US 5,348,246 AGranted

Line guide for bait cast reel

AssigneeZebco Corporation

InventorHyunkyu Kim

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Abstract

A bait cast reel of the type having a line-carrying spool, a rotatable crank handle with an associated crank shaft for imparting rotation to the spool to wind line thereon, a line guide, and a worm gear operable in response to rotation of the crank shaft for causing reciprocative movement of the line guide across the spool as the spool is rotated to thereby evenly distribute line on the spool, wherein the structure of the guide track (guide) for the line guide, and, in particular, the cross-sectional shape of the guide, matches the cross-sectional shape of an opening in the frame of the reel such that during assembly the guide may be aligned with and inserted through the matching opening. Thereafter, the guide is rotated so that a portion is out of alignment with the opening and an attaching member is passed through the frame and through the out of alignment portion of the guide. The guide is positioned to support the line guide as the line guide is reciprocated to evenly lay the line on the spool.

An improved bait cast fishing reel of the type having a reel frame including opposing side plates and a plurality of spacer posts for supporting said side plates in a fixed spaced apart relationship, a line-carrying spool and means for retaining said spool between said side plates, a rotatable crank handle with an associated crank shaft for rotating the spool so that line is wound thereon, a line guide, and rotating means for moving the line guide in a reciprocative manner axially adjacent to the spool between said side plates to distribute line evenly thereover as the spool is rotated, the improvement comprising:

guide means for supporting the line guide in relation to said rotating means for moving the line guide;
said line guide slidingly engaged upon said guide means and in cooperative contact with said rotating means for moving the line guide;
said guide means being comprised of
sleeve means for covering a portion of said rotating means for moving the line guide, the sleeve having a longitudinal axis,
a spacer means for supporting said side plates in fixed spaced apart relationship, the spacer means having a longitudinal axis substantially parallel to and spaced apart from the longitudinal axis of the sleeve, and
web means for integrally connecting said spacer means to said sleeve means,
means for supporting said guide means within the reel frame with the spacer means between the side plates and the longitudinal axis of the sleeve generally aligned with the longitudinal axis of the rotating means for moving the line guide, an aperture in each of the side plates adapted to receive the guide means therein wherein
one of the apertures is configured to have a shape matching the cross-section of the guide means to permit passage of the guide means there-through with the longitudinal axis of the sleeve generally aligned with the longitudinal axis of the rotating means for moving the line guide, and
means for fixedly retaining the guide means in an operating position
whereby said aperture enables the insertion and assembly of the guide means to its operating position in the reel frame.

7 more elements

Abstract

Claims11