JP2011175436A - Cable storage for handy terminal - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a cable storage for handy terminal that stores a cable spontaneously, and selectively holds the handy terminal with the cable drawn out. <P>SOLUTION: The cable storage 100 includes: a long housing 110; a cable 120 having a first end 121 and a second end 122; a tow member 130 moving up and down in the housing 110 while applying a vertical load to the cable 120; and a temporary holding mechanism (116, 134). The first end 121 is fixed in a first opening 113 of the housing 110, and extends from the housing 110. The second end 122 extends from a second opening 114, and is connected to the handy terminal 200. The temporary holding mechanism selectively achieves a lock state in which the tow member 130 is temporarily held at an upper end area of the housing 110 to prevent natural fall to a housing lower end area, and a non-lock state in which the lock state is released. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a cable housing that can send out and retract a cable to which a handy terminal is connected.

  Conventionally, a handy terminal such as a bar code scanner is installed on a cash register counter or the like, and an operator picks up a hand and moves the handy terminal as necessary. Such a handy terminal is generally connected to a cable, and requires a sufficient cable length to ensure a usable distance range of the handy terminal. When the handy terminal is not used, the cable is left on the counter, work table, or the like, causing problems such as the cable becoming tangled or obstructing the work.

  As a solution to this problem, the cable storage unit of Patent Document 1 has been proposed. According to Patent Document 1, in the cable storage unit (1), a fixed end (451b) that is one end of a cable (451) is fixed to a ceiling portion (111a) of a unit body (111), and a handy scanner (401) is attached. The free end (451a) which is the other end of the cable (451) to be connected is inserted through the insertion hole (112a). The cable (451) extends from the ceiling (111a) toward the bottom (111b) and is wound around the lower half of the pulley (151). The pulley (151) is rotatably supported and can be moved up and down between the bottom (111b) and the ceiling (111a) along the longitudinal direction of the unit body (111). When the handy scanner (401) is used, the free end (451a) of the cable is pulled out and the pulley (151) is wound up and raised, and the portion of the cable (451) stored in the unit main body (111) is pulled out. Pull the scanner (401) freely. Further, when the handy scanner (401) is not used, when the pulling operation on the free end (451a) side is stopped, the pulley (151) is lowered by its own weight, and the cable (451) pulled out is again connected to the unit main body (111). ).

JP 2010-009202 A

  However, in the cable storage unit of Patent Document 1, when the hand is released from the handy terminal (when the external force to the handy terminal is released), the pulley is immediately lowered by its own weight, and the cable is naturally drawn into the unit. The handy terminal moves away from the user. That is, in a situation where the user places the handy terminal temporarily at hand and continuously uses it, once the handy terminal is placed, the handy terminal moves away from the hand against the user's intention. For this reason, the operation | movement which draws in a handy terminal again is needed, and there exists a problem that a user's working efficiency falls.

  An object of the present invention is a cable storage device that naturally stores a cable when no external force is applied to the cable so as not to hinder the work of the user, and selectively selects the handy terminal in a state in which the cable is sent out. It is in providing the cable storage tool for handy terminals which can be hold | maintained.

The cable storage device according to claim 1 is a cable storage device for a handy terminal that stores the cable so that the cable can be sent out and retracted.
A longitudinal housing having a first opening and a second opening and extending vertically;
A first end extending from the first opening to the outside of the housing; and a second end extending from the second opening to the outside of the housing and connected to a handy terminal. A cable housed in the housing in a state of being fixed to the housing;
A traction member that has a cable guide portion that engages with the cable and guides the feeding and drawing of the cable, and that can move up and down in the housing while applying a vertical load to the cable as the cable is fed and drawn. When,
When the traction member reaches the upper end region of the housing, the locked state in which the traction member is temporarily held in the upper end region of the housing and the natural lowering to the lower end region of the housing is prevented, and this locked state is released. And a temporary holding mechanism capable of selectively realizing the unlocked state.

  The cable storage device according to claim 2 is the cable storage device according to claim 1, wherein the temporary holding mechanism includes a holding member and a held member to which the holding member can be selectively attached and detached. The member is provided at an upper end portion of the housing or in the vicinity thereof, and the held member is provided at an upper portion of the pulling member.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the cable housing of the second aspect, the temporary holding mechanism including the holding member and the held member is a push latch mechanism.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, when the cable is pulled out by the external force in the first end direction, the first end of the cable is fixed to the housing. The cable is guided by the cable guide portion and sent out to the second end side. On the other hand, when the external force on the cable is released, the cable is guided by the cable guide portion and pulled toward the first end side while the pulling member naturally descends while applying a vertical load to the cable. Therefore, the cable can be naturally stored in the housing. In addition, a temporary holding mechanism that can selectively realize a locked state in which the pulling member is temporarily held in the upper end region of the housing to prevent natural descent to the lower end region of the housing and an unlocked state in which the locked state is released. By providing the handy terminal, it is possible to selectively hold the handy terminal in a state where the cable is sent out without applying an external force to the cable.

