Dampened gravity retractor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10772223-B2
Application number	US-201816169410-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 24, 2018
Priority date	Nov 30, 2017
Publication date	Sep 8, 2020
Grant date	Sep 8, 2020

Abstract

A cable retractor enclosure having a weighted cable pulley and cable pulley guide rails. The cable pulley is rotatable about a pivot and configured to translate along grooves when a cable wrapped underneath is extracted from the cable retractor enclosure. The cable extends outside of the retractor enclosure from its upper end and provides a cable end plug that sits within a retractor module insert. Weights may be attached to the cable pulley in order to leverage gravitational forces, which result in a bias causing the cable to retract back into the enclosure. Friction forces against the extracted cable can be used to prevent the gravitational bias the cable pulley exerts (retraction forces) on the cable by bending the cable to lay flat onto a table surface.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A cable retractor, comprising:
a retractor enclosure having an upper end and a lower end, and including a back surface having a length;
a retractor enclosure cover having a first interior surface;
a first enclosure cable pulley guide rail secured to said back surface along the length of the back surface, wherein first enclosure cable pulley guide rail provides a groove that extends along at least a portion of said length of the back surface;
a second enclosure cable pulley guide rail secured along the length of said first interior surface, wherein said second enclosure cable pulley guide rail provides a groove that extends along at least a portion of said first interior surface;
a cable pulley that is rotatable about a pivot configured to translate along the grooves provided by said first enclosure cable pulley guide rail and said second enclosure cable pulley guide rail;
a pulley rotational dampener guide block;
a pulley rotational dampener secured to said pulley rotational dampener for mechanically engaging said cable pulley and thereby dampen rotation of said cable pulley about its axis; and
a gravity retractor cable having an intermediate section secured to said upper end of said retractor enclosure, a second portion disposed along an edge of said retractor enclosure towards the lower end of said retractor enclosure, a third portion that winds down underneath and around said cable pulley, a fourth portion disposed along the edge of said retractor enclosure towards the upper end of said retractor enclosure, and an extracted portion having a cable end plug that extends outside of said retractor enclosure from said upper end, such that pulling the end portion of the cable away from said retractor enclosure urges said cable pulley upward along enclosure cable pulley guide rails toward the upper end of enclosure cable pulley guide rail, thereby reducing the lengths of the second and fourth portions of the cable and increasing the length of said extracted portion of the cable;
wherein upon termination of the pulling of the cable, bending and friction of the cable prevent movement of the pulley, and upon reducing the bending and friction of the cable, the gravitational weight of said pulley causes the pulley to move downward along said grooves toward the lower end of said retractor enclosure, thereby increasing the lengths of the second and fourth portions of the cable and reducing the length of the end portion of the cable.

2. The cable retractor of claim 1 , wherein said cable pulley further comprises at a weighted disk secured to one side of said cable pulley for increasing the gravitational weight of said cable pulley.

3. The cable retractor of claim 1 , wherein said cable pulley further comprises at a weighted disk secured to each side of said cable pulley for increasing the gravitational weight of said cable pulley.

4. The cable retractor according to claim 1 , further comprising wherein said cable end plug complies with a specification selected from a group consisting of: Universal Serial Bus (USB) A-Type, USB B-Type, USB C- Type, USB Micro, USB Mini, RS-232, DB-25F serial port, D-Subminiature (DB)-9, DB-15, DB-25, DB-37, 20-pin Thunderbolt, 24-pin Thunderbolt, 4-pin FireWire (IEEE 1394), 6-pin FireWire (IEEE 1394), 9-pin FireWire (IEEE 1394), High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI), Micro HDMI, Mini HDMI, DisplayPort (DP), Mini DP, Digital Visual Interface (DVI)-A (analog), DVI-D (digital), DVI-I (digital and analog), Embedded DisplayPort (eDP), 4-pin Registered Jack (RJ)-11, 6-pin RJ-12, RJ21, 8-pin RJ-45, 8-pin RJ-48, 5-pin Din (Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI), 4-pin Mini DIN (S-Video), 6-pin Mini DIN (PS/2), 7-pin Mini DIN, 8-pin Mini DIN, NEMA 5-15, NEMA 1-15, IEC 320 C5, IEC 320 C7 (non-polarized), IEC 320 C7 (polarized), IEC 320 C13/C14, IEC 60958 type II (SPDIF), Electronic Industries Association of Japan (EIAJ) optical, XLR Connector (IEC 61076-2-103), Radio Corporation of America (RCA) connector, and TRS Audio.

