Abstract:
The invention relates to a wire management device ( 1 ) for organizing a group of wires wherein each wire ( 5 ) is held separately so that placement, wire selection, and retrieval of individual wires is facilitated without disturbing other wires in the assembly; the invention can be used as part of a system of like devices, arranged sequentially, that prevents tangling of the wires and organizes them along a desired length without the use of conduit or supports, although the device can also be used in conjunction with a variety of support means ( 20 ). The invention is configurable to be fixable to panels or sheet material for applications in office systems and aerospace, and can be fashioned into an assembly to organize wire into compact spools ( 80 ). The invention is configurable as a strap that can be formed into a compact assembly when the two ends are fastened together to form a compact device for wire management, and can be attached around table legs, ducts, etc.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     Wire management solutions are required to organize wiring and cabling for electronic equipment and networks for utilitarian and aesthetic purposes. Wire management is a broad domain involving organizing wire to makes access and identification easier, bundling or grouping wires to make a compact and neat assembly to prevent tangling or potential damage to stray wires, and improving overall appearances. Generally the wires are physically directed and supported by the solution. Wire management also involves in some applications protection of the wire or integrity of the power or communication lines through housing the wires or providing strain relief from tension placed on a wire. The dual functions of utility and aesthetics are generally met in the same solution.  
         [0002]     Applications of wire management solutions are found for home entertainment and computers, for office networks on or within office furniture, wall and flooring systems, and for the transportation industry, will special consideration for aerospace. Generally, requirements are met through the use of conduit, typically either extruded plastic or bent sheet metal, that run the entire length of the wire groups, through the use of racking systems, typically made of bent metal rod or wire stock, and through the use of grommets or clips for wire pass through in walls, panels, bulkheads, tables, and the like, or to support to a surface.  
         [0003]     Conduit is specifically intended to encase wires in a housing to offer protection and to guide runs of wire along their length between points. In addition, conduit generally hides the wire, making neater appearances. Conduit is often inexpensive, but to be effective it should cover the wires at all points along their length, therefore a lot of conduit is required. Typically, a wire must exit the conduit at some point at its terminals to connect to equipment and sockets, so coverture is generally not complete. Conduit is problematic in that it is labor intensive to install, sometimes requiring heavy equipment for cutting and shaping, and it is generally difficult to make neat connections between joints with it, especially if they are oriented in different directions. The use of special joint parts facilitates jointing but adds extra cost and inventory. Installation location of conduit is typically dependant on it being attached to something like walls or within furniture panels. Conduit also bundles wire groups, which causes tangling of wires that make wire selection and retrieval difficult. Due to its enclosure, access to wires within conduit creates difficulties where frequent installation and removal of wire occurs. When no longer required at a location, due to renovations for example, conduit is generally not re-used or recycled and adds a lot of waste to landfills. In addition, conduit is generally considered to be as unattractive as disorganized wires. Its usefulness applies to applications where long term protection of undisturbed wire groups is required in concealed or out-of-view locations.  
         [0004]     Racking systems made of bent wire stock, injection molded plastic or extruded elastomer are generally used in light duty applications and are typically mounted on the underside of office desks or within network cabinets. They typically function to support wire groups or bundles in trays or frames that offer light, uncovered protection by keeping wiring off floors or away from areas where abrasion or pinching can occur, such as between the back of a desk and a wall or away from network cabinet doors. In some instances in network applications, wires are individually supported near terminals to guide a wire from a terminal to a certain wire group where they are bundled together and directed to a location. In other instances, extruded channels hold wires individually in sets within fixed runs of determined length. Racking systems help to make wire management neat and organized, but are limited to localized support at specific locations where they are mounted to. Wires that must pass to locations where racks are not available must do so unsupported and therefore without a means for management. Racking systems are generally bulky and unattractive as well, and as a result are generally never placed on a working surface, such as an office desk, laboratory table, or assembly table where electronic and power equipment is used.  
         [0005]     Wire management grommets, bushings, fairleads and clips are generally used in pass through applications where wiring passes through a hole, or aperture, in a support structure typically in a form of sheet material like tables or bulkheads to offer support, protection from edges in support structure, strain relief, isolation, or a combination thereof. The grommet collects groups of wires and typically provides a form of protective lip or guard at its extremities to prevent cutting or abrasion on the wires from edges at the aperture in the sheet material. Bushings may offer an element of strain relief for a single wire when fixed to a support structure. In some cases clips are used as a spacer or protective barrier to keep wires off the walls of the interior of a support structure in pass through applications such as in a bulkhead or through conduit, or to insulate them from touching any other surface in general as in high voltage lead applications. Some wire clips also support a number of wires individually to keep them from touching each other as well. Most clips require a combination of parts to achieve this result or must be inserted into a support structure or grommet to provide the clamping pressure required to keep the wires in the assembly and to keep the assembly supported in general; this is especially true of applications that provide a positive connection with the wire to provide strain relief. Some permit deflection of the body material to allow access of a wire into a hole fashioned with the intention to support a specific wire. Wire management grommets and clips are now typically injection molded, inexpensive parts that are removable, re-usable, and recyclable that are capable of organizing or supporting wires at specific locations, that may provide an element of strain relief or isolation of wires, but otherwise provide no protection to a wire along its length with the exception of restraining or supporting a wire at points that may prevent damage to the lengths between them by restricting contact to physical elements in the surrounding environment.  
         [0006]     None of the inventions disclosed in the cited patents are intended to accomplish the task of wire retention of multiple wires in individual wire holes in a compact device fashioned specifically to manage a group of wires to organize them, prevent tangling and facilitate installation, selection and retrieval of individual wires without disturbing the assembly of other wires to the device or requiring disassembly or de-installation of the device, where the wire management device and wires at the device are made into a compact assembly unsupported by other means. Moreover, in all cited patents showing incidences where the material at the point of entry to those devices providing a passage to a hole of predetermined size intended to support a single wire and a method of capture of that wire, and the material surrounding the hole is integral, that is one and the same, the deflection of the body material permits only a specific diameter of wire, with allowances for tolerance, into that hole that would provide also some from of gripping or clamping pressure, or permit as well at most a very limited range of smaller diameters of wire that would be supported loosely with no element of gripping, strain relief or positive connection between the device and the wire that would prevent them from moving in relation to one another. This lack of prior art is true also of a modular system of multiple instances of such devices that provide wire management along specific lengths of wire groups without the use of support means, conduit, racking or some other channeling.  
