Spinning reel for fishing

Abstract: In a spinning reel for fishing, a diameter of the front side flange portion of a spool relative to a distance defined between outer surfaces of support arms provided on a rotor is set at 0.6 to 0.8, and a rear end of a rear side flange portion is tapered so that a diameter of the rear end is gradually decreased rearwardly. Thus, it is possible to increase the diameter of the spool without increasing the size of the rotor.

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a spinning reel for fishing which can prevent a fishing line from being entangled on the spinning reel during fishing operation and permits a spool to be increased in diameter without increasing the size of the entire spinning reel. Furthermore, backlash and looseness of the fishing line are also reduced. As shown in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 4-43017 or in Fig. 34, in most of conventional spinning reels 1 for fishing, a semiannular-shaped bail 7 is mounted on the leading end portions of a pair of support arms 5 provided in a rotor 3 through two bail support members 9 and 11, and the bail support members 9 and 11 are switchingly urged to and held at their respective fishing line take-up and play-out positions by a reversal control device 15 which is installed within the storage portion 13 of the support arm 5. In such spinning reel 1, if the bail 7 is turned down to its fishing line play-out position and the terminal tackles of the fishing rod are thrown out, then a fishing line wound around a spool 17 is played out in a spiral manner. On the other hand, if the bail 7 is returned to its fishing line take-up position and the rotor 3 is rotated in a fishing line take-up direction by operating a handle 19, then the fishing line can be wound around the spool 17 which reciprocates in the longitudinal direction thereof in linking with the rotation of the rotor 3. However, as shown in Fig. 34, in the above spinning reel 1, since the bail support members 9 and 11 are pivotably supported on the support arms 5 in such a manner that they project greatly outwardly of a cover 21 covering the storage portions 13, the support arms 5 (including the bail support members 9 and 11) is increased in thickness and thus in size, and the fishing line is likely to be entangled around the bail support members during the fishing operation of the spinning reel 1. Also, in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 3-74259, there is disclosed a spinning reel 33 in which, as shown in Fig. 35, two fitting grooves 27 are respectively formed in the front peripheral portions of a pair of support arms 25 provided in a rotor 23, two bail support members 29 and 31 are respectively fitted with the fitting grooves 27 while being returnably journaled on the support arms 25, and the outer surfaces of the mutually connecting portions of the bail support members 29, 31 and support arms 25 are formed in such a manner that they are almost flush with each other. The structure of the spinning reel 33 provides an advantage in that the bail support members 29 and 31 are prevented from projecting radially outwardly from the respective outside surfaces of the support arms 25. However, the fishing line may still be caught in or bite into clearances between mutually opposing portions, i.e. the leading end portions 25a of the support arms 25 and the stepped portions 29a, 31a of the bail support members 29, 31, during the fishing operation. Further, since the fitting grooves 27 to be fitted with the bail support members 29 and 31 are formed in the respective front peripheral portions of the support arms 25, a drawback is pointed out in that the thicknesses of the support arms 25 themselves are increased to thereby increase the outside width dimension L of the support arms 25. In general, if the diameter of the spool is increased in a spinning reel, then there provides advantages in that the permanent deformation (which is likely to makes the fishing line looped or spiral, not straight) hardly remains on the fishing line and that a thumbing operation onto the spool can be carried out easily and smoothly. However, in the spinning reel 33 as shown in Fig. 35 in which the support arms 25 themselves are increased in size, if the diameter of the spool 35 is increased for these advantages, then the rotor and the support arms must be further increased in diameter and size, and consequently the entire reel is increased in size and weight, which hinders the smooth fishing operation. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention aims at eliminating the drawbacks found in the above-mentioned conventional spinning reels. Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a spinning reel for fishing which can prevent a fishing line from being entangled during the fishing operation of the spinning reel. Another object of the present invention is to provide a spinning reel for fishing which permits the diameter of a spool to be increased without increasing the size of the entire spinning reel. In order to attain the above-noted and other objects, the present invention provides a spinning reel for fishing for winding a fishing line onto a spool with a rotor rotatable about an axis, wherein: the spool includes a front side flange portion, a fishing line winding barrel portion and a rear side flange portion opposite from the front side flange portion with respect to the fishing line winding barrel portion along the axis; and an axial length of the rear side flange portion along the axis is larger than an axial length of the fishing line winding barrel portion, characterized in that the fishing line winding barrel portion is tapered at an angle of 0.5° to 5° with respect to the axis so that the diameter of the fishing line winding barrel portion is gradually decreased from the front side flange portion to the rear side flange portion. Preferred embodiments