Abstract:
A line retainer for use with bow fishing reels, which provide extremely low drag on the line, holds the line retained in the bottle so as to reduce the chance of snagging or catching, and yet automatically releases with release of the arrow avoiding the need for manual release as is required by conventional spin casting type reels.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    The present invention relates to archery devices and, more particularly, to a bow fishing reel having an improved line retention system.  
           [0002]    In bow fishing, an arrow is fitted with a lightweight line which may pay out behind the arrow when the arrow is shot from a bow. The line allows the arrow and/or fish, to be retrieved after the shot.  
           [0003]    The line may be stored on a spin casting fishing reel which uses a movable bail and roller to wind the line about spool. The bail may be released to allow uncoiling of the wrapped line from the spool. The spool remains stationary as the line is withdrawn by the arrow. In this way, the inertia of the spool and contained line does slow the arrow.  
           [0004]    A second drawback to this type of fishing reel is that the user may forget to release the bail. In these circumstances, the line may break or the arrow may stretch the line and recoil striking the shooter. A third drawback is that the process of winding the line on the spool and then releasing it without unwinding of the spool imparts a twist to the line that may make it prone to tangling.  
           [0005]    These problems are eliminated by a novel bow fishing reel described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,383,516, assigned to the assignee of the present invention, in which the line is loosely coiled in a bottle. After the line is pulled from the bottle by the arrow, opposed rubber rollers at the mouth of the bottle clamp together about the line and push it into the bottle under the urging a geared crank handle.  
           [0006]    Like the spin casting reel, the bottle-style reel eliminates the need for the arrow to overcome the rotational inertia of a spool on which the line is wound. Unlike the spin casting reel, however, the bottle-style reel does not require the user to remember to release a bail prior to the shot and eliminates the problem of the reel imparting a twist to the line.  
           [0007]    The extremely low drag on the line provided by the bottle-style reel increases the possibility the line may be inadvertently pulled from the bottle to snag or catch on vegetation, equipment or the like. While it is possible to lock the line against discharge from the bottle by a number of mechanisms, if the user forgets to unlock the line, the same problems described above with respect to the bail on a spin casting reel can occur.  
         BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0008]    The present invention provides a special line retainer for a bottle-style reel that provides a suitably light retention force to complement the low drag of the bottle-style reel, but one that is nevertheless sufficient to hold the line in place under normal jostling. The retention force is greater in directions other than the direction of the arrow as it is shot from the bow. This directionally dependent release force further reduces the chance of the line being inadvertently discharged. Specifically then, the present invention provides a bow fishing reel including a bottle that may be attached to an archer&#39;s bow and into which a line may be loosely bundled, with one end of the line extending from the bottle to be secured to an arrow and the other end secured with respect to the reel. A line retainer prevents discharge of the line from the bottle until a threshold force is applied to the line greater than that provided by the mass of the line.  
           [0009]    Thus, it is one object of the invention to provide a line retainer especially suited for bottle-style reels such as normally produce extremely low drag on the retained line.  
           [0010]    It is another object of the invention to provide a line retainer that automatically reacts to a threshold force of the arrow and thus does not require the user to remember to release the line before shooting the arrow.  
           [0011]    The line retainer may provide an angularly varying threshold force that increases in directions other than the direction of discharge of the arrow from the bow.  
           [0012]    Thus, it is another object of the invention to provide a line retainer that is selectively responsive to the desirable release of the line when it is pulled by the arrow.  
           [0013]    The bottle may include an open guide ring at an opening of the bottle and the line retainer may be attached near the open guide ring.  
           [0014]    Thus, it is another object of the invention to provide a line retainer positioned close to the exit aperture of the line to reduce the length of line that may be subject to snagging or catching.  
           [0015]    The line retainer may have a tapered slot into which a portion of the line may be wedged. The line may be held by the elasticity of the line and/or the elasticity of the line retainer body. More generally, the retainer may provide two members biased together to provide a clamping, with a predetermined pressure, of the line between them.  
           [0016]    Thus it is another object of the invention to provide a retaining means that is extremely simple to fabricate, reliable to use and easy to inspect in the field.  
