Telephone cord retraction device

A telephone cord retraction device adapted for connection between a fixed telephone terminal and a movable telephone set comprises a housing with a fixed conductor extending from the housing and adapted for connection with the telephone terminal. An extendable cord stored on a rotatable spool within the housing has an outer end which is connectable to a telephone set. Within the housing, connection elements provide electrical continuity between the fixed conductor and the extendable cord on the spool. A spring motor is connected to the spool for urging it in one rotational direction to provide wind-up tension on the extendable cord. Cooperating spool control elements in the housing operate to temporarily hold the spool stationary within the housing against the force of the spring motor and alternatively to release the spool to allow the motor to rotate it and thereby wind-up the cord.

This invention relates to an improved cord retraction device particularly 
adapted for use with a handheld telephone set. 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
A large number of conventional telephone sets comprise a base and a 
handheld mouthpiece/receiver or handset connected by a flexible cord to 
the base such as the well known spiral or spring cord. The base is 
normally connected to a fixed telephone jack by a cord or wire of a fixed 
predetermined length. Thus, the telephone base was intended to remain in a 
fixed location limited by the length of the cord interconnecting the base 
and the jack. The flexible cord between the telephone base and its handset 
afforded the user only a relatively small degree of mobility when using 
the telephone. For example, if the telephone user wished to cross the room 
to take advantage of more comfortable furniture or to obtain some 
information relative to the telephone conversation, the relatively short 
spiral cord between telephone base and handset was inadequate. 
A general object of the present invention is to provide a solution to the 
aforesaid problem by means of an automatic cord windup or retraction 
device that can be readily connected to a telephone jack and to the base 
of a telephone set, thereby making it possible for a user to move the 
telephone for a considerable distance (e.g. 30 feet) within a room. 
Another object of the invention is to provide a telephone cord retraction 
device that is compact, easy to install and capable of withstanding 
consistent use over a long period of time. 
Another object of the invention is to provide a telephone cord retraction 
device that is particularly well adapted for ease and economy of 
manufacture. 
Still another object of the invention is to provide a telephone cord 
retraction device that will enable the cord to be manually extended from 
and returned to a storage drum while maintaining electrical contact with 
the drum so as to maintain clear telephonic transmissions at all times. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
In accordance with the invention a telephone cord retraction device is 
provided which comprises a two-piece housing that contains a rotatable 
spool surrounding a spiral spring motor. The extensible cord is attached 
to and wound about the spool which has a shaft that is supported at both 
ends by elements on the inside of the housing. The spring is attached to 
the spool so that even when the cord is fully wound on the spool, the 
spring is under a minimal but positive amount of tension or stored energy. 
As the cord is pulled outwardly from the housing and is removed from the 
spool, additional spring energy is stored as the spool rotates, so that 
the cord can be subsequently retrieved within the housing. A sector on the 
inside of one housing member has a series of notches which cooperate with 
a flexible pawl fixed to the side of the spool. When the cord is pulled 
outwardly to a desired length, the pawl will drop into a sector notch to 
hold the spool against the spring force relative to the housing. A slight 
tension and release of the cord will remove the pawl from the sector to 
enable the spring to rotate the spool and retrieve the cord. Electrical 
continuity through the retraction device is provided by an inlet lead 
which extends into the housing and is connected to a pair of fixed 
contacts on the inner wall of the housing. The latter contacts engage a 
pair of conductive rings on the spool which in turn are connected to the 
ends of the cord attached to the spool. Thus, current flow through the 
retraction device is sustained even as the spool is rotated during cord 
extension and retraction. 
Other objects, advantages and features of the invention will become 
apparent from the following detailed description of one embodiment 
thereof, presented in conjunction with the accompanying drawing.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENT 
With reference to the drawing, FIG. 1 shows a telephone cord retraction 
device 10 as it appears in use in a typical installation. As shown, the 
device 10 is preferably attached to a room wall 12 just above a 
conventional telephone line terminal connector, commonly known as a 'phone 
jack 14. A short cord 16 extends from one side of the device through an 
opening 17 to a standard receptacle on the jack. Extending from its other 
side through an opening 19 is an extendable/retractable telephone cord 18 
comprised of the standard wire pair covered with an insulation material. 
