WO2001008280A2

WO2001008280A2 - Cable holder

Info

Publication number: WO2001008280A2
Application number: PCT/GB2000/002724
Authority: WO
Inventors: Stuart Ashenhurst Ross; Elizabeth Ross; Lianne Jessica Ross; Andrew Ashenhurst Ross
Original assignee: Stuart Ashenhurst Ross; Elizabeth Ross; Lianne Jessica Ross; Andrew Ashenhurst Ross
Priority date: 1999-07-23
Filing date: 2000-07-14
Publication date: 2001-02-01
Also published as: GB9917182D0; WO2001008280A3; AU5999100A

Abstract

A holder for retaining cables is comprised of an elongate hollow tube (1). The tube (1) is split to create a gap along its length, through which one or more cables can be passed. Both sides of the gap have a row of flexible resilient teeth (2) and (3). The rows of teeth (2) and (3) interlock to retain the one or more cables within the tube (1). Cable can be readily added to or removed from the holder (1) by pushing or pulling it through the interlocking teeth (2) and (3).

Description

CABLE HOLDER

The present invention relates to an elongate holder for cables.

At the present time, most factories, homes and offices contain large numbers of cables including high-voltage power cables and low-voltage communications cables. These cables can become untidy, confusing or even a safety hazard unless they are carefully organised.

A popular method for organising cables is to use a cable holder. These can range from simple plastic loops which can be nailed to surfaces and through which cable can be threaded to elongate channels in which cable can be placed. Elongate channels are preferred as they keep cables out of sight and out of the way and prevent damage to cables.

One elongate channel type cable holder in common use consists of a simple plastic channel with a snap-fit lid running along its length. These can be cut to size and fastened to walls etc. then one or more cables can be laid along the length of the holder, whereupon the lid can be fitted. Although tidy, these holders are inconvenient to use. Cables have to run along the entire length of the holder and it is inconvenient to add or remove further cables, particularly because it is necessary to remove the lid of the cable holder along its entire length in order to add or remove a cable. It is important to be able to readily add and remove cables and run cables for different lengths as cables often connect devices such as computers which require many cables going to different places and which may be moved to new locations.

A further known type of channel-like cable holder consists of an elongate tube with a split running along its length. It is slightly easier to remove cables from this type of holder by pulling them through the split, but hard to thread them in. This cable holder suffers from the problem that to put a cable in or out of a particular part of the tube it is necessary to pull apart the split along a considerable length of the tubing. When it is desirable to have cables running along only part of a fitted cable holder a cable could protrude out of the tube, through the split, at any point. However, when this is done the cable is typically held too weakly to reliably stay in place or sufficiently tightly to damage its external insulation depending on the resilience of the holder.

A third type of cable holder consists of a spiral wrap which is wound around cables or through which cables can be threaded. One advantage of the spiral wrap is that a cable may readily be threaded through the wall of the wrap at any point along its length. However, this wrap has two major disadvantages; firstly, it is fragile, particularly if pulled; secondly, once it has been fixed in place it is difficult to thread a new cable along its length - it is necessary to push the cable along the interior which is highly unsatisfactory.

The present invention aims to provide a cable holder to which it is easy to add and remove new cables. It also aims to make it convenient to fit cables which run along only part of its length and to tidily hold cables without damaging the cable. It also aims to be able to hold cables to which are fitted jacks etc. that are wider than the typical bore of the cable. A yet further aim is to provide a cable holder which, unlike the prior channel type holders, can be readily flexed to bend round curves and corners.

According to the present invention there is provided an elongate hollow holder for retaining one or cables, wherein the holder is split along its length, said split delimiting a gap through which cable can be passed, wherein at least one side of the split comprises flexible resilient teeth, each tooth extending into the gap and so retaining cable within the cable holder.

Preferably, both sides of the split have flexible resilient teeth.

More preferably, the teeth on the first side of the split interlock with the teeth on the second side interlock. Preferably, each tooth may flex independently of its neighbouring teeth.

The teeth on the first side of the split may be adapted to extend beyond the locus where they interlock with the teeth of the second side of the split.

The holder may be manufactured from a stamped polymer, wherein the stamped polymer is folded to create a hollow tube.

Preferably the polymer is polypropylene.

Where the holder is made from a folded polymer, the radius of curvature of the folds in the polymer may be of the same radius as the cables for which the holder is intended for use with.

