Cable-spooling casing for earphones

• US 5,984,224 A
• Filed: 10/23/1998
• Issued: 11/16/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 07/21/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Cotron Corporation
• Original Assignee: Cotron Corporation
• Inventors: Yang, Bill
• Primary Examiner(s): Walsh, Donald P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): PHAM, MINH CHAU
• Application Number:
  US09/178,016
• Time in Patent Office: 389 Days
• Field of Search: 242/400.1, 242/402, 242/405.1, 242/405.2, 242/404.3, 242/404.2, 242/407, 242/407.1
• US Class Current: 242/400.1
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2701/34 electric cords or electric power cables
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 75/4473 without arrangements or adaptations for rotating the core or former
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/15 Protecting or guiding telephone cords
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/10 Earpieces; Attachments therefor ; Earphones; Monophonic headphones H04R1/28 takes precedence; stereophonic headphones H04R5/033
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1033 Cables or cables storage, e.g. cable reels cord reels per se H02G11/02; arrangements for storing and repeatedly paying-out and re-storing lengths of conductors or cables B65H75/34; extensible conductors or cables, e.g. self-coiling cords H01B7/06

Abstract

A cable-spooling casing is suitable for completely or partially spooling transmission cables of earphone for easy carriage. The cable-spooling casing includes a first spooling guide having a first protuberance on its interior surface and a plurality of slots around its perimeter. There is also a second spooling guide having a second protuberance on its interior surface, such that when the first protuberance of the first spooling guide is joined to the second protuberance of the second spooling guide, a groove for spooling cable is formed in the middle. There is at least one clip on the exterior surface of the first cable-spooling guide for fixing the earphone transmission cable in place and at least one back clamp on the exterior surface of the second cable-spooling guide for clamping the cable-spooling casing onto any item worn by a user.

Claims

1. A cable-spooling casing suitable for winding up a transmission cable, the cable-spooling casing comprising:

a first cable-spooling guide, wherein the first cable-spooling guide includes a first exterior surface and a first interior surface, such that the first interior surface has a first protuberance and the perimeter of the first cable-spooling guide has a plurality of slots;

a second cable-spooling guide, wherein the second cable-spooling guide includes a second exterior surface and a second protuberance, and the second protuberance joins with the first protuberance of the first cable-spooling guide to form a groove for spooling the transmission cable, the first and second protuberances are joined in such a manner that they are not movable against each other;

at least one hook-like clip having an arm and a support mounted on the first exterior surface of the first cable-spooling guide for fixing the position of two end portions of the transmission cable, which is spooled in the groove and leaves the two end portions to be adjustably fixed on the clip through the slots adjacent to the clip, wherein the arm of the clip and the first exterior surface define an opening for receiving the two end portions; and

a fixing device formed on the second exterior surface of the second cable-spooling guide for fixing the cable-spooling casing onto an item carried by a user.

2. The cable-spooling casing of claim 1, wherein the first cable-spooling guide including the first protuberance and second cable-spooling guide including the second protuberance are substantially identical except the slots.

3. The cable-spooling casing of claim 1, wherein the first cable-spooling guide and the second cable-spooling guide have different sizes.

4. The cable-spooling casing of claim 1, wherein the first cable-spooling guide and the second cable-spooling guide have an oval shape as viewed in a top view of the first and second cable-spooling guide.

5. The cable-spooling casing of claim 1, wherein the first cable-spooling guide and the second cable-spooling guide have a rectangular shape.

6. The cable-spooling casing of claim 1, wherein the clip has a saw-tooth shaped profile for preventing the transmission cable from slipping out of the clip.

7. The cable-spooling casing of claim 6, wherein the saw-tooth shaped profile includes a wavy profile.

8. The cable-spooling casing of claim 6, wherein the clip includes a first clip with a first arm and first support and a second clip with a second arm and second support, each of the clips adjustably fixes one of the two end portions, wherein the first arm and the second arm are substantially parallel with the first exterior surface and define a first opening for receiving one of the two end portions and a second opening for receiving the other one of the two end portions.

9. The cable-spooling casing of claim 1, wherein the first protuberance corresponds in size to the second protuberance.

10. The cable-spooling casing of claim 1, wherein the fixing device includes a sticky tape.

11. The cable-spooling casing of claim 1, wherein the fixing device includes a clip.

12. The cable-spooling casing of claim 1, wherein the fixing device includes a hook-like clamp.

13. The cable-spooling casing of claim 1, wherein the first and second protuberances have a periphery with an oval-like shape.

14. The cable-spooling casing of claim 8, wherein the first arm of the first clip and the second arm of the second clip are pointing to each other.

15. The cable-spooling casing of claim 1, wherein the transmission cable comprises an earphone transmission cable.

16. A cable-spooling casing suitable for winding up an earphone transmission cable, the earphone transmission cable having an earphone end and a plug end, the cable-spooling casing comprising:

a first cable-spooling guide, wherein the first cable-spooling guide has a first exterior surface and a first interior surface, such that the first interior surface has a first protuberance and the perimeter of the first cable-spooling guide has a plurality of slots;

a second cable-spooling guide, wherein the second cable-spooling guide has a second exterior surface and a second protuberance, and the second protuberance joins with the first protuberance of the first cable-spooling guide to form a groove between the first and second cable-spooling guide for spooling the transmission cable, and the first protuberance is not movable relative to the second protuberance;

a pair of hook-like clips, each of the hook-like clips having an arm and a support mounted on the first exterior surface of the first cable-spooling guide, one of the hook-like clips for fixing the position of the earphone end of the earphone transmission cable spooled in the groove and another of the hook-like clips for fixing the position of the plug end of the earphone transmission cable, leaving the earphone end and the plug end to be adjustably fixed on the clip through the slots adjacent to the clip, wherein the arms of the clips and the first exterior surface define an opening for receiving the earphone end and the plug end; and

a fixing device formed on the second exterior surface of the second cable-spooling guide for fixing the cable-spooling casing onto an item carried by a user.