Abstract:
A cable system including: a body having two or more elongated wires twisted together to form a helically wound pair of wires having two ends, wherein at least a portion of the body has a rigidity such that the portion can be shaped into a predetermined configuration and maintained in the predetermined configuration under a given load; a connector disposed at each of the two ends; means for releasably connecting a fitting to one or both of the connectors; and a fitting releasably disposed on the one or both connectors.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
       [0001]    1. Field 
         [0002]    This disclosure relates generally to twisted wire cables that can be manipulated into various configurations for connecting to other cables and/or supporting one or more objects, such as electrical/electronic devices. 
         [0003]    2. Prior Art Cables, such as those having a Universal Serial Bus (“USB” hereinafter) connector or headphones jack or smartphone connectors for electronic devices, such as a cell phone, are known in the prior art. Nevertheless, such cables cannot support the electronic device in a predetermined position/orientation (referred to hereinafter as simply “position”), such as supporting the cell phone in a standing position while it is being used, charged or synchronized. Electronic devices are defined herein as including but are not limited to mobile phones, smart phones, and multimedia players. Furthermore, such cables are also incapable of supporting itself in a predetermined position. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0004]    Accordingly, a cable is provided. The cable comprising: a body having two or more elongated wires twisted together to form a helically wound pair of wires having two ends; and a connector disposed at each of the two ends; wherein at least a portion of the body has a rigidity such that the portion can be shaped into a predetermined configuration and maintained in the predetermined configuration under a given load. 
         [0005]    The cable can further comprise a cover for one of individually covering each of the elongated wires or covering the helically wound pair of wires. 
         [0006]    Each connector can includes a body, a first jaw fixed to the body and a second jaw rotatably disposed on the body to open and close relative to the first jaw. The second jaw can be biased in a closed position relative to the first jaw. The second jaw can be rotatable relative to the first jaw about an axis orthogonal to a longitudinal axis of the body. 
         [0007]    Each connector can include means for releasably connecting a fitting to each connector. The means for connecting can include a pin projecting from a surface of each connector for engaging with a corresponding hole on the fitting. The cable can further comprise a spring member having the pin disposed thereon and capable of elastically deforming relative to the surface. 
         [0008]    The cable can further comprise a plurality of fibers disposed between wires of the helically wound pair of wires. 
         [0009]    The cable can further comprise one or more additional wires extending from the helically wound pair of wires and elastically deformable to support an object on the helically wound pair of wires. 
         [0010]    Also provided is a cable system comprising: a body having two or more elongated wires twisted together to form a helically wound pair of wires having two ends, wherein at least a portion of the body has a rigidity such that the portion can be shaped into a predetermined configuration and maintained in the predetermined configuration under a given load; a connector disposed at each of the two ends; means for releasably connecting a fitting to one or both of the connectors; and a fitting releasably disposed on the one or both connectors. 
         [0011]    The means for connecting can include a pin projecting from a surface of each connector for engaging with a corresponding hole on the fitting. The cable can further comprise a spring member having the pin disposed thereon and capable of elastically deforming relative to the surface. 
         [0012]    The fitting can comprise two or more female legs, each releasably connecting with a connector of another cable. The fitting can be selected from a group consisting of an elbow, a coupling, a cross, a Y connector, a T connector, a multi connector, a corner connector, a suction cup, a whiteboard, a fan and a magnifying glass. At least one portion between female legs can be a flexible portion such that a relative angle between female legs can be varied. 
         [0013]    The connector can comprise a body having first and second jaws movable relative to each other between an open and closed position. One of the first and second jaws can be biased in a closed position relative to the other of the first and second jaws. One of the first and second jaws can be rotatable relative to the other of the first and second jaws about an axis orthogonal to a longitudinal axis of the body. The fitting can comprise a body having third and fourth jaws movable relative to each other between an open and closed position, wherein one of the third and fourth jaws is rotatable relative to the other of the first and second jaws about an axis parallel to the longitudinal axis of the body. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0014]    These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the apparatus of the present invention will become better understood with regard to the following description, appended claims, and accompanying drawings where: 
           [0015]      FIG. 1 a    is a perspective view of a twisted cable having end connector clamp fittings at each of first and second ends. 
