CA2061889C - Jumper cable winding reel - Google Patents
Jumper cable winding reel Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- CA2061889C CA2061889C CA 2061889 CA2061889A CA2061889C CA 2061889 C CA2061889 C CA 2061889C CA 2061889 CA2061889 CA 2061889 CA 2061889 A CA2061889 A CA 2061889A CA 2061889 C CA2061889 C CA 2061889C
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- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- hub
- wall
- circumferential
- housing
- central
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Classifications
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H02—GENERATION; CONVERSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER
- H02G—INSTALLATION OF ELECTRIC CABLES OR LINES, OR OF COMBINED OPTICAL AND ELECTRIC CABLES OR LINES
- H02G11/00—Arrangements of electric cables or lines between relatively-movable parts
- H02G11/02—Arrangements of electric cables or lines between relatively-movable parts using take-up reel or drum
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- Storage Of Web-Like Or Filamentary Materials (AREA)
Abstract
A central hub for a reel assembly for the storage and deployment of automotive jumper cable having, a hub storage compartment which is accessible through either hub or hub plate apertures on opposite sides of a reel assembly, allowing bilateral access to stored clamps. The hub wall defining a central storage compartment which is capable of maintaining jumper cable clamps therein without the need for devices or closures. In the preferred embodiment the hub has a minimum of movable parts and a double inner wall providing the cable clamp retention means; both contributing to durability and ease of use under frozen and wet seasonal conditions.
Description
~06i889 FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a cord reel assembly hub for use in the storing and deployment of automotive jumper cables.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Jumper cables are typically stored in the vehicle trunk where they are subjected to tangling, freezing and breakage.The use of these cables, a well known procedure, necessitates the placement of clamps of corresponding polarity onto the terminals of a decharged and charged battery. This may be difficult if the cables have become frozen and misshapen.A cord reel can 1o be used for the orderly storage and deployment of jumper cables.
In deploying jumper cables from a reel it would be necessary to set down the reel on a convenient area such as the vehicle bumper.This must be accomplished without twisting the cables about the axis of the reel, so as to prevent tensioning the cables, which may cause the toppling over of the reel and unclasping the clamps. Furthermore the cord reel assembly must have as few mechanical parts as possible, so as to maximize durability and the ease of deployment of the assembly under the extreme conditions inherent to its use.This is of particular significance where water, debris and freezing make deployment difficult.
The prior art has not adequately addressed the requirements of a cord reel assembly adaptable 2o to use with heavy gauge jumper cable under extreme conditions. In US.
patent 3, 337, 695 to Brown, there was taught a reel containing a multitude of parts and connections, which when subjected to the herein mentioned extreme conditions may corrode and fail. In particular the reel does not allow for the use of a uninterrupted standard jumper cable, thus compromising strength, safety and reliability. Present day cord reels such as US. patent 4,467,979 to Koehler, and US. patent 4,656,320 to Maddock, used in the deployment of a simple electrical cord, are not wholly suited for the deployment of more complex, multistrand, uninterupted A
~~~~8~~
jumper cables and the attached clamps, in that bilateral access to the storage area and the requirements of simplicity and strength for use under extreme conditions are not adequately addressed.
A
OBJECT OF INVENTION
It is the object of my invention to provide an improved cord reel assembly allowing its use under extreme conditions and with complex jumper cables.
s SUMMARY OF INVENTION
The present invention generally provides for a central hub for a reel assembly suited for the storage and deployment of automotive jumper cables. The assembly has a circular reel housing having a radial wall surrounded by a perpendicular wall.
A cable entry aperture in the perpendicular wall, surrounded by a secondary storage area is i o referred to as the cable feeding end of the housing. Said radial wall further has central aperture, the housing aperture, flanked by a circumferential and perpendicular aperture ridge.
In accordance with the present invention there is provided a central hub having a radial wall opened centrally by a large aperture, that is perpendicularly flanked by two is parallel circumferential hub walls. Said walls are separated from each other by a space slightly larger than the width of the housing aperture ridge, and engage the radial housing aperture ridge in a male-female interaction,creating the cable winding surface between the radial walls of the hub and the housing.The hub is maintained in the assembly by affixing the inner hub wall to a hub plate that resides around the outside 20 of the housing aperture. The hub plate has an aperture which has features similar to the hub aperture.
In accordance with the present invention the central hub has an inner hub wall with several openings and defines a central storage compartment capable of maintaining the jumper cable clamps therein without the need for devices or closures.