Optionally the holder may have one or more holes through which a large object such as a plug may be fitted.

By way of example, embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to the following Figures in which: Figure 1 shows a front elevation of a cable holder; Figure 2 shows a plan view of a cable holder; Figure 3 shows an end view of a cable holder; Figure 4 shows a plan view of a cable holder with cables fitted; and Figure 5 shows a section of a cut-out from which the cable holder can be formed. Figures 1-3 shows a front elevation, a plan view and a cross-section of a cable holder, generally depicted at (1) . The cable holder (1) is elongated and hollow and is split in such a way to form a gap (13) through which a cable can be passed. It will be seen from Figure 1 that the gap (13) has two opposing rows of resilient interlocking teeth (2) and (3) . However, although the Figures show a cable holder having two opposing rows of teeth the invention is not intended to be limited to this, and it is envisaged that in an alternative embodiment, the cable holder may have only one row of teeth, for example at (2) .

Figure 4 shows in plan view how several cables (4), (5), (6) and (7) may be held simultaneously by the cable holder. Each cable runs parallel to the holder or a length of the cable holder, and can enter or leave the confines of the holder through respective ends (8) or (9) or through the gap between teeth (2) and (3) .

It will be apparent from the cross-section, shown in Figure 3, that cable can easily be added to, or removed from, the holder by pushing or pulling it through the interlocking teeth. For instance, cable can be pushed against the second row of teeth (3) where it can slide readily under the first row of teeth (2) and into the holder. Cable can readily slide under the first row of teeth because the first row of teeth extend beyond the locus of the second row of teeth. Similarly, cable can be removed easily by pulling against the first row of teeth (2) . Although the embodiment shown in Figure 3 is four sided, it is envisaged that alternative embodiments of the invention may have more or less sides. It is a particularly important feature of the invention that each tooth can flex separately to adjoining teeth. With prior art cable holders consisting of a slit along the length of a channel or a channel with a removable lid it has been necessary to open a considerable length of the channel to add or remove cable. With a simple longitudinal slit, the force required to pull open a considerable length of that slit could be substantial. However, with this invention force need be exerted against only one tooth at a time.

Figure 5 shows a section of a cut-out shape from which the cable holder can be formed by a 90 degree fold along fold regions (10), (11) and (12). These folds might have a radius of curvature the same as the outer casing of wires for which the holder is particularly intended. An appropriate material for manufacturing the holder is 1mm thick polypropylene which has suitable rigidity, flexibility and resilience.

The holder may be used in any location or orientation but is particularly ideal for use with a desk or work surface. Figure 3 shows how it can be attached to the edge of a desk or work surface (13) with a tack (14) so that it hangs discretely below the desk but is conveniently located to hold cables relating to objects such as computers which are located on the desk.

A major benefit of using a design with separate teeth and a flexible material is that the cable holder can flex and in order to bend round curves or corners. Teeth may also be removed to make the holder easier to bend. Holes (not shown) may also be cut into the material to allow, for example, a plug attached to the end of a cable to be negotiated by the holder.

Further modifications and improvements may be incorporated without departing from the scope of the invention herein intended.

Claims

1. An elongate hollow holder for retaining one or more cables, wherein the holder is split along its length, said split delimiting a gap through which cable can be passed, wherein one side of the split comprises flexible resilient teeth, each tooth extending into or over the gap, thereby being adapted to retain cable within the cable holder.

2. A cable holder as claimed in Claim 1, wherein both sides of the split have flexible resilient teeth.

3. A cable holder as claimed in Claim 2, wherein the teeth on opposing sides of the split interlock.

4. A cable holder as claimed in Claim 3, wherein the teeth on one side of the split are adapted to extend beyond the locus where they interlock with the teeth on the second side of the split.

5. A cable holder as claimed in any one of the proceeding Claims, wherein each tooth flexes independently of its neighbouring teeth.

6 A cable holder as claimed in any one of the proceeding Claims wherein the holder is made from stamped polymer, the stamped polymer being folded to form the elongate hollow holder.

7 A cable holder as claimed in Claim 6 wherein the radius of curvature of the folds in the stamped polymer is the same as the radius of the cables for which the holder is intended for use with.

8. A cable holder as claimed in Claims 6-7 wherein the stamped polymer is polypropylene.

9. A cable holder as claimed in any one of the proceeding Claims wherein the cable holder has one or more holes through which a plug may be fitted.