Patent Application
20240239632
In general, the present invention relates to an improvement of string/line winding devices and mechanisms, and more specifically a string winder device comprising of an axially rotatable spooler with one end having a bevel gear mechanism defined inside the device's housing, wherein a rotary motion of a driving gear causes an axial rotation of the spooler to wind or unwind a string/line.
Whether it is in the construction industry, sports, leisure, mapping or any other applications that may require the use of elongated lines or strings wound into rolls, it is desirable to have an effective solution to make the work easier. By making use of a line winding device, it is possible to combine several actions into a single process. Because a winding device not only provides for the rapid winding and unwinding of lines, it can also—as a standard or optional feature—measure the cable's length during the winding operation. The rolled-up line can then easily be cut to the desired length at the end of the winding process, or unwound to a desirable length to suit the specific application.
To begin with, without the use of a proper winding device, the winding or unwinding of long lines take considerably more time. Especially if the desire is to keep the line from tangling up, the job becomes rather time-consuming. In that case, the line must first be manually unwound and wound in line with the spool so the line does not loop and create a twist in the line.
There are some existing solutions for winding lines that are well known in the art, and specifically, to hand-held devices. For example, in the U.S. Pat. No. 5,927,635A, it is disclosed a stronger and more convenient construction line reel on which a disposable spool holding wound construction line can be mounted and used repeatedly and, when the line is expended or no longer useful, can be re-used with a replacement spool of new line.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,927,635A made several important contributions in the art, wherein the apparatus included a rotatable reel and handle apparatus for outfitting a conventional roll of construction line with a reel and handle to facilitate unwinding and winding the construction line from and back onto the roll, wherein the conventional roll of construction line is typified by being wound onto an elongated, hollow, cylindrical spool that has a longitudinal axis, a first end, a second end, and a hole extending axially along the longitudinal axis from the first end to the second end. According to the same disclosure, a rotatable handle and reel apparatus has a first shoulder and a second shoulder adapted to be positioned on opposite sides of the roll of construction line adjacent the respective first end and second end of the spool and connected together in non-rotational relationship to each other and to the spool by an elongated shank that, when assembled with the roll of construction line and spool, extends axially through the hole in the spool and frictionally engages the spool. Further, an elongated handle extends axially outward from either the first shoulder or the second shoulder in a direction opposite from the spool and is mounted to rotate in relation to the shank, the first shoulder, and the second shoulder about an axis that is axially aligned with the longitudinal axis of the spool. The roll of construction line on the spool, when outfitted with the rotatable reel and handle apparatus, can be held in one hand by a user grasping the handle, and the construction line can be unwound from the reel or wound back onto the same roll between the first shoulder and the second shoulder without releasing the user's grasp on the handle by spinning the roll, spool, and shoulders in relation to the handle.
However, the background art all have one common deficiency in that it does not disclose a portable solution with an easy to wind or unwind a line or string preferably using one hand, to free up the other hand for multitasking. It is, therefore, an object of this disclosure to provide for a solution to this problem identified in the prior art.
The following summary is an explanation of some of the general inventive steps for the disclosed string winder device. This summary is not an extensive overview of the invention and does not intend to limit the scope beyond what is described and claimed as a summary. In order to overcome the defects in the prior art, the present invention, in some embodiments thereof, relates to an improvement of string/line winding devices and mechanisms. It is an object of the current invention to provide a new and improved method of spooling lineal material wherein the propelling force is created by a hand squeezing action to rotate a drive train of gears to impart a spinning action to a spool where the material is collected.
It is also an object of the current invention to provide a line winding device with the benefit in that the lineal material spools directly onto the spool with using just one hand.
It is also an object of the current invention to provide a line winding device with the benefit in that the lineal material spools without twisting the line thereby keeping the material from tangling.
It is also an object of the current invention to provide a line winding device with the benefit in that a one-handed drive actuator is much faster the 2 hands wrapping wind over wind.
Accordingly, a line/string/lineal material winding device is provided comprising of an axially rotatable spooler with shoulders defining a length between them to engage a roll of string/line, and wherein the spooler comprises of one end with a bevel gear mechanism defined inside the device's housing.
Further, a second bevel gear mechanism is provided in the housing to engage the axially rotatable spooler's bevel gear mechanism.
Further in the housing is a one-way spur gear rotatable by a rack actioned by a handle, wherein the rotary motion of the said spur gear is translated to the second bevel gear which causes an axial rotation of the spooler to wind or unwind a string/line.