A
This may be accomplished by angling and slicling the oddly shaped clamps into the hub compartment and through the inner hub wall openings. The handle end of the clamps may thus be anchored in place, through the inner hub wall,through which the clamp cable already passes.The second hub wall being devoid of all but one opening ,which is large enough for transit of the cable only, acts to effectively arrest the handle end of the stored clamps and separates the hub storage compartment and clamps from the winding surface of the reel preventing interference of the winding cable with the stored clamps.
1 o In accordance with the present invention there is provided a storage compartment which is accessible through the hub or hub plate apemares on either opposite sides of the reel assembly,thereby allowing the assembly to be placed on a convenient surface such as the inner hood compartment or bumper,after the clamps at the feeding end have been pulled from a secondary clamp storage area for subsequent attaching to another car battery. This allows access to the compartmentalized storage clamps by which ever side of the reel assembly is uppermost after laying it down. This eliminates the need to twist the cable about the reel assembly, which may otherwise camse the stiffened cables to detach or cause the reel assembly to dangerously topple into the engine compartment under twisting tension.Thus, under a stressful situation the first or feeding end clamps are prepared for 2 o attaching to the first car battery with disregard fir the orientation of the reel assembly and the second storage clamps are pulled from which ever aperture is easiest to access, by virtue of bilateral hub openings.
In accordance with the present invention the hub and hub plate circular aperture walls may have two opposite, parallel linear walls so disposed as to square off the circular aperture.The walls act as a clamp retention bacli:up to further retain the clamps, should the clamp handles not have been properly secured in the inner hub wall apertures.
S
In accordance with the present invention the inner hub wall may further have retaining clips or rubber cushions set in the inner hub wall openings, to secure the clamping end of the clamps in the storage compartment .
In accordance with this invention the overlapping of the hub walls and housing aperture s ridge creates an attachment that has ample overlap and thickness to provide for a strong attachment capable of enduring heavy gauge cable winding under extreme(frozen) conditions.
In accordance with this invention the reel assembly provides for a second clamp storage area at the feeding end of the housing, characterized by an entry port, an inner clamp io retaining wall, and further comprising a carrying handle.
In accordance with this invention the hub and assembly may have a plurality of apertures to shed water and debris, being angled in the direction of winding to act as shedding vanes.
In accordance with another aspect of this invention the assembly is suited for the use of i5 uninterrupted standard jumper cables having oddly shaped bulky clamps at both the feeding and storage ends.
In accordance with another aspect of this invention the assembly and hub provide for simplicity of construction and a minimum of parts, thus being well suited for the inherent extreme conditions of use during the winter months.
A
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
IN THE DRAWINGS
FIG.1- is a perspective view of a reel assembly in accordance with the invention, with clamps disposed in the "stored" configuration;
FIG.2_ is a perspective view similar to Fig. l with the cable and clamps removed for clarity;
1o FIG.3- is a plan view of the reel assembly clarifying the path of the cable with clamps extracted at the feeding end;
FIG.4_ is a fragmented perspective view, in section, of the central hub;
FIGS- is a fragmented view similar to Fig.4 more readily showing the clamp handle and cable;
FIG.6_ is a view along line 6-6 of Fig.3;
FIG.7- is a perspective similar to Fig.6 with the cable and clamps removed for clarity;
FIG.B- is a perspective similar to but on a line slightly medial to Fig.7 with a portion of the hub wall apertures and components visible;
2o FIG.9- is a plan view of the hub plate outlining the point of contact, "A", with the first hub wall;
A
~o~ ~ 88~
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring to the preferred embodiment of the instant invention there is provided a reel assembly numeral 1, for the storage and deployment of jumper cables. The reel comprises a circular housing 2 having a radial wall 3 surrounded by a perpendicular, circumferential wall 4 . Said perpendicular wall having an opening 5 for the entry of a cable, and said opening being surrounded by a secondary storage area 6. ( Fig.
