Handset cable reel

Details Handset cable reel Handset cable reel

2000-10-25

2004-01-20

Matecki, Kathy (Department: 3653)

Winding, tensioning, or guiding

Reeling device

With spring motor

C191S01220R

Reexamination Certificate

active

06679448

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a cable reel which may be used with a cradle and a handset, such as a telephone handset or remote control for electronic apparatus, as found for example in various modes of mass transport including aircraft, vessels, rail and road passenger vehicles. Such handsets and cradles may also be used to facilitate audience participation or interaction in theatres, arenas, lecture theatres, libraries and similar locations.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is known to provide a cradle in the armrest of a chair, such as a seat in an aircraft, for housing a handset comprising, for example, a telephone and/or a remote controller for in-flight entertainment apparatus. Such handsets can also include call functions for the in-flight staff. A typical example is the model RU-AA6501-01 of Matsushita Electrical Industrial Company Limited of Osaka, Japan. Similar handsets and cradles may also be mounted in other locations such as in or on aircraft bulkheads or seat backs: see for example U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,128,993, 5,410,597 and 5,155,766.
Conventionally such cradles comprise a recess in which the handset is stowed and from which the handset can be removed for example by lifting. The handset is electrically powered and connected via a cable which is housed in and may be drawn from a cable reel as the handset is removed from the cradle. As the handset is stowed, the cable is rewound into the reel under spring action, so as to leave no potentially hazardous freely exposed cable loop. To simplify cradle installation as well as helping to ensure proper retraction of the cable, the reel may be housed in or mounted on the cradle, with the cable routed directly from the reel into the recess. Alternatively the cable reel may be mounted separately from the cradle with a cable run or guide extending therebetween (see for example U.S. Pat. No. 5,109,412 and International patent publication no. WO 95/29552).
Problem to be Solved
The cable or reel is often provided with a releasable ratchet mechanism to relieve the spring tension on the extended cable and prevent this tension from being experienced by the user. A known handset cradle incorporating a ratchet mechanism of this kind is illustrated in
FIGS. 1-5
.
FIG. 1
is an upside down exploded view of a cradle
10
for a telephone handset. A handset cable
14
extends from a handset stowage recess
18
into a spool chamber
16
through a cable exit opening
12
. The cable
14
is wound onto or pulled from a spool
20
housed in the chamber
16
. The spool
20
is rotatably mounted on a fixed hollow spindle
22
. A bifurcated end of the spindle
22
is snap fitted into a pair of D slots
24
formed in the bottom of spool chamber
16
. A ribbon cable
26
extends through the spindle
22
into a space within the hub of the spool
20
. A portion of the ribbon cable
26
is coiled within this space to form an electrical connection between an exterior multiplug
28
and the rotating end of the handset cable
14
carried by the spool
20
.
As shown in
FIG. 2
, the spool
20
has a spring accommodating recess
30
in one side. A spiral spring
32
has a hooked end
34
engaged in an anchor slot
36
formed in the rim of the recess
30
. The other end
38
of the spring
32
is curled to fit within a slot
40
in the bifurcated end
42
of the spindle
22
. As the handset cable
14
is paid out, the spool
20
rotates on the spindle
22
and the spring
32
is tensioned. This provides a return bias tending to retract the handset cable
14
.
Referring to
FIGS. 1 and 3
, a lid
44
closes the spool chamber
16
. Pins
46
,
48
,
50
,
52
,
54
,
56
are moulded on the inside of the lid
44
for mounting parts of the ratchet mechanism.
These parts are moulded from a resilient, self-lubricating plastics material such as nylon or acetyl polymer and comprise a ratchet stop/index spring finger
58
secured on pins
46
,
48
using Loctite®
406
, a star/ratchet wheel
60
rotatably mounted on pin
50
, an oscillating pawl
62
rotatably carried on pin
52
and a centralising spring finger
64
secured on pins
54
,
56
in similar manner to stop/index spring finger
58
and pins
46
,
48
.
The star/ratchet wheel
60
has six raised points
66
alternating with six troughs
68
about its periphery. It also has a raised hub with twelve peripheral ratchet teeth
70
, which are engaged by a shoulder
72
on the end of the stop/index finger
58
. This allows the star wheel to rotate, anticlockwise as shown, in twelve discrete steps, thereby alternately presenting a point
66
or a trough
68
to the oscillating pawl
62
at each rotational step. The stop/index finger shoulder
72
also retains the wheel
60
on the pin
52
. An anti-rotation arm
73
has an end surface that butts up against the points
66
of the star/ratchet wheel to prevent it rotating in the clockwise direction as shown in
FIG. 6
, but which is deflectable to allow rotation of the star/ratchet wheel
60
in the anticlockwise direction.
FIGS. 4 and 5
show somewhat enlarged views of the top and underside of the oscillating pawl
62
respectively. Centralising spring finger
64
engages in a slot
74
to retain the oscillating pawl
62
on pin
52
and to return it to a rotationally centralised position with some degree of lost motion. An indexing spring arm
76
moulded in one piece with the oscillating pawl
62
engages the ratchet teeth
70
to index the star/ratchet wheel
60
anticlockwise by one step with each clockwise oscillation of the pawl
62
. The underside of the oscillating pawl
62
is provided with a projecting stop
78
which interacts with the star/ratchet wheel raised points
66
and troughs
68
. In the centralised position of the pawl
62
, depending upon the position of the star/ratchet wheel
60
, either a point
66
lies immediately in front of the stop
78
, thereby preventing rotation of the pawl
62
anticlockwise as viewed in
FIG. 3
, or the stop lies within a trough
68
which provides sufficient clearance for anticlockwise rotation of the pawl
62
to a limit governed by the centralising spring finger
64
. In either position of the star/ratchet wheel
60
, the pawl
62
is free to rotate clockwise from the centralised position to a limit controlled by the centralising spring finger
64
.
The oscillating pawl
62
carries a tooth
80
positioned to engage a series of teeth
82
upstanding axially from the spool
20
rim (see FIG.
1
). Pulling on the handset cable will rotate the spool
20
clockwise relative to the inside of the lid
44
on which the ratchet mechanism is located (or anticlockwise in the spool chamber
66
, FIG.
1
). This causes the spool teeth
82
to knock against the pawl tooth
80
, turning the pawl
62
clockwise in the reference frame of
FIG. 3
, and indexing the star/ratchet wheel
60
anticlockwise by one step or ratchet tooth
70
. Supposing that initially, before pulling on the cable, a point
66
lies immediately in front of the stop
78
. The oscillating pawl
62
cannot be rotated anticlockwise away from its centralised position in
FIG. 3
, which in turn means that the pawl tooth
80
engages one of the spool teeth
82
, preventing the spool from rotating anticlockwise relative to the inside of the lid
44
, so preventing the cable
14
from rewinding onto the spool under the influence of spring
32
. In this condition, pulling on the handset cable
14
will now index a trough
68
into co-operation with the pawl
62
, providing clearance for the stop
78
. Consequently, releasing the handset cable
14
will now cause it to rewind under the action of spring
32
, as the spool teeth
82
can knock aside the cam tooth
80
, rotating the oscillating cam
62
anticlockwise in the
FIG. 3
reference frame. Pulling and releasing the handset cable
14
yet again will index a point
66
back into co-operation with the stop
78
, locking the spool against rewinding. In the result, with each successive pull and release, the handset cable
14
is alternately free for, or l

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