Patent Grant
8695913
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device for receiving earphones and, especially, to an earphone cord winder.
2. Description of the Prior Art
An earphone device, which is rather commonly available, has two earpieces, a cord and a plug. The cord has two ends, with one end connected to the earpieces and the other end to the plug. When an earphone device is in use, the earpieces are fitted to the ears, and the plug is connected to a sound source socket of an electronic device, to covert the signals of the electronic device into sound to be output.
Modern earphone devices are more diverse in function and may further have a remote control on the cord for adjusting volume or selecting songs without operating the sound source device.
However, casually putting an earphone device, with its earpieces, cord, plug and remote control together, in a purse or a pocket results in excessive bending or folding of the cord, which may disrupt inner parts such as copper wires and which in turn leads to malfunction of the earphone device. Specifically, the portions where the cord is connected with the earpieces or the plug are the most susceptible to damage due to excessive bending or folding thereof. In addition, abrasion on the surface of the plug due to frequent contact with other objects may also cause damage thereto and may lead to malfunction of the earphone device.
To overcome the shortcomings, the present invention provides an earphone cord winder to mitigate or obviate the aforementioned problems.
The main objective of the invention is to provide an earphone cord winder for alleviating the problem owing to lack of convenience to prevent parts of an earphone device from being damaged.
The earphone cord winder in accordance with the present invention allows the cord of an earphone device to be wound thereto in order to prevent damage due to excessive bending. The earphone cord winder has a body, first, second, and third protrusions formed around the body at intervals forming an upper cord groove and a lower cord groove, two receiving slots recessed on a first surface of the body, a plug groove recessed on a second surface of the body, a middle groove connecting the opposite sides of the first protrusion, a remote control groove communicating with the upper cord groove, two first recessions communicating with the two receiving slots respectively, at least one second recession recessed on a side of the second protrusion, and at least one third recession recessed on a side of the third protrusion and communicating with the plug groove.
When the earphone cord winder of the present invention is in use, the receiving slots respectively receive the earpieces, allowing the cord connected thereto to go sequentially along the first recessions and the middle groove and be wound within the upper cord groove, to hold the remote control in the remote control groove. The rest of the cord is further received in the second recession and wound in the lower cord groove, so that the rest of the cord goes through the third recession and reaches the plug groove, where the plug is to be held. With the foregoing structure and functionality thereof, the earphone cord winder of the present invention neatly winds the cord of the earphone device as well as holds the earpieces, the remote control and the plug without exposing the same, which effectively prevents damage due to excessive bending and which protects parts such as the plug from suffering from abrasion against other objects.
Other objectives, advantages and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
With reference to
With reference to
The first protrusion 21, the second protrusion 22 and the third protrusion 23 are formed around the peripheral surface of the body 10 and may protrude radially and horizontally outward at intervals. The second protrusion 22 is formed between the first protrusion 21 and the third protrusion 23. The first protrusion 21 is flush with a top surface, or a first surface, of the body 10, while the third protrusion 23 is flush with a bottom surface, or a second surface, of the body 10. The first protrusion 21, the second protrusion 22 and the third protrusion 23 are parallel with one another, and interval spaces are formed between the first protrusion 21, the second protrusion 22 and the third protrusion 23.
The upper cord groove 31 is formed among the body 10, the first protrusion 21 and the second protrusion 22.
The lower cord groove 32 is formed among the body 10, the second protrusion 22 and the third protrusion 23.
The two receiving slots 41 are recessed on the top surface of the body 10.
The plug groove 42 is recessed on the bottom surface of the body 10.
The middle groove 43 is recessed on the top surface of the body 10 between the two receiving slots 41 and connects the opposite sides of the first protrusion 21.
The remote control groove 44 is recessed on a front side of the peripheral surface of the body 10 and communicates with the upper cord groove 31.
The two first recessions 51 are separately recessed on a front side of the first protrusion 21 inwardly to the body 10 and communicate with the two receiving slots 41 respectively.
The two second recessions 52 are separately recessed on a front side of the second protrusion 22.
The two third recessions 53 are recessed on a front side of the third protrusion 23 inwardly to the body 10 and communicate with the plug groove 42.
Using the earphone cord winder of the present invention may include the following steps:
Step 1: with reference to
Step 2: with reference to
Step 3: with reference to
Step 4: with reference to
Step 5: with reference to
With the foregoing steps, the cord is neatly wound with the earphone cord winder of the present invention to prevent damage due to excessive bending. In addition, the earpieces, the remote control and the plug 65 are also accommodated within the earphone cord winder without being exposed to the outer environment, through which abrasion with other objects, and damage from such abrasion is prevented.
With reference to
In other embodiments, the cord branches and portion 62, 64 may also be wound in a manner other than that shown in previous figures by switching to the other second recession 52 to hold the cord branches 62 downward to the lower cord groove 32, and switching to the other third recession 53 from which the cord portion 64 goes to the plug groove 42. Furthermore, forming two second recessions 52 and two third recessions 53 not only allows winding the cord portion 64 in a reversed direction, but also allows cord portions 64 of different lengths to go from any of the second recessions 52 to the lower cord groove 32 or to go from any of the third recessions 53 to the plug groove 42.
Even though numerous characteristics and advantages of the present invention have been set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of the structure and features of the invention, the disclosure is illustrative only. Changes may be made in the details, especially in matters of shape, size, and arrangement of parts within the principles of the invention to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed.
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|---|---|---|---|
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| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20130134252 A1 | May 2013 | US |
