AU718106B3 - Cable organiser - Google Patents

Description

CABLE ORGANISER This invention relates to a cable organiser.

This invention relates particularly to a cable organiser for organising and storing the excess cables typically found behind desks, beds, T.V.s and the like, e.g. in a home or office. It will be convenient to hereinafter describe this invention with reference to the example application. However, at the same time, it is to be clearly understood that the invention has broader application.

The typical home has power cables, telephone cables, computer cables, and communication cables extending from desk, bed or T.V. areas to a wall mounting or wall socket area. It often also has cables extending from one unit to another unit. Very often, there is excess length of cable lying on the floor intermediate the two points of attachment which looks untidy.

Further, the cables have a tendency to get tangled with each other causing inconvenience when they need to be sorted, e.g. for disconnection of a particular cable. Accordingly, it will be advantageous if a contrivance for conveniently organising these cables so that they did not get tangled, could be devised. It would also be advantageous if a contrivance could be devised for storing excess length of cable so that it does not form an unsightly mess on the floor.

In this specification, the term "cable" is to be interpreted broadly and for example, to include within its scope a wire, rope and/or string.

According to an aspect of this invention, there is provided a cable organiser, including: a support member; 2 a cable ordering means positioned on the support member for supporting and arranging the length of cable in an organised condition; and a cover means for covering the support means.

Thus, the cable is arranged in an organised condition on the support means and the cover means covers over the cable substantially so as to preserve a neat aesthetic exterior.

The cable ordering means may comprise at least two cable winding formations projecting from the support member spaced apart from each other around which the length of cable can be coiled. The cover means may also include a removable cover mounted on the support member which can be removed to permit access to the cable winding means and the cable arranged thereon.

The cover is removable in the sense that it can be lifted completely off the support member or pivoted away from the support member by means of a hinge.

Preferably, the cable ordering means facilitates the arrangement of cable thereon by manipulation of a portion of the cable intermediate the ends thereof and without feeding or passing the free end of the cable into and through the cable winding means.

An important feature of the cable organiser is that the cable does not need to be threaded through the housing, e.g. by passing a free or inlet end of the cable therethrough. Therefore, the cable does not need to be detached or unplugged before the cable is wound onto the cable winding formations.

Preferably, the cable is arranged on the support in a manner so as to reduce the magnetic field induced by the flow of electric current therethrough.

Optionally, this may be accomplished by reversing the direction of the cable mounted on the member, e.g. with a plurality of to and fro sections, extending in parallel but opposite directions.

In a particularly preferred embodiment, the support member is in the form of a housing, e.g. having a base, peripheral wall and an open top, and the cover is removably mounted on the open top.

Advantageously, the cable order means, e.g. cable winding formations, are configured so as to reduce the susceptibility of the cable to twisting, i.e. the cable can be turned but preferably the cable is not twisted.

The cover is suitable dimensioned to cover the cable winding formations and the associated cable.

In a preferred embodiment, each cable winding formation comprises an array of pegs or spigots spaced apart from each other, e.g. towards opposed ends of the housing. In another embodiment, each cable winding formation comprises a single peg, spigot or post.

Optionally, the organiser may be suitable for receiving more than one cable therein, e.g. power, data or communication cables. Advantageously, the organiser, e.g. the housing, includes means for physically segregating the different cables from each other. Advantageously, the organiser includes in addition means for electrically segregating or isolating the different cables from each other, e.g. so that they do not electrically interfere with each other.

The techniques for accomplishing this would be well known by persons skilled in the art. One such way of achieving this is by having metal walls segregating the different cables.

According to another aspect of this invention, there is provided a cable organiser assembly for organising a plurality of discrete cables, the assembly comprising a plurality of modular cable organisers, each being for example as described above with respect to the first aspect of the invention, the discrete organisers being operatively connected to each other to form the assembly.

The individual modules may be superimposed on each other or stacked or layered on each other. Alternatively, they may be arranged side by side.

The individual modules may include any one or more of the preferred features of the first aspect of the invention.

The number of modules would typically correspond to the number of cables required to be organised in any particular application.