       SPECIFICATION  
       [0007]     The invention disclosed herein was designed with the intention to accomplish the task of wire retention of multiple wires in individual wire holes of predetermined size fashioned specifically to manage a group of wires to organize them, prevent tangling and facilitate installation, selection and retrieval of individual wires without disturbing the assembly of other wires to the device or requiring disassembly or de-installation of the device, where the wire management device and wires at the device are made into a compact assembly unsupported by other means, as claimed in claim  1 . The invention provides a passage to a hole of predetermined size intended to support a single wire and a method of capture of that wire within an integral body of material that would prevent, by virtue of static friction, them from moving in relation to one another, as disclosed in claim  1 ; the deflection of the body material at flanges within the hole permitting the entry of wires of any size smaller than the hole to be gripped by this material, therefore providing a condition of positive connection between the device and the wire essential for retention of this wire at the device is disclosed in claim  2 . An assembly of multiple instances of such devices provides wire management along specific lengths of wire groups without the use of support means, conduit, racking or some other channeling is claimed in claim  3 . These features form the essence of the art disclosed herein. These features are significant since the assembly of wires to the devices functions to provide wire management without conduit or support means external to this assembly, therefore the directions the wire assembly is directed toward is not dictated by the fixed position of conduit or support means, and the modular nature of the devices in this assembly permit multiple wire groups to come together or branch off at any point in the assembly. Further dependent claims disclose a variety of support means, installation applications and procedures, and configurations that further the usefulness of the invention and broaden its application.  
         [0008]     The wire management device and system and/or configuration of devices disclosed herein were designed to provide a solution for effective and aesthetic wire management. The preferred embodiment of the device is a single entity integrally made of pliable material, such as thermoplastic elastomer, to permit elastic deformation of the device body or features on the device that are both temporal and impermanent; these deformations allow the entry of wires into wire holes of predetermined size in the device, deformations which afterwards relax to a neutral state, holding the wires within. The neutral state is defined herein as the state or orientation of features in the device as they were at manufacture and that the device maintains or returns to without the presence of external forces. The addition of pliable flanges extending from the wire holes provides a measure of positive connection to a range of wire diameters.  
         [0009]     The device may be fashioned with variations in design, and in a variety of colors and translucencies, to make the product attractive both at point of purchase and in use. Color may be employed at discreet portions around wire holes to code the wire holes to discriminate the wires within them. Other signifiers like symbols may also be employed for the same. The material may be fashioned in a variety of durometers to impart stiffness or softness, or stickyness, depending on requirements of application and the specific features may have specific durometers that can be facilitated by the process of co-injection, overmolding or assembly, or stiffness variation imparted by thickness of material as fashioned. Where requirements for specific durometers, or degrees of hardness and stiffness, are met in an embodiment that requires co-injection, overmolding or assembly, certain portions like the general device body can be made of relatively stiffer and harder material, such as polypropylene (an olefin), and other portions that require deflection and elastic properties as disclosed in this specification can be made of softer, more pliable material, such as thermoplastic olefin, a variant of thermoplastic elastomer that shows excellent molecular adhesion to other olefins such as polypropylene. An embodiment of the device would be a compact form such as a disk or plate. In other embodiments, the device can be fashioned from pliable material such as nylon or polyester strapping with fastening-straps, wherein the pliable material binds around a wire to contain and positively hold it. Furthermore, the device may be fashioned as a linear series of components, fastened together, or an integral linear line with appended wire holes and adjacent portions.  
         [0010]     Features of the wire management device disclosed herein are considered novel and effective because they allow the organization of a group of wires in an compact assembly by individually introducing each wire into a wire hole, likewise permitting individual selection and retrieval, that holds the wire in the device by static friction through the interference fit of the pliable material of the device at the wire hole and the wire. Static friction is defined herein as the forces that act between the surfaces of the wire and those at the wire hole on the device that prevent the wire and device from moving relative to each other while at a state of rest within the assembly. Interference fit, alternatively described as friction fit, is defined as the assembly of a wire to the device, wherein the wire causes a degree of elastic deformation of the material at the wire hole, creating forces than act circumferentially around a wire to hold that wire in place; it is a cause of static friction. The properties of pliable materials such as thermoplastic elastomer also cause a grip effect to the wire, especially when the wire is also encased in elastomeric material, since the use of these materials create incidences of molecular attraction and a vacuum seal to the wire that increase static friction as defined herein.  
         [0011]     These wire holes of predetermined size may also feature flanges at the holes to grip the wires to permit the same use of static friction to hold a wire smaller in diameter than the actual hole and, being made of the same pliable material as the device body at the wire holes although generally thinner, these flanges may flex to accommodate a range of wire diameters no larger than the nominal diameter of the predetermined hole. The friction fit holds the wires to the device, such that the device supported by the wires may hang freely in a determined position on the wires without sliding, and likewise provides strain relief of the wires to the device in a configuration where the device is supported by other support means. Support means can generally be fastened to a central hole in the device deployed either by inserting support means into the hole by deforming the pliable material surrounding the hole or by means of a passage to the hole whereby support means an enter from a perimeter of the device to be fastened to the hole. In other embodiments the support means can fastened to the device around the perimeter of the device.  
         [0012]     The wire management device may also be used in a modular system of wire management devices arranged sequentially along a group of wires to form an assembly that prevents the wires from tangling, as each wire is held in each device in a dedicated hole. The system is considered modular in that the number of like devices required to perform the tasks of wire management and support may vary depending on need, and is flexible to permit changes in the number to reflect changes in need.  
         [0013]     In the application of wire management where the devices are not supported by external support means or encased in conduit, the group of wires and the devices work together to make wire management and organization possible: The devices guide and hold the wires individually, but together in a compact order; the group of wires support the devices, the orientation of which dictates the location of the devices. What is significant is that the invention can accomplish wire management without the use of fixed conduit, support or channeling of any kind, which affords a greater degree of flexibility and therefore application as a result of the wire group not being forced into a direction determined by a those entities; the wire groups are free to be oriented in any direction.  
         [0014]     The use of the invention is not limited to applications where the device is unsupported, however; a number of support means are disclosed to allow the device to be fixable to tables, extruded channels, grommets, apertures within sheet material, and the like. Typical fasteners are used to fix the device to support means or support structures, such as screws, adhesive tapes, rivets, or snap-fits. It is likely that an assembly will consist of a mixed environment of supported and unsupported devices, as requirements dictate.  