This cord is connected by a conventional snap connecter to the telephone 
base 20 having a handset 22. The length of the cord 18 may vary, but for 
ample range in a more or less average sized room, a length of 30 feet can 
be provided. Thus, with the use of the cord 18, the telephone base with 
its handset can be moved to any convenient location in the room up to the 
total cord length, and when desired, the cord can be quickly retracted and 
returned to the device 10. 
Details of the device 10 are shown in FIGS. 1-7. In general, it comprises a 
housing, preferably formed in two mating sections 24a and 24b from a 
suitable molded plastic material, such as polyethylene. The housing 
sections have thin, overlapping edge portions 25 that fit together along a 
peripheral parting line (see FIG. 9). Within the housing is a rotatable 
spool 26 having side flanges 28 and 30 and a cylindrical drum portion 32 
within which is a coiled spring motor 34 (FIG. 6). 
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a pair of telephone wires 36 and 38 within the 
short cord 16 are separated within the housing and are attached to a pair 
of spaced apart spring contacts 40 and 42. Each of these contacts are 
mounted on an insulating spacer 44 fixed to the inside surface of the 
housing section 24a at preselected locations. One flange 28 of the 
rotatable spool 26 has a pair of concentric, radially spaced apart contact 
rings 46 and 48 as shown in FIG. 2. Each ring is made of a thin layer of 
conductive metal material which is bonded to the flange 28 or retained by 
a series of spaced apart plastic projections 49 that extend through holes 
in the rings and are riveted thereto. The inner end of the extendable cord 
18 extends around the drum portion 32 of the spool and is fixed thereto so 
that its two telephone wires can be separated and attached to the contact 
rings 46 and 48 as indicated at 45 and 47. As the spool rotates, the 
spring-loaded contacts 40 and 42 maintain physical engagement with the 
rings 46 and 48, thereby transmitting electrical signals from the short 
cord 16 through the device 10 to the extendable cord 18. 
As shown in FIG. 9, the spool 26 is supported for rotation within the 
housing by a shaft member 50 which extends through central openings in the 
spool flanges 28 and 30. This shaft member has end portions 53 that are 
flat-sided or triangular in cross-section which fit into a pair of 
recesses 52 and 54 that are formed in the inner wall surfaces of the two 
housing sections 24a and 24b. Between the opposite end portions of the 
shaft 50 is a central portion which is provided with a pair of circular 
flange members 55 and 57 that are located just inside and adjacent to the 
spool flanges 28 and 30, respectively, thereby serving to keep the spool 
centered within the housing. When the device is assembled, a pair of 
screws 56 extend through each housing section 24a and 24b and into the end 
of the shaft 50 to hold it in place and also hold the housing sections 
together. 
As shown in FIG. 6, one end 58 of the coiled spring motor 34 has a sharp 
bend and fits within a slot 60 that extends along the central portion of 
the shaft 50. The other outer end 62 of the spring is also bent sharply 
and is retained in a longitudinal slot 64 in the spool drum 32. Thus, as 
the spool drum 32 rotates clockwise, as shown in FIG. 6, the spring 
tightens and stores potential energy for retracting the cord 18. 
It is desired that the cord 18 be controllable so that it can be manually 
pulled out of the housing against the force of the spring motor and then 
stopped without any tension on the cord as the telephone is being used. 
Also, when desired the cord 18 should be retractable automatically in its 
housing by first applying some initial tension and then releasing the cord 
to allow the spring motor to exert its wind-up force. The aforesaid stop 
and release functions are accomplished by a cooperating notched sector 66 
and a flexible pawl 68. 