6) As to seen in Fig. 7, radial wall 3 is provided with a large central housing aperture 7 which is flanked by a circumferential ridge 8. Said ridge 8 being perpendicular to radial wall 3 and having sufficient thickness to provide a strong fulcrum of rotation and act as a spacer between the hub walls which will be mounted thereto. Mounted in said housing 2, for the coiling and uncoiling of cable, is a central hub 9. Central hub 9 is provided with a radial wall 10, with a slightly smaller radius than radial housing wall 3, and has a large central hub aperture 11 which is flanked by a first, circumferential, hub wall 12 and a parallel, second, circumferential, hub wall l3.Hub walls 12 and 13 being separated by a space slightly larger than ridge 8, and rotationally engaged onto said ridge in a female-male interaction, as seen in Figs. 1 and 7. Said central hub 9 being 2o rotationally maintained in housing 2 by affixing of first hub wall 12 to a hub plate 15 residing in a recessed groove 16 surrounding the outer aspect of housing aperture 7.
Hub wall 13 has a length slightly shorter than perpendicular wall 4,and engages radial wall 3 in a rotatable fashion in lateral apposition to ridge 8. Hub wall 12 has length slightly longer than wall 13 so as to abut against plate 15, at "A", being thereto affixed by screws.(Fig.6) As seen in Figs 1 and 5 the first hub wall 12 defines a central storage area 17 capable of maintaining stored jumper cable clamps 21 therein.
A
~(~~ ~ 889 Said hub wall 12 presents a plurality of openings 18 acting as conduits for jumper cable 19 and cable clamp handles 20. Openings 18 are slightly less high than the overlap created by the engagement of wall 12 and 13 with ridge 8. Said openings 18 further comprise the stored cable clamp 21 retention means.
Hub wall 13 is disposed so as to create a solid wall,parallel to wall 12 .A
single opening 22 in wall 13, being smaller than opening 18 acts as a conduit for jumper cable 19 while the remainder of said solid wall acts to arrest cable clamp handles 20. Said handles are arrested at wall 13 due to preferential movement of the smaller cable 19 through opening 22 while excluding the larger stored clamp handles 20. Clamps 1 o have been stored in the central hub storage area 17 once the attached handles 20 have been inserted through openings 18 so as to releasably anchor the handles therein.
In the preferred embodiment central hub 9 has a handle 23 on the external aspect of radial hub wall 10 to impart rotational movement to said hub. Ridge provides for a solid fulcrum of rotation while allowing for the creation of a uniform t5 winding area 26 delineated by the inner aspect of radial walls 3 and 10 and the second hub wall surface 14. Furthermore the circular axial positioning of the hub 9 in the housing 2 is rotatably maintained by the thick overlap of the hub walls 12 and 13 with the housing ridge 8, so as to provide an attachment which is suitable for the winding of heavy cables 19, and prevents any entrapment of the winding cable 19 within the 2o moving parts. Hub plate 15 being so configured as to maintain the attachment in a rotatable fashion. Said plate 15 being attached to the first hub wall 12 by several screws 24 at several holes 25. Hub plate 15 comprises a flat uniform ring with a diameter larger than the diameter of the first hub wall 12 and whose beveled edge resides in housing recess 16. Said hub plate 15 has a large central aperture 27 equivalent to hub 25 aperture 11. Aperture 27 having two opposite,parrallel and linear walls 28, so disposed as to square off the circular aperture 27, best seen in Fig 6 and 9. Said walls 28 act as a clamp retention backup to further retain the stored clamps 21 in the storage area 17, A
should the clamp handles 20 not have been properly anchored in the hub wall openings 18. Hub opening 11 is also configured with similar walls 28.
In another embodiment hub openings 18 may have metal clips 29 fastened to their periphery, to secure the clamping ends 30 of stored clamps 21 while they are inserted across two opposite openings 18.
In yet another embodiment hub openings 18 may have rubber cushions 31 fastened io their periphery, to secure the clamping ends 30 of stored clamps 21 while they are inserted across two opposite openings 18.
Secondary clamp storage area 6 being molded from the housing 2, is provided to encircle the housing cable entry opening 5, and best seen in Fig.2 and 7. Said storage area 6 comprises a back 32 , two side walls 34, a forward retaining wall 35, and has a semicircular handle 33. The opening delineated by the above mentioned walls defines the extent of the secondary storage area 6. The housing entry port 5 allows for preferential passage of the smaller jumper cable 19 while the perpendicular housing wall area 37, surrounding the cable entry opening 5, within the area defined by the secondary storage area acts as a retaining wall arresting the larger feeding clamps 38 at their handle ends 39. Clamps 38 remain partially extruded from the storage area 6 and are maintained therein by tension on the wound cable 19,(Fig. b).
In the preferred embodiment the housing radial wall 3 and perpendicular wall 4 and the hub radial wall 10 may have a plurality of apertures 40 angled in the direction of winding io act as vanes for the shedding of water and debris.
