Patent Publication Number: US-6336578-B1

Title: Wearable cord holder

Description:
RELATED PATENT APPLICATION 
     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/139,613, filed Jun. 17, 1999 and entitled “Wearable Cord Holder”. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to clips and holders worn on the body, and more particularly to a cord holder that attaches to clothing and holds a tool cord such that its lengths in front of and behind the holder can be easily selected and maintained constant after being selected. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Various patents have taught the use of cord clips to be attached to clothing of the user. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,155,298, to Brown, describes a clip especially designed for electrical hair clippers. The clip is attached to a front pocket of a barber smock. The cord rests in a “saddle” formed by the clip. U.S. Pat. No. 5,758,809, to Bonner, describes a cord holding harness. The cord is slung over the user&#39;s shoulder and attaches to a clip at the user&#39;s back. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     One aspect of the invention is a cord holder that attaches to an article of clothing and holds a cord for hand-held equipment. The cord holder has two vertical loops, one horizontal loop, and a hook. The first vertical loop is inserted inside a portion of apparel, such as a belt or pocket, worn by the user. This first loop is generally flat so that it may rest against the user&#39;s body when so inserted. The second vertical loop is in a plane adjacent the plane of the first loop, and attaches outside the portion of apparel. The two vertical loops each have a top edge and a bottom edge, such that the first loop and the second loop may form a clip over the portion of apparel by pushing the bottom edges of the loops over opposing sides of the portion of apparel. The horizontal loop is attached to and extends outwardly from the second loop in a plane perpendicular to the first and second loops. The hook first extends upwardly from the horizontal loop in substantially the same plane as the second loop, and then extends outwardly from the second loop. After the cord holder is attached to the user, the user grabs a bight of cord and pushes or pulls it into the horizontal loop and over the hook. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 illustrates a cord holder in accordance with the invention. 
     FIGS. 2-4 illustrate the process of making the cord holder of FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 5 illustrates the cord holder in use, attached to a back pocket of the user&#39;s pants. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     FIG. 1 illustrates a cord holder  10  in accordance with the invention. Although the dimensions of cord holder  10  may vary depending on the type of equipment with which it is used, for a typical application, cord holder  10  is approximately 4 inches high, six inches wide, and 2 inches deep. 
     A feature of the invention is that cord holder  10  is constructed from a single piece of rod-like material. In the example of this description, the material is a solid metal rod having a round cross section. Other materials could be used, such as plastic. The material could be tubular rather than solid. The cross section could be rectangular or oval. However, regardless of the type of material, a common characteristic is that it that it may be formed in the shape illustrated and after being thus formed, remains substantially rigid. 
     Cord holder  10  has several basic parts, identified as a back vertical loop  11 , a front vertical loop  12 , a horizontal loop  13 , and a hook  14 . During manufacture, cord holder  10  may be formed by shaping a rod to form these parts in the order listed. In FIG. 1, the ends of the rod are identified as A and B. Depending on the type of material used to construct cord holder  10 , protective caps may be placed at these ends. 
     In the example of this description, the “shaping” is accomplished with known metal working techniques. Other techniques, such as molding, could be used. 
     FIGS. 2-4 illustrate how cord holder  10  may be formed from a single rod beginning at end A. The process could be reversed, so that the manufacture begins at end B. The one-piece construction of FIGS. 2-4 is not necessary to the invention; remarks set out below in connection with the structure of cord holder  10  are relevant if cord holder  10  is made from more than one piece of material. 
     As illustrated in FIG. 2, the back vertical loop  11  is formed by bending the rod in a closed loop, leaving end A pointing upwardly and generally meeting at end A. In the example of FIG. 2, the loop is generally a rectangle with rounded ends, but other closed shapes could be used. The “loop” could even be triangular. 
     FIG. 3 illustrates how front vertical loop  12  is next formed by extending the free end of the rod downwardly to from the area of end A to point C, then making a complete loop back to point C. As is the case with loop  11 , loop  12  could have a variety of closed shapes. The bottom portions of loops  11  and  12  are slightly offset by a distance, D 1 . As explained below, during use of cord holder  10 , the bottom edges of loops  11  and  12  are pushed over opposing sides of a pocket or belt. In the example of FIG. 3, loop  12  extends slightly below loop  11 , but this relationship could be reversed. 
     Loops  11  and  12  are closely placed against each other in adjacent vertical planes. As explained below in connection with FIG. 5, they form a structure analogous to a “paper clip”, permitting cord holder  10  to be attached to a pocket, belt, or other apparel. Their flat structure permits them to rest against the user&#39;s body when the cord holder  10  is attached. 