The sector 66 is formed as an integral molded element on the inner surface 
of the housing section 24b, as best shown in FIG. 4. As shown, the sector 
has essentially a semi-circular shape whose circular center is coincident 
with the center of the shaft. A series of notches 67 are spaced apart 
along its periphery which are engageable by the flexible pawl 68. This 
pawl, as shown in FIG. 7 is mounted on the outer surface of the spool 
flange 30. In order to accommodate the limited space available between the 
spool flange 30 and the housing section 24b, the pawl has a relatively 
small uniform thickness (e.g. 0.090 inches) along its length and this 
thickness is essentially the same as that of the sector 66. To provide the 
required strength, flexibility and durability of the pawl, it is 
preferably made from a plastic material such as nylon. As shown in greater 
detail in FIG. 10, the pawl has an outer end 70 having a rectangular 
shape, that is retained by a U-shaped retainer member 72 provided on the 
outer surface of spool flange 30. The pawl end 70 fits tightly within the 
retainer member 72, but can be readily removed and replaced if it should 
become damaged. Extending from an enlarged, movable inner end 73 of the 
pawl 68 is a sharper, tooth-shaped portion 74 having a shape and size 
which enables it to fit within a sector notch 67. A curved edge 75 on the 
backside of the enlarged inner end serves as a camming surface. The inner 
end 73 is connected to the fixed outer end portion 70 by a relatively 
thin, flexible, but durable leg portion 76. The retainer member 72 is 
located so that the pawl 68 is normally positioned with its inner end 
tooth-shaped portion 74 directed toward the circular center of the sector 
66. 
When the cord retraction device is assembled, the spool 26 is provided with 
its flange 28 removed. The shaft 50 is inserted through the spool flange 
30 and the drum 32 so that its flat-sided end will fit within the recess 
54 of housing section 24b. The ends of the spring motor are inserted into 
the slot 60 for the shaft 50 and slot 64 in the spool drum. Now, the 
flange 28 is attached to the spool drum, by means of a suitable cement 
material, and the inner end of the extendable cord 18 is connected to the 
conductive rings 46 and 48. Thereafter, the inner ends of the fixed 
conductor 16 are attached to the spring contacts 40 and 42 on the housing 
section 24a and this housing section can now be placed on the mating 
section 24b with the end of the shaft 50 within the housing recess 52. The 
screws 56 are now inserted into opposite ends of the shaft 50 through the 
two housing sections to hold the unit together. 
The operation of the pawl 68 and sector 66 in controlling the retractions 
of the cord 18 may be best understood by reference to FIGS. 4 and 8. In 
FIG. 4, the pawl is shown within a sector notch 67, thereby holding the 
spool 26 in a fixed position and the extended cord 18 free from tension. 
To release the pawl, the cord 18 is first pulled a slight amount from a 
position "A" to cause rotation of the spool and thus the pawl in a 
clockwise direction, as shown in FIG. 8. This moves the pawl past the 
notched portion of the sector 66, thereby freeing it from the sector, as 
indicated at "B". Now, when the cord is released, the spring motor 34 
rotates the spool to wind-up the cord as the pawl flexes and the curved 
backside 75 of its inner end portion 73 engages the sector but passes over 
the notches of the sector. The spring motor will continue to retract or 
wind-up the cord 16 until it hits a stop member 77 which can be attached 
to the cord near its outer end at any desired location. 
When the cord is to be extended, it is pulled outwardly to the desired 
length and then slowly reversed. This causes the inner end portion of the 
pawl 68 to seek the nearest sector notch 67 and seat itself to retain the 
spool, as shown in FIG. 4. The pulling, setting and releasing of the cord 
18 is thus accomplished with minimal effort, while the flexible pawl and 
sector serve as reliable and durable control elements. 
The preferred embodiment described herein is intended to be purely 
illustrative, and not limiting of the scope of the invention. Other 
embodiments and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art 
and may be made without departing from the essence and scope of the 
invention as defined in the following claims.