           [0016]      FIG. 1 b    is a close up view of one of the connector clamps of  FIG. 1   a.    
           [0017]      FIG. 1 c    is a perspective view of a twisted cable having end connector fittings with a suction cup attached to an end connector fitting at a first end and a white board attached to an end connector fitting at another end. 
           [0018]      FIG. 1 d    illustrates an alternative type of fitting attachment. 
           [0019]      FIG. 2  illustrates a perspective view of the suction cup fitting of  FIG. 1   c.    
           [0020]      FIG. 3  illustrates a perspective view of a magnifying glass fitting having a female end connector. 
           [0021]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of a cable having an end connector fitting with a fan attached to a first end and a male gator clip attached to an end connector fitting at another end. 
           [0022]      FIG. 5 a    is a perspective view of a twisted cable having end connector fittings with a side clamp attached to each end connector fitting at first and second ends which support another article, such as an iPad, white board or clip board over a door knob. 
           [0023]      FIG. 5 b    is a perspective side view of the twisted cable assembly of  FIG. 5 a    configured to stand upright. 
           [0024]      FIGS. 6 a  and 6 b    illustrate the side clamps of  FIGS. 5 a    and  5   b.    
           [0025]      FIG. 7  is a perspective view of a plurality of twisted cables having end connector fittings that are fitted together to form a cube shape. 
           [0026]      FIG. 8  is a partial isometric view of a corner of the cube shape of  FIG. 7 . 
           [0027]      FIG. 9  is a side view of a flexible female x female fitting for use with the twisted cables. 
           [0028]      FIG. 10  is a perspective view of a female x female fitting for use with the twisted cables. 
           [0029]      FIG. 11  illustrates a perspective view of a rigid female x female corner fitting for use with the twisted cables. 
           [0030]      FIG. 12  illustrates a perspective view of a multi-female fitting for use with the twisted cables. 
           [0031]      FIG. 13  illustrates a perspective view of a T female fitting for use with the twisted cables. 
           [0032]      FIG. 14  illustrates a perspective view of a 4-point female fitting for use with the twisted cables. 
           [0033]      FIG. 15  illustrates a perspective view of a Y female fitting for use with the twisted cables. 
           [0034]      FIG. 16  illustrates a perspective view of one of two identical ends of a twisted wire cable having an alternative connector clamp. 
           [0035]      FIG. 17  illustrates the cable of  FIG. 16  with a portion of a cover removed to expose the twisted wires. 
           [0036]      FIG. 18  illustrates the cable of  FIG. 16  showing each end thereof. 
           [0037]      FIG. 19  illustrates the cable of  FIG. 16  having an adapter connector. 
           [0038]      FIG. 20 a    illustrates the cable of  FIG. 19  with the adapter connector connected thereto and holding another object. 
           [0039]      FIG. 20 b    illustrates a cable having an alternative adapter connector connected thereto and capable of attaching to objects of various sizes. 
           [0040]      FIG. 21  illustrates the cable of  FIG. 19  showing each of both ends of the adapter connector holding a tablet and configured as a stand and alternatively designed for a holiday theme. 
           [0041]      FIG. 22  illustrates the cable of  FIG. 21  having another holiday theme in which material is disposed between the twists of the twisted wires. 
           [0042]      FIG. 23  illustrates the cable of  FIG. 19  showing each of both ends of the adapter connector configured to hang the tablet. 
           [0043]      FIG. 24  illustrates another variation of the twisted cable having additional wires for holding an object, such as a smart phone. 
           [0044]      FIG. 25  illustrates the twisted cable of  FIG. 24  showing a pair of wires disposed near the connectors. 
           [0045]      FIG. 26  illustrates the twisted cable of  FIG. 24  showing a wire disposed between the connectors. 
