Wall mounted telephone cord reel

• US 5,117,456 A
• Filed: 07/16/1990
• Issued: 05/26/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 07/16/1990
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Daniel R. Saufferer, Harold O. Aurness
• Original Assignee: Daniel R. Saufferer, Harold O. Aurness
• Inventors: Aurness, Harold O., Saufferer, Daniel R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dwyer, James L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chan, Jason
• Application Number:
  US07/552,495
• Time in Patent Office: 680 Days
• Field of Search: 379/438, 379/451, 191/12.2 R, 191/12.4, 242/107, 242/107.1, 242/107.11
• US Class Current: 379/438
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/15 Protecting or guiding telephone cords

Abstract

A telephone cord reel according to the teachings of the present invention is shown as including a non-metallic housing base with end walls and divider walls separating a cord reel with a spring activated recoil action from a copper clad disk rotatable with the cord reel. Insulated positive and negative wires extend from the cord reel into a connecting tube where they separate at connecting wires which go to opposite sides of the disk. Copper brushes contacting the rotating disk on each side bring the current through a divider wall to a phone jack which allows connection to the phone housing. Alternate means are provided to secure the unit in or on a wall with alternate covers which have exit holes for the phone cord with means to brake the recoil action of the reel.

Claims

1. A telephone cord reel unit for mounting on a wall joining a removable telephone handset at one end of a phone cord to a removable telephone station box, comprising:

a non-metallic housing base with first and second end walls, and first and second supporting divider walls;

a flanged phone cord reel for holding the phone cord comprising first and second end flanges;

a first immovable axle extending centrally from said first end wall to a flanged, non-metallic connecting tube joining said flanged phone cord reel to a non-metallic disk which is copper plated on both sides of said non-metallic disk said non-metallic disk located between the first and second supporting divider walls and rotatable with the phone cord reel;

recoil means in the form of a plurality of side-by-side coil springs within a cylindrical casing and attached to the first immovable axle and said cylindrical casing, said cylindrical casing extends tandemly, as a part of the cord reel, between said first end wall and said first flange;

a second immovable axle extending centrally from said second end wall of said non-metallic housing base to the non-metallic disk through said second supporting divider wall;

said unit further comprising the phone cord extending through an opening in said second end flange of the phone cord reel to connect to first electric wires, said first electric wires extending through a passage in said flanged, non-metallic connecting tube to couple to second electric wires which are partically embedded in a non-metallic center neck member of said non-metallic disk; and

first and second contact brushes mounted on said first and second supporting divider walls respectively, said first contact brush extending to the copper plate at one side of said non-metallic disk and said second contact brush extending to the copper plate at the other side of said non-metallic disk, said first and second contact brushes having spring tension contact for transferring electric current to telephone wires, said telephone wires attached to said first and second contact brushes and extending to a phone jack in said second end wall, wherein said first and second contact brushes contacting the copper plates of said non-metallic disk provide a means for continual, uninterrupted current flow between the handset and the telephone station box.

2. The telephone cord reel unit of claim 1 further comprises a housing cover, said housing cover being attached to said non-metallic housing base by a clip means formed on said non-metallic housing base, said housing cover having an opening with a V-shaped hook member which catches and pinches the phone cord when flipped by the user.

3. The telephone cord reel of claim 1 wherein the recoil means comprise

a minimum of two coil springs each of a ribbon-like cross section arranged side-by-side inside said cylindrical casing abutting and rotatable with said phone cord reel;

a laterally spacer between the coil springs; and

said first immovable axle extending through the casing and the phone cord reel, one end of each said coil springs attached to said first immovable axle and the other end of each of said coil springs attached to said casing.