US 2026/0131997 A1Published application

Motorized cable retractor

AssigneeCrestron Electronics, Inc.

InventorsKriss Replogle, Charles Magrino, Brian Clough, David Paolazzi, Obioma Chukwuocha

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Abstract

A cable retractor includes a housing. A motorized drive section within the housing urges a segment of cable past the drive section. A chamber within the housing includes a first pulley rotatable about a fixed first axis near an end of the chamber, a second pulley rotatable about a second axis, and a third pulley rotatable about a third axis. At least the second or third pulley is translatable along a length of the chamber. The cable enters the chamber at a first opening, partially winds around the second pulley, partially winds around the first pulley, then partially winds around the third pulley, and exits at a second opening. To extract a length of cable, the translatable pulley translates toward the first pulley such that a decrease in distance between the first axis and the axis of the translatable pulley is proportional to the extracted length of the cable.

Claims19

Dependent claims

A cable retractor, comprising

(a) a housing;
(b) a motorized drive section disposed within the housing and configured to urge at least a segment of the cable past the drive section;
and
(c) a chamber disposed within the housing and including
(1) a first pulley rotatable about a first axis having a fixed location adjacent to an end of the chamber,
(2) a second pulley rotatable about a second axis, and
(3) a third pulley rotatable about a third axis,
(4) at least one of the second pulley and the third pulley being translatable along a length of the chamber,
(5) the cable slidably entering the chamber at a first opening, then being partially wound around the second pulley, then being partially wound around the first pulley, then being partially wound around the third pulley, and thereafter exiting the chamber at a second opening;
(d) whereby
(1) the motorized drive section is operable to urge the cable in a first direction to extract at least a length of the cable from the chamber, the at least one translatable pulley translating toward the first pulley such that a decrease in distance between the first axis and the axis of the at least one translatable pulley is proportional to the extracted length of the cable, and
(2) the motorized drive section is operable to urge the cable in a second, opposing direction to retract into the chamber the at least length of the cable through the first opening in the housing, the at least one translatable pulley translating away from the first pulley such that an increase in distance between the first axis and the axis of the at least one translatable pulley is proportional to the retracted length of the cable.

9 more elements

A cable retractor, comprising

(a) a housing;
(b) a motorized drive section disposed within the housing and configured to urge at least a segment of the cable past the drive section;
and
(c) a chamber disposed within the housing and including
(1) a first pulley rotatable a first axis having a fixed location adjacent to an end of the chamber,
(2) a pulley carriage translatable along a length of the chamber,
(3) at least one of
(A) at least one threaded lead screw extending along the length of the housing and extending through a threaded opening in the pulley carriage, the at least one threaded lead screw being rotatable to drive the pulley carriage along the length of the housing, or
(B) at least one guide rod extending along the length of the housing and extending through an opening in the pulley carriage, the at least one guide rod guiding movement of the pulley carriage along the length of the housing,
(4) a second pulley rotatable about a second axis and disposed at one end of the pulley carriage, and
(5) a third pulley rotatable about a third axis and disposed at an opposing end of the pulley carriage, the second pulley and the third pulley being translatable with the pulley carriage,
(6) wherein the cable slidably enters the chamber at a first opening, then partially winds around the second pulley, then partially winds around the first pulley, then partially winds around the third pulley, and thereafter exits the chamber at a second opening;
(d) whereby
(1) the motorized drive section is operable to urge the cable in a first direction to extract at least a length of the cable from the chamber, the pulley carriage translating toward the first pulley such that a decrease in distance between the first pulley and the pulley carriage is proportional to the extracted length of the cable, and
(2) the motorized drive section is operable to urge the cable in a second, opposing direction to retract into the chamber the at least length of the cable through the first opening in the housing, the pulley carriage translating away from the first pulley such that an increase in distance between the first pulley and the pulley carriage is proportional to the retracted length of the cable.

12 more elements

A cable retractor, comprising

(a) a housing;
(b) a motorized drive section disposed within the housing and configured to urge at least a segment of the cable past the drive section;
and
(c) a chamber disposed within the housing and including
(1) a first pulley rotatable about a first axis having a fixed location adjacent to an end of the chamber,
(2) a pulley carriage translatable along a length of the chamber,
(3) a second pulley rotatable about a second axis disposed on the pulley carriage, and
(4) a third pulley rotatable about the second axis and disposed atop the second pulley on the pulley carriage, and
(5) wherein the cable slidably enters the chamber at a first opening, then partially winds around the second pulley, then partially winds around the first pulley, then partially winds around the third pulley, and thereafter exits the chamber at a second opening;
(d) whereby
(1) the motorized drive section is operable to urge the cable in a first direction to extract at least a length of the cable from the chamber, the pulley carriage translating toward the first pulley such that a decrease in distance between the first pulley and the pulley carriage is proportional to the extracted length of the cable, and
(2) the motorized drive section is operable to urge the cable in a second, opposing direction to retract into the chamber the at least length of the cable through the first opening in the housing, the pulley carriage translating away from the first pulley such that an increase in distance between the first pulley and the pulley carriage is proportional to the retracted length of the cable.

9 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 19/429,134Filed 22 Dec 2025
Priority: 3 Mar 2022
Published: 14 May 2026
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification12 codes

B65H 75/362
Without essentially involving the use of a core or former internal to a stored package of material, e.g. with stored material housed within…
B65H 51/08
Rollers, pulleys, capstans, or intermeshing rotary elements: arranged to operate in groups or in co-operation with other elements
B65H 51/10
Arranged to operate in groups or in co-operation with other elements: with opposed coacting surfaces, e.g. providing nips
B65H 75/368
Without essentially involving the use of a core or former internal to a stored package of material, e.g. with stored material housed within…

Family

Application63/316,187Us provisional application · filed 3 Mar 2022
Application18/116,905Division · filed 3 Mar 2023
Application19/429,134Division
US 2023/0278826 A1Published application
US 2026/0131997 A1This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.