A cable organiser in accordance with this invention may manifest itself in a variety of forms. It will be convenient to hereinafter describe in detail five different embodiments of the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings. The purpose of providing this detailed description is to instruct persons having an interest in the subject matter of the invention how to carry the invention into practical effect. It is to be clearly understood however that the specific nature of this description does not supercede the generality of the preceding broad description. In the drawings: Fig. 1 is a three dimensional view of a cable organiser in accordance with a first embodiment of the invention; Fig. 2 is a sectional plan view of the cable organiser of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view of the organiser, section through II1-111; Fig. 4 is an exploded three dimensional view of a cable organiser in accordance with a second embodiment of the invention; Fig. 5 is an exploded front, part sectional view of the organiser of Fig.

4; Fig. 6 is a three dimensional view of a cable organiser in accordance with third embodiment of the invention; Fig. 7 is a combined top plan view and sectional elevation of the cover member of the cable organiser of Fig. 6; Fig. 8 is a combination of top plan view and sectional elevation of the base member of the organiser of Fig. 6; Figs. 9 and 10 are plan views of respectively a base member and cover member of a cable organiser in accordance with a fourth embodiment of the invention; and Figs. 11 and 12 are plan views of respectively a base member and a cover member of a cable organiser in accordance with a fifth embodiment of the invention.

In Figs. 1-3, reference numeral 1 refers to a cable organiser generally in accordance with the invention.

Broadly, the organiser 1 comprises a support member 2, a cable winding means generally indicated by the numeral 3, and a cover means which is a removable cover In the illustrated embodiment, the support member 2 is broadly in the form of a housing having a base and a circumferential side wall and will henceforth be described by the term "housing".

The housing 2 is elongate with two opposed ends 8 and 9 and a substantially rectangular cross section. Further, the housing 2 tapers inwardly towards each end 8 and 9. A cable inlet is defined in the housing at the end 8 and a cable outlet is similarly defined in the end 9.

The cover 5 is pivotable relative to the housing 2 by means of a hinge 12 between a substantially vertically extending open position and a horizontally extending closed position. In the illustrated embodiment, the hinge 12 is formed by a line of reduced thickness in the material from which the cover member and housing are made, the reduced thickness permitting the material to bend and thereby act as a hinge. The illustrated cover 5 is spring biased to the open position and has to be retained in the closed position against this bias. This is accomplished by complementary engagement formations 13, 14 on respectively the cover member 5 and the housing 2 which provides a snap-fitting engagement.

The cable winding means 3 comprises two spaced cable winding formations positioned respectively towards the ends 8, 9 of housing. Each cable winding formation comprises a square array of a plurality of spigots or pegs 18 around which the cable is wound. The illustrated cable winding formations each have an array of four said spigots or pegs 18. It will readily be appreciated however by a person skilled in the art that cable winding formations other than those specifically illustrated in the drawing may be equally employed.

In use, the cover 5 is pivoted to the open position and the organiser is positioned near an excess length of cable 20. The cable 20 may already be coupled to respectively a computer or an appliance and wall socket without a free end. The excess section or portion of cable intermediate the ends thereof is then wound onto the spigots or pegs of the cable winding formations in the manner illustrated in the drawings. A particularly useful feature is the fact that the cable does not need to be threaded through the housing. Once the cable has been successfully mounted onto the formations, then the cover 5 is closed and the organiser placed in an unobtrusive position in a room, e.g. resting on the floor or behind a desk, cover, bed or the like.

This way, excess sections of a given cable are stored neatly out of the way within the housing and covered by the cover member. The excess cable is thus generally not visible to an observer in the room. This confers major aesthetic advantages. A further advantage is that different cables in a room, e.g. computer cables and power supply cables are less prone to getting entangled with each other.

In one example application, e.g. for domestic use, the housing would be about 120mm long and would be capable of storing 1 to 3 metres of cable.

The size of the housing would typically depend on the diameter of cable to be stored within the housing. Naturally, different sizes of housing would be built for different thicknesses of cable and for different lengths of cable. The example embodiment discussed above should therefore not be regarded as being limiting in any way.

The arrays of pegs or spigots illustrated in Fig. 1 enable the direction of adjacent layers of cable to be reversed to reduce the magnetic field induced by the electric current flowing therethrough. In addition, the arrangement of cable around the pegs or spigots in Fig. 1 has two cross over points as distinct from one cross over point, e.g. as in a figure of 8. The two cross over points confer the advantage that the cable thickness of each cross over point is less than it would be if there was only one cross over point.

