The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Aug. 07, 2001
Filed:
May. 05, 2000
Hyunkyu Kim, Broken Arrow, OK (US);
Christopher S. Littau, Bartlesville, OK (US);
Brunswick Corporation, Lake Forest, IL (US);
Abstract
A fishing reel wherein is incorporated a spool free mechanism comprising: a crank handle nonrotatably secured to a crankshaft which rotates a drive gear. A mating pinion gear includes an inner shoulder and an outer shoulder which are supported by bearings, and a feature for drivingly engaging the spool shaft. The inner and outer shoulders are slidable within the supporting bearings such that, in a first position, the pinion gear is drivingly engaged with the spool shaft for rewinding the line and, in a second position, the pinion gear is disengaged from the spool shaft, allowing the spool to freely rotate during casting. In the second position, there is no contact between the spool shaft and the pinion gear, hence, the pinion gear does not cause unnecessary friction during a casting operation. The axial position of the pinion gear is fixed by the bearings which support the inner and outer shoulders thereby holding the pinion gear in precise alignment with the drive gear, thus improving the rewind operation and reducing wear on the drive gear and pinion gear.