The present invention relates to a flex winder com¬ prising a collecting member which engages a base, and a casing connected with and enclosing the collecting mem¬ ber, while leaving a space between the casing and the collecting member.

In indoor environment, i.e. at home, in shops, in places of work etc. , use is made of electrical appli¬ ances. As soon as an electrical appliance has been con¬ nected to a wall socket, an excess of flex of a certain length is generally obtained. In most cases, such an ex¬ cess of flex is lying on the floor or is loosely wound to a coil which is held together by a string. Since a great number of appliances are being used, there is a problem caused by electrical wires which make the environment unpleasant, form an obstacle when cleaning, collect dust etc.

Today there is no method of fully solving this prob¬ lem in a simple and practical fashion.

US-2,656,991 discloses a device which is used for collecting a flex. This comprises a spool on which the flex is wound, and a casing enveloping the spool and the flex. The spool is formed with two opposite recesses through which the flex may pass into and out of the flex winder. However, this flex winder suffers from several drawbacks. To be able to wind the flex on to the spool or unwind it, the casing must be removed. When the casing is again placed over the spool, the flex must be fitted into the two recesses at the same time as it is kept stretched in both directions so as to prevent it from being unwound owing to the resistance of the flex material to strong bending. In practice, it is only possible to collect a single flex in the flex winder. The angle between the en¬ try and exit side of the flex is not optional, but always

is 180 degrees. Only on rare occasions, this is the op¬ timum angle.

The object of the present invention is to provide a flex winder which can be arranged in an optional place; which can collect more than one flex and which per¬ mits the flex to enter and leave the flex winder in op¬ tional places along the circumference thereof; which renders it possible to collect, in one opera- tion while using one hand, a flex of any length and having any desired angle between the flex portion enter¬ ing the flex winder and the flex portion leaving the same.

The object is achieved by means of a flex winder ac- cording to the introductory part of the specification, having the features which are defined in the characteris¬ ing clause of claim 1.

These features result in a flex winder in which the flex is readily collected by the user making a circular movement round the casing, while using one hand loosely closed about the flex which is thus forced into the flex winder through the gap, whereby the gap widens, and is wound around the collecting member. By designing the flex winder according to the invention, a clamping action be- tween the casing and the base is obtained, which causes the flex to be kept in the position it has taken when the user lets go of the flex. As a result, a desired, op¬ tional angle may be obtained between the entry portion of the flex and the exit portion thereof. Moreover, the de- sign also makes it possible to collect a number of flexes in one and the same flex winder, which is frequently required for e.g. a stereo including various apparatus which are connected to the same or an adjoining wall socket. The conical collecting member, which tapers off in the direction away from the base, improves the transport of the flex along the collecting member, which, in turn,

causes optimum utilisation of the space formed between the casing and the collecting member.

One embodiment of the flex winder according to the invention is characterised in that at least a portion of the casing is made of an elastic material which consti¬ tutes at least part of said spring means. This brings the advantages that a simple, inexpensive construction can be obtained in which the elastic properties of the material are used and a good clamping action is achieved practi- cally anywhere between the casing and the base, essen¬ tially independently of any variations in thickness of the collected flexes. An alternative embodiment or a com¬ plement to the one just mentioned, which results in good/increased flexibility, is characterised in that the casing is connected with the collecting member via one or more springs which constitute at least part of said spring means.

Preferred embodiments of the inventive flex winder will be described below with reference to the accompany- ing drawing in which

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the inventive flex winder, as seen obliquely from the front; and

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the embodiment in Fig. 1, taken along line II-II in Fig. 1, as indicated by the arrows. The Figure also indicates a wall socket by dash-dot lines, thereby illustrating one way of mounting.

The drawing shows a preferred embodiment of a flex winder 1 according to the invention. The flex winder com- prises essentially three main parts, a panel 2, a col¬ lecting member 3, and a casing 4. In this embodiment, the panel 2 constitutes a base for the collecting member 3 which is connected with the panel 2. The casing 4 is con¬ nected with and encloses the collecting member 3 so as to form a space 5 between the collecting member 3 and the casing 4. In this space 5 the collected flex is retained. The flex winder also comprises a spring means which per-

mits an increase of the distance between the casing 4 and the base. The casing 4 and the collecting member 3 are in this embodiment so designed relative to each other that a gap 6 forms between a circumferential edge portion 7 of the casing 4 and the base which in this embodiment com¬ prises the panel 2. The width of the gap 6 is selected according to the thickness of the flex. Preferably, the gap is formed slightly narrower than the flex for which the flex winder is intended, e.g. about 3 mm for standard flex for 220 V A.C. The gap is not necessary, but the edge portion 7 may engage the base 2, whereby the gap 6 forms only when the flex is inserted. A guiding factor is also the material of the casing 4. A rigid material al¬ lows a smaller difference between the width of the gap 6 and the thickness of the flex than a fairly elastic mate¬ rial.

