GB2617538A

GB2617538A - Cable management cleat

Info

Publication number: GB2617538A
Application number: GB2201650.5A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Lander Darren
Original assignee: Gsll Ltd
Current assignee: Gsll Ltd
Priority date: 2022-02-09
Filing date: 2022-02-09
Publication date: 2023-10-18

Abstract

A cable management cleat comprises a base part 1. A stem structure part extends up from the base 1 and supports at least one “T” bar part 4, 5 extending substantially parallel to the base 1. The base 1 supports a jam 7 disposed to capture an elongate flexible cable 6 wound onto the cleat. Another aspect of the application is a cable management cleat comprising a base part 1. A stem structure extends up from the base part 1 and supports at least one “T” bar part 4, 5 extending substantially parallel to the base 1. The base part 1 is provided with means (figure 5, 13) to secure the cleat to another structure wherein the means (figure 5, 13) for securing is provided by a layer of adhesive (figure 5, 13) applied to the underside of the base 1.

Description

CABLE MANAGEMENT CLEAT

Technical field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of cable management particularly the management of cables providing power and/or communications services in a working or domestic environment. It is well known that much modern equipment has to be connected via cables in order to function even in the case of so called wireless devices operable via battery power will require intermittent connection via cable to a power supply for the purpose of charging and often via communications cables to peripheral devices such as monitors. This has resulted in a proliferation of cables across the working environment. The use of common interface and power cable such as USB makes the management of multiple cabled interfaces more confusing as there is no easy way to readily identify which otherwise similar interface cable runs to the user's mobile phone charger and which to their monitor or keyboard. The proliferation of straggling cables makes an unsightly mess which is difficult to keep clean.

Background art

[0002] Prior art devices to manage cables include adhesive tape, wound around or over the cable and bonded to a nearby stationary structure such as a desk leg or desktop. Hook and loop cable ties, essentially a strap of flexible hook and loop fabric used to bind cables to a structure to maintain an orderly arrangement. These are more readily reusable than adhesive tape and obviate the issue of fouling by adhesive. Ratchet cable ties comprising a strip of flexible plastics having a buckle incorporating a pawl formation on one end and the other end having a rack formation on one surface. The rack formation is arranged to engage into the buckle forming a loop which can only be tightened, not released. Some desk and server structures include channels or pipes into which cables are fed. None of the aforementioned devices manage overlong cables well. It is generally necessary to loop overlong cables and then capture the loop into a cable tie leaving the loop to hang from or lie on the structure to which it is attached. Looping overlong cables into channels can result in entangled cables and resilient cables working their way out of the channel. Where a looped cable needs to be frequently unwound for use, the aforementioned devices are fiddly and may be neglected in pursuit of haste. Suspended loops of cable can present a snagging hazard.

[0003j The device of a cleat is a generally "T" or "ft" -shaped piece of metal or wood, to which ropes, especially running rigging such as sheets, halyards or hawsers are temporarily attached. Particularly where the cleat is 7 shaped excess cable can be wound around the upright and secured by an overhand loop applied to the last bight of cable. So long as constant tension is applied to a free end of the rope it will not unwind. Efforts to develop a cleat to tidy communications or power cable have met with limited success. The cable tends to unwind as it is relatively resilient by comparison with rope of similar diameter and applying constant tension to power or communications cable is undesirable. Where the cable is connecting a plug at one or each end, which will be the case at least some of the time, the plug will tend to be drawn from the receiving socket. Furthermore, the application of tension to the cable wound on the cleat is liable to compromise the integrity of the cable by damaging the insulator or internal conductor.

[00041 A conventional cleat is secured to a structure such as a ships rail by some form of pin, for example a machine screw, self-tapping screw or rivets. In a domestic or office environment this is often not an acceptable mechanism.

[00051 The present invention aims to provide an improved cleat cable management device to mitigate at least one of the aforementioned technical problems.