of the present invention are laid down in the further subclaims. Many advantages are obtained from the spinning reel according to the present invention as disclosed hereafter in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Brief description of the Drawings Fig. 1 is a side view, partly in section, of the main portions of a rotor employed in a first embodiment of a spinning reel according to the invention, Fig. 2 is a section view of an alternative design of a support arm provided in a rotor of a spinning reel according to the invention. Fig. 3 is a partial section view of another support arm provided in a rotor of a spinning reel according to the invention, Fig. 4 is a section view of another support arm provided in a rotor of a spinning reel according to the invention, Fig. 5 is a section view of another support arm provided in a rotor of a spinning reel according to the invention, Fig. 6 is a section view of another support arm provided in a rotor of a spinning reel according to the invention, Fig. 7 is a section view of another support arm provided in a rotor of a spinning reel according to the invention, Fig. 8 is a partial section view of another support arm provided in a rotor of a spinning reel according to the invention, Fig. 9 is a section view of another support arm provided in a rotor of a spinning reel according to the invention, Fig. 10 is a section view of another support arm provided in a rotor of a spinning reel according to the invention, Fig. 11 is a section view of another support arm provided in a rotor of a spinning reel according to the invention, Fig. 12 is a section view of another support arm provided in a rotor of a spinning reel according to the invention, Fig. 13 is a section view of another support arm provided in a rotor of a spinning reel according to the invention, Fig. 14 is a section view of another support arm provided in a rotor of a spinning reel according to the invention, Fig. 15 is a section view of another support arm provided in a rotor of a spinning reel according to the invention, Fig. 16 is a side view, partly in section, of the main portions of a conventional spinning reel, Fig. 17 is a side view, partly in section, of the main portions of another conventional spinning reel, Fig. 18 is a side view of the main portions of a another embodiment of a spinning reel for fishing according to the invention, Fig. 19 is a front view, partially in section, of the spinning reel for fishing shown in Fig. 18. Fig. 20 is an enlarged section view of portions for mounting a line roller in the spinning reel for fishing shown in Fig. 38. Fig. 21 is an enlarged section view of the line roller in the spinning reel shown in Fig. 18. Fig. 22 is an enlarged section view showing a modification of the line roller. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Now, description will be given below in detail of embodiments of a spinning reel for fishing according to the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings. Fig. 1 shows a side view, partly in section, of the main portions of a rotor which is mounted in a spinning reel according to a first embodiment of the invention. A rotor 157 is rotatably journaled on the front end of the reel main body (not shown). The rotor 157 includes a pair of support arms 155 and 174 which are respectively formed integral with the rotor 157 and extend in the longitudinal direction of the reel main body . Two bail support members 45 are rotatably mounted on the respective leading end portions of the support arms 155 and 174. A semiannular-shaped bail is mounted between the two bail support members 45. Also, on the reel main body, there is mounted a spool 159 coaxially with the rotor 157. The spool 159 is rotatably supported on a spool shaft which is mounted in the reel main body in such a manner that it can traverse. The spool 159 and spool shaft are frictionally coupled to each other by a drag device which is incorporated in the spool 159. The drag force of the drag device can be adjusted arbitrarily by operating a knob which is attached to the front end portion of the spool 159. Further, on the reel main body (not shown), there is installed a handle which is used to take up a fishing line. The rotary shaft of the handle is linked with the rotor 157 through a well-known gear mechanism provided within the reel main body . The spool shaft is linked with the rotary shaft of the handle through a well-known traverse mechanism. The bail support members 45 are urged switchingly to and held at their respective fishing line take-up positions and play-out positions by an urging device which is installed in the support arm . The bail support members 45 held at their respective fishing line play-out positions can be reversed and returned to their respective fishing line take-up positions by a return device which is installed in the support arm. After the bail is reversed to its fishing line take-up position, if the rotor 157 is rotated in the fishing line take-up direction by operating the handle then the fishing line can be wound around the spool 159 which is allowed to traverse (reciprocate) in linking with the rotation of the rotor 159. An imaginary plane IP is a plane which contains therein an axis X of the rotor 157 and intersects both the support arms 155 and 174 (see, for instance, Fig. 19). As shown in Fig. 1, according to the present embodiment, the outside width dimension L, defined by the present support arms 155 and 174 is set equal to that of support arms employed in a conventional spinning reel, and the ratio of the outside diameter dimension L 2 of a front side flange portion 159 of the spool 159 is set as 70% with respect to the present outside width dimension L 1 , thereby being able to increase the diameter of the spool 159 over the conventional spinning reel without increasing the entire size of the fishing reel. It is preferable that the ratio L 2 /L 1 is set in the range of 60% to 80%. The ratio of the outside diameter dimension of the front side flange portion of the spool with respect to the outside width dimension of the support arms is about 50%. The bail support members 45 are positioned and held selectively at their respective fishing line play-out or take-up positions by an urging device 163. When the bail support members 45 are reversed, then an operation rod of the urging device 163 is pressed downward to thereby compress an coil spring and, if the operation rod is moved on and exceeds the dead point of the coil spring , then the bail support members 45 can be held at their respective fishing line take-up positions due to the spring force of the coil spring . In Fig. 1, reference character 155 designates the support arm provided in the rotor 157 and 159 stands for the spool. On the leading end portion of the support arm 155, there is mounted the bail support member 45 in such a manner that it can be reversed between its fishing line take-up and play-out positions. In particular, the bail support member 45 can be switchingly urged to and held at the fishing line take-up and play-out positions by an urging device 163 which is installed within a storage portion 161 of the support arm 155. The storage portion 161 is formed in such a manner that it is enclosed by the peripheral wall of the support arm 155 over an area ranging from the base end portion of the surface of the support arm 155 to the leading end portion thereof. Also, there is mounted a cover 165 which is used to cover the whole of the present storage portion 161. In the present embodiment as well, the present cover 165 and the storage portion 161 of the support arm 155 cooperate in forming a mounting portion 167 on the leading end side of the support arm 155 for mounting the bail support member 45. As shown in Fig. 1, on the inner surface 165a of the leading end portion of the cover 165, there is provided a cylindrical support shaft 169. In particular, the support shaft 169 is engaged with an engaging hole 171 formed in the support arm 155 and a screw 173 is screwed into the support shaft 169, whereby the cover 165 is threadedly engaged with the support arm 155. That is, according to the present embodiment, the base portion 45a of the bail support member 45 is journaled on the present support shaft 169 in such a manner that the bail support member 45 can be reversed between the fishing line take-up and play-out positions, thereby removing the projecting elements from the surface of the support arm 155 to be able to prevent the entanglement of the fishing line. Also, in the present embodiment, the outside width dimension L 1 of the support arms 155 and 174 respectively provided in the rotor 157 is set equal to that of the support arms provided in the conventional spinning reel, and the ratio of the outside diameter dimension L 2 of the front side flange portion 159a of the spool 159 with respect to the present outside width dimension L 1 is set 70%, thereby being able to increase the diameter of the spool 159. Further, according to the present embodiment, the fishing line winding barrel portion 159b of the spool 159 is formed in a taper shape (an inverted taper shape) which increases sequentially in diameter forwardly in the spool shaft (X) direction, and the ratio of the outside diameter dimension L 3 of the fishing line winding barrel portion 159b with respect to the outside diameter dimension L 2 of the front side flange portion 159a (L 3 /L 2 ) is set in the range of 0.2 to 0.9, whereby the spool 159 has a deeper groove. In this manner, not only the entanglement of the fishing line is prevented to thereby be able to enhance the efficiency of the fishing operation of the spinning reel, but also the thickness of the support arm 155 itself is reduced to thereby be able to increase the diameter of the spool 159. In addition to these effects, according to the present embodiment, since the spool 159 is so formed to have a deep groove and also have an inverted taper shape, even if the fishing line is fully wound around the spool 159 up to the outside diameter dimension L 2 of the front side flange portion 159a, there is eliminated the possibility that the fishing line can be collapsed when it is played out, thereby being able to secure a sufficient amount of winding of the fishing line. In the spinning reel, the fishing line winding barrel portion 159b is tapered at an angle of 0.5° to 5° with respect to the common axis X of the rotor 157 and the spool 159 so that a diameter of the fishing line winding barrel portion 159b is gradually decreased from the front side flange portion 159a to the rear side flange portion 159c, and an axial length L 5 of the rear side flange portion 159c along the axis X is larger than an axial length L 6 of the fishing line winding barrel portion 159b. According to the combination of these designs for the spool 159, a proper friction is applied onto a fishing line during when the fishing line is released (played out) from the spool 159 and thus it is possible to prevent the backlash of the fishing line and the looseness of the fishing line. Because of the above-noted advantage, it is possible to fully wind the fishing line onto the fishing line barrel portion 159b up to the outer periphery of the front side flange portion 159a, to thereby increase the flying or casting distance of the fishing hooks. Further, in the spinning reel according to said embodiment of the present invention, a diameter L 4 of the rear side flange portion 159c relative to a diameter L 2 of the front side flange portion 159a is set at 0.8 to 1.0. Accordingly, a proper friction is applied onto a fishing line during when the fishing line is released (played out) from the spool and thus it is possible to prevent the backlash of the fishing line and the looseness of the fishing line. Because of the above-noted advantage, it