Abstract:
A spooling apparatus includes a housing, a spool received in the housing so that the spool can be rotated from an original position by an external force and automatically returned to the original position when released from the external force, a rope wound on the spool and a tension-controlling device received in the housing for controlling the tension of the rope in order to control the speed of the rope when wound back onto the spool. Furthermore, the spooling apparatus includes a braking device for slowing down the speed of the rope.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION 
     1. Field of Invention 
     The present invention relates to a spooling apparatus. 
     2. Related Prior Art 
     Taiwanese Patent Publication No. 392686 teaches a conventional spooling device. The conventional spooling device includes a housing, a shaft installed in the housing, a spool mounted on the shaft and a rope wound on the spool. The spool is mounted on the shaft so that it can be rotated from an original position by means of an external force and will be returned to the original position when it is released from the external force. The automatic winding of the rope back onto the spool is done via a coil spring. However, the speed of the rope when wound back onto the spool is quite high and the fast moving rope can cut a user. 
     The present invention is therefore intended to obviate or at least alleviate the problems encountered in prior art. 
     SUMMARY OF INVENTION 
     It is the primary objective of the present invention to provide a spooling apparatus capable of controlling the speed of a rope. 
     According to the present invention, a spooling apparatus includes a housing, a spool received in the housing so that the spool can be rotated from an original position by an external force and automatically returned to the original position when released from the external force, a rope wound on the spool and a tension-controlling device received in the housing for controlling the tension of the rope in order to control the speed of the rope when wound back onto the spool. 
     The tension-controlling device includes a contacting element movably received in the housing for contact with the rope and a positioning element for controlling the position of the contacting element relative to the rope. 
     The positioning element is in rotational engagement with the contacting element. 
     The positioning element includes a bolt formed with a thread. The contacting element defines a tunnel including a wall formed with a thread in engagement with the thread formed on the bolt. 
     The positioning element includes a head with a non-circular profile. The housing includes a wall defining a circular space in which the head can rotate and a non-circular space in which the head cannot rotate. The circular space is in communication with the non-circular space. The non-circular profile may be a hexagonal profile and the non-circular space may be a hexagonal space. 
     The tension-controlling device includes a spring for biasing the head into the non-circular space. The spring is a compressive spring. The spring contacts the contacting element. The contacting element includes a first terminal portion, a second terminal portion and a slot defined therein between the first and second terminal portions. The housing includes a post extending from an internal face thereof into the slot. The spring is received in the slot and compressed between the post and the first terminal portion of the contacting element. 
     The spooling apparatus includes a braking device for slowing down the speed of the rope. 
     The braking device includes a button being movable between an idle position and an active position and including a first terminal portion for contact with a user&#39;s finger and a second terminal portion for contact with the spool in the active position. 
     The braking device includes a brake shoe secured to the second terminal portion of the button. 
     The braking device includes a lock for locking the button in the active position. 
     The button includes a latch extending from a side of the button. The lock can be switched between a locking position and a releasing position and defines a recess so that the latch is allowed to slide in the recess in the releasing position and that the latch is prevented from sliding in the recess in the locking position. 
     The braking device includes a spring for biasing the button from the active position to the idle position. The spring is a compressive spring. 
    
    
     Other objectives and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the attached drawings. 
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
     The present invention will be described through detailed illustration of embodiments referring to the attached drawings wherein: 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a spooling apparatus according to the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is an exploded view of a spooling apparatus according to the present invention; 
     FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a spooling apparatus according to the present invention; 
     FIG. 4 is an enlarged partial view of a spooling apparatus according to the present invention; 
     FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a spooling apparatus according to the present invention, showing a tension-controlling device locked in an idle position; 
     FIG. 6 is similar to FIG. 5 but showing the tension-controlling device free from the idle position; and 
     FIG. 7 is similar to FIG. 5 but showing the tension-controlling device in an active position. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION 
     Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, according to the present invention, a spooling apparatus  1  includes a housing consisting of a first shell  10  and a second shell  20 . The housing includes a handle  2  to be gripped by a user&#39;s hand. 
     The first shell  10  includes a panel (not numbered), a rim (not numbered) extending on and along the panel, a shaft  11  formed on the panel, a boss  13  formed on the rim, an aperture  15  defined in the rim and a post  16  extending from the panel. 
     The boss  13  defines a semi-hexagonal recess  131  and a semi-circular recess  133  in communication with the semi-hexagonal recess  131  and includes an external semi-annular rim  132  formed thereon next to the semi-hexangular recess  131  and an internal semi-annular rim  134  formed thereon next to the semi-circular recess  133 . 
     A spool  12  is mounted on the shaft  11  so that it can be rotated from an original position by means of an external force and will be returned to the original position when it is released from the external force. The spool  12  includes a periphery (not numbered) and two annular rims  122  extending on and along the periphery, thus defining a space  121  between the annular rims  122 . 
     A rope  14  is wound on the spool  12 . The rope  14  includes a first end (not shown) tied to the spool  12  and a second end extending through the aperture  15 . A head  141  is bonded with the second end of the rope  14 . 
     The second shell  20  includes a panel (not numbered), a rim (not numbered) extending on and along the panel thereof, a hub  25  formed on the panel thereof, a boss  21  formed on the rim thereof and a post  22  extending from the panel thereof. 
