Patent Application
20080191084
The present invention relates to storage accessories, more particularly to a power spool device and kit for use in storing cords, such as electrical cords including light strings for Christmas displays.
A wide variety of cord storage devices is currently available on the commercial market and an even larger number of these types of devices are known in the art of storage devices, for example the reel assembly for kite lines and the like disclosed by Haverland in U.S. Pat. No. 4,106,719; the reel assembly disclosed by Haverland in U.S. Pat. No. 4,204,6511; the string-type weed cutter with mechanical line feed disclosed by Woods in U.S. Pat. No. 4,211,004; the mooring system disclosed by Tolliver, et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 4,313,381; the Fishing reel with oscillating movement actuating lever disclosed by Vivarelli in U.S. Pat. No. 4,524,922; the magnetic brake for braking a line spool of a fishing reel disclosed by Moosberg in U.S. Pat. No. 6,974,100; and the motorized fishing reel actuating mechanism and rod assembly disclosed by Westhoff in U.S. Pat. No. 7,073,740.
While all of the above-described devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not describe a power spool device having a spool housing and a detachable motorized drive unit configured so that a user can be able to control the motorized drive unit with one hand in order to mechanical rotate of the spool housing so that the user's other hand is free to guide the electrical cord around the rotating spool housing. This combination of elements would specifically match the user's particular individual needs of making it possible to provide a convenient means for winding up and storing electrical power cords. The above-described patents make no provision for an power spool device having a spool housing and a detachable motorized drive unit configured so that a user can be able to control the motorized drive unit with one hand in order to mechanical rotate of the spool housing so that the user's other hand is free to guide the electrical cord around the rotating spool housing.
Therefore, a need exists for a new and improved power spool device having a power spool device having a spool housing and a detachable motorized drive unit configured so that a user can be able to control the motorized drive unit with one hand in order to mechanical rotate of the spool housing so that the users other hand is free to guide the electrical cord around the rotating spool housing.
In this respect, the power spool device according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in doing so provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of providing a convenient means for making it possible for a user to be able to control a motorized drive unit with one hand in order to mechanical rotate of the spool housing so that the user's other hand is free to guide a cord around the rotating spool housing in order to windup the cord and to store the cord away.
The present power spool device and kit, according to the principles of the present invention, overcomes a number of the shortcomings of the prior art by providing a novel power spool device and kit for use in storing cords, such as electrical cords including light strings for Christmas displays.
The device includes a spool having of two end caps and an axle; and also includes a detachable motorized drive unit having a handle and a motor. The detachable motorized drive unit is attachable to the spool housing. The device is configured so that a user can be able to control the motorized drive unit with one hand in order to mechanical rotate of the spool housing so that the user's other hand is free to guide the electrical cord around the rotating spool housing. The kit includes the unconnected components of the power spool device.
In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known type power spool devices now present in the prior art, the present invention provides an improved power spool device, which will be described subsequently in great detail, is to provide a new and improved power spool device which is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by the prior art, either alone or in any combination thereof.
To attain this, the present invention essentially comprises a spool having of two end caps and an axle; and also includes a detachable motorized drive unit having a handle and a motor. The detachable motorized drive unit is slidably attachable to the spool housing. The device is configured so that a user can be able to control the motorized drive unit with one hand in order to mechanical rotate of the spool housing so that the user's other hand is free to guide the electrical cord around the rotating spool housing.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution of the art may be better appreciated.
The invention may also include an optional latch 54, and numerous other optional elements that will be detailed below.
Numerous objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading of the following detailed description of presently preferred, but nonetheless illustrative, embodiments of the present invention when taken in conjunction with the accompany drawings. In this respect, before explaining the current embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
It is therefore an aspect of the present invention to provide a new and improved power spool device that has many of the advantages of the prior spool devices and minimizing a number of their disadvantages.
It is another aspect of the present invention to provide a new and improved spool device that may be easily and efficiently manufactured and marketed.
