Cord storage device

Abstract

To provide a cord storage device capable of neatly storing cords and plugs.SOLUTION: A cord storage device includes a cord winding portion 2 having a winding drum 4 around which a cord C is wound, and a plug holding portion 3 that holds a plug P of the cord C wound around the cord winding portion 2, and the cord winding portion 2 is provided with an extension mechanism 8 that can extend and retract the winding drum 4 in at least one direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a cord storage device that winds up and stores a cord and adjusts the length of the cord when it is in use.

[0002] For example, power cords for electrical appliances (hereinafter simply referred to as "cords") are made relatively long, and the excess length gets in the way, especially when storing or carrying the cord when not in use, and the cord must be folded in multiple parts and tied up, which not only looks bad but also poses the risk of tripping over the cord. To address this problem, a cord storage device has been devised, for example, as described in Patent Document 1. The cord storage device described in Patent Document 1 comprises two protrusions provided at a distance from one another on a part of the wall surface of the main body of the electrical appliance. The excess length of the cord can be stored by winding the cord around these protrusions in a spiral shape.

[0003] Although the cord storage device described in Patent Document 1 can wrap and store the cord, it does not hold the plug at the end of the cord. Therefore, there are cord storage devices that can hold the plug, such as the cord storage device described in Patent Document 2. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Microfilm of Japanese Patent Application No. 59-30590 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 60-175496) (page 2, figure 3) [Patent Document 2] Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 5-50782 (page 5, figures 2-4) Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In Patent Document 2, when storing the cord, the plug blades of the plug are pressed into the fitting portion, the cord is folded in half and wound alternately around the upper and lower hooks, and finally the tip of the folded part of the cord is wrapped around the bundle of cords wound around the hooks and locked. In this way, the cord and the plug can be held at the same time, but if the tip of the folded part of the cord is not long enough, it cannot be held sufficiently by the bundle of cords to be wrapped around it, and there is a risk that the cord may become loose. Also, if the tip of the folded part of the cord is too long, the folded part of the cord will be left slack and will not fit easily.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and has an object to provide a cord storage device that can store a cord and a plug neatly. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problems, the cord storage device of the present invention comprises: A cord storage device for winding and storing a cord of an electrical device, a cord winding section having a winding body around which the cord is wound, and a plug holding section that holds a plug of the cord wound around the cord winding section, The cord winding section is characterized by having an expansion and contraction mechanism capable of expanding and contracting the winding body in at least one direction. According to this feature, by expanding and contracting the winding drum using the expansion mechanism, the circumference of the winding drum can be adjusted to match the length of the cord. This prevents the cord from becoming loose when the plug at the end of the cord that has been wound multiple times around the winding drum is held in the plug holding section, and the cord and plug can be stored neatly.

[0008] The telescopic mechanism is characterized by having a movable member that advances and retreats to one side in the longitudinal direction of the hoisting drum. According to this feature, the telescopic mechanism can be constructed with a simple mechanism and has excellent durability.

[0009] The moving member is characterized by having a curved portion at a tip end. According to this feature, at the tip of the moving member which may be rubbed when it is extended or contracted, the cord is guided to the curved portion, so that a large load is not applied locally, and damage can be prevented.

[0010] The plug holding portion is attached to one end side of the winding drum in the longitudinal direction so as to be rotatable in a direction intersecting with the winding drum to change its orientation. According to this feature, the attitude of the plug holding portion can be adjusted to match the shape of the plug and the length of the cord, preventing the cord from becoming loose and allowing the cord and plug to be stored neatly.