  The invention according to claim 2 has the same effect as that of the invention according to claim 1.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, the temporary holding mechanism is a push latch mechanism, so that the traction member (member to be held) is pressed against the housing (holding member) so that the locked state can be quickly and easily achieved. Can be formed. Further, the locked state can be quickly and easily released by pressing the traction member (held member) against the housing (holding member) in the locked state. That is, the user can switch between locking and unlocking quickly and easily.

The whole perspective view of one Embodiment of the cable storage tool of this invention. The housing and cable in the cable storage tool of FIG. 1 are shown, (a) is a front view inside a housing, (b) is a top view of a housing. The disassembled perspective view of the housing and cable in the cable storage tool of FIG. The pulling member in the cable storage tool of FIG. 1 is shown, (a) is the front view, (b) is the back view, (c) is the top view. It is the elements on larger scale of the temporary holding mechanism in the cable storage tool of FIG. 1, Comprising: (a) is a lock release state, (b) is a lock state. The disassembled perspective view of the cable storage tool of FIG. It is a front view of the cable storage tool of FIG. 1, (a) is a state in which the cable is stored in the housing, (b) is a state in which the cable is partially sent out, and (c) is a complete cable. The state that was sent to. The perspective view of the pulling member in the modification of the cable storage tool of this invention. The modification of the cable storage tool of this invention is shown, (a) is a perspective view of a traction member, (b) is a front view of a cable storage tool.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 shows a cable housing 100 as an embodiment of the present invention. The cable housing 100 includes a housing 110 having a longitudinal rectangular shape extending in a vertical (up and down) direction, a cable 120 housed in the housing 110, and a pulling member 130 disposed so as to be movable up and down in the housing. It has. The housing 110 includes a housing main body 111 having a front opening and a lid body 112 that covers the front opening of the housing main body 111. The first end 121 of the cable 120 extends from the first opening 113 located on the upper wall 111a of the housing main body 111, and the second end 122 extends from the second opening 114 located on the upper wall 111a. As described above, the cable 120 is accommodated in the housing 110.

  The first end 121 of the cable 120 includes a terminal (here, a USB terminal 121a) that can be connected to a point-of-sale information management terminal (POS terminal, not shown) that is an information processing terminal. The second end 122 of the cable 120 is connected as a free end to the barcode scanner 200 which is a handy terminal. In this embodiment, the handy terminal is a barcode scanner, but may be another information input terminal such as a mouse-type interface. The information processing terminal is not limited to a POS terminal, and may be another processing terminal such as a personal computer. Hereinafter, each member will be described with reference to the drawings.

  2A and 2B are a front view of the inside of the housing 110 in which the cable 120 is arranged and a plan view (top view) of the housing 110. FIG. In FIG. 2, the lid body 112 is omitted for the sake of convenience in order to explain the inside of the housing 110. As shown in FIG. 2, the housing 110 includes a housing body 111 having an upper wall 111a, a bottom wall 111b, and a front opening. The housing body 111 has a cable pressing portion 115 in which a first opening 113 and a second opening 114 are formed in the upper wall 111a. Further, the hole diameter of the first opening 113 is formed to be equal to or smaller than the cable diameter, and the cable 120 is fixed to the housing 110 by being horizontally pressed by the cable pressing portion 115 at the first opening 113. Yes. That is, the cable 120 has a fixed end on the first end 121 side. And the hole diameter of the 2nd opening 114 is formed larger than the cable diameter so that the cable 120 may be sent out and pulled in through the 2nd opening 114.

  On the lower surface (inner surface) of the upper wall 111a of the housing main body 111, a holding member 116 constituting a temporary holding mechanism described later is disposed. A substantially T-shaped engagement convex portion 116a (holding portion) which is a part of the holding member 116 extends toward the bottom wall 111b.