An even further aspect of the present invention is to provide a new and improved power spool device that has a low cost of manufacture with regard to both materials and labor, and which accordingly is then susceptible of low prices of sale to the consuming public, thereby making a power spool device which is economically available to the buying public.
Still another aspect of the present invention is to provide a power spool device that provides in the apparatuses and methods of the prior art some of the advantages thereof, while simultaneously overcoming some of the disadvantages normally associated therewith.
Even still another aspect of the present invention is to provide a power spool device having a spool housing and a detachable motorized drive unit in which device is configured so that a user can be able to control the motorized drive unit with one hand in order to mechanical rotate of the spool housing so that the user's other hand is free to guide the electrical cord around the rotating spool housing.
The kit includes the unconnected components of the power spool device.
Still another aspect of the present invention is to provide a kit comprising the unconnected components of the power spool device.
Further, the purpose of the foregoing abstract is to enable the U.S. patent and Trademark Office and the public generally, and especially the scientist, engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiar with patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of the application. The abstract is neither intended to define the invention of the application, which is measured by the claims, nor is it intended to be limiting as to the scope of the invention in ally way.
These together with other objects of the invention, along with the various features of novelty that characterize the invention, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and description matter in which there are illustrated preferred embodiments of the invention.
The invention will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:
The same reference numerals refer to the same parts throughout the various figures.
Referring now to the drawings, and in particular
The axle 14 of the spool housing 12 may comprise any known structural configuration. One preferred configuration of the axle 14 of the spool housing 12 comprises: a female pseudo-electric socket orifice 28, a wire channel 30, a cavity 32 and a plurality of bumps 36. The cavity 32 is centrally disposed within the axle 14 in which the cavity 32 is defined by the interior surface 34 of the axle 14. The plurality of bumps 36 is attached to the exterior surface 38 of the axle 14.
The front-end cap 16 of the spool housing 12 may comprise any known structural configuration. One preferred configuration of the front-end cap 16 of the spool housing 12 comprises: a mouth 40 configured to provide access into the centrally disposed cavity 32 of the axle 14; and a plurality of first couplers 42 attached to the front-end cap 16. The front-end cap 16 of the spool housing 12 may optionally have a plurality of dimples 88 distributed along all edge of the front-end cap 16. The rear-end cap 18 of the spool housing 12 may optionally have a plurality of nubs 90 distributed along an edge of the rear-end cap 18 in which the nubs 90 and the dimples 88 are configured to mechanically mate together. Alternately, the front-end cap 16 of the spool housing 12 may optionally have a plurality of nubs 90 distributed along an edge of the front-end cap 16, and the rear-end cap 18 of the spool housing 12 may optionally have a plurality of dimples 88 distributed along an edge of the rear-end cap 18 in which the nubs 90 and the dimples 88 are configured to mechanically mate together.
One preferred configuration of the front-end caps 16 and of the rear-end caps 18 of the spool housings 12 is that front-end caps 16 and of the rear-end caps 18 are configured to mate together when the spool housings 12 arc stacked together. The spool housing 12 may comprise any known structural configuration such as having a plurality of first couplers 42 attached to the front-end cap 16.
The first couplers 42 of the spool housing 80 of the device 10 may be configured in any known coupler configuration. Likewise the second couplers 52 of the handle 22 of the motorized drive unit 20 of the device 10 may be configured in any known coupler configuration. One preferred configuration is that the first couplers 42 are configured are as female bayonet couplers and the second couplers 52 are configured as male bayonet couplers. Another preferred configuration is that the first couplers 42 are configured as male bayonet couplers and the second couplers 52 are configured as female bayonet couplers.
The motorized drive unit 20 may comprise any known structural configuration such as having a plurality of second couplers 52 attached to the handle 22, wherein the first and second couplers 52 are configured to mate together in order to secure the motorized drive unit 20 to the spool housing 12. The motorized drive unit 20 may be detachable from the spool housing 12.
