Abstract:
The present invention relates to a cable organiser, in particular to a cable organiser used to secure headphones for use with an electronic device. In one aspect the invention relates to a cable organiser for use with an electronic device, the electronic device including a jack socket for receiving a cable jack from which a cable extends, the cable organiser including a body, the body having a positioning means for enabling the cable organiser to be detachably mounted to the electronic device via the jack socket; and cable retaining means in a position radially offset from the positioning means, the cable retaining means being configured to releasably retain the cable. In another aspect the invention includes first and second cable restraining means. In another aspect of the invention the cable organiser and the housing of the cable jack are integrally formed.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The present invention relates to a cable organiser, in particular to a cable organiser used to secure headphones for use with an electronic device. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    When using portable electronic devices it is often desirable to have a method of organising cables associated with the devices. For example, for personal media devices with headphones it may be desirable to have a way to wrap up the headphone cable neatly when the personal media device is not in use. 
         [0003]    One way of handling headphone cables is to wrap them around a loose-standing cable organiser. One disadvantage of this type of organiser is that it is separated from the electronic device being used and is prone to being mislaid. Some cable organisers can cause cable damage if the cables are wrapped tightly around them. 
         [0004]    Reference to any prior art in the specification is not, and should not be taken as, an acknowledgment or any form of suggestion that this prior art forms part of the common general knowledge in Australia or any other jurisdiction or that this prior art could reasonably be expected to be ascertained, understood and regarded as relevant by a person skilled in the art. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0005]    In one aspect the invention relates to a cable organiser for use with an electronic device, the electronic device including a jack socket for receiving a cable jack from which a cable extends, the cable organiser including a body, the body having a positioning means for enabling the cable organiser to be detachably mounted to the electronic device via the jack socket; and cable retaining means in a position radially offset from the positioning means, the cable retaining means being configured to releasably retain the cable. 
         [0006]    In another aspect of the invention the body of the cable organiser includes a base and a cover engaged with the base. 
         [0007]    In another aspect the invention includes first and second cable restraining means. The cable restraining means can be adapted so that the first cable restraining means is adapted to receive a single cable and the second cable restraining means is adapted to receive two cables. 
         [0008]    In another aspect of the invention, the second cable restraining means is offset from a diametric axis of the cable organiser that crosses the position of the first cable restraining mean. 
         [0009]    In another aspect of the invention the cable organiser includes a stabilising means for preventing rotational movement of the cable organiser relative to the electronic device when the cable organiser is connect to the device. 
         [0010]    In another aspect of the invention the cable organiser and the housing of the cable jack are integrally formed. 
         [0011]    As used herein, except where the context requires otherwise, the term “comprise” and variations of the term, such as “comprising”, “comprises” and “comprised”, are not intended to exclude further additives, components, integers or steps. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0012]    The invention may best be understood by referring to the following description and accompanying drawings that are used to illustrate embodiments of the invention by way of non-limiting example only. 
           [0013]    In the drawings: 
           [0014]      FIG. 1  is an exploded perspective view of a first embodiment of a cable organiser of the invention. 
           [0015]      FIG. 2  is a detailed perspective view of a base forming part of the cable organiser of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0016]      FIG. 3  is a further exploded perspective view of the cable organiser of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0017]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the cable organiser of  FIG. 1  when it is assembled. 
           [0018]      FIG. 5  is a plan view of the assembled cable organiser of  FIG. 4 . 
           [0019]      FIG. 6A  is a side view of the cable organiser of  FIG. 1 , assembled and mounted in position. 
           [0020]      FIG. 6B  is a view of the section A-A of  FIG. 6A . 
           [0021]      FIGS. 7A  and B show two stages of the cable organiser being used to secure a cable by wrapping it around an electronic device. 
           [0022]      FIG. 8  shows an alternative wrapping method. 
           [0023]      FIG. 9A  is a side view of a second embodiment of a cable organiser of the invention. 
           [0024]      FIG. 9B  is a front view of a second embodiment of a cable organiser of the invention. 
           [0025]      FIG. 9C  is a view of the section B-B of  FIG. 9B . 
           [0026]      FIG. 10  is a bottom perspective view of the second embodiment of the cable organiser of  FIGS. 9A-C . 
           [0027]      FIG. 11A  is an under plan view of the cable organiser of  FIGS. 9A-C . 
           [0028]      FIG. 11B  is a view of section C-C of  FIG. 11A   
           [0029]      FIG. 12A  is a top view of a third embodiment of a cable organiser of the invention 
           [0030]      FIG. 12B  is a side perspective view of the cable organiser of  FIG. 12A . 
           [0031]      FIG. 13  is a fourth embodiment of a cable organiser of the invention. 
           [0032]      FIG. 14  is a fifth embodiment of a cable organiser of the invention. 
