Abstract:
A retracting extension cord reel includes a mounting bracket, a housing bracket removably and pivotally attached to the mounting bracket, and a cord reel housing attached to the housing bracket. When the mounting bracket is attached to a mounting surface, the housing can be moved toward and away from the mounting surface. When the housing bracket is detached from the mounting bracket, the housing bracket can be used as a handle for carrying the housing to a remote location. The cord reel is particularly useful for powering small appliances and electrical tools, and can incorporate a resettable circuit breaker.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates generally to an electrical extension cord reel. More specifically, the present invention relates to an automatically retracting cord reel configured specifically for use with small appliances, electrical tools and the like which reel can be mounted for use in a specific location and easily removed from its mounting place and used remotely. 
     Take-up reels for managing the use and storage of electrical extension cords are known. Such reels consist basically of a spool rotatably affixed to a structural component whereby the spool is manually or automatically rotated to wind an extension cord thereabout. Typically, such automatic reels employ a variety of spring and ratchet mechanisms for maintaining the cord in the extended position and rewinding the cord onto the spool when it is no longer needed. Such reels are particularly useful in industrial or commercial settings such as automobile repair shops, machine shops, carpentry shops and construction sites. They permit workers to readily access electrical power as needed for the operation of portable electric tools, test devices, and trouble lights at various locations remote from an existing power outlet. In addition, the use of extension cord reels makes it possible to use only pigtails, short electrical cords, on the various electrical tools and devices thereby simplifying the movement and storage of the electrical tools and devices themselves. 
     While exterior designs may vary, retracting electric cord reels basically comprise a spool mounted on a shaft supported for rotation on a bracket or housing, a cooperating ratchet and pawl to arrest the rotation of the spool when the cord has been paid out to a desired length, a spring for rotating the spool in a direction to rewind the cord when the ratchet and pawl are disengaged and an electrical power input means including a commutator connected between a male plug extending from the housing and the extension cord wound on the spool. Such devices are shown, for example, in the U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,619,518; 3,715,526; and 3,808,382. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention concerns a retracting extension cord reel assembly configured specifically for use with small electrical appliances and tools. 
     The reel assembly according to the present invention includes a mounting bracket for attaching the reel to a mounting surface for use in a fixed location. A housing bracket is removably and pivotally attached to the mounting bracket and a cord reel housing is integral to the housing bracket. The housing can be pivoted between positions adjacent the mounting surface for storage when not in use and an extended position for use. The mounting surface typically can be the underside of a wall cabinet, a wall between upper and lower kitchen cabinets, or even inside a cabinet. 
     The housing bracket is detachable from the mounting bracket and forms a handle for carrying the reel housing to another location. A resettable circuit breaker is incorporated into the housing and connected between the extension cord with a female socket and a pigtail with a male plug. 
     One object of the invention is to provide a retractable cord reel configured to provide maximum usefulness in the kitchen environment. 
     Another object of the invention is to provide a retractable cord reel that is configured to be stored out of sight and that can easily be moved to a remote location as needed. 
     Still another object of the invention is to provide a retractable cord reel that can be relocated to other fixed positions or detached and used separately from its mounting bracket. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The above, as well as other advantages of the present invention, will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment when considered in the light of the accompanying drawings in which: 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a retractable cord reel apparatus in accordance with the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a right side elevational view of the cord reel apparatus shown in the FIG. 1 removably attached to a mounting surface by a mounting bracket; 
     FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the mounting bracket shown in the FIG. 2; 
     FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the mounting bracket shown in the FIGS.  1 - 3 ; and 
     FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the second base segment of the mounting bracket shown in the FIGS.  1 - 4 . 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     There is shown in the FIGS.  1 - 2  an automatically retracting electrical extension cord reel assembly  10  including a cord reel housing  11 , a mounting bracket  30  and a housing bracket  13  integral to the housing and removably attached to the mounting bracket. In the FIG. 2, the assembly  10  is shown mounted on a surface  14  extending in a generally vertical plane. Although the FIG. 2 is designated a “right side” elevational view, the assembly  10  can be mounted on any suitable surface in any orientation. Therefore, these designations and any following orientation references are relative and in no way intended to limit the positioning of the apparatus  10  according to the present invention. 
     The cord reel apparatus  10  includes conventional electrical cords for connection between a source of power, such as a wall outlet, and an electrical device to be powered. These cords are shown only in the FIG.  2  and include a retractable extension cord  15  having a female electrical socket  16  connected to a free end thereof and a fixed pigtail  17  having a male electrical plug  18  connected to a free end thereof. The extension cord  15  extends through an opening  19  (see the FIG. 1) formed in the housing  11  and is wound upon a spool (not shown) rotatably supported in the housing on an axle  20 . The pigtail  17  is of a length sufficient to reach from the housing  11  to a nearby electrical outlet. For example, the pigtail  17  can be about fifteen inches long and the plug  18  can be a conventional two prong, polarized type. The electrical connection between the extension cord  15  and the pigtail  17  is made by conventional commutator (not shown) in the housing  11 . Typical spools, axles, rewind springs, ratchet and pawl mechanisms and electrical connections are shown in the U.S. Pat. No. 3,715,526 and the U.S. Pat. No. 4,726,538, both incorporated herein by reference. 
