Abstract:
A cable retraction mechanism for displaying merchandise mounted on a display post in a retail location. The cable retraction mechanism includes a cable assembly having a coiled or equivalent elastically stretchable section. The mechanism also includes a coaxial housing that is connected to a portion of the cable assembly. The reciprocating motion or action of the shuttle within the housing facilitates extension and retraction of the cable assembly in a manner that is independent of the coiled section.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present invention relates to retail displays for electronic devices. More specifically, the invention relates to display posts that enable the “swapping” of electronic devices to and from an individual display post position. 
     BACKGROUND 
     “Big box” retailers and cell phone companies offer a wide variety of hand-held electronic devices (cell phones, PDAs, digital cameras, digital camcorders, etc.) for sale to the general public. It is common practice to tether these devices to a display counter or similar surface in a retail store. Sometimes the tether is nothing more than a coiled cord (commonly called a “curly-Q cord”) similar to the type of coiled cord used to connect a telephone handset to the base of the telephone. It is also common to extend the tether from a reel underneath the countertop surface with the tether extending and retracting as the consumer respectively lifts and replaces a product. 
     Many design variations have been developed over the years for tethering electronic products to displays. These displays address common problems that include managing the tether&#39;s length, so that it does not tangle, and devising ways to facilitate swapping old products with new models off the end of the tether. 
     The tether is often a shielded, multi-conductor cable having one or more wires for providing power and security alarm functions. One of the problems that retail display systems need to address is that product power requirements and power jack fittings are ever-changing because of technology improvements and consumer demand. 
     For those systems having tethers that extend and retract, it is important that the tether retracts fully back into the countertop as the product is returned to its resting place (typically, a base mount). Different designs have been developed for accomplishing the retraction that is needed, including under-the-counter reels. In some cases, curly-Q cords have been used. 
     One problem with a curly-Q cord system is that the coil diameter of these cords creates a larger footprint, making it difficult for the cord to fully retract through an opening. If the opening is about the same size as the coil diameter, for example, then there is a tendency for individual coils to catch on the opening&#39;s edge. The invention described here is an improvement on the “curly-Q” type of design. 
     Another general problem with tethered systems relates to how the tether responds to use by consumers in the store. Frequent handling causes tangling and distortions in the cord that impact both cord wear and its ability to fully retract. The invention described here also addresses this problem. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention disclosed here is a cable management system for displaying one out of a plurality of electronic devices in a commercial setting. As a person familiar with the technology would understand, the cable management system described here is intended to be replicated as part of a multi-post display system, involving many numbers of positions corresponding to different kinds of electronic devices that are sold by retailers. 
     The cable management system includes a first cable assembly having an elastically stretchable length. The terminology “elastically stretchable length” is meant to include cords like the common curly-Q cord system or any other type of cord having the capability of elastically stretching in some fashion. All of the equivalent variations are considered to be within the scope of “elastically stretchable length” or similar designations. 
     The cable management system disclosed here also includes a housing for the first cable assembly. The housing includes inner and outer coaxial tubular parts. 
     The housing&#39;s inner tubular part defines a hollow space that both retains the first cable assembly and provides a guide for a shuttle member (“shuttle”). Two slits along the length of the inner tubular part both guide the shuttle and prevent it from rotating inside the inner tubular part. 
     The outer tubular part surrounds, covers, and caps one end of the inner tubular part. The respective inner and outer diameters of the two tubular parts are not equal such that a cylindrical space is created between them. A spring is received in this space and biased to resist or oppose inward sliding movement of the shuttle by riding against a portion of the shuttle that extends through the slits into the cylindrical space. 
     The first cable assembly extends through the inner tubular part and connects to the shuttle. When the cable assembly is pulled in tension, it likewise pulls the shuttle inwardly—further into the housing&#39;s inner tubular part. When this happens, the elastically stretchable portion of the first cable assembly (e.g., the coiled portion of the curly-Q cord, if used) travels with the shuttle until the shuttle reaches the end its path of travel. The first cable assembly extends, or stretches to the maximum pull length allowed by its coils (or an equivalent stretchable length portion). At the same time, the shuttle is pulled against the bias of the spring in the housing. This creates two independent sources of return tension for pulling the cable assembly back into the housing when it is released. 
