Patent Publication Number: US-2022234861-A1

Title: Fishing Reel Drag Set Device

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     The present application claims priority to, and the benefit of, U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/142,955, which was filed on Jan. 28, 2021 and is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates generally to the field of fishing drag scales. More specifically, the present invention relates to a fishing reel drag set device that is comprised of a body, an upper and lower housing, two eyelets and a power supply. The device may be adjustable or non-adjustable (i.e., static), wherein the adjustable version allots the user multiple tension settings for the line, and the static version has only one tension setting. Other visual and audible elements such as colored LEDs, a speaker relay, and visual and audio indicators are included to help identify if the drag in the fishing line is too heavy or too light. In this manner, the device can be applied to any fishing rod and fishing line to aid a fisherman in using a desired drag setting when attempting to catch a fish. Accordingly, the present disclosure makes specific reference thereto. Nonetheless, it is to be appreciated that aspects of the present invention are also equally applicable to other like applications, devices and methods of manufacture. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Once a fish is hooked onto the end of a fishing rod, it is important to allow a precise amount of drag in the line. If the drag is too light, the fish may shake the hook or pull the line off the reel. If the drag is too heavy, the fish may break the line or pull the hook. Even experienced fishermen have no way of determining the exact force at which the fish is pulling on the line, except via intuition that can only be obtained by experience. The size of the fish often determines the amount of drag a fisherman would want to apply, but a fisherman does not often know the size of the fish until after it is in the boat. Furthermore, without experience there is no way of knowing the desired amount of tension that should be set in the fishing line. 
     Therefore, there exists a long-felt need in the art for an improved fishing device. There also exists a long-felt need in the art for a drag set device that alerts the user when the desired tension in a fishing line is reached, or if there is a large amount of tension in the line. Additionally, there is a long-felt need for a drag set device that allows a user to set a fishing line to a desired amount of tension. 
     The subject matter disclosed and claimed herein, in one embodiment thereof, comprises a fishing reel drag set device. The device is comprised of a body, an upper housing, an LCD screen, a lower housing, a first eyelet, a second eyelet and an internal battery. The first end of the body has an eyelet that further has a continuous opening and a movable, shafted hook, which is attached to an internal load cell, spring or similar device within the body that measures the tension in the fish line (which is displayed by the LCD screen) or can be set to a specific tension. LED lights, a plurality of buttons, the LCD screen and a speaker are also accessible for user input, wherein the LED lights illuminate in differing colors to visually alert the user of different amounts of tension present in the fishing line, and the speaker then emits differing sounds to audibly alert the user of different amounts of tension observed in the fishing line. 
     In this manner, the fishing reel drag set device of the present invention accomplishes all the forgoing objectives and provides a means to set an appropriate amount of drag in a fishing line. Additionally, the device alerts the user if the tension in the line is too great. As a result, the device prevents a break in the line from occurring, which would allow the fish to escape. 
     SUMMARY 
     The following presents a simplified summary in order to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the disclosed innovation. This summary is not an extensive overview, and it is not intended to identify key/critical elements or to delineate the scope thereof. Its sole purpose is to present some general concepts in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later. 
     The subject matter disclosed and claimed herein, in one embodiment thereof, comprises a fishing reel drag set device. The device is comprised of a body, an upper housing, an LCD screen, a lower housing, a first eyelet, a second eyelet and an internal battery. The first end of the body has an eyelet that further has a continuous opening and a shafted hook. The hook can move axially in relation to the shaft, which is attached to an internal spring within the body that measures the tension in the fish line or can be set to a specific tension to set the fishing line at a specific tension. The second eyelet is attached to the second end of the body, and also has a continuous opening that allows the device to attach to a plurality of items such as, but not limited to: a keychain, fishing vest, tackle box, backpack or other fishing-related items. 
     Elements such as LED lights, buttons, an LCD screen, and a speaker, are accessible for user input and may be located on any surface of the body of the device. The device preferably has at least three LED lights of differing colors that illuminate to visually alert the user of different amounts of tension present in the fishing line. One or more buttons are also present and can be used to adjust the tension setting of the device. The LCD screen displays the set (or programmed) tension setting of the device, as well as the current tension of the device in real-time. The speaker then emits differing sounds to audibly alert the user of different amounts of tension observed in the fishing line. In addition, an alternate embodiment of the device may provide neither an LCD screen nor buttons, but may instead be comprised of a spring with a fixed tension. 