To employ the reel assembly, the handle 33 is grasped in one hand.The protruding feeding clamps 38 at the feeding end 36 of assemble 1 are grasped wish the other hand and the eniire length of cable 19 is exteriorized by pulling and uncoiling. Said cable clamps 38 are attached to a first car battery. The assembly 1 may then be placed on a convenient surface such as the inner hood compartment or bumper of a second car. In accordance with the present invention there is provided a storage compartment 17 which ., CA 02061889 1999-09-10 is accessible through the hub or hub plate apertures 11 and 27 on either opposite sides of reel assembly 1. This, allows access to the compartmentalized storage clamps 21 by which ever side of said assembly 1 that is uppermost and easiest to access, after laying it down. Clamps 21 may be freely drawn from either aperture 11 or 27. This eliminates the need to twist the cable 19 about assembly 1, which may otherwise cause the stiffened cables to detach or cause reel assembly 1 to dangerously topple into the engine compartment under twisting tension.Thus, under a stressful situation the first or feeding end clamps 38 are attached to the first car battery with disregard for the orientation of reel assembly 1, and the second storage clamps 21 are grasped through either bilateral opening 11 or 27, angled across the storage compartment 17 and pulled outward so as to bypass the hub or hub plate linear walls 28 and pulled freely out of the storage areas 17.
Assembly 1 may if necessary be slid along the extruded jumper cable 19 so as to adjust the ratio of cable length which is exteriorized at the feeding end 36 and the end extruded through storage area 17.
Storage is accomplished by reversing the procedure by, pulling cable 19 back through the feeding end, storage area 6, while angling and sliding the oddly shaped storage clamps 21 into hub compartment 17, passed the hub or hub plate linear walls 28, and through an inner hub wall opening 18 so as to anchor the handle end 20 of the clamps in place,through an inner hub wall opening 18, through which the jumper cable 19 already passes.The clamp handles 20 may be aided in their anchorage by virtue of their spring tensioning.The second hub wall 13 being devoid of all but one opening 22, which is large enough for transit of the cable only, acts to effectively arrest the handle end 20 of the stored clamps 21, and separates the hub storage compartment 17 and clamps 21 from winding area 26. Hub handle 23 is grasped and rotated so as to wind cable 19 onto the winding surface 14 of assembly 1. Thus the feeding clamps 38 are pulled into the second storage area 6 by the winding cable 19 wherein the clamp handles 39 of the feeding clamps 38 come to rest against the housing wall 37, leaving only a only a portion of clamps 38 outside the storage area 6, where they may be grasp for subsequent deployment.This is best seen in figs.l and 6.
Those skilled in the art will recognize that innovative hub 9 provides a storage means free from mechanical retainers and covers, which may otherwise be prone to failure under use in harsh conditions,and a bilateral hub access suited toward use of frozen, stiffened cables, and further providing a housing attachment suited for the use of heavy gauge cables.
It should be understood that the foregoing relates only to a preferred embodiment of the invention which has been by way of example only, and that it is 1o intended to cover all changes and modification of the example of the invention herein chosen for the purpose of the disclosure which do not constitute departures from the scope of the invention.
A
This invention relates to a cord reel assembly hub for use in the storing and deployment of automotive jumper cables.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Jumper cables are typically stored in the vehicle trunk where they are subjected to tangling, freezing and breakage.The use of these cables, a well known procedure, necessitates the placement of clamps of corresponding polarity onto the terminals of a decharged and charged battery. This may be difficult if the cables have become frozen and misshapen.A cord reel can 1o be used for the orderly storage and deployment of jumper cables.
In deploying jumper cables from a reel it would be necessary to set down the reel on a convenient area such as the vehicle bumper.This must be accomplished without twisting the cables about the axis of the reel, so as to prevent tensioning the cables, which may cause the toppling over of the reel and unclasping the clamps. Furthermore the cord reel assembly must have as few mechanical parts as possible, so as to maximize durability and the ease of deployment of the assembly under the extreme conditions inherent to its use.This is of particular significance where water, debris and freezing make deployment difficult.
