Abstract:
A utility retractor having a utility adaptor, and having a retractable tether comprised of Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene (UHMWPE) material. The UHMWPE exhibits many important qualities suitable in a utility retractor, including abrasion resistance, the ability to be knotted without tangling, and it is very slippery to achieve a significant useful life. The retractor may also include an energy absorber disposed on the tether configured to prevent the danger of the utility adapter flailing indiscriminately during retraction. The energy absorber can be selectively positioned.

Description:
CLAIM OF PRIORITY 
       [0001]    This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) of U.S. Provisional Patent application U.S. Ser. No. 62/237,465 filed Oct. 5, 2015, entitled Retractable Holder for Writing, Pointing Instruments, the teachings of which are incorporated herein in their entirety. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    This disclosure relates to the field of holding writing or pointing instruments, such as to tethering any number of items, including hand tools such as screwdrivers. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    Many people use writing, marking or pointing instruments, or small hand tools (hereinafter referred to generally as “instruments”), in their trade, hobby or leisure times. These instruments may be in the shape of a carpenter&#39;s pencil, felt tip marker, regular pencil, golf pencil, “clicker” or stick pen, stylus or a pointer or screwdriver or awl. In many situations the users of these instruments are moving from place to place as they perform their task. One of the more frustrating and time wasting aspects of these tasks is when they drop or misplace their instrument. In addition, having to use many tools to accomplish a task is always a challenge. 
         [0004]    One of the drawbacks to existing products is the significant impact of the environment in which the holder is used. The tether is subjected to wear and tear due to the abrasion when it rubs on tools, clothing, tool pouches, and even the body of the retractable reel. 
         [0005]    What is needed is a different kind of tether material that has many different qualities, including being highly resistant to abrasion, tough to cut, able to be tied in a tight knot but not become easily tangled, and also that is very slippery. Finding such a unique material and incorporating it into a retractable reel will offer other benefits such as the ability to mark the tether for custom measurements, possible replacing a tape measure, reducing the need to carry multiple tools for tasks. Use of stronger materials can also lead to smaller retractors to achieve the same length. 
         [0006]    The cable/tether must meet requirements or strength, abrasion resistance and an ability to withstand multiple windings. The vast majority of conventional retractors use typical materials such as nylon and polyester. They are relatively inexpensive, exhibit some abrasion resistance, can be wound and rewound many times, and are easy to work with in production. Where higher tinsel strength is required, a Kevlar material is utilized. One may conclude that a metal cable would be a good fit for this application, however, stranded cable will bind over time, and coated stranded cable becomes bulky and can also bend and bind. 
         [0007]    When investigating other applications for tethers, one can find that a monofilament cord used for fishing can be made in various strengths and is generally very abrasion resistant. Unfortunately, this type of material is easy to tangle, has memory, does not bend tightly, and is not so easy to assemble into the needed retractors. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0008]    A utility retractor having a retractable tether comprised of Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene (UHMWPE). Also known as high-modulus polyethylene (HMPE), or high-performance polyethylene (HPPE), UHMWPE has extremely long chains, with a molecular mass usually between 2 and 6 million u. The longer chain serves to transfer load more effectively to the polymer backbone by strengthening intermolecular interactions. The UHMWPE is a very tough material, with the highest impact strength of any thermoplastic presently made. A critical quality to this disclosure is its ability for being very slippery and able to resist the environmental pitfalls common in the industry. Tests show a 10× increase in lifetime use of the utility retractor utilizing the UHMWPE tether. 
         [0009]    UHMWPE is odorless, tasteless, and nontoxic. It is highly resistant to corrosive chemicals except oxidizing acids; has extremely low moisture absorption and a very low coefficient of friction; is self-lubricating; and is highly resistant to abrasion, in some forms being 15 times more resistant to abrasion than carbon steel. Its coefficient of friction is significantly lower than that of nylon and acetal, and is comparable to that of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE, Teflon), but UHMWPE has better abrasion resistance than PTFE. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0010]      FIG. 1  is a cross-sectional view of an exemplary embodiment engaging a large diameter instrument; 
           [0011]      FIG. 2  is a cross-sectional view of an exemplary embodiment engaging a small diameter instrument; 
           [0012]      FIG. 3  is an exploded side cross-sectional view of an exemplary embodiment; 
           [0013]      FIG. 4  is an exploded perspective view of an alternate exemplary embodiment; 
           [0014]      FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional side view of another exemplary embodiment; 
           [0015]      FIG. 6  is a cross-sectional side view of yet another exemplary embodiment; 
           [0016]      FIG. 7  is a cross-sectional side view of an embodiment including UHMWPE; 
           [0017]      FIG. 8  is a view of an embodiment including a stop and energy absorber; 
           [0018]      FIG. 9  is a cross-sectional view of the energy absorber shown in  FIG. 8 ; and 
           [0019]      FIG. 10  is a side view of an energy absorber according to another embodiment. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0020]    Exemplary embodiments disclosed herein are directed to a retractable device for retaining writing, marking or pointing instruments at an accessible location for an individual. Generally, the retractable device is composed of a retractable reel coupled to a flexible member that is sized to engage an instrument. The flexible member may be selectively extended and retracted to provide better access to the instrument. The flexible member includes a first bore and a second bore. The first bore is sized to receive a connector from the retractable reel. The second bore has a varying inner diameter thereby allowing instruments of various sizes to be held within the flexible member. 
