Abstract:
A fishing reel includes a saddle with an axle that is mountable to a fishing pole. A spool is mounted on the axle and a handle is in mechanical communication with the spool. The handle has an axis of rotation oriented parallel to and offset from an axis of rotation of the spool. The spool is rotated when the handle is rotated so that the spool rotates greater than 1.5 times around the axle for every 1.0 rotations of the handle.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE 
     Field of the Disclosure 
     The disclosure relates to fishing reels and more particularly pertains to a new fishing reel for use with ice fishing and fly fishing pole. 
     SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE 
     An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a saddle including an outer wall having an inner surface, an outer surface and a perimeter edge. A mount is attached to the inner surface and extends away therefrom. A foot mounting is attached to the saddle and is positioned adjacent to the perimeter edge. The foot mounting is configured to engage a fishing reel receiver on a fishing pole. An axle is attached to the outer wall and extends away from the inner surface. A spool is mounted on the axle and a spool gear, which is axially aligned with the axle, is mounted to the spool. The spool gear is non-rotationally engaged with the axle. A gear housing is attached to the mount and the spool is positioned between the gear housing and the outer wall. The gear housing extends over the spool gear. A handle is rotatably coupled to the gear housing. A drive gear is mounted within the gear housing and is coupled to the handle. The drive gear rotates when the handle is rotated with respect to the housing. The drive gear is in mechanical communication with the spool gear such that the spool rotates when the handle is rotated. The drive gear has a rotational axis that is spaced from a rotational axis of the spool gear, while the rotational axis of the drive gear and the rotational axis of the spool gear are oriented parallel to each other. 
     Yet another embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a saddle including an axle that is configured to be mounted on a fishing pole. A spool is mounted on the axle and a handle is in mechanical communication with the spool. The handle has an axis of rotation oriented parallel to and offset from an axis of rotation of the spool. The spool is rotated when the handle is rotated so that the spool rotates greater than 1.5 times around the axle for every 1.0 rotations of the handle. 
     There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto. 
     The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a bottom perspective from view of a fishing reel according to an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 2  is a front and bottom perspective exploded view of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 3  is a bottom perspective rear view of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 4  is a rear and bottom perspective exploded view of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective exploded view of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective exploded view of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective exploded view of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 8  is a bottom rear perspective view of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 9  is a front perspective view of a spool of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 10  is a rear perspective view of a gear housing of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to  FIGS. 1 through 10  thereof, a new fishing reel embodying the principles and concepts of an embodiment of the disclosure and generally designated by the reference numeral  10  will be described. 
     As best illustrated in  FIGS. 1 through 10 , the fishing reel  10  generally comprises a saddle  12  including an outer wall  14  having an inner surface  15 , an outer surface  16  and a perimeter edge  17 . A mount  18  is attached to the inner surface  15  and extends away therefrom. The mount  18  is positioned adjacent to the perimeter edge  17  and may be fixedly coupled to the outer wall  14  such as by fasteners or it may be non-removably coupled to the outer wall to form a unitary member comprised of a single piece of material. A foot mounting  19  is attached to the saddle  12  and is positioned adjacent to the perimeter edge  17 . The foot mounting  19  is conventional to fishing reels and is configured to engage a fishing reel receiver on a fishing pole. The foot mounting  19  is positioned opposite of the mount  18 . 
     An axle  20  is attached to the outer wall  14  and extends away from the inner surface  15 . A spool  22  is mounted on the axle  20  and includes a central portion  23  and a pair of lateral walls  24 ,  25  positioned on opposite sides of the central portion  23 . The central portion  23  receives the axle  20 . The mount  18  extends over the central portion  23  and each of the lateral walls  24 , 25 . The mount  18  may be pivotally coupled to the outer wall  14  to allow the spool  22  to be removed as needed. A spool gear  26  is mounted, in a removable or fixed fashion as described below, to the spool  22  and is axially aligned with the axle  20  when the spool  22  is positioned on the axle  20 . The axle  20  may in turn be axially aligned with the spool  22 . The spool gear  26  is non-rotationally engaged with the axle  20 . 
