Abstract:
This invention relates to an article of manufacture, and specifically to a fishing reel winding arm adapter for winding line onto a fishing reel spool using a high-carbon plastic cylindrical body with an attached drive member that allows an electric screwdriver to be interconnected with the winding arm of the fishing reel to eliminate the need for manual winding of line onto a fishing reel spool, thereby saving time.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
   This invention relates generally to an article of manufacture useful for automated winding of a fishing line onto a fishing reel to eliminate the need for manual winding and, specifically, to an adapter for automatically winding line onto a fishing reel spool using a high-carbon plastic body with a recessed end and a drive member, which allow an electric screwdriver to be interconnected to the winding arm of the fishing reel. 
   DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART 
   Numerous fishing reels of various designs are currently available on the market, none of which has a device for quickly and efficiently winding new line onto the spool of the reel. Generally, new fishing line is wound onto a regular casting fishing reel spool in the same manner as line cast from a spinning reel is retrieved, i.e. by manual operation of a hand crank or handle. Winding new line onto the spool of a fishing reel manually is tiresome, time-consuming, and otherwise inefficient. Fishing line has to be replaced periodically when it becomes worn and many fishermen change the type of line on the reel depending upon the type of fish they intend to catch. Therefore, the process of manually winding line onto a fishing reel is often tedious and frustrating due to the amount of time required to complete the task. 
   U.S. Pat. No. 6,457,665, issued to Koehler et al., on Oct. 1, 2002, describes a fly reel loader that simplifies loading line onto a fly reel by engaging the spool and rotating it in the desired direction using an electric screwdriver. However, this device cannot be used to load line onto the spool of a casting or spinning reel. Another device, described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,126,104, issued to Kellerman on Oct. 3, 2000, comprises an adapter for interconnecting a cordless electric screwdriver and a fishing reel, the installation of which requires removal and replacement of the winding arm on the fishing reel to attach the reel shaft and gear combination apparatus. 
   Another prior art patent reference describes a drive member for a fishing reel that includes a threaded portion for installation onto the crank shaft of a fishing reel. U.S. Pat. No. 4,962,901, issued to Shirley et al., on Oct. 16, 1992. The opposite end of the apparatus has a cross section for inserted engagement with an electric screwdriver that powers the loading of the line onto the reel. An electric motor drive for a fishing reel is also described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,126,166, issued to Weinberg on Mar. 24, 1964. The power source in that invention can be supplied either by a battery combined with the motor or from a power cord connection terminating with a plug that can be engaged with a power source. Both the U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,962,901 and 3,126,166 are intended to be used while fishing to retrieve line that has been cast out from the fishing reel. Neither of these inventions uses a high carbon plastic for construction of the devices, and therefore, these two inventions are subject to significant wear and/or corrosion. In addition, the inventions described in these patents require the removal of the fishing reel&#39;s winding arm to allow engagement with the drive member. 
   Another patented invention describes a drill-operated adapter for unwinding fishing line neatly onto a cylindrical beverage container so that the line can be discarded. U.S. Pat. No. 4,951,890, issued to Sossamon on Aug. 28, 1990. This device is useful only for removing line from a fishing reel and not for winding line onto a reel. U.S. Pat. No. 5,397,071, issued to Nanbu on Mar. 14, 1995, and 5,556,047, issued to Nanbu on Sep. 17, 1996, describe two patents in the prior art for a motor-operated fishing reel in which the speed of winding up the line can be varied by adjustment of a motor output regulator. Significant shortcomings in these two inventions are attributable to their bulkiness and to the necessity of having an external battery connected to the reel body by a power supply cord in order to start the spool motor and controller of the motor-operated reel. 
   While the prior art describes several inventions used to retrieve line to be wound onto the spool of a fishing reel once that line has been cast, there are presently no devices that have been created for the purpose of winding new line onto a fishing reel. The present invention allows the user to quickly and efficiently wind new line onto a fishing reel spool when old worn line must be discarded and also to rapidly change the type of line, insofar as the use of different line sizes may be warranted. Furthermore, unlike devices described in the prior art, this invention can be connected directly to an electric-powered screwdriver and to the fishing reel winding arm without dismantling parts of the reel, such as the winding arm. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   A fishing reel winding arm adapter for connecting an electric screwdriver to the fishing reel winding arm of the fishing reel spool to allow automatic winding of the fishing line onto the spool by turning on power to the screwdriver. 
   The adapter is constructed of a rigid, somewhat cylindrically-shaped body that includes a first end face and a second end face. The first end face is planar and has a centrally-positioned threaded hole for receiving a drive member. The drive member has a hexagonal shank for engaging the chuck of an electric screwdriver. The second end face of the adapter at the opposite end of the cylindrical body includes a recessed channel that is sized and shaped in configuration to receive all or part of the winding arm that is attached to the spool on the fishing reel without removing or changing the configuration of the winding arm for direct contact and connection to said second end face of the adapter. The recess of the second end face provides a very snug fit with the winding arm of the fishing reel. 
   Once the adapter is engaged at said first end face with a portable, electric screwdriver typically with variable speed and torque actuated by a trigger and at said second end face with the fishing reel winding arm, the user can then begin installing fishing line on the fishing reel spool by actuating the trigger on the electric screwdriver at a usable, variable speed of rotation of the spool, thereby automatically winding the line onto the fishing reel spool. 