         [0021]    According to various exemplary embodiments, the retractable device may include fasteners to reversibly couple the retractable device to the user or other readily accessible surfaces. For example, one exemplary embodiment of the retractable device utilizes a clip that allows the device to be coupled to the belt or pants of the user. In another exemplary embodiment, the device includes a shaft that extends from the device that may be placed within a pencil holder or the like. 
         [0022]    The detailed description set forth below in connection with the appended drawings is intended as a description of exemplary embodiments and is not intended to represent the only forms in which the exemplary embodiments may be constructed and/or utilized. 
         [0023]    Turning to the drawings,  FIG. 1  is directed to one exemplary embodiment of a retractable. Instrument holder  5 . As shown in  FIG. 1 , the retractable instrument holder  5  is composed of a retractor  11  coupled to a flexible retaining member  17  comprising an adaptor. In the exemplary embodiment as shown in  FIG. 1 , the retractor  11  is a conventional type retractor having a housing  10  and a fastening means  12  for attaching the retractor  11  to an individual&#39;s clothing, or a clipboard, an ear sun visor, or a pencil holder. The fastening means  12  may be a belt clip or a bulldog clip, clamps such as alligator clamps, hooks or other coupling structures known or developed in the art. 
         [0024]    The retractor  11  has an internal retractable reel connected to a cable  14 , also referred to as a tether in this application, that can be extended approximately 2 to approximately 4+ feet from the reel, although the length of the cable  14  may be varied to accommodate various intended uses. According to this disclosure, the utility retractor includes cable  14  comprised of UHMWPE, which will be described in more detail shortly. 
         [0025]    As shown in  FIG. 1 , a plug  16  is attached to one end of the cable  14 . According to one exemplary embodiment, the plug  16  may be a generally cylindrical structure having annular ridges  30  provided about the outer diameter as shown in  FIGS. 1-3 . In another exemplary embodiment, the plug  16  may not include the annular ridges on the outer diameter. In yet another exemplary embodiment, the plug  16  may be a generally spherical structure as shown in  FIG. 5 . In another exemplary embodiment, the plug  16  may be provided with threads  32  on the outer diameter. As those skilled in the art will appreciate, the plug  16  may have a plurality of shapes and be made from a plurality of materials such as, but not limited to, plastic, metal, alloys, ceramics, or the like. 
         [0026]    As shown in  FIG. 1 , the plug  16  is inserted into a bore  21  that is positioned at one end of the flexible retaining adaptor  17 . According to one exemplary embodiment, the plug  16  is held by friction fit against the inner walls of the bore  21 . To achieve a friction fit, the diameter of the plug  16  may be slightly larger than the diameter of the bore  21 . In other exemplary embodiment, the plug  16  having annular ridges  30  may engage corresponding annular ridges  34  provided on the bore  21  to retain the plug  16  in the bore  21 . In yet another exemplary embodiment, the threads  32  provided on the plug  16  may engage and mate with corresponding threads  36  provided on the Walls of the bore  21 . In another exemplary embodiment, the plug  16  may be snap-fitted into the bore  21  as shown in  FIG. 5 . 
         [0027]    As shown in  FIG. 1 , the flexible retaining adapter  17  has a generally funnel-shaped body. The adapter has a bore  21  that is sized to receive a plug  16 . The bore  21  may have smooth inner walls in one exemplary embodiment. In another exemplary embodiment, the walls may have annular ridges  34  extending into the bore  21  as shown in  FIG. 3 . In yet another exemplary embodiment, the bore  21  may have threads along the inner walls of the bore  21  as shown in  FIG. 6 . The adapter  17  also includes a wall  24  that separates the bore  21  from the main cavity  22 . The main cavity  22  has a cross-section that diminishes as it approaches the wall  24  that separates the cavity  22  from the bore  21 . The decrease in diameter of the main cavity walls provides a universal adapter that is sized to engage a wide variety of writing, marking, or pointing instruments of different diameters to be securely held by a frictional fit. 