     A mounting member is connected to the outer end of the first cable assembly. The mounting member provides a means to mount an electronic device above a countertop surface. Lifting the mounting member pulls the first cable assembly out from the housing (and typically, through an opening in the countertop surface). As the mounting member is returned to its original position, the spring returns the shuttle to its normal, at rest, position and the stretched part of the cable assembly also returns to normal. 
     As an alternative design, the spring may be attached directly to the first cable assembly without necessarily being enclosed in a housing made from coaxial tubular parts. While the spring may not be fully enclosed in the same way as the hollow tube example, the spring still augments the retraction force naturally occurring in stretched coil cords, for example, to more reliably return the product to its resting place. 
     As still another alternative, an in-line swivel can be added to alleviate tangling and distortions caused by cord twisting. The in-line swivel permits one part or portion of the first cable assembly to rotate relative to the other, during the pulling and retraction process, while maintaining electrical continuity through the wires in the cable assembly. 
     Similar to other designs, a second cable assembly may be used to electrically couple the electronic device to the first cable assembly. The second cable assembly is electrically coupled via conventional connectors or board connections that allow power or security signals to pass through the mounting member. There are also alternative ways of accomplishing the coupling function without using the mounting member as a connecting means. 
     If used, the second cable assembly couples the first cable assembly to the electronic device, as necessary, in order to accomplish one or more power and security functions. One common function is to provide power to the device. It is also common to use second cable assemblies to provide a security function, i.e., providing power to a security sensor attached to a camera or cell phone. 
     The terminology “electrically coupling” is intended to capture all of the variations described above and equivalent variations. In some cases, more than one “secondary” cable assembly will be connected to the first one. In other words, one type of secondary cable assembly might be used to provide power; another might be used to provide security, etc. A person skilled in the art will have knowledge of the different kinds of secondary cable installations. 
     As described above, the purpose of the in-line swivel is to minimize torsional strains on the cable assembly as it is stretched and twisted by the consumer. Over a period of many years, the in-line swivel improves wear and durability of the cable assembly during the course of many cable extensions and retractions. 
     The in-line swivel may be placed in different locations. In one embodiment, the swivel is received in the mounting member, essentially at the interface between the first cable assembly and other electronics in the mounting member. In another embodiment, the swivel assembly is received within the shuttle and rides within the inner tubular part of the housing. It is also conceivable and, perhaps, it is preferable to use in-line swivels at both places at the same time. However, the number and placement of in-line swivel assemblies will depend on the merchandising application. Finally, an in-line swivel in combination with a curly-Q cord may be sufficient to enable full cord retraction without spring augmentation. 
     The invention summarized above is described in greater detail below in combination with the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       In the drawings, like reference numerals and numbers refer to like parts throughout the various views, and wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is an exploded pictorial view of a display post design constructed in accordance with the invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a pictorial view of the upper part of the design illustrated in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a sectional, pictorial view of the lower part of the design illustrated in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a view like  FIG. 3 , but is not sectioned; 
         FIG. 5  is a side view of the  FIG. 3  illustration; 
         FIG. 6  is similar to  FIG. 5 , but pictorially illustrates the lower part of the complete design illustrated in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 7  is an exploded view of a swivel assembly that is incorporated in the design illustrated in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 8  is another view of the swivel assembly; 
         FIG. 9  is a sectional view of the upper part of the design (or mounting member) shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , illustrating a slightly different physical configuration with a swivel; 
         FIG. 10  is a pictorial view of the upper part of the design illustrated in  FIG. 1 , but shows the mounting member being lifted from a countertop surface with a PDA (or cell phone) mounted to the upper surface of the mounting member, and a second cable assembly electrically coupling the electronic device to the mounting member; 
         FIG. 11  is a view like  FIG. 3 , but shows the inner tubular part of a housing with the outer tubular part removed; 
         FIG. 12  is a view like  FIG. 11 , except it is a sectional view taken from the side of the housing; and 
         FIG. 13  is a view like  FIG. 12 , but with the inner tubular part removed from the other parts. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Referring now to the drawings, and first to  FIG. 10 , shown generally at  10  is a cable management system constructed in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention.  FIG. 1  does not depict the cable assemblies. However, the cable management system  10  includes first and second cable assemblies  12 ,  14 , that are respectively illustrated in  FIGS. 2-5  and  FIG. 10 . 