The axial shaft 26 of the motorized drive unit 20 of the device 10 may comprise any known structural configuration. One preferred configuration is that the axial shaft 26 is that it includes a battery compartment 70, an electrical power connect 74 and a circuit 76. The battery compartment 70 is configured to hold a battery 72 in which the hatch 64 is configured to provide access into the battery compartment 70. The electrical power connect 74 is configured to electrically couple with the battery 72. The circuit 76 is attached to the axial shaft 26 and electrically coupled to the electrical power connect 74. The circuit 76 is electrically coupled to the on/off switch 56, the speed switch 58, and the directional switch 60 in which the circuit 76 is electrically coupled to the motor. The axial shaft 26 of the motorized drive unit 20 of the device 10 may also comprise a first drive engagement unit 78 and a shell housing 80. The first drive engagement unit 78 is attached to the drive shaft 68. The shell housing 80 having an exterior drive surface 82; a pocket 84; and a second drive engagement unit 86 mechanically coupled to the first drive engagement unit 78. The shell housing 80 is rotatably attached to the axial shaft 26 and the exterior drive surface 82 of the shell housing 80 is configured to mechanically couple with the cavity 32 of the axle 14, and the pocket 84 of the shell housing 80 configured to enshroud around the axial shaft 26.
The handle 22 of the motorized drive unit 20 of the device 10 may comprise any known structural configuration. One preferred configuration is that the handle 22 comprises a hinge 62, a hatch 64 and a clasp 66. The hinge 62 is attached to the handle 22. The hatch 64 is attached to the hinge 62. The clasp 66 is attached to the hatch 64, in which the clasp 66 is configured to lock the hatch 64 in a closed position to the handle 22.
The first and second drive engagement units (78 and 86, respectively) may comprise any known drive engagement unit. One preferred configuration of the first drive engagement unit 78 comprises a male hexagonal drive engagement unit and the second drive engagement unit 86 comprises a female hexagonal drive engagement unit. Another preferred configuration of the first drive engagement unit 78 comprises a female hexagonal drive engagement unit and the second drive engagement unit 86 comprises a male hexagonal drive engagement unit.
An optional an arcuate panel 44 and an optional arcuate door 48 may be added to the device 10. One preferred configuration of that the arcuate panel 44 is attached to the front and rear-end caps 18, in which the arcuate panel 44 has a lip 46. One preferred configuration of the arcuate door 48 is that it is slidably attached to the front and rear-end caps 18, in which the arcuate door 48 has a ledge 50 in which the ledge 50 and the lip 46 are configured to lock together when the arcuate door 48 is closed.
An optional a latch 54 may be added to the device 10 in which the motorized drive unit 20 may have a latch 54 slidably attached to the handle 22, in which the latch 54 is configured to lock the handle 22 to the spool housing 12 when the first and second couplers 52 are mated together.
An optional configuration of an on/off switch 56, a speed switch 58, and a directional switch 60 may be added to the motorized drive unit 20 of the device 10 in which the on/off switch 56, the speed switch 58 and the directional switch 60 are mounted onto handle 22 the motorized drive unit 20 of the device 10.
One preferred embodiment of the power spool kit comprises at least one spool housing 12. Each spool housing 12 including: an axle 14; a front-end cap 16; a rear-end cap 18; an arcuate panel 44; and an arcuate door 48. The axle 14 has an interior and an exterior surface 38, in which the axle 14 includes: a female pseudo-electric socket orifice 28; a wire channel 30; a cavity 32 centrally disposed within the axle 14 in which the cavity 32 being defined by the interior surface 34 of the axle 14; and a plurality of bumps 36 attached to the exterior surface 38 of the axle 14. The front-end cap 16 is rotatably attached to a front-end of the axle 14 in which the front-end cap 16 includes: a mouth 40; a plurality of first couplers 42; a rear-end cap 18; an arcuate panel 44; and an arcuate door 48. The mouth 40 is configured to provide access into the centrally disposed cavity 32 of the axle 14. The plurality of first couplers 42 is attached to the front-end cap 16. The rear-end cap 18 is rotatably attached to a rear end of the axle 14, in which the front-end caps 16 and the rear-end caps 18 of the spool housings 12 are configured to mate together when the spool housings 12 are stacked together. The arcuate panel 44 is attached to the front and rear-end caps 18, in which the arcuate panel 44 has a lip 46. The arcuate door 48 is slidably attached to the front and rear-end caps 18, in which the arcuate door 48 have a ledge 50 in which the ledge 50 and the lip 46 are configured to lock together when the arcuate door 48 is closed with the arcuate panel 44.