     As illustrated in FIG. 4, horizontal loop  13  is formed by bending the rod to form a loop in a plane perpendicular to that of loops  11  and  12 . Loop  13  begins and ends generally at point C, and extends outwardly from loop  12 . In FIG. 4, loop  13  extends outwardly from the bottom edge of loop  12 , but in other embodiments, loop  13  could be raised slightly with respect to loops  11  and  12 . 
     Referring again to FIG. 1, hook  14  is next formed by bringing the free end of the rod upward and then outward. In the example of this description, hook  14  is formed “inside” loop  12  by bringing the rod behind point C, but it could also be formed by bringing the rod in front of point C. An advantage of the method shown is that hook  14  is closely spaced against loop  11 , which, as explained below, ensures a secure point of attachment for a cord during use. The vertical portion of hook  14  ends generally in the same area as the top half of loop  12 . 
     For the 4×6×2 cord holder dimensions described above, a typical width of loops  11  and  12  might be 1½ inches. Distance D 1  might be ¼ to ½ inch. Loop  13  might be 2 inches wide, and hook  14  might extend outwardly a distance of 1 inch. Loop  11  is illustrated as being slightly smaller than loop  12 , but this relationship could be reversed, and their sizes may be more different to some extent. 
     FIG. 5 illustrates cord holder  10  attached to a user&#39;s back pants pocket  51 . In the example of FIG. 5, cord holder  10  is used to hold an electrical power cord  52  for a power tool. However, the uses of cord holder  10  are varied—it may be also be used to hold air hoses for air tools, as well as other types of cords, tubes, or lines for other hand-held equipment. In general, cord  52  may be thought to have a “slack” end that goes from cord holder  10  to the hand-held equipment, and a “pull” end that goes from cord holder  10  to a power source, such as an electrical outlet or air compressor. 
     Loop  11  is inside the pocket, whereas loop  12  is outside. Close spacing of loop  11  against loop  12  ensures a snug fit. Ideally, cord holder  10  is made from a material sufficiently flexible to permit loops  11  and  12  to separate slightly to fit over pocket  51 . The same is true if cord holder  10  is used on a belt, harness, or other apparel. In general, cord holder  10  may be attached to any article of clothing, which has a thin flat strap or flap worn against the user&#39;s body, the strap or flap having a lip or edge over which the clip formed by loops  11  and  12  may be pushed. Ideally, the article of apparel to which cord holder  10  is attached fits snugly to the body, so that, as explained below, movement of the user&#39;s body easily translates to pull-along motion of the pull end of cord  52 . Regardless of the type of apparel, loop  11  is “inside” relative to loop  12 , that is, loop  11  is against the user&#39;s body. 
     The back of horizontal loop  13  and of hook  14  both rest against the user&#39;s body. Thus, loop  13  and hook  15  extend outwardly from the user&#39;s body. 
     In operation, the user may easily grab cord  52  and form a small bight. The user then pushes this bight up into loop  13  and over hook  14 . The cord is now secured behind hook  14  against the users body. The bight of cord  52  is inside horizontal loop  13 . Each end of loop  13  acts as a “stop” for the cord  52  as the user operates the tool, taking at least some tension off hook  14  if cord  52  is pulled in either direction. Thus, the bight of cord  52  is secured in cord holder  10  by both hook  14  and loop  13 . 
     With regard to the “slack” end of cord  52 , the user may easily select the section of cord  52  that is to form the bight to be brought into cord holder  10 . In this manner, the user selects a desired length of cord  52  between cord holder  10  and the equipment. This selected length has a desired amount of slack. During use of the equipment, cord holder  10  maintains this length between cord holder  10  and the tool. This ensures that the user has sufficient length to freely use the tool but that there is not too much excess cord so as to interfere with use. Once cord  52  is attached to cord holder  10 , the “pull” end of cord  52  remains behind the user, out of the way of the equipment. Because of the secure attachment of the cord  52  within cord holder  10 , the length of the source end is maintained constant. As the user operates the equipment and moves from place to place, cord holder  10  permits the user to pull the cord along, without creating tension on the equipment. Cord holder  10  is especially useful for construction equipment where the use must handle heavy equipment and must have a fairly large range of travel. The user&#39;s lower body does the work of pulling the cord, rather than the user&#39;s arms and hands. 
     Attachment of the cord within cord holder  10  is as simple as grabbing a bight of cord, and pulling or pushing it into loop  13  and over hook  14 . The cord may be easily detached or adjusted. 
     OTHER EMBODIMENTS 
     Although the present invention has been described in detail, it should be understood that various changes, substitutions, and alterations can be made hereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.