         [0015]     The assembly of devices to the wire group can be of any length. The length of this assembly is determined by the number of devices used and the distance between them, which are all choices made by an individual making the assembly and as such allows flexibility of the application so that the assembly can be adjusted to meet external constraints or user desire. These external constraints can be accommodated in varying degrees of success by the number of devices used in the modular system, and therefore in function of management and support of wires the number of devices is adjustable to meet the degree of success required. These constraints include, but are not limited to, controlling wire deviation in general and catenary specifically, number and position of support means, number of supported devices required to hold a group of wires of a certain weight (as each supported device also shares a portion of the weight of the wire group), number of wires to number of wire holes (more devices with predetermined numbers of wire holes may be required at a location to accommodate the number of wires as seen at a cross-section of that location), and budget. The modular nature of the assembly of devices allows an individual to acquire a specific number of devices for use in this assembly that perfectly suits the requirements of the task.  
         [0016]     In some cases the number of devices will affect the degree of effectiveness of the assembly. While an individual device will provide wire management, a greater number of devices will increase the grouping effect and decrease wire deviation the closer the devices are brought together; in effect the assembly will provide a flexible wire group held together as if in a tube, but without any actual conduit or other enclosing means. When these devices are supported, the greater number of them and their close proximity will reduce catenary effect on the wires caused by gravity. The closer the devices are placed in proximity to one another along a group of wires, the less those wires will experience sag from a catenary effect or otherwise deviate from the hypothetical center line that runs through the centers of the devices that support the wires. An individual can adjust quantity and proximity of devices to reach a satisfactory level of grouping, or controlled deviation, in the assembly. An additional control method is to locate the wire holes at two different relative diameters on alternate devices so that the wires are pre-stressed in tension in a truss formation to keep a wire group taught, reducing catenary and wire deviation caused by outside forces.  
         [0017]     If these devices are also supported to a support structure by support means, the greater number of devices will also increase strain relief on the wires, especially important when forces are applied to the assembly, such as they might experience when G-force is applied in an aerospace application. However, more devices also increase weight and cost of the assembly which may also be a critical factor; the difference is seen as a tradeoff between potentially positive and negative factors, but a solution may be found by the quantitative, modular nature of the invention that can produce measurable qualitative results.  
         [0018]     The devices can be made to be more robust with features to increase strain relief by adding flanges or wire supports to the device at the wire hole such that fewer devices are needed to provide the same amount of strain relief than a device without these features. This would be useful for certain applications such as in aerospace where the reduction in number of devices means important weight savings.  
         [0019]     The assembly of wires can also have branches that deviate from any portion along the grouping of wires; wires can enter or exit the assembly at any point without any alteration of the form or features of the devices as manufactured and intended. The sequence of devices does not necessitate a linear arrangement, and devices can be fixed to any wire or wires that form a group at any point on those wires, such that a wire group could split into sub-groups that are directed in different directions and individual wire management devices in the system can be fixed to any of the sub-group branches of a wire group. A simple illustration of this is a single grouping of wires that is split into two branches to make a ‘Y’, each of the three arms of that assembly being a sub-group of wires that are held separately by wire management devices. Individual wires can be transferred from one group to another. In this manner can the system of devices accommodate the arrangement of wire groups with extensive tributaries and estuaries, as might be found on or within furniture panels in office systems. The device also accommodates this organization without special directional joints between devices as components of this wire management system.  
         [0020]     Another application of the invention is to use two such devices fastened to a standoff between them to serve as a form of spool to wind excess wire around. The wire simply snaps into a wire hole in one device, is wound around the standoff, and is snapped into the device on the other side, providing enough static friction to keep the wire wound on the spool. This wire spool may be used independently or as part of a wire-grouping system.  
         [0021]     Another embodiment of the invention is a wire management device comprising of a strap whereupon along its length are wire holes at intervals, surrounded by the same pliable material as the main body of the invention fashioned as curved-arms extending from the main body of the strap whereupon a passage to the hole is fashioned by the two arms of the strap coming into proximity of each other. The fastening ends of the straps can be brought together and fastened thereto by a number of fastening means, such as by rivet, nut and bolt, Velcro, or by snap-fit boss and hole made out of the same pliable material in the preferred embodiment. A ratcheting rack and pinion system as employed by tie-wraps may also be employed, whereupon one end having a rack of ridges insertable into a ratchet housing internally comprising a flexible member that deflects as the ridges of the other end pass through one way but locks the two ends in place should the two ends be made to pull apart. When the straps ends are brought together to form the compact assembly, the wire holes may be positioned on either the inside or outside of the assembly, however in either case by bringing the two ends together a central hole is formed that can be used to fasten around an object in the environment as support means as described and disclosed above. An embodiment fashioned with all of the wire hole positioned on one side of the strap can be wrapped around a table leg, or a air duct, to make an assembly of the strap supported by objects in the environment as a form of skeletal conduit, whether it be in an office at a desk, or overhead along duct-work, for example. When the wire holes are positioned to the interior in the assembly of the strap, the assembly becomes very compact and could serve as a bundler of wires that also isolates each one for ease of selection and retrieval. As a strap, an embodiment of the device is formed from pliable thermoplastic or elastomer as with most of the embodiments, however this embodiment can also be fashioned from fabric, such as nylon or polyester strapping, and is especially beneficial to be fashioned from elastic stretch fabric, comprising of a portion of Lycra or the like, such that the wire-hole strapping can expand to greater degree to allow a broader range of wire diameters that could be positively held by the wire holes. In any case, embodiments comprising of fabric would have as a fastening means at the entrance of the passage to the wire holes a fastening-strap fashioned from Velcro or like hook and pile fastening means, wherein such fastening means can be comprised of the same material of the wire management device at manufacture. The fastening-strap is deployed as a means for holding a wire within a wire hole and cinching the wire tight within the wire hole, but can be loosened to accommodate a broad range of wire diameters. As a fabric, each wire-hole strapping can be fashioned from material of a different color, stitched to the main strap body, to permit ease of identification of individual wires held by the invention. In another embodiment, the entire wire management device strap, wire-hole strapping, and fastening-strap is formed from the same length of material comprising of fabric with both positive and negative fastening means (such as hook and pile means like Velcro) on opposing sides of the fabric strap, such that during manufacture a length of the stock material can be looped together and stitched at the base of the loop, whereupon the loop is cut to form the wire-hole strapping and fastening-strap together in a single entity. A succession of these operations would form a flower appearance in final assembly when the two ends of the wire management device as a strap are fastened together into a closed assembly as described.  
