Abstract:
A new spool design for fishing reels is disclosed, allowing for the reversible separation of the spool into different parts for the easy removal of old fishing line and wherein a specially configured aperture is exposed upon separation of the spool parts, allowing for the introduction of one end of the line into the interior of the spool. The line can be attached to the inside of the spool, providing for a secure fastening of the line without exposure of the knot to the exterior of the spool.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     Priority of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/217,890, filed Jul. 12, 2000, incorporated herein by reference, is hereby claimed. 
    
    
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
     Not applicable 
     REFERENCE TO A “MICROFICHE APPENDIX” 
     Not applicable 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The apparatus of the present invention relates to fishing reels and spool constructions, more particularly to spinning reels and an improved configuration for a spinning reel spool. 
     2. General Background of the Invention 
     Spinning reels are currently the most popular reels used for sport fishing world-wide. While the basic design of these reels has seen some changes since their introduction in the early 1900&#39;s, two problems remain that are related to the design of the spools used in this type of fishing reel. 
     The first problem consists of the cumbersome process of removing old fishing line from the spool. Currently, the line has to be manually pulled off the spool, foot by foot, a time consuming and frustrating process that leaves a large heap of tangled line. Since many fishermen put off the time consuming and boring changing of line, many a “big one” gets away due to the braking of old, damaged line. 
     The second problem relates to the fastening of the fishing line to the spool. Modern spools are usually made of polished aluminum or smooth graphite materials. While use of these materials allows for long casts with a minimum of friction, fastening of the end of the line to the spool becomes a weak point. Hard fishing lines, especially modern braided lines, will at times not develop sufficient friction between the innermost layer of the line and the spool. This problem increases at lower temperatures. In these situations, cranking the handle of the reel will not lead to the taking up of line, but rather to the rotation of the entire coil of line around the spool. 
     Many fishermen try to avoid this problem by attempting to securely tighten the line around the spool using elaborate knots. This, however, does not reliably eliminate the problem. Moreover, the bulky knots used for tightening may interfere with the smooth release of line during the casting process, especially with modern, elongated spools designed for long-distance casting. Previous designs, offering the attachment of line by way of through holes or slots in the spool, or by way of external notches in the spool, fail to solve this problem satisfactorily, as outlined below. 
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART 
     U.S. Pat. No. 6,015,111 to Berke describes a spool having a detachable flange for removing damaged line. The Berke patent does not relate to a fishing reel spool construction but rather to a separate line winding tool. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,507,443 to Miyazaki discloses a notch in the barrel of a spool, for securing line. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,165,623 to Smith describes a fishing reel spool containing an elongated opening, generally parallel to the spool axis, with multiple smaller orthogonal side openings. Securement of line to the spool occurs through wedging of a preformed knot at the end of the line into smaller orthogonal portions of the longitudinal slot. Separation of the line from the spool is possible through retrograde movements of the line and detachment of the preformed knot from its wedged position. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,120,003 to Sacconi discloses a fishing reel spool which can be threadably separated, and a cartridge spool which contains line and which fits over a first spool axle, both spools being reversibly locked together by a locking detent. The fishing reel spool is not designed to take up line directly without a cartridge spool. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,196,864 to Cole teaches a line winding tool including a take-up spool with removable flange for removing line from a conventional fishing reel spool. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,103,843 to Nothdurft teaches a fishing reel design which includes a spool and cover both having an aperture. The fishing line is passed through both apertures and then knotted at the outside of the cover of the spool. 
     U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,777,648; 2,696,951; and 2,669,400 to Wood describe an arbor, to be mounted on the shaft of a conventional fishing reel spool, containing apertures for attachment of fishing line. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 2,309,146 to Whistler teaches a spool with a transverse bore through a hub portion and a spindle for passing one end of a fishing line to be wound on said spool. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The suggested new spool consists of two parts, an upper part, and a lower part, which can be assembled or taken apart using a simple mechanism of external and internal threads. Removal of old line now becomes very quick and hassle free: the two segments filled with line are simply taken apart, leaving immediately a neat coil of old line that can be discarded easily. 
     In addition, one of the two segments of the spool features a small opening at the site of attachment of the opposing segment. This opening is used to introduce the end of the line, which is then attached to a small wire loop on the inner surface of that same spool segment. This will lead to a secure connection of the line to the spool, eliminating possible gliding of the entire coil of line around the spool. The knot of the connection is hidden inside the spool, avoiding all interference of the knot with the smooth separation of line from the spool during the casting process. Since the knot is firmly attached to the interior of the spool, it cannot slip out of the opening. 
     By modifying the spool structure, the invention, iter alia, substantially shortens the process of line removal, provides for a secure connection of the line to the spool, and eliminates possible interference of the knot with the casting process. 
     A feature of the present invention is that the spool can be taken apart in a plurality of segments for easy line removal. The spool described uses a simple threading mechanism to join the two segments of the spool. An additional conventional locking mechanism could be used to prevent all accidental loosening of the connection, and/or any other conventional locking mechanism could be used instead of the threads to join the spool segments. 
     Another feature of the present invention is that the line is attached firmly to structural parts of the spool center, and not simply wound around the spool, thus preventing the slipping of the entire line coil. The invention described here uses a single opening and a wire loop connector at the inside of the spool for the fastening of the line. Multiple variations of this, using one or more openings, and/or various devices for the attachment of the line, could be used. 
     Yet another feature of the present invention is that the knot of the line connection is hidden inside the spool, thus avoiding possible interference with the casting process, yet being firmly connected to the spool, avoiding potential separation of the line end from the spool that may be caused by backward movements of the line. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     In most of the drawings, only the spool itself, and not the entire reel, is depicted. For better clarity, the illustrations do not feature any of the usual details at the upper and lower ends of the spool, nor its connection to the spool shaft or the drag system. These parts and details vary significantly between the many types and brands of spinning reels, yet they are of no particular importance to understand the this improved spool and reel design. 
