GB2567801A

GB2567801A - Cable housing

Info

Publication number: GB2567801A
Application number: GB1714225.8A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Lyons Simon
Original assignee: VERSION 22 DESIGN Ltd
Current assignee: VERSION 22 DESIGN Ltd
Priority date: 2017-09-05
Filing date: 2017-09-05
Publication date: 2019-05-01
Also published as: GB201714225D0

Abstract

A cable housing 1 including: a body 2 having a cable channel 7 between a first opening 5 and a second opening 6, the body being openable to allow access to a length of the channel; and a dividing protrusion 8 formed within, and extending across, the cable channel to divide the channel into a first cable path 9 and a second cable path 10; wherein the first path is at least 20% wider than the second path and the protrusion is positioned to allow a cable to be wrapped around it, within the housing, such that the cable passes through both the first and second paths. The protrusion may be an upstanding rib. The housing may include a mechanical interlocking formation so that it can be mechanically interlocked to an identical housing or mounting board. Different thicknesses of cables can be located in each of the cable paths (figures 5-7).

Description

TITLE

Cable Housing

DESCRIPTION

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to cable management and provides a simple cable housing that allows cables to be securely mounted therein.

Background

Many electrical devices require cables for normal operation. This is a particular problem for mobile devices that are designed to be carried on the person and incorporated into a person s daily life. This is because cables can easily become tangled, causing difficulty for a user and/or damage to the cable itself. For example, the problem of tangled earbud cables is well known to almost all users of such devices. Further if a device is used with several different cables it can be important that the cables are kept organised so that they don't become tangled with another and so that it is easy to identify which cable is which.

In light of these problems many cable management devices that prevent tangling have been devised. This ranges from simple clips that attach to a cable and about which a cable can be wound to more complex devices that provide automatic retraction of cables when not in use. Generally these devices have not been popular. This may be because some devices are overly complex and expensive, some devices are not sufficiently simple to use, and some devices are not sufficiently resilient. Regardless there remains a need for an improved cable management device.

Summary of the Invention

The present invention provides a cable housing comprising:

a body having a first opening located at a first end and a second opening located at a second end and forming a cable channel between the first opening and and the second opening, the body being openable to allow access to a length of the cable channel; and

-2a dividing protrusion formed within, and extending across, the cable channel to thereby divide the cable channel into a first cable path and a second cable path; wherein:

the first cable path is at least 20% wider than the second cable path; and the dividing protrusion is formed and positioned to allow a cable of suitable thickness to be wrapped around the dividing protrusion within the housing such that the cable passes through both the first cable path and the second cable path.

The cable housing of the present invention is advantageous in that it provides a housing of simple construction that can be used to securely hold cables of varying width. In particular, the construction allows a single cable housing to be securely located on cables of at least three different widths as described below. When securely held on a cable a housing can be used for cable management in any way apparent to the person skilled in the art. It can very simply be used to identify one cable from another by securely locating a cable within the housing and then identifying the housing in an appropriate manner. Further, or as an alternative, the housing may be fixed to another object in order to hold a cable in place. This may be done in any manner apparent to a person skilled in the art. In very simple examples, the housing may be adhered in a suitable location to hold a cable in position.

The housing is formed to be securely located on cables of at least three different thicknesses. The housing can be located on thin cables by locating the cable within the cable channel in such a manner that it is looped around the dividing protrusion within the housing and extends through the cable channel from the first end to the second end. An example of this arrangement is shown in Figure 5, discussed below. The housing can be located on a cable of moderate width by locating the cable within the cable channel in such a manner that it passes through the second cable path and is securely held in position in the second cable path between a side wall of the body and the dividing protrusion. An example of this arrangement is shown in Figure 6, discussed below. The housing can be located on a thicker cable by locating the cable within the cable channel in such a manner that it passes through the first cable path and is securely held in position in the first cable path between a side wall of the body

-3and the dividing protrusion. An example of this arrangement is shown in Figure 7, discussed below.

As the body of the cable housing is openable a cable can be located in an appropriate manner within the housing by simply opening the body, locating the cable appropriately, and then closing the body. The body may be formed to be openable in any manner apparent to the person skilled in the art. For example, the body may be formed in two parts that are removably attachable to one another. Alternatively, the body may be formed of a first part and a second part that are attached together by means of a hinge or other suitable means. The body may be held closed during normal use by any suitable mechanism. For example, the body may comprise one or more snap fittings, catches, latches, interference fit mechanism, or other suitable closing mechanism to hold the body closed, both when empty and when a cable is located therein.

In most embodiments of the present invention the cable housing will be formed such that the first end is at the opposing end of the body from the second end. However, it is also possible that the cable housing can be formed in other ways, for example where the first end is adjacent the second end or in any other suitable arrangement. This may be helpful if the cable housing is used to redirect a cable, for example around a corner.

In order the cable housing to be used with a variety of cable sizes it may be preferable that the first cable path is at least 50% wider than the second cable path. In some embodiments of the invention the first cable path may be at least 100% wider than the second cable path, wherein the width of the cable paths is the narrowest gap between the dividing protrusion and an inner wall of the housing i.e. the narrowest width of the cable path through which a cable located in said cable path must pass.