Preferably, the entire casing 4 or part thereof, for example the upper side 13, or at least a central portion thereof, or the edge portion 7, is made of an elastic ma- terial. This elastic material constitutes the spring means. A suitable plastic is preferably selected. The casing may have any shape, for example an essentially rectangular shape, as in the embodiment illustrated, an elliptic shape, a circular shape, or an irregular shape. According to a different embodiment (not shown) which makes the function excellent, the casing 4 is con¬ nected with the collecting member via a spring which con¬ stitutes the above-mentioned spring means, the force by which the flex is clamped essentially corresponding to the force of the spring.

Of course, the above-mentioned spring means variants may be combined.

The circumferential edge portion 7 of the casing 4 may be completely straight, but is advantageously bev- elled, i.e. inwardly bent, or in other words its circum¬ ference decreases towards the base. Preferably, a design like the one illustrated in the Figures is selected, or

any design which results in a force directed away from the base and acting on the casing being obtained as the flex is inserted into the gap 6. Thus, this force strives to widen the gap 6. Fig. 2 indicates by dash-dot lines a conventional wall socket 9 having a cover 10.

The panel 2 may be made of any material, but is preferably made of plastic and is advantageously cast in one piece with the collecting member 3. The panel 2 is e.g. rectangular, as illustrated in Fig. 1, and is formed with a recess 8 which accommodates plugs and the fasten¬ ing means of the cover 10 when the panel 2 is arranged behind the cover 10, as illustrated in Fig. 2. The panel also comprises engaging means 11 which engage the cover 10 and fix the panel such that the cover 10 keeps the panel in place. The engaging means 11 may be formed by e.g. punching of V-, U-, C-shaped or like grooves in the panel and by upwards bending of the material which the grooves define, thereby forming lugs 11. According to an alternative embodiment without the panel 2, or in combination with the fastening by means of the panel 2, the flex winder may be fastened directly to a wall, an interior fitting or like base by means of nails 12 or the like. The cover 4 and the collecting mem- ber 3 are formed with through holes which are aligned with each other. These may be used either to connect the casing 4 and the collecting member 3 with each other, or to fasten the flex winder 1 as described above.

The collecting member 3 is preferably conically de- signed so as to taper off in the direction away from the panel 2 and, thus, towards the upper part 13 of the cas¬ ing 4. It is also advantageous to design the collecting member 3 with a bevelled portion 14 which results in a brim-shaped base. This design of the collecting member 3, which thus produces concave surfaces, simplifies the col¬ lecting of flex on the collecting member 3 by facilitat-

ing the transport of the flex along the collecting mem¬ ber.

The flex winder 1 functions and is used as follows. A flex which is longer than necessary and thus has an ex- cess length, is grasped with one hand and moved towards the flex winder. The end of the flex constituting the entry end is suitably stretched. The flex is inserted between the edge portion 7 of the casing 4 and the base which in the illustrated embodiment consists of the panel 2. Since the gap 6 is narrower than the flex, a certain amount of force is required to force the flex into the space 5, and at the same time the position of the flex entering the space 5 is fixed by the clamping force which is exerted upon the flex. Subsequently, the user's hand is moved in circular movements around the flex winder 1, whereby the flex is fed into the space 5 and wound on the collecting member 3. The design of the collecting member 3 facilitates advancing of the flex which is already wound thereon towards the narrower end as more flex is wound around the collecting member 3. The effect of the design remains also when a second, a third etc. layer of flex is collected on top of a first layer. Thus, col¬ lected flex is kept in the space 5 which may be filled practically completely. When the collecting is finished and the flex is released, the outgoing flex end is now fixed owing to the clamping force exerted by the casing 4 upon the flex. If the casing 4 is made of a material of suitable elasticity, a well-balanced clamping force is obtained which allows adequate fixing of the flex ends and at the same time does not obstruct the insertion of the flex into the space 5 through the gap 6. In the manner described above, a number of flexes may be collected and accommodated in the space 5, which means that according to the invention good order and aesthetic storing of excess flex can be achieved in all places where this is required.

Preferred embodiments of the flex winder according to the invention have been described above. The invention is of course not restricted to these embodiments, but modifications are possible within the scope of the inven- tion as defined in the accompanying claims.