Abstract:
Embodiments of the present invention relate generally to a device for maintaining a cable in place or otherwise securing, capping, shielding, or guarding a cable. In one embodiment, the cable retention unit is used to secure or guard a cable in place in a seat actuator or other cable-containing component.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/720,231, filed Oct. 30, 2012, titled “Cable Retention Unit,” the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    Embodiments of the present invention relate generally to a device for maintaining a cable in place or otherwise securing, capping, shielding, or guarding a cable. In one embodiment, the cable retention unit is used to secure or guard a cable in place in a seat actuator or other cable-containing component. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    Aircraft seats are designed to have various reclining positions. These reclining positions are generally provided by a recline cable that activates the seat&#39;s recline hydraulic actuator. The cable is a part of a cable system that includes a push button, a cable, a spring, and an actuator head. When the passenger presses the push button, the cable is pulled, which lowers the actuator head. Lowering of the actuator head presses the release on the hydraulic actuator. After the push button is pressed, the spring installed under the actuator head returns the actuator head to its original position. Upon pressing the release on the hydraulic actuator, the passenger is able to recline his/her seat, or return it to the upright position. An example of such an actuator head is shown in  FIG. 2 , and its position in a seat is shown in  FIG. 18 . 
         [0004]    The ability to recline a passenger seat greatly enhances passenger comfort, particularly on longer flights or in economy seats, where space is limited. However, it is also important that the seat can reliably move to its upright position for taxi, take-off, and landing in order to comply with aviation safety regulations. 
         [0005]    One problem with existing seat designs is that when the button is pressed and the actuator head is moved, the cable can possibly be dislodged from the actuator head. If the cable becomes dislodged, the push button will be rendered incapable of activating the actuator head. In this instance, the passenger can no longer recline the seat, nor return the seat to the original upright position. This can create a safety concern as well as a regulation hazard if the seat becomes stuck in the reclined position. This can also result in maintenance delays for the aircraft, which can increase airline expenses. 
         [0006]    Other components that secure or hold cables in place may experience similar slippage or dislodging. For example, a fiber optic cable may need to be secured in place. Other cables may be secured in an open-ended receiving component and held in place or otherwise secured only by friction. 
         [0007]    There may be other instances when it is desirable to guard a cable or otherwise provide a cap to protect or shield a cable from environmental conditions or hazards, such as corrosion, temperatures, or other factors. There may be other instances when it is desirable to provide a shield for a cable to protect others in the vicinity of the cable. Such cables would benefit from the cable retention unit described herein. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY 
       [0008]    Embodiments of the invention described herein thus provide a solution to prevent a cable from dislodging from a cable-holding unit. In a specific embodiment, there is provided a solution to prevent a recline cable from dislodging from an actuator head. Embodiments may also provide a guard, shield, or cable protector. The devices described herein may also be used in connection with a seat component cable or any other component cable. The devices may be used to retrofit a current seat in order to secure a cable in place, or they may be used on newly-manufactured seats in the original manufacturing process. In a particular embodiment, it has been found that by attaching the described cable retention device to a recline cable assembly of an aircraft seat, the recline cable is prevented from dislodging from the actuator head. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0009]      FIG. 1  shows a perspective view of one embodiment of a cable retention unit. 
           [0010]      FIG. 2  shows a side plan view of a recline cable assembly without a cable retention unit in place. 
           [0011]      FIG. 3  shows a side perspective view of an actuator head of the recline cable assembly. 
           [0012]      FIG. 4  shows a side view of a recline cable of the recline cable assembly. 
           [0013]      FIG. 5  shows a front plan view of the recline cable assembly of  FIG. 2 . 
           [0014]      FIG. 6  shows a top plan view of the recline cable assembly of  FIG. 2 . 
           [0015]      FIG. 7  shows a side plan view of a recline cable assembly with a cable retention unit in place. 
           [0016]      FIG. 8  shows a front plan view of the recline cable assembly of  FIG. 7 . 
           [0017]      FIG. 9  shows a top plan view of the recline cable assembly of  FIG. 7 . 
           [0018]      FIGS. 10A-10C  show a front view of a cable retention unit being positioned on an actuator head of a recline cable assembly. 
           [0019]      FIGS. 11A-11C  show a rear view of a cable retention unit being positioned on an actuator head of a recline cable assembly. 
           [0020]      FIG. 12  shows a front perspective view of one embodiment of a cable retention unit. 
           [0021]      FIG. 13  shows a side plan perspective view of one embodiment of a cable retention unit. 
           [0022]      FIG. 14  shows a bottom plan perspective view of one embodiment of a cable retention unit. 
           [0023]      FIG. 15  shows a rear plan perspective view of one embodiment of a cable retention unit. 
           [0024]      FIG. 16  shows a front plan view of one embodiment of a cable retention unit. 
           [0025]      FIG. 17  shows a top plan view of one embodiment of a cable retention unit. 