           [0046]      FIG. 27  illustrates the wire of  FIG. 26  in a stored configuration. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0047]    Referring to FIGS. la and lb, the same shows a first configuration of a twisted wire cable generally referred to by reference numeral  100 . The cable  100  includes a pair of twisted wires  102  which are formed of metal having flexibility, such as aluminum or copper and which can deform and return to its original shape and support a load while deformed into a predetermined shape. The twisted wires  102  are twisted in a helical configuration and can be exposed or include a cover (see below), such as an elastomer, such as silicon. Each of the wires  102  can be individually coated with the cover and/or the pair can be coated with the cover. Each end of the cable  100  includes a connector  104  connected to a corresponding end of the twisted wires  102 , by any means known in the art, such as adhering, welding, brazing, press fit and/or crimping. The connector  104  includes a body  104   a  connected to the twisted wires  102  and a clamp  104   b,  such as an alligator clamp, the configuration of which is well known in the art. In general, the alligator clamp has a first jaw  104   c  fixed to the body  104   a  and a second jaw  104   d  rotatably connected to the first jaw  104   c  such that the second jaw  104   d  is biased into a closed position with respect to the first jaw  104   c,  such as with a spring element. As also shown in FIG. lb, the cable  100  can also include covers  106  for each of the connectors  104 , in which a hole  104   b  engages a corresponding post  108   a  on the body  104   a  when the cover  108  is plastically deformed to slide over the post  108   a.  Alternatively, the post  108   a  can be spring loaded and deform inwards until the hole  108   b  aligns with the post  108   a.    
         [0048]    Referring now to  FIG. 1   c,  besides the covers  108 , additional fittings can also be used to connect to the connectors  104 , such as a suction cup  110  attached to the connector  104  at a first end and a white board  112  attached to a connector  104  at another end. The suction cup  110  is shown in  FIG. 2  having a female body  110   a,  hole  108   b  and a suction cup body  110   b.  In addition, besides the post  108   a  and hole  108   b  attachment, other attachments types can use used to attach the various fittings to the end connectors, such as clamp on, clip on, hook on, magnetic, suction, tie on, pin on, wedge in and slide track connections. An alternative connection type is shown in  FIG. 1 d    in which the fitting includes an internal thread  108   c  and the end connector includes a mating external thread  108   d.    
         [0049]    Another example of a fitting for use with the connectors  104  of the cable  100  is shown in  FIG. 3 .  FIG. 3  illustrates a magnifying glass  114  having a female body  114   a  having the hole  108   b  and magnifying glass frame  114   b  attached to the female body  114   a  and holding a magnifying glass  116 . As seen in  FIG. 3 , and inside of the female body  114   a  can include a tapered slot  115  for guiding the pin  108   a  of the connector  104  into the hole  108   b.    
         [0050]    Yet another example of a fitting for use with the connectors  104  of the cable  100  is shown in  FIG. 4 .  FIG. 4  illustrates a fan assembly  118 . The fan assembly  118  can be configured as shown in  FIG. 3  (that is, having a female body having the hole  108   b  for connection to the pin  108   a  of the connector  104 ) or be integral with one end of the cable  100  as shown in  FIG. 4 . In such configuration, the fan assembly  118  includes a motor  118   a,  fan  118   b  and alternatively a light  118   c.  A portion of the cable  100  can house a battery  120  for powering the motor  118   a.  The other end of the cable can include the alligator fitting  104  as described above, or any other suitable connector for attaching the fan assembly  118  to another object. 
         [0051]    Referring now to  FIGS. 5 a  and 5 b   , there is shown a cable  100  having fittings  124  attached to the end connectors  104  adapted to hold an object, such as a tablet  122 . Also, the cable of  FIGS. 5 a  and 5 b    include a flexible cover  101  that bends with the bending of the internal twisted wires  102 , such as silicone or other elastomer. Other objects, such as other electronic devices (such as a smartphone) or non-electronic devices (such as a cookbook) can also be held with such fittings  124 . The cable  100  of  FIG. 5 a    being configured to hang the tablet  122 , such as from a door knob  126 , while the cable  100  of  FIG. 5 b    being configured to stand the tablet  122  on another surface, such as a table or desk. 
