Patent ID: 7665684

Claim:
A retractable tether, comprising: a tether housing; a cable within said tether housing, said housing having a hole from which said cable extends, said cable having a stop on its end that extends from said housing hole, said stop being larger than said housing hole to prevent said cable from fully retracting into said housing; a spring within said tether housing which urges retraction of said cable; a flexible lanyard attached to said stop and arranged to be attached to a personal article, said personal article capable of being mounted in proximity to said tether housing, said flexible lanyard having a length greater than the distance between said mounted personal article and said tether housing such that said cable is not extended from said housing, and said cable is not under tension, by said mounted personal article, said lanyard having a length such that it does not substantially hang below said personal article and tether housing when said personal article is mounted in proximity to said tether housing; and a mounting mechanism on said tether housing, wherein said spring has sufficient tension to prevent said cable from extending from said housing under the weight of said attached personal article, wherein said mounting mechanism comprises a retaining section mounted to said tether housing, said retaining section having a central hole, said housing having a locking post inserted into said central hole without passing into said tether housing, with said retaining section rotatable around said post.