Patent ID: 7311609

Claim:
A miniature spooling apparatus, comprising: a housing having a mechanically powered spool therein; and a cover apparatus with an open end, the cover apparatus being formed such that it covers a portion of the mechanically powered spool and being attached with the housing such that a space exists between the cover apparatus and the spool to allow for rotation of the spool therein; wherein the cover apparatus is formed to resemble an item selected from a group consisting of a pen's push button and a pen's cap; wherein the mechanically powered spool includes thread wrapped around the spool; wherein the cover apparatus is formed to include a notch that extends from the open end such that when the cover apparatus covers a portion of the spool, thread can pass freely through the notch; and wherein the spool includes a rotational axis and the cover apparatus is attached with the housing such that it is rotatable in relation to the housing about a rotational axis, and where the cover apparatus is attached with the housing such that the rotational axis of the cover apparatus is approximately parallel to the rotational axis of the spool; and wherein the notch is formed in the cover apparatus such that the notch is aligned with the spool when the cover apparatus is covering a portion of the spool, such that when thread is spooled from the spool and through the notch, rotation of the cover apparatus allows a user to control a direction in which the thread spools.