           [0033]      FIGS. 15A  and B show a sixth embodiment of a cable organiser of the invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS 
       [0034]    This detailed description refers to specific embodiments of the invention. Those embodiments are used to illustrate the principles of the invention, and other embodiments can be utilised without departing from the scope of the present invention. 
         [0035]    The present invention is directed to a cable organiser that is compact and easy to use with an electronic device, for example with a portable media device. The cable organiser is retained in position by the cable jack of the electronic device.  FIG. 1  illustrates a first embodiment of a cable organiser  100 . The cable organiser  100  consists of a base  101  and a cover  102 . A cable jack  103  connected to a cable  104  and consisting of a jack housing  105  and a jack plug  106  is passed through the centre of the base  101  and cover  102  to affix the organiser  100  to an electronic device  107 , such as a personal media device, when the jack plug  106  is inserted into the jack socket  108 . 
         [0036]      FIG. 2  shows a detailed view of the base  101  of the cable organiser. The base is hub-shaped, consisting of a base portion  201  that has a central aperture  202  in the base wall  203 . The base portion supports arcuate walls  204  that extend between cable restraining means  205  and  206 . The cable restraining means  205 ,  206  each comprise a channel formation  207  configured to accommodate one or more cables, including side walls  208 , re-entrant portions  209  defining a narrowed entrance to each channel, and a bight portion  210 . In this embodiment the channel formations  207  are positioned to be vertical with respect to the cable organiser, in other words to be parallel to the longitudinal axis of the cable jack that fits through the centre of the cable organiser. The two cable restraining moans  205 ,  206  shown are shaped differently to accommodate different sized cables, but they can alternatively be the same size, and can also be any suitable size for the relevant type or number of cables required to be secured. A clip  211  is used to secure the cover  102  to the base  101  and is described below with reference to  FIG. 3 . 
         [0037]      FIG. 3  shows that the cover  102  fits over the base  101  of the organiser and is shaped to fit snugly against the base  101  by including, for example, cut-outs  303 ,  304  to accommodate the cable restraining means  205 ,  206 . The cover  102  also has a central aperture  305  substantially aligned with the aperture of the base  202  to allow the cable jack  103  to be inserted through the aperture  305 . The cover  102  may be made of a flexible material such as a thermoplastic polymer like polypropylene, and flexes as it is pushed down over the body  101 . The cover  102  may also be made of a rigid material such as acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS). The flexure points  302  contribute to the flexibility required to push the cover  102  over the base  101 . The clip on the base  211  is used to hold the cover  102  in place as it interacts with a recess  301  on the inside of the cover  102 . This is described in more detail below with reference to  FIG. 11 . 
         [0038]      FIG. 4  thews an assembled cable organiser with the cover  102  secured to the base  101 . 
         [0039]    Referring to  FIG. 5 , the radius of the aperture  501  through which the jack plug  106  projects is smaller than the radius of the inner wall  502  of the arcuate walls  204 . This configuration contributes to the jack holding the cable organiser down against the media device when the jack is plugged into the jack socket of the media device. This functionality can also be achieved in a different way, for example by attaching the organiser to the jack with a clasp. If a headphone adapter is used, the cable organiser can fit between the headphone adapter and the headphone jack, or alternatively attach to the headphone adapter with a clasp or some other mechanism. 
         [0040]      FIG. 5  also provides more details of the cable restraining means  205 ,  206 . The smaller one  206  is shaped to accept one cable  504 . This size is typical of the configuration of headphone cables closer to the headphone jack. The larger one  205  is shaped to accept two cables  506 . These cables typically have a smaller diameter than the single cable that fits into the smaller cable restraining, means  206 , and these cables are typically the headphone cables towards the earphones, also called the earphone cables. In this example the cable restraining means  205 ,  206  sit on either side of the aperture  501  through the centre of the organiser which is used to position and attach the organiser to an electronic device by inserting a cable jack through the aperture and then into the electronic device. The two cable restraining means  205 ,  206  do not, however, lie on the same diametric axis through the centre of the cable organiser. Cable restraining means  206  is offset from the diametric axis that crosses the position of cable restraining means  205  by angle α. This offset can improve the cable winding characteristics offered by the cable organiser. The cable organiser is used so that the larger cable restraining means  205  sits towards the front of the electronic device. In this description, the front of the device is considered to be the side with the primary user interface that includes a display and other input-output functionality. The smaller cable restraining, mean  206  sits towards the back of the electronic, device, on the opposite side to the front. 
         [0041]      FIG. 6A  shows a cable organiser, assembled and mounted in position.  FIG. 6B  shows the section A-A of  FIG. 6A . The inner surface  601  of the inner-most part of the base lies against the jack plug and provides a friction fit. The friction fit will result in the cable organiser staying with the cable jack if the jack is removed from the electronic device. 
