Wire storage socket

Abstract

The invention discloses a wire storage socket which comprises a socket body and a storage cavity arranged at the bottom of the socket body. A wire storage mechanism is arranged in the storage cavity and comprises a plurality of wrapping posts capable of independently sliding in the width direction and an elastic reset piece for providing reset elastic force; the multiple wrapping posts are arranged on the two sides of the central axis of the containing cavity in a staggered mode, and the electric wire sequentially and alternately winds around the wrapping posts in a wavy line shape. Sliding grooves corresponding to the winding columns are formed in the upper wall and the lower wall of the containing cavity, and the winding columns are in sliding fit with the sliding grooves through sliding rails on the winding columns. And a manual fixing mechanism for manually locking the electric wire is arranged at the threading hole. By means of the unique alternate sliding wrapping post structure, large-radius and low-stress storage of the electric wire is achieved, the electric wire is protected fundamentally, safety and reliability are improved, and smooth and stepless length adjustment experience is provided.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of sockets, and more particularly to a cable storage socket. Background Technology

[0002] Power sockets, as essential electrical connection devices in daily life, come with a power cord for connecting to mains power. To accommodate different usage distances, this power cord usually has a considerable amount of slack. During use, this excessively long cord often ends up haphazardly on the floor or tabletop, not only affecting the cleanliness and aesthetics of the environment but also posing safety hazards such as tripping over pedestrians or being damaged by furniture. Therefore, how to effectively and conveniently organize the power cord of the socket has become a technically significant problem.

[0003] Currently, there are some sockets on the market with cord retraction functions, and their technical solutions mainly fall into two categories. The first type uses a simple winding reel or winding post structure, requiring users to manually wind the cord onto it and then manually unwind it when needed. This operation is cumbersome, and the cord is difficult to secure after winding, easily coming loose. The second type borrows the principle of a measuring tape, using a spiral spring (clock spring) as a power source to automatically retract the cord by winding it onto a rotating reel. While this type of solution achieves a certain degree of automatic retraction, it has the following significant inherent drawbacks: Severely damaged wires: Power cords (especially thicker cables) are repeatedly forced into tight winding with a small radius, making the internal copper core prone to breakage due to bending fatigue, and the external insulation layer also ages and cracks more quickly, resulting in serious electrical safety hazards.

[0004] Low reliability and short lifespan: The core spiral spring is under high stress for a long time, which makes it prone to metal fatigue and loss of elasticity, causing the entire storage function to fail completely. Its failure mode is "one point failure, global paralysis".

[0005] Poor user experience: The initial pulling force when pulling out the cord is large and the feel is uneven; the retraction speed is fast and the impact force is strong, posing a safety risk; and the locking mechanism is mostly a stepped ratchet, which cannot achieve stepless fine adjustment of the length.

[0006] The bulky structure and poor heat dissipation are due to the spring mechanism requiring a large cylindrical space, resulting in a thick and bulky socket body. Furthermore, the tightly wound wires hinder heat dissipation, posing a risk of heat buildup.

[0007] Therefore, there is an urgent need for a new cable management technology that can not only enable convenient retractable cable storage, but also fundamentally overcome the shortcomings of the spring-loaded solution, achieving breakthroughs in ensuring cable safety, improving product reliability, optimizing user experience, and realizing compact design. Summary of the Invention

[0008] The present invention aims to at least solve one of the technical problems existing in the prior art. Therefore, one object of the present invention is to provide a power cord storage socket.

[0009] The technical solution of the present invention is as follows: a power cord storage socket, characterized in that it includes: a socket body, a power cord storage mechanism, and a manual fixing mechanism; The socket body includes a housing and a wire. The bottom of the housing is provided with a storage cavity extending along its own length, and one end of the storage cavity along its length is provided with a wire through hole. The storage cavity is equipped with a wire storage mechanism, which includes several winding posts distributed on both sides of the width direction of the storage cavity. The winding posts on both sides are staggered along the length direction of the storage cavity. Each winding post can move along the width direction of the storage cavity, and each winding post is equipped with an elastic reset member. The elastic reset member is used to provide an elastic force to reset the winding post in the direction away from the central axis of the length direction of the storage cavity. The wire passes around the winding posts distributed on both sides of the width of the receiving cavity in a wavy pattern, and then passes out through the wire hole. The manual fixing mechanism is located at the wire hole and is used to manually fix the wire.

[0010] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: 1. Automatic retractable storage greatly improves the lifespan of the power cord and enhances safety during use: This solution features independently sliding winding posts with elastic reset mechanisms. The wire is alternately wound around the two winding posts in a wavy pattern, enabling the winding posts to retract and store wire when pulled outwards and automatically retract when released, greatly improving ease of use.