     The housing  11  is formed of a pair of generally cup-shaped shells, a right hand shell  21  and a substantially mirror image left hand shell  22 . The shells  21  and  22  are formed of a suitable material such as molded ABS flame-retardant plastic and are retained together by a plurality of integral locks. The left hand shell  22  has a plurality of threaded fasteners  23  received in apertures  24  spaced about a periphery thereof. Each of the fasteners  23  releasably engages a corresponding one of a plurality of internal blind holes (not shown) spaced about the periphery of the right hand shell  21 . The fasteners  23  function as releasable locks holding the shells  21  and  22  together. 
     Also present on the exterior of the shells  21  and  22  are a plurality of generally hemispherical supports  25  formed by bumping out portions of the side walls of the shells  21  and  22  at uniformly spaced points adjacent the peripheries thereof. For example, three of the supports  25  are equally spaced on the right hand shell  21  and two of the supports  25  are formed on the left hand shell  22  opposite two of the supports on the right hand shell. A portion  26  of the side wall of the left hand shell  22  extends outwardly and radially to form a passage for the pigtail  17  inside the housing  11  and is open at the periphery of the housing to provide an exit for the pigtail. The portion  26  is opposite the third support on the right hand shell  21  and also functions as a support. Such supports serve to elevate the cord reel housing  11  above the ground when the housing is used detached from the mounting bracket and placed on one side or the other. 
     The cord reel housing  11  has an integrated handle portion  13 . The integrated handle portion  13  includes a pair of opposing generally cylindrical posts  27  and  28  (as shown in FIG. 2) that permit the cord reel housing  11  to be pivotally attached to the mounting bracket  30  in a removable manner. The integrated handle portion  13  permits the cord reel case to be easily transported to locations remote from the mounting bracket  30 . 
     The mounting bracket  30  is shown in more detail in the FIGS.  3 - 5 . The bracket  30  has a generally elongated, planar base with a transversely extending arm at either end thereof. The base is formed from a first base segment  31  and a second base segment  32 . The first base segment  31  is connected to a first mounting arm  33  extending generally perpendicular from one end the first base segment  31 . The first mounting arm  33 , contains a first socket  34 . The second base segment  32  is connected to a second mounting arm  35  extending generally perpendicular from one end of the second base segment  32  and generally parallel to the first mounting arm  33 . The second mounting arm  35  contains a second socket  36 . The first socket  34  and the second socket  36  are each configured to correspond in size and shape with one of the opposing posts  27  and  28 . 
     As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the first base segment  31  is a generally planar body  40  having a cavity  41  formed therein that is open at the end of the first base segment opposite the arm  33 . The second base segment  32  comprises a generally planar body configured to slide into the cavity  41 . The second base segment  32  has a catch  42  formed thereon for engaging a stop aperture  43  extending from the cavity  41  to the exterior of the body  40 . The catch  42  locks the second base segment  32  and the first base segment  31  in a position such that the posts  28  and  27  are rotatably engaged in the first socket  34  and the second socket  36  respectively. In order to remove the cord reel housing  11  from the mounting bracket  30 , the catch  42  is deflected inwardly to disengage from the aperture  43  and permit the second base segment  32  to be slideably disengaged from the first base segment  31 . 
     The mounting bracket  30  can be secured to any convenient surface  14  using screws or other fastening means through apertures (not shown) in the first base segment  31 . Alternatively, the mounting bracket can be mounted on the surface using a self-stick adhesive material such as a conventional double-sided tape. The mounting bracket  30  can be formed from any suitable metal or plastic material such as high impact ABS or a polycarbonate plastic. 
     The cord reel apparatus  10  according to the present invention can include a resettable circuit breaker that is connected between the extension cord  15  and the pigtail  17 . Such a circuit breaker may be mounted inside the housing  11  with a reset button exposed at any convenient location. 
     The mounting bracket  30  permits the cord reel housing  11  to be mounted in a variety of convenient locations. For example, the cord reel housing could be mounted in a kitchen, workshop, or garage on a vertical wall surface, between upper and lower cabinets and shelves, on the underside of upper cabinets, or inside cabinets. In any of these locations, the housing  11  may be oriented in one position for storage pivoted on the posts  27  and  28  to rest flat against the mounting surface, and in another for use position pivoted away from the mounting surface. 
     The assembly  10  also can be mounted inside a lower kitchen cabinet to completely hide it from view. Current garbage disposal units typically are designed to plug into standard duplex electrical outlet boxes located inside most lower kitchen cabinets below the sink where the disposal is installed. It is very convenient to plug the pigtail  17  into the same outlet box and mount the assembly  10  inside the cabinet on the cabinet wall or on the exposed kitchen wall. 
     Because the cord reel housing  11  can be easily removed from the mounting bracket  30 , the housing  11  becomes a portable cord reel. When, for example, a worker needs an extension cord at a remote location, the cord reel housing according to the present invention can be unplugged if necessary, removed from the mounting bracket  30 , carried to the desired location, plugged in and used, and then returned to the mounting bracket  30 . 
     In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, the present invention has been described in what is considered to represent its preferred embodiment. However, it should be noted that the invention can be practiced otherwise than as specifically illustrated and described without departing from its spirit or scope.