         [0028]    The adapter  17  may be made of a plurality of materials that have the characteristic of being relatively stiff, yet slightly resilient. Exemplary materials include, but are not limited to, vinyl or rubber. 
         [0029]    According to various exemplary embodiments, as shown in  FIGS. 1-3 , the inner walls of the main cavity  22  are generally smooth. In alternate embodiments, as shown in  FIGS. 5 and 6 , the inner walls of the main cavity  22  may be provided with annular ridges that extend away from the walls of the main cavity  22 . 
         [0030]    The adapter is capable of housing various instruments of different diameter sizes due to the resilient nature of the material and the varying diameters of the cavity  22 . For instance, as shown in  FIG. 1 , the adapter  17  is capable of housing an instrument having a large diameter such as a carpenter&#39;s pencil  18 . That is, these large diameter instruments are inserted into the mouth of the adapter  17  and the inner walls of the adapter engage the outer walls of the instruments. As shown in  FIG. 2 , the adapter  17  is capable of holding those instruments  19  having smaller diameter. That is, the inner walls of the cavity  22  that are near the inner wall  24  are capable of engaging the small diameter instrument. Furthermore, the adapter  17  is capable of engaging instruments having irregular cross-sections so long as the instruments are inserted into the cavity  22  to sufficiently form a tight frictional fit with the instrument. Additionally, the instrument may be removed from the cavity  22  with a sufficient pulling force to overcome the frictional fit and be replaced with another instrument. 
         [0031]    In another exemplary embodiment, the retractor  11  includes a pencil-rod attachment  25 . This attachment  25  is a generally elongated cylindrical structure. The attachment  25  is sized to be inserted in a bore  38  or a press-in clip bracket that is found on most hand-pulled or motorized golf carts. According to one exemplary embodiment, the attachment  25  has a diameter that is approximately the same diameter of a typical golf pencil. As those skilled in the art will appreciate, the diameter and/or length of the attachment  25  may be varied depending upon the intended application. 
         [0032]    As shown in  FIG. 4 , the attachment  25  can be inserted into the bore  38  that is found on a golf cart and the writing instrument such as a golf pencil (not shown) would be inserted into the mouth of the adapter. Accordingly, when the user wants to access or use the writing instrument, the user would grasp the writing instrument and be able to extend the writing instrument away from the retractor housing  10  and use the writing instrument. When finished, the user may release the writing instrument, and the instrument will be held in an easily accessible location to the user for future use. 
         [0033]    Referring now to  FIG. 7 , according to this disclosure there is shown a utility retractor  40  includes cable/tether  14  comprising Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene (UHMWPE), which is subset of the thermoplastic polyethylene. Also known as high-modulus polyethylene, (HMPE), or high-performance polyethylene (HPPE), UHMWPE has extremely long chains, with a molecular mass usually between 2 and 6 million u. The longer chain serves to transfer load more effectively to the polymer backbone by strengthening intermolecular interactions. This structure results in a very tough material, with the highest impact strength of any thermoplastic presently made. More importantly to this application of a utility retractor is its ability of being very slippery and able to resist the environmental pitfalls common in the industry. Tests show a 10× increase in lifetime use of the utility retractor that uses the UHMWPE cable. 
         [0034]    UHMWPE is odorless, tasteless, and nontoxic. It is highly resistant to corrosive chemicals except oxidizing acids; has extremely low moisture absorption and a very low coefficient of friction; is self-lubricating; and is highly resistant to abrasion, in some forms being 15 times more resistant to abrasion than carbon steel. Its coefficient of friction is significantly lower than that of nylon and acetal, and is comparable to that of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE, Teflon), but UHMWPE has better abrasion resistance than PTFE. 
         [0035]    Another benefit of using UHMWPE as cable  14  is the ability to mark the cable  14  and remove these marks without damaging the material. The marks serve as distance measurements. So the user is able lay a customized pattern for their particular trade. For example: A carpenter building common walls for a house, will have to repeat the same measurements—such as a 16″ center to center spacing for studs. Rather than having to continually use his tape measure while using his retractable holder of his carpenter pencil, he is able to use the marks on the UHMWPE cable/tether  14 . If he later needs to make other spacing, he can mark the cable/tether  14  appropriately. 
