Abstract:
A winder insert for a fish tape reel fits into a center opening of the fish tape reel and engages an inner periphery of the reel. The insert has an attachment member, which can be a multi-sided socket for example, that is engaged by a removable handle or lever member to rotate the insert and in turn the reel with respect to a reel handle grasped by the user so as to wind and/or unwind fish tape in the reel. In one preferred form, a roller clutch is pressed into a center opening of the insert about a drive shaft that is rotated by the handle. The handle and shaft can be rotated in one direction to engage the clutch and thereby rotate the reel. Rotating the winder handle in the opposite direction overruns the clutch so that the handle can ratchet back to the original position without unwinding the reel. The winder insert removably snaps onto the reel.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION  
       [0001]     This application claims benefit to U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/493,678 filed Aug. 8, 2003. 
     
    
     STATEMENT OF FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT  
       [0002]     Not applicable.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0003]     1. Technical Field  
         [0004]     The present invention relates to fish tapes of the type used by electricians to pull wire through conduit or other spaces, and more particularly to a device for winding the fish tape onto a reel assembly.  
         [0005]     2. Description of the Related Art  
         [0006]     A fish tape is a stiff but bendable wire, flexible rod or flat tape typically used to install wire in conduit, through existing walls, or other tight spaces. Because typical electrical wire is very flexible, pushing it through long lengths of conduit is virtually impossible. Pulling wire along the desired path is much more effective. In order to pull the wire, a fish tape, being more rigid than electrical wire, is first pushed along the desired path. Once an end of the fish tape reaches the end of the desired path, the electrical wire is attached to the fish tape end, and the fish tape is retrieved which pulls the wire with it.  
         [0007]     The fish tape is typically coiled inside of a reel assembly. For example U.S. Pat. No. 4,092,780 has a generally annular tape receiving chamber bounded at its periphery by a pair of opposed lips, which separate to permit winding and unwinding of the fish tape in the chamber. A handle having a tape passage is mounted between the lips, which provides passage of the tape out of and into the receiving chamber. This reel arrangement makes it somewhat difficult to wind and unwind the tape. Given the relative rigid and springy characteristics of the fish tape, coiling the fish tape can require significant force and can be time consuming and frustrating, particularly if the fish tape binds inside of the reel.  
         [0008]     U.S. Pat. No. 6,361,021 discloses a fish tape device having a similar structure as in the above patent. To facilitate winding of the fish tape, this reel assembly is adapted to be driven by a power drill or driver. In particular, it has a large gear attached to the rotatable part of the reel assembly. Another small gear is rotatably mounted to a fixed part of the reel assembly by an axle extending to the exterior of the reel assembly that can be engaged by a socket of the power driver. Operating the driver thus turns the small gear which meshes with the larger gear for winding the fish tape within the reel assembly. While this greatly aids in the winding process it requires a power drill, which is large, expensive, needs external power and may not be readily available at the job site.  
         [0009]     U.S. Pat. No. 6,224,038 discloses another solution to the winding difficulties associated with conventional fish tape reels discussed above. In this patent, the fish tape is contained in a cassette that loads easily into the main body of the reel. The cassette has its own handle for rotating the cassette relative to the reel body and thereby winding the tape. While this design provides significant benefits over conventional fish tape reels, the cassette feature adds expense and is generally designed for shorter length fish tape.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0010]     The present invention is a winder mechanism for winding and/or unwinding fish tape in a fish tape reel.  
         [0011]     Specifically, the present invention provides a winder insert for a fish tape reel that is rotatable about a center axis relative to its handle to wind or unwind fish tape about an inner periphery of the reel. The insert engages the reel and has an attachment member that can be engaged by a lever member to rotate the winder insert about the center axis. Rotation of the winder insert in turn rotates the reel about the center axis so as to revolve the fish tape about the center axis.  
         [0012]     When the lever member is linked to the attachment member, rotating the lever member in a first direction, for example a winding direction, rotates the winder insert in that direction and rotating the lever member the opposite direction, for example an unwinding direction, rotates the winder insert that opposite direction. Alternatively, the winder insert can include a ratchet or clutch mechanism so that when the winder insert turns when the lever member is rotated in the first direction and does not turn when the lever member is rotated in the opposite direction. Thus, for example, the winder insert could be used to wind the fish tape onto the reel by turning the lever clockwise and unwind the fish tape from the reel by turning the lever counter-clockwise, or the winder could be used just to wind or unwind the fish tape using a ratchet action.  