The prior art has not adequately addressed the requirements of a cord reel assembly adaptable 2o to use with heavy gauge jumper cable under extreme conditions. In US.
patent 3, 337, 695 to Brown, there was taught a reel containing a multitude of parts and connections, which when subjected to the herein mentioned extreme conditions may corrode and fail. In particular the reel does not allow for the use of a uninterrupted standard jumper cable, thus compromising strength, safety and reliability. Present day cord reels such as US. patent 4,467,979 to Koehler, and US. patent 4,656,320 to Maddock, used in the deployment of a simple electrical cord, are not wholly suited for the deployment of more complex, multistrand, uninterupted A
~~~~8~~
jumper cables and the attached clamps, in that bilateral access to the storage area and the requirements of simplicity and strength for use under extreme conditions are not adequately addressed.
A
OBJECT OF INVENTION
It is the object of my invention to provide an improved cord reel assembly allowing its use under extreme conditions and with complex jumper cables.
s SUMMARY OF INVENTION
The present invention generally provides for a central hub for a reel assembly suited for the storage and deployment of automotive jumper cables. The assembly has a circular reel housing having a radial wall surrounded by a perpendicular wall.
A cable entry aperture in the perpendicular wall, surrounded by a secondary storage area is i o referred to as the cable feeding end of the housing. Said radial wall further has central aperture, the housing aperture, flanked by a circumferential and perpendicular aperture ridge.
In accordance with the present invention there is provided a central hub having a radial wall opened centrally by a large aperture, that is perpendicularly flanked by two is parallel circumferential hub walls. Said walls are separated from each other by a space slightly larger than the width of the housing aperture ridge, and engage the radial housing aperture ridge in a male-female interaction,creating the cable winding surface between the radial walls of the hub and the housing.The hub is maintained in the assembly by affixing the inner hub wall to a hub plate that resides around the outside 20 of the housing aperture. The hub plate has an aperture which has features similar to the hub aperture.
In accordance with the present invention the central hub has an inner hub wall with several openings and defines a central storage compartment capable of maintaining the jumper cable clamps therein without the need for devices or closures.
A
This may be accomplished by angling and slicling the oddly shaped clamps into the hub compartment and through the inner hub wall openings. The handle end of the clamps may thus be anchored in place, through the inner hub wall,through which the clamp cable already passes.The second hub wall being devoid of all but one opening ,which is large enough for transit of the cable only, acts to effectively arrest the handle end of the stored clamps and separates the hub storage compartment and clamps from the winding surface of the reel preventing interference of the winding cable with the stored clamps.
1 o In accordance with the present invention there is provided a storage compartment which is accessible through the hub or hub plate apemares on either opposite sides of the reel assembly,thereby allowing the assembly to be placed on a convenient surface such as the inner hood compartment or bumper,after the clamps at the feeding end have been pulled from a secondary clamp storage area for subsequent attaching to another car battery. This allows access to the compartmentalized storage clamps by which ever side of the reel assembly is uppermost after laying it down. This eliminates the need to twist the cable about the reel assembly, which may otherwise camse the stiffened cables to detach or cause the reel assembly to dangerously topple into the engine compartment under twisting tension.Thus, under a stressful situation the first or feeding end clamps are prepared for 2 o attaching to the first car battery with disregard fir the orientation of the reel assembly and the second storage clamps are pulled from which ever aperture is easiest to access, by virtue of bilateral hub openings.
In accordance with the present invention the hub and hub plate circular aperture walls may have two opposite, parallel linear walls so disposed as to square off the circular aperture.The walls act as a clamp retention bacli:up to further retain the clamps, should the clamp handles not have been properly secured in the inner hub wall apertures.
S
In accordance with the present invention the inner hub wall may further have retaining clips or rubber cushions set in the inner hub wall openings, to secure the clamping end of the clamps in the storage compartment .
In accordance with this invention the overlapping of the hub walls and housing aperture s ridge creates an attachment that has ample overlap and thickness to provide for a strong attachment capable of enduring heavy gauge cable winding under extreme(frozen) conditions.
In accordance with this invention the reel assembly provides for a second clamp storage area at the feeding end of the housing, characterized by an entry port, an inner clamp io retaining wall, and further comprising a carrying handle.
In accordance with this invention the hub and assembly may have a plurality of apertures to shed water and debris, being angled in the direction of winding to act as shedding vanes.
In accordance with another aspect of this invention the assembly is suited for the use of i5 uninterrupted standard jumper cables having oddly shaped bulky clamps at both the feeding and storage ends.
In accordance with another aspect of this invention the assembly and hub provide for simplicity of construction and a minimum of parts, thus being well suited for the inherent extreme conditions of use during the winter months.