is possible to fully wind the fishing line onto the fishing line barrel portion up to the outer periphery of the front side flange portion, to thereby increase the flying or casting distance of the fishing hooks while increasing the amount of the fishing line to be wound onto the spool 159. Fig. 2 shows a modified design of the support arm. In Fig. 2, reference character 177 designates a support arm and 179 stands for a cover fixed to the surface of the present support arm 177 through a screw 181. According to the modification, the support arm 177 is formed shorter in length than the cover 179 and, on the inner surface 179a of the leading end portion of the cover 179, there is provided a cylindrical support shaft 183 on which the base portion 115a of a bail support member 115 can be journaled. Also, in order to prevent a fishing line from being entangled during the fishing operation of the reel, the base portion 115a of the bail support member 115 is so formed as to have a thickness which produces no level difference between the support arm 177 and the base portion 115a when the present base portion 115a is journaled on the support shaft 183 through a screw 185. The remaining portions of the structure of the present embodiment are similar to those of the embodiment shown in Fig. 1 and thus the description thereof is omitted here. As described above, according to the present embodiment as well, it is possible to prevent the entanglement of the fishing line during the fishing operation of the reel and, at the same time, the diameter of the spool can be increased without increasing the sizes of the rotor and reel main body. Now, Fig. 3 shows another embodiment of the support arm. Similarly to the embodiment shown in Fig. 2, in the present embodiment as well, a support arm 189 is formed shorter in length than a cover 187, on the inner surface 187a of the leading end portion of the cover 187, there is provided a cylindrical support shaft 191 on which the base portion 45a of the bail support member 45 can be journaled, and the present base portion 45a is so formed as to have a thickness which produces no level difference between the support arm 189 and the base portion 45a. In the present embodiment, in place of the above-mentioned screw 185, there is employed a pin 193 by which the bail support member 45 is mounted in such a manner that it can be reversed between its fishing line take-up and play-out positions. That is, in the above-mentioned support shaft 191, there is formed a pin insertion hole 195. On the back surface of the base portion 45a, there is formed a cut-out portion 199 which is used to mount a retainer 197 into the insertion side leading end portion of the pin 193. In particular, if the pin 193 is inserted into the pin insertion hole 195 from the surface side of the cover 187 and the retainer 197 is mounted into the insertion side leading end portion of the pin 193, then the bail support member 45 can be mounted in such a manner that it can be reversed between the fishing line take-up and play-out positions. Now, Fig. 4 shows another embodiment of the bail support arm structure. The present embodiment is a modified version of the embodiment shown in Fig. 2. In the present embodiment, the base portion 45a of the bail support member 45 is so formed as to have a thickness which prevents the base portion 45a from projecting outwardly of the support arm 177, the head portion 201a of a screw 201 for journaling the bail support member 45 onto the support shaft 183 is formed in such a manner that it has a large diameter, and the present head portion 201a is used to prevent the bail support member 45 against removal. Similarly to the previously described embodiments, the expected object of the present invention can be achieved by these embodiments. Fig. 5 shows another modification of the bail support arm. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 1, the cover 165 including the support shaft 169 is mounted on the surface side of the support arm 155. On the other hand, according to the present embodiment, there is formed a recess-like storage portion 205 in the radially inner side of a support arm 203, the present storage portion 205 and cover 165 cooperate in forming a mounting portion 207 in the leading end portion of the support arm 203 for mounting the bail support member 45, and the bail support member 45 is mounted on the support shaft 169 in such a manner that it can be reversed between its fishing line take-up and play-out positions. Now, Fig. 6 shows another embodiment of the support arm. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 2, the cover 179 including the support shaft 183 is mounted on the surface side of the support arm 177. On the other hand, according to the present embodiment, a cover 179 is mounted on the radially inner side of a support arm 209, the present support arm 209 is formed shorter than the cover 179, the base portion 115a of the bail support member 115 is so formed as to have a thickness which produces no level difference between the support arm 209 and the present base portion 115a, and the bail support member 115 is mounted on the support shaft 183 provided in the cover 179 in such a manner that it can be reversed between the fishing line take-up and play-out positions thereof. Due to this, according to these respective embodiments as well, the fishing line can be prevented from being entangled during the fishing operation of the spinning reel and also the diameter of the spool can be increased without increasing the sizes of the rotor and reel main body. Now, Fig. 7 shows another embodiment of the bail support arm. In the present embodiment a support arm 211 and a cover 213 to be mounted on the surface of the support arm 211 cooperate in forming a mounting portion 215 in the leading end portion of the support arm 211 for mounting the bail support member 45, and the base portion 