[0011] Unlike the coiled spring design that relies on "small radius tight winding", this design guides the wire to form a large radius, low stress wave-shaped path through multiple independently sliding winding posts. This makes the wire less prone to fatigue and aging. In addition, the coiled spring design tightly winds the wire, which hinders air circulation and easily leads to heat accumulation. In this design, the wire is kept in a relatively loose winding state in the storage cavity, which is conducive to heat dissipation.

[0012] More importantly, the power of this solution comes from multiple independently distributed elastic reset components. Even if one fails, the others can still maintain some storage function, which greatly improves the overall reliability and fault tolerance of the system, avoids the risk of "one point failure, global paralysis", and solves the long-standing safety hazards of the coil spring solution.

[0013] 2. High space utilization and neat and beautiful appearance: Spring-loaded structures typically require a large cylindrical space, making the socket bulky. This solution integrates the entire dynamic storage mechanism into a flat storage cavity at the bottom of the socket, resulting in a compact structure that doesn't excessively increase space usage.

[0014] 3. Smooth, stepless adjustment and stable locking of the power cord: When pulling out the cable, the user overcomes a uniformly increasing damping force from multiple elastic reset components, resulting in a smooth feel. Through a unique manual locking mechanism (such as a threaded pressure plate), the user can achieve a secure, stepless lock at any pulled-out position, flexibly adapting to various complex usage scenarios.

[0015] Additional aspects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. Attached Figure Description

[0016] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention, and the drawings are only examples and not strictly drawn to scale. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort: Figure 1 This is an overall schematic diagram of the present invention; Figure 2 This is an internal exploded view from the top side of the present invention; Figure 3 This is an exploded internal view of the present invention from a lower perspective; Figure 4 This is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of the present invention; Figure 5 yes Figure 4 Enlarged schematic diagram of the middle circle; Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the winding post portion of the present invention.

[0017] Figure label: 1. Housing; 2. Wire; 3. Wire hole; 4. Storage cavity; 5. Winding post; 6. Spring; 7. Slide groove; 8. Slide rail; 9. Wire sleeve; 10. Pressure plate; 11. Screw; 12. Handle. Detailed Implementation

[0018] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0019] The embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below. Examples of the embodiments are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions throughout. In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that the terms "upper," "lower," "front," "rear," "left," "right," "inner," "outer," "vertical," "circumferential," etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of the present invention.

[0020] In this invention, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," "linking," and "fixing," etc., should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; and they can refer to the internal connection of two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention according to the specific circumstances.

[0021] In the description of this invention, "first feature" and "second feature" may include one or more of the indicated features. Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of indicated technical features. Thus, a feature defined with "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the indicated features.

[0022] Please refer to the attached diagram below. Figures 1-6 A wire 2 storage socket according to an embodiment of the present invention is described. The socket includes a socket body, a wire 2 storage mechanism, and a manual fixing mechanism.

[0023] like Figures 1-3As shown, the socket body is the main load-bearing structure of the device. The socket body includes a housing 1 that provides protection and support, and a power cord 2 that supplies power to the socket itself. The bottom of the housing 1 is designed as a hollow structure, forming a long strip-shaped storage cavity 4 extending along the length of the socket itself. The storage cavity 4 has a defined width and length, and at one end along its length, there is a wire hole 3 that communicates with the outside. The wire 2 storage mechanism is located inside the storage cavity 4.

[0024] like Figures 2-4 As shown, the wire storage mechanism 2 includes several winding posts 5. These winding posts 5 are not randomly arranged, but distributed on both sides of the storage cavity 4 in the width direction, and the winding posts 5 on both sides are alternately staggered along the length direction of the storage cavity 4. Each winding post 5 has independent movement capability and can move back and forth along the width direction of the storage cavity 4. Each winding post 5 is equipped with an elastic reset member. The function of the elastic reset member is to always provide the winding post 5 with an elastic restoring force toward the axis away from the length direction of the storage cavity 4 (i.e., the center line that divides the storage cavity 4 into left and right halves along the length direction), that is, to try to pull the winding post 5 back or push it back to the initial position close to the side wall of the storage cavity 4.

[0025] The power cord 2 of the socket passes through the storage cavity 4 in a continuous wavy or S-shaped path, alternately around each winding post 5 located on both sides of the width direction of the storage cavity 4, and finally passes through the wire hole 3 at one end of the storage cavity 4 to exit the outer shell 1.

[0026] like Figure 1 and Figure 5 As shown, a manual fixing mechanism is provided at the wire hole 3 for the user to manually operate to clamp and fix the wire 2 that has passed through, preventing it from moving.

[0027] The working principle of this power cord storage socket is as follows: When the user needs to use a longer cable 2, simply pull the cable 2 extending from the thread hole 3 outwards. During the pulling process, the cable 2 will compress the winding posts 5 along its path. Since the cable 2 has a wavy shape that alternately wraps around the winding posts 5 on both sides, this compression force will force the winding posts 5 on both sides to overcome the elastic force of their respective elastic reset elements and move synchronously towards the central axis of the storage cavity 4 to retract. This process straightens and pulls out the cable 2 that was originally winding and coiled in the storage cavity 4, thus providing a longer usable length. The cable 2 can then be secured using the manual fixing mechanism.

