet wheel  36 . Clicking gear  38  presses against tab  66 , but does not press with enough force to deflect tab  66 . 
   With tab  66  in the position shown in  FIG. 7A , engaged with clicking gear  38 , an audible sound is created if clicking gear  38  rotates with sufficient force to move tab  66 . Sufficient force is present when, as in  FIG. 7A , pawls  46  and  53  are engaged with ratchet wheel  36  during payout. 
   It can thus be seen that the present invention provides a fishing reel having a bait click mechanism which produces an audible indication when line is payed out but which automatically remains silent as the fishing line is wound in. While one or more preferred embodiments of the invention have been described above, it should be understood that any and all equivalent realizations of the present invention are included within the scope and spirit thereof. The embodiments depicted are presented by way of example and are not intended as limitations upon the present invention. Thus, those of ordinary skill in this art should understand that the present invention is not limited to these embodiments since modifications can be made. Therefore, it is contemplated that any and all such embodiments are included in the present invention as may fall within the scope and spirit thereof.