  Further, in order to reduce the frictional force generated between the pulling member 130 and the wall surface of the housing main body 111 when the pulling member 130 moves up and down, two tapes 117a are applied along the longitudinal direction on the inner surface of the side wall of the housing main body 111. And one tape 117b (see FIG. 3) is stuck on the inner surface of the side wall of the lid 112 along the longitudinal direction. Further, in order to absorb an impact when the pulling member 130 contacts the bottom wall 111b of the housing main body 111, two buffer protrusions 118 are formed on the upper surface (inner surface) of the housing bottom wall 111b. Although not shown here, on the back surface of the housing main body 111, for example, a mounting tool such as a magnet or a mounting hole for installing the cable housing 100 on a wall surface or the like is formed.

  FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the housing 110 and the cable 120. As shown in FIG. 3, in the vicinity of the housing upper wall 111a, the cable pressing portion 115 is disposed in the housing so that the cable 120 is sandwiched between the housing main body 111 and the pressing portion 115 through the first opening 113 and the second opening 114. It is fixed to the main body 111 with screws. Further, the holding member 116 having the engaging convex portion 116a is fixed to the lower surface of the housing upper wall 111a with a screw. As will be described later, the lid body 112 is attached to the housing body 111 after the traction member 130 is disposed in the housing body 111.

  In the present embodiment, the housing main body 111 and the lid body 112 are manufactured by processing a metal plate, and the holding member 116 having the cable pressing portion 115 and the engagement convex portion 116a is manufactured by molding Duracon resin. However, it may be manufactured by other materials and other processing methods. Here, the members are assembled by fixing them with screws, but may be assembled by other means such as welding.

  FIG. 4 shows the pulling member 130 of the cable housing 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention. The pulling member 130 includes a main body 131 that has a front surface 131a and a rear surface 131b and has a rectangular thin plate shape in front view. A first guide roller 132 (cable guide portion) for guiding the cable 120 is rotatably installed at the approximate center of the front surface 131a. Further, the four second guide rollers 133 as the sliding means are rotatable at the four corners of the rear surface 131b so as to protrude from the main body 131 in a front view so that they can come into contact with the inner surface of the side wall of the housing main body 111. Is attached. Further, the main body 131 incorporates a held member 134 having a pair of engaging claws 134 a (held portion) constituting a temporary holding mechanism described later, and the pair of engaging claws 134 a of the main body portion 131. It extends from one side. And the main-body part 131 incorporates the weight (not shown) which has a predetermined weight, in order to apply a vertical load to the cable 120 with dead weight.

  In this embodiment, the main body 131 and the weight of the pulling member 130 are manufactured by processing a metal plate, and the first guide roller 132, the second guide roller 133, and the engaging claw 134a are made of plastic. However, other processing methods and materials may be used.

  FIG. 5 shows a temporary holding mechanism including a holding member 116 having an engaging convex portion 116a (holding portion) and a held member 134 having a pair of engaging claws 134a (held portion). The temporary holding mechanism in the present embodiment is a so-called push latch mechanism. This temporary holding mechanism is a commercially available product in which the holding member 116 and the held member 134 are paired.

  An operation for forming a locked state in the temporary holding mechanism will be described. As shown in FIG. 5 (a), the pair of engaging claws 134a having the projections 134b on the inside sandwich the T-shaped engaging convex portion 116a having the recessed portion 116b so that the pulling member 130 is attached to the upper wall of the housing. It abuts on the lower surface of 111a. When the pulling member 130 is pressed against the lower surface of the housing upper wall 111a, the engaging claws 134a are retracted into the pulling member 130 (held member 134), and the protrusions 134b and the recesses 116b are fitted. The pair of engaging claws 134a sandwich the engaging convex portion 116a so that the engaging claw 134a and the engaging convex portion 116a are engaged, and the holding member 116 and the held member 134 form a locked state. (See FIG. 5B).

  Next, an operation for releasing the locked state will be described. When the traction member 130 is further pressed against the lower surface of the housing upper wall 111a in the locked state, the pair of engagement claws 134a protrudes from the traction member 130 (held member 134) while opening outward, and the engagement claws 134a The engagement with the engagement convex portion 116a is released, and the locked state is released.

  In addition, it is not limited to the push latch mechanism of this embodiment, The push latch mechanism of another structure can also be employ | adopted.

  FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the cable housing 100 showing the housing main body 111 and the pulling member 130 in which the cable 120 is incorporated. The pulling member 130 is disposed in the housing main body 111 such that the engaging claw 134a faces the housing upper wall 111a and the front surface 131a and the inner surface of the front side wall of the lid 112 face each other. At this time, the traction member 130 is engaged with the cable 120 so that the first guide roller 132 of the traction member 130 is engaged with the cable 120, that is, the cable 120 is wound around the lower half of the first guide roller 132. Placed inside. In addition, each of the second guide rollers 133 of the pulling member 130 can come into contact with the inner surface of the side wall in the width direction of the housing body 111, and the rear surface 131b of the pulling member 130 can come into contact with the tape 117a. Arranged in the housing body 111. After the pulling member 130 is housed in the housing main body 111, the lid 112 is attached to the housing main body 111 with screws so as to cover the front opening. Therefore, the cable housing 100 can be easily assembled without complicated processes as described above.