           [0017]    The foregoing objects and advantages may not apply to all embodiments of the inventions and are not intended to define the scope of the invention, for which purpose claims are provided. In the following description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof, and in which there is shown by way of illustration, a preferred embodiment of the invention. Such embodiment also does not define the scope of the invention and reference must be made therefore to the claims for this purpose. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0018]    [0018]FIG. 1 is a top plan view of the present invention, showing the bow fragmentary, and illustrating the user&#39;s finger pulling the trigger level of the reel;  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 2 is a fragmentary side elevational view of FIG. 1, showing the forward portion of the reel partly broken away;  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 3 is a fragmentary view of FIG. 1, shown on a smaller scale, and illustrating the trigger lever of the reel being urged forward by the user&#39;s finger, so as to lift the top roller of the device, which will enable the line to be free, for being carried by the bowman&#39;s arrow;  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 4 is a fragmentary view of FIG. 2, shown on a smaller scale, and illustrating the top roller free of the line with the user&#39;s finger urging the trigger lever forward to do so;  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 5 is a rear side view of FIG. 2, shown on a much smaller scale, and illustrates the archer&#39;s finger holding the trigger lever forward before releasing an arrow from his bow which is shown fragmentary;  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 6 is a fragmentary perspective view of FIG. 2 showing the line retainer of the present invention engaging a line prior to shooting of an arrow; and  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 7 is a side elevational view of the line retainer removed from the reel of FIG. 6 showing its retaining slot together with a cross-sectional dimension of the line. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0025]    A reel  10  suitable for use with the present invention is shown to include a pair of spaced-apart plates  12  of suitable material. Plates  12  are “L”-shaped in configuration, and the lip  13  of one plate  12 , is fixedly secured to a longitudinal side edge  14  of a rectangular mounting plate  15 , and plate  15  includes a pair of spaced-apart and aligned openings  16 , which receive suitable fasteners  11 , for mounting to the center portion  16   a  of a typical archer&#39;s bow  17 , as may be more clearly seen in FIG. 5 of the drawing.  
         [0026]    The neck portion  18 , of a plastic bottle  19 , is fixedly secured between the plates  12  at the lip portions  13 , and bottle  19  is also preferably secured at one of its side surfaces  20 , to plate  15 , in a suitable manner (not shown). One end of a fishing line  21  is suitably secured to a fishing arrow  22  as illustrated in FIG. 5, and the opposite end of line  21  is received in openings  23  in the rear of bottle  19 , where it is suitably secured by knot  24  means, so as to prevent loss of the line  21  and the arrow  22 , when the arrow  22  leaves the bowstring  25 .  
         [0027]    A trigger lever  26  includes a “U”-shaped upper end  27  which is freely received on the upper ends of plates  12 , and a pivot pin  26   a  extends through end  27 , and is suitably secured in plates  12 , so as to enable trigger lever  26  to pivot, by means of the user&#39;s finger  28  of his hand  29 , which grips the bow  17 . Trigger lever  26  includes a projection  29   a , for easy accommodation of the user&#39;s finger  28 , so as to operate reel  10 , in a manner which hereinafter will be described.  
         [0028]    A nylon roller  30  is rotatably received on a shaft  31  which is fixedly secured in a suitable manner, within the “U”-shaped end of trigger lever  26 . The shaft  31  is, also, freely received in the arcuate slots  32 , through plates  12 . When trigger lever  26  is in its downward position, roller  30  urges line  21  against the outer periphery  33  of rubber roller  34 , so as to enable the user to retrieve line  21  into bottle  19  quickly by the knob  35  and crank handle  36  means. Knob  35  is pivotally secured to pin  45 , in one end of crank handle  36 , and crank handle  36  is fixedly secured to rotatable shaft  37 , having a gear  38  fixedly secured thereto. Gear  38  meshes with gear  39 , which is fixedly secured to shaft  40 , that carries roller  34 , and the gears  38  and  39  are contained within housing  41 , which is suitably secured to the outside face of one of plates  12 , the aforementioned gearing and cranking arrangement being common in the art.  
         [0029]    It shall be noted, that a line guide ring  42  is fixedly secured, in a suitable manner, at its outer periphery  43 , to the inside surfaces of plates  12 , for unhindered travel of line  21  in both directions.  
         [0030]    In use, reel  10  loosely bundles the line  21  in the bottle  19 . Line  21  is retrieved by pinching it between the plastic roller  30 , of trigger lever  26 , and the rubber roller  34 . Before the arrow  22  is shot, the trigger lever  26  is pushed forward, as illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, pivoting roller  30  upwards, and away from line  21 , so as to enable line  21  to feed freely out of its bottle  19 , and follow the arrow  22 . In retrieving arrow  22 , trigger lever  26  is pulled back, which will pivot roller  30  downwards, so as to pinch line  21  against the outer periphery  33  of roller  34 , and the crank handle  36 , having speed-up gearing, consisting of gears  38  and  39 , will drive the rubber roller at high speed, which will pull line  21 , so as to feed it into the bottle  19 , enabling line  21  to be ready for the next shot.  