45a of the bail support member 45 is journaled on the support shaft 217 which is provided on and projected from the inner surface 211a of the support arm 211. In the present embodiment, a screw 185 is screwed into a support shaft 217 from a mounting hole 218 formed in the cover 213, and the head portion 185a of the screw 185 is used to prevent the bail support member 45 against removal. The present head portion 185a is set such that it is prevented from projecting out of the surface of the cover 213. Now, Fig. 8 shows a section view of the main portions of a mounting structure for mounting a bail support member. In the present embodiment as well, not only the base portion 115a of a bail support member 115 is journaled on a support shaft 221 provided on the leading end side of a support arm 219 and the present bail support member 115 is mounted in such a manner that it can be reversed between the fishing line take-up and play-out positions thereof but also, in order to prevent the entanglement of the fishing line during the fishing operation of the spinning reel, the base portion 115a of the bail support member 115 is so formed as to have a thickness which produces no level difference between a cover member 223 and the base portion 115a. Further, according to the present embodiment, instead of the screw, there is used a pin 193, that is, the support member 115 is mounted by use of the pin 193 in such a manner that the support member 115 can be reversed between the fishing line take-up and play-out positions thereof. That is, as shown in Fig. 8, in the above-mentioned support shaft 221, there is formed a pin insertion hole 225. Also, on the back surface of the support arm 219, there is formed a cut-out portion 227 which is used to mount a retainer 197 onto the insertion side leading end portion of the pin 193. In particular, if the pin 193 is inserted into the pin insertion hole 225 and the retainer 197 is mounted onto the insertion side leading end portion of the pin 193, then the bail support member 115 can be mounted in such a manner that it can be reversed between the fishing line take-up and play-out positions thereof. In this manner, according to these respective embodiments as well, the fishing line can be prevented from getting entangled during the fishing operation of the spinning reel and also the diameter of the spool can be increased without increasing the sizes of the rotor and reel main body. Now, Fig. 9 shows another embodiment of the bail support arm. In the present embodiment as well, the base portion 45a of the bail support member 45 is journaled on a support shaft 231 provided on the leading end side of a support arm 229 and the present bail support member 45 is mounted in such a manner that it can be reversed between the fishing line take-up and play-out positions thereof. The base portion 45a of the bail support member 45 is so formed as to have a thickness which prevents the base portion 45a from projecting outwardly of the support arm 229. Similarly to the embodiment shown in Fig. 22, the head portion 233a of a screw 233 for journaling the bail support member 45 on the support member 231 is formed in such a manner that it has a large diameter, and the present head portion 233a is used to prevent the bail support member 45 against removal. The present head portion 233a is formed flush with a cover 235. Now, Fig. 10 shows another embodiment of the bail support arm. In the present embodiment a support arm 237 and a cover 239 to be mounted on the surface of the support arm 237 cooperate in forming a mounting portion 241 in the leading end portion of the support arm 237 for mounting the bail support member 45, and the base portion 45a of the bail support member 45 is journaled on a support shaft 243 which is provided on and projected from the inner surface 237a of the support arm 237. In the present embodiment, there is provided a slight clearance between the cover 239 and an urging device 163 or the base portion 45a of the bail support member 45. Fig. 11 shows another embodiment of the support arm. In the present embodiment as well, a support arm 245 and a cover 247 cooperate in forming a mounting portion 249 in the leading end portion of the support arm 245 for mounting the bail support member 45, and the base portion 45a of the bail support member 45 is journaled on a support shaft 251 which is provided on and projected from the inner surface 245a of the support arm 245. In the present embodiment, unlike the previously described embodiments, the cover 247 is mounted on the back surface side (the radially inner side) of the support arm 245. Fig. 12 shows another embodiment of support arm. In the present embodiment as well, a support arm 253 and a cover 255 cooperate in forming a mounting portion 257 in the leading end portion of the support arm 253 for mounting the bail support member 45, and the base portion 45a of the bail support member 45 is so formed as to have a thickness which prevents the present base portion 45a from projecting outwardly of the support arm 253. In the present embodiment, a pin 193 serving as a mounting shaft is inserted through the support arm 253, the base portion 45a of the bail support member 45 and the cover 255, and a retainer 197 is mounted on the insertion side leading end portion of the pin 193, whereby the bail support member 45 is mounted in such a manner that it can be reversed between the fishing line take-up and play-out positions thereof. Fig. 13 shows another embodiment of the support arm. In the present embodiment as well, a support arm 259 and a cover 261 to be mounted on the surface of the support arm 259 cooperate in forming a mounting portion 263 in the leading end portion of the support arm 259 for mounting the bail support member 45. In addition to this, according to the present embodiment, a pair of support shafts 265 projecting toward the support arm 259 and cover 261 