         [0013]     Preferably, the lever member removably engages the attachment member in a stud and socket arrangement. The attachment member can be an axle or shaft rotatably disposed along the center axis within a center opening of the winder insert. The shaft can be disposed within a clutch having an outer surface fixed with respect to the winder insert.  
         [0014]     In one preferred form, the clutch is a conventional drawn cup roller clutch having a plurality of rollers that contact the periphery of the shaft. The rollers are free to spin when the shaft is rotated in one direction, with very little torque required to overrun in the one direction, but bind against interior ramped surfaces in the clutch when the shaft is rotated in the opposite direction. And, preferably the shaft has a socket concentric with the center axis that receives a drive stud of the handle, which is secured to the shaft by a threaded fastener. The shaft can have sockets formed in both opposite ends such that the handle can be mounted to either side for alternate left hand or right hand operation.  
         [0015]     In still other preferred forms, the sprocket section of the hub has a plurality of sprocket-like structures, preferably three spaced around the center axis at equal angles, sized to engage mating surfaces at the inner periphery of the reel. These sprockets define concave surfaces abutting convex surfaces at the inner periphery of the reel. The winder mechanism is preferably removably mounted to the reel with the reel disposed between the winder handle and the winder hub flange. Spring tabs on the winder can clip onto the reel assembly housing to hold the winder in place. Deflecting the spring tabs allows the winder insert to be removed from the reel quickly and easily.  
         [0016]     These and still other advantages of the invention will be apparent from the detailed description and drawings. What follows are preferred embodiments of the present invention. To assess the full scope of the invention the claims should be looked to as the preferred embodiments are not intended as the only embodiments within the scope of the invention. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0017]      FIG. 1  is a front perspective view of a fish tape winder insert according to the present invention;  
         [0018]      FIG. 2  is a rear perspective view thereof;  
         [0019]      FIG. 3  is an exploded perspective view thereof;  
         [0020]      FIG. 4  is a side plan view thereof;  
         [0021]      FIG. 5  is an opposite side plan view thereof;  
         [0022]      FIG. 6  is an end view thereof;  
         [0023]      FIG. 7  is an end cross-sectional view taken along line  7 - 7  of  FIG. 4 ;  
         [0024]      FIG. 8  is a sectional view similar to  FIG. 7  with the winder insert mounted to a fish tape reel assembly shown in phantom;  
         [0025]      FIG. 9  is a side plan view of the fish tape reel assembly and winder insert;  
         [0026]      FIG. 10  is an end view thereof;  
         [0027]      FIG. 11  is a rear perspective view thereof;  
         [0028]      FIG. 12  is a front perspective view thereof; and  
         [0029]      FIG. 13  is a rear perspective view of the fish tape reel assembly and another embodiment of the winder insert in which its hub defines openings that allow the user to manually grasp grips at the inner periphery of the reel assembly. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0030]     The drawings referenced herein illustrate a preferred version of a winder insert  20  for a fish tape reel assembly  22  (preferably as shown in  FIGS. 9-12 ). Referring to  FIGS. 1-6 , the primary components of the winder insert  20  include a plastic hub  24 , a plastic winder handle  26 , a steel shaft  28  and a roller clutch  30 . All of these components are assembled so as to be disposed along and/or concentric a center axis  32 , shown in  FIG. 2 .  
         [0031]     The hub  24  has main sprocket section  34  defined by a peripheral wall  36  configured to define three concave sprockets  38  interposed at equal 120 degree angles between three less concave and longer spanning sections  40 . The radii, length and width of the sprockets  38  and spanning sections  40  are selected in order to fit within a central opening, and thereby engage an inner periphery  44 , of the fish tape reel assembly  22 , as will be discussed below. The peripheral wall  36  is braced by interior ribbing and spokes  46  that join a generally cylindrical inner hub  42 . Formed into the middle of the sprocket sections  38  are three spring tabs  48  having radially extending catches  50  formed at their free ends which extend axially further than the rest of the peripheral wall  34  for engaging a surface of the fish tape reel assembly  22  at or near the inner periphery  44  thereof. At one side of the peripheral wall  36  (opposite the free ends of the spring tabs  48 ) is a peripheral flange  52  having generally the same contour as the peripheral wall  36  albeit of a having a larger overall dimension in the radial direction (perpendicular to the center axis  32 ). Again, the configuration and overall dimension of the flange  52  is dependent upon the inner periphery  44  of the fish tape reel assembly  22 , although the flange  52  is sized larger than the inner periphery  44  so that it cannot pass completely through the center opening of the reel assembly  22 .  
