RETRACTABLE CORD HOLDER

This invention relates to a holder for storing a cord on a reel urged by a coil spring to retract the cord into the holder, which latter consists of a housing having an aperture in one side from which the cord emerges. Such a retractable cord holder is described in US-A-5697572 as being particularly for securely holding and extendably presenting an article such as scuba diving equipment and the like required for activities performed in extreme environments.

The primary object of the invention is to provide such a device with locking means for the reel which becomes more secure upon the cord being pulled.

A secondary object is to provide an indicator or 'flag' showing when the reel is unlocked.

A further object is to adapt such a retractable cord holder for use in securing a lid after it has been placed on top of a load (e.g. of trays or boxes) on a dolly, pallet or other such unit.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, a retractable cord holder as initially described is characterised in that the reel is provided with a concentric ring of teeth, a switch provided with at least one tooth for engagement with teeth of the reel is slidably mounted between the reel and the side of the housing having the aperture, a button on the switch protrudes through a slot in the housing for manual operation of the switch sliding from unlocked position of the reel to locked position in the same direction as the adjacent part of the toothed periphery of the reel moves when the cord is

retracted by the reel, the path of the peak of the at least one tooth being at a lesser orthogonal radial distance from the axis of rotation of the reel than the radial distance to the valley between any pair or teeth of the reel, and manually releasable means is provided for holding the switch in locked position, whereby, when the switch has been moved into locked position for its at least one tooth to engage between any pair of the teeth of the reel, pulling of the cord (as by attached equipment) will urge the teeth of the reel into firmer engagement with the at least one tooth on the switch.

The switch preferably has more than one tooth (e.g. three or four) for engagement with a corresponding number of teeth of the reel when in the locked position, so as to distribute any force applied through the cord and the switch.

A spring may be provided to urge the switch towards unlocked position and the manually releasable means for holding the switch in locked position may be a slider alongside the side of the housing adjacent to the end of the side having the aperture and towards which the switch is urged by its spring, the slider being urged by another spring into a blocking position in which it prevents the switch from moving from locked position to unlocked position under the urge of its spring, the slider being provided with another button protruding through another slot in the housing for manual operation of the slider from blocking position against the urge of its spring to allow the switch to be moved by the urge of its spring from locked position to unlocked position.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the end of the slider remote from the switch may protrude through another aperture in the housing when the switch is in unlocked position, to provide a visual indication that the reel is not locked. The retractable cord holder in accordance with the invention may be formed entirely of plastics except for the springs, and the switch and slider with their respective buttons may be formed in different coloured plastics, to differentiate their respective functions; for example the switch and its button may be green, while the slider and its button may be red, which latter is especially useful when the end of the slider remote from the switch protrudes from the housing to 'flag' that the reel is unlocked.

According to a further aspect of the present invention, the cord is a length of wire rope having its end remote from the reel provided with means for securing to one side or end of a dolly, pallet or other such unit, a similar cord holder having the corresponding end of its wire rope similarly adapted for securing to the opposite side or other end of the dolly, pallet or other such unit and both housings being adapted to be engaged in recesses in opposite sides or ends of a lid, for use in securing the lid after it has been placed on top of a load (e.g. of trays or boxes) on the dolly, pallet or other such unit. An embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to Figures 1 to 6 of the accompanying drawings, Figure 7 of which illustrates a particular use of the invention. In the drawings:-

Figure 1 is a view from the front and above one side of a retractable cord holder in accordance with the invention, indicating the unlocked condition of the reel inside;

Figure 2 is a view of the cord holder from the rear and above the other side, with a rear part of the housing removed, and the reel in unlocked condition;

Figure 3 corresponds to Figure 1 but shows the holder indicating the locked condition of the reel inside;

Figure 4 corresponds to Figure 2 but shows the reel in locked condition;

Figure 5 is a rear elevation of the holder with the rear part of the housing removed and the reel in unlocked condition;

Figure 6 corresponds to Figure 5 but shows the reel in locked condition; and Figure 7 is a view from one end and above one side of a load of trays or boxes on a dolly with a pair of retractable cord holders in accordance with the invention in use to secure a lid on top of the load.