   The adapter body can be constructed from a durable plastic, metal or other desirable lightweight, rigid material to accomplish the interconnection between the drive shaft of the electric screwdriver and the winding arm of the fishing reel. Since most electric powered screwdrivers can rotate in either direction depending upon the selection of direction on the screwdriver using a switch, the user can also expel line quickly from a fishing reel as well as install line on the reel. 
   An object of this invention is to provide an inexpensive device that effectively decreases the time to load line onto the spool of a fishing reel by eliminating the need to manually wind the reel for installation. 
   Another object of this invention is to provide a device that is both lightweight and portable such that the device may be taken and used on fishing expeditions. 
   Yet another object of this invention is to provide an adapter that can be used with a conventional electric-powered screwdriver and with many different models of fishing reels, and that can be used simply and without the need for adjustments or removing parts of the reel. 
   Still another object of this invention is to provide a device that is corrosion-resistant and can be used for both freshwater and saltwater fishing. 
   In accordance with these and other objects which will become apparent hereinafter, the instant invention will now be described with particular reference to the accompanying drawings. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  shows a perspective view of the invention. 
       FIG. 2  shows a bottom view of the invention. 
       FIG. 3  shows an exploded view of the invention. 
       FIG. 4  shows an exploded view of the adapter, electric screwdriver, and winding arm of the fishing reel before these components are coupled together to begin winding line onto the spool of the said reel. 
       FIG. 5  shows a side view of the invention interconnected between the winding arm of a fishing reel and a portable electric screwdriver. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     FIG. 1  shows the fishing reel winding arm adapter  10  comprising a drive member  12  and a rigid, cylindrical body  14  that is sized and shaped to be manually interconnected between a cordless battery-powered electric screwdriver  16  and a winding arm  18  of a fishing reel  20  so that a roll of fishing line  22  can be automatically wound onto a spool  24  of said fishing reel. The polycarbon, rigid cylindrical body  14  has a planar first end face  26  and a second end face  28  having a recessed band  30  cut into its surface. Said first end face  26  of the cylindrical body  14  has a centered threaded hole  32  which extends entirely through said cylindrical body to the surface of the second end face  28  of said cylindrical body. High carbon plastic materials are used for construction of the cylindrical body  14  to provide high strength, durability, and wear resistance to the adapter  10 . The recessed band  30  on the second end face  28  of the cylindrical body  14  is shallow and extends across the width of said second end face as illustrated in  FIG. 2 . At the center of the cylindrical body  14  and within the recessed band  30  of the second end face  28 , a circular recess  34  with two smaller semicircular recesses  36  on either end are present inside the recess  30  of the second end face of the cylindrical body. Said circular recess  34  is centered over the threaded hole  32  that extends through the cylindrical body  14  of the adapter  10  from the first end face  26  to the surface of the second end face  28 . 
   The drive member  12  of said adapter  10  comprises a shank  12  having a hexagonal end portion  38  and also having a washer  40  welded circumferentially around and above a threaded end  42  of said shank. The hexagonal end portion  38  of the shank  12  can be inserted into a hexagonal socket or chuck  44  of the cordless electric screwdriver  16 . The washer  40  welded around the shank  12  provides stability to said drive member  12  once said drive member is connected to the cylindrical body  14 . Preferably, the threaded end  42  of the drive member  12  is screwed into the threaded hole  32  on the planar first end face  26  of the cylindrical body  14  until the washer  40  welded to said drive member is flush with the planar surface of said first end face. However, in another embodiment of the invention, said drive member may be constructed without a threaded end so that the drive member is molded onto the cylindrical body.  FIG. 3  shows an exploded view of the cylindrical body  14  and the drive member  12 . 
   To use the adapter  10 , the circular recess  34  on the second end face  28  of the cylindrical body  14  is aligned with a nut  46  attached to a drive shaft  48  of the fishing reel  20  where said drive shaft connects with the winding arm  18  of the fishing reel. The circular recess  34  and semicircular recesses  36  in the recessed band  30  of the second end face  28  of the cylindrical body  14  are fitted snugly over the winding arm  18  of the fishing reel  20 . In particular, the semicircular recesses  36  fit over a stabilizing pin, if present, on the winding arm  18  of the reel  20 .  FIG. 4  shows an exploded view of the adapter  10 , electric screwdriver  16 , and winding arm  18  of the fishing reel  20  before these components are coupled together to begin winding line  22  onto the spool  24  of the said reel. Referring to  FIG. 5 , the chuck  44  of an electric screwdriver  16  is inserted over the hexagonal end portion  38  of the drive member  12 . Once the electric screwdriver  16 , adapter  10 , and winding arm  18  are interconnected, the electric screwdriver trigger is activated to variably spin the drive member  12  and cylindrical body  14  of the adapter which turns the winding arm, thereby winding new line  22  onto the fishing reel  20 . The torque and direction of the screwdriver  16  is selected by the user. 
   The present invention is easily manipulated to connect a conventional battery-powered portable screwdriver  16  and most fishing reels that have winding arms, thereby eliminating the need for manual winding of line onto a fishing reel spool, saving large amounts of time. 
   The foregoing describes the preferred embodiment of the invention wherein the invention is constructed for use with a casting reel, however, said invention may be adapted for use with various other types of reels, including spinning reels and fly reels. 
   The instant invention has been shown and described herein in what is considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiment. It is recognized, however, that departures may be made therefrom within the scope of the invention and that obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art.