     Accordingly, the improved fishing reel drag set device of the present invention is particularly advantageous as it does not interfere with common fishing practices, such as reeling and casting. Further, the device can universally attach to any fishing rod in a way that does not damage the rod. Additionally, the device is capable of setting a desired amount of tension in the line. Therefore, the device eliminates the need for the user to guess how much drag should be applied, and instead allows the user to be confident in applying a desired amount of tension. 
     To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, certain illustrative aspects of the disclosed innovation are described herein in connection with the following description and the annexed drawings. These aspects are indicative, however, of but a few of the various ways in which the principles disclosed herein can be employed and are intended to include all such aspects and their equivalents. Other advantages and novel features will become apparent from the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The description refers to provided drawings in which similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the different views, and in which: 
         FIG. 1  illustrates a perspective view of one potential embodiment of the fishing reel drag set device of the present invention in accordance with the disclosed architecture; wherein the device is adjustable; 
         FIG. 2  illustrates a perspective view of one potential embodiment of the fishing reel drag set device of the present invention in accordance with the disclosed architecture, wherein the is non-adjustable; and 
         FIG. 3  illustrates an enhanced perspective view of a first eyelet and a hook of one potential embodiment of the fishing reel drag set device of the present invention in accordance with the disclosed architecture. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The innovation is now described with reference to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals are used to refer to like elements throughout. In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding thereof. It may be evident, however, that the innovation can be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form in order to facilitate a description thereof. Various embodiments are discussed hereinafter. It should be noted that the figures are described only to facilitate the description of the embodiments. They are not intended as an exhaustive description of the invention and do not limit the scope of the invention. Additionally, an illustrated embodiment need not have all the aspects or advantages shown. Thus, in other embodiments, any of the features described herein from different embodiments may be combined. 
     As noted above, there is a long-felt need in the art for an improved fishing device. There also exists a long-felt need in the art for a drag set device that allows the user to set fishing lines to a desired amount of tension. Finally, there exists a need for a device that alerts the user when the desired tension in the line is reached, or if there is a large amount of tension in the line. 
     The present invention, in one exemplary embodiment, is comprised of a fishing reel drag set device that allows users to set a desired amount of tension in fishing lines, and alerts the user when that tension is reached or is exceeded. The device is primarily comprised of a body, an upper housing, an LCD screen, a lower housing, two eyelets, and an internal battery. In differing embodiments, the body may have the appearance of a key fob with hooks on each end. The body may also be made of a plurality of flexible or semi-flexible plastic material and is waterproof. In addition, any surface of the body may be comprised of a plurality of indicia, such as patterns, logos, emblems, images, symbols, designs, letters, words, characters, animals, advertisements, brands, etc., that may or may not be fish or fisherman-related. 
     Further, the body has an upper and a lower housing, each made of the same material, that protects the electrical elements inside. The upper and lower housings may be fixedly-attached to one another, or removable and snap together, as long as the overall housing structure protects the components inside. The upper housing further comprises a plurality of buttons, at least three LED lights, an LCD screen and a speaker. On each end of the device, there is an eyelet that has a continuous opening. The first eyelet is comprised of a hook and shaft. The hook is movable and is attached to the internal spring, load cell or similar device and a fishing line. The shaft may be fixedly-attached to the body or removable. The second eyelet, attached to the opposite side of the device, is used for attachment to a keychain, vest, backpack or other convenient carrying device. 
     The device contains three or more LED lights and a speaker, wherein the lights send a visual signal to the user, while the speaker sends an audible signal. When 25% of the line class rating has been reached, one LED light illuminates green, and the speaker outputs a steady beeping sound. When between 25% and 33% of the line class rating has been reached, another LED illuminates yellow. When the line class rating exceeds 33%, another LED illuminates red, and the speaker outputs a solid tone. The LCD screen displays the tension setting that is inputted to the system by a user, via pressing the buttons, and also displays the real-time output of the tension in the fishing line while in use. An alternative embodiment of the device has no LCD screen and no buttons, and may only have one fixed tension setting. However, this embodiment has indicia to display the tension setting/value on the device. Other components inside the housing are comprised of a spring (or a load cell) used to measure the tension in the fishing line, a charging port and an internal battery that powers the LCD screen, the buttons, the speaker and any other component that requires power. 
