Abstract:
A strap and cord winder is adjustable for different width straps and reconfigurable for cords. The winder includes a handle assembly with a center shaft and an offset pin for engaging and winding a strap. The center shaft adjustably passes through a face plate creating an adjustable width between a handle arm of the handle assembly and the face plate for winding different width straps. A cylindrical grip is attached to the face plate opposite the handle arm and the face plate attaches to a chest plate. A spool may be positioned on the center shaft between the handle arm and face plate for coiling cords and hoses and the offset pin engages a notch on one end of the spool to couple rotation of the handle to rotation of the spool. The spool includes disks at each end including open ended slots reaching radially to capture cord ends.

Description:
The present application claims the priority of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/168,583 filed Apr. 11, 2009 and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/757,728 filed Apr. 9, 2010 which applications are incorporated in their entirety herein by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to straps used to hold down cargo on trucks or trailers, and in particular to a cranking apparatus for winding straps or cords after use. 
     Straps are commonly used to hold cargo in place on trucks, trailers, and for cargo holding in general. The straps are various widths from one inch to six inches and various lengths. Often, upon unloading cargo, users are faced by long lengths of the straps which may be exposed to dirt, mud, snow, water, and the like, and require coiling for storage. No tools are available for easy coiling of the straps. 
     Further, because known straps come in various widths, know strap winders often produce loose coils or fail to produce a single coil. Tangled straps may result requiring time to prepare the straps for later use. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention addresses the above and other needs by providing a strap and cord winder which is adjustable for different width straps and reconfigurable for cords. The strap winder includes a handle assembly with a center shaft and an offset pin for engaging and winding a strap end. The center shaft adjustably passes through a face plate creating an adjustable width between a handle arm and the face plate for winding different width straps. A cylindrical grip is attached to the face plate opposite the handle assembly and the face plate attaches to a chest plate. A spool may be positioned between the handle arm and the face plate for coiling cords and hoses, and the offset pin engages a notch on one end of the spool to couple rotation of the handle arm to rotation of the spool. The spool includes disks at each end including open ended slots reaching radially to capture cord ends. The chest plate may be carried by an upper torso harness about even with the user&#39;s chest, or may engage the user&#39;s pants belt about even with a user&#39;s waist, for easy use. 
     In accordance with one aspect of the invention, there is provided a strap winder. The strap winder includes a center shaft, a handle assembly attached to the center shaft, a sliding pin residing parallel to the center shaft and also attached to the handle assembly, a face plate opposite the handle assembly, a grip attached to the face plate and residing over the center shaft extending opposite to the handle assembly and a harness plate attached to an upper torso wearable harness and attached to the face plate for carrying the strap winder during use. 
     In accordance with another aspect of the invention, there is provided a spool which may be placed on the center shaft residing between the handle arm and the face plate. The sliding pin engages a notch in the spool to turn the spool with the handle arm. Installation of the spool allows the strap winder to be used for coiling cords and hoses. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING 
       The above and other aspects, features and advantages of the present invention will be more apparent from the following more particular description thereof, presented in conjunction with the following drawings wherein: 
         FIG. 1A  is a perspective view of a strap winder according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 1B  is a perspective view of a cord winder according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a second perspective view of the strap winder according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 3A  is a front view of the strap winder according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 3B  is a side view of the strap winder according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 3C  is a top view of the strap winder according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 4  is a second perspective view of the cord winder according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 5A  is a front view of the cord winder according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 5B  is a side view of the cord winder according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 5C  is a top view of the cord winder according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view of a face plate according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 7A  is a side view of the face plate according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 7B  is a front view of the face plate according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 7C  is a top view of the face plate according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 8  is a perspective view of a chest plate according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 9A  is a front view of the chest plate according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 9B  is a side view of the chest plate according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 9C  is a top view of the chest plate according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 10  is a perspective view of a handle assembly according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 11A  is a front view of the handle assembly according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 11B  is a side view of the handle assembly according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 11C  is a top view of the handle assembly according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 12  is a perspective view of a spool according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 13A  is a front view of end disks and a spool center of the spool according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 13B  is a side view of the end disks and the spool center of the spool according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 13C  is a top view of the end disks and the spool center of the spool according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 14  is a detailed view of a mating portion of the end disks of the spool according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 15A  shows the strap winder opened to accept a wider strap. 