           [0026]      FIG. 18  shows a perspective schematic view showing a cable retention unit in place on an aircraft passenger seat. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0027]    Embodiments of the present invention provide a cable retention unit  10 . The unit  10  has an attachment component  12  and a portion  14  extending from the attachment component. As shown in  FIG. 1 , the attachment component  12  may have an attachment opening  16  that is bound by side flanges  18 . This configuration allows the unit  10  to expand to fit over an end of the area to be guarded or protected. Although side flanges  18  are shown with a lower opening  20  therebetween, it is possible for the attachment component  12  to have a solid base. 
         [0028]    Extending into the body of the attachment component  12  is a small channel  22  for receiving a cable portion. The channel  22  in the back side of the unit  10  allows the installer to clear the recline cable. This channel  22  may be shaped and configured so that it allows a cable portion to slide therein. In the embodiment shown, the channel  22  has side walls  24  and terminates at a channel stop  26 . Channel  22  is shown as having a generally straight outline with a U-shaped border, but it may curved, J-shaped, C-shaped, or any other configuration. Curved channels may provide various locking configurations to be possible, if desired. 
         [0029]    Extending from the attachment component  12  is a portion  14 . This portion  14  generally begins at the channel stop  26  and provides a downward hood  28 . In a specific embodiment, the downward hood  28  limits a recline cable from dislodging from the actuator head. For example,  FIG. 2  shows an exemplary recline cable assembly  30  for an aircraft seat. The primary components for purposes of this discussion are the actuator head  32  and the recline cable  34 . The actuator head  32  is shown in  FIG. 3 , and the recline cable  34  is shown in  FIG. 4 . The actuator head  32  has an opening  36  into which the recline cable  34  fits. Providing the opening  36  in the actuator head  32  is believed to ease manufacturing of the actuator head  32 , because otherwise, the cable would need to be formed and positioned during manufacturing. With the current configuration, the recline cable  34  is positioned into the opening  36  after the two components have been machined. As shown in  FIG. 2 , the recline cable  34  is wedged into opening  36 . 
         [0030]    However, this wedging is not always secure enough to reliably and consistently ensure that the recline cable  34  does not dislodge from opening  36 .  FIGS. 5 and 6  show front and top views of the assembly  30  without the unit  10  in place. These figures illustrate how the cable  34  could potentially dislodge from the actuator head  32  from opening  36 . 
         [0031]    Accordingly,  FIG. 7  shows a cable retention unit  10  in place on the recline cable assembly  30 . Specifically, the attachment component  12  is positioned over the end of the assembly  30  so that the attachment opening  16  receives the end of the actuator head  32 . The channel  22  receives the recline cable  34 . In use, the recline cable  34  is guided and retained by the side walls  24  and abuts the channel stop  26 . The downward hood  28  then wraps around the recline cable  34 . This configuration can help protect or guard the cable. This configuration also helps prevent the recline cable  34  from dislodging from the opening  36 , as the downward hood covers opening  36 . The fit of the attachment component  12  of the unit  10  as it is positioned over the assembly  30  is desirably secure enough that the unit does not slip or budge from its position once placed. 
         [0032]      FIGS. 8 and 9  show front and top views of the assembly  30  with the unit  10  positioned. The downward hood  28  wraps over the cable  34  and secures the opening  36  of the actuator head  32 . This prevent slippage of cable  34 . 
         [0033]      FIGS. 10A-10C  show the steps of positioning the unit  10  onto the assembly  30  and illustrate the lack of tools needed. The user simply slides the unit onto the end of the assembly  30 . The recline cable  34  is caused to be secured in channel  22 . If provided, the side flanges  18  slightly extend out such that they can receive the actuator head  32  and provide an internal pressure to maintain the unit  10  in place.  FIGS. 11A-11C  show a rear view of the unit  10  being positioned.  FIGS. 12-17  show varying views of the cable retention unit  10 . 
         [0034]    In one embodiment, the unit  10  is made from a rigid plastic. The material may be selected such that it has a small amount of flexibility in order position the unit  10 , but is rigid enough that maintains the unit  10  securely in place. It is desirable that the unit  10  maintain its position even upon a pulling action of the recline cable. In other embodiments, the unit  10  may comprise metal, silicone rubber, any commercial plastic, any injection moldable plastic, polyethylene or UHMWPE, or any other material. The unit may be formed as an integral, one-piece unit. Alternatively, the unit may be provided as multiple components that are welded or otherwise secured together. The manufacturing process is dependent only upon manufacturing consideration and restrictions. The unit may be self-retained and installable without any tools. The cable retention unit  10  is designed such that installation requires no hardware or adhesives to install or retain. The unit may be snap-fit onto the assembly. The unit generally has no detrimental effects to the adjustability of the recline cable assembly. If adjustment is needed, the cable can be adjusted with the unit in place. In an alternate embodiment, the unit  10  may be removed, the cable adjusted, and the unit replaced. In the specific embodiment shown, the unit prevents the recline cable  34  from dislodging from the actuator head  32 . 
         [0035]    In other embodiments, the cable retention unit may be used to snap onto any opening from which a cable or other cord or rope may slip. For example, the embodiment disclosed may find use in the fiber optic cable industry, in the marine industry, in the home craft industry, or in any other instance when a cable cap is needed. 
         [0036]    Changes and modifications, additions and deletions may be made to the structures and methods recited above and shown in the drawings without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention and the following claims.