     The boss  21  defines a semi-hexagonal recess  211  and a semi-circular recess  213  in communication with the semi-hexagonal recess  211  and includes an external semi-annular rim  212  formed thereon next to the semi-hexangular recess  211  and an internal semi-annular rim  214  formed thereon next to the semi-circular recess  213 . 
     The first shell  10  and the second shell  20  are combined. The shaft  11  is inserted in the hub  25 . The boss  13  and the boss  21  are matched. Thus, the semi-hexagonal recesses  131  and  211  together make a hexagonal space. The semi-circular recesses  133  and  213  together make a circular space. The external semi-annular rims  132  and  212  together define a circular aperture. The internal semi-annular rims  134  and  214  together define a circular aperture. 
     A braking device  30  is arranged between the first shell  10  and the second shell  20  next to the spool  12 . The braking device  30  includes a button  31  movable between an idle position and an active position for retaining the spool  12  still and a lock  32  for retaining the button  31  in the active position. 
     The button  31  includes a first terminal portion  311  inserted through an aperture defined in the housing for contacting the user&#39;s hand and a second terminal portion  312  to which a brake shoe  313  is secured for contacting the rims  122  of the spool  12 . The button  31  defines a slot  315  in order to receive the post  16 . A spring  314  is received in the slot  315 . The spring  314  includes a first end attached to the post  16  and a second end for contacting the second terminal portion of the button  31 . The spring  314  is biased so the first terminal portion  311  of the button  31  tends to be pushed away from the post  16  until the second terminal portion  312  of the button  31  is engaged with the post  16 . From the second terminal portion  312  of the button  31  extends a latch  316  for engagement with the lock  32 . 
     The lock  32  is a cylindrical element including a first terminal portion  321  positioned outside the housing and a second terminal portion  322  inserted through an aperture defined in the first shell  10 . Thus, the lock  32  is pivotal relative to the first shell  10 . The first terminal portion  321  of the lock  32  is enlarged and formed as a knob to be rotated by the user&#39;s hand. A recess  323  is transversely cut into the second terminal portion  322  of the lock  32 . 
     The first terminal portion  321  of the lock  32  formed as a knob can be operated so as to rotate the lock  32  to a releasing position as shown in FIG. 3 where the latch  316  of the button  31  is allowed to move freely in the recess  323  defined in the lock  32 . When the button  31  is moved to the active position, the first terminal portion  321  of the lock  32  formed as a knob can be operated so as to rotate the lock  32  to a locking position as shown in FIG. 2 where the latch  316  of the button  31  is restricted via the second terminal portion  322  of the lock  32 . Thus, the button  31  is locked in the active position via the lock  32 . That is, the spool  12  is retained still. 
     Referring to FIG. 4, a tension-controlling device  40  includes a positioning element  41  and a contacting element  42 . The contacting element  42  is for contacting the rope  14 . The positioning element  41  is for positioning the contacting element  42 . 
     The positioning element  41  includes a hexagonal head  411 , a bolt  412  formed on a side of the hexagonal head  411  and formed with a thread and a knob  413  formed on an opposite side of the head  411 . 
     The positioning element  41  is put between the first shell  10  and the second shell  20 . The hexagonal head  411  is restrained in the space defined between the bosses  13  and  21  via the matching semi-annular rims  132  and  212  and the matching semi-annular rims  134  and  214 . The head  411  is movable between the hexagonal space made by the semi-hexagonal recesses  131  and  211  and the circular space made by the semi-circular recesses  133  and  213 . Rotation of the bolt  412  is prevented when the hexagonal head  411  is in the hexagonal space as shown in FIG.  5 . The knob  413  can be operated in order to rotate the bolt  412  when the hexagonal head  411  is in the circular space as shown in FIG.  6 . 
     The contacting element  42  includes a first terminal portion  421  for engagement with the bolt  412  of the positioning element  41  and a second terminal portion  422  for contact with the rope  14 . The first terminal portion  421  of the contacting element  42  defines a tunnel  423  with a wall on which a thread is formed. The contacting element  42  defines a slot  424 . 
     The thread formed on the bolt  412  is engaged with the thread formed on the wall of the tunnel  423 . The post  22  is inserted through the slot  424 . A spring  43  is received in the slot  424  and compressed between the post  22  and the first terminal portion  421  of the positioning element  41 . Thus, the hexagonal head  411  is retained in the hexagonal space as shown in FIG. 5, i.e., rotation of the bolt  412  is avoided. 
     The positioning element  41  can be pushed from the position shown in FIG. 5 to the position shown in FIG.  6 . The hexagonal head  411  is moved from the hexagonal space into the circular space. Thus, the bolt  412  of the positioning element  41  can be rotated relative to the first terminal portion  421  of the contacting element  42  so as to move the second terminal portion  422  of the contact element  42  from the position shown in FIG. 5 to the position shown in FIG. 7 where the second terminal portion  422  of the contact element  42  contacts the rope  14 , and vice versa. 
     The present invention has been described through detailed illustration of the preferred embodiment. Those skilled in the art can derive many variations from the preferred embodiment without departing from the scope of the present invention. Therefore, the preferred embodiment shall not limit the scope of the present invention. The scope of the present invention is defined in the attached claims.