Cable winding housing

• US 6,250,578 B1
• Filed: 05/20/1999
• Issued: 06/26/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: WSOU Investments, LLC (WSOU Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Manda, Venakata Krishna Roa
• Primary Examiner(s): RIVERA, WILLIAM ARAUZ
• Application Number:
  US09/315,484
• Time in Patent Office: 768 Days
• Field of Search: 242/378, 242/378.1, 242/378.4, 242/381, 242/381.1, 242/381.2, 242/381.3, 242/385.4, 242/396, 242/396.1, 242/396.2, 242/396.4, 242/396.6, 242/378.2, 191/12.2 R, 191/12.R
• US Class Current: 242/378.1
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 75/4431 Manual stop or release button
• CPC Class Codes: H02G 11/02 using take-up reel or drum

Abstract

A cable winding housing for a cable used to interconnect a computer and an external peripheral device. The housing includes a spring-operated, winding cylindrical shaft around which the cable is wound, a teeth wheel assembly superposed around the shaft, and a spring-loaded locking element configured for locking between two of the teeth on the teeth wheel, wherein the locking element is releasable from outside of the housing. When the locking element is locked into the teeth wheel, the shaft is prevented from rotating such that the cable can not be unwound from or wound into the housing. When the locking element is released from the teeth wheel, the shaft can rotate and the cable can alternatively be either wound into or unwound from the housing. The housing prevents a cable used to interconnect two devices from becoming entangled with other cables and ensures that each cable is taut and does not sag downward, thereby providing a neat connection.

Claims

1. A cable winding housing, comprising:

an enclosure having a rotatable cylindrical shaft positioned therein, the shaft being configured for receiving a cable used to interconnect two electronic devices;

a teeth wheel coupled to the shaft;

a coiled spring superposed around the shaft and the teeth wheel;

a releasable, spring biased locking element configured for locking into the teeth wheel, wherein when the locking element is locked into the teeth wheel the shaft is prevented from rotating thereby preventing the cable from both being wound into and unwound from the housing, and when the locking element is released from the teeth wheel the shaft can rotate thereby enabling the cable to alternatively be unwound from the housing to interconnect two electronic devices, and wound into the housing to provide a taut cable connection between the two electronic devices; and

the releasable spring biased locking element being comprised of;

a pushing pin having a first end protruding externally from the housing and a second end;

a pivotally moveable bar having a first end and a second end, the pivotally moveable bar being pivotally coupled to a stationary element in the interior of the housing, the pushing pin second end being coupled to the pivotally moveable bar first end; and

a locking pin having a first end and a second end, the locking pin first end being coupled to the pivotally moveable bar second end and the locking pin second end being configured for insertion and withdrawal from between the at least two of the plurality of teeth, wherein when the pushing pin first end is pushed towards the housing, both the pushing pin second end and the pivotally moveable bar first end are displaced towards the center of the interior of the housing causing both pivotally moveable bar second end and locking pin first end to be displaced towards the exterior of the housing, thereby withdrawing locking pin second end from between at least two of the plurality of teeth and enabling the shaft to rotate.

2. The housing according to claim 1, wherein the enclosure is comprised of two enclosure halves coupled together.

3. The housing according to claim 2, wherein the two enclosure halves are secured closed by a latch.

4. The housing according to claim 1, wherein the teeth wheel has a plurality of teeth and the locking element has a first end protruding externally from the enclosure and a second end configured for insertion and withdrawal from between at least two of the plurality of teeth.

5. The housing according to claim 4, wherein the locking element is released by pushing the locking element first end towards the housing.

6. The housing according to claim 5, wherein when the locking element first end is pushed towards the housing, the locking element second end is withdrawn from between the at least two of the plurality of teeth of the teeth wheel, thereby enabling the shaft to rotate.

7. The housing according to claim 4, wherein when the locking element is locked the locking element second end rests between the at least two of the plurality of teeth of the teeth wheel, thereby preventing the shaft from rotating.

8. The housing according to claim 1, wherein when the locking element first end is pulled away from the housing, the locking element second end is withdrawn from between the at least two of the plurality of teeth of the teeth wheel, thereby enabling the shaft to rotate.

9. The housing according to claim 8, wherein the locking element first end protrudes externally through an opening in the housing, and a band larger than the opening is coupled to a portion of the locking element inside of the housing to prevent the locking element from being either completely withdrawn from or falling out of the housing.

