US20030140460A1 - Cord holder - Google Patents

Abstract

When assembled and installed at proper spacing the cord holder is a very functional product that will provide with minimum effort a method of controlling multiple cords. The control of cords then will provide neatness, accessibility, safety and aesthetic value to the office or home.

Description

BACKGROUND
• 1. Field of Invention [0001]
• This invention relates to cord support and organization, specifically to electrical cords. [0002]
• There will be two sizes of Cord Holders developed from this drawing. [0003]
• Cord Holder I will be a larger size holder to use when there are a large quantity of cords or for cords with a larger diameter. [0004]
• Cord Holder II will be the smaller holder to use when the quantity of cords is small or sizes of cords are not a factor in using up the space in the loop. [0005]
• 2. Background [0006]
• Offices and homes have added a number of electrical related products in recent years. The cords attached to these products vary in length and circumference to reach from outlets to placement and to carry the electrical load necessary to operate them. [0007]
• As a result the floor areas under many office desks are cluttered with cords and surge blocks randomly placed The cords leading from outlets away from the desk are laid on the floor. [0008]
• A search of the market area stores produced only partial solutions for getting cords organized and out of the way. [0009]
• None of the products being sold to solve the problem show any patent referrals. [0010]
• All of the products used only one method of installation and that was the use of adhesive backing. [0011]
• There was no system of identifying cords with any of these partial solutions. [0012]
• There is no aesthetic value with any of these partial solutions. [0013]
OBJECTS AND ADVANTAGES
• The objective of the Cord Holder invention is to provide a simple to use product which would be the main component in a kit. The kit would provide all of the parts necessary for installing any one of four methods as described in following paragraphs. [0014]
DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION
• The Cord Holder will provide the user a method of controlling cords from the base unit to the plug in outlet. The cord holder will offer four methods of installing: [0015]
• (1) Insert the metal strip between baseboard and wall at the top of the baseboard starting at the outlet and spacing them per user choice to the base unit. The metal strip will have a pointed end for ease of inserting and will be only thick enough to provide needed rigidity. [0016]
• (2) Metal strip will have two screw holes. Screws and mollies will be provided in the kit for mounting to solid wood base or wallboard with use of mollies. [0017]
• (3) Hook and loop (i.e. Velcro) will be provided in the kit to allow mounting to metal or other hard surfaces. [0018]
• (4) Hook and loop (i.e. Velcro) and double pin will be provided in the kit to allow mounting to fabric surfaces such as room dividers. [0019]
• The holder Loop (Fig. A) may be made of metal and attached to the Metal Strip (Fig. B) or it may be made of plastic for aesthetic value and attached to the metal strip. [0020]
• The cord holder will be made in a size to accommodate the cord, but will fit closely to the wall or fixtures to minimize snagging. [0021]
• The cord holder will raise cords off the floor so that the area under desks will be free of cord clutter and allow for vacuuming and carpet cleaning. [0022]
• The cord holder will raise cords off the floor along baseboards to allow for normal cleaning maintenance. [0023]
• The cord holder will remove the eyesore effect of cords laid on floor along baseboards and under desks and tables in a random manner. [0024]
• The cord holder can raise cords off the floor and provide safety for children and pets. [0025]
• The cord holder will get extended usage for lamp cords extension cords, etc. [0026]
• The above description provides reasons and ways of using the cord holder, but the materials used may vary. [0027]
• Metal strip (Fig. B) should be made of metal to provide the rigidity of the cord holder. Stainless steel would be a preference. [0028]
• Loop (Fig. A) can be made of plastic or vinyl and the materials may be in colors or clear. Clear would blend well with wall and baseboard colors and provide a sense of aesthetic value. OR [0029]
• Loop (Fig. A) can be made of a metal material and offered in a variety of colors that would blend in with their background use. [0030]
• Loop (Fig. A) can be made with a slot on the backside so that Metal Strip (Fig B) can slide into the slot making loop and strip complete for installing. [0031]
• The Loop (Fig. A) and Metal Strip (Fig B) could also be made as a one piece product by fusing metal to metal or molding plastic Loop (Fig. A) to metal strip.[0032]
DRAWING FIGURES
• The drawing shows the Loop (Fig. A) and Metal Strip (Fig B). Drawing (Fig. B) shows side view and front view. The front view shows screw holes and pointed strip for two of the installation methods. Loop (Fig. A) may be molded plastic and made to allow either Metal Strip (Fig B) to slide into slot on back of Loop (Fig. A) or Loop A could be molded around metal strip (Fig. B). Loop (Fig. A) could also be a formed piece of metal and provide a slot on backside for Metal Strip (Fig. B) to slide into or Loop (Fig A) could be fused to Metal Strip (Fig. B). There would be advantages to using the Loop (Fig A) and Metal Strip (Fig. B) as two separate parts. [0033]
• Cord Holder I [0034]
• This larger version will hold more cords or larger cords where they come together near the base unit. [0035]
• Loop (Fig A) dimensions will be ¼ to ⅜ inches in width [0036]
• The backside of Loop (Fig A) will be approximately 1¾ inches long. [0037]
• The bottom of loop (Fig A) will be approximately ¾ inch. [0038]
• The front of Loop (Fig A) will be approximately 1⅜ inches to start of curvature. Curvature will bend towards the backside and upward leaving slight opening. [0039]
• Metal Strip (Fig B) will be approximately 3 inches in length and approximately 0.030 inch in thickness. [0040]
• Metal Strip (Fig B) will have a pointed end at the bottom of the strip for one of the installation methods. [0041]
• Metal Strip (Fig B) will have two screw holes for two of the installation methods. Installation methods described earlier provide simple and easy ways to use Cord Holder. [0042]
• Cord Holder II [0043]
• This smaller version will be used for fewer cords and smaller cords between the base unit and the outlets. [0044]
• Loop (Fig. A) dimensions will be ¼ to ⅜ inches in width. [0045]
• The backside of Loop (Fig. A) will be approximately 1¼ inches long. [0046]
• The bottom of Loop (Fig. A) will extend out from backside approximately ½ inch. [0047]
• The front of Loop (Fig. A) will be approximately ¾ inch to the start of curvature. Curvature will bend toward the backside and upward leaving slight opening. [0048]
• Metal Strip (Fig. B) will be approximately 2 inches in length and approximately 0.030 inch in thickness. [0049]
• Metal Strip (Fig. B) will have a pointed end at the bottom of the strip for one of the installation methods. [0050]
• Metal Strip (Fig. B) will have two screw holes for two of the installation methods. [0051]
• Installation methods described earlier provide simple and easy ways to use the cord holder. [0052]

Claims (1)

What I claim as my invention is the Cord Holder.

1. The Cord Holder is made with two pieces - a Metal Strip and a Loop.

I. The Metal Strip is the feature to be used in mounting the Cord Holder and the Loop will be the part used to support cords up off the floor, providing for safety, cleanliness, organization, and appearance.

II. The Cord Holder is rectangular in shape to make it safer and as unobtrusive as possible.

III. The Cord Holder has an opening at the top of the Loop for ease of inserting or removing a cord leaving the Cord Holder in place.

IV. The Cord Holder is small which allows it to be used in small space areas or in Open areas without being highly noticeable.

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