     A gear housing  30  is attached to the mount  18  and the spool  22  is positioned between the gear housing  30  and the outer wall  14 . The gear housing  30  extends over the spool gear  26 . More particularly, the spool gear  26  may be extended through an opening  31  in the gear housing  30 . It should be apparent that the spool gear  26  may be mounted and retained within the gear housing  30 , or it may be fixedly coupled to the spool  22  such that when the fishing reel  10  is disassembled, the spool gear  26  remains attached to the spool  22 . The spool  22  may include a non-rounded post  32  extending through a similarly shaped aperture  33  in the spool gear  26  to prevent the spool gear  26  from rotating with respect to the spool  22 . The gear housing  30  may include a first wall  34 , a second wall  35  and a perimeter wall  36  extending therebetween. The first wall  34  includes the opening  31  for either receiving the post  32  if the spool gear  26  is retained within the gear housing  30  or the opening  31  may be large enough to removably receive the spool gear  26  should it be fixedly mounted on the spool  22 . A fastener  37  may be extended through the gear housing  30  and into a distal end  38  of the axle  20  with respect to the outer wall  14 . The fastener  37  restricts movement of the gear housing  30  with respect to the saddle  12 . 
     A handle  40  is rotatably coupled to the gear housing  30 . The handle  40  includes a first section  41  and a second section  42  attached together and oriented approximately perpendicular to each other, wherein the first section  41  is attached to the gear housing  30 . A grip  43  is attached to the second section  42  distal to the first section  41  and extends away from the second section  42  in an opposite direction of the first section  41 . The grip  43  is rotatable with respect to the second section  42 . 
     A drive gear  46  is mounted within the gear housing  30  and is coupled to the handle  40  such that the first section  41  and the drive gear  46  share an axis of rotation. The drive gear  46  rotates when the handle  40  is rotated with respect to the gear housing  30 . The drive gear  46  is in mechanical communication with the spool gear  26  and may be positioned within the same plane as the spool gear  26 . By being engaged with the spool gear  26 , the spool  22  rotates when the handle  40  is rotated. The drive gear  46  has a rotational axis that is spaced from a rotational axis of the spool gear  26 . The rotational axis of the drive gear  46  and the rotational axis of the spool gear  26  are oriented parallel to each other. Further, the rotational axis of the drive gear  46  may be positioned farther from the foot mounting  19  than the rotational axis of the spool  22 . The spool gear  26  has a smaller diameter than the drive gear  46  to increase of speed of rotation of the spool  22  relative to the handle  40 . Generally, the gear ratio of the drive gear  46  to the spool gear  26  will be between 1.5:1 and 3.5:1. 
     As can be seen in  FIGS. 5 and 7 , the gear housing  30  may include an additional gear, or secondary gear  48 , in addition to the drive gear  46 . The number of gears to be used will be generally be determined by the type of fishing to be accomplished. Should the angler be ice fishing, no secondary gear  48  will be used as shown in  FIG. 7  because the fishing line enters the spool  22  above the central portion  23  (between the central portion  23  and the foot mounting  19 ). As would be well understood in  FIG. 7 , the spool  22  and drive gear  46  will rotate in opposite directions with respect to each other.  FIG. 5  includes a secondary gear  48  which causes the drive gear  46  and spool gear  48  to rotate in the same direction as each other. Such a configuration would typically be used fly fishing where the fishing line is wound onto the spool  22  from under the central portion  23 . In each case it should be understood that the foot mounting  19  would form the uppermost part of the saddle  12  when the saddle  12  is mounted on a fishing rod. Thus, in the embodiment of  FIG. 5 , the central portion  23  of the spool  22  would be between the foot mounting  19  and the position where the fishing line begins to be wound onto the spool  22 . 
     A generally conventional drag assembly  50  may be mounted on the saddle  12  and engaged with the axle  20  to control ease of rotation of the spool in a direction opposite to that being used to wind fishing line onto the spool. Generally, the axle  19  is allowed to rotate in line winding direction freely as it is actuated by the handle  40  but resists a line unwinding direction when pressure is placed upon an axle mount  51 . Such a structure generally includes a biasing member  52  which may be tightened against a washer  55  and pins  53  that are abutted against a mounting plate  54  of the axle mount  51 . 
     In use, the fishing reel  10  is used in a conventional manner, however, the handle  40  has an axis of rotation offset from the rotational axis of the spool  22  allowing for a geared connection between the handle  40  and the spool  22  while retaining the rotational axis of the spool  22  in parallel orientation with the axis of rotation of the handle  40 . The geared connection further provides for increasing the speed of rotation of the spool  22  relative to the handle  40 . This has particular significance in ice fishing and in fly fishing where a large amount of fishing line is often let out and the angler desires to quickly retrieve the fishing line. Moreover, the position of the handle  40 , offset from the rotational axis of the spool  22 , is more natural to fly fishing which typically includes a handle mounted on the perimeter edge of the spool itself. 
     With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure. 
     Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.