AU718230B3 - Improved cable organiser - Google Patents

Description

IMPROVED CABLE ORGANISER Field of the Invention This invention relates to an apparatus for organising cables.

This invention relates particularly to an organiser for organising excess lengths of electrical cable, e.g. of the type typically associated with appliances, computers, electric lamps and the like. It will therefore be convenient to hereinafter describe the invention with reference to this example form of cable.

However, it is to be clearly understood that the invention also relates to nonelectric cables, e.g. communication cables, telephone cables and the like.

Background 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. Often cables extend from one unit to another unit.

Very often there is excess length of cable lying on the floor intermediate the points of attachment to the units, 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 would be advantageous if a contrivance could be devised for conveniently organising cables so that they did not get tangled. It would also be advantageous if a contrivance could be devised for storing excess lengths of cable so that they did 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 wire, tubing, hose, rope and/or string.

Summary of the Invention According to one aspect of the invention there is provided a cable organiser including: a coil former; and a cable retaining means mounted on said former for operatively retaining a cable in a wound condition on said former.

2 The coil former includes flanges at each end thereof for retaining the cable on the former, and the cable retaining means includes at least one gate extending between the flanges, the gate being biased to a closed position but also being displaceable to an open position when cable is deliberately wound onto or off the former.

More preferably, the cable organiser includes two said gates positioned on opposite sides of the coil former, wherein each gate comprises at least one resilient element extending between the flanges and a discontinuity through which the cable can pass, and the coil former and gates are formed as a unitary article having a substantially flattened configuration.

Thus, the cable retaining means prevents cable from unravelling from the coil former. At the same time, the cable retaining means permits cable to be manually wound onto and off the former by a user urging or forcing the cable downwardly or upwardly on the gates so as to displace the cable through the gate.

In a most preferred form, the cable organiser comprises a flattened unitary piece of resilient plastics material having two major surfaces, e.g. like a sheet, with portions cut out therefrom. This preferred embodiment will be relatively simple in structure, relatively easily manufactured, and have a low unit cost.

Specific Description 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 several preferred 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 statements. In the drawings: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a cable organiser according to- a first embodiment of the invention.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of a cable organiser according to a second embodiment of the invention.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the cable organiser of Figure 2 shown in use.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of a cable organiser according to a third embodiment.

Figure 5 is a perspective view of a cable organiser according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 6 is a perspective view of a cable organiser according to a further embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description of Preferred Embodiments With reference to Figure 1 there is depicted a cable organiser comprising a coil former in the form of a member 12 upon which a cable 14 is wound. In order to prevent unravelling of the cable from the former a releasable cable retaining means is provided in the form of a gate which is a flexible strap 16 which is permanently secured to the member 12 at one end and releasably secured at the other end by means of a press-stud assembly 18.

In use the strap 16 is lifted away from former 12. Cable 14 is then wound around the former and retained in place by securing the free end of strap 16 to rod 12 by means of press-stud assembly 18.

Referring now to Figure 2 there is depicted a further embodiment of the present invention. The cable organiser 20 of Figure 2 comprises a single piece of flexible material, such as a plastic, which has been shaped to include a central coil former 22 for winding cable around. Extending from the coil former are flanges 24, 26, 28 and 30 which aid in maintaining a coiled cable on the coil former. At the ends of flanges 28 and 30 cable retaining means in the form of a gate 32 extend across the gap formed by flanges 28 and 30. The gate 32 is formed by a discontinuous elements 33 and 34 each extending inwardly from a said flange 28 or One mode of use of cable organiser 20 will now be described with reference to Figure 3. Cable 14 is wound- onto former 22 clockwise when viewed along the direction of arrow 23. End 36 is-.held fixed by the user while cable end 38 is drawn clockwise about former 22 thereby forcing cable end 38 down upon the gate 32. In Figure 3 cable end 38 deflects element 34 downward from its initial position so that the cable may be slid off element 34, under element 33 and brought about former 22. Element 34 then reverts back to its normal position in which position it along, with element 33 acts to prevent inadvertent unwinding of the coil of cable.

Referring now to Figure 4 there is depicted a further embodiment of the invention in which additional gate 42 extends from flanges 26 and 24 respectively. The gate 42 is similar to gate 32 comprising discontinuous elements 43 and 44. The operation of the embodiment of Figure 4 is entirely analogous to that of Figure 3 except that in order to wind a cable around the former 22 two gates per winding must be traversed rather than one, as in previous embodiment.

Yet a further embodiment of the invention is shown in Figure 5. In that figure a cable organiser 20 is shown having a drum like configuration.

Organiser 20 has a coil former in the form of cylinder 50 at either ends of which are circular flanges 52 and 54. A releasable cable retaining means is provided in the form of a resilient gate 32 having elements 33 and 34 which extend across cylinder 50 from flanges 52 and 54 respectively. In use elements 33 and 34 deflect to allow a cable to be wound onto cylinder 50 in a manner analogous to that explained with reference to Figures 3 and 4.

With reference to Figure 6 there is shown a further embodiment of the present invention in which the cable retaining means is implemented by a gate 56 which has only one portion, the discontinuity being adjacent the flange 28.

A preferred form of the organiser, e.g. that shown in Fig. 4, is typically made of a resilient plastics material, e.g. polyethylene or another similarly resilient plastics material, and is manufactured typically by an injection moulding process. At the same time, it will readily be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that other materials may be used and other manufacturing processes may be used, e.g. a stamping operation on a blank of plastics material.

An advantage of a preferred form of the invention is that the organiser is relatively simple in construction and can be made relatively inexpensively in a one step manufacturing operation.

Applicant envisages that the organiser may be included mounted on the cables of new appliances and the like when these are sold by manufacturers.

Any consumer item which is sold with a cable and particularly a power cable may have the power cable wound up on the cable organiser of the invention and particularly the organiser illustrated in Figs. 3 or 4. The organiser could be lightly taped or positioned adjacent one of the surfaces of the appliance and substantially the full length of cable can be neatly wound up on the organiser.

This will present the cable in a neat orderly fashion prior to installation. On installation, the cable can then be merely wound off the organiser to the extent necessary to provide the appropriate length of cable for reaching a power point or other attachment or plug-in location.

Applicant believes that the Fig. 3 and Fig. 4 organiser will be well suited to an application of this nature because of its simple structure, low cost of manufacture and therefore low unit cost. Currently, the cables of appliances, computers, TVs and the like are typically held together when sold by a simple tie. When the tie is released, the entire cable falls loose thereby losing the neatness or orderliness which could so easily be provided by the cable organiser.

A particular advantage of the applicant's organiser is the feature whereby the cable is fully wound onto the organiser at the point of sale and thereafter when installed, the cable is only unwound to the extent necessary to reach the plug-in point or the like. Thus, there is at no point any excess length of cable which can get tangled and look unsightly and untidy.

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 including: a coil former; and a cable retaining means mounted on said former for operatively retaining a cable in a wound condition on said former.

2. A cable organiser according to claim 1, wherein the coil former includes flanges at each end thereof for retaining the cable on the former, and wherein the cable retaining means includes at least one gate extending between the flanges, the gate being biased to a closed position but also being displaceable to an open position when cable is deliberately wound onto or off the former.

3. A cable organiser according to claim 2, including two said gates positioned on opposite sides of the coil former, wherein each gate comprises at least one resilient element extending between the flanges and a discontinuity through which cable can pass, and the coil former and gates are formed as a unitary article having a substantially flattened configuration. DATED this nineteenth day of January 2000 AFLRED CHARLES ROBIN WARNER BY PIZZEYS PATENT TRADE MARK ATTORNEYS