         [0022]     An improvement of the fabric strapping material would be a integral bead of pliable elastomeric material formed on a surface of the strapping at the wire-hole strapping to allow a greater degree of friction to the wire held within the fastening-strap and wire-hole strapping and to support means held within the central hole of the assembly of the two ends of the strap of the invention. The elastomer is advantageously deformable to allow tighter contact with the wire and allow a greater degree of wire diameters to be held in place within the wire hole.  
         [0023]     The wire management device may also be comprised of components that, when assembled, comprise a wire management device and/or system. The device may take a linear form, following the lines of the wires, and yet remain compact in terms of diametrical space around a collection of wires. Each component, comprising of at least one wire hole and associated portions, would be fastenable to an adjacent component by means such as a snap-fit bead inserted into a snap-fit cavity on the other. Such a snap-fit assembly would permit the assembly of components to flex, aided by the pliable nature of the material, to allow installation to follow a non-linear course, such as around corners. Likewise, even flat devices may be fastened together with stand-offs in a similar fashion to control their orientation to one another.  
         [0024]     In summary, the device provides a broad range of wire management solutions that are aesthetic and effective and configurable to a number of requirements. The device accomplishes wire management minimally with no bulky parts and organizes wire groups neatly without needing to hide or enclose the wires. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION  
       [0025]     A wire management device as illustrated in  FIG. 1  is comprised of a device body  1  comprising of a compact form, such as nominally flat, compact disk or plate, or group of branches fashioned or connectible together to form the device body  1 , shown here as a compact disc with portions made of pliable material, a plurality of discreet wire holes  2  of predetermined size nominally disposed near a perimeter  3  of the device body  1  with narrow passages  4 , narrower than the width of a wire  5  (shown as a section), between the perimeter  3  and each of the wire holes  2  such that the wire  5  may be forced to pass through a narrow passage  4 , causing elastic deformation of the pliable material at the narrow passage  4 , and be connectible and held circumferentially by a wire hole  2  by act of static friction between the surfaces of the wire  5  and the pliable material at the wire hole  2 , wherein the pliable material deformed at the narrow passage  4  returns to a relaxed neutral state to further hold the wire  5  in the device by barring the narrow passage  4  to the wire  5  by virtue of it being narrower than the width of the wire  5  when in the neutral state, the plurality of wire holes  2  devised to hold individual wires  5  separate from each other to organize them and likewise hold the device body  1  in suspension on the wire  5  or wires  5  by the static friction. A flange  6  or flanges  6  extending from a hole perimeter  7  of a wire hole  2 , directed toward the center of the wire hole  2  and nominally more thin and pliable than the general device body  1 , act to hold a wire  5  smaller in diameter than the wire hole  2  by static friction, the flange  6  or flanges  6  being pliable enough to permit their elastic deformation  6 ′ to accommodate a range of wire diameters not larger than the diameter of the wire hole  2  or the diameter permitted by the elasticity of the hole perimeter  7  at wire hole  2 .  
         [0026]      FIG. 2  depicts another embodiment of the device without the presence of flanges  6 , in which the plurality of discreet wire holes  2  is comprised of a range of wire hole  2  diameters to permit wires of different diameters to be attached and benefitting from a measure of elastic deformation at the hole perimeters  7  to permit static friction of the material at the hole perimeter  7  to the wire  5  inserted therein. In such a configuration, the wire hole  2  diameters would typically be fashioned to match standard wire gauges, the sizes of which would be predicted by the application of the device. Chamfered or rounded edges at the perimeter entrance  4 ′ to a narrow passage  4  facilitates entry of a wire into the device body  1  in that the notch at the perimeter entrance  4 ′, created by the chamfering or rounding of the edges, permits a wire to register thereto in a funnel-like manner and permits the wire to be pushed into said narrow passage without slipping against an otherwise uniform perimeter  3 . Due to the simplicity and lack of small details, the composition of the device as represented in  FIG. 2  would benefit die-cut manufacturing.  
         [0027]     As depicted in  FIG. 3 , the wire management device can be used as part of a system comprising a plurality of the wire management devices arranged sequentially along an assembly of wires  5  such that each wire  5  of the assembly at portions of its length is held individually by the devices at the wire holes  2  for organization purposes to prevent tangling of the wires  5  that therefore facilitates identification and allows a wire  5  to be added or removed from the system without interfering with the organization or assembly of other wires  5  connected to the system, thereby achieving wire management without the use of conduit.  
         [0028]      FIG. 4  depicts an embodiment of the invention wherein the modular nature of the devices permits the system of devices to be comprised of multiple wire groups wherein wires  5  are exchanged from devices in one group to devices in another group to cross-link the wire groups. A joiner  93  may be employed to connect the devices together to maintain a certain organization and reference to each other. The joiner  93  would typically connect to a device body  1  at a support hole  34  by fastening means shown as a snap-fit bead  94  comprising an extremity of the joiner  93  in  FIG. 4  that passes through the support hole  34 , and as the bead  94  is larger than the support hole  34  it causes elastic deformation of the material thereto, arriving to the posterior side of the device body  1  locked in place having passed through the support hole  34 .  
         [0029]     The invention can be manufactured by several different processes to achieve desired features and material properties, both as an integrally manufactured, one-part device, or as an assembly of parts. Injection molding thermoplastic elastomer is the preferred process of manufacture however the invention can also be fashioned by die-cutting pliable material or extruding thermoplastic elastomer, as depicted in  FIG. 5 . Each method employs procedures and designs that enable the pliability of discreet features to be controlled so that some are more pliable, whereas others may be stiff. Some elastomers are sticky to the touch and as such may be employed to provide strain relief of a wire  5  (shown as a section) within a wire hole  2  by imparting a greater degree of static friction between these features. Pliable materials employed in die-cutting may include rubber, neoprene, or any other cast, extruded or expanded foam sheet material.  
         [0030]     One method of controlling pliability of discreet features is to vary part thickness, as depicted in  FIGS. 1, 2 ,  3 ,  4 ,  7 ,  11 ,  19 ,  20 ,  21 ,  27  through  38 , and  42  through  44 . A wire management device can comprise a device body  1  of varied thickness to permit thinner portions such as flanges  6  to be pliable, such as to allow elastic deformation of the narrow passage  4  to permit entry of a wire  5  to a wire hole  2 , and other, thicker portions to be rigid to make a device body  1  that provides support of the wires  5  captive at flanges  6  extending from the thicker material at hole perimeters  7 . In die-cut and extruded parts, the variance in thickness can only occur as shaped in a die and in directions perpendicular to forces used in manufacture, as depicted in  FIG. 5 . Injection molding can employ variance in material thickness within the mold cavity.  FIGS. 1, 5 ,  19 , and  20  show the deflection  6 ′ of flanges  6  caused by elastic deformation when a wire is inserted within a wire hole  2 .  FIG. 8  shows elastic deformation of a hole perimeter  7  when a wire  5  is inserted within a wire hole  2  that does not have flanges wherein the wire hole  2  was fashioned to match the gauge of the wire  5  to permit an element of static friction between them.  