The dividing protrusion of the cable housing may be formed in any suitable manner. It may be formed as a boss, an upstanding rib, a shaft or any other protrusion that effectively divides the cable channel into a first and second cable path effectively. In

-4embodimerits of the invention the dividing protrusion may be substantially cylindrical. It may be preferable that the dividing protrusion is substantially solid, rather than hollow, in order to better resist forces acting upon it when a cable is located in the cable channel.

As set out above, the cable housing of the present invention may be used by simply fixing the housing in place. However, in preferred embodiments of the invention the housing may be formed such that an outer side of the body comprises a mechanical interlocking formation to allow the body to be mechanically interlocked to another object. That is, the body may have a formation formed on an outer side that allows it to be mechanically interlocked, preferably removably, to an object with a cooperatively formed fitting. The other object may be any suitable object with which the housing may be used. For example, the other object may be an item of clothing, an item of furniture, the electrical item with which the cable is used, or a housing for said electrical item. The mechanical interlocking formation may be any suitable formation including but not limited to a cooperative part of a snap fitting, an interference fitting, or a dovetai I sliding fitting.

In some embodiments of the invention the mechanical interlocking formation may be formed to allow the body to be mechanically interlocked to an identical cable housing. For example, the housing may be formed with cooperative recesses and protrusions on the outer sides of the body to allow it to be removably connected to an identical cable housing in the same manner as a children's interlocking plastic brick system.

The present invention also provides a system comprising:

a cable housing according to the present invention wherein an outer side of the body comprises a mechanical interlocking formation to allow the body to be mechanically interlocked to another object, as described above, and a mounting board comprising one or more mechanical interlocking formations formed to cooperate with the mechanical interlocking formation of the cable housing to allow the cable housing to be mounted thereon.

-5The system of the present invention allows cables to be securely connected to a mounting board and thereby held in place. This is done by securely locating a cable in the cable housing in a manner described above and then mechanically connecting the cable housing to the mounting board by means of the mechanical interlocking formation of the housing and the mechanical interlocking formation of the mounting board. The mechanical interlocking formations of the cable housing and the mounting board can be formed in any manner that allow the cable housing and the mounting board to be removably connected to one another.

A mounting board may be capable of being mechanically interlocked with one or more cable housings according to the present invention at any one time. That is, a mounting board of a system of the present invention may be capable of being mechanically interlocked with only one cable housing according to the present invention or it may be formed such that a plurality of cable housings can be mechanically interlocked thereto.

The system of the present invention can be used to route cables, such as power cables. For example one or more mounting boards may be adhered at a locations at which the cable is desired to be routed. The cable can then be positioned in one or more cable housings and each cable housing can then be mechanically interlocked to a suitable mounting board in order route the cable appropriately. This can be useful, for example, for routing a charging cable of a laptop.

The present invention also provides a method of securing a cable within a housing according to the present invention comprising the steps of:

opening the housing to expose the cable channel;

routing the cable along the cable channel from the first opening to the second opening; and cl osi ng the housi ng to encl ose the cabl e therei n.

As described above, the routing of the cable along the cable channel will primarily depend on the thickness of the cable. Very thin cables can be looped around the

-6dividing protrusion in the manner described above and in the manner shown in Figure

5. Cables of moderate thickness will be routed to one side of the dividing protrusion along the second cable path, as shown in Figure 6, and be held in position between a side wall of the body and the dividing protrusion. Thicker cables will be routed to the other side of the dividing protrusion along the first cable path, as shown in Figure 7, and be held in position between a side wall of the body and the dividing protrusion.

Further features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the preferred embodiment that is shown in the drawings and is described below.

Drawings

Figure 1 is a three-dimensional schematic of an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 is a schematic of the embodiment of Figure 1 when fully opened;

Figure 3 is a schematic of the embodiment of Figures 1 and 2 when partially opened; Figure 4 is a schematic of the embodiment of Figures 1 to 3 when closed;

Figure 5 is a cutaway through the embodiment of Figures 1 to 4 showing a cable located in the body and being wrapped around the dividing protrusion;

Figure 6 is a cutaway through the embodiment of Figures 1 to 5 showing a cable located in the body and passing through the second cable path; and

Figure 7 is a cutaway through the embodiment of Figures 1 to 6 showing a cable located in the body and passing through the first cable path.

An embodiment of a cable housing 1 according to an embodiment of the invention is shown in the Figures. The cable housing 1 comprises a body 2 having a first end 3 and a second end 4. The second end 4 is at the opposing end of the body 2 from the first end 3. A first opening 5 is formed at the first end 3 and a second opening 6 is formed at the second end 4. A cable channel 7 is formed between the first end 3 and the second end 4. The body 2 is substantially cuboid. The first end 3, the second end 4, the first opening 5 and the second opening 6 are all substantially square. A cylindrical rib 8 is formed within the cable channel 7 midway along a length of the cable channel between the first end 3 and the second end 4. The rib 8 extends vertically across a complete height of the cable channel 7 and is offset to one side of cable channel 7

-7across a width of the cable channel 7 such that the cable channel 7 is divided by the rib 8 into a first cable path 9 and a second cable path 10, wherein the first cable path 9 is approximately 50% wider than the second cable path 10.