     For a further understanding of the nature, objects, and advantages of the present invention, reference should be had to the following detailed description, read in conjunction with the following drawings, wherein like reference numerals denote like elements and wherein: 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a standard spool for use with modern spinning reels; 
     FIG. 1A is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention, showing its attachment to a known spinning reel and rod assembly. 
     FIG. 2A is an exploded perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention showing the separated parts of the spool, as well as a coil of line in the process of being removed from the spool; 
     FIG. 2B is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention showing the assembled parts of the spool; 
     FIG. 3 is a magnified partially cut away perspective view of a portion of the lower part of one embodiment of the new spool; 
     FIGS. 4A-4B are top and end views of a second embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention showing the lower part of the new spool; and 
     FIGS. 5A and 5B are vertical sectional and end views of a third embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention, and wherein FIG. 5B is a sectional view taken along lines  5 B— 5 B of FIG.  5 A. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring now to FIGS. 1A,  2 A- 25  and  3  of the drawings, the preferred embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention is designated generally by the numeral  12 . A conventional spool for a spinning reel SR and rod R combination is designated by the numeral  1  in FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 1 depicts a conventional prior art spool  1  for a spinning reel. The line  2  has been removed from the spool  1  in a laborious process, forming a large heap of tangled old fishing line  3 . Some unscrupulous fishermen dispose of this heap of line  3  in the outdoors, where it is known to snare and kill wildlife. The end of line  2  is wrapped around spool  1 , and attached by means of a hand-tied knot  4  that is exposed, being on the outer surface  18  of spool  1 . As is evident, this connection, while it may prevent the accidental separation of the line  2  end from the spool  1 , is not suited to guard against rotational movements of the line coil in reference to the spool. The less loops of line  2  on spool surface  18 , the less friction will hold the coil of line in place. 
     FIGS. 2A-2B,  3  illustrate a preferred embodiment of this invention designated generally by the numeral  12 . In FIG. 2, the improved spool  12  has been separated into two parts, an upper part  5 , and a lower part  6 , which can be joined together or separated by means of corresponding external and internal threads  7 ,  8 . The removal of old and unreliable fishing line now becomes simple and hassle free. Spool  12 , filled with line  2 , is taken apart, leaving within seconds a neat coil of old and unreliable fishing line  9 , which can be discarded easily without taking up excessive space. FIG. 2B shows upper part  5  and lower part  6  of the new spool  12  joined together. 
     While the connection of the two parts of the new spool is illustrated as a connection formed by corresponding internal and external threads, it is to be understood that a variety of other mechanisms could be employed to reversibly join the spool parts together without departing from the scope of this invention, including but not confined to tongue and groove connections, locking bolt connections, interference fit connections, and other conventional mechanisms. Moreover, while in the attached illustrations the parts of the spool are joined at a section that is equidistant from the two flanges of the spool, one or more joining mechanism could also be placed underneath or adjacent to or close to one or both of the spool flanges without departing from the concept of this invention. 
     FIGS. 2A and 2B also illustrate a small slotted opening  10  at the site of attachment of parts  5  and  6 . In this illustration, opening  10  has been placed in lower part  6 , but placement in upper part  5  is also possible. The opening, in this illustration, is in the form of a transverse slot, preferably shaped like the letter J, with the vertical part  19  of the letter directed generally parallel to the axis of the spool, and the horizontal part  20  extended circumferentially and orthogonally in a clockwise direction. As is apparent from the drawings, the end of line  2  enters the spool  12  through opening  10  for secure attachment at the inside of the spool. While the line can be introduced through opening  10  when parts  5  and  6  are separated, opening  10  is closed when parts  5  and  6  are linked, since end  20 A of the lowermost rim of part  5  forms the upper, horizontal border of J shaped opening  10 . 
     Metal loop  11  is preferably located in spatial proximity to opening  10 , so that line  2  or knot  4  cannot interfere with the spool shaft in the hoped for event that a big fish sets the drag mechanism in motion. 
     FIG. 3 illustrates a possible attachment of line  2  to spool  12  in one embodiment of the present invention. A small metal loop  11  is attached to the inside surface  21  of the spool segment  5  or  6  containing opening  10  (in this illustration, lower part  6 ). Line  2  is connected to part  6  via attachment by knot  4  to metal loop  11 . 
     FIGS. 4A and 4B illustrate another embodiment designated as  12 A, showing a second possible attachment of line  2  to spool part  6 . Line  2  enters lower part  6  at opening  10 . Knot  4  at the end of line  2  is not directly wrapped around any part of spool  12 A, but forms loop  13 , which is slipped over one of a plurality of attachment spikes  14 , which protrude from lower part  6  into the interior of spool  12 A in a direction parallel to the axis of the spool. 
     FIG. 4A illustrates in a schematic top view the entering of line  2  through opening  10  into the spool  12 A. The interior features attachment spikes  14  (a total of  8  spikes in the FIG. 4A illustration). As can be seen, loop  13  is secured to one of the spikes  14 , line  2  is then led preferably in the space between spikes  14  and the interior surface of upper rim  17  of part  6  to the point of exit, opening  10 . Numerical  15  depicts the axial openings of the spool for enabling attachment to the reel. 
     In order to prevent the inadvertent slipping of loop  13  off attachment spike  14 , upper part  5  features an annular flange or rim  16  in this particular embodiment. When parts  5  and  6  are joined together, the lower surface of annular flange  16  is situated directly superior to and flush with the tips of spikes  14 , allowing no space for loop  13  to slip over spike  14  with resultant disconnecting of line  2  from spool  12 . 
     FIGS. 5A and 5B show a third embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention.  5 A shows a sectional elevation view. FIG. 5B shows an end view. In the embodiment of FIGS. 5A and 5B, spool  12 B provides an additional construction for holding a free end portion of line  2 . The spool  12 B provides alligator clip  22  having opposed jaws  25 ,  26 . The jaw  25  is affixed rigidly to gusset  24  that is a part of spool part  6 , being welded or integrally formed thereto. Jaw  26  and its lever  27  are pivotally connected to the combination of gusset  24  and jaw  25 . A spring loading arrangement causes the jaws  25  and  26  to bite together with sufficient force to hold the free end of line  2 . In the embodiment of FIGS. 5A and 5B, a slot  10  is provided in the spool part  6  through which line passes after it has been secured first to alligator clip  22 . After the line  2  passes externally of slot  10  in the same fashion as shown in FIGS. 2A,  3  and  4 A, it is wound around the outer surface of the spool  12  B after the spool parts  5  and  6  have been connected together. 
     While the advantages of the above described spool were shown for a spinning reel, minor modifications of this new spool design could also be used to improve bait-casting reels, fly reels, and other types of fishing reels. 
     