         [0052]      FIGS. 6 a  and 6 b    illustrate the fittings  124  of  FIGS. 5 a  and 5 b   . Such fittings  124  are essentially similar to the alligator clip fittings  104  but having first and second jaws  124   a ,  124   b  offset 90 degrees from the first and second jaws  104   c  and  104   d  of the alligator clips and having internal surfaces configured to grasp delicate objects, such as electronic devices, securely while not damaging the same. The fittings  124  include a body  124   c  fixed to jaw  124   a  and jaw  124   b  rotatably connected thereto, such as by shaft  124   d.  As with the alligator clip connectors  104 , jaw  124   b  is biased into a closed position with regard to jaw  124   a,  such as with a spring element. Also, as shown in  FIG. 6 a   , the pin  108   a  of the connector  104  can be mounted on a spring member  128  having resiliency such that it can deform inwards and spring back. In such a configuration, when the pin  108   a  is engaged with the hole  108   b  on the fitting  124  (or any other fitting described herein), the fitting  124  can be disengaged by pushing the pin  108   a  inwards to release the same from the hole  108   b  and subsequently pulling the fitting  124  from engagement with the connector  104 . 
         [0053]    Referring now to  FIG. 7 , there is shown a plurality of the cables  100  connected together to form a portable structure, generally referred to by reference numeral  200 , capable of supporting other objects, such as smart phones, tablets, books and the like making such structure particularly suitable in home, office and college dorm environments. The structure illustrated in  FIG. 7  is a cube, however, those skilled in the art will appreciate from the following description of the various fittings shown in  FIGS. 8-15  that infinite number of structure shapes and configurations are possible. The cube structure of  FIG. 7  is shown with a single cable  100  at each edge of the cube and corner fittings  202 , as shown in more detail in  FIG. 8 , having a body with three orthogonal female legs  202   a,  each having a hole  108   b  for engagement with a corresponding pin  108   a  of connector  104 . 
         [0054]    Other fittings for constructing such portable structures include an elbow  204 , as shown in  FIG. 9 , having two female legs  204   a,  each with a hole  108   b,  where the female legs  204   a  are at a right angle relative to each other. In addition, the center region  204   b  of the elbow  204  can itself be flexible (similarly to the construction of the cable  100 ) such that the angular relationship between the female legs  204   a  can be varied.  FIG. 11  shows a similar elbow  208  without the flexible center region  204   b.    FIG. 10  shows a straight coupling  206  having two female legs  206   a  at 180 degrees from each other and each having a hole  108   b  for connection to a corresponding pin  108   a  of a fitting  104 .  FIG. 12  shows a multiple coupling  210  having six female legs  210   a  and each having a hole  108   b  for connection to a corresponding pin  108   a  of a fitting  104 .  FIG. 13  shows a T coupling  212  having three female legs  212   a  and each having a hole  108   b  for connection to a corresponding pin  108   a  of a fitting  104 .  FIG. 14  shows a cross coupling  214  having four female legs  214   a  at 90 degrees from each other and each having a hole  108   b  for connection to a corresponding pin  108   a  of a fitting  104 .  FIG. 15  shows a Y coupling  216  having three female legs  216   a  and each having a hole  108   b  for connection to a corresponding pin  108   a  of a fitting  104 . Although only the fitting of  FIG. 9  is described as having a flexible region, any of the fittings of  FIGS. 8-15  can have one or more of such flexible regions. 
         [0055]    Referring now to  FIGS. 16-18 , there is shown another cable, generally referred by to reference number  218 . Such cable  218  is similar to that described above ( 100 ) except for a different connector  220  disposed at each end thereof. Such connectors  220  are disposed on the twisted wires  102  (see  FIG. 17 ) in the same ways as described above and also include a body  220   a  having a pin  108   a,  which may be disposed on a spring member  128 . Connector  220  also includes a fixed jaw  224  connected to the body and a movable jaw  222  rotatable about a pivot to open and close relative to the first jaw  224 . However, instead of being biased into the closed position, the jaws  222 ,  224  are operated by a tab  226  to open and close. Lifting the tab  226  opens the movable jaw  22  relative to the fixed jaw  224  and pushing the tab  226  down (as is shown in  FIG. 16 ) both closes the movable jaw  22  relative to the fixed jaw  224  and locks the same in place. The configuration and operation of the connector  220  is disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2010/0313390, the contents of which is incorporated herein by reference.  FIG. 17  shows the cable  218  of  FIG. 16  in which a portion of the cover  101  is removed to expose the twisted wires  102 .  FIG. 18  shows a complete cable  218  with the connectors  220  disposed at each end thereof. Ay of the fittings described above can also be used with the connector  220  by engaging a hole  108   b  thereof with the pin  108   a.    