[0028] When it is necessary to retract the wire 2, the user operates the manual fixing mechanism to loosen the wire 2. At this time, under the strong restoring force of their respective elastic reset components, all the winding posts 5 will quickly move back to the direction away from the central axis (i.e. towards the side walls of the storage cavity 4). This reset movement of the winding posts 5 will, like multiple small hooks, automatically and evenly pull the slack wire 2 back into the storage cavity 4 and restore it to its initial wavy coiled state.

[0029] Therefore, this invention achieves an automatic retractable and retractable cable 2 function with a simple structure and convenient operation through the alternating layout of the winding posts 5 and the coordinated design of independent sliding and elastic reset. Users do not need to manually coil the cable 2; they can easily adjust the length of the cable 2 and keep the desktop or floor tidy by simply pulling and releasing it, completely solving the technical problem of the long, messy, and difficult-to-manage traditional socket cable 2.

[0030] In some embodiments, to precisely guide each winding post 5 to slide smoothly along its width, the upper and lower surfaces of the receiving cavity 4 are each provided with a plurality of pairs of grooves 7 corresponding one-to-one with the winding post 5. Each pair of grooves 7 includes two grooves 7 located on the upper and lower surfaces respectively, extending straight along the width of the receiving cavity 4 and vertically aligned with a specific winding post 5. Correspondingly, each winding post 5 has a protruding slide rail 8 on its upper and lower end surfaces. During assembly, the slide rail 8 at the upper end of the winding post 5 is embedded in the corresponding groove 7 on the upper surface, and the slide rail 8 at the lower end is embedded in the corresponding groove 7 on the lower surface, thus forming a stable sliding pair. This combination of upper and lower double slide rails 8 and double grooves 7 ensures that the winding post 5 will not deflect or jam during sliding, and the movement trajectory is precise and reliable.

[0031] In some embodiments, to further enhance the stability of the sliding fit and prevent the winding post 5 from accidentally dislodging from the groove 7, the aforementioned groove 7 is specifically designed as a dovetail groove with a dovetail-shaped cross-section. Correspondingly, the slide rail 8 on the winding post 5 is also designed as a dovetail-shaped slide rail 8 that matches its shape. The fit between the dovetail groove and the dovetail-shaped slide rail 8 is a self-locking guide structure, which allows the winding post 5 to slide freely along the length of the groove, but forms a constraint perpendicular to the sliding direction (especially the vertical direction). This effectively prevents the winding post 5 from separating from the groove 7 under the action of the elastic reset member or when subjected to the lateral force of the wire 2, greatly improving the durability and reliability of the entire wire 2 storage mechanism.

[0032] In some embodiments, the elastic reset element is specifically a spring 6. The arrangement direction of the spring 6 is consistent with the sliding direction of the winding post 5, that is, it is horizontally arranged along the width direction of the receiving cavity 4. One end of the spring 6 is connected to the winding post 5, and the other end is connected to the side wall of the receiving cavity 4 opposite to the winding post 5 in the width direction.

[0033] In some embodiments, the manual fixing mechanism includes a threaded sleeve 9, a pressure plate 10, a screw 11, and a handle 12. The threaded sleeve 9 is a tubular component installed at the threaded hole 3, and its internal channel communicates with the threaded hole 3 and the receiving cavity 4, through which the wire 2 passes. The upper end of the threaded sleeve 9 has a threaded hole with internal threads, which communicates with the internal channel of the threaded sleeve 9. The screw 11 is screwed into the threaded hole to form a threaded engagement. The lower end of the screw 11 extends into the interior of the threaded sleeve 9 and is fixedly connected to a pressure plate 10; the upper end of the screw 11 extends out of the threaded sleeve 9 and is fixedly connected to a handle 12 for the user to grip and rotate.

[0034] When it is necessary to secure the wire 2, the user rotates the handle 12, causing the screw 11 to screw downwards. The downward movement of the screw 11 pushes the connected pressure plate 10 downwards until the pressure plate 10 tightly presses the wire 2, which passes through the cable sleeve 9, against the inner wall of the cable sleeve 9 or a fixed bottom surface. Strong friction locks the wire 2 in place, preventing it from being pulled out or retracted. When it is necessary to release the wire 2, the handle 12 is rotated in the opposite direction, causing the screw 11 to move the pressure plate 10 upwards, releasing the pressure on the wire 2, allowing the wire 2 to move freely. This threaded screw-type fixing method provides strong locking force that is infinitely adjustable and is simple and intuitive to operate.

