Patent ID: 7028580

Claim:
A cable shortening system for shortening the effective length of a cable extended generally along one direction, the system comprising: a. at least one rotation member defining a bridged channel through which the cable is threaded, the bridged channel having a first end at which the cable enters the bridged channel and a second end at which the cable exits the bridged channel, the at least one rotation member being rotatable between a first orientation, in which a length of the bridged channel extends along the one direction, and a second orientation, in which the length of the bridged channel extends in a direction tilted relative to the one direction; and b. a rotation driving mechanism that rotates the at least one rotation member between the first orientation and the second orientation, such that in the first orientation the cable threaded through the bridged channel extends along the one direction and in the second orientation the cable threaded through the bridged channel is deflected from the one direction by the bridged channel thereby shortening the effective length of the cable along the one direction, the rotation driving mechanism comprising an arm connected to the at least one rotation member at a location closer to one of the first end and the second end than to the other one of the first end and the second end.