         [0032]     Referring to  FIGS. 3, 7  and  8 , the inner hub  42  defines a cylindrical opening  54  concentric with the center axis  32  in which is insert molded a steel hub bearing  55 . Secured to the hub bearing  55 , by press-fit or any other suitable engagement method, within the center opening  54  is the roller clutch  30 . The roller clutch  30  is preferably a Torrington drawn cup roller clutch assembly, commercially available from The Timken Company of Canton, Ohio, as part number FCB- 30 . Generally, the roller clutch  30  has a cylindrical cup or ring containing several cylindrical steel rollers that are free to rotate when turned in one direction and which wedge against ramped interior surfaces when biased in the opposite direction so that they are prevented from rotating. The rollers bear against an outer diameter of the shaft  28  so that when the shaft  28  is rotated in one direction about the center axis  32  the rollers will spin freely and when the shaft  28  is rotated in the opposite direction the rollers will bind and cause the hub  24  to rotate about the center axis  32  along with the shaft  28 . The shaft is retained in the center opening  54  within the roller clutch  30  by a pair of washers  56  secured to each end of the shaft  28  by two snap rings  58  clipped into grooves in the shaft  28 . The shaft  28  defines two identical hexagonal sockets  60 , one at each end. Each socket  60  is sized to receive a hex stud  62  formed at one end of the winder handle  26 , which is secured to the shaft  28  by a threaded fastener  64  threaded into a threaded bore  66  of the shaft  28 , the head of which is preferably concealed by a snap-on plastic cap  68 .  
         [0033]     The winder handle  26  angles back from the hex stud  62  and then straightens to form a hand grip  68  which is spaced from and generally parallel to the fish tape reel assembly  22  when the winder insert  20  is mounted thereto. The hand grip  68  has a plurality of rib features to reduce the amount of material required to make the winder handle  26  without sacrificing its structural integrity.  
         [0034]      FIGS. 9-12  illustrate the winder insert  20  mounted to a preferred fish tape reel assembly  22 . The preferred reel assembly  22  is described in detail in a co-pending application entitled “Ergonomic Fish Tape Reel” co-owned by the assignee of the present invention and hereby incorporated by reference as though fully set forth herein. Generally, however, the reel assembly  22  includes four components, namely, two annular housing halves  70  and  71  which are bolted together so as to slidably capture therebetween an interior portion of a split ring or shoe (not shown) of a reel handle  72 . The reel handle  72  defines a forward leaning ergonomic pistol grip  74  that is located at an aft side of a vertical center line  75  (see  FIG. 11 ) passing through the reel assembly  22  at the center of a hook feature  76 . The housing halves  70  and  71  and the reel handle  72  define a passageway and exit aperture  78  through which passes in a generally horizontal direction (perpendicular to the vertical center line  75 ) an end  80  of a fish tape  82  wound inside of an annular cavity formed between the housing halves  70  and  71  where the other end (not shown) of the fish tape  82  is anchored. The fish tape  82  is preferably an elongated flat flexible metal tape. The reel handle  72  extends generally along a chord of the reel and is oriented to be grasped by one hand of a user in a generally straight horizontal wrist position while the winder handle  26  is grasped by the other hand of the user.  