         [0031]     Varying material durometers, as permitted by the injection molding processes of co-injection and overmolding, permit portions of lower durometer  91  to be pliable (generally below durometer 80 Shore A), such as to allow elastic deformation of the narrow passage  4  to permit entry of a wire  5  to a wire hole  2 , and other portions of higher durometer  92  to be more rigid (generally above durometer 80 Shore A), to make a device body  1  that provides support of the wires  5  at the wire holes  2 , as depicted in  FIG. 6 .  
         [0032]     Controlling pliability may also be possible by making an assembly of parts as depicted in  FIG. 7 , wherein the device body  1  comprises a rigid frame of material with a plurality of keyholes  8  near the perimeter  3 , the keyholes  8  being narrow near the perimeter  3  and wider toward the center  9  of the device body  1 , to permit the assembly of wire holders  10  made of pliable material thereto, each of the wire holders  10  fashioned in the shape of a keyhole  8  with a fastening channel  11  around the wire holder perimeter  12  to be fixable within the keyholes  8  by deforming portions of the extremities of the channels  11  of the wire holders  10  while inserting it into place within the keyholes  8  wherein the deformed portions will return to a neutral state, each of the pliable wire holders  10  comprising the features of the narrow passage  4 , the hole perimeter  7  and portions extending therefrom, such as flanges  6 .  
         [0033]     The invention may also exhibit other features to help provide greater degrees of wire capture and strain relief.  
         [0034]     To improve wire capture and retention,  FIG. 8  depicts an embodiment of the invention wherein the narrow passage  4  does not extending radially from the adjacent wire hole  2  with a clear view of the center  13  of the wire hole  2  such that it provides a measure that prevents a wire  5  (shown as a section) from being forced out of the wire hole  2  by a force perpendicular  14  to an axis  15  corresponding to the center  13 .  
         [0035]     To improve strain relief,  FIG. 9  depicts an embodiment of the invention wherein a pliable wire support  16  extending from a wire hole  2  at a portion of its hole perimeter  7 , extending nominally parallel to the axis  15  of the wire hole  2 , is intended to further support a portion of a wire  5  located in the wire hole  2  to prevent pressure being placed on a narrow portion of the wire  5  at the hole perimeter  7  of the wire hole  2  should a force be exerted on the wire  5 , and to provide greater surface contact between the wire  5  and the device to provide more static friction, serving to provide a degree of strain relief.  
         [0036]      FIG. 10  depicts a wire support  16  that extends from the perimeter  3  of the wire hole  2  in a conic fashion toward the axis  15  to provide a narrow sleeve nominally smaller in diameter than the wire  5 , the insertion of the wire  5  therein causing elastic deformation of the wire support  16  to create a circumferential force on the wire  5  that increases static friction and functions to grip the wire  5  to provide a greater degree of strain relief. The wire supports  16  can be fashioned with relief slits  17  to separate portions of wire supports  16  so as to functions as flanges  6  to permit ease of deflection as required.  
         [0037]     The invention can also be employed to isolate a wire  5  or wires  5  from its surrounding environment. As depicted in  FIG. 11 , the device is restable on a surface  18  by the edge of the perimeter  3 , the device providing a measure to prevent a wire  5  from coming into contact with the surface  18  or objects in the surrounding environment by providing necessary distance at the perimeter  3  of the device between the surface  18  or objects and wire  5  within the wire hole  2 .  
         [0038]     Although the preferred embodiment of the device permits effective usage without any external support means  19 , other embodiments may employ features so the invention can interface with support means  19  fixable to a support structure  20 , or directly to support structures  20  themselves; the term support means  19  is used herein to be inclusive of support structures  20  as well. The various forms of support means  19  fixable to support structures  20  utilize fastening elements such as screws, rivets, adhesive tapes, and suction cups, and these can be used interchangeably depending on application and mating surface properties. As depicted in  FIG. 12 , support means  19  can be an integrally fashioned part of the invention; support means  19  depicted as a foot  21  that descends from a portion of the perimeter  3  of the device that is fixable to a surface  18  on a support structure  20  by fastening means such as a screw that passes through a mounting hole  22  in the foot  21 .  
         [0039]     As depicted in  FIG. 13 , the invention can be configured to be mountable to an aperture  23  (or hole) in a support structure  20  such as sheet material. The aperture is circumferentially connectible to the device within a channel  24  integrally disposed around the perimeter  3  of the device and be fixable thereto, the device pliable enough to allow elastic deformation of sidewalls  25  on one side of the channel  24  to pass through the aperture  23  and to relax into a neutral state on the posterior side  26  of the aperture  23 , whereby the support means  19  at the aperture  23  is held between sidewalls  25  on both sides of the channel  24  circumferentially.  
         [0040]      FIG. 14  depicts added means for strain relief, wherein a portion of the material at the perimeter  3  near an entrance  4 ′ to a passage  4  to a wire hole  2  of the device is deflected inwards when the device is inserted into the aperture  23  creating clamping pressure to the wire  5  within the wire hole  2  that adds a high measure of strain relief.  
         [0041]      FIGS. 5 and 16  show a wire management device fixed to support means  19 , installed in an aperture  23  of a support structure  20  through the procedure as described in the text correlating to  FIGS. 13 and 14 .  FIG. 15  shows a perspective view of the installation,  FIG. 16  is a section view I-I of this installation, showing the aperture  23  captive between sidewalls  25  of a channel  24  at the perimeter  3  of the device.  
         [0042]      FIG. 17  depicts a system of plural devices  1  supported by support means  19  in close proximity to control catenary  27 , the support means  19  depicted as apertures  23  (or holes) in airframes  28  in a cut-away isometric view of an aircraft fuselage; the closer the devices are to one another, the more they are able to control the extent of catenary  27 , which is defined as deviation  29  of a single wire  5  from the hypothetical centerline  30  between devices that passes through each of the devices coincident to the axes  15  at wire hole  2  in each device where the wire  5  is connected, and although generally thought of as sag in a line in tension as a result of gravity on a wire supported at two points on its length, the term as used herein is broadened to include any deviation  29  from this hypothetical centerline  30  caused by external forces, including a G-force as might be experienced in an aircraft.  