[0011] the plug holding portion is fixed to a plate-shaped base portion, and the base portion is pivotally attached to a rotating shaft at a position overlapping one of flange portions provided on either side of the winding drum portion, The movable member is characterized in that it is capable of advancing above the rotation shaft. According to this feature, since the movable member moves between the spool and the plug holding portion, the overall length of the cord storage device does not change due to the advancement of the movable member, making it easy to handle. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of a cord storage device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a plan view in which members other than one flange portion and a plug holding portion are omitted. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a side view of the cord storage device as seen in the short direction. [Figure 4] 1A is a diagram showing the plug holding portion rotated to its limit in one direction, and FIG. 1B is a diagram showing the plug holding portion rotated to its limit in the other direction. [Diagram 5] 3A is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 3, and FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. [Figure 7]FIG. 2 is a side view of the cord storage device as viewed in the longitudinal direction. [Figure 8] FIG. 1A is a diagram showing a state in which a movable member in the telescopic mechanism has been advanced, and FIG. 1B is a diagram showing a state in which the movable member has been advanced further from the state in FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 2A is a diagram showing the state before the cord storage device is attached to an electric device, and FIG. 2B is a diagram showing the state after the cord of the electric device has been pulled out from the hole in the cord storage device. [Figure 10] FIG. 2(a) is a diagram showing a state in which the cord is wound multiple times around the winding drum, and FIG. 2(b) is a diagram showing a state in which the plug is held in the plug holding portion. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A cord storage device according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the following embodiments. EXAMPLES

[0014] A cord storage device according to an embodiment will be described with reference to Figs.

[0015] The cord storage device 1 in this embodiment is a cord storage device separate from the electrical device main body E (see Figure 10), one end of which is fixed to the electrical device main body E and which winds up and stores a power cord (hereinafter simply referred to as "cord") C pulled out from the cord pull-out section Ea.

[0016] As shown in Fig. 1, the cord storage device 1 includes a cord winding section 2 and a plug holding section 3. The cord winding section 2 includes a reel section 4 around which the cord is wound, and a pair of flange sections 5A, 5B that extend outward from the outer periphery of the reel section 4 and form a space for storing the cord between their opposing surfaces. The reel section 4 has a generally long bale-shaped external shape in a plan view.

[0017] The distance between flange portions 5A, 5B is set so that cord C to be stored in cord storage device 1 can be wound horizontally multiple times. Cord winding portion 2 and plug holding portion 3 that constitute cord storage device 1 are mainly made of synthetic resin. Although not shown in detail in the drawings, flange portions 5A, 5B and winding body portion 4 are constructed so that a dovetail groove formed on one side and a tenon formed on the other side are slid longitudinally to be assembled.

[0018] The flanges 5A and 5B are formed so that one end in the longitudinal direction (here, the plug holding portion 3 side) is longer outward than the other end. In other words, the flanges 5A and 5B are longer in the longitudinal direction than the maximum length of the winding drum 4, and a winding drum main body 14 of the winding drum 4, which will be described later, is biased toward the other side in the longitudinal direction of the flanges 5A and 5B.

[0019] The plug holding part 3 is rotatably connected to one end of the cord winding part 2. More specifically, the plug holding part 3 has fitting parts 13a on each of two opposing faces into which the blades Pa (see FIG. 10) of the plug P can be press-fitted into a substantially rectangular holding part main body 13. In other words, the fitting parts 13a are provided on each face perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the base 23.

[0020] The holder main body 13 is attached to a base 23 that is flush with one flange 5A of the cord winding part 2, and the base 23 is connected to one end of the one flange 5A so as to be rotatable in the horizontal direction. In more detail, the base 23 and the one flange 5A have opposing steps 23c and 15c, respectively, and these steps 23c and 15c are overlapped with each other and connected by the rotation shaft 7.

[0021] The step 15c of one flange portion 5A has a side surface 15d perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the flange portion 5A, and the side surface 23e of the base 23 of the plug holding portion 3 abuts against the side surface 15d of the step 15c of the flange portion 5A, and the side surface 15e of the flange portion 5A abuts against the side surface 23d of the step 23c of the base 23 of the plug holding portion 3, thereby restricting the rotation range of the plug holding portion 3. In this embodiment, as shown in Figures 4(a) and (b), the plug holding portion 3 can be swung up to 90 degrees in each of two directions.

[0022] Furthermore, the holding portion main body 13 is biased to one side of the base 23 in the longitudinal direction (the side opposite the cord winding portion 2), and the holding portion main body 13 is spaced apart in the longitudinal direction from the end of the other flange portion 5B.

