Patent Application
20070023557
The present invention relates to a retractor device having a retractable tether and a spring biased reel providing a retracting force on the tether to take up any slack in the tether and to automatically return the tether a wound storage position on the reel, and more particularly, the present invention relates to a constant pull retractor that can be utilized in product displays for tethering relatively-lightweight articles to displays.
It is common for otherwise loose objects to be secured to a display, shelf or like surface. For example, hair swatch samples may be secured with staples or the like to shelves in connection with the sale of hair dye products, electronic goods such as phones and cameras may be tethered to a display shelf, pens may be tethered to table tops, and security badges, keys, identification cards, lift tickets or the like may be tethered to a person or other object.
Examples of constant pull cable retractors that can be utilized for at least some of the above referenced purposes are disclosed by U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,124,685 and 6,419,175 B1 which are assigned to the assignee of the present application.
While the above referenced retractors function in a superior manner for their intended purposes, there remains a need for a retractor which can be utilized to tether relatively lightweight objects to displays and the like. For example, the tethered objects may include swatches of hair or the like that themselves provide very little resistance to the retracting force of the spring in the retractor.
The present invention provides a retractor having a housing with a rotatable reel captured therein. A cable is wound on the reel and has a terminal end extending exteriorly of the housing such that the cable is extendable from the housing and is retractable onto the reel by the force of a spring located in the housing. A rotary damper is connected to the reel for restricting the speed of rotation of the reel as the cable is retracted via the force of the spring.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a product display having a sample object, or article, tethered to the display is provided. The display includes the use of the above referenced retractor with rotary damper.
According to a further aspect of the present invention, a method of tethering a relatively lightweight article to a product display is provided. A retractor is mounted to a surface of the product display, and an article is connected to an end fitting on a terminal end of the cable of the retractor. The speed of rotation of the reel of the retractor is limited by a rotary damper that is operatively connected to the reel. Thus, when the cable is automatically retracted into the housing by a spring, the rotary damper limits the speed of retraction to a desirable and safe rate.
The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention should become apparent from the following description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
Referring now to the drawings,
The cable 16 has a terminal end 20 with an end fitting 22. Preferably, the end fitting 22 prevents the terminal end 20 from being completely retracted into the housing 12 and provides a means of connecting the cable 16 to an object, article, product or the like (not shown) which is to be tethered to the housing 12. As illustrated, the end fitting 22 is a plate on which a piece of double-sided adhesive tape 24 is attached. Thus, an article, object, product or the like can readily be adhesively secured to the terminal end 20 of the cable 16. Of course, other end fittings can be utilized, such as, loops, rings, clips, fasteners or the like which permit mechanical connection of objects to the cable 16.
The opposite end 26 of the cable 16 is wound on a reel 28 mounted within the housing 12. In the illustrated embodiment, the reel 28 has a circular periphery (see
A spring 34, preferably a constant force spring that has a memorized wound shape, is located within the housing 12 and provides a retracting force that automatically retracts the cable 16 onto the reel 28 to a fully retracted condition, for instance, as shown in
One of the novel aspects of the retractor 10 according to the present invention is that a damper 44 is mounted to the housing 12 and is operatively connected to the reel 28 to damp the rotary motion of the reel 28 when the cable 16 is retracted by the force of the spring 34. Preferably, the damper 44 is an oil-type rotary damper in which the viscosity of oil (not shown) contained within the body 46 of the damper 44 provides resistance to the rotation of the fins (not shown) of a rotor submersed in the oil. The rotor has a shaft 48 that connects to the reel 28 for rotation therewith. In the illustrated embodiment, the shaft 48 has an end tip that is oval in transverse cross-section and that engages the reel 28 via a complementary oval-shaped slot 50 formed in a wall 52 of the reel 28 extending transversely within the otherwise hollow central portion 30 of the reel 28. Thus, the shaft 48 is connected to the reel 28 along the axis of rotation “A” of the reel 28, and the reel 28 is only permitted to rotate at a speed determined by the damper 44. Of course, other types of dampers and rotary dampers can be utilized, for instance, dampers that utilize gears or frictionally engaging parts to provide a damping function.
In use, a tethered object is grasped by a person and pulled a distance from the housing 12. This causes a length of the cable 16 to be unwound from reel 28 and extend from the housing 16. Simultaneously, the spring 34 is caused to be wound onto the reel 28. Thus, as the cable 16 is unwound from hub 36, the spring 34 is wound in an opposite direction onto the hub 38. When the tethered object is released by the person, the spring 34 winds into its normal, memorized wound position as shown, for instance, in
If the tethered object is a relatively lightweight object, such as a swatch of hair or like article, a cable may be retracted at undesirable fast speeds. For instance, since the tethered object may provide little, if any, resistance to retraction, the retraction may occur at a rate that may result in damage or undesired wear to the tethered object, adjacent display, or retractor, or may cause the object to be disengaged from the cable. However, the retractor 10 according to the present invention prevents such undesirable retraction since the rotary damper 44 restricts the speed of retraction to an acceptable rate. Thus, a lightweight product, such as a swatch of hair, can be tethered to a shelf or display and can be retracted at a slow, safe, controlled pace. In addition, the retractor 10 according to the present invention can be constructed with a spring 34 that provides sufficient amounts of force for retracting relatively heavy objects, yet can also be used with lightweight objects due to the rotary damper 44.
If desired, the retractor 10 can include a swivel (not shown). For example, the swivel can be identical to that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,419,175 B1, the disclosure of which is herein incorporated by reference. Thus, the swivel can be secured in a stationary manner relative to a mounting surface of a shelf, display panel, or the like, and the housing 12 is permitted to swivel or pivot relative to the mounting surface. For example, when the cable 16 is pulled in different directions, the housing 12 rotates about the swivel such that the exit port through which the cable 16 extends through the housing 12 always points toward the direction of pull.
Thus, the above-described retractor 10 according to the present invention provides a unique manner of tethering relatively lightweight objects to a mounting surface. The unique construction of the retractor permits the efficient manufacture and assembly of relatively small sized retractors which can have relatively strong springs and a long service life.
According to other aspects of the present invention, a product display (not shown) and method for safely tethering lightweight articles to product displays are provided. The product display can include a display panel or shelf on which products, such as containers of hair dye, are supported or displayed. The retractor 10, as discussed above, is mounted with double sided adhesive tape or other fasteners such as clips, screws or the like to the shelf or panel. A sample article is connected to the end fitting 22 of the cable 16. Thus, the article is tethered to the display and can be retracted in a controlled, safe manner due to the rotary damper 44 of the retractor 10.
By way of example, and not limitation, the products can be containers of hair dye and the sample article can be swatches of hair. Thus, a consumer can readily handle and position a swatch of hair in a desired location to be viewed, for instance, in a mirror or the like, and thereafter, can release the swatch of hair for safe retraction by the retractor 10. A retractor 10 and different shade swatch of hair can be provided adjacent each corresponding shade of hair dye. Of course, this provides just one example of a product display, and the retractors 10 can be used with other products and for other purposes.
While a preferred retractor, product display and method have been described in detail, various modifications, alterations, and changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the retractor according to the present invention as defined in the appended claims.