         [0043]     Another method of controlling wire deviation  29  is to create a truss structure  31  with a group of wires  5  and system of plural devices  1  that includes some external support means  19 , as depicted in  FIG. 18 . The wire holes  2  are disposed in a circular array around a center point at each device, the system of devices comprising two configurations of devices, one with an array of small diameter  32  referencing the wire holes  2 , and one with an array of large diameter  33  referencing the wire holes  2 , such that they are positioned alternately in the system (as in  32 , 33 , 32 , 33 , etc.) to create a truss structure  31  when the wires  5  are assembled to the devices at the wire holes  2  that pre-stresses the wires  5  to control catenary  27  and deviation  29  of the wires  5  from a hypothetical center line  30  that passes through the axes  15  of each wire hole  2  in the system. In this depiction, every alternate device has an array of small diameter  32  and is supported by a support structure  20 , shown here as a portion of an aircraft airframe, and between them are devices with an array of large diameter  33  are permitted to connect freely to the group of wires  5  without external support means, although support means  19  may be employed there as well.  
         [0044]     Further support means  19  can constitute a bracket fixable to both the invention and a support structure  20  (not depicted).  
         [0045]      FIG. 19  depicts support means  19  that, at an interior perimeter  38 , is connectible to the device nominally around the perimeter  3  of the device, whereby the device is pliable enough to be elastically deformed into a channel  39  within the interior perimeter  38  of the support means  19  and be held therein, wherein the support means  19  has a wire passage  40  that exits along a portion of the interior perimeter  38  to an exterior perimeter  41  to facilitate the entry of wires  5  (wire  5  is shown as a section in perspective) connectible to the device through the wire passage  40  of the support means  19 . Support means  19  can be fashioned as a grommet  42  connectible to a support structure  20 , such as a table, shelf, or cabinet panel.  
         [0046]      FIG. 20  depicts a section view of an assembly of the device  1  within a grommet  42  in a support structure  20 , wherein support means  19  in the form of a ledge  43 , upon which the device at the perimeter  3  rests, within an interior channel  44  of the grommet  42  placed in an aperture  23  in the support structure  20  fashioned to allow the passage of wires  5  (wire  5  is shown as a section) through the support structure  20  via the grommet  42 .  
         [0047]      FIG. 21  depicts support means  19  comprising a plurality of straps  45  extending beyond the nominal perimeter  3  of the device, centrally locating the device over an aperture  23  in the support structure  20 , the straps  45  fixable to a surface  46  of the support structure  20  by fastening means at support holes  34  on each strap  45  connectible to like support holes  34  on support structure  20  with fastening means.  
         [0048]     As assembly of two devices  1  and a support structure  20  can provide support means, as depicted as a section view in  FIG. 22 , wherein the two devices  1  are placed on opposing sides of an aperture  23  in the support structure  20  made of sheet material, wherein a portion of each the devices is restable on an interior surface of the aperture  23  by way of a support ledge  62  on each of the devices nominally near and within the perimeter  3  of the invention and within the perimeter of the aperture  23 , fixable together at the aperture  23  by fastening means uniting the two devices  1  to form an assembly, the perimeters  3  of each device generally extending beyond that of the aperture  23  such that when joined together by the fastening means the perimeters  3  vice against the respective structural surfaces  63  on opposing sides of the sheet material securing the assembly in place;  FIG. 22  also depicts fastening means consisting of a fastener  64 , illustrated as a two-part rivet assembly, that holds the two devices  1  together by passing through support holes  34  located at the centers of each device  1  and being fixed thereto.  
         [0049]      FIG. 23  depicts an assembly that creates support means wherein the support ledge  62  of each device  1  consists of a plurality of support ledges  62  fashioned to interlock to those on the other device  1  within the aperture  23 , by means of a support ledge  62  on one device fitting within the gap  65  between two support ledges  62  on the other, such that the combination of support ledges  62  on both interlocked devices  1  nominally fills the circumference of the interior perimeter  66  of the aperture  23  and rests against and within the entirety of the interior perimeter  66 , the interlocking configuration support ledges  62  fitted into gaps  65  of the assembly has the effect of preventing the sheet material  20  from cleaving the two devices  1  apart when a force is applied to either. When assembled, the material at the perimeter  3  of each device  1  vices against respective structural surfaces  63  of support structure  20 , keeping the assembly captive.  
         [0050]      FIG. 24  shows the same assembly of devices installed at the aperture as described in  FIG. 23 .  FIG. 24  depicts an assembly that creates support means wherein fastening means comprises an extension  68  of the support ledges  62  of one of the devices  1  such that they pass through the aperture  23  and clear through voids  69  in the other device body  1 , each support ledge  62  having a locking lip  70  at it&#39;s extremity, nominally thicker than the general support ledge  62  body that deflects  70 ′ as the locking lip  70  passes through one of the voids  69  and comes to rest in a neutral state on a posterior surface  71  of the other device  1  such that the two devices  1  are considered locked together through the aperture  23  of the sheet material  20  as the locking lip  70  of each of the support ledges  62  locks against the posterior surface  71 . The mating of interior surfaces  67  is held captive by the interlocked joining of the locking lips  70  of one device  1  to the respective posterior surfaces  72  on a conjoined device  1  through the voids  69 .  
         [0051]      FIG. 25  depicts an assembly that creates support means wherein the aperture  23  and the perimeter  72  of the collective support ledges  62  are both circular in shape, wherein the support ledges  62  are fully supported circumferentially and evenly at the interior perimeter  66  of the circular aperture  23  to provide a nominally even distribution of forces on the invention and the aperture  23  of the sheet material  20  to reduce localized strain at a portion of either material when forces are applied to either; the device bodies  1  rotate in opposition at a centrally disposed axis  73  such that each device has, as fastening means, at an extended portion of a support ledge  62  a locking hook  74  that rotates into a cavity  75  between a locking hook  74  and a device body  1  on the other device, the termination of which results in showing a clear passage  76  from each wire hole  2  in one device  1  to a corresponding wire hole  2  in the other such that the central axes  15  of each pair are coincident.  FIG. 26  shows the same assembly of devices connected together, not showing the support structure  20  sandwiched between them for clarity, and a section removed to reveal the interlocking locking hooks  74 .  
