Adhesivelessly customizable containment of a delicate electrical apparatus such as earbuds

• US 9,628,891 B2
• Filed: 07/29/2015
• Issued: 04/18/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/05/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: John Fredrick Desautels
• Original Assignee: John Fredrick Desautels
• Inventors: Desautels, John Fredrick, Burks, Katherine Ann
• Primary Examiner(s): Elahee, MD S
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dang, Julie X
• Application Number:
  US14/756,077
• Publication Number:
  US 20160044400A1
• Time in Patent Office: 629 Days
• Field of Search: 381385, 381301, 381333, 381384, 381422, 381172, 381388, 381189, 381160, 381 69, 381 48, 381 44, 381306, 381 9, 381 8
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2701/3919 USB, earphones, audio or video cables, e.g. for connecting small electronic devices such as MP3 players or mobile telephones
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2701/50 Storage means for webs, tapes, or filamentary material
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 75/141 covers therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 75/143 at least one end flange being shaped to cover the windings
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 75/182 Identification means
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 75/28 Arrangements for positively securing ends of material
• 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

Structures and protocols are presented for supporting a delicate apparatus including an electrical conduit, such as earbuds, in a manner that is readily customized to a particular end user or supplier with or without adhesive.

Claims

1. A containment system comprising:

a customization tag;

an electrical apparatus that includes a first interface and a second interface; and

a non-customized base that includes a reel element having an inside partly bounding a first cavity large enough to contain the first interface of the electrical apparatus and an outside configured to engage a conduit of the electrical apparatus that connects the first and second interfaces of the electrical apparatus and that also includes a barrier adjoining a first edge of the reel element and partly bounding a first cavity large enough to contain the first interface of the electrical apparatus and that also includes a second barrier adjoining a second edge of the reel element and partly bounding a second cavity configured to grip the customization tag releasably and partly bounding the first cavity large enough to contain the first interface of the electrical apparatus, the containment system being reversibly customized by the second cavity of the non-customized base gripping the customization tag releasably, the reel element at least partly defining an annulus of the base large enough to receive the conduit of the electrical apparatus.

2. The containment system of claim 1, further comprising;

the customization tag being circular and the second cavity not being circular.

3. The containment system of claim 1, further comprising;

a majority of the second barrier being made of a synthetic rubber, the second barrier having a median thickness on the order of 1 millimeter.

4. The containment system of claim 1, further comprising;

the customization tag having a median thickness greater than a median thickness of the second barrier.

5. A containment system relating to a tag and to an electrical apparatus that includes a first interface and a second interface, the containment system comprising;

a base that includes a reel element having an inside partly bounding a first cavity large enough to contain the first interface of the electrical apparatus and also having an outside configured to engage a conduit of the electrical apparatus that connects the first and second interfaces of the electrical apparatus and that also includes a first barrier adjoining a first edge of the reel element and partly bounding the first cavity large enough to contain the first interface of the electrical apparatus and that also includes a second barrier adjoining a second edge of the reel element and partly bounding a second cavity configured to grip the tag releasably and partly bounding the first cavity large enough to contain the first interface of the electrical apparatus, the reel element at least partly defining an annulus of the base large enough to receive the conduit of the electrical apparatus.

6. The containment system of claim 5, further comprising:

a majority of the base being made of a material having a tensile modulus on the order of 100 megapascals.

7. The containment system of claim 5, further comprising:

a majority of the second barrier being made of a material having a tensile modulus on the order of 10 megapascals and a median thickness on the order of 1 millimeter.

8. The containment system of claim 5, further comprising:

a majority of the second barrier being made of a synthetic rubber.

9. The containment system of claim 5, further comprising:

a device that includes an earbud and a plug, the electrical apparatus being the device, the first interface being the earbud, the second interface being the plug.

10. The containment system of claim 5, further comprising:

the second cavity engaging the tag adhesivelessly.

11. The containment system of claim 5, further comprising:

the tag being a customization tag and being about the same size as the second cavity.

12. The containment system of claim 5, further comprising:

The reel element having an arcuate cross section.

13. The containment system of claim 5, further comprising:

the tag being a customization tag and having an elongate profile.

14. The containment system of claim 5, further comprising:

the reel element having a median thickness greater than a median thickness of the second barrier.

15. The containment system of claim 5, further comprising:

the tag, partly within the second cavity and configured to emit a wireless expression by which the containment system is customized.

16. The containment system of claim 5, further comprising:

the tag configured to customize the containment system by expressing a corporate identifier, the tag being party within the second cavity.

17. The containment system of claim 5, further comprising:

the tag being a customization tag, held non-adhesively and partly within the second cavity by a lip of the second barrier.

18. The containment system of claim 5, further comprising:

the second barrier dividing the first and second cavities.

19. The containment system of claim 18, further comprising:

the tag configured to personalize the containment system by expressing a name identifying a human being, the tag being partly within the second cavity.

20. The containment system of claim 18, further comprising:

the tag configured to display language by which the containment system is customized, the tag being partly within the second cavity.