Abstract:
The present invention features a modular assembly for a handset, including a handset housing having a cord reel receptacle. A modular cord reel has a reel housing and a retractable cord adapted for connection to the handset. The cord reel is installed in and removable from the receptacle in the handset housing. At least one fastener removably secures the cord reel to the receptacle. Preferably the fastener is captively held in the cord reel housing to minimize dropping and loss of the fasteners.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    This invention relates to housings, bezels, cradles and retractable cord reels for handsets, and more specifically relates to assemblies having handset cradles and retractable cord reels, that are particularly suitable for mounting in aircraft and other vehicle seats.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    It is known in the art to mount handsets, such as telephones, in or adjacent seats, such as aircraft and automobile seats, arm rests and consoles for the convenience of passengers. U.S. Pat. No. 5,109,412 to Hollowed et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,128,993 to Skowronski, U.S. Pat. No. 5,155,766 to Skowronski, U.S. Pat. No. 5,410,597, to Kepley, III et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 5,507,446, to Ditzig, each of which are hereby incorporated by reference, each demonstrate a hand-held telephone useful in such locations.  
           [0003]    It is also well known to provide a cord reel for retractably storing handset cords. Cord reels for retractably storing cords, such as telephone cords, are well known in the art. See for example U.S. Pat. No. 5,094,396 to Burke, dated March 1992, which is hereby incorporated by reference.  
           [0004]    In the aircraft field, there are two main types of telephone cord reel assemblies in use today. A first type is an integrated unit. A housing includes a cradle for receiving a telephone handset and cord reel integrally built into the housing as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,155,766 to Skowronski. Damage to any part of the handset, housing or cord reel requires replacement of the entire assembly.  
           [0005]    A second type of telephone cord reel assembly comprises a housing and cradle for the handset and separate housing for a cord reel. The cord reel is mounted within or under the seat remote from the handset, i.e., from a few inches to a few feet away from the handset cradle. If the bezel or handset is damaged, they can be readily replaced. However, if the cord reel is damaged, the seat must be opened to gain access to the cord reel for replacement.  
           [0006]    A variation of the remote reel type has been developed for smaller aircraft, such as private jets. The cord reel is attached to the cradle housing with a bracket in a location adjacent an opening to the cradle. The retractable cord extends through the opening for connection to the handset. A plurality of screws holds the reel to the bracket, and a second plurality of screws holds the bracket to the handset housing.  
           [0007]    A disadvantage of all of the prior art systems is the lengthy time required to replace damaged or inoperative system components. In the airline industry, it is particularly important to have the ability to quickly change-out inoperative system components. With most, if not all, prior art handset assemblies, handset maintenance is limited to Class B or higher checks under U.S. Federal Aviation Guidelines. A Class B check is typically a three hour plus maintenance check, performed by maintenance crews, typically outside of hangers at night. The maintenance crew has the ability to open seats, remove damaged or inoperative components and replace the same.  
           [0008]    Currently it is not feasible to perform maintenance on handset assemblies during Class A checks. A Class A check is typically performed at the gate in as little time as twenty minutes. In a Class A check it not practicable to service equipment that requires opening of seats, or possibly dropping or misplacing screws.  
           [0009]    It would be desirable to have a handset system that may be serviced quickly during a Class A check. An additional desirable feature of a handset system would be use of a fastener system that is self-contained, with no possibility of losing or misplacing parts.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0010]    These and other objects are met or exceeded by the present invention that features a modular assembly for a handset, including a handset housing having a cord reel receptacle. A modular cord reel has a reel housing and a retractable cord adapted for connection to the handset. The cord reel is installed in and removable from the receptacle in the handset housing. At least one fastener removably secures the cord reel to the receptacle. Preferably the fastener is captively held in the cord reel housing to minimize dropping and loss of the fasteners. The housing is preferably removably installed in an airline passenger armrest or seat, and is generally recessed.  