[0023] As shown in Fig. 5(a), the winding trunk 4 is formed into a generally bale-shaped outer shape in plan view by the winding trunk main body 14, which is U-shaped in plan view, and the expansion and contraction mechanism 8. A space S is formed inside the area surrounded by the winding trunk main body 14 and the expansion and contraction mechanism 8. As shown in Fig. 5(b), a slit 14a is formed in the side of the winding trunk main body 14, connecting the space S to the outside.

[0024] Further, a hole 25 that communicates with the space S is formed in the flange portion 5A. The hole 25 has an opening area large enough to allow the plug P at the end of the cord to be inserted therethrough.

[0025] As shown in Fig. 6, the flange portion 5B is composed of two divided members 35, 36 aligned in the longitudinal direction. These divided members 35, 36 are spaced apart in the longitudinal direction by the width dimension of the slit 14a described above. A cutout portion 35a is formed in the divided member 35, and the space between the cutout portion 35a and the divided member 36 forms an opening 10 (see Fig. 1) that communicates with the space S and the slit 14a.

[0026] 5 and 6, the telescopic mechanism 8 mainly includes a moving member 11 and a ball screw mechanism 12.

[0027] The movable member 11 has a trunk portion 11a that is arranged on the plug holding portion 3 side of the slit 14a in the winding drum main body 14, and a head portion 11b that is always exposed to the outside on the plug holding portion 3 side from the winding drum main body 14.

[0028] The width of the trunk 11a is slightly smaller than the distance between a pair of walls 14b that constitute the winding trunk main body 14, allowing the movable member 11 to move along the pair of walls 14b in the longitudinal direction of the cord storage device 1. In addition, the width of the head 11b of the movable member 11 is larger than the distance between the pair of walls 14b, so movement to one end side in the longitudinal direction of the cord storage device 1, i.e., in the direction away from the plug holding portion 3, is limited.

[0029] As shown in FIG. 6, grooves 11c are formed on the upper surfaces of both widthwise ends of the body 11a and head 11b of the movable member 11, and longitudinal movement is guided by guide rails 36a formed on the dividing member 36 of the flange portion 5B, thereby reducing friction between the pair of walls 14b.

[0030] The ball screw mechanism 12 includes a screw 17, a bearing 18 that supports a head 17a of the screw 17, and a screwed member 19 that screws into a body 17b of the screw. The screwed member 19 engages with a convex restricting portion 20 formed on the flange portion 5A, and is immovable in the longitudinal direction relative to the flange portion 5A.

[0031] 7, the head 17a of the screw 17 is provided with an operating portion 17c which is a minus screw groove, and by using this operating portion 17c to turn the screw 17 in one direction, the head 17a of the screw 17 and the bearing 18 move relatively to the screwed member 19 screwed into the body portion 17b of the screw 17 in a direction away from each other in the longitudinal direction. At this time, the screwed member 19 is engaged with the flange portion 5A and cannot move, so the moving member 11 moves to one side in the longitudinal direction of the cord storage device 1 (the plug holding portion 3 side) and advances from the tip of the winding drum main body 14 toward the plug holding portion 3 side. In other words, the position of the head 11b of the moving member 11 constituting the winding drum 4 is changed, and the overall length of the winding drum 4 is extended (see FIG. 8(a)).

[0032] The movable member 11 has a stopper 21, which is a movement restricting portion, at the rear end, and is capable of advancing until the stopper 21 engages with the screwed member 19. In addition, the tip of the head 11b of the movable member 11 forms a curved surface.

[0033] By further turning the screw 17 in one direction using the operating part 17c, the movable member 11 moves to one side in the longitudinal direction of the cord storage device 1 (the plug holding part 3 side) and advances from the tip of the winding drum main body 14 toward the plug holding part 3, further extending the overall length of the winding drum 4 (see FIG. 8(b)). Note that, when the screw 17 is turned in the other direction using the operating part 17c, the threaded member 19 screwed into the trunk part 17b of the screw 17 and the bearing 18 side come relatively close to each other, and the trunk part 11a of the movable member 11 is drawn into the winding drum main body 14, shortening the overall length of the winding drum 4.