A yet further advantage of the Fig. 1 embodiment is that the cable when arranged as indicated in the drawing does not twist. It therefore does not need to be free at one end to be untwisted while it is being wound onto the cable winding formations.

Fig. 4 illustrates a cable organiser in accordance with a second embodiment of the invention.

In Fig. 4, the support member 2 comprises a barrel 30 and the cover member is in the form of a sleeve 31 which is releasably mounted over the barrel The barrel 30 includes a barrel core 32 around which the cable 20 is wound in the form of a helical spiral. The barrel 30 also includes flange-like end formations 33, 34 at each end of the barrel 30. Each of the flange-like end formations 33, 34 has a recess 35 for passing cable therethrough, i.e.

cable entering or exiting the barrel In addition, this embodiment includes positioning formations 36, on the surface of the barrel for assisting in the positioning of the helically wound cable and assisting in the orderly arrangement of cable 20 on the barrel core 32.

The barrel sleeve 31 which is circular cylindrical has a longitudinal split 38 to permit radial expansion thereof. This permits the ready mounting of the sleeve 31 on the barrel 30 and also its ready removal therefrom. The sleeve 31 has locating formations 39 towards each end thereof which engage complementary formations 39 in the flange-like formations in the barrel core 32. The engagement of these formations effects a readily releasable attachment of the sleeve 31 to the barrel In use, the barrel sleeve 31 would be removed from the barrel 30 and excess cable 20 wound around the barrel core 32 in the manner illustrated in the drawings. The cable would also be squeezed into the cable recess 35 in the formation 33 and at the other end into the cable recess 35 in the formation 34. Once the excess length of cable has been conveniently wound onto the barrel core 32, then the barrel sleeve 31 would be mounted over the barrel core to preserve a neat aesthetically pleasing exterior. Then the organiser could be placed in position in an office or the like.

Figs. 6 to 8 illustrate a cable organiser in accordance with a third embodiment of the invention.

The organiser comprises a member which is a housing 40 and a cover 41 for mounting on the housing 40. Each of the housing 40 and cover 41 is of a complementary flat circular configuration, i.e. dish-like.

The housing 40 has a base 43, a low circumferential side wall 44 and a central hub 45. A cable opening 49 is defined in the side wall 44.

The cover 41 has a complementary circular member 47 from which a shallow skirt 48 depends. The skirt 48 leaves a substantial portion of the wall 44 uncovered. The cover 41 and housing 40 are rotatable relative to each other.

The cover 41 has a cable attachment 60, e.g. a downwardly extending hook formation, mounted on and extending downwardly from the cover. The cable attachment 60 is positioned radially intermediate, e.g. about midway from the centre of the cover and the wall of the cover. This feature, together with the relative rotation of the cover 41 and housing 40 enables excess length of cable 20 to be wound into the housing. This is described in more detail below. The housing 40 and cover 41 are attached to each other by attachment means which typically is in the form of a member, e.g. a bolt or the like which extends axially through the housing and the lid.

In use, the housing 40 and cover 41 are detached and excess length of cable 20 is hooked onto the cable attachment 60 at about a mid point of the excess length of cable 20. The cover 41 is then mounted on the housing with the cable extending away from the cable attachment 60 passing through the cable opening 48 in the side wall 44. The cover 41 is rotated to draw cable into the housing 40 and wind it up around the post or hub 45. The process is stopped when all excess cable 20 has been wound into the housing.

An advantage of this embodiment is that the cable can be easily wound into the housing by a simple rotation of lid relative to body. It does not.

have to be physically or manually wound onto a hub or member. Further, the cable in the housing which comprises two legs or portions of cable each extend in opposite directions. This therefore tends to neutralise the magnetic fields and reduce any magnetic induction effect caused by the flow of electric current. Further, the cable is arranged within the housing without any twisting of the cable. Yet another advantage of this embodiment is that it lends itself to a modular construction whereby a plurality of modules are attached to each other, e.g. superimposed on each other. This way, the cable organiser can be made to tidy up or organise more than one cable. Typically, the two housings may be attached to each other by means of a longer bolt.