         FIG. 15B  shows the strap winder closed to accept a narrower strap. 
         FIG. 15C  shows the spool residing over the center shaft. 
         FIG. 16  is a perspective view of an unwinding handle according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 17A  is a side view of the unwinding handle according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 17B  is an end view of the unwinding handle according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 17C  is a top view of the unwinding handle according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 18  shows the spool on the unwinding handle according to the present invention. 
     
    
    
     Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding components throughout the several views of the drawings. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The following description is of the best mode presently contemplated for carrying out the invention. This description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merely for the purpose of describing one or more preferred embodiments of the invention. The scope of the invention should be determined with reference to the claims. 
     A perspective views of a multi use strap and cord winder according to the present invention, configured as a strap winder  10   a  is shown in  FIG. 1A , and configured as a cord winder  10   b  in  FIG. 1B . The multi use strap and cord winder uses a common chest plate  12 , face plate  14 , and handle assembly  16 . The chest plate  12  is worn by a user and the face plate  14  is orthogonally attached to the chest plate  12 . The handle assembly  16  includes a center shaft  20  passing through the face plate  14  to provide the strap winder  10   a  and a spool  18  is added for the cord winder  10   b . A tubular handle  22  (see  FIG. 6 ) is fixedly attached to the face plate  14  for grasping by the user during winding of a strap or cord. 
     A second perspective view of the strap winder  10   a  is shown in  FIG. 2 , a front view of the strap winder  10   a  is shown in  FIG. 3A , a side view of the strap winder  10   a  is shown in  FIG. 3B , and a top view of the strap winder  10   a  is shown in  FIG. 3C . The strap winder  10   a  includes the chest plate  12  which includes slots  26  for attachment to a belt, harness, or the like for carrying by a user. The face plate  14  is attached to a female extension  28  of the chest plate  12 . The face plate  14  includes a bushing  24  and tubular handle  22 . The bushing  24  receives a center shaft  20  attached to the handle assembly  16  and the center shaft  20  reaches through and past the tubular handle  22 . A sliding pin  32  of the handle assembly  16  reaches parallel with the center shaft  20  towards the face plate  14  and may be used to hold the end of a strap which is being wound around the center shaft  20 . The depth of the sliding pin  32  is adjustable to allow adjustment of the separation of the handle assembly  16  from the face place  14  for different width straps. 
     A second perspective view of the cord winder  10   b  is shown in  FIG. 4 , a front view of the cord winder  10   b  is shown in  FIG. 5A , a side view of the cord winder  10   b  is shown in  FIG. 5B , and a top view of the cord winder  10   b  is shown in  FIG. 5C . The cord winder  10   b  is configured similar to the strap winder  10   a , with an exception that a spool  18  resides between handle assembly  16  and face plate  14 . The spool  18  facilitates convenient winding of cords and is described in more detail below. 
     A perspective view of the face plate  14  according to the present invention is shown in  FIG. 6 , a side view of the face plate  14  is shown in  FIG. 7A , a front view of the face plate  14  is shown in  FIG. 7B , and a top view of the face plate  14  is shown in  FIG. 7C . The face plate  14  includes a base  20  for attaching to the chest plate  12 , the bushing  24  for receiving the center shaft  20 , and the tubular handle  22 . The face plate  14  has an inward facing face  14   a  and an outward facing face  14   b  opposite to the inward facing face  14   a . The inward facing face  14   a  provides a boundary for either a strap wound onto the strap winder  10   a  or for the spool  18 . The faces  14   a  and  14   b  preferably are round or oval portions  13   a  with an attachment portion  13   b  extending from one side of the faces  14   a  and  14   b . The bushing  24  includes a passage  24   a  having a centerline approximately orthogonal to the inside face  14   a . An example of a suitable tubular handle  22  is a three inch long piece of one inch PVC. 
     The face plate  14  has a length of preferably approximately eight inches, a circular portion has a diameter of preferably approximately four inches, and a thickness of preferably approximately 5/16 inches. The bushing  24  has an outside diameter of preferably approximately 1¼ inches, an inside diameter of preferably approximately one inch and reaches a distance of preferably approximately 7/16 inches from the face plate  14 . The base  20  is preferably rectangular and has a width of preferably approximately four inches and a height of preferably approximately 1½ inches. 
