A CABLE HOLDER
The present invention relates to a device of the kind defined in the preamble of Claim 1, intended for holding a flexible cable m a looped-up or coiled state.
Long, flexible and supple lines, leads etc., such as electric cables or hoses, are often stored m a coiled state. When the cable or the like shall be unwound from its coiled or looped state, the individual coils or loops are liable to become entangled or are at least difficult to unwind in the correct order. Because the individual coils or turns of the coiled cable have no fixed positions, the individual cable coils, turns, or loops are also liable to be displaced during transportation of the cable m its coiled state.
Although cable holders which enable the individual coils of a co led cable to be held firmly together for transportation purposes are known to the art, these known holders still have limitations with respect to practical handling of the cable when it is to be used.
Accordingly, one object of the present invention is to provide a device of the kind defined m the introduction which will enable the individual coils or turns of a coiled cable to be held stably and safely and which can also be fastened easily to said cable so as to hold said cable m a coiled state during its transportation or to enable the cable to be hung m said coiled state on a wall of a workshop for storage of any given part of the cable that is not in use. It will be readily understood that the term cable as used in this document also include lines, wires, leads, and the like.
The object of the invention is achieved with a device having the features set forth in Claim 1.
Further embodiments of the inventive device are defined in the dependent Claims.
The inventive device/holder includes a body which has on a first side thereof a plurality of mutually parallel and mutually spaced first cable clamping-slots. The body has on the side opposite to said first side a clamping device, for instance a second clamping slot, in which the cable can be removably clamped, wherewith the longitudinal direction of said clamping device is generally perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the first clamping slots. The device or holder is also provided with means for hanging said device and the cable coiled or looped thereon on some suitable device.
The clamping device functions to enable the device/holder to be removably secured to the cable. Each of the first clamping slots receives a peripheral part of one turn of the coiled cable. Because each of the first clamping slots receives only one individual turn or coil of the coiled cable, the cable will be unwound in the correct order automatically, since pulling on the free, outer end of the cable will cause the release of the outermost cable turn from its first clamping slot. Although it is not absolutely necessary to use the first clamping slots in a strict order from one end of the row of first clamping slots when coiling-up the cable on said device/holder, a strict order of fastening the coils in the first clamping slots is preferred.
The device includes means which enable the device, and therewith the cable part looped thereon, to be hung in a convenient place. Pivotally mounted on one end-part of the body is a locking arm which can be latched to another end-part of said body, with the locking arm bridging over the row of first slots. This arm will secure those coils or turns of the cable or the like that have been snapped into the first clamping slots of said device.
The aforesaid hanging means can be formed on the freely movable end-part of the locking arm. The locking arm may have the form of a generally U-shaped wire bow or loop whose web- part is snapped into a groove or recess in said second end of the body. The first slots are mutually separated by partition walls which are preferably integral with the body and the upper parts of which are thickened such as to give the first slots an undercut form. The partition walls are elastically flexible, so as to allow the cable to be snapped into the first slots. At least some of the partition walls of the first slots are preferably capable of being compressed elastically transversely to the direction of the first slots, so as to enable cables of slightly varying diameter to be securely received in said slots. This elastic compressibility of the partition walls may be achieved with the slit that divides the partition wall in a parting line that extends parallel with the plane of the partition wall, such that said partition wall will obtain two separate wall-parts at least in its upper portion. The clamping device extends along a substantial part of the length of said body. In practice, the clamping device extends along the full length of said body, i.e. along the full length of the series of first slots, so as to achieve stable clamping of the holder device to said cable. In one embodiment, the clamping device has the form of a clamping slot that has springy, elastic walls. The clamping device is then preferably provided with a plurality of generally parallel slots which extend perpendicular to said second slot and separated therealong so as to increase the flexibility of said body. The bottom of the second slot is suitably located at a constant distance from the bottoms of the first slots.
In another embodiment of the invention, the clamping device is formed by clamping hooks that spread transversely to the longitudinal direction of said device. The clamping hooks are
fastened to the body in mutually spaced relationship therealong and will preferably face alternately in opposite directions.