         [0031]    It shall also be noted that reel  10  is much safer in use than “spin casting” reels because if the user forgets to release the line of such reels, the line will either break, or the arrow will stretch the line, and recoil, striking the shooter. The line of reel  10  is not wound on a spool, thus, there is no twisting of line  21 .  
         [0032]    It shall further be recognized, that reel  10  can handle more and heavier line  21 , such as two hundred feet of number seventy woven line.  
         [0033]    Referring now to FIGS. 6 and 7, a line retainer  44  may be affixed to plate  12  adjacent to the line guide ring  42  so as to receive line  21  immediately upon exit of the line  21  from the bottle  19  and thus from the line guide ring  42 . The line retainer  44  is generally a rectangular plate having a hole  46  therein to receive a mounting screw  48  passing through plate  12 . The mounting screw  48  holds the line retainer  44  abutting the outer vertical surface of plate  12  with a front portion  50  of the line retainer  44  extending forward from the line guide ring  42 , next to the line guide ring  42  and generally along a direction  52  being the direction that the line  21  is drawn when pulled by a released arrow  22 .  
         [0034]    Cut within the front portion  50  and extending along direction  52  to open toward the front of the retainer  44  is a tapered slot  54  into which the line  21  may be pressed. The slot  54  narrows as one moves backwards against direction  52  to a dimension smaller then the cross sectional diameter  56  of the line  21 . As such, a portion of the line  21  arranged generally perpendicular to the direction  52 , may be fit within the slot  54  and wedged against a rear portion of the slot  54  to be held thereby. Nevertheless, because the slot  54  widens in the direction  52 , a pulling of the line  21  in direction  52  by the arrow  22  will quickly release the line  21  from the slot  54  by drawing it to a wider portion of the slot and then out of the slot altogether.  
         [0035]    While the wedging interaction of the line  21  and slot  54  may rely on the elasticity of the line  21  as its cross-section is deformed by the slot  54 , the material of the line retainer  44  may also be slightly elastic, for example, constructed of a polyurethane material so as to provide additional clamping force on the line  21 . Thus, it will be understood that the present invention works equally well if the clamping is the result of deformation of the line  21  or deformation of the retainer  44 . More generally, the line retainer can be a spring-biased clamp having two opposed members that clamp the line  21  as the sides of the slot  54  clamp the line  21 .  
         [0036]    The clamping of the line  21  is set such that the line is not loosed simply by the force of gravity or acceleration acting on the mass of the line during normal jostling of the bow. It will be understood that when the line  21  is engaged in the slot  54 , it extends generally perpendicular to the direction  52  and that force is directed perpendicular to direction  52  will act with limited effect in disengaging line  21  and that forces not along direction  52  will be met with continued resistance and possibly even greater resistance than forces along direction  52 . Thus, the line retainer  44  provides an angularly varying threshold of force.  
         [0037]    The mechanism of the retainer  44  is such that it may grip the line  21  at any portion along its length and thus a free portion  60  of line  21  extending beyond retainer  44  may be freely adjusted so that the line  21  may be attached to an arrow  22  with a user-selected amount of slack. Ideally, free portion  60  is decreased to the extent possible to reduce the chance of it catching or snagging. In this regard, the line  21  may be attached at the front of the drawn arrow  22  (shown in FIG. 5) to be adjacent to the line guide ring  42 , this point of attachment sliding back along the shaft of the arrow  22  to a stop (not shown) so that the line is in the preferential trailing configuration as the arrow  22  flies through the air. Slide  62  fitting over the shaft of the arrow  22  facilitates this sliding back action and is described in U.S. application Ser. No. 09/891,918 entitled: Bow fishing Arrow Attachment, filed Jun. 26, 2001 assigned to the same assignee as, and co-pending with, the present application, and hereby incorporated reference.  
         [0038]    It is specifically intended that the present invention not be limited to the embodiments and illustrations contained herein, but that modified forms of those embodiments including portions of the embodiments and combinations of elements of different embodiments also be included as come within the scope of the following claims.