Statement of invention

tom Accordingly the present invention is provided by a cable management cleat comprising a base part, a stem structure part extending up from the base and supporting at least one "T" bar part extending substantially parallel to the base characterised in that the base supports a jam disposed to capture an elongate flexible cable wound onto the cleat.

[00071 According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a cable management cleat comprising a base part, a stem part extending up from the base part and supporting at least one "T bar part extending substantially parallel to the base the base part being provided with means to secure the cleat to another structure characterised in that the means for securing is provided by a layer of adhesive applied to the underside of the base.

[00081 In the case of either of the first or second aspects of the invention the base part is preferably provided by an elongate plate having a flat underside opposite to the stem structure part. The stem structure part is preferably provided by two longitudinally spaced stems. Preferably each stem is of sufficient height to allow at least one and preferably several coils of cable to be wrapped around the stem structure. The stem structure may facilitate the cable being wound in one layer with each coil in contact with both stems. The separation of each stem is arranged to readily take up the length of a one or two meter cable. Each stem may be formed with a cross section to prevent excessive strain on the cable where it is bent around each stem. Preferably the cross section of each stem is greater than the cross section of the cable. For a standard common micro USB cable the external cable diameter is approximately 3 mm or 4 mm. Accordingly the preferred cross section of the stem is 4-5 mm preferably 4.2 mm.Preferably the jam is provided by a formation upstanding from the base with a notch formed in therein to capture the cable. Preferably the notch is formed in the top surface of the formation. Preferably the notch comprises opposing 'V" shaped surface which converge to a throat before expanding to a passage wherein the cable can be captured. The jam may be located between the stems. In use the cable is pressed into the "V" passed the throat into the passage which separably captures the cable without tension in the longitudinal direction of the captured portion of the cable to prevent the cable unwinding. The cable can be released by pulling the cable perpendicularly away from the base.

[00091 Preferably the layer of adhesive is a pressure sensitive removable adhesive applied to the underside of the base, which is able to secure the cleat to a hard surface such as a wall or part of a desk. Before use the adhesive surface may be covered by a film layer removable to expose the adhesive surface for use. The removable character of the adhesive allows the cleat to be removed without marring the surface to which it is attached. The cleat may be reused in the same or other locations either with the same layer of adhesive or by replacing the adhesive layer.

tom The cleat may be fabricated from plastics metal or wood with each part being moulded as an integral structure. Different sizes of cleat may be provided for use with different sizes of cable.

Brief description of drawings

[0011/ Embodiments of a cable management cleat constructed in accordance with the present inventions, will now be described by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying figures, in which: Figure 1 is a SE isometric view of a first embodiment of the cleat with a cable wrapped on it; Figure 2 is a SE isometric view of the first embodiment; Figure 3 is a plan view of the first embodiment; Figure 4 is a sectional view on the line and Figure 5 is a front elevation of the first embodiment Figure 6 is a SE isometric view of a second embodiment; Figure 7 is a side elevation of a second embodiment and Figure 8 is a sectional view on the line II-11.

Detailed description

[0012). The cable management cleat is moulded from plastics material and has a base part 1.

Base part 1 comprises an elongate thin panel with flat upper and lower faces.

10013) A stem structure part is provided by a first stem 2 and a second stem 3 extending up from the base. The first stem 2 supports a first "T" bar part 4 extending substantially parallel to the base and the second stem supports a "T" bar part 5. Each stem 2,3 rises from a root spaced from the nearest end of the base. Each stem 2,3 is arcuate so that the horizontal distance between the stem 2,3 and the end of the base grows progressively less with the height of the stem. The "T" bar parts 4 and 5 are formed progressively at the top of each stem and are planar and circular in shape as they extend towards the respective adjacent ends of the base. The "T" bar parts serve to prevent the resilient cable sliding off of the stem structure.