     A perspective view of the chest plate  12  according to the present invention is shown in  FIG. 8 , a front view of the chest plate  12  is shown in  FIG. 9A , a side view of the chest plate  12  is shown in  FIG. 9B , and a top view of the chest plate  12  is shown in  FIG. 9C . The chest plate  12  includes two slots  26  allowing a belt, a harness, or the like to engage the chest plate  12  to carry the chest plate  12  near the user&#39;s chest or waist. A female extension  28  reaches out from the chest plate  12  for attachment of the face plate  14  to the chest plate  12 . While the chest plate  12  is a preferred apparatus for holding the face plate, any winder having the functionality of the winders  10   a  and/or  10   b  having any apparatus for carrying the winder is intended to come within the scope of the present invention. The face plate  14  is preferably attached to the chest plate  12  by a single fastener, for example, a screw, or a cotter pin, a spring loaded detent, or the like, passing through holes  29  in the female extension  28  and through the base  20  of the face plate  14 . 
     The chest plate  12  is preferably approximately six inches wide, eight inches high, and ¼ inches thick. The slots  26  are preferably approximately five inches deep and ¾ inches wide. The female extension  28  is preferably rectangular and has a height of preferably approximately 1½ inches and a length of preferably approximately 4⅜ inches. While a chest plate is herein disclosed having two slots for engaging a belt or harness, other chest plates may include closed slots, hooks, rings, screws, or the like for attaching the chest plate to a belt or harness, and a winder according to the present invention having any means for attaching a chest plate to a belt or harness is intended to come within the scope of the present invention. 
     A perspective view of a handle assembly  16  according to the present invention is shown in  FIG. 10 , a front view of the handle assembly  16  is shown in  FIG. 11A , a side view of the handle assembly  16  is shown in  FIG. 11B , and a top view of the handle assembly  16  is shown in  FIG. 11C . The handle assembly  16  includes the center shaft  20 , the sliding pin  32  reaching parallel to the center shaft  20 , an arm  36 , a knob  38 . The center shaft has a proximal end  20   a  next to the arm  36  and a distal end  20   b  opposite the proximal end  20   a  for insertion through the bushing  24  and tubular handle  22 . The proximal end  20   a  of the center shaft  20  is attached to the arm  36 . The arm  36  includes a shaft end  36   a  with increased thickness to attach to the center shaft  20 . The shaft end  36   a  is preferably approximately ¾ inches thick and has an internal bore sized for an interference fit to the center shaft  20 . The sliding pin  32  slides through the arm  36  at the shaft end  36   a , facilitating adjustment of the width of the strap winder  10   a.    
     The center shaft  20  is preferably approximately ⅞ inches in diameter and preferably approximately ten inches long and may be made from, for example, ⅞ inch PVC schedule 40 pipe. The sliding pin  32  is preferably approximately ¼ inches in diameter and preferably approximately 3.5 inches long and is preferably offset from the center shaft  20  by approximately ¾ inches. The centerlines of the center shaft  20  and sliding pin are separated by approximately ¾ inches resulting in an approximately 3/16 inch gap between the center shaft  20  and the sliding pin  32  for capturing an end of the strap. The knob  38  is preferably offset from the center shaft  20  by the arm  36  by approximately 4 7/23 inches. 
     A perspective view of the spool  18  according to the present invention is shown in  FIG. 12 , a front view of the spool  18  is shown in  FIG. 13A , a side view of the spool  18  is shown in  FIG. 13B , and a top view of the spool  18  is shown in  FIG. 13C . The spool  18  includes three parts, an inside disk  42 , a spool center  40 , and an outside disk  44  opposite the inside disk  42 . The inside disk  42  includes a slot  46  for engaging the end of a cord for holding the cord while winding the cord onto the spool  18 . The inside disk  42  also includes a notch (or passage)  50  for engaging the sliding pin  32  to cause the spool  18  to rotate with the arm  36 . The outside disk  44  includes a second slot  48  also for receiving the end of a cord. The slots  46  and  48  are preferably approximately ⅜ inches and approximately ¾ inches wide for receiving different sized cords. Either or both disks  42  and  44  may be solid or include cutouts  45 . 