         [0036]    Because the UHMWPE is very flexible and compact, the user is also able to make a very compact knot anywhere along the length of the tether. These knots can be used in lieu of marks and because they can be made very “tight” they will not interfere with the winding and unwinding mechanisms and construction of the retractor. 
         [0037]    Because UHMWPE is very strong compared to nylon and polyester, a smaller diameter cord can be used in the utility retractor, resulting in the ability to use a more compact retractor while achieving the same length or longer tether, meaning lower cost, less material, and a more environmentally friendly product. 
         [0038]    Moreover, UHMWPE is very resistant to a variety of chemicals and dirt, another advantage in this application area. Construction adhesives typically will not stick to this UHMWPE. Dirt and dust can be washed off without affecting the material; in contrast, nylon and polyester are weakened by continued washing and are rendered worthless after touching adhesives. 
         [0039]    Because UHMWPE is resistant to most known adhesives, special techniques are required for coupling the tether  14  to the retractor reel and to the flexible adaptor  17 . Shown in  FIG. 7  is a knot  45  on the distal end of UHMWPE tether  14  securable to a cylindrical fitting  48 . The fitting  48  is forced through a centered bore  42  defined in the proximal end of the flexible adaptor  17 , and retained in a cavity  46  in a friction fit arrangement. 
         [0040]    According to another embodiment of this disclosure, at times the user may wish to slow down the speed of retraction of the flexible adaptor  17 . It is possible for the retraction forces to be large enough to cause the flexible adaptor  17 , and object being held, to bounce or flail indiscriminately when the adaptor  17  is suddenly stopped as a reaction to the collision with the body  10  of the retractor  11 . This is typically a situation when the user attaches the retractor body  10  close to his head, for example, or attached to a shirt collar of pocket. 
         [0041]    To mitigate the potential danger, shown in  FIG. 8 , a retractor  41  comprises a stop/energy absorber (SEA)  50 . This absorber  50  can be in different forms and comprise of different materials in various embodiments. One such embodiment is as a tubular form of rubber, formed as a sleeve, shaped such that can it be slipped around the tether  14 . In other embodiments, the absorber  50  can be comprises of a foam material. A cross sectional view of one embodiment of absorber  50  is shown in  FIG. 9 . The tubular form may have a circular cross section with one or two bars  52  spaced through which the tether  14  is threaded. In one configuration the absorber  50  is placed snugly against the flexible adapter  17 . 
         [0042]    In another embodiment, the absorber  50  may have an hour glass shape shown at  54  in  FIG. 10 . This shape is configured to compress or buckle to absorb the retraction energy of the adapter  17 . 
         [0043]    Yet another embodiment of absorber  50  is a large knot, a piece of tape, that is too large to retract into the opening of the retractor  11 . In a home position, the absorber  50  offers minimal amount of force absorption when the tether is being retracted. In this position, the energy absorption is limited to the characteristics of the absorber  50  material and also the shape of the absorber  50 . The absorber  50  can be engineered to be shaped for better force absorption including, but not limited to, any number of irregular shapes and how tightly the absorber  50  grips the tether  14 . 
         [0044]    The user may desire to increase the absorption of the retracting flexible adapter  17 . This could be the situation if the retractor  11  is attached close to the user&#39;s head—perhaps on a shirt collar, pocket or hat. As adapter  17  is pulled out further from the retractor  11 , more energy is stored in the internal coil spring and that energy that will be dissipated when it is released. In order to dissipate the forces further from the housing  10  and the person&#39;s head, the adapter  50  can be selectively repositioned on the tether  14  4″-6″ from the housing  10 . If the adapter  17  is released, the absorber  50  will make the first impact with the housing  10 . The absorber  50  will absorb the energy as the SEA, and it may slide somewhat along the 4″-6″ tether  14  but its velocity will be slowed down enough to flop harmlessly away from the retractor  11  and the person to whom it is attached. The adapter  17  and the cylindrical fitting is secured against the typical pull forced of the user and retractor. 
         [0045]    At times, the user may wish to disengage the flexible adapter  17  and instrument from the tether  14 . As shown in  FIG. 7 , a magnetic or frictional fit coupler  56  allows this disconnect and also prevents the tether  14  from retracting into the housing  10  of the retractor  11 . In one embodiment, a pair of magnets comprise the magnetic coupler. Upon magnet separation, the flexible adapter  17  and instrument may then be magnetically adhered to the housing  10  of the retractor  11  or other metal item. 
         [0046]    While exemplary embodiments have been described, it is recognized that additional variations may be devised without departing from the inventive concept.