Background art It is a well known fact that the multitude of cables belonging to modern appliances and electrical devices constitute a problem. Cables and wires are lying in disorder or in piles on tables and on the floor. This problem springs from the rapid development of electrical devices that help us in our homes, at school and at work, especially computers and their accessories.

Today, several solutions exist to this problem, consisting of various rails or cords. However, these solutions are adapted to the circumstances, and are for example intended for holding a certain number of cables of a certain diameter.

Summary of the invention The object of the invention is to provide a cable holding device that flexibly adjusts to the number of cables it is required to hold.

A further object of the invention is to provide a cable holding device that is simple to manufacture at a low cost.

According to the invention, these objects are accomplished by en element with a spiral-shaped cross- section, that is adapted to firmly hold a cable that is inserted between adjacent loops of the spiral, and to flexibly extend when several cables are inserted, still being able to hold the cables in place. A device of this kind will adapt to the required number of cables, resulting in a flexible and efficient cable holding device.

Brief description of the drawings The invention is better understood from the following description, where reference is made to the appended drawings.

Fig 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a cable holding device according to the invention.

Fig 2 is a side-view of the device in fig 1, holding a single cable.

Fig 3 is a side-view of the device in fig 1, holding several cables.

Fig 4 is a side-view of the device in fig 1, holding a large number of cables.

Detailed description of preferred embodiments The device illustrated in fig 1 is made of a relatively strong, elastic material, that is flexible but resilient, and tends to retain its original shape.

Examples of such materials include nylon and different plastic materials. The material can be formed into a desired shape by an extruding process or by injection moulding or any other suitable manufacturing technique.

The device 1 basically consists of a spiral shaped element 2, having at least two loops 9 9'overlapping each other. The distance between adjacent loops 9,9'is such that a cable 4 that is inserted between the loops 9, 9'is held firmly in place. Note that the term"loop"not necessarily refers to a complete loop (360°), but may well consist of a part of a loop. Thus, while the example illustrated in fig 1 has two complete loops and part of a third loop, another example of a device according to the invention may have only one complete loop and a part of a second loop.

With reference to fig 1, the first, outer loop 9'is slightly thicker along one side, hereinafter referred to as the base 3. Preferably the base 3 is in contact with

the next loop 9, so that a cable 4 that has been inserted into the element 2 can be held firmly in place between the loop 9 and the base 3. This way, the element 2 can hold even a very thin cable 4 or any other thin object that is inserted between the base 3 and the loop 9. The free edge 5 of the element 2, i. e. the free edge 5 of the base 3, is slanted at an angle a away from the element 2, in order to facilitate the insertion of a cable 4.

The base 3 preferably has a relatively flat outer surface 6, and an adhesive material 7, for instance a double-sided tape or an adhesive, is attached to this surface 6, making it possible to attach the device to any suitable surface 10. The device may also be equipped with means 8 for attaching the device to e. g. a wall by screws or the like.

Next, the function of the device will be described.

First, the device is fitted in a suitable place, in the illustrated example by removing the protective cover of the tape and pressing the device firmly into place.

Then the required number of cables 4 is inserted in between the loops 9 of the element 2.

When a single cable 4 is inserted into the element, the cable is held in place between the loop 9 and the base 3 of the element 2, preferably just inside an area of contact A between the loop 9 and the base 2 (fig 2).

When several cables 4 are inserted into the element 2, they are first aligned next to each other in between the loop 9 and the base 3 (fig 3), or between adjacent loops 9,9'. When the number of cables becomes greater, however, the element 2 is forced to continuously expand radially, to allow the cables 4 to be inserted. As the material of the element 2 bends resiliently, and tries to retain its shape, the holding capability of the device is maintained, even when such a large number of cables is inserted that the element 2 completely looses its spiral shape (fig 4).

In the above specification, the device has been described with reference to cables and wires only.

However, this is not intended as a limitation of the invention, as the device is capable of holding several other objects, including papers, sheets, pencils and other tools.

Of course, the device according to the invention can be manufactured in various sizes and embodiments, all depending on the application. Applications of the invention includes holding cables along the walls and ceiling of a house, along the sides of furniture or in vehicles, e. g. cars, holding tools to the wall next to a work bench, and holding pieces of paper to the door of a refrigerator.