Winding – tensioning – or guiding – Reeling device – With spring motor
Reexamination Certificate
1999-09-29
2001-03-13
Walsh, Donald P. (Department: 3653)
Winding, tensioning, or guiding
Reeling device
With spring motor
C242S385400, C242S388000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06199784
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the invention
This invention relates to an automatically rewindable wire device, more particularly to an automatically rewindable wire device for storing a flexible wire strip therein.
2. Description of the related art
FIG. 1
illustrates a conventional automatically rewindable wire device for storing a connecting wire of an electronic device, such as a telephone set, a TV set, or a computer. The rewindable wire device normally includes a housing having upper and lower housing halves
1
,
2
. A pair of positive and negative electrodes in the form of concentrically conductive rings
1
a
are mounted on the upper housing half
1
, and are connected to a connecting wire
3
which extends outside the housing. The lower housing half
2
has a first receiving recess
2
a
for receiving a rotary member
4
, and a second receiving recess
2
b
for receiving a windup spring
5
. The rotary member
4
includes a disc
4
c
, an annular frame
4
a
extending upwardly from the disc
4
c
, and a plurality of through-holes
4
b
formed in the disc
4
c
and surrounded by the annular frame
4
a
. A circular-shaped connecting wire receptacle
6
is mounted on the bottom side of the disc
4
c
, and has a surrounding wall
6
c
and a plurality of conductive plates
6
a
fixed thereon. Each conductive plate
6
a
is aligned with the corresponding one of the through-holes
4
b
. A connecting wire
6
b
is connected to the conductive plates
6
a
, and extends outside the housing. A conductive spring
7
extends through each through-hole
4
b
so as to be in sliding contact with the corresponding one of the conductive rings
1
a
and the corresponding one of the conductive plates
6
a
, thereby connecting electrically the connecting wire
3
to the connecting wire
6
b
. The windup spring
5
is connected to the annular frame
4
a
to urge the surrounding wall
6
c
of the receptacle
6
to windup the connecting wire
6
b
around the surrounding wall
6
c.
Since the aforementioned device requires the use of the conductive rings
1
a
, the conductive plates
6
a
, and the conductive springs
7
so as to prevent the connecting wire
3
from twisting upon rotation of the rotary member
4
, it is complicated and laborious to assemble. Moreover, since the conductive rings
1
a
and the conductive plates
6
a
are in sliding contact with the conductive springs
7
, poor electrical connection between the conductive rings
1
a
and the conductive plates
6
a
can easily occur.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide an automatically rewindable wire device that dispenses with the aforementioned conductive rings, the conductive plates, and the conductive springs, thereby eliminating the occurrence of poor electrical connection as described above.
According to one aspect of this invention, an automatically rewindable wire device of this invention comprises: a stationary member having a stationary shaft; a rotary member mounted rotatably on the stationary member and having a windup portion around the shaft, the windup portion and the shaft confining a space, the windup portion having an opening which is communicated with the space and which is spaced apart radially from the shaft; a wire having a first portion fixed to the stationary member and a second portion extending from the first portion of the wire, the second portion of the wire being wound around the shaft in a first angular direction within the space and then wound around the windup portion in a second angular direction by passing through the opening, the second angular direction being opposite to the first angular direction; and a windup spring connected to the rotary member to urge the windup portion to wind up the wire.
According to another aspect of this invention, an automatically rewindable wire device of this invention comprises: a stationary shaft; a rotary member mounted rotatably on the shaft and having a windup portion sleeved around the shaft, the windup portion and the shaft confining a space, the windup portion having an opening which is communicated with the space and which is spaced apart radially from the shaft; a wire having a first portion fixed to the shaft and a second portion extending outwardly of the space by passing through the opening from the first portion; and a windup spring connected to the rotary member to urge the windup portion to wind up the second portion of the wire around the shaft in a first angular direction within the space and around the windup portion in a second angular direction opposite to the first angular direction simultaneously.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3412951 (1968-11-01), Ober
patent: 3545693 (1970-12-01), Gurner et al.
patent: 3657491 (1972-04-01), Ryder et al.
patent: 4162009 (1979-07-01), Schouten
patent: 4773623 (1988-09-01), Nabinger
patent: 5098028 (1992-03-01), Ida et al.
patent: 5328112 (1994-07-01), Obata
patent: 5707023 (1998-01-01), Ichikawa et al.
patent: 697640 (1953-09-01), None
patent: 1590160 (1981-05-01), None
patent: 5226045 (1993-09-01), None
Wang Jack
Wang Robert
Ceramate Technical Co., Ltd.
Foley & Lardner
Rivera William A.
Walsh Donald P.
LandOfFree
Automatically rewindable wire device does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Automatically rewindable wire device, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Automatically rewindable wire device will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2462338