Berkley Corporation

Berkley & Company, Inc.

Steven L Grice

Robert L McMickle

Gary B Ader

Bradley J Benit

A lockable reel seat system includes a reel seat body exhibiting: (a) a handle section having a rear reel seat cavity, a male threaded length with a circular cross sectional shape and a longitudinally extended central axis, and a pair of aligned grooves extending longitudinally within said threaded portion; (b) a foregrip or other form of forward member with a female threaded cavity that engages the threaded portion of the handle to allow the cavity to advance toward or retract from the rear reel seat cavity, a pair of holes aligned with the grooved in the threaded section; and (c) a curved saddle clip that fits over the foregrip or forward member and which has a pair of inwardly projecting pins that extend through the holes and engage the grooves. When the saddle clip is engaged, the foregrip or forward member cannot be turned. This clip acts as a lock to secure the reel in the reel seat of a particular rod. The saddle clip also provides a consistently positioned surface on which any price tag or SKU codes can be placed to reflect the rod and reel combination.

Locked reel seat

The present invention provides an improved fishing rod blank having increased hoop strength and a visually unique and appealing appearance. The rod blank of the instant invention incorporates non-woven materials to achieve increased flexibility hoop strength and improved visual appearance. In particular, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, non-woven materials are applied to unidirectional prepreg materials during the prepregging process to form a co-plied unidirectional and non-woven preimpregnated fibrous composite material that is used to form the fishing rod blank. In another embodiment, the non-woven material is applied to the outermost layer of the rod in a finishing step to enhance the appearance of the rod. The appearance is further enhanced when the underlying material and a woven outer layer of the blank have contrasting colors. In an alternative embodiment, the innermost layer of the rod blank is formed of a non-woven material. The preferred fibers that make up the non-woven material include kevlar, glass, aramid, polyester and carbon fibers.

Graphite fiber fishing rod blank incorporating a non-woven

Fishing rods have a bulged section within two line guides from the handle, within the last four guides, or a combination of bulged zones. Fishing rods with at least one bulged section are able to cast further.

Fishing rod with bulge

Reel seat

Spin casting fishing rod handle

Bait casting rod handle

Bait casting fishing rod handle

Reel seat for fishing rod

A spin casting fishing reel is provided with a key slideably mounted within the frame for providing release of the spindle shaft assembly from the reel frame. The key is slideable from a first key position, which operatively retains the shaft assembly within the frame, to a second key position, which releases the shaft assembly, so that the entire spindle shaft assembly can be removed from the frame. Once released from the frame, the entire spindle shaft assembly can be easily disassembled into its component parts for repair or readjustment. With the spin casting fishing reel reassembled to its normal operating position, it operates as any conventional spin casting fishing reel.

Spin casting reel with toollessly removable spool and spool cap

A bail release mechanism for a spinning fishing reel having a spring guided by a drive shoe having no fixed pivot to drive a bail support arm from an open-bail position to a closed-bail position. A ramp integral with a bearing cover on the reel drives a trip spring in the form of a Z-shaped wire which moves the bail support arm from a near-over-center position past an over-center position to a remote non-over-center position. A sliding drive shoe couples a bias spring to the bail support arm to drive the bail support arm to one of the open and closed positions. A manually operable trigger engages the bail support arm to drive the bail support arm to the open position.

Bail release mechanism for a spinning fishing reel

Portable rotary snow thrower

A portable rotary snow thrower is disclosed. The housing of the snow thrower is baffled to cause the snow to be thrown to one side for a particular direction of rotation of the rotor. The rotor may also be rotated in the opposite direction to throw the snow to the opposite side of the snow thrower through the same opening without repositioning of baffles or other mechanical elements.

Growing community of inventors

Spirit Lake, IA, United States of America

Steven L Grice