The inventive holding device will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which
Fig. 1 is a schematic side view of an inventive cable holder;
Fig. 2 illustrates the cable holder of Fig. 1 from above;
Fig. 3 is an end view of the holder shown in Fig. 1;
Fig. 4 illustrates schematically a wall-suspended holder on which a cable has been looped;
Fig. 5 is a side view of one variant of the cable holder; and
Fig. 6 is a view taken on the line VI-VI in Fig. 5.
The inventive holder includes an elongated body 1 made of an elastic material, for instance a plastic material. One side 2 of the body 1 includes a plurality of mutually parallel first slots or grooves 3 which face at right angles to the longitudinal axis 11 of the body 1. Mutually adjacent slots 3 are separated by a wall 4, the outer part 5 of which has a thickened cross-section. The outer part or tip of the wall 4 includes a slit 6 which enables the wall 4, and then particularly its outer part 5, to be compressed elastically. The wall 4 is also flexible, or bendable, at least at its bottom part. Because of the thickened outer parts 5 of said bendable walls, the slots 3 have an undercut form which enables them to retain securely a cable length 7 inserted therein.
The opposite side 8 of the body 1 includes a second slot or recess that also has an undercut form. The slot 9 extends along the full length of the body 1, parallel with its longitudinal
extension. The wall-parts defining the sides of the slot 9 are integral with the body 1 and are comprised of a springy, elastic material which enables a section of the cable 7 to be clamped firmly in said second slot.
A generally U-shaped device 20 has two generally parallel legs 21 which are interconnected by a web 22. The ends 24 of the legs 21 are pivotally mounted on the first end 14 of the body 1, in the proximity of said first side 2. The web 22 can be snapped into a recess m the other end 15 of the body 1.
A cable section 7 that has been inserted into a clamping slot 3 can now be secured therein by means of the device 20, which prevents said cable section 7 inserted into respective slots 3 from leaving said slots in a lateral direction. When swung generally through 180 degrees from the position m which it latches the cable sections in respective slots 3, the U-shaped device 20 will also form a holder-suspension means, as shown in Fig. 4. As will be seen from Fig. 4, a first end-part of a cable, line, or the like for instance an electric cable 7, is fastened m the second slot or recess 9 of said body 1, so as to firmly hold the cable 7 to said body. The cable 7 is then coiled-up with the individual turns or coils 40, 41, 42 being snapped into mutually sequential slots 3. When needing to increase the effective length of the cable 7, the latest coils or turns 42, 41 can be released orderly from their respective slots 3.
When the cable, line or the like looped onto the holder 1 shall be transported, the U-shaped device 20 can be dropped down and latched to the body 1, so as to secure the cable coils 40-42 m the first slots 3, said body 1 being firmly clamped to an end- section of the cable 7 through the medium of said second slot 9.
As will be seen from Fig. 1, the seconα slot 9 can be through- cut by a number of essentially parallel slits 35 which are mutually separated m the direction of the longitudinal axis 11 of the body, said slits 35 functioning to give flexibility to the elongated body 1 in both the plane of Fig. 1 and in a plane which extends perpendicular thereto and which includes the long
The U-shaped device 20 may, of course, be replaced with any suitable form of latching arm that is pivotally mounted on one end of the body 1 and which can be latched detachably to the other end-part 15 of the body 1 so as to secure cable coils or turns 7 in the slots 3 and hold said coils against removal from the slots in a lateral direction. The latchable arm 20 will also preferably include an opening 25 for suspension of the holder, as illustrated m Fig. 4.
Fig. 5 shows the clamping slots 3 delimited by springy, bendable walls 4, which are generally similar to one another. At least each alternate wall has a thickened free edge 5 which defines an undercut for the slots defined by the walls.
In the case of the holder illustrated in Figs. 5, 6, the second slot 9 is replaced by a series of mutually separate clamping hooks 9' which face alternately in opposite directions and which face transversely to the longitudinal axis of the holder.
One end of the body 8 carries a loop 60 which is formed integrally with the body 8 and which facilitates holding and carrying of the holder. The illustrated loop 60 includes a keyhole opening 61 which enables the holder to be hung on a wall-fastened nail or screw.