Cord retainer

• US 20060009069A1
• Filed: 09/09/2005
• Published: 01/12/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Drew Zoller
• Original Assignee: Drew Zoller
• Inventors: Zoller, Drew
• Granted Patent: US 7,108,544 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 439/501
• 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: H01R 13/72 Means for accommodating flexible lead within the holder
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 2201/16 for telephony
• CPC Class Codes: H02G 11/02 using take-up reel or drum
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/15 Protecting or guiding telephone cords

Abstract

A cord retainer is utilized in association with a portable electrical device, such as a cellular phone or a portable disc player. The cord retainer includes a base which is connected with the electrical device or with a case for the electrical device. A flange is connected with and extends from the base. The flange and base may cooperate with a surface of a housing of the electrical device or with a surface of the case to at least partially define a groove into which a cord may be manually wound. The cord retainer may be integrally formed as one piece with the housing of the electrical device or with the case. The base of the cord retainer may cooperate with the housing of the electrical device or the case to form an opening through which a belt can be moved.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising a portable electrical device having a housing, a case which at least partially encloses said housing of said portable electrical device, and a cord retainer connected to said case, said cord retainer including a flange which at least partially defines a groove into which a cord may be manually wound.

2. An apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said cord retainer is integrally formed as one piece with said case.

3. An apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said cord retainer includes a fastener which fixedly secures said cord retainer to one side of said case, a portion of said one side of said case being disposed between said cord retainer and said housing.

4. An apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said case includes a surface area which cooperates with said flange to further define the groove into which the cord may be manually wound.

5. An apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said flange and said groove have a noncircular configuration.

6. An apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said cord retainer includes a base which is fixedly connected with said case and which has a central axis which extends through said electrical device and through said case, said base and said flange having an oval cross sectional configuration as viewed in a plane extending perpendicular to the central axis of said base.

7. An apparatus as set forth in claim 6 wherein said base and flange are integrally formed as one piece.

8. An apparatus as set forth in claim 6 wherein said base has an oval cross sectional configuration as viewed in a plane extending perpendicular to the central axis of said cord retainer.

9. An apparatus as set forth in claim 6 wherein said flange includes first and second parallel portions disposed adjacent to opposite sides of said base and first and second arcuate portions, said first arcuate portion being connected to a first end of said first parallel portion and to a first end of said second parallel portion, said second arcuate portion being connected to a second end of said first parallel portion and to a second end of said second parallel portion.

10. An apparatus as set forth in claim 9 wherein said first and second parallel portions of said flange each have a recess which is engagable with the electrical cord to grip the electrical cord, said first and second arcuate portions of said flange each have a recess which is engagable with the electrical cord to grip the electrical cord.

11. An apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said cord retainer includes a base having a first end portion and a fastener connected with said first end portion of said base and with said case.

12. An apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said flange has an inner side surface which faces toward and is spaced from said case, said case having an outer side surface which faces toward said inner side surface of said flange, said outer side surface of said case cooperates with said inner side surface of said flange to further define said groove, at least a portion of a plurality of turns of said cord being disposed in engagement with said outer side surface of said case and said inner side surface of said flange when said cord is wound in said groove.

13. An apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said cord retainer includes a base which is connected with said flange and a reclosable multiple layered fastener connected with said base, said reclosable multiple layered fastener being connected with said case to releasably connect said cord retainer with said case.

14. An apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said cord retainer includes a base having a first end portion which is fixedly connected with said case and a second end portion which is fixedly connected with said flange, said cord retainer has a central axis which extends through said base and said case, said base and flange have oval cross sectional configurations as viewed in a plane extending perpendicular to the central axis of said cord retainer, said case has a surface area which cooperates with said flange to further define the groove into which the cord may be manually wound.

16. An apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said cord retainer includes a plurality of spaced apart recesses formed in a peripheral portion of said flange, said cord being positionable in any one of said plurality of recesses to connect said cord with said flange at any one of a plurality of locations along a peripheral portion of said flange.

17. An apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said cord retainer at least partially defines an opening to receive a belt which extends around a waist of a person using said apparatus.

18. An apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said cord retainer includes a base which is fixedly connected with said flange, said base includes a first section which is connected with said case and a second section which is movable relative to said case to enable a belt to be moved between said second section of said base and said case.

15. An apparatus as set forth in claim 15 wherein said base and flange are integrally formed as one piece.

19. A portable electrical device having a cord, said portable electrical device comprising a housing and a cord retainer, said cord retainer including a flange which is fixedly connected with said housing and which at least partially defines a groove disposed between said flange and housing and into which the cord may be manually wound, said flange is spaced apart from said housing and includes a plurality of spaced apart recesses formed in a peripheral portion of said flange, an end portion of said cord being positionable in any one of said plurality of recesses to connect said cord with said flange at any one of a plurality of locations along the peripheral portion of said flange with a wound portion of the cord disposed in the groove between said flange and the housing.

20. A portable electrical device as set forth in claim 19 wherein said base and flange are integrally formed as one piece, said cord retainer has a second flange which at least partially defines the groove into which the cord may be manually wound, said second flange being integrally formed as one piece with said base.

21. A portable device as set forth in claim 19 wherein said groove has an oval cross sectional configuration as viewed in a plane extending perpendicular to the central axis of said cord retainer.

22. A portable electrical device as set forth in claim 19 wherein said cord retainer has a second flange which at least partially defines the groove into which the cord may be manually wound.

23. A portable electrical device as set forth in claim 19 wherein said cord retainer includes a fastener which fixedly secures said cord retainer to one side of said housing which said groove disposed between said flange and said housing.

24. A portable electrical device as set forth in claim 19 wherein said housing includes a surface area which cooperates with said flange to further define the groove into which the cord may be manually wound.

25. A portable electrical device as set forth in claim 19 wherein said cord retainer is integrally formed as one piece with at least a portion of said housing.

26. A portable electrical device as set forth in claim 19 wherein said cord retainer is formed separately from said housing and is connected with said housing by a reclosable fastener.