Cord take-up device

• US 5,230,481 A
• Filed: 05/18/1992
• Issued: 07/27/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Retractable Cord Technologies LLC
• Original Assignee: Preco New Products Corporation
• Inventors: Wheeler, Edwin L., Peterson, Edwin R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Jillions, John M.
• Application Number:
  US07/885,523
• Time in Patent Office: 435 Days
• Field of Search: 242/107, 242/107.1-107.15, 242/107.2, 242/107.3, 242/107.5, 242/107.6, 242/107.7, 242/100.1
• US Class Current: 242/379
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 75/48 Automatic re-storing devices
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 75/486 Arrangements or adaptations of the spring motor
• CPC Class Codes: H02G 11/02 using take-up reel or drum
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/15 Protecting or guiding telephone cords

Abstract

The invention is a dual reel cord take-up device for flat wire cable which has a generally semi-cylindrical upper and lower case half which snap together over a dual-purpose shaft to make two compartments. The first compartment is a cord take-up compartment which is divided in two by a slotted rib on the shaft in that compartment. Flat wire cable is received in both sides of the compartment through apertures in the walls of the compartment. In the second compartment is a flat coil spring fixed on its outside end to a generally cylindrical spring cup within said compartment, and fixed on its inside end to the dual-purpose shaft in that compartment. The spring cup is biased against rotation except to tighten the spring, so the shaft is continually under tension to rotate and retrieve the cable into the take-up compartment.

Claims

1. A dual reel cord take-up device for flat wire cable which comprises:

(a) a generally semi-cylindrical upper case half with two parallel compartments in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the cylinder, the first compartment being adapted to receive the first end of a dual-purpose shaft, and the second compartment being adapted to receive the second end of said dual-purpose shaft and a spring cup, said upper case half having snap-fit means for receiving a lower case half and means for receiving a flat wire cable;

(b) a generally semi-cylindrical lower case half, also with two compartments which correspond to said first and second compartments of said upper case half, said lower case half also having snap-fit means for receiving and cooperating with said upper case half snap-fit means for receiving and retaining said upper case half in fixed relationship, said lower case half having means for receiving a flat wire cable and said second compartment having means for holding said spring cup in said second compartment against rotation in one direction but not the other;

(c) a dual-purpose shaft supported and held in rotatable relationship by both said upper and lower case halves, said shaft being provided on its first end in said first compartment of said upper and lower case halves with a slotted rib which divides said first end of the shaft into two adjacent reels for receiving flat wire cable, said shaft being provided on its second end in said second compartment of said upper and lower case halves with a slot in the shaft for receiving a spring within said spring cup;

(d) a generally cylindrical spring cup within said second compartment of said upper and lower case halves, said spring cup having an outer surface perpendicular to its axis of rotation, means cooperating with the holding means to hold the cup against rotation relative to said upper and lower case halves in one direction but not in the other direction and spring stop means on its inner cylindrical surface for fixing one end of the spring to said spring cup; and

(e) a flat coil spring within said spring cup, said spring being fixed on its outer end to said stop means of said spring cup and being fixed on its inner end to said slot of said second end of said dual-purpose shaft.

2. The take-up device of claim 1 wherein the axial surface of the dual-purpose shaft in the first compartment is an enlarging spiral in the direction of rotation when cable is being added to the shaft.

3. The take-up device of claim 1 wherein the holding means in the second compartment are notches which notches cooperate and interact with the cooperating means of the spring cup which are resilient prongs on its outer cylindrical surface.

4. The take-up device of claim 1 wherein the spring cup has detent means on its outer surface perpendicular to its axis of rotation for winding the spring.