           [0011]    Use of the present invention provides for swift replacement of malfunctioning cord reels. Once the handset housing is removed from its installed location, the fastener holding the modular cord reel is disengaged to disconnect the fastener from the handset housing. The cord reel housing is then removed from the housing receptacle. The stationary cord to the source and the retractable cord to the handset are unplugged or otherwise disconnected. A replacement cord reel is then obtained, and the stationary cord connected to the source. A small amount or the retractable cord is pulled from the cord reel, and fed under a guide roller and through a passageway from the receptacle to a portion of the handset housing adjacent the passageway. After the stationary cord is connected to the handset, the cord reel is placed in the receptacle and reconnected to the housing with the fastener. The housing is then replaced in its installed location.  
           [0012]    By using this invention, the ease and speed with which a cord reel can be changed allows replacement of the cord reels during a Class A maintenance check. In the preferred embodiment, use of captive fasteners also simplifies this task as the fasteners cannot be lost or misplaced during replacement of the cord reel. Each cord reel housing has self-contained fasteners that are replaced with the cord reel. Thus the lost fasteners will not delay of frustrate short maintenance procedures. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0013]    [0013]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the handset, the handset housing and modular cord reel assembly of the present invention installed in the arm rest of an airline passenger seat;  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a handset and handset housing of the invention;  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 3 is a top view of the assembly of the invention with the handset and modular cord reel installed in the housing;  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 4 is a back view of the housing of the invention with the cord reel installed in the housing;  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 5 is a side view of the housing of the invention with modular cord reel installed in the housing;  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 6 is a back view of the handset housing of the present invention with the handset and modular cord reel removed;  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 7 is a front perspective of the modular cord reel of the present invention;  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 8 is a rear perspective of the modular cord reel of the present invention;  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the cord reel being removed/installed with respect to the handset housing;  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 10 is a rear perspective of the handset housing with the cord reel installed; and  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 11 is a detail of a portion of the cord reel housing and the captive fastener. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0024]    Turning now to the drawings, FIG. 1 shows a handset  10 , and a housing  12 . The handset may comprise a telephone handset, an entertainment system controller, a game controller, flight attendant call button, lighting and/or ventilation controls, or a combination thereof. The invention is not limited to the function of the handset.  
         [0025]    Housing  12  is adapted to be partially recessed in an arm rest of a passenger seat, and includes a bezel  14  for that purpose. The housing  12  further comprises a plurality of fasteners  16  for fastening the bezel to the seat. It should be understood that the housing  12  may be secured to the side of an armrest, the top of an armrest, a seat back, a console between seats, a bulkhead, or any other suitable surface. The housing may be fully recessed, partially recessed, or non-recessed. Although the disclosed preferred embodiment is in reference to a handset and housing adapted to be installed in an aircraft seat, it is to be understood that the invention may be used in other environments such as automobiles and trains, and may also be used in homes, offices and other locations.  
         [0026]    Referring to FIG. 2, the housing further includes a cradle  18  into which the handset  10  is stowed. The sides of the bezel  14  preferably include one or more cutouts  20  to facilitate gripping the handset  10 . The cradle also includes a spring loaded release mechanism  22 . Optionally, the housing may include one or more ports  24 , such as a modem port, seen best in FIGS. 4, 5 and  6 . Looking at FIG. 2, the housing  12  further comprises a cord reel receptacle  26 , a passage  28  from the receptacle to the cradle  18 , and a guide roller  30  adjacent the passage. The guide roller  30  may be mounted to the housing  12  in any fashion.  
         [0027]    A cord reel  32  is removably secured in the receptacle  26  of the housing  12 . Reel  32  is shown in detail in FIGS. 7 and 8. The cord reel comprises a housing  34 , retractable cord  36  and stationary cord  38 . Retractable cord  36  physically connects to the handset  10  with a grommet  37  that screws into the handset. Electrical connections are made between the retractable cords  36  and the handset  10  through plug  39 . Receptacle  26  and cord reel housing  34  have complementary shapes so that reel  32  may be readily inserted and removed from housing  12 . Retractable cord  36  connects to the handset  10 , while the stationary cord  38  connects to a source (not shown) The source may be a telephone system, video system, in flight sound system, air craft control functions, such as lighting and call button, or any other system as may be desired. In the preferred embodiment, the receptacle  26  surrounds the reel  32  on its sides and bottom. However, it should be understood that the reel  32  and receptacle  26  may have any shape, and may enclose the reel entirely or partially. It is only necessary that the receptacle receive at least one surface of the cord reel.  