10. The housing according to claim 1, wherein the cable has a first end and a second end and the housing has a first opening and a second opening, wherein the first cable end is wound into and unwound from the housing through the first housing opening, and the second cable end is wound into and unwound from the housing through the second housing opening.

11. The housing according to claim 10, wherein both the first cable end and the second cable end are simultaneously unwound from the housing by pulling on either one of the first cable end and the second cable end.

12. The housing according to claim 1, wherein the cable is secured to the shaft.

13. The housing according to claim 12, wherein the shaft includes at least two openings through which the cable is thread.

14. The housing according to claim 1, wherein when the locking element is locked, those portions of the cable that are then unwound outside of the housing remain outside of the housing.

15. The housing according to claim 1, wherein the shaft has a longitudinal axis, and the spring exerts a pressure on the shaft which causes the shaft to rotate around the longitudinal axis.

16. The housing according to claim 15, wherein the pressure is constant.

17. The housing according to claim 1, wherein the housing houses a cable used to interconnect a computer and an external peripheral device.

18. The housing according to claim 1, further comprising:

a second rotatable cylindrical shaft positioned therein, the second shaft being configured for receiving a second portion of the cable and the first shaft being configured for receiving a first portion of the cable;

a stationary element positioned between the first shaft and the second shaft, wherein the stationary element enables the first shaft to rotate independently of the second shaft;

a second teeth wheel coupled to the second shaft;

a second coiled spring superposed around the second shaft and the second teeth wheel; and

a second releasable, spring biased locking element configured for locking into the second teeth wheel, wherein when the second locking element is locked into the second teeth wheel the second shaft is prevented from rotating thereby preventing the second portion of the cable wound around the second shaft from both being wound into and unwound from the housing, and when the second locking element is released from the second teeth wheel the second shaft can rotate thereby enabling the second portion of the cable wound around the second shaft to alternatively be unwound from the housing and wound into the housing to provide a taut cable connection between one of the two electronic devices and the housing.

19. The housing according to claim 18, wherein the first portion of the cable can be unwound from and wound into the housing independently of the second portion of the cable.

20. A cable winding housing, comprising;

a housing for a cable used to interconnect a computer and an external peripheral device;

a spring-biased, cylindrical shaft positioned in the housing, the shaft being configured for receiving the cable;

a teeth wheel having a plurality of teeth superposed around the shaft;

a spring-biased locking element releasable from outside of the housing, wherein when the locking element is locked into the teeth wheel the shaft is prevented from rotating and the cable can not be wound into the housing, and when the locking element is released from the teeth wheel the shaft can rotate and wind the cable into the housing to provide a taut cable connection between the computer and the external peripheral device; and

the releasable, spring-biased locking element being comprised of;

a pushing pin having a first end protruding externally from the housing and a second end;

a pivotally moveable bar having a first end and a second end, the pivotally moveable bar being pivotally coupled to a stationary element in the interior of the housing, the knob pin second end being coupled to the pivotally moveable bar first end; and

a locking pin having a first end and a second end, the locking pin first end being coupled to the pivotally moveable bar second end and the locking pin second end being configured for insertion and withdrawal from between the at least two of the plurality of teeth, wherein when the pushing pin first end is pushed towards the housing, both the pushing pin second end and the pivotally moveable bar first end are displaced towards the center of the interior of the housing causing both pivotally moveable bar second end and locking pin first end to be displaced towards the exterior of the housing, thereby withdrawing locking pin second end from between at least two of the plurality of teeth and enabling the shaft to rotate.

21. The housing according to claim 20, wherein the teeth wheel has a plurality of teeth and the releasable, spring-biased locking element has a first end protruding externally from the housing and a second end configured for insertion and withdrawal from between at least two of the plurality of teeth.

22. The housing according to claim 21, wherein the releasable, spring-biased locking element is released by pulling the locking element first end away from the housing, thereby causing the locking element second end to be withdrawn from the at least two of the plurality of teeth and enabling the shaft rotate and wind the cable into the housing, the locking element first end protruding externally through the an opening in the housing, and a band larger than the opening being coupled to a portion of the locking element inside of the housing to prevent the locking element from being either completely withdrawn from or falling out of the housing.

23. The housing according to claim 21, wherein the releasable, spring-biased locking element is released by pushing the locking element first end towards the housing, thereby causing the locking element second end to be withdrawn from the at least two of the plurality of teeth and enabling the shaft to rotate and wind the cable into the housing.