[0035] In some embodiments, in order to improve the locking effect of the manual fixing mechanism on the wire 2 and prevent the pressure plate 10 from abrading the outer sheath of the wire 2, a texture for increasing friction, such as a grid pattern, a sawtooth pattern or a knurling, can be processed on the lower surface of the pressure plate 10 (i.e. the surface in contact with the wire 2); or, an elastic pad made of rubber, silicone or other materials can be pasted or embedded on the lower surface of the pressure plate 10.

[0036] In summary, this device has the following characteristics: 1. Automatic retractable storage greatly improves the lifespan and safety of the power cord. This solution features a winding post 5 that can slide independently and has an elastic reset component. The wire 2 is alternately wound around the winding posts 5 on both sides in a wavy pattern. This achieves a dynamic function where the winding posts 5 retract to store wire when the wire is pulled outward and automatically retract the wire when the wire is released, greatly improving ease of use.

[0037] Unlike the coiled spring design that relies on "small radius tight winding", this design guides the wire 2 to form a large radius, low stress wave-shaped path through multiple independently sliding winding posts 5. The wire 2 is less prone to fatigue and aging. Moreover, the coiled spring design tightly winds the wire 2, which hinders air circulation and easily leads to heat accumulation. In this design, the wire 2 is kept in a relatively loose winding state in the storage cavity 4, which is conducive to heat dissipation.

[0038] More importantly, the power of this solution comes from multiple independently distributed elastic reset components. Even if one fails, the others can still maintain some storage function, which greatly improves the overall reliability and fault tolerance of the system, avoids the risk of "one point failure, global paralysis", and solves the long-standing safety hazards of the coil spring solution.

[0039] 2. High space utilization and neat and beautiful appearance: Spring-loaded structures typically require a large cylindrical space, resulting in bulky sockets. This solution integrates the entire dynamic storage mechanism into a flat storage cavity 4 at the bottom of the socket, creating a compact structure that doesn't excessively increase space usage.

[0040] 3. Smooth, stepless adjustment, and stable locking of the power cord 2: When pulling out wire 2, the user overcomes the uniformly and linearly increasing damping force from multiple elastic reset components, resulting in a smooth feel. Through a unique manual fixing mechanism (such as the threaded pressure plate 10), the user can achieve a secure, stepless lock at any pulled-out position, flexibly adapting to various complex usage scenarios.

[0041] Although some embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, those skilled in the art will understand that various changes, modifications, substitutions and variations of these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the present invention are within the scope of protection of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A power cord storage socket, characterized in that, include: The socket body, the cord storage mechanism, and the manual fixing mechanism; The socket body includes a housing and a wire. The bottom of the housing is provided with a storage cavity extending along its own length, and one end of the storage cavity along its length is provided with a wire through hole. The storage cavity is equipped with a wire storage mechanism, which includes several winding posts distributed on both sides of the width direction of the storage cavity. The winding posts on both sides are staggered along the length direction of the storage cavity. Each winding post can move along the width direction of the storage cavity, and each winding post is equipped with an elastic reset member. The elastic reset member is used to provide an elastic force to reset the winding post in the direction away from the central axis of the length direction of the storage cavity. The wire passes around the winding posts distributed on both sides of the width of the receiving cavity in a wavy pattern, and then passes out through the wire hole. The manual fixing mechanism is located at the wire hole and is used to manually fix the wire.

2. The cable storage socket according to claim 1, characterized in that, The upper and lower surfaces of the storage cavity are provided with a number of pairs of sliding grooves that correspond one-to-one with the winding post. Two of the sliding grooves in each pair extend along the width of the storage cavity and correspond vertically to one of the winding posts. The upper and lower ends of the winding post are respectively provided with sliding rails, and the sliding rails slide in cooperation with the corresponding sliding grooves.

3. The cable storage socket according to claim 2, characterized in that, The groove is a dovetail groove, and the rail is a dovetail-shaped rail.

4. The cable storage socket according to claim 1, characterized in that, The elastic reset element is a spring arranged along the width direction of the storage cavity. One end of the spring is connected to the winding post, and the other end is connected to the side wall of the storage cavity opposite to the winding post in the width direction.

5. The cable storage socket according to claim 1, characterized in that, The manual fixing mechanism includes a threaded sleeve, a pressure plate, a screw, and a handle. The threaded sleeve is fixedly disposed at the threaded hole and communicates with the threaded hole. The upper end of the threaded sleeve is provided with a screw hole communicating with the threaded sleeve. The screw is threadedly connected to the screw hole. The pressure plate is located inside the threaded sleeve and is fixedly connected to the lower end of the screw. The handle is located outside the threaded sleeve and is fixedly connected to the upper end of the screw.

6. The cable storage socket according to claim 5, characterized in that, The lower surface of the pressure plate is provided with textured surfaces or elastic pads to increase friction.

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