Non-wear drag washer for fishing reels
AssigneeW. C. Bradley/Zebco Holdings, Inc.
InventorsRoy E. Stiner, Christopher S. Littau
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A drag washer of ceramic material is provided in a drag assembly for a fishing reel. The ceramic drag washer surprisingly provides the unique combination of hardness and surface finish to render desirable performance characteristics for a high quality drag assembly.
Claims11
In a fishing reel having a frame, a line-carrying spool rotatably mounted relative to the frame, and a drag assembly, the improvement comprising:
- at least one ceramic washer in said drag assembly, the compression of which may be increased or decreased to increase or decrease resistance to rotation of the spool,
- wherein said washer has a static coefficient of friction approximately equal to a dynamic coefficient of friction;
- and
- wherein said washer has a Vickers Hardness (Load 500 g) of about 13.5-17.5 Gpa.
A method of using a fishing reel comprising the steps of:
- engaging an anti-reverse mechanism;
- compressing a drag washer by adjusting a drag assembly to effect a desired drag force for selectively resisting line play out;
- and
- permitting fishing line to pull off of a spool wherein said drag force varies less than 15% as 30 yards of fishing line is pulled off said spool.
In a fishing reel having a frame, a line-carrying spool rotatably mounted relative to the frame, and a drag assembly, the improvement comprising:
- at least one washer in said drag assembly, wherein a selective compression of said washer results in less than a 15% variation in drag force as 30 yards of fishing line is pulled off the spool.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.