     For background purposes, reference is made to U.S. Patent Application Publication US2008-0169923, published Jul. 17, 2008, to InVue Security Products, Inc. of Charlotte, N.C. (“the &#39;923 publication”.). The security system disclosed in the &#39;923 publication is typical of many kinds of designs presently in the marketplace and shows a secondary cable assembly  89  interconnecting an electronic device  7  to a mounting piece  5 . The secondary cable  89  is electrically coupled to another (or “first”) cable assembly  59  underneath a countertop. The use of first and second cable assemblies in this manner is common to the retail security and display industry. 
     It is to be understood the designs disclosed in the &#39;923 publication are incorporated here by reference. It is to be appreciated, for example, that the power cord 77 disclosed in the &#39;923 publication is a type of curly-Q cord, although it is a different design from the one disclosed here. As a person familiar with the technology would understand, there are different ways to electrically couple these two cable assemblies together. Connections of this type would be familiar to the skilled person. 
     Directing attention now to  FIG. 1 , the first cable assembly  12  is housed within a coaxial housing, indicated generally at  16 . The coaxial housing  16  is better illustrated in  FIGS. 3 ,  4  and  5 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 5 , for example, the curly-Q cord  12  has an elastically stretchable length consisting of a plurality of coils  18 . When a mounting member portion or mounting “puck” (see item  20  in  FIG. 2 ) is lifted from a base  22 , the curly-Q cord  12  is pulled from the coaxial housing, up through an opening in countertop surface  24 . When this happens, the curly-Q cord  12  is put into tension in two ways. First, the cord&#39;s coils  18  are stretched. This creates an elastic tension that is biased to return the curly-Q cord  12  back into the coaxial housing  16  as the mounting member  20  is returned to the base  22 . 
     Depending on how much the curly-Q cord  12  is stretched (corresponding to how far the mounting member  20  is drawn away from the countertop  24 ), the tension in the cord  12  causes the shuttle  30  to move in the direction of arrow  26  in  FIG. 5 , against the bias of a spring  32  (described further below). 
     The end  28  (see  FIG. 3 ) of the curly-Q cord  12  is connected to a fixed swivel assembly portion of the shuttle  30  (carried as part of the shuttle  30 ). Another example is illustrated in  FIG. 8 . The purpose of the swivel assembly portion of the shuttle  30  is further described below. However, the end-connection, between curly-Q cord  12  and shuttle  30 , compresses the spring  32  when the curly-Q cord  12  is pulled far enough. 
     As shown in  FIG. 5 , the spring  32  is located between two cylindrical parts  34 ,  36  of the coaxial assembly  16 . The shuttle  30  travels along the inside length of the inner cylindrical part  36 . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 11 , the shuttle  30  is guided by upper and lower slots  70 ,  72  in the inner cylindrical part  36  (see, also,  FIG. 12 ). The shuttle  30  has an outer, annular shoulder  74  that surrounds and slides over the outer surface  76  of part  36 . The annular shoulder  74  is connected to the shuttle  30 , inside part  36 , by a connecting section  78  (see  FIG. 12 ). 
     When the shuttle  30  moves in the direction indicated by arrow  26  in  FIG. 5 , the coils of the spring  32  compress, as shown in  FIG. 13 . The outer tubular part  34  of the housing is threaded onto the inner tubular part  36  by threads  80  (see  FIGS. 12 and 13 ). 
     The coaxial assembly  16  is not designed to turn. In one embodiment, shown in  FIGS. 3-5 , the assembly  16  is mounted to the underside of the countertop  24  by threads  38 . Referring to  FIG. 6 , threads  38  are tightened onto a similar threaded coupling  39  that is held in place, against rotation, by a nut  41 . 
       FIG. 1  illustrates an alternative mounting system where the threads  38  on housing  16  are replaced with a lip  43 . The lip  43  is clamped between two brackets  45 ,  47  that are tightened together by a wing nut  49 . 
     The brackets  45 ,  47  are connected to a mounting plate  51  by machine screws  53 ,  55 .  FIG. 1  illustrates a different style, but nevertheless equivalent mounting base  22  that is connected to the countertop  24  by an arrangement of plates  57 ,  59  and mounting screws  61 ,  63 . The end of the curly-Q cord  65  (see, e.g.,  FIG. 4 ) passes up from the coaxial assembly  16  through the opening  67  in the mounting base  22 . 
     The assembly  16  holds and contains the curly-Q cord  12  when the “puck”  20  is at rest on base  22 . In this respect, the envelope defined by the hollow housing  16  serves to contain and hold the coils  18  of the curly-Q cord  12  (as shown in  FIG. 5 ). 
