Fishing reel with one-way mechanism

A fishing reel comprising a reel body, a handle shaft rotatably mounted on the reel body, a main gear relatively rotatably supported by the handle shaft, a drag braking mechanism mounted between the main gear and the handle shaft, an adjusting member mounted on the handle shaft for adjusting a braking force of the drag braking mechanism, and a one-way mechanism for permitting only forward rotation of the handle shaft. The one-way mechanism includes an annular member unrotatably and axially slidably mounted on the handle shaft between the drag braking mechanism and the adjusting member, cams defined in an opposing face of an opposing member opposed to a periphery of the annular member to be locked against the reel body for locking backward rotation of the handle shaft, and backward rotation locking means pressingly engageable between the cams and the periphery of the annular member with the backward rotation of the handle shaft.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
The present invention relates to a fishing reel, and more particularly to a 
fishing reel comprising a reel body, a handle shaft rotatably mounted on 
the reel body, a main gear relatively rotatably supported by the handle 
shaft, a drag braking mechanism mounted between the main gear and the 
handle shaft, an adjusting member mounted on the handle shaft for 
adjusting a braking force of the drag braking mechanism, and a one-way 
mechanism mounted around the handle shaft inside of the reel body for 
permitting only forward rotation of the handle shaft. 
2. Description of the Prior Art 
A known example of fishing reels of the above-noted type is shown in 
Japanese utility model publication No. 57-39027 in which a spacer is 
disposed between the adjusting member and the drag braking mechanism 
thereby to adjust the braking force of the drag braking mechanism of the 
spacer with rotation of the adjusting member to provide a spool with a 
predetermined braking force. The handle shaft includes an inward axial end 
integrally forming a backward rotation locking gear defining ratchet teeth 
in an outer periphery thereof, while the reel body supports a ratchet pawl 
inside thereof for meshing with the ratchet teeth thereby permitting only 
a one-way rotation of the handle shaft and prohibiting backward rotation 
thereof to provide the main gear with the braking force of the drag 
braking mechanism. When winding up the fish caught by the hook and a 
drawing force of a fishing line wound on the spool is smaller than the 
braking force of the drag braking mechanism predetermined by the adjusting 
member, the braking force does not allow the main gear to be rotated to 
prevent the backward rotation of the spool. In contrast, when the drawing 
force of the fishing line is larger than the braking force of the drag 
braking mechanism, the main gear is rotated relative to the handle shaft 
while sliding the drag braking mechanism thereby to backwardly rotate the 
spool. 
However, according to the conventional fishing reel as the above, the 
ratchet teeth of the backward rotation locking gear mounted on the handle 
shaft comprise flat and long teeth in order to guarantee a strength 
thereof. Therefore, a large space is required between the teeth for a 
reliable engagement with the ratchet pawl. As a result, an extreme end of 
the ratchet pawl and a bottom of the ratchet teeth define large play 
therebetween. Then, the ratchet pawl and the ratchet teeth collide against 
each other when the spool is rotated in the backward direction, which 
causes a shock and provides the fisherman with an uncomfortable feeling. 
The conventional fishing reel is also disadvantageous in that the handle 
shaft includes not only the backward rotation locking gear but also the 
spacer between the drag braking mechanism and the adjusting member to 
increase a transverse dimension of the reel body, and consequently to 
enlarge its entirety. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
An object of the present invention is to provide a fishing reel which can 
diminish the transverse dimension of the reel body and the shock occurring 
when locking the backward rotation of the handle shaft. 
In order to achieve the foregoing object, a fishing reel according to the 
present invention comprises a one-way mechanism including an annular 
member unrotatably and axially slidably mounted on the handle shaft 
between a drag braking mechanism and an adjusting member, an opposing 
member opposed to a periphery of the annular and locked against the reel 
body, cams defined in one of opposing faces of the annular member and the 
opposing member for locking the backward rotation of the handle shaft, and 
backward rotation locking means disposed between the cams and the other of 
the opposing faces, wherein the backward rotation locking means is 
pressingly engaged between the cams and the other of the opposing faces 
when the handle shaft is rotated in the backward direction thereby 
prohibiting the backward rotation of the handle shaft. 
With this characteristic structure of the present invention, when the 
handle shaft is rotated in a forward direction, the backward rotation 
locking means of the one-way mechanism is not pressingly engaged between 
the cams and the other of the opposing faces whereby the handle shaft is 
smoothly rotated in the forward direction. On the other hand, when the 
handle shaft is rotated in the backward direction, the backward rotation 
locking means is pressingly engaged between the cams and the other of the 
opposing faces thereby preventing the backward rotation of the handle 
shaft. Then, a braking force of the drag braking mechanism mounted on the 
handle shaft is provided to a main gear, and a predetermined drag braking 
force set by the adjusting member is provided to the spool. In this 
backward rotation, since the backward rotation locking means engaged 
between the cams and the other of the opposing faces is only slightly 
moved, the shock caused by locking the backward rotation of the handle 
shaft is extensively less than in the case of utilizing the ratchet pawl 
meshed with the ratchet teeth defining large spaces therebetween. Thus, 
any shock is not provided to the fisherman but a comfortable feeling. 
