Patent ID: 9474391
Filing Date: 2016-10-25
CPC Classification: A47F

Claim Text:
1. A display stand for a portable article, the display stand comprising: a base having a top and bottom and a bottom bearing portion for placement against a subjacent support to maintain the display stand in an operative position, the base defining an upwardly facing support surface against which the portable article is placed to be displayed; an elongate flexible tether having a first end with an end fitting for connection of the first tether end to a portable article; and a retracting mechanism comprising a spool around which the tether is wrapped, the retracting mechanism comprising a housing defining a space within which the spool resides, the spool having an axis around which the spool is turned as the tether is: a) paid out to allow a portable article to which the first end of the tether is connected to be moved away from the base; and b) retracted to shorten a paid out length of the tether to situate a portable article to which the first end of the tether is connected closer to the base, the retracting mechanism comprising a biasing assembly that urges the spool to turn around the spool axis so as to retract the tether, the base and retracting mechanism configured so that the tether is guided to be paid out from the spool in a path in a substantially straight line extending from a location where the tether departs from the housing up to the end fitting at the first end of the tether with the end fitting connected to a portable article to be displayed, the line of the straight path transverse to the spool axis, wherein the tether extends from the housing through the upwardly facing support surface on the base, wherein the base comprises a body that defines a receptacle for the housing into which the housing is press fit into an operative position, the operatively positioned housing and base configured so that: a) the housing is confined by facing surfaces on the base spaced along the spool axis between which the housing resides; and b) the housing abuts to the base to confine pivoting of the housing relative to the base under forces imparted to the housing as an incident of the tether being paid out.