A
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
IN THE DRAWINGS
FIG.1- is a perspective view of a reel assembly in accordance with the invention, with clamps disposed in the "stored" configuration;
FIG.2_ is a perspective view similar to Fig. l with the cable and clamps removed for clarity;
1o FIG.3- is a plan view of the reel assembly clarifying the path of the cable with clamps extracted at the feeding end;
FIG.4_ is a fragmented perspective view, in section, of the central hub;
FIGS- is a fragmented view similar to Fig.4 more readily showing the clamp handle and cable;
FIG.6_ is a view along line 6-6 of Fig.3;
FIG.7- is a perspective similar to Fig.6 with the cable and clamps removed for clarity;
FIG.B- is a perspective similar to but on a line slightly medial to Fig.7 with a portion of the hub wall apertures and components visible;
2o FIG.9- is a plan view of the hub plate outlining the point of contact, "A", with the first hub wall;
A
~o~ ~ 88~
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring to the preferred embodiment of the instant invention there is provided a reel assembly numeral 1, for the storage and deployment of jumper cables. The reel comprises a circular housing 2 having a radial wall 3 surrounded by a perpendicular, circumferential wall 4 . Said perpendicular wall having an opening 5 for the entry of a cable, and said opening being surrounded by a secondary storage area 6. ( Fig.
6) As to seen in Fig. 7, radial wall 3 is provided with a large central housing aperture 7 which is flanked by a circumferential ridge 8. Said ridge 8 being perpendicular to radial wall 3 and having sufficient thickness to provide a strong fulcrum of rotation and act as a spacer between the hub walls which will be mounted thereto. Mounted in said housing 2, for the coiling and uncoiling of cable, is a central hub 9. Central hub 9 is provided with a radial wall 10, with a slightly smaller radius than radial housing wall 3, and has a large central hub aperture 11 which is flanked by a first, circumferential, hub wall 12 and a parallel, second, circumferential, hub wall l3.Hub walls 12 and 13 being separated by a space slightly larger than ridge 8, and rotationally engaged onto said ridge in a female-male interaction, as seen in Figs. 1 and 7. Said central hub 9 being 2o rotationally maintained in housing 2 by affixing of first hub wall 12 to a hub plate 15 residing in a recessed groove 16 surrounding the outer aspect of housing aperture 7.
Hub wall 13 has a length slightly shorter than perpendicular wall 4,and engages radial wall 3 in a rotatable fashion in lateral apposition to ridge 8. Hub wall 12 has length slightly longer than wall 13 so as to abut against plate 15, at "A", being thereto affixed by screws.(Fig.6) As seen in Figs 1 and 5 the first hub wall 12 defines a central storage area 17 capable of maintaining stored jumper cable clamps 21 therein.
A
~(~~ ~ 889 Said hub wall 12 presents a plurality of openings 18 acting as conduits for jumper cable 19 and cable clamp handles 20. Openings 18 are slightly less high than the overlap created by the engagement of wall 12 and 13 with ridge 8. Said openings 18 further comprise the stored cable clamp 21 retention means.
Hub wall 13 is disposed so as to create a solid wall,parallel to wall 12 .A
single opening 22 in wall 13, being smaller than opening 18 acts as a conduit for jumper cable 19 while the remainder of said solid wall acts to arrest cable clamp handles 20. Said handles are arrested at wall 13 due to preferential movement of the smaller cable 19 through opening 22 while excluding the larger stored clamp handles 20. Clamps 1 o have been stored in the central hub storage area 17 once the attached handles 20 have been inserted through openings 18 so as to releasably anchor the handles therein.
In the preferred embodiment central hub 9 has a handle 23 on the external aspect of radial hub wall 10 to impart rotational movement to said hub. Ridge provides for a solid fulcrum of rotation while allowing for the creation of a uniform t5 winding area 26 delineated by the inner aspect of radial walls 3 and 10 and the second hub wall surface 14. Furthermore the circular axial positioning of the hub 9 in the housing 2 is rotatably maintained by the thick overlap of the hub walls 12 and 13 with the housing ridge 8, so as to provide an attachment which is suitable for the winding of heavy cables 19, and prevents any entrapment of the winding cable 19 within the 2o moving parts. Hub plate 15 being so configured as to maintain the attachment in a rotatable fashion. Said plate 15 being attached to the first hub wall 12 by several screws 24 at several holes 25. Hub plate 15 comprises a flat uniform ring with a diameter larger than the diameter of the first hub wall 12 and whose beveled edge resides in housing recess 16. Said hub plate 15 has a large central aperture 27 equivalent to hub 25 aperture 11. Aperture 27 having two opposite,parrallel and linear walls 28, so disposed as to square off the circular aperture 27, best seen in Fig 6 and 9. Said walls 28 act as a clamp retention backup to further retain the stored clamps 21 in the storage area 17, A
should the clamp handles 20 not have been properly anchored in the hub wall openings 18. Hub opening 11 is also configured with similar walls 28.