[0014). A jam 7 is disposed on the base 1 to capture the elongate flexible cable 6 wound onto the cleat. The jam 7 is an upright column extending from the top surface of the base 1. A longitudinally extending notch 8 is formed in the top of the column. The uppermost part of the notch farthest from the base has side walls 9 which converge towards the base to form a throat 10 which opens into a passage 11. The elements of the notch are designed to work with a specific size of micro USB cable so that when the cable is pressed passed the throat towards the base the cable is tightly gripped by the sides of the passage. In the first embodiment designed to work with thin gauge USB cables with a diameter of around 4mm the passage has a radius of 1.88 mm with a throat of 2.47mm. The cable can be released from the jam by pulling it away from the base. The resilience of the cable and jam allow the jaws to flex sufficiently to allow the cable to be released and subsequently unwound from the cleat for use. The underside of the base 1 is covered with a sheet 12 of foam like material incorporating a pressure sensitive removable adhesive which bonds the sheet 9 to the base 1. A removable protective film 13 is provided to cover the side of the sheet 12 opposite the base 1. In some use applications the film 12 is removed to expose the sheet 12 prior to the cleat being pressed sheet first against a flat solid surface to which it then adheres. In use one end of the cable may be left connected to a device such as a charger monitor or keyboard while the other is intermittently connected to a device such as a mobile phone, tablet or laptop computer. When both ends of the cable are connected the cleat can be used to coil excess cable. When the mobile device is disconnected the loose cable end can be coiled and clipped into the jam 7.

[00151 The surface of the cleat can be coloured with different finishes so that where multiple cleats are used to manage a corresponding number of cables for different purposes the cables can be effectively colour coded as to their particular use.

[0016j The second embodiment shown in figures 6 to 8 is generally similar to the first embodiment but is adapted to work with relatively longer, eg 2m micro-USB cables as well as short (1m or less) cables. Such cables are commonly thicker to accommodate larger conductors and reduce resistance and/or the cable may be covered with a wrapped web to protect the cable. To accommodate the extra length of cable the stems 2 may be placed farther apart (130-150 mm) than in the first embodiment (60-70mm). To accommodate the thicker gauge cable the jam 7 is formed to include an additional adjacent notch 8a with a larger throat and passage sized to accommodate the larger cable.

Claims

Claims A cable management cleat comprising a base part, a stem structure part extending up from the base and supporting at least one "T" bar part extending substantially parallel to the base characterised in that the base supports a jam disposed to capture an elongate flexible cable wound onto the cleat.
2.A cable management cleat according to claim 1 comprising a flat underside provided on the base part opposite to the stem structure part.
3.A cable management cleat according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the stem structure part is provided by two longitudinally spaced stems.
4.A cable management cleat according to any one of the preceding claims comprising a jam located between the stems.
5.A cable management cleat according to claim 4 comprising a notch formed into the top of the jam, said notch having tapering sides extending in the longitudinal direction of the base, whereby the sides of the notch are able to grip a cable wrapped around the stems.
6.A cable management cleat according to claim 5 wherein the sides of the notch descend to a throat between the top of the jam and a passage through the jam.
7.A cable management cleat according to claim 7 wherein the jam includes two or more notches of relatively different sizes to accommodate differently sized cables.
8.A cable management cleat according to any one of the preceding claims comprising a layer of pressure sensitive removable adhesive applied to the underside of the base whereby the cleat can be secured to the flat surface of a structure.
9.A cable management cleat according to claim 6 in combination with a cable wherein the span of the throat is less than the gauge of the cable and the jam deforms resiliently to allow the passage of the cable moving in the direction of the axis of the throat.
10.A combination in accordance with claim 9 wherein the passage is of a diameter less than the diameter of the cable to form an interference fit.
11.A cable management cleat comprising a base part, a stem structure extending up from the base part and supporting at least one "T bar part extending substantially parallel to the base the base part being provided with means to secure the cleat to another structure characterised in that the means for securing is provided by a layer of adhesive applied to the underside of the base.