       
         
               
             
               
               
               
             
           
               
                   
               
               
                 PARTS LIST 
               
               
                   
               
             
             
               
                   
               
             
          
           
               
                   
                  1 
                 conventional fishing reel spool 
               
               
                   
                  2 
                 fishing line 
               
               
                   
                  3 
                 old, damaged fishing line 
               
               
                   
                  4 
                 knot 
               
               
                   
                  5 
                 upper part of the improved spool 
               
               
                   
                  6 
                 lower part of the improved spool 
               
               
                   
                  7 
                 external threaded portion 
               
               
                   
                  8 
                 internal threaded portion 
               
               
                   
                  9 
                 coil of old fishing line 
               
               
                   
                 10 
                 aperture 
               
               
                   
                 11 
                 attachment hook 
               
               
                   
                 12 
                 new fishing reel spool 
               
               
                   
                 12A 
                 new fishing reel spool 
               
               
                   
                 12B 
                 new fishing reel spool 
               
               
                   
                 13 
                 fishing line loop 
               
               
                   
                 14 
                 attachment spike 
               
               
                   
                 15 
                 central spool opening 
               
               
                   
                 16 
                 horizontal rim or part 5 
               
               
                   
                 17 
                 upper rim of part 6 
               
               
                   
                 18 
                 outer surface 
               
               
                   
                 19 
                 vertical part 
               
               
                   
                 20 
                 horizontal part 
               
               
                   
                 20A 
                 top of aperture 
               
               
                   
                 21 
                 inside surface 
               
               
                   
                 22 
                 alligator clip 
               
               
                   
                 23 
                 pivot 
               
               
                   
                 24 
                 gusset 
               
               
                   
                 25 
                 jaw 
               
               
                   
                 26 
                 jaw 
               
               
                   
                 27 
                 lever 
               
               
                   
                 SR 
                 spinning reel 
               
               
                   
                 R 
                 fishing rod 
               
               
                   
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
     The foregoing embodiments are presented by way of example only; the scope of the present invention is to be limited only by the following claims.