     Accordingly, the improved fishing reel drag set device of the present invention is particularly advantageous as it improves the efficiency of currently used fishing practices. Further, the device can universally attach to any fishing rod and fishing line in a way that does not damage the rod or interfere with the rod&#39;s intended design. Additionally, the device controls the amount of tension in a fishing line with either a static amount of tension or a variable amount of tension. Therefore, the device eliminates the need for a user to guess how much tension should be applied to a fishing line while fishing. 
     Referring initially to the drawings,  FIG. 1  illustrates a perspective view of one embodiment of the fishing reel drag set device  100  of the present invention that is adjustable. The device  100  is primarily comprised of a body  110 , an upper housing  120 , an LCD screen  130 , a lower housing  140 , a first eyelet  150 , a second eyelet  160  and an internal battery  170 . In the preferred embodiment of the device  100  shown in  FIG. 1 , the body  110  is shaped as a generally rectangular box. However, in differing embodiments, the body  110  may have a plurality of shapes and sizes that include at least one or more of rectangular, circular, square, triangular, etc., or any other suitable shape or size as is known in the art. Further, the body  110  may be made of a plurality of materials such as wood or metal, but is preferably made of a flexible or semi-flexible plastic, such as but not limited to: acrylic, polycarbonate, polyethylene, thermoplastic, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, low density polyethylene, medium density polyethylene, high density polyethylene, polyethylene terephthalate, polyvinyl chloride, polystyrene, polylactic acid, acetal, nylon, fiberglass, etc., or any other suitable material as is known in the art. In addition, the body  110  is typically waterproof and may be transparent, semi-transparent or opaque in differing embodiments. Furthermore, the top surface  124 , side surfaces  122 , side surfaces  142  and bottom surface  144  of the body  110  may be comprised of any number of indicia  132  in the form of patterns, logos, emblems, images, symbols, designs, letters, words, characters, animals, advertisements, brands, etc., or any other suitable indicia as is known in the art, that may or may not be fish or fishing-related. 
     As shown in  FIG. 1 , the second eyelet  160  is attached to the second end of body  114  and comprises a continuous opening  162 . The second end  114  of the body  110  and its attachments are designed to attach to a plurality of items such as, but not limited to, a keychain  12 , a fishing vest, a tackle box, a backpack, or other fishing-related items, or any other suitable item as is known in the art. The upper housing  120  and lower housing  140  are fixedly-attached to one another or removably attached. The upper housing  120  and lower housing  140  protect the interior elements of the device  100 , however elements such as LED lights  126 , buttons  128 , an LCD screen  130  and a speaker  134  are accessible for user input and may be located on any surface  122 ,  124 ,  142 ,  144  of the body  110 , but preferably the top surface  124 . Further, in order to protect the internal components, the housing  110  is waterproof and waterproofing measures can comprise one or more of the following: an O-ring/gasket  180 , a sealant, a film, caulking, etc., or any other suitable waterproofing measures as are known in the art. 
     At least three LED lights  126  of differing colors illuminate to visually alert the user of different amounts of tension present on the fishing line  10 . One or more buttons  128  adjust the tension setting of the device  100 . The LCD screen  130  then displays the set (or programmed) tension setting, as well as the current tension of the fishing line  10  in real-time. A speaker  134  omits differing sounds to audibly alert the user of the different amounts of tension observed in the fishing line  10 . In a preferred embodiment, when 25% of the fishing line  10  class rating has been reached, one LED  126  illuminates green and the speaker  134  outputs a steady beeping sound. When between 25% and 33% of the fishing line  10  class rating has been reached, another LED  126  illuminates yellow. When the fishing line  10  class rating exceeds 33%, another LED  126  illuminates red and the speaker  134  outputs a solid tone. 