         [0052]      FIGS. 25 and 26  also depicts an assembly that creates further locking means wherein an extremity of a locking hook  74  is a tight notch  77 , positioned over one of the wire holes  2 , whereat the entrance  78  to the tight notch  77  deflects to allow the passage of a wire  5  into the tight notch  77  whereby the entrance  78  relaxes to a neutral state, holding the wire  5  in the tight notch  77  to further provide static friction between the wire  5  and the devices in the assembly as the devices rotate in opposition to each other and terminate in a locked, assembled position.  
         [0053]      FIGS. 1, 3 ,  4 , and  19  through  41  depicts a support hole  34  in the device disposed to fasten to support means  19  whereby a portion of the support means  19  is fixable thereto.  
         [0054]      FIG. 27  depicts a wire passage  35  allows access from a perimeter  3  of the device to the support hole  34  to facilitate the use of the support hole  34  as an extra wire hole  2  when the invention is not connected to support means  19  at said support hole  34 ; the wire passage  35  is depicted as a nominally closed channel consisting of a tearable web of material  36 , nominally thinner than the device body  1 , between the sidewalls  37  of the wire passage  35  that can be torn to deploy the wire passage  35 .  
         [0055]      FIG. 28  depicts the support hole  34  as nominally shaped, such as square-shaped, to prevent the rotation of the device on an axis within the support means  19  where it is fixable to the device.  
         [0056]      FIG. 29  depicts support means  19  comprising a hook detail  47  fashioned at an extremity disposed for fastening to a support structure  20 , generally in the shape of the letter C, connectible to an edge  48  of the support structure  20  whereby the edge  48  of the support structure  20  is restable within the C-shaped hook detail  47  and generally held in compression by deflecting arms  49  comprising the C-shape of the hook detail  47 . A portion of the support means  19  at a distal extremity from the fastening extremity (such as hook detail  47 ) is a device mounting point  50  connectible to the device body by fastening means, such as by fastening a binding screw assembly  87  and  88  to the device body  1  at the support hole  34  together to the support means  19  at the device mounting point  50 .  
         [0057]      FIG. 30  depicts support means  19  comprising a hook detail  51  fashioned at an extremity, generally in the shape of the letter L, for attaching the device into a slot or channel  52  within the support structure  20  such that an extremity of the L-shaped hook detail  51  enters the slot or channel  52 , pivots anteriorly at a fulcrum  53  on a lower surface  54  of the opening of the slot or channel  52 , and braces at a state of rest against a posterior surface  55  of the support structure  20  at the slot or channel  52  when a moment applied to the device causes the device to pivot on the fulcrum  53 .  
         [0058]      FIG. 31  depicts support means  19  as a hook detail  51  fashioned at an extremity, generally in the shape of the letter L, whereby a surface on the L-shaped hook detail  51  rests against an edge  48  of the support structure  20 , the support means  19  fixable thereto by fastening means.  
         [0059]      FIG. 32  is a section view depicting support means  19  as a profile detail  56  fashioned at an extremity fits into a compatibly shaped channel  57  in the support structure  20  that permits only lateral movement of the support means  19  within the channel  57  in the support structure  20 ; the support means  19  is fastenable to the support structure  20  at the channel  57  by fastening means  58 , such as a set-screw, that prevents the lateral movement of the support means  19  along the channel  57 .  
         [0060]      FIG. 33  is a section view depicting a portion of support means  19  as a suction cup  59  at an extremity that permits attachment of support means  19  to a smooth, flat surface  60  of a support structure  20  by way of surface cohesion created by a vacuum  61  between the suction cup  59  and the surface  60 . Alternatively, the support means  19  may be attached to a support structure by other means, such as adhesive, magnets, or hook and pile.  
         [0061]     The invention can also be configured as a wire spool to wind wire around.  
         [0062]      FIG. 34  depicts a configuration wherein a wire  5  (not shown) is fixable at either end of a wire spool  80  to wire holes  2  in an assembly of two devices  1  and a standoff  81  fastened together by fastening means at a centrally disposed support hole  34  in each device  1  to opposing extremities  82  of the standoff  81 , nominally larger than the support hole  34 , to prevent the devices  1  from moving along the length of the standoff  81 , in such a way to allow a wire  5  at a portion of its length at one extremity to be held by the wire hole  2  in one device  1 , whereby a length of the wire  5  is coiled around the standoff  81  as a means for compact storage of the wire  5 , this wire coil  83  being held in place by placing a portion of the wire  5  at the other extremity into a wire hole  2  on the other device  1  on the opposing end of the standoff  82  where it is held captive.  
         [0063]      FIG. 35  is a section view of the assembly as described in  FIG. 34  with the devices in section, depicting an extremity  82  of the standoff  81  having an extension  84  with a pronounced lip  85  that forms a channel  86  between the pronounced lip  85  and the extremity  82  such that the pronounced lip  85  is forced to pass through a support hole  34  in the center of a device  1  disposed to fasten to the standoff  81 , the pronounced lip  85  being nominally larger than the support hole  34  so that when passing through the support hole  34 , the pronounced lip  85  deflects the pliable material of the device  1  at the support hole  34 , the pliable material returning to the neutral state within the channel  86  where it is considered fastened in place.  
         [0064]      FIG. 36  is an alternative configuration of the wire spool assembly wherein a binding screw consisting of two parts, one part being an externally threaded screw  87 , the other part being an internally threaded tube  88  with a securing flange  89  at its posterior extremity, fastens the assembly together as each part of the binding screw individually passes through a support hole  34  on a device  1  at opposite ends of the assembly and through a centrally disposed hole  90  in the standoff  81  between them wherein they will come together and vice the components into an assembly. A standoff  81  may be fashioned with support means for fastening to a support structure  20 .  
         [0065]      FIG. 37  depicts an alternate embodiment of the invention wherein a central boss  95  is fashioned at a support hole  34  within a wire cavity  98  on an interior portion of a concave device body  1 .  FIG. 37  depicts the boss  95  as molded in as a contiguous part of the device body  1  of each device, the boss  95  fashioned as a hemispherical protrusion insertable to a support hole  34  on a matching second device body  1  that also has a hemispherical boss  95  insertable to the first device body  1  at a support hole  34  thereat. At a distal end of said boss  95  is a snap-fit bead  96  that passes through said support hole  34  on said matching device body  1 , deforming the pliable material around it and exiting at a relief trough  97  where it comes to rest in a fixed position, said deformed material returning to a neutral, relaxed position, whereupon the two conjoined device bodies are considered fixed together, whereupon a wire spool standoff  81  is formed by the connected bosses  95 .  FIG. 38  depicts a section view of the assembly of the fixed devices, showing in particular the wire cavity  98  that can be deployed to house a wire wound around a wire spool standoff  81 , the conjoined bosses  95  acting as said standoff  81  to wind a wire  5  around. As an added measure of fixing, a binding screw assembly  87  and  88  can be inserted through said support holes  34  if the bosses do not fill completely the support holes  34 .  