In another embodiment hub openings 18 may have metal clips 29 fastened to their periphery, to secure the clamping ends 30 of stored clamps 21 while they are inserted across two opposite openings 18.
In yet another embodiment hub openings 18 may have rubber cushions 31 fastened io their periphery, to secure the clamping ends 30 of stored clamps 21 while they are inserted across two opposite openings 18.
Secondary clamp storage area 6 being molded from the housing 2, is provided to encircle the housing cable entry opening 5, and best seen in Fig.2 and 7. Said storage area 6 comprises a back 32 , two side walls 34, a forward retaining wall 35, and has a semicircular handle 33. The opening delineated by the above mentioned walls defines the extent of the secondary storage area 6. The housing entry port 5 allows for preferential passage of the smaller jumper cable 19 while the perpendicular housing wall area 37, surrounding the cable entry opening 5, within the area defined by the secondary storage area acts as a retaining wall arresting the larger feeding clamps 38 at their handle ends 39. Clamps 38 remain partially extruded from the storage area 6 and are maintained therein by tension on the wound cable 19,(Fig. b).
In the preferred embodiment the housing radial wall 3 and perpendicular wall 4 and the hub radial wall 10 may have a plurality of apertures 40 angled in the direction of winding io act as vanes for the shedding of water and debris.
To employ the reel assembly, the handle 33 is grasped in one hand.The protruding feeding clamps 38 at the feeding end 36 of assemble 1 are grasped wish the other hand and the eniire length of cable 19 is exteriorized by pulling and uncoiling. Said cable clamps 38 are attached to a first car battery. The assembly 1 may then be placed on a convenient surface such as the inner hood compartment or bumper of a second car. In accordance with the present invention there is provided a storage compartment 17 which ., CA 02061889 1999-09-10 is accessible through the hub or hub plate apertures 11 and 27 on either opposite sides of reel assembly 1. This, allows access to the compartmentalized storage clamps 21 by which ever side of said assembly 1 that is uppermost and easiest to access, after laying it down. Clamps 21 may be freely drawn from either aperture 11 or 27. This eliminates the need to twist the cable 19 about assembly 1, which may otherwise cause the stiffened cables to detach or cause reel assembly 1 to dangerously topple into the engine compartment under twisting tension.Thus, under a stressful situation the first or feeding end clamps 38 are attached to the first car battery with disregard for the orientation of reel assembly 1, and the second storage clamps 21 are grasped through either bilateral opening 11 or 27, angled across the storage compartment 17 and pulled outward so as to bypass the hub or hub plate linear walls 28 and pulled freely out of the storage areas 17.
Assembly 1 may if necessary be slid along the extruded jumper cable 19 so as to adjust the ratio of cable length which is exteriorized at the feeding end 36 and the end extruded through storage area 17.
Storage is accomplished by reversing the procedure by, pulling cable 19 back through the feeding end, storage area 6, while angling and sliding the oddly shaped storage clamps 21 into hub compartment 17, passed the hub or hub plate linear walls 28, and through an inner hub wall opening 18 so as to anchor the handle end 20 of the clamps in place,through an inner hub wall opening 18, through which the jumper cable 19 already passes.The clamp handles 20 may be aided in their anchorage by virtue of their spring tensioning.The second hub wall 13 being devoid of all but one opening 22, which is large enough for transit of the cable only, acts to effectively arrest the handle end 20 of the stored clamps 21, and separates the hub storage compartment 17 and clamps 21 from winding area 26. Hub handle 23 is grasped and rotated so as to wind cable 19 onto the winding surface 14 of assembly 1. Thus the feeding clamps 38 are pulled into the second storage area 6 by the winding cable 19 wherein the clamp handles 39 of the feeding clamps 38 come to rest against the housing wall 37, leaving only a only a portion of clamps 38 outside the storage area 6, where they may be grasp for subsequent deployment.This is best seen in figs.l and 6.