  FIG. 7 is a front view showing a storage state and a delivery state of the cable 120 in the cable storage device 100 (for convenience of explanation, the lid is not shown). FIG. 7A shows a state where the cable 120 is stored in the cable storage tool 100. The pulling member 130 is movable by a distance L in the longitudinal direction of the housing 110. The pulling member 130 is at the lowest position in contact with the buffer protrusion 118 formed on the upper surface (inner surface) of the bottom wall 111 b of the housing 110, and the barcode scanner 200 is held near the outer surface of the upper wall 111 a of the housing 110. . At this time, the cable 120 and the first guide roller 132 of the pulling member 130 are engaged, and the pulling member 130 applies a vertical load to the cable 120 and pulls it downward. That is, in this state, the cable 120 is housed in the cable housing 100 and is not left on the counter or work table. That is, when the user does not use the barcode scanner 200 continuously, this state is preferable.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 7B, when the barcode scanner 200 is pulled out of the cable housing 100, an external force F toward the second end 122 is applied to the cable 120, and the cable 120 is connected to the second end 122. Sent to the side. At this time, since the first end 121 side of the cable 120 is fixed to the housing 110 by the first opening 113, the first guide roller 132 engaged with the cable 120 rotates in the direction of the arrow to guide the feeding of the cable 120. However, the traction member 130 is raised. The cable 120 having a length 2d that is twice as long as the rising distance d of the pulling member 130 extends partially outward (toward the second end 122) from the housing 110 (second opening 114). That is, the cable 120 can be sent out as much as necessary in accordance with the usage status of the barcode scanner 200 of the user. In this state, since the cable 120 is properly stretched by the vertical load of the pulling member 130, it is possible to prevent the cable 120 from sagging and hindering the user's work.

  As shown in FIG. 7C, when the cable 120 is further fed out from the housing 110, the cable 120 is fed out to the maximum extent, and the cable 120 having a length of 2L is removed from the housing 110 (second opening 114). Extend.

  When the cable 120 (or the barcode scanner 200) is further pulled out so that the pulling member 130 presses the lower surface of the housing upper wall 111a, the engaging protrusion 116a of the housing 110 and the engaging claws 134a of the pulling member 130 The holding portion 116 and the held portion 134 form a locked state in which the pulling member 130 is temporarily held near the lower surface of the upper wall 111a of the housing 110 without being naturally lowered.

  To store the cable 120 from this locked state, when the cable 120 (or the barcode scanner 200) is pulled out again so that the pulling member 130 presses the lower surface of the housing upper wall 111a, the lock is released as described above. Is done. When the user releases his / her hand from the barcode scanner 200 (when the force F in the direction of the second end 122 of the cable 120 is released), the pulling member 130 applies a vertical load to the cable 120 and moves inside the housing 110. Descent.

  When the pulling member 130 is lowered, the first end 121 side of the cable 120 is fixed to the housing 110 by the first opening 113, so that the first guide roller 132 that engages with the cable 120 rotates in the direction opposite to the arrow, and the cable While guiding the pulling of 120, the cable 120 is pulled toward the first end 121, and the barcode scanner 200 is pulled toward the cable housing 100. Then, the pulling member 130 comes into contact with the buffer protrusion 118 on the upper surface of the bottom wall 111b of the housing 110, and the cable 120 is stored in the cable storage device 100 as shown in FIG.

  In order for the pulling member 130 to descend only by a vertical load, the pulling member 130 is preferably heavier than the barcode scanner 200, and the weight can be adjusted by changing the weight built in the pulling member 130. . However, even when the pulling member 130 is lighter than the barcode scanner 200, the user can easily store the cable 120 by guiding the barcode scanner 200 toward the cable storage unit 100.