         [0066]      FIG. 39  is an alternative embodiment of the invention fashioned as a strap formed of stiff but pliable material such as nylon polyamide wherein, like a conventional tie-wrap, said strap comprises the main body  1  of the invention, with a ratcheting rack  99  and pinion  100  fastening means allows the opposing two ends  110  of the tie-wrap to fasten together into a compact assembly and lock, upon which curved-arms  101 , comprising of flanges  6 , hole perimeter  7 , and extend and come into proximity to each other to form a passage  4  leading to a wire-hole  2 , said curved-arms  101  fashioned of the same pliable material as the main device body  1  of the device-as-strap, said curved-arms  101  being pliable enough to allow the passage of a wire  5  into the wire-hole  2  and be deformable enough to allow a range of wire  5  diameters into the wire-hole  5 . Advantageously, the curved-arms  101  extend from a relief post  102  between them and the main body  1  of the strap to prevent the action of fastening the two ends  110  of the strap together into a compact assembly from influencing the deflection of the curved arms  101 , preventing a wire  5  from being loosened therefrom. Alternatively, individual wire brackets  103 , comprising of a channel body  104  and curved arms  101 , in turn comprising of flange  6 , hole perimeter  7 , wire hole  2 , and passage  4 , are connectible to the main body  1  by passing a free end  110  through the channel body  104  where it is slid along the strap device body  1  and held captive thereupon when the two ends  110  of the strap device body  1  are joined at the ratcheting rack  99  and pinion  100 . Advantageously, bumps  105  will hold the wire brackets  103  captive in place along the strap device body  1 , the material of the wire brackets  103  and/or bumps being pliable enough to allow the passage of the wire brackets  103  when a degree of force is applied, where otherwise the brackets  103  would be kept captive between bumps  105 .  
         [0067]      FIG. 40  is an alternative embodiment of the invention wherein the device body  1  is fashioned as a strap formed of strapping fabric whereupon wire-hole straps  106  are stitched  107  upon, a portion of which comprises a fastening-strap  108 , typically fashioned from hook and pile fastening means or the like, to close the ends of the entrance  4  to a wire hole  2  by fastening to said hook and pile fastening means at the material at the opposing end  109  of the passage, the material pliable enough to cinch tight around a wire  5  to hold it in place within the wire hole  2 , and to close the ends  110  of the main device body  1  of the strap together to form a compact assembly. These wire-hole straps  106  can be of differing colors a, b, c, d, e, f, etc., to differentiate the wires  5  within them. This embodiment is shown with the wire-hole straps  106  exterior to the main device body  1  of the invention as a strap to form a compact assembly such that support means  19  (such as a table leg or ventilation duct) can be fastened interiorly to the central support hole  34  within the main device body  1  without compressing the wires  5  at the wire-hole straps  106  during the assembly, however the wire-hole straps  106  can be deployed interiorly in the assembly as well.  
         [0068]      FIG. 41  is an alternative embodiment of the invention device body  1  fashioned as a strap formed of hook and pile strapping fabric whereupon the entire wire management device body-as-strap  1 , wire-hole straps  106 , and fastening-strap  108  is formed from the same length of material comprising of fabric with both positive and negative (hook and pile) fastening means on opposing sides of the fabric strap, such that during manufacture a length of the stock material can be looped together and stitched  107  at the base of the loop, whereupon the loops are cut  116  to form a device body  1 , a plurality of wire-hole straps  106  and fastening-straps together  108  in a single entity. A succession of these operations would form a flower appearance in final assembly when the two ends  110  of the wire management device  1  as a strap are fastened together into a closed assembly as described. The material of the strapping is pliable enough to cinch tight around a wire  5  to hold it in place within the wire hole by means of the fastening-strap  108  at the wire-hole strap  106 , and to close the ends  110  of the main device body  1  of the strap together to form a compact assembly. The device, with a large support hole  34  as described in  FIG. 41  can be fastened around a support structure  20 , such as a table leg or duct, to form the assembly of the compact wire management device wherein a centrally located support-hole  34  is deployed within the device body  1  of the invention when the ends  110  of the strap are fastened together around such support structures  20 .  FIG. 41  also shows a bead  113  of pliable elastomer formed on a surface, such as by hot-melt of injection molding, to be employed as a superior means of static friction to a wire  5  held within the wire-hole  2  or to support means  19  held within the support-hole  34 . The soft elastomer bead  113  is deformable to allow a greater degree of object diameters to be held within the respective wire-holes  2  or support-hole  34 .  
         [0069]      FIG. 42  shows a component  114  of an alternative embodiment of the device, wherein several components are fastened together to comprise a unified device body  1 , each component having at least one wire hole  2  and a stem  115  with fastening means, shown here as a rotatable snap-fit bead  116  and a snap-fit cavity  117 . An extension arm  118 , connectible between said wire hole  2  and said stem  115  can be employed to create distance between the wire hole  2  and the stem  115  that allows added manageability when accessing a wire  5  at a wire hole  2 . The wire hole  2  would generally be fashioned by a thickened hole perimeter  7  to the required strength and stiffness to support a wire  5  within a wire hole  2 , that may include pliable flanges  6  to accommodate a wide variety of wire  5  diameters as disclosed. As disclosed, a narrow entrance  4  through the pliable material of the hole perimeter  7  would permit access of a wire  5  to a wire hole  2 .  FIG. 43  shows a device body  1  comprised of multiple components  114  to comprise a wire management device with multiple wire holes  2 . Each component  114  is connectible to a neighboring component  114  by fastening means, shown in  FIG. 43  as a rotatable snap-fit bead  116  on one component  114  inserted into a snap-fit cavity  117  in the next. The rotatable snap-fit bead may rotate, allowing the assembly of components  114  comprising the device body  1  to be flexible enough to allow the wire management system to bend into a radius or otherwise be oriented in deployment of the invention. The stems  115  may also be fashioned from pliable material to facilitate bending the assembly.  FIG. 44  shows a top view of the assembly as presently disclosed showing the components  114  oriented to comprise a single device body  1  with a plurality of wire holes  2  in a compact assembly.  
         [0070]      FIGS. 45, 46 , and  47  are alternative embodiments of the invention as disclosed showing alternative designs.