The annular member forming the one-way mechanism is axially slidable 
relative to the handle shaft and is disposed between the drag braking 
mechanism and the adjusting member which used to interpose the spacer. 
Since the braking force of the drag braking mechanism is adjusted by the 
adjusting mechanism through the annular member, an inner space of the reel 
body is advantageously utilized thereby to reduce the size of the entire 
reel body. 
In working the present invention, the opposing member may comprises an 
annular member mounted on an outer periphery of the previously appearing 
annular member. In such case, the backward rotation locking means can 
effectively confront with an operating stress affecting the opposing 
member when engaged between the cams and the other of the opposing member, 
which results in a more advantageous structure in its strength than in the 
conventional structure employing the ratchet pawl. 
The outer annular member may be relatively rotatable to the reel body and 
the inner annular member, and locking means may be provided for locking 
and unlocking rotation of the outer annular member relative to the reel 
body. This allows a simple structure as well as easy selection between a 
locking condition and an unlocking condition of the backward rotation of 
the handle shaft. 
In addition, the backward rotation locking means may comprise rolling 
members rollable with the forward rotation of the annular member thereby 
to smoothly rotate the handle shaft. 
Other objects and advantages will be apparent from a description of 
preferred embodiments set forth hereinafter.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
Embodiments according to the present invention will be described below 
referring to the accompanying drawings. 
FIG. 1 shows a two-bearing fishing reel comprising a reel body 1 including 
a pair of side frames 1a and 1b, a spool 3 rotatably supported between the 
side frames through a spool shaft 2, a handle shaft 5 rotatably supported 
by one of the side frames 1a and carrying a handle 4, a main gear 6 
relatively rotatably supported by the handle shaft 5, and a drag braking 
mechanism 7 including a pair of drag brakes 71 opposed to each other 
across the main gear 6 and a pair of drag discs 72 opposed to each other 
across the drag brakes 71. The spool shaft 2 axially slidably supports a 
pinion gear 8 meshing with the main gear 6. With this structure, 
rotational drive from the handle 4 is transmitted to the handle shaft 5, 
the drag braking mechanism 7, the main gear 6, the pinion gear 8 and the 
spool shaft 2 thereby to rotate the spool 3. 
The drag brakes 71 forming the drag braking mechanism 7 are relatively 
rotatably supported by the handle shaft 5, and the drag discs 72 are 
relatively unrotatable but axially movably supported by the handle shaft 
5. An adjusting member 9 for the drag braking mechanism 7 is rotatably 
screwed on the handle shaft 5. The adjusting member 9 is rotatably 
operable to adjust a pressing force of the drag discs 72 to the drag 
brakes 71 in the drag braking mechanism 7 to vary a friction resistance 
between the handle shaft 5 and the main gear 6 thereby providing the spool 
3 with a predetermined braking force. 
The spool shaft 2 and the pinion gear 8 interpose a clutch 8a operable by a 
clutch lever 8b extending from the side frame 1a thereby establishing and 
breaking drive transmission from the handle shaft 5 to the spool shaft 2. 
A one-way mechanism 10 is mounted between the drag braking mechanism 7 and 
the adjusting member 9 around the boundary between the handle shaft 5 and 
the side frame 1a for permitting only one-way rotation of the handle shaft 
5 and preventing backward rotation thereof. As apparent from FIG. 2, the 
one-way mechanism 10 includes an inner annular member 10a unrotatably and 
axially movably fitted on the handle shaft 5 and an outer annular member 
10b relatively rotatably mounted around the inner annular member 10a to 
be opposed thereto. The outer annular member 10b defines in an inner 
periphery thereof a plurality of cams 10c having substantially V-shape 
sections, and including a plurality of rolling members 10d rollably 
disposed between the cams and the inner annular member 10a. When the 
handle shaft 5 is backwardly rotated in a direction of an arrow, the 
rolling members 10d are pressingly engaged between the cams 10c and the 
inner annular member 10a, respectively, thereby to prevent the backward 
rotation of the handle shaft 5. On the other hand, when the handle shaft 5 
is forwardly rotated in a opposite direction of the arrow, the rolling 
members 10d are disengaged from the inner annular member 10a, 
respectively, thereby to permit drive rotation of the handle shaft 5. The 
more gentle a shape of an operational portion of each cam 10c for locking 
the backward rotation is, the less shock occurs at the time of backward 
rotation. 