     The disks  42  and  44  have a disk diameter of preferably approximately ten inches and thickness of preferably approximately ¼ inches, and the spool  18  is preferably approximately 5½ inches wide. 
     A detailed cross-sectional view of an inside facing center portion  44   a  of the disks  42  and  44  is shown in  FIG. 14 . The center portion has cylindrical bore  41  with diameter D 1  opening to a mouth  43  at a taper T. The diameter D 1  is preferably approximately ⅞ inches, the taper T is preferably approximately 30 degrees and provides self centering or aligning when the spool  18  is installed over the center shaft  20 . The center portion has a shoulder  45  having an outside diameter D 2  of preferably approximately 1¾ inches and a width W of preferably approximately one half inch. A square cross-section recess  47  is cut into the disks  42 ,  44  for seating the cylindrical spool center  40 , the square cross-section recess  47  is preferably approximately ⅛ inch deep and preferably approximately ⅛ inch wide. The disks  42 ,  44  are pushed onto the spool center  40  and retained by an interference fit. The disks  42 ,  44  and center  40  are preferably made from plastic. 
     The strap winder  10   a  is shown opened to accept a wider strap in  FIG. 15   a  and shown closed to accept a narrower strap in  FIG. 15B , and is shown with the spool  18  residing over the center shaft  20  in  FIG. 15C . A pin cap  33  resides on the inside end of the sliding pin  32  to resist or prevent the sliding pin  32  from being completely withdrawn from the arm  36 . The sliding pin  32  facilitates simple adjustment of the separation of the face plate  14  from the handle arm  36  to accommodate different width straps. The ability to adjust the width of the winder  10   a  allows winding tight and even coils which are not possible when a narrow strap is wound on a wide winder. Such tight and even coils are easier to store and to pay out for later use. The spool  18  may be placed over the center shaft  20  and the sliding pin  32  inserted through the notch  50  (see  FIG. 13B ) to couple rotation of the handle arm  36  with rotation of the spool  18 . 
     A perspective view of an unwinding handle  60  according to the present invention is shown in  FIG. 16 , a side view of the unwinding handle  60  is shown in  FIG. 17A , an end view of the unwinding handle  60  is shown in  FIG. 17B , and a top view of the unwinding handle  60  is shown in  FIG. 17C . The unwinding handle  60  includes a grip  64  and a hub  62  separated by a handle arm  66 . The hub  62  includes a passage  63  having an inside diameter providing an interference fit to the center shaft  20  so that center shaft  20  may be detached from the handle arm  36  and withdrawn from the face plate  14  and engaged with the unwinding handle  60  for releasing a strap or cord which was previously wound onto the center shaft  20 . 
     The unwinding handle  60  preferably has an overall outside radius of preferably approximately 7¼ inches and the grip  64  has an overall length of preferably approximately 5⅝ inches. 
     The spool  18  is shown on the unwinding handle  60  in  FIG. 18 . The center tube  20  is shown inserted into the passage  63  of the hub  62  of the unwinding handle  60  using the interference fit. The spool  18  slides over the center tube  20  with a loose fit allowing the spool  18  to freely rotate on the center tube  20 , and a cap  68  placed over the end of the center tube  20  to retain the spool  18 . The cap  68  and center tube  20  are preferably plastic and the cap is held on the center tube  20  by an interference fit, and more preferably, the cap  68  and center tube  20  are standard ⅞ inch schedule 40 PVC products. 
     While the chest plate  12  is described above to include two slots for engaging a belt or harness, the chest plate may also be attached to a belt or harness by other means including hooks, screws, bolts, and the like, and a winder having any means for carrying the harness on a user&#39;s body is intended to come within the scope of the present invention. Further, while dimensions of various elements of the winder are cited as preferred, those skill in the art will recognize that the dimensions may be scaled up or down as may be convenient for manufacturing or use and still come within the scope of the present invention. Further, while preferred materials are disclosed, those skill in the art will recognize that a winder may be made from a variety materials as may be convenient for manufacturing or use and still come within the scope of the present invention 
     While the invention herein disclosed has been described by means of specific embodiments and applications thereof, numerous modifications and variations could be made thereto by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention set forth in the claims.