An optional motorized drive unit 20 may be added to the kit. The motorized drive unit 20 may include a handle 22; a plurality of second couplers 52; a latch 54; an on/off switch 56; a speed switch 58; a directional switch 60; a hinge 62; a hatch 64; a clasp 66; an axial shaft 26; and a shell housing 80. The plurality of second couplers 52 is attached to the handle 22 in which the first and second couplers 52 are configured to mate together in order to secure the motorized drive unit 20 to any one spool housing 12. The latch 54 is slidably attached to the handle 22 in which the latch 54 is configured to lock the handle 22 to any one spool housing 12 when the first and second couplers 52 are mated together. The on/off switch 56 is mounted onto the handle 22. The speed switch 58 is mounted onto the handle 22. The directional switch 60 is mounted onto handle 22. The hinge 62 is attached to the handle 22. The hatch 64 is attached to the hinge 62. The clasp 66 is attached to the hatch 64 in which the clasp 66 is configured to lock the batch 64 in a closed position to the handle 22. The an axial shaft 26 is attached to the handle 22 in which the axial shaft 26 includes a battery compartment 70; an electrical power connect 74; a circuit 76; a motor 24; a drive shaft 68; and a first drive engagement unit 78. The battery compartment 70 is configured to hold a battery 72 in which the hatch 64 is also configured to provide access into the battery compartment 70 for the battery 72. The electrical power connect 74 is configured to electrically couple with the battery 72. The circuit 76 is attached to the axial shaft 26 and is electrically coupled to the electrical power connect 74 in which the circuit 76 is electrically coupled to the on/off switch 56, the speed switch 58, and the directional switch 60. The motor 24 is attached to the axial shaft 26 in which the motor 24 is electrically coupled to the circuit 76. The drive shaft 68 is attached to the motor. The first drive engagement unit 78 is attached to the drive shaft 68. The shell housing 80 comprises an exterior drive surface 82; a pocket 84; and a second drive engagement unit 86 mechanically coupled to the first drive engagement unit 78. The shell housing 80 is configured to be rotatably attached to the axial shaft 26 with screws 98. The shell housing 80 is also configured to have the exterior drive surface 82 of the shell housing 80 to mechanically couple with the cavity 32 of the axle 14 of anyone spool housing 12. Finally the pocket 84 of the shell housing 80 is configured to enshroud around the axial shaft 26.
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As to the manner of usage and operation of the present invention, the same should be apparent from the above description. Accordingly, no further discussion relating to the manner of usage and operation will be provided.
While a preferred embodiment of the power spool drive device has been described in detail, it should be apparent that modifications and variations thereto are possible, all of which fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention. With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by the present invention.
Throughout this specification, unless the context requires otherwise, the word “comprise” or variations such as “comprises” or “comprising” or the term “includes” or variations, thereof, or the term “having” or variations, thereof will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated element or integer or group of elements or integers but not the exclusion of any other element or integer or group of elements or integers. In this regard, in construing the claim scope, an embodiment where one or more features is added to any of the claims is to be regarded as within the scope of the invention given that the essential features of the invention as claimed are included in such an embodiment.
Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the invention described herein is susceptible to variations and modifications other than those specifically described. It is to be understood that the invention includes all such variations and modification that fall within its spirit and scope. The invention also includes all of the steps, features, compositions and compounds referred to or indicated in this specification, individually or collectively, and any and all combinations of any two or more of said steps or features.
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.