5. A cord retractor for a modular tabletop enclosure, comprising:
retractor channel enclosure forming a an interior channel, the enclosure having a top and a bottom, wherein said top has an opening having one or more retractor channel enclosure locking tabs for interlocking with a flip-top frame;
a first enclosure cable pulley guide rail secured to said interior channel of said retractor channel enclosure, said first enclosure cable pulley guide rail providing a vertical channel;
a retractor enclosure cover having an second interior surface, said second interior surface having a second enclosure cable pulley guide rail secured thereon, said second enclosure cable pulley guide rail providing a vertical channel, wherein said first enclosure cable pulley guide rail and second enclosure cable pulley guide rail are opposing and run parallel to each other,
a cable pulley rotatable about a first axis, wherein one side of said cable pulley rides within said first enclosure cable pulley guide rail;
at least one pulley rotational dampener coupled to a pulley rotational dampener guide block, said rotational dampener guide block rides within said second enclosure cable pulley guide rail, wherein said pulley rotational dampener has a plurality of gear teeth, the cable pulley includes a further plurality of gear teeth extending inwardly, and said plurality of gear teeth engage said further plurality of gear teeth and dampen rotation of said cable pulley about its axis;
a weighted disk rotatable about said first axis while secured to said cable pulley for adding additional weight to said cable pulley;
a gravity retractor cable having an intermediate storage section, wherein one end of the storage section is fixed to said top of retractor channel enclosure and the other end of the storage section comprising a free end which extends outwardly from said top of retractor channel enclosure, the cord storage section being at passed under said cable pulley, wherein the gravitational weight of said cable pulley biases said gravity retractor cable to retract into said a retractor enclosure.

6. A modular tabletop enclosure for housing one or more retractor module inserts comprising:
a housing back;
a profile guide rail mounted to said housing back, whereby said profile guide rail provides a vertical channel,
a rack gear mounted to said housing back;
a lid assembly comprised of a lid and a lid carrier, wherein said lid is pivotally secured to a lid carrier with a hinge pin positioned through a torsion spring, said torsion spring being tensioned to springably bias said lid to stand parallel with said lid carrier;
a linear guide carriage mounted to said lid carrier for slidably engaging within said vertical channel of said profile guide rail,
a rotary Dampener mounted to rear of said lid carrier to provide linear dampening by rotatably engaging along the length of said rack gear;
a frame secured to said housing back to form an enclosed area having a plurality of frame locking slots for receiving one or more retractor channel enclosure locking tabs;
a module guide having a plurality of module rail grooves for mating with a module rail of said one or more module inserts;
a door guide block attached to each top rear surface of said frame for allowing said lid assembly to recess only after it is fully extended and parallel to said lid, and for slidably engaging lid during its recess into said modular tabletop enclosure;
a retractor module insert having bottom and top, said bottom comprising a retractor module insert door;
a retractor enclosure having an upper end and a lower end, and including a back surface having a length;
a retractor enclosure cover having a first interior surface;
a first enclosure cable pulley guide rail secured to said

Assignees

• Crestron Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Pedoeem Albert
• Replogle Kriss

Classifications

• B65H75/368 Primary

  with pulleys · CPC title

• A47B2200/008

  Tables or desks having means for applying electronic or electric devices · CPC title

• A47B2021/066

  with power or communication connection interface · CPC title

• B65H2701/3919

  USB, earphones, audio or video cables, e.g. for connecting small electronic devices such as MP3 players or mobile telephones · CPC title

• H02G11/003

  using gravity-loaded or spring-loaded loop · CPC title