are provided coaxially to each other on the base portion 45a of the bail support member 45, and the present support shafts 265 are journaled in mounting holes 267 and 269 respectively formed in the support arm 259 and cover 261, whereby the bail support member 45 is mounted in such a manner that it can be reversed between the fishing line take-up and play-out positions thereof. Now, Fig. 14 shows another embodiment of the support arm. In the present embodiment, unlike the embodiment shown in Fig. 13, a cover 273 is mounted on the back surface side of a support arm 271, the present cover 273 and support arm 271 cooperate in forming a mounting portion 275 in the leading end portion of the support arm 271 for mounting the bail support member 45, and a pair of support shafts 265 provided on and projected from the base portion 45a of the bail support member 45 are journaled in mounting holes 277 and 279 respectively formed in the cover 273, whereby the bail support member 45 is mounted in such a manner that it can be reversed between the fishing line take-up and play-out positions thereof. Now, Fig. 15 shows another embodiment of the support arm. In the present embodiment as well, similarly to the embodiment shown in Fig. 14, a support arm 281 and a cover 283 to be mounted on the surface of the support arm 281 cooperate in forming a mounting portion 285 in the leading end portion of the support arm 281 for mounting the bail support member 45, and the base portion 45a of the bail support member 45 is so formed as to have a thickness which prevents the base portion 45 from projecting outwardly of the support arm 281. In the present embodiment, a cylindrically-shaped mounting shaft 287 is provided to pass through the support arm 281, the base portion 45a of the bail support member 45 and the cover 283, and the base portion 45a of the bail support member 45 is journaled on the mounting shaft 287 by use of a screw 185. In addition, in Fig. 15, reference character 289 designates a stopper which is provided in the mounting shaft 287. When the base portion 45a is screwed to the mounting shaft 287 by the screw 185, the present stopper 289 is engaged with a cut-out portion 291 formed in the support arm 281. Figs. 18 to 21 show another embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment is constructed such that the mounting structure including the support arm 237, the cover 239 and so on for mounting the bail support member 45 according to the embodiment shown in Fig. 10 is provided on a spinning reel 361 substantially equivalent to the spinning reel of the first embodiment, and that a spool 337, which is applicable to any one of the previously described embodiments, is mounted on the spinning reel 361. As shown in Figs. 18 and 20, the bail support member 45 is pivotably supported on the support arm 237 and has the leading end portion 45b to which a line slider 31 T-shaped in section is fixed through a shaft portion 31a by a bolt or screw. The bail 49 is fixed to the line slider 31. The line roller 72 is rotatably supported by the ball bearing 33 axially interposed between the shaft portion 31a and the leading end portion 45b of the bail support member 45. The line roller 72 has such a shape, as shown in Figs. 40 and 41, that the fishing line guide portion 72a is tapered so that the diameter is gradually increased in the direction from the bail support member 45 toward the line slider 31, i.e. in the fishing line take-up direction (arrow A) of the rotor 15. The fishing line guide portion 72a is integrally formed with a substantially circular plate-like guide portion 35 adjacent the leading end portion 45b of the bail support member 45, which is brought into contact with the fishing line during winding operation so as to restrict the axial motion of the fishing line with respect to the line roller 72, to thereby stabilize a line pass around the line roller 72. More specifically, since the line roller 72 together with the rotor 15 rotates around the spool 337, the relative position of the line roller 72 with respect to a guide provided on a rod, the diameter of the fishing line which has been wound on the spool 337, the axial position of the spool making traverse motion in the front-to-rear direction and so on adversely affect on the position of the fishing line, that is to say, the fishing line attempts to move in the axial direction irregularly on the guide portion 72a of the line roller 72. However, the line roller 72 according to the present invention can positively restrict such irregular, axial motion of the fishing line, because of the tapered configuration of the guide portion 72a in cooperation with the provision of the guide portion 35. Further, as described above, the line roller 72 employed in the spinning reel of the present invention has such a tapered shape that the diameter of the fishing line guide portion 72a is gradually increased in the fishing line take-up direction A of the rotor 15. Therefore, the friction caused between the line roller 72 and the fishing line is larger at the diameter larger side rather than at the diameter smaller side, and consequently, when the fishing line is guided by the line roller 72 to be wound onto the spool 37, twists are positively produced on the fishing line in the direction opposite to the direction in which twits are produced on the fishing line when the wound fishing line is released or played out from the spool. Conventionally, spinning reel for fishing structurally suffers from a problem in that the latter twists, that are produced on the fishing line when the wound fishing line is released or played out from the spool, are accumulated on the fishing line by repetition of taking-up and playing-out of the fishing line and such accumulated twists cause the cutting and the entanglement of the fishing line. However, according to the present invention, by positively and preliminary producing