         [0042]      FIG. 7  illustrates how the cable organiser is used.  FIG. 7A  shows how the smaller cable restraining means  206  at the back provides a locking point to pivot the cable  104  when winding it around the personal media device  107 . It is also possible to incorporate a locking point with a different configuration for assisting the way the cable is wound around the electronic device, for example by guiding the cable in a certain direction or at a certain angle. It is possible to have a cable organiser that does not have this first cable restraining means  206 , but only a second or final one  205 . 
         [0043]      FIG. 7B  shows that once the cable  104  has been wound around the media device, the earphone cables  506  are secured by the front cable, restraining means  205 . In this figure, the cable has been wound around the length of the personal media device  107 . 
         [0044]      FIG. 8  shows that the cable  104  can also be wound around the width of the personal media device  107 . 
         [0045]      FIG. 9  shows a second embodiment of the cable organiser of the invention that includes a stabilising means by including a shaped base  901 , shaped so that the organiser can sit snugly against the surface of a portable media device. The shaped base  901  includes two flanges. When used with a portable media device, the smaller flange  902  will sit to the front of the electronic device, and the larger flange  903  will sit towards the back of the device. In this example the base of the cable organiser and the flanges are integrally formed, although they can alternatively be separate components attached to one another. The cable organiser is stabilised because the profile of the stabilising means complements the shape of the electronic device thereby preventing rotational movement of the cable organiser relative to the electronic device. The sizes and shapes of the flanges of the stabilising means may suit a specific device or range of devices. 
         [0046]    The stabilising means lies against the outside surface of the electronic device. It is also possible to incorporate stabilising means that insert at least partially into any suitable part of the electronic device, such as a socket, including a headphone jack socket, data sharing ports, or a charger socket. It is also possible to incorporate stabilising means that do not cooperate with the electronic device on both the front and the back side of the device, but only on one side. It is also possible to incorporate stabilising means that work with a different type of stabilising mechanism, for example through a clip or a friction fit around the cable jack or the jack housing. 
         [0047]    In this embodiment there is also a friction fit surface  904  around the aperture  905  through the centre of the organiser base  901 . 
         [0048]      FIG. 10  shows a perspective view of the shaped base of this embodiment from below. 
         [0049]      FIG. 11  provides a more detailed view of the mechanism that can be used to secure the cover to the base, which in this embodiment is similar to the first embodiment described with reference to  FIG. 3  above. The clip  211  is rigid and the cover  102  with the recess  301  that accepts the clip is flexible. In order to lock the cover down, the flexible cover is simply pushed down over the base until the clip slides into the recess. In order to release the cover from the base, the flexible cover is bent, aided by flexure points  302 , until the clip  211  is no longer in contact with the recess  301  and the cover can be lifted off. The cover can also be attached to the base with a different internally extruded locking mechanism, or can simply be pulled over the base and kept in place through friction. It is possible to have an embodiment that includes securing clips on the cover and none on the base. It is also possible for the base and the cover to be formed integrally, or to attach in any other way that may include sticking, screwing, locking or clipping mechanisms. 
         [0050]      FIG. 12  shows a third embodiment  1200  of the invention that includes only one cable restraining means  1201 .  FIG. 13  shows a fourth embodiment  1300  that also has only one cable restraining means  1301 , this time oriented horizontally. The number, orientation, and size of the cable restraining means are all variable. 
         [0051]      FIG. 14  shows a section through an embodiment  1400  of the invention where the base of a cable organiser  1401  is integrally formed with the jack housing. The organiser can also be integrally formed with the jack housing of a headphone cable adapter. It is also possible to integrally form the cover, the base and the jack housing. 
         [0052]      FIG. 15A  shows an embodiment  1500  of the invention where the base of the cable organiser  1501  is integrally formed with the jack housing, and is oriented with the base towards the cable. The cover  102  is placed over the base  1501 , and lies towards the electronic device  107  when the jack is inserted into the jack socket  108 .  FIG. 15B  shows a section through the embodiment  1500  of  FIG. 15A . 
         [0053]    The shape of the organiser, whether it consists of only a base portion, or of a base together with a cover, can be a torus or doughnut shape. The organiser can also be any other toroidal shape as the plane curve forming the toroid need not be circular. The shape of the organiser need not be toroidal either, and can be any symmetrical or asymmetrical shape. The organiser can be flexible, rigid, or a combination. The organiser can be various shapes or colours, and can be any kind of decorative representation. When including a cover, the cover can be various shapes or colours, and can be any kind of decorative representation. 
         [0054]    It will be understood that the invention disclosed and defined in this specification extends to all alternative combinations of two or more of the individual features mentioned or evident from the text or drawings. All of these different combinations constitute various alternative aspects of the invention.