Portable retractable reel system

• US 4,685,634 A
• Filed: 05/05/1986
• Issued: 08/11/1987
• Est. Priority Date: 10/03/1985
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Cable Electric Products Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Cable Electric Products Incorporated
• Inventors: Schwartz, Frederic W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Jillions, John M.
• Application Number:
  US06/859,960
• Time in Patent Office: 463 Days
• Field of Search: 242/96, 242/84.8, 242/85, 242/106, 242/107, 242/107.7, 191/12.4, 191/12.2 R
• US Class Current: 242/405.3
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 75/40 mobile or transportable
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 75/4471 Housing enclosing the reel
• CPC Class Codes: H02G 11/02 using take-up reel or drum

Abstract

The present invention provides an extension cord reeling mechanism having electrical or telephone jacks for connecting the plugs of an appliance or the insert for a telephone. A truncated reeling member is rotatably connected to the flat rear wall of a cylindrical housing, with the reeling member having flanges that are rotatably set along the open circular edge of the housing. The reeling member has a cover having mounted to it a jack enclosure that includes jacks facing outward from the cover and a truncated cone side wall positioned in the housing about which an extension cord is reeled or unreeled. The extension cord is connected to the jack enclosure and extends through a chamber in the reeling member and a hole in the side of the chamber into the housing around the cone-shaped wall which acts as the mounting reel for the cord. The cord then passes from the housing through an aperture in the cylindrical side wall of the housing. The cord has a plug connected to its outer end. The cord can be manually reeled onto the reeling member in the housing or be manually unreeled from the reeling member, which rotates one way or the other depending on reeling or unreeling operation. A pin handle extends from the flange of the reeling member for the reeling operation.

Claims

1. An electrical extension cord connector reeling mechanism, in combination, comprising:

a cylindrical housing having a rear wall and a cylindrical side wall forming an aperture, and a circular edge defining an open side opposing said rear wall,

a truncated conical reeling member coaxially mounted in said cylindrical housing, said reeling member having a conical side wall, with a generally upwardly extending circular flange at one end and a truncated wall at the other end, rotatably attached to said rear wall, and further having a base portion at the flanged end, said flange comprising an interface on its outer edge which is rotatably coextensive with said circular edge of said open side of said housing,

jack means mounted to said base portion for receiving at least one plug,

an electrical extension cord having a connector end connected to said jack means and an opposite end connected to a cord plug, said cord being extended through said aperture with said plug positioned outside said housing, said cord being movable to a plurality of positions between and including a first position and a second position, said first position being wherein said cord is fully wound in said housing around said conical side wall of said reeling member and said second position being wherein said cord is fully unwound from said reeling member and is fully extended from said housing,

means for passing said cord from within said housing to said jack means,

means connected to said reeling member for rotating said reeling member and winding said cord into said housing,

means for rotatably attaching said truncated wall to said rear wall, and means for connecting said cord to said reeling member.

wherein said means for rotatably attaching said truncated wall of said conical reeling member to said rear wall of said housing includes an axle member coaxially mounted with said cylindrical housing at said rear wall and extending into said housing, said axle member having a circular end wall which includes a hole coaxially with said axle for receiving a fastener,

said truncated wall is formed into a bearing member that extends into said chamber, is coaxial with said conical reeling member and said axle, and is rotatably mounted on said axle member,

said axle having a circular stop portion near the end wall,

said bearing member having a circular stop recess for rotatably mating with said circular stop portion, and having a bore open end, said circular stop recess and said bore open end are located so that the bore open end is in substantial alignment with the axle'"'"'s circular end wall when the stop recess is mated with the stop portion, and

said axle circular stop portion is spaced from the end wall sufficiently so that when the stop recess is mated with the stop portion, there is no contact between the truncated wall and the housing rear wall.

2. A mechanism according to claim 1 wherein said base portion of said reeling member includes a circular edge portion of said conical wall defining an open face opposing said truncated wall,

said jack means including a circular substantially flat cover member covering said open face of said reeling member and coextensive with and connected to said circular edge portion, said cover member including said circular flange,

said jack means further including a jack enclosure mounted on said cover member and having at least one set of jack receptacles facing outward from said cover member.

3. A mechanism according to claim 2 wherein said flange interface comprises a circumferential keeper which includes a pair of lips adapted for receiving said circular edge of said open side of said housing in slidable connection, wherein one lip is located forward and the other is located inward of the open side circular edge.

4. A mechanism according to claim 2 or 3 wherein said means for passing said cord to said jack means includes said truncated wall, said conical wall, and said flat member defining a chamber, said conical wall forming a hole into said chamber, said cord extending from within said housing through said hole into said chamber, and said connecting end of said cord being connected to said jack enclosure.

5. A mechanism according to claim 2, further including means for affixing said cover member to said circular edge portion of said reeling member, said means for affixing including four bracket members extending inwardly from and positioned equiangularly about the inner surface of said conical wall of said reeling member, said bracket members forming four threaded bolt holes extending approximately parallel to the axis of said reeling member, and four bolts extending through said cover member into screwed connection with each of said bolt holes,

said circular end wall hole is threaded, and

said fastener comprises a threaded bolt and thrust face means having sufficient diameter to engage the bore open end when the bolt is screwed into the end wall hole for holding the bore open end in substantial alignment with the axle'"'"'s circular end wall.