         [0056]      FIGS. 19-23  illustrate fittings  228  used with connectors  220  (or with connectors  104  described above). Such fittings  228  are similar to fittings  124  described above, such as having first and second jaws  228   a,    228   b  offset 90 degrees from the first and second jaws  224  and  222  of the connector  220  and having internal surfaces configured to grasp delicate objects, such as electronic devices, securely while not damaging the same. The fittings  228  include a body  228   c  fixed to jaw  228   a  and jaw  228   b  rotatably connected thereto, such as by a shaft. However, unlike fitting  124 , jaw  228   b  is not biased into a closed position with regard to jaw  228   a.  Instead, jaw  228   b  includes an internal cam surface as is known in the art that interferes with a surface of the object  230  being grasped such that the jaw  228   b  can be locked in place by such interference. As shown in  FIG. 20 a   , the fitting  228  is configured to grasp a certain sized object. However, the fitting  229  can be capable of grasping objects of varying sizes, such as being configured with vice-grips, which are well known in the art of grasping and clamping onto various sized objects. 
         [0057]    As shown in  FIG. 21-23 , such object can be an electronic device, such as a tablet. As discussed above, the cable  218  can be configured to stand such object  230  as shown in  FIGS. 21 and 22  or hung, such as shown in  FIG. 23 . 
         [0058]    As shown in  FIG. 21 , the cover  101  can be decorated in colors, such as to represent a season or holiday (such as Halloween) or include images, such as sports logos, cartoon characters, movie themes etc. As shown in  FIG. 22 , the cover can be replaced by fibers  230  inserted between the twists of the wires  102  to look like a Christmas tree branch or merely to have a fuzzy appearance. 
         [0059]    Referring now to  FIGS. 24-27 , there is described another variation of a cable, generally referred to by reference numeral  300 . The cable  300  is similar to cables  100 ,  218  described above having a pair of twisted wires  102 , cover  101  and connectors  104 ,  220  at each end thereof. However, such cable  300  further includes additional wires  302 ,  304  for supporting another object, such as an electronic device (such as a smartphone  306  shown in  FIG. 24 ). As shown in  FIG. 25 , wires  302  are disposed at the connectors  104 ,  220  and are flexible so as to conform to the object  306  being supported (once the cable  300  is configured to generally conform to a shape of the object  306 ). Such wires can be extensions of the twisted wires  102  are separately provided, such as being fitting between the cover  101  and connector  104 ,  220 . As shown in  FIG. 25 , ends of the wires  302  are bent inwards to support the object  306 . As shown in  FIG. 26 , another wire  304  is provided between the connectors  104 ,  220  so as to support the object  306  at another position, in this case the wire  304  is connected to the cable  300  at each end so as to form a closed shape with the cable  300 . However, two additional wires may take the place of single wire  304  or wire  304  may be only connected to the cable at one end (similar to wires  302 ). As shown in  FIG. 27 , the wire  304  may be folded on the cable  300  when not be used (as can wires  302 ). 
         [0060]    Any of the configurations of cables, connectors, fittings, additional wires may be used in combination with each other and with each embodiment described above. 
         [0061]    While there has been shown and described what is considered to be preferred embodiments of the invention, it will, of course, be understood that various modifications and changes in form or detail could readily be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. It is therefore intended that the invention be not limited to the exact forms described and illustrated, but should be constructed to cover all modifications that may fall within the scope of the appended claims.