As shown in Figures 2 to 4, the body 2 is formed as two substantially identical halves and is openable by means of a hinge 11 formed along one side of the body between the first end 3 and the second end 4. When the housing 1 is opened the length of the cable channel 7 is exposed to allow a cable to be located therein. When the body 2 is closed, as shown for example in Figure 4, a snap fit mechanism (not shown) holds the body closed.

Three potential uses of the housing 1 are shown in Figures 5, 6, and 7. In particular, these Figures show the housing 1 securely located on cables 13, 14, 15 of varying thicknesses.

In Figure 5 a relatively slim cable 13 is housed within the housing 1. In order to securely locate the housing 1 on the cable 13 the cable is passed through the cable channel 7 from the first end 3 to the second end 4 and looped around the rib 8 such that the cable 13 passes through both the first cable path 9 and the second cable path 10 i n the manner shown i n the F igure.

In Figure 6 a cable 14 or moderate thickness is housed within the housing 1. The cable is passed through the cable channel 7 from the first end 3 to the second end 4 through the second cable path 10. The thickness of the second cable path 10 between a side wall of the body 2 and the rib 8 broadly corresponds to the thickness of the cable 14 such the cable is securely held between the rib 8 and the body 2, thereby securely locating the housing 1 on the cable 14.

In Figure 7 a thicker cable 15 is housed within the housing 1. The cable is passed through the cable channel 7 from the first end 3 to the second end 4 through the second cable path 10. The thickness of the second cable path 10 between a side wall of the body 2 and the rib 8 broadly corresponds to the thickness of the cable 14 such

-8the cable is securely held between the rib 8 and the body 2, thereby securely locating the housing 1 on the cable 14.

In the manner set out above, a single housing 1 can be securely located on cables 13, 5 14, 15 of differing thicknesses simply by locating said cables differently through the housing 1.

The housing 1 can be used to avoid tangling of cables 13, 14, 15 or to organise cables by fixing the housing 1 to another similar housing, located on the same or a different io cable or by fixing the housing 1 to another item, such as the item from which the cable originates or to an item of furniture. This may be achieved in any manner apparent to a person skilled in the art. In simply embodiments the housing 1 may simply be glued, stuck, or otherwise attached using conventional adhesive or fixing means. In more complex embodiments the housing 1 may have cooperative fixing 15 means (not shown) formed on an outer si de of the body 2. F or example, the body may have protrusions or recesses formed on an outer side to allow it to be removably joined to another object in the same manner as children's interlocking plastic bricks.

Claims

1. A cabl e housi ng compri si ng:

a body having a first opening located at a first end and a second opening located at a second end and forming a cable channel between the first opening and and the second opening, the body being openable to allow access to a length of the cable channel; and a dividing protrusion formed within, and extending across, the cable channel to thereby divide the cable channel into a first cable path and a second cable path; wherein:

2. A cable housing according to claim 1, wherein the body is formed of a first part and a second part that are attached together by means of a hinge.

3. A cable housing according to claim 2 wherein the body is formed of a first part and a second part that are removably attachable to one another.

4. A cabl e housi ng accordi ng to any precedi ng clai m wherei n the f i rst end of the body is at the opposing end of the body from the second end.

5. A cabl e housi ng accordi ng to any precedi ng cl ai m wherei n the f i rst cabl e path is at least 50% wider than the second cable path.

6. A cable housing according to claim 5, wherein the first cable path is at least 100% wider than the second cable path.

7. A cable housing according to any preceding claim, wherein the dividing protrusion is an upstanding rib.

8. A cable housing according to any preceding claim, wherein the dividing protrusion is substantially cylindrical.

9. A cable housing according to any preceding claim, wherein an outer side of the body comprises a mechanical interlocking formation to allow the body to be mechanically interlocked to another object.

10. A cable housing according to claim 9, wherein the mechanical interlocking formation of the body is one of a cooperative part of a snap fitting, an interference fitting, or a dovetail sliding fitting, thereby allowing the body to be mechanically interlocked with another object having the other cooperative part of said fitting.

11. A cable housing according to claim 9, wherein the mechanical interlocking formation is formed to allow the body to be mechanically interlocked to an identical cable housing.

12. A system compri si ng:

a cable housing according to any of claims 9 to 11; and a mounting board comprising one or more mechanical interlocking formations formed to cooperate with the mechanical interlocking formation of the cable housing to allow the cable housing to be mounted thereon.

13. A method of securing a cable within a housing according to claim 1 comprising the steps of:

opening the housing to expose the cable channel;

14. A method according to claim 13, wherein the cable is routed along the cable channel along either the first cable path or the second cable path.

15. A method according to claim 13, wherein the cable is wrapped around the dividing protrusion and passes along the first cable path and the second cable path.