     One end of the coaxial assembly&#39;s spring  32  (see numeral  40  in  FIG. 5 ) abuts against a shoulder  42  on the inner cylindrical part  36  of housing  16 . The other end of the spring  32  abuts against the inner surface  46  of the shuttle&#39;s annular shoulder  74 , which encircles and rides along the outer surface of inner tubular part  36 . 
     The outer cylindrical part  34  covers the spring  32  and prevents it from being interfered with by outside cabling, etc., as well as providing a cap or stop for shuttle  30  so that it doesn&#39;t exit the assembly  16 . This arrangement enables the shuttle part  30  to retract against the bias of spring  32  as the first cable assembly or curly-Q cord  12  is pulled. As mentioned above, the spring  32  assists the return of the first cable assembly back into coaxial assembly  16  as the mounting member  20  returns to its original position. 
     As was summarized above, the elasticity created by the coils  18  in curly-Q cord  12 , in combination with the spring-loaded retraction feature of the coaxial housing assembly  16 , creates two independent sources of elastic return for the system  10 . The spring  32  in the housing  16  provides a tension “assist” or augmentation function to ensure that the curly-Q cord  12  is fully retracted, taking into account that the cord coils  18  may not fully retract for different reasons. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 3 , the shuttle  30  will now be further described. The shuttle  30  includes an in-line connector assembly that electrically couples the first cable assembly  12  to an upstream power/signal supply cable  48 . The shuttle  30  enables power or other kinds of electrical signals to be transmitted from cable  48  into the first cable assembly  12 . 
       FIG. 8  illustrates one example of a suitable shuttle part  30  that integrates a swivel.  FIG. 7  illustrates the individual component parts that are common to this type of connector. For example, the first cable assembly  12  may consist of a multiple number of sheathed wires (see item  50 , for example). Each wire extends into a cylindrical inner housing  52  and terminates in a ring contact  54 . The ring contact  54  is in sliding contact with a similar commutator-type contact  56  in an outer cylinder  58  (shown in halves). The inner cylinder  52  rotates within the outer cylinder  58  via two bearings  60 ,  62 . The entire assembly of parts is contained within an outer cylindrical housing  64 . This type of swivel connector construction is conventional and would be known to a person skilled in the art. There are many kinds of in-line swivels available that would accomplish the same function. 
     For optimum performance it is desirable to include a swivel within the length of the first cable assembly or attached to either end of the first cable assembly. In one example, a swivel is integrated into shuttle  30  included in the coaxial assembly  16 , as just described. The swivel in the shuttle  30  allows the first cable assembly  12  to be pulled and retracted with minimum torsional forces placed on the curly-Q cord  12  as the mounting member  20  is pulled and returned by a consumer. In addition, and referring now to  FIG. 9 , the outer end  65  of the curly-Q cord  12  (see  FIG. 4 ) may connect to a similar swivel connector  66  in the mounting member  20 . 
       FIG. 9  illustrates a mounting member  20  having a slightly different footprint. As a skilled person would understand, the size and shape of a mounting member  20  will vary, depending on the retailer&#39;s needs. However, if used, the position of the swivel assembly in the second mounting member is apparent from the illustration. The functional operation of swivel assembly  66  is identical to swivel assembly  30  in  FIG. 8 , as previously described. 
     While it is not illustrated, it is conceivable that an in-line swivel configuration in shuttle  30  (in the aft end of housing  16 ) is sufficient to address cord twisting and distortion problems without the “assist” function of spring  32 . In other words, the combination of a swivel at  30 , the natural retraction force of the cord&#39;s coils  18 , and the containment function of the housing may be sufficient to fully retract the cord  12  into the housing  16 . Further testing will be required in order to establish whether the spring  32  can be eliminated in this way. 
     Once again, the second cable assembly  14  is electrically coupled to the first cable assembly  12  via the mounting member  20 , although alternative means of connection may be used. The second cable assembly  14  also electrically couples the mounting member to an electronic device  68 . This type of arrangement is common and has long been used in the industry for years. 
     The foregoing description is not intended to limit the scope of the patent right. It is to be understood that the design described here may be altered in a number of different ways without departing from the spirit and scope of what is considered to be the invention. Therefore, the invention is to be limited only by the patent claims that follow, the interpretation of which is to be made in accordance with the standard conventions for patent claim interpretation.