The outer annular member 10b is lockable and unlockable with respect to the 
side frame 1a through locking means. More particularly, a control member 
11 for the one-way mechanism 10 is pivotably supported in the external of 
the side frame 1a adjacent the one-way mechanism 10, and a movable arm 13 
carrying a control pawl 12 in an end portion thereof is supported inside 
of the side frame 1a and is interlocked with the control member 11 through 
an interlocking shaft 13a. The outer annular member 10b forming the 
one-way mechanism 10 defines a plurality of engaging grooves 10e in the 
outer periphery thereof for receiving the control pawl 12. The control 
member 11 is operable to engage the control pawl 12 defined in the arm 13 
with one of the engaging grooves 10e, thereby to lock the rotation of the 
outer annular member 10b and to permit only one-way rotation of the handle 
shaft 5 in the one-way mechanism 10 in order to prevent the backward 
rotation thereof, while operable to release the rotation of the outer 
annular member 10b thereby to allow the handle shaft 5 to rotate not only 
in the forward direction but also in the backward direction without 
operating the one-way mechanism 10. A torsion spring 14 extends between 
the side frame 1a and an upper portion of the interlocking shaft 13a in 
the arm 13 for retaining a moving position of the arm 13, and a stopper 15 
for the arm 13 is disposed in a lower portion of the arm 13. The torsion 
spring 14 and the stopper 15 in combination retain the control pawl 12 in 
an engagement condition with one of the engaging grooves 10e and also 
retain the control pawl 12 in a disengagement condition from one of the 
engaging grooves 10e. 
In the one-way mechanism 10, the handle shaft 5 is arranged to be opposed 
to the drag braking mechanism 7 inwardly of a bearing 16 rotatably 
supported by the reel body 1, and the inner annular member 10a is movably 
fitted on the handle shaft 5. The adjusting member 9 includes a base end 
boss portion integrally forming a sleeve portion 9a projecting therefrom 
and contacting the bearing 16. The rotation of the adjusting member 9 
causes movement of the bearing 16 and the inner annular member 10a thereby 
to adjust the braking force of the drag braking mechanism 7. Thus, an 
inner space of the reel body 1 to be advantageously utilized by the 
one-way mechanism 10 for adjusting the braking force of the drag braking 
mechanism 7, which contributes to compactness of the entire reel body 1. 
According to the above-described structure, when winding up the fish caught 
by the hook with a backward rotational force being provided to the spool 
3, the control member 11 is operated to previously retain the outer 
annular member 10b in a locking condition. As a result, the rolling 
members 10d in the one-way mechanism 10 are engaged between the cams 10c 
and the inner annular member 10a thereby immediately preventing the 
backward rotation of the handle shaft 5 without providing the fisherman 
with any shock, but with a comfortable feeling. According to this 
operation, the braking force of the drag braking mechanism 7 is provided 
to the main gear 6. When a drawing force of a fishing line wound on the 
spool 3 is smaller than the braking force of the drag braking mechanism 7, 
the main gear 6 is not rotated by the drag braking mechanism 7 to prevent 
the backward rotation of the spool 3. In contrast, when the drawing force 
of the fishing line is larger than the braking force of the drag braking 
mechanism 7, the main gear 6 is rotated relative to the handle shaft 5 
while sliding the drag braking mechanism 7 thereby to backwardly rotate 
the spool 3. 
On the other hand, the control member 11 is operated to disengage the 
control pawl 12 from one of the engaging grooves 10e unlocking the 
rotation of the outer annular member 10b in the one-way mechanism 10 
regardless the braking force of the drag braking mechanism 7 to rotate the 
handle shaft 5 not only in the forward direction but also in the backward 
direction. 
Other embodiments will be described hereinafter. 
In the foregoing embodiment, the cams 10c are defined in the outer annular 
member 10b, but may be defined in the inner annular member 10a. Also, the 
one-way mechanism 10 may be movable not only by the inner annualar member 
10a but also by its entirety. 
The control member 11 is pivotably mounted on the side frame 1a in the 
first embodiment, which control member may be slidably supported by a slot 
defined in the side frame 1a in a radial direction of the outer annualar 
member 10b. In this case, it is preferable to define guide pieces in an 
inner face of the side frame 1a in opposite lateral sides of a moving 
locus of the control member 11. 
The outer annular member 10b may be rigidly mounted on the side frame 1a, 
instead of providing the locking means. A portion of the side frame 1a 
instead of the outer annular member 10b may be opposed to the inner 
annular member 10a, and may define the cams 10c in an opposing face 
thereof to the inner annular member. 
The rolling members acting as the backward rotation locking means 10d may 
be unrollable wedgelike members slidably contacting the inner annular 
member 10a and having a small friction resistance. 
A resilient member may be disposed in any portions between the inner 
annular member 10a and the side frame 1a thereby to further absorb the 
shock when locking the backward rotation. More particularly, the backward 
rotation locking means 10d and the control pawl 12 may be formed of 
resilient materials, or the arms 13 and the stopper 15 may interpose a 
rubber member or a spring.