Cable take-up for earphones
OwnerRobert C. Cumminsinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A cable take-up includes a cylindrical case and a plug mechanically attached to the case and extending axially from the case. Within the case, a cable is wound onto a rotating spool biased by a spring to retract the cable. A ratchet prevents the cable from retracting and a release for the ratchet is accessible from outside of the case. The cable preferably is a flat ribbon of Kevlar.RTM. plastic having several wires embedded therein. One end of the cable is connected to earpieces and the other end of the cable is connected to the plug through a commutator. The commutator includes a first disk having resilient, conductive contacts attached to the plug and a second, rotating disk having concentric, conductive stripes attached to the cable and rubbing on the conductive contacts.
Claims5
A cable take-up for connecting headphones to an entertainment device, said take-up comprising:
- a spindle having a predetermined length between two ends;
- a hollow case having two ends and a hole in each of said ends for receiving said spindle and radially locating said spindle;
- said spindle including a collar and a disk attached to said spindle between the ends of said spindle;
- a commutator mounted on said spindle adjacent said collar and spaced from said disk by said collar;
- a flat cable including at least two electrical wires, said cable wound around said collar between said commutator and said disk, wherein said cable is electrically connected to said commutator;
- a spring attached to said spindle and to said case for rotating said spindle in a first direction to cause said cable to wind onto said spindle, said spring wound on said spindle on the opposite side of said disk from said cable;
- an electrical plug mechanically connected to said case and electrically connected to said commutator, said electrical plug being adapted to fit said entertainment device.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.