Retractor having rotary damper and product display utilizing same
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A retractor, comprising:
- a housing having a rotatable reel mounted therein;
a cable wound on said reel and having a terminal end extending exteriorly of said housing, said cable being extendable from said housing and being retractable onto said reel;
a spring located in said housing for retracting said cable onto said reel; and
a rotary damper connected to said reel for damping rotary motion of said reel when said cable is retracted under force exerted by said spring.
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Abstract
A retractor has a housing with a rotatable reel captured therein and a cable wound on the reel. A terminal end of the cable extends exteriorly of the housing and is extendable from the housing. The cable is retractable onto the reel by the force of a spring located in the housing. A rotary damper is connected to the reel for restricting the speed of rotation of the reel as the cable is retracted via the force of the spring. A product display utilizing the retractor and a method of tethering lightweight objects to displays are also disclosed.
38 Citations
19 Claims
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1. A retractor, comprising:
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a housing having a rotatable reel mounted therein;
a cable wound on said reel and having a terminal end extending exteriorly of said housing, said cable being extendable from said housing and being retractable onto said reel;
a spring located in said housing for retracting said cable onto said reel; and
a rotary damper connected to said reel for damping rotary motion of said reel when said cable is retracted under force exerted by said spring. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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- 8. A product display having a sample article tethered to the display, comprising a retractor connected to the display, said retractor having a housing with a reel mounted for rotation therein and a cable wound on said reel and having a terminal end extending exteriorly of said housing and connected to the article, said cable being extendable from said housing and automatically retractable onto said reel via the force of a spring located in said housing, and a rotary damper being connected to said reel within said housing for damping the rotation of said reel when said cable is retracted into said housing by said spring.
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15. A method of tethering a lightweight article to a product display, comprising the steps of:
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mounting a retractor to a surface of the product display, said retractor having a housing with a reel mounted for rotation therein and a cable wound on said reel and having a terminal end extending exteriorly of said housing, said cable being extendable from said housing and automatically retractable onto said reel via the force of a spring located in said housing;
connecting the article to an end fitting located on said terminal end of said cable; and
restricting the speed of rotation of said reel when said cable is automatically retracted into said housing by said spring by utilizing a rotary damper connected to said reel;
whereby lightweight articles can be safely retracted by said retractor. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19)
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Specification