  As described above, for example, when the user continuously uses the barcode scanner 200, if the user locks the bar code scanner 200, the traction member 130 can be held in the vicinity of the housing upper wall 111a without being naturally lowered. Even if the code scanner 200 is released, the bar code scanner 200 can be temporarily placed without being pulled. On the other hand, when the user does not need to use the barcode scanner 200 continuously, for example, if the user releases the lock and releases the hand from the barcode scanner 200, the pulling member 130 pulls the cable 120 while naturally descending. Then, the barcode scanner 200 is pulled to the vicinity of the cable housing 100. That is, the cable 120 is not unnecessarily left on a counter, a work table or the like, and does not hinder the user's work. Therefore, the cable storage tool 100 according to the present embodiment can hold and store the cable 120 in a state selected by the user according to the usage status of the barcode scanner 200, thereby improving the work efficiency of the user.

  In addition, by using a push latch mechanism as the temporary holding mechanism, the user can quickly and easily lock and unlock without complicated operations by only a single operation of pulling the barcode scanner 200 to the hand. . That is, the bar code scanner 200 can be handled with one hand while performing other work, thereby improving the work efficiency of the user.

  When the pulling member 130 moves up and down in the housing 110, each second guide roller 133 of the pulling member 130 contacts the inner surface of the side wall of the housing main body 111, and the pulling member 130 slides in the housing 110. That is, wear due to friction between members is reduced to improve durability, and the cable 120 can be smoothly fed and retracted, giving the user a superior feeling of use.

  Further, by forming the buffer protrusion 118 on the upper surface of the housing bottom wall 111b, it is possible to absorb an impact when the lower surface (side surface) of the pulling member 130 that naturally descends by its own weight collides with the upper surface of the housing bottom wall 111b. In addition to improving the durability of the member, it gives the user a superior feeling of use.

(Modification 1)
The temporary holding mechanism is not limited to the above-described embodiment. In this embodiment, the holding portion is formed on the lower surface of the upper wall of the housing. However, the holding portion is not limited to this, and can be formed on the inner surface of each side wall of the housing as long as it can be engaged with the held portion of the traction member. It is. Further, an engaging claw may be provided on the housing, and an engaging convex portion may be provided on the pulling member.

  Further, the temporary holding mechanism is not limited to the push latch mechanism of the above-described embodiment. For example, the held portion may be held by the holding portion with a magnet or a hook-and-loop fastener. In this case, for example, a hole or the like is provided in the housing, and the traction member is physically operated from the outside to perform unlocking.

(Modification 2)
For example, like the pulling member 130A shown in FIG. 8, projections 133A may be provided at four corners instead of the second guide roller. That is, by reducing the contact area between the inner surface of the side wall of the housing body and the traction member 130A and reducing the frictional force, the traction member 130A can be slid within the housing.

(Modification 3)
In the above embodiment, the pulling member has a built-in weight and descends within the housing due to its own weight. For example, as shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B, the pulling member is pulled instead of the weight. The spring 130B may be incorporated in the member 130, the upper surface of the housing bottom wall 111bB and the pulling member 130B may be connected by the spring spring 135B, and the pulling member 130B may be lowered in the housing 110B by the restoring force K of the spring spring 135B instead of gravity. . In this case, the restoring force K is the main cause of the vertical load on the cable. In addition, with this structure, it is also possible to install and use the longitudinal portion of the cable housing 100B horizontally.

  Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and modifications, and can be implemented in various modes as long as they belong to the technical scope of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Cable storage tool 110 Housing 113 1st opening 114 2nd opening 116 Holding member 120 Cable 121 1st end 122 2nd end 130 Pulling member 132 1st guide roller (cable guide part)
133 Second guide roller 134 Holding member 200 Bar code scanner (handy terminal)

Claims (3)

A cable storage device for a handy terminal that stores a cable so that the cable can be sent out and retracted,
A longitudinal housing having a first opening and a second opening and extending vertically;
A first end extending from the first opening to the outside of the housing; and a second end extending from the second opening to the outside of the housing and connected to a handy terminal. A cable housed in the housing in a state of being fixed to the housing;
A traction member that has a cable guide portion that engages with the cable and guides the feeding and drawing of the cable, and that can move up and down in the housing while applying a vertical load to the cable as the cable is fed and drawn. When,
When the traction member reaches the upper end region of the housing, the locked state in which the traction member is temporarily held in the upper end region of the housing and the natural lowering to the lower end region of the housing is prevented, and this locked state is released. And a temporary holding mechanism capable of selectively realizing a non-locked state. The temporary holding mechanism is composed of a holding member and a held member to which the holding portion can be attached and detached,
The cable holder according to claim 1, wherein the holding member is provided at an upper end portion of the housing or in the vicinity thereof, and the held member is provided at an upper portion of the pulling member.   The cable holder according to claim 2, wherein the temporary holding mechanism including the holding member and the held member is a push latch mechanism.

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