the former twists on the fishing line with the tapered configuration of the fishing line guide roller 72 when the fishing line is wound onto the spool, the latter twists can be canceled by the former twists when the fishing line is played out from the spool subsequently. Therefore, the spinning reel of the present invention is free from the problem in that the fishing line is cut and/or entangled due to the accumulated fishing line twits. The guide portion 35 is located radially outwardly relative to the outer periphery of the opposite end portion 72b of the line roller 72. The guide portion 35 defines a fishing line contact surface 35a which is planer surface orthogonal to the axis of the line roller and with which the fishing line is brought into contact during the fishing line take-up operation. It is preferable that the outer diameter D 1 of the guide portion 35 is set larger than the outer diameter D 2 of the opposite end portion 72b by an amount equal to or more than 1mm, and if it is set larger by an amount more than 2mm, then the sliding contact of the fishing line contact surface 35a with the fishing line becomes more gentle and preferable. Since the outer diameter of the guide portion 35 is set larger than the outer diameter of the opposite end 72b so as to increase the contact area of the fishing line contact surface 35a and since the fishing line contact surface 35a is formed as a planar surface, the partial and local deformation and forcible slide are prevented from being applied on the fishing line, and thus it is possible to decrease the damage on the fishing line. In addition, as shown in Fig. 22 the fishing line contact surface may be formed as a curved surface 135b. In Fig. 20, reference numerals 45b' and 31b designate annular projections, which are respectively provided on the leading end portion 45b and the line slider 31 and which respectively circumscribe the guide portion 35 and the opposite end portion 72b of the line roller 72, for preventing the biting of the fishing line. As a consequence of the structure that the opposite end portion 72b of the line roller 72 is made smaller in comparison to the guide portion 35, the outer diameter D 4 of the annular projection 31b on the line slider 31 can be made smaller than the outer diameter D 3 of annular projection 45b' on the leading end portion 45b of the bail support member 45. Therefore, the line slider 31 can be made smaller in size and weight, and thus the rotor 15 can be made smaller in weight totally. Further, this weight reduction of the line slider 31 also meets the recent technical requirement that the heavier weight should not be distributed forwardly in view of the good rotation balance of the rotor 15. As shown in Fig. 18, the spool 337, which is applicable to any one of previously described embodiments, includes a front side flange portion 337a, a fishing line winding barrel portion 337b and a rear side flange portion (skirt portion) 337c. The barrel portion 337b of this embodiment, as similarly to the seventh embodiment, is reversely tapered such that the diameter of the barrel portion is gradually decreased as it approaches the rear side flange portion 377c from the front side flange portion 337a. This reversely tapered design for the barrel portion 337b is directed to preventing the collapse of the fishing line wound on the barrel portion 337b during when the fishing line is played out. The spool 337 is further characterized in that the diameter of the fishing line winding barrel portion 337b is set larger in comparison to the conventional spinning reel, and that the rear end 337d of the rear side flange portion 337c is bent radially inwardly. The design of the radially inwardly bent rear end 337b makes it possible to increase the diameter of the spool 337 without increasing the diameter of the rotor 15. Consequently, it is possible to increase the winding amount of the fishing line and enhance the fishing line releasing (playing-out) ability, which are advantages provided from the increased diameter of the spool 337 as well as to prevent the collapses of the fishing line from the barrel portion 337c during when the fishing line is played out. Further, since it is not necessary to increase the diameter of the rotor 15, the above-noted advantages can be obtained without increasing the entire reel in size and weight. In the spinning reel according to said embodiment of the present invention, the fishing line winding barrel portion 337b is tapered at an angle of 0.5° to 5° with respect to the axis X so that a diameter of the fishing line winding barrel portion 337b is gradually decreased from the front side flange portion 337a to the rear side flange portion337c, and an axial length L 5 of the rear side flange portion 337c along the axis X is larger than an axial length L 6 of the fishing line winding barrel portion 337c. According to the combination of these designs for the spool 337, a proper friction is applied onto a fishing line during when the fishing line is released (played out) from the spool 337 and thus it is possible to prevent the backlash of the fishing line and the looseness of the fishing line. Because of the above-noted advantage, it is possible to fully wind the fishing line onto the fishing line barrel portion 337b up to the outer periphery of the front side flange portion 337a, to thereby increase the flying or casting distance of the fishing hooks. In the spinning reel according to the aforedescribed embodiment of the present invention, the fishing line winding barrel portion 337b is tapered with respect to the axis X so that a diameter of the fishing line winding barrel portion 337b is gradually decreased from the front side flange portion 337a to the rear side flange portion 337c, and a rear end 337d of the rear side flange portion 337c is tapered so that a diameter of the rear end 337d is gradually decreased rearwardly. Accordingly, the