       FIG. 2  illustrates a perspective view of one embodiment of a fishing reel drag set device  100  of the present invention that is non-adjustable. In an alternative embodiment of the device  100 , the tension setting is fixed and cannot be adjusted. In this embodiment, neither buttons  128  nor an LCD screen  130  is present. Instead, there may be indicia to signify the tension setting on the device  100 , such as a painting, engraving, stickers, etc., or any other suitable indicia number(s) or letter(s) as is known in the art. 
       FIG. 3  illustrates an enhanced perspective view of a first eyelet  150  and a hook  154  of the fishing reel drag set device of the present invention. Attached to the first end of the body  112  is the first eyelet  150  which has a continuous opening  152 , a hook  154  and a shaft  156 . The first end of the body  112  and its attachments are manufactured of a metal, preferably stainless steel, and are designed to allow the fishing line  10  to be attached to/tied around the hook  154 . The hook  154  is attached to an internal spring system, load cell or similar device  174  that measures the tension in the fishing line  10  (once the fishing line  10  has been secured to the hook  154 ) and is movable in an axial direction of the shaft  156 . The internal spring system  174  can also be set to a specific tension via buttons  128 . 
     The body  110  may also be comprised of an internal battery  170  that may power the LEDs  126 , buttons  128 , LCD screen  130 , speaker  134  and spring  174 . The internal battery  170  may be a disposable battery  170  or a rechargeable battery  170 , in the form of an alkaline, nickel-cadmium, nickel-metal hydride battery  170 , etc., such as any 3-12 volt DC battery  170  or other conventional battery  170  such as A, AA, AAA, etc., or any other suitable battery as is known in the art that can supply power to the device. Throughout this specification the terms “battery” and “batteries” may be used interchangeably to refer to one or more wet or dry cells or batteries  170  of cells in which chemical energy is converted into electricity and used as a source of DC power. References to recharging or replacing batteries  170  may refer to recharging or replacing individual cells, individual batteries  170  of cells or a package of multiple battery cells, as is appropriate for any given battery  170  technology that may be used. Additionally, due to the nature of use for the device  110 , the battery  170  may also be powered through exposure to sunlight via a solar panel  176  or through a charging port  172 , such as a USB port present on any surface  122 ,  124 ,  142 ,  144  of the body  110 . In differing embodiments, the charging port  172  may be a USB port-type, such as but not limited to: USB-A, USB-B, Micro-B, Micro-USB, Mini-USB, USB-C, etc., or any other suitable charging port device as is known in the art. 
     Certain terms are used throughout the following description and claims to refer to particular features or components. As one skilled in the art will appreciate, different persons may refer to the same feature or component by different names. This document does not intend to distinguish between components or features that differ in name but not structure or function. As used herein “fishing reel drag set device” and “device” are interchangeable and refer to the fishing reel drag set device  100  of the present invention. 
     Notwithstanding the forgoing, the fishing reel drag set device  100  of the present invention and its various components can be of any suitable size and configuration as is known in the art without affecting the overall concept of the invention, provided that they accomplish the above-stated objectives. One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the size, configuration and material of the fishing reel drag set device  100  as shown in  FIGS. 1-3  is for illustrative purposes only, and that many other sizes and shapes of the fishing reel drag set device  100  are well within the scope of the present disclosure. Although the dimensions of the fishing reel drag set device  100  are important design parameters for user convenience, the fishing reel drag set device  100  may be of any size, shape and/or configuration that ensures optimal performance during use and/or that suits the user&#39;s needs and/or preferences. 
     Various modifications and additions can be made to the exemplary embodiments discussed without departing from the scope of the present invention. While the embodiments described above refer to particular features, the scope of this invention also includes embodiments having different combinations of features and embodiments that do not include all of the described features. Accordingly, the scope of the present invention is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications, and variations as fall within the scope of the claims, together with all equivalents thereof. 
     What has been described above includes examples of the claimed subject matter. It is, of course, not possible to describe every conceivable combination of components or methodologies for purposes of describing the claimed subject matter, but one of ordinary skill in the art may recognize that many further combinations and permutations of the claimed subject matter are possible. Accordingly, the claimed subject matter is intended to embrace all such alterations, modifications and variations that fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. Furthermore, to the extent that the term “includes” is used in either the detailed description or the claims, such term is intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term “comprising” as “comprising” is interpreted when employed as a transitional word in a claim.