[0034] The cord storage device 1 in this embodiment is used to store a cord C pulled out from an electric device body E. As shown in Fig. 9(a), the cord storage device 1 is fixed by attaching the outer surface of the flange portion 5A with an adhesive T such as double-sided tape to the surface of the electric device body E on which the cord pull-out portion Ea is provided. At this time, as shown in Fig. 9(b), the plug P and the cord pull-out portion Ea are passed through a hole 25 formed in the flange portion 5A.

[0035] As shown in FIG. 10(a), the cord C is pulled out from the space S to the outside of the winding drum 4 through one of the slits 14a, and is wound around the winding drum 4 twice in the counterclockwise direction in a plan view.

[0036] As shown in FIG. 10(b), the cord C is wound twice around the winding drum 4, and then the blade Pa of the plug P provided at the end of the cord C is pressed into the fitting portion 13a of the plug holding portion 3 to be held therein.

[0037] At this time, depending on the length of the cord C, the cord C may become loose when the plug P is held by the plug holding portion 3. In that case, the position of the head 11b of the moving member 11 is changed to adjust the circumferential length of one revolution of the winding drum 4, thereby eliminating the slack in the cord C and allowing the cord C to be stored comfortably. For example, if the cord C has little slack, the winding drum 4 is expanded or contracted to eliminate the slack, and if the cord C has a large slack, the winding drum 4 is shortened and another revolution is wound around the winding drum 4 to eliminate the slack.

[0038] In addition, the plug holding portion 3 has a fitting portion 13a into which the blades Pa of the plug P of the cord C can be press-fitted, thereby protecting the blades Pa when not in use. Furthermore, by using the blades Pa of the plug P, which has a unified standard, as the portion on which the load is applied during holding, the plug P can be held reliably regardless of the shape of the body of the plug P.

[0039] Furthermore, the telescopic mechanism 8 has a movable member 11 that moves back and forth to one side in the longitudinal direction of the winding drum 4, and is a simple mechanism, which provides excellent durability to the winding drum 4 around which the cord C is wound. In addition, the flanges 5A, 5B are larger in the longitudinal direction than the winding drum 4, and the winding drum 4 in the shortened state by the telescopic mechanism 8 is biased to the other longitudinal side of the flanges 5A, 5B, so that the winding drum 4 in the extended state by the telescopic mechanism 8 does not protrude from one longitudinal end of the flanges 5A, 5B, and the cord C wound around the winding drum 4 can be positioned between the flanges 5A, 5B and reliably held.

[0040] In particular, when the movable member 11 is moved while some of the cord C is wound around it, the tip of the head 11b of the movable member 11, against which the cord C may rub when the hoisting trunk 4 expands and contracts, forms a curved surface, so that a large load is not applied locally to the cord C, thereby preventing damage.

[0041] Furthermore, the plug holding part 3 is attached to one longitudinal end of the flange part 5A constituting the cord winding part 2 so that its orientation can be changed by rotating it around the rotating shaft 7 in a direction intersecting with the winding drum part 4. This allows the attitude of the plug holding part 3 to be adjusted according to the shape of the plug P and the length of the cord C, preventing the cord C from becoming loose and allowing the cord C and plug P to be stored neatly. In addition, the plug holding part 3 can be moved in a direction that does not get in the way depending on the shape of the electrical equipment body E to which the cord storage device 1 is attached, particularly the position of the cord pull-out part Ea.

[0042] In addition, the movable member 11 can advance above the rotation shaft 7 that connects the base 23 of the plug holding portion 3 and the flange portion 5A. Since the movable member 11 moves between the spool portion 4 and the plug holding portion 3, the advancement of the movable member 11 does not cause a change in the overall length of the cord storage device 1.

[0043] Further, depending on the installation position of the cord storage device 1, the cord C can be drawn out from the space S by selecting one of the slits 14a formed on both sides in the width direction of the winding drum main body 14.

[0044] Furthermore, the holder body 13 of the plug holder 3 is located on the other longitudinal side of the base 23 of the plug holder 3, i.e., on one longitudinal end side of the cord storage device 1, and is spaced apart from one end of the other flange 5B. Therefore, the cord C can be inserted and removed through the space formed by the separation between them, providing excellent operability.