In Figures 1 to 6, a retractable cord holder 10 has a housing formed in two parts 11 , 12 in which is rotatably mounted a reel 13 urged by a coil spring 14 to retract the cord 15 into the holder through an aperture 16 in the lower side wall 17 from which the cord emerges for attachment to e.g. scuba diving equipment (not shown).

In accordance with the present invention, the reel 13 is provided with a concentric ring of teeth 18, a switch 19 provided with teeth 20 for

engagement, when required, with the teeth 18 of the reel, the switch being slidably mounted between the reel and the side of the housing having the aperture. A button 21 on the switch protrudes through a slot 22 in the front part 11 of the housing for manual operation of the switch sliding from unlocked position of the reel (see Figures 1 , 2 and 5) to locked position (see Figures 3, 4 and 6) in the same direction as the adjacent part of the toothed periphery of the reel 13 moves when the cord 15 is retracted by the reel, the path of each of the peaks of the teeth 20 on the switch 19 being at a lesser orthogonal radial distance from the axis 23 of rotation of the reel than the radial distance to the valley between any pairs of teeth 18 of the reel with which the teeth 20 become engaged, and manually releasable means in the form of a slider 24 is provided for holding the switch 19 in locked position.

Thus, with reference to Figure 6 it will be appreciated that when the switch 19 has been moved into locked position and held there by the slider, pulling of the cord 15 (as by attached equipment), will urge the teeth 18 of the reel 13 into firmer engagement with the corresponding number of teeth 20 of the switch 19.

A compression spring 25 located on a spigot 26 on the switch 19 and abutting a side wall 27 of the housing urges the switch towards unlocked position, while the slider 24, located alongside the opposite side wall 28 of the housing, is urged into blocking position by another compression spring 29 located on a spigot 30 on the slider and abutting the upper side wall 31 of the housing, and the slider is provided with another button 32 protruding through another slot 33 in the front part 11 of the housing for manual operation of the

slider from blocking position (Figures 3, 4 and 6) against the urge of its spring 29 to allow the switch 19 to be moved by its spring 25 to unlocked position (Figures 1 , 2 and 5). To help make the mechanism compact, the slider 24 has a 'nose' 34 which is partly accommodated in a recess 35 in the switch 19 when it is in unlocked position.

The end 36 of the slider 24 remote from the switch 19 protrudes through another aperture 37 in the housing 11 , 12 when the switch is in unlocked position, to provide a visual indication that the reel 13 is not locked. The retractable cord holder 10 is formed entirely of plastics expect for the springs 14, 25, 29; and the switch and slider, with their respective buttons may be conveniently formed in different coloured plastics; for example, the switch 19 and its button 21 may be green, while the slider 24 and its button 32 may be red, which latter is especially useful when the end 36 of the slider protrudes from the housing 11 , 12 to 'flag' that the reel 13 is unlocked. As can be seen in Figure 1 the button 21 of the switch 19 has a slot 38 which when the switch is moved to locking position is brought into register with a slot 39 in a lug 40 on the front part 11 of the housing alongside the slot 22, to enable a security tag (not shown) to be applied.

The rear part 12 of the housing has an 'ear' 41 at each side 27, 28 (only the 'ear' at the side 27 being visible), to enable the cord holder 10 to be used in securing a lid 42 (see Figure 7) on top of a load of trays or boxes 43 on a dolly 44, in which case the cord 15 is a length of wire rope having its end remote from the reel 13 (neither being visible) secured to one end of the dolly, a similar cord holder 10 being provided with a length of wire rope having its

end remote from the reel secured to the other end of the dolly 44, the ears 41 serving to secure the holders 10 in recesses 45 in the ends of the lid 42. After the springs 14 of the reels 13 have taken up slack in the 'cords' 15 with the reels unlocked, movement of the switches 19 towards locked position results in sufficient rotation of the reels by engagement of the teeth 20 on the switch with teeth 18 on the reels, to cause tensioning of the 'cords' and pulling of the lid 42 securely on to the load of trays or boxes 43.