         [0035]     As shown, the winder insert  20  fits into the center opening  42  of the reel assembly  22  from one side so that the hub  24  is disposed inside the inner periphery  44  of the reel assembly  22  such that the concave sprocket sections  38  cup convex stops  90  and the spanning sections  40  cup interior grips  92 . The peripheral flange  52  will abut the side of housing half  71  and the spring tabs  48  will “snap” over and clip onto an edge of the inner periphery  42  at the opposite housing half  70  to retain the winder insert  20  to the reel assembly  22 . It can be removed simply by deflecting the spring tabs  48  inwardly and separating the components. Since the shaft  28  has two sockets  60 , the winder handle  26  can be mounted to the hub  24  as shown in the drawings in which case the winder insert  20  must be tipped so that the winder handle  26  can pass through the center opening  42  before the hub  24  is inserted. In this arrangement, a user grasps the grip of the winder handle  26  with his or her left hand and grasps the pistol grip  74  of the reel handle  72  with his or her right hand, which is ergonomically designed to allow for a straight wrist and horizontal forearm position, as shown in  FIG. 9 . Or, the winder handle  26  can be mounted on the opposite side of the hub  24  simply by removing the cap  68  and threaded fastener  64 , moving the winder handle  26  to the opposite side of the reel assembly  22  and reattaching the fastener  64  and the cap  68 . In this case, the user would grasp the grip of the winder handle  26  with his or her right hand and the grip of the reel handle  72  with his or her left hand (again with a straight wrist and forearm). The roller clutch  30  remains in the same orientation regardless of the winder handle  26  position.  
         [0036]     The fish tape reel and winder assembly is preferably used by manually pulling the free end  80  of the fish tape  82  away from the reel assembly  22  to unwind the desired length of fish tape  82 , and the free end  80  of the fish tape  82  is guided along the desired path by the user. To retrieve the wire and/or store the fish tape  82 , the fish tape  82  is wound back within the reel assembly  22  by grasping the reel handle  72  and holding the reel assembly  22  generally stationary with the wrist held straight and the forearm parallel to the ground. Then, the user pulls back on the winder handle  26  with the other hand, which is originally generally vertical in a neutral position of operation, moving it in a circular path toward the user&#39;s body at the top of the stroke, counterclockwise in the drawings, so as to rotate the housing parts  70  and  71  in this direction. Since the fish tape  82  is anchored to the housing this action winds the fish tape  82  inside of the reel assembly  22 . The winder handle  26  can be spun in one or more complete revolutions to wind the fish tape  82 , however, preferably it is pivoted about 120 degrees and then ratcheted back in the opposite rotational direction, which as discussed above disengage the shaft  28  from the roller clutch  30  and does not rotate the reel assembly housing with respect to the reel handle  74 .  
         [0037]     It should be noted that the roller clutch of the winder insert could be replaced with a bidirectional clutch or ratchet mechanism in which the ratchet direction can be changed, preferably by changing the position of a switch or lever on the mechanism. In this case, the winder insert could be operated to engage and rotate the reel assembly housing in both rotational directions so that the winder insert could also be used to unwind the fish tape.  
         [0038]      FIG. 13  shows an alternate embodiment of the winder insert  20 A that includes the same components as described above except that the hub  24 A has a different configuration designed to provide openings  100  allowing the user to grasp interior grips  92 A of the reel assembly  22 A without removing the winder insert  20 A. In particular, here the winder hub  24 A is not defined by a continuous peripheral wall, but rather by three angularly spaced concave sprockets  38 A without any spanning sections joining them (as above). Like before, here the radii, length and width of the sprockets  38 A are selected in order to fit within the central opening  43 A and engage the inner periphery  44 A of the fish tape reel assembly  22 A. The sprockets  38 A are joined by spokes  46 A to a circular inner hub  48 A housing the roller clutch and the shaft. Like above, the middle of the sprockets  38 A are formed with spring tabs  48 A having catches  50 A formed at their free ends which extend axially further than the rest of the sprockets  38 A for engaging a surface of the fish tape reel assembly  22   a  at or near the inner periphery  44  thereof. At the opposite side of each sprocket  38 A is a flange  52 A for engaging the side of the reel assembly  22 A in much the same way as the peripheral flange described above.  
         [0039]     This winder insert  20 A operates in the same manner as described above, however, it gives the user the option of using either the winder insert  20 A or the interior grips  92 A to wind the fish tape without having to first remove the winder insert  20 A from the reel assembly  22 A.  
         [0040]     It should be appreciated that merely preferred embodiments of the invention have been described above. However, many modifications and variations to the preferred embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art, which will be within the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, the invention should not be limited to the described embodiments. To ascertain the full scope of the invention, the following claims should be referenced.