[0045] In addition, the opening 10 that communicates with the space formed in the flange portion 5B of the split structure has approximately the same shape in a plan view as the space S, so that fingers can easily access the plug P and cord C within the space S.

[0046] Although the embodiments and modified examples of the present invention have been described above with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to these embodiments, and the present invention also includes modifications and additions that do not deviate from the gist of the present invention.

[0047] For example, in the above embodiment, the plug holding portion 3 is rotatably connected to the cord winding portion 2, but this is not limited thereto, and it may be, for example, non-rotatable. In this case, the holding portion main body 13 may be provided directly on the longitudinal end of the flange portion 5A, and the base 23 separate from the flange portion 5A may be omitted.

[0048] Furthermore, the moving member 11 of the extension mechanism 8 is not limited to a configuration in which it advances toward the plug holding portion 3, but may be a configuration in which it advances in the opposite direction to the longitudinal direction, for example.

[0049] Furthermore, the expansion / contraction mechanism 8 is not limited to a configuration in which the circumferential length of the winding drum 4 can be adjusted by moving one movable member 11 in the circumferential direction of the winding drum 4, but may be configured, for example, such that the winding drum is composed of multiple divided members arranged in the circumferential direction, and the circumferential length of the winding drum can be adjusted by each of these divided members moving in the radial direction.

[0050] In the above embodiment, the plug P is pulled out from the hole 25 formed in the flange portion 5A into the space S formed inside the winding drum portion 4, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the hole 25 in the flange portion 5A, the space S inside the winding drum portion 4, and the opening 10 may be omitted, and the plug and cord may be routed only outside the winding drum portion.

[0051] Furthermore, the configuration of the plug holding portion 3 is not limited to a configuration having the fitting portion 13a into which the blades Pa of the plug P can be press-fitted, and may be, for example, a clip that grips the main body of the plug P.

[0052] Furthermore, the cord storage device 1 is not limited to being used for storing an AC power supply cord C pulled out from an electrical device main body E as in the above embodiment, but may also be used to store a charging AC adapter or a USB cable that is separate from an electrical device. For example, when used to store a USB cable, the fitting portion of the plug holding portion may be shaped like a USB socket. [Explanation of symbols]

[0053] 1 Cord storage device 2 Cord winding section 3 Plug holder 4. Winding body 5A Flange part 5B Flange part 7 Rotating Axis 8 Telescopic mechanism 10 aperture 11 Moving parts 11a Torso 11b Head 11c groove 12 Ball screw mechanism 13 Holding part main body part 13a Fitting part 14. Body of reel 14a Slit 14b Wall section 17 Screws 17a head 17b Torso 17c Control unit 18 Bearings 19 Screwed member 20 Regulatory Department 21 Stopper 23 Base 25 holes 35 Partition 35a Notch 36 Partition C Code E Electrical equipment body P plug Pa plug blade S space

Claims

1. A cord storage device for winding and storing a cord of an electrical device, a cord winding section having a winding body around which the cord is wound, and a plug holding section that holds a plug of the cord wound around the cord winding section, The cord storage device according to claim 1, wherein the cord winding section is provided with an expansion / contraction mechanism capable of expanding and contracting the winding body in at least one direction.

2. 2. The cord storage device according to claim 1, wherein the expansion and contraction mechanism has a movable member that advances and retreats to one side in the longitudinal direction of the spool portion.

3. 3. The cord storage device according to claim 2, wherein the moving member has a curved portion at a tip end.

4. 2. The cord storage device according to claim 1, wherein the plug holding portion is attached to one end of the winding drum in a longitudinal direction so as to be rotatable in a direction intersecting with the winding drum to change its orientation.

5. the plug holding portion is fixed to a plate-shaped base portion, and the base portion is pivotally attached to a rotating shaft at a position overlapping one of flange portions provided on either side of the winding drum portion, 4. The cord storage device according to claim 2, wherein the movable member is capable of advancing above the pivot shaft.

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