         [0028]    The cord reel is preferably constructed in accordance with the Burke patent, U.S. Pat. No. 5,094,396, but may be constructed in other ways.  
         [0029]    Referring now to FIG. 12, reel  32  further includes one or more fasteners  40  for securing the reel to the housing  12 . Fasteners  40  are removably received in threaded holes  41  in the handset housing  12 . One preferred fastener is a screw  40  captively held in reel housing  34 . Specifically, housing  34  includes bore  42  in one portion  44  of the housing, bore  46  in the other housing portion  48 , defining a chamber  50  between the housing portions for receiving the screw head  51 . Bore  46  has an aperture  45  large enough for an installation/removal tool, but smaller than the diameter of the screw head  51 . Screw  40  is inserted in bore  42  during assembly of the two housing portions  44 ,  48 . Thereby, the screw is captively held in the housing  12 .  
         [0030]    Another fastening means is lugs  52  configured to mate with corresponding recesses or openings  54  in housing  12 . Accordingly, the cord reel  32  may be quickly and easily installed or removed from the receptacle. As there are no loose screws  40  or other parts, the replacement may be made efficiently, without risk of loosing screws or other small parts. Other forms of fasteners will be apparent to those skilled in the art. It is not intended that the present application be limited to any particular form of fastening means.  
         [0031]    The housing includes a passageway  28  connecting the cord reel receptacle  26  with the handset cradle  18 . The passageway  28  for receiving retractable cord  36  is connected to handset  10 . Roller  30  helps guide the retractable cord  36  into and out of the cord reel  32 .  
         [0032]    Modular construction of the unit also allows for separate manufacture of the cord reel assembly  32  and the handset housing  12 . The housing  12  may be made of any suitable material, but lightweight plastics are generally preferred. The cord reel  32  is assembled as a separate unit to facilitate quick replacement of the unit during a Class A check, if needed. Completion of the modular handset cord reel assembly is accomplished by installing the cord reel into the receptacle  26  of the housing  12 , and engaging the fastener  40  with the housing.  
         [0033]    As those skilled in the art will appreciate, the modular cord reel  32  may be quickly and efficiently plugged into and removed from housing  12 . If any of the components in the assembly of the invention is damaged or inoperative, one may replace the same in a few minutes. There are no small parts that may be lost or misplaced while changing out components. In aircraft applications this means that the multiple telephones and/or entertainment handset assemblies may be serviced during a Class A check.  
         [0034]    Replacement of a malfunctioning cord reel  32  assembly begins by inserting the installation/removal tool into the bore  46  to engage the fastener  40  in a manner to cause it to disconnect from the housing  12 . Once the fastener  40  is disengaged from the housing  12 , the cord reel assembly  32  is removed from the receptacle  26 . The retractable cord  36  must be disconnected from the handset  10  and stationary cord  38  must be disconnected from the source. When the replacement cord reel  32  is installed, the retractable cord  36  is received under a guide roller  30  and through a passageway  28  to the portion of the handset housing adjacent the passageway. The retractable cord  36  is then connected to the handset  10  and the stationary cord  38  connected to the source supply. The cord reel assembly  32  is then placed in the receptacle  26 , aligning said the fastener s  40  with openings  41  in the housing  12 . Insertion of the installation/removal tool into the bore  46  allows the tool to engage the fastener  40  to connect the cord reel assembly  32  to the housing  12 , completing the process.  
         [0035]    Another advantage is that the airlines (or other maintenance service) may reduce component inventory costs as compared to prior art integrated systems. In integrated handset assemblies, the entire unit needs to be replaced when only one component has been damaged. Thus, the maintenance service must stock a relatively large number of integrated units to account for all of the different types of component failure. With the modular handset assembly of the invention, a smaller inventory may be maintained for each component, thus reducing inventory costs. Cost savings may also be realized by obtaining the cord reel assembly and the handset housings from separate manufacturers or distributors.  
         [0036]    The advantages of the disclosed invention are thus attained in an economical, practical, and facile manner. While preferred embodiments and example configurations have been shown and described, it is to be understood that various further modifications and additional configurations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. It is intended that the specific embodiments and configurations herein disclosed are illustrative of the preferred and best modes for practicing the invention, and should not be interpreted as limitations on the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.