US RE50,662 E1Granted

Compact high fidelity reel

AssigneeCable Retractors LLC

InventorsJohn Arthur Hale, Phillip Andrew Hale

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Abstract

A retractable cord reel houses contacts that connect autonomously when the user aligns the spool to lock it from retracting. The spool and housing contains high quality, sensitive contacts for high speed data and other critical signals that engage when indexed by the user. The design is flexible for adaptation to a variety of applications and scalable based on cable type and length as well as the number of contacts required. The contacts are engaged when the user allows an indexing dog to engage a spool indexing housing causing the dog to shift and force a mating lever to make the electrical connection. Decoupling occurs instantly when the spool is slightly rotated by the user. The user's only action throughout the process is to pull the cable. Without this intentional action of the user, the spool, rotates freely and the contacts are not engaged.

Claims14

Dependent claims

A retractable reel apparatus for high quality signal and data transfer via cable or cord comprising:

a housing comprising first electrical contacts;
a spool assembly coupled to and in rotatable communication with the housing for extension and retraction of a cable, the spool assembly comprising second electrical contacts;
and
a device for aligning and locking the spool assembly in a prescribed position, wherein the device being configured to make an electrical connection of the first and second electrical contacts once the spool assembly is locked and in response to a pulling action on the cable enabling extension and retraction of the cable, the electrical connection of the first and second electrical contacts is broken and the spool assembly is unlocked,
wherein the device for aligning and locking the spool assembly, further comprises at least one of the group of an index housing, an indexing dog, and a mating lever, and
wherein the index housing interfaces with the indexing dog to lock the spool assembly in place and provides lateral forces to engage the indexing dog with the mating lever.;
and
wherein the cable is attached to a spool PCB and is capable of unwinding and rewinding on the spool assembly.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 17/714,960Filed 6 Apr 2022 · us provisional application
Priority: 11 Mar 2016
Granted: 18 Nov 2025
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification7 codes

B65H 75/4434
Acting on the reel or on a reel blocking mechanism: actuated by pulling on or imparting an inclination to the material
B65H 75/14
Of circular or polygonal cross-section: with two end flanges
B65H 75/406
Mobile or transportable: hand-held during use
B65H 75/4449
Constructional details: arrangements or adaptations to avoid movable contacts or rotary couplings, e.g. by the use of an expansion chamber for a…

Family

Application62/307,294Us provisional application · filed 11 Mar 2016
Application15/457,794Reissue · filed 13 Mar 2017
US 10,633,219 B2Reissue · filed 28 Apr 2020
US 2017/0260021 A1Published application
US RE50,662 E1This patent

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