Those skilled in the art will recognize that innovative hub 9 provides a storage means free from mechanical retainers and covers, which may otherwise be prone to failure under use in harsh conditions,and a bilateral hub access suited toward use of frozen, stiffened cables, and further providing a housing attachment suited for the use of heavy gauge cables.
It should be understood that the foregoing relates only to a preferred embodiment of the invention which has been by way of example only, and that it is 1o intended to cover all changes and modification of the example of the invention herein chosen for the purpose of the disclosure which do not constitute departures from the scope of the invention.
A
Claims (6)
1. A reel assembly for the storage and deployment of automotive jumper cables or uninterrupted, complex, multistrand heavy gauge cable, said assembly having, a circular housing having a radial housing wall surrounded distally by a perpendicular, circumferential housing wall, and having a central housing aperture circumscribed by a housing recess and flanked by a circumferential, housing ridge, an opening in the circular housing surrounded by a secondary clamp storage area, characterized by an entry port and an inner clamp retaining wall and further comprising a carrying handle, a central hub having a radial hub wall opened centrally by a radial hub wall aperture which is flanked by a first circumferential hub wall and a second circumferential hub wall, a hub plate having a beveled edge and a central hub plate aperture and residing in the housing recess, a housing ridge with circumferential disposition around the central housing aperture and rotationally engaging the first and second circumferential hub walls, said central hub being configured far attachment to the circular housing by rotationally engaging the housing ridge and there upon maintained by fixing the first circumferential hub wall of the central hub to the hub plate residing in the housing recess and thereby creating both the winding area of the reel assembly between the radial housing wall, the perpendicular circumferential wall of the housing, the radial hub wall, and the second circumferential hub wall, and creating the central hub storage area defined by the inner aspect of the first circumferential hub wall and the hub plate, said first circumferential hub wall having several first circumferential hub wall apertures acting as points of anchorage for items such as clamp handles stored in the central hub storage area, and as a conduit for items such as the jumper cable, said first circumferential hub wall defining a central hub storage area whose compartment is capable of maintaining items such as jumper cable clamps therein, without the need for devices or closures, said second circumferential hub wall disposed so as to arrest items, such as the handle ends of the stored jumper cable clamps anchored through the first circumferential hub wall apertures, and separate the central hub storage area and items therein from the winding area of the reel, said second circumferential hub wall having an opening acting as a conduit, said second circumferential hub wall having an outer surface which acts as a winding surface, for items such as jumper cables , within the winding area of the reel, a central hub storage area which is accessible through either the radial hub wall aperture or the central hub plate aperture, on opposite sides of a reel assembly, creating bilateral free access.
2. A reel assembly as defined in claim 1, wherein the radial hub wall aperture of the radial wall of the central hub and the central hub plate aperture each have two opposite, parallel and linear walls, so disposed as to square off the circular aperture and act as a secondary retention means for items such as clamps,
3. A reel assembly as defined in claim 1, wherein the first circumferential hub wall has retaining clips mounted in the first circumferential hub wall apertures.
4. A reel assembly as defined in claim 1, wherein the first circumferential hub wall and the second circumferential hub wall are separated by a space, and engage a housing ridge in a strong female male interaction, which acts as a fulcrum of rotation capable of winding heavy cable or hose onto the winding surface of the reel assembly,
5. A reel assembly as defined in claim 1, having a circular housing devoid of a perpendicular, circumferential housing wall or handle, creating an open winding area of the reel,
6. A reel assembly as defined in claim 1, wherein the radial hub wall of the central hub and the radial housing wall of the circular housing, have a plurality of apertures to shed water and debris, being angled in the rotational direction of winding, so as to act as shedding vanes.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA 2061889 CA2061889C (en) | 1992-02-26 | 1992-02-26 | Jumper cable winding reel |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA 2061889 CA2061889C (en) | 1992-02-26 | 1992-02-26 | Jumper cable winding reel |
Publications (2)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA2061889A1 CA2061889A1 (en) | 1993-08-27 |
| CA2061889C true CA2061889C (en) | 2000-02-29 |
Family
ID=4149332
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA 2061889 Expired - Fee Related CA2061889C (en) | 1992-02-26 | 1992-02-26 | Jumper cable winding reel |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA2061889C (en) |
-
1992
- 1992-02-26 CA CA 2061889 patent/CA2061889C/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| CA2061889A1 (en) | 1993-08-27 |
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| EEER | Examination request | ||
| MKLA | Lapsed |