According to one embodiment, the one-way spur gear, rack and handle from a ratchet mechanism.
According to another embodiment, it is provided a stopper with a latch capable of stopping the driving one-way spur gear and thus preventing the line from unspooling.
Described herein are methods and strategies towards assembling an improved string winder device. Other advantages of one or more aspects will be apparent from a consideration of the drawings and ensuing description.
The novel features believed to be characteristic of the illustrative embodiments are set forth in the appended claims. The included drawings are not to scale engineering drawings. The illustrative embodiments, however, as well as a preferred mode of use, further objectives and descriptions thereof, will best be understood by reference to the following detailed description of one or more illustrative embodiments of the present disclosure when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
Hereinafter, the preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The terminologies or words used in the description and the claims of the present invention should not be interpreted as being limited merely to their common and dictionary meanings. On the contrary, they should be interpreted based on the meanings and concepts of the invention in keeping with the scope of the invention based on the principle that the inventor(s) can appropriately define the terms in order to describe the invention in the best way.
It is to be understood that the form of the invention shown and described herein is to be taken as a preferred embodiment of the present invention, so it does not express fully the technical spirit and scope of this invention. Accordingly, it should be understood that various changes and modifications may be made to the invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof.
In the first embodiment according to
According to this disclosure, the spooler 2 comprises of one end with a bevel gear mechanism 12 defined inside the device's housing 1. It should be noted that one end of the spooler extends into the devices housing as indicated in the figure, where said end is rotatably fixed thereto. Further, a second bevel gear mechanism 11 is provided in the housing 1, and whose purpose is to engage the axially rotatable spooler's bevel gear mechanism 12, whereby its 25 rotary motion in one axis, which for purposes of the figure may be about the horizontal axis, would induce a rotary motion on the engaged bevel gear mechanism of the spooler.
Further in the same diagram, it is illustrated in the housing i a one-way spur gear 8 rotatable by a rack 7 actioned by a handle 4, wherein a rotary motion of the spur gear 8 is translated to the second bevel gear 11. In some cases, and according to one preferred embodiment, a reduction gear is provided engaged to the spur gear 8 and the second bevel gear mechanism 11. Now, the rotary motion of the spur gear 8 is translated to the second bevel gear 11 by the engaged reduction gear 10, which causes an axial rotation of the spooler. It is this mechanism that causes the spooler to perform the operation of winding or unwinding a string/line from a roll of line rolled around the spooler.
According to one embodiment, the one-way spur gear, rack and handle from a ratchet mechanism.
For purposes of this disclosure, the ratchet is a mechanism that only allows the one-way spur gear 8 to turn in one direction. In this context, the ratchet system consists of a spur gear 8 with the small lever or latch 6a (see
Moreover, and for purposes of this disclosure, the first and second bevel gear mechanism 11 and 12, comprise of any such bevel gears mechanisms that may be of any such types of gear used to transmit power from one axis to another non-parallel axis, not necessarily perpendicular as would be the preferred arrangement in this disclosure. It is preferable, but not mandatory that the bevel gears 11 and 12 have slanted teeth, which preferably make the shape of their “pitch diameter” a cone. Preferably, but not necessarily so, in order for two bevel gears mechanism to mesh, the tips of each imaginary cone should meet at the same vertex. However, it should be noted that the use of said mechanisms is to translate power/rotation from one axis to the other, and more specifically, from the one-way spur gear to the spooler. Any mechanism capable of such translation is also anticipated, and for purposes of this disclosure, may also be referred to as a bevel gear mechanism. It is also illustrated a pinion gear 9, which provides for a mechanism of a rack 7 to induce a rotary motion on the one-way spur gear 8. The rack 7 is attached to a handle 4, whereby a pressing action by the hand of a user on the handle causes the rack to drive the pinion gear 9, 30 which in turn induces a rotary motion on the gear 8, which in turn induces a rotary motion in one axis on the bevel gear mechanism 11, which in turn induces a rotary motion in another axis on the bevel gear mechanism 12, which in turn induces an axial rotation on the spooler. In another embodiment as illustrated by the
In yet another embodiment according to the
In a subsequent embodiment exemplified by the
In the subsequent
In the final embodiment as exemplified by the
The foregoing is provided for purposes of illustrating, explaining, and describing embodiments of the present invention. Modifications and adaptations to these embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art and may be made without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention.
The current invention technology is applicable to various industries including but not limited to: construction, sports, leisure, mapping or any other industry, where the applications may require the use of elongated lines or strings wound into rolls.