In this embodiment the cable is wound into the member and because it is drawn in as it lies it does not twist and therefore does not require one end to be free to untwist. By contrast, conventional reels would require one end to be free to untwist if wound from one end only.

Figs. 9 to 10 illustrate a cable organiser in accordance with a fourth embodiment of the invention. This embodiment is structurally and functionally very similar to that illustrated in Figs. 6 to 8. Accordingly, unless otherwise illustrated, the same reference numerals will be used to refer to the same components unless otherwise specified.

The housing 40 includes a base wall 43, a circumferential side wall 44 and an internal hub 45 projecting up from the base wall 43 around which cable 20 is wound. The housing 40 has cable inlet and outlet openings 49 defined in the wall 44 thereof.

The cover 41 in turn comprises a top wall 47 and a peripheral skirt 48 depending downwardly from the wall 47 around the periphery thereof. The skirt 48 is sized to fit snugly over the circumferential wall 44 of the housing The skirt 48 of the cover 41 has similar inlet and outlet cable openings 49 defined therein. The openings on each of the housing 40 and cover 41 are typically of substantially similar size, e.g. being sized to receive a fairly large cable therethrough with some clearance. In operation, the inlet and outlet openings on respectively the cover 41 and the housing 40 are aligned with each other.

In use, the cover 41 is removed and excess cable 20 is then wound around the hub 45 in the form of a flat helix which works itself progressively radially outwardly towards the wall 44. Incoming cable is passed through the inlet opening and outgoing cables pass through the cable outlet. The cover is then mounted on the housing with the inlet and outlet opening thereof aligned with those of the housing It will be readily appreciated that the positioning of the organiser in a room in use is similar to that of the other embodiments.

Figs. 11 and 12 illustrate an embodiment in accordance with a fifth embodiment of the invention. As this embodiment is structurally and functionally very similar to the fourth embodiment, the same reference numerals will be used to refer to the same components unless otherwise indicated.

The main difference between this embodiment and the fourth embodiment lies in the manner in which excess length of cable is arranged within the housing 40. The housing 40 includes a plurality of pegs or spigots arranged in the form of an array around which the length of cable 20 is wound. The drawings illustrate one particular arrangement of excess cable around the pegs 50 of the housing 40. It will readily be appreciated however that other methods of arranging the excess cable on the pegs 50 may be used.

All embodiments would also be suitable for a modular cable organiser assembly, e.g. with a plurality of housings arranged side by side or superimposed on top of each other.

An advantage of a cable organiser in accordance with this invention is that it is a relatively simple contrivance which can be used to great benefit in tidying up and organising and arranging homes and offices, e.g. home offices. Further, it can be manufactured relatively easily and at reasonable cost. Further, it can be utilised by people easily without having to read detailed manual books and exerting large amounts of effort.

It will of course be realised that the above has been given only by way of illustrative example of the invention and that all such modifications and variations thereto as would be apparent to persons skilled in the art are deemed to fall within the broad scope and ambient of the invention as herein set forth.

Claims (3)

1. A cable organiser for organising a length of cable, including: an elongate support member; a removable cover mounted on the support member which together with the support member forms a substantially closed housing, the housing defining a cable inlet opening towards one end thereof and a cable outlet opening towards an opposed thereof; and a cable winding formation disposed towards each end of the support member, each cable winding formation including an array of four spigots, wherein cable can be wound back and forth around the winding formations at said one and opposed ends of the housing thereby to organise excess cable on the support member.

2. A cable organiser according to claim 1, wherein the housing and cable winding formations define two cable passageways or channels extending between said one and opposed ends of the housing, and wherein each channel or passageway has the ability to have two or more cables extending therethrough in a stacked or layered relationship, and wherein the cables can be wound around the spigots of the winding formations such that adjacent lengths of cable extend in opposite directions to each other.

3. A cable organiser according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the housing comprises a slim central portion of substantially constant cross-section and tapering end portions on either side of the central portion, and wherein the cable inlet and cable outlet openings are defined substantially centrally in respective ends of the housing. DATED this nineteenth day of January 2000 ALFRED CHARLES ROBIN WARNER By PIZZEYS PATENT TRADE MARK ATTORNEYS