reverse taper design of the fishing line winding barrel portion 337b prevents the fishing line from being loosened in such a manner that the bundle of the wound fishing line is shifted forwardly of the spool 337. Further, even if the loosened fishing line is shifted rearwardly, the loop of the loosened fishing line fallen down onto the rotor 15 rearwardly is much larger in diameter than the cylindrical portion of the rotor 15 because of the tapered design of the rear end 337c of the rear side flange portion 337c, and therefore it is easy to return the loosened fishing line back to the fishing line winding barrel portion 337b. In addition, the tapered design of the rear end 337d of the rear side flange portion 337c makes it possible to decrease the diameter of the cylindrical portion of the rotor 15 without increasing the radial clearance between the cylindrical portion of the rotor 15 and the rear side flange potion 337c of the spool 337. In the spinning reel according to this embodiment, a diameter L 2 of the front side flange portion 337a relative to a distance L 1 defined between outer surfaces of the support arms 43 and 45 is set at 0.6 to 0.8, and a rear end 337d of the rear side flange portion 337c is tapered so that a diameter of the rear end 337d is gradually decreased rearwardly. The combination of these design enables to enlarge the diameter of the spool 337 without increasing the entire size of the spinning reel. Further, owing to the tapered configuration of the rear end 337d of the rear side flange portion 337c of the spool 337, it is possible to maintain the performance of preventing the rearward shifting of the fishing line as well as to decrease the diameter of the cylindrical portion of the rotor 15. In the spinning reel according to said embodiment, a diameter L 4 of the rear side flange portion 337c relative to a diameter L 2 of the front side flange portion 337a is set at 0.8 to 1.0. Accordingly, a proper friction is applied onto a fishing line during when the fishing line is released (played out) from the spool 337 and thus it is possible to prevent the backlash of the fishing line and the looseness of the fishing line. Because of the above-noted advantage, it is possible to fully wind the fishing line onto the fishing line barrel portion 337c up to the outer periphery of the front side flange portion 337a, to thereby increase the flying or casting distance of the fishing hooks. By the way, as in the above-mentioned respective embodiments, in a spinning reel of this type, the bail support member is mounted on the support arm. However, conventionally, there are available a large number of spinning reels which do not employ any bail. In such spinning reels for fishing, a support member equivalent to the above-mentioned bail support member is attached to a support arm and a line roller is mounted thereon. The present invention can also apply to the spinning reels having such structure. Also, in the above-mentioned embodiments, the ratio of the outside diameter dimension L 2 of the front side flange portion of the spool with respect to the outer width dimension L 1 of the support arm of the rotor is set 70%. However, according to the invention in which the thickness of the support arm is reduced, this ratio can be set in the range of 60% to 80%. As has been described heretofore, with use of a spinning reel according to the invention as set forth in the respective claims, the diameter of the spool can be increased without increasing the sizes of the rotor and reel main body when compared with the conventional spinning reel, and the twined fishing line can be positively prevented in the fishing operation of the spinning reel, so that the increased diameter of the spool can be realized without impairing the efficiency of the fishing operation of the spinning reel and thus the practical use of the spinning reel can be improved further.

Claims: A spinning reel for fishing,for winding a fishing line onto a spool (159) with a rotor (157) rotatable about an axis (X), wherein: the spool includes a front side flange portion (159a), a fishing line winding barrel portion (159b) and a rear side flange portion (159c) opposite from the front side flange portion with respect to the fishing line winding barrel portion along the axis; and an axial length (L5) of the rear side flange portion along the axis is larger than an axial length (L6) of the fishing line winding barrel portion characterized in that, the fishing line winding barrel portion is tapered at an angle of 0.5° to 5° with respect to the axis (X) so that the diameter of the fishing line winding barrel portion is gradually decreased from the front side flange portion to the rear side flange portion. A spinning reel for fishing according to claim 1, wherein a maximum diameter of the fishing line barrel portion relative to a diameter of the front side flange portion is set at 0.2 to 0.9. A spinning reel for fishing according to one of the preceeding claims, 1 or 2 wherein a rear end of the rear side flange portion is tapered so that a diameter of the rear end is gradually decreased rearwardly. A spinning reel for fishing according to one of the preceeding claims 1 to 3, wherein the rotor includes a pair of support arms located diametrically opposite from each other with respect to the axis, and a diameter of the front side flange portion relative to a distance defined between outer surfaces of the support arms is set at 0.6 to 0.8. A spinning reel for fishing according to one of the preceeding claims 1 to 4, wherein a diameter of the rear side flange portion relative to a diameter of the front side flange portion is set at 0.8 to 1.0.

Inventors: KATAYAMA MASATOSHI, SHINOHARA EIJI, YAMAGUCHI AKIRA, KATAYAMA, MASATOSHI, SHINOHARA, EIJI, YAMAGUCHI, AKIRA
Applicants: DAIWA SEIKO INC, DAIWA SEIKO INC.
Application year: 1997
Main classification: A01K89
IPC codes: A01K89