Cable Drums

Abstract

A cable drum comprising a carrier, a drum body for taking an extension cable and having a cylindrical part with first and second axially spaced end walls, and a plug base having at least one socket connected electrically with an extension cable, the drum body incorporating a holder for a lamp and a switch enabling electrical connection to be established between the lamp and the extension cable.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention concerns a cable drum particularly for household, workshop, building sites and similar use with a carrying handle to which is connected a cylindrical portion with a first and second end wall at its two axial ends, containing a drum for an extension cable and with at least one plug base in a plug base holder with which the extension cable is electrically connected.

2. The Prior Art

If a cable drum of the known type is used in conjunction with a lamp, whose connecting cable (for example when working in a room without any electricity) is connected by means of a plug and plug base with the cable drum brought to the site, then the very often unduly long connecting cable presents unnecessary material expenditure whose disentangling and winding up requires a relatively large amount of work after the end of the day and furthermore the usually untidy way in which the cable lies around causes the danger that someone may trip over it and be injured.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In order to avoid these disadvantages the invention provides that the drum has a holder and a lamp and a switch for the electrical connection between the lamp and the extension cable. The switch may be in the region of the plug base on the first end wall and the holder and lamp in the second wall which is opposite to the first end wall. In order to protect the lamp from damage, the lamp may be covered by a covering consisting of translucent material. In order to keep the heat produced by the lamp away from the other parts of the cable drum, heat insulation plates may be provided on the second end wall. Similarly, in order to provide heat removal, ventilation openings can be provided in the end walls of the drum body and in the cover. If the cover is fastened so as to rotate with the holder and the holder is arranged to rotate on the drum body, then the appropriately arranged switch can be operated by turning the cover. Several feet mounted on the second end wall can be used for setting the cable drum on the floor; thus a cable complete with plug inserted in the socket can be led without difficulty out of the arrangement. If the drum is mounted so that it can be rotated in a housing which is provided with a handle, then the cable drum can be held by the handle while the extension cable is wound in or out. In a particularly favourable arrangement with regard to manufacturing costs it is envisaged that a U-shaped piece should act as the carrier; this piece should be mounted above the lamp in the direction of a diameter of the drum and is connected to the second end wall at the free ends of both its legs it being possible also in this case to mount the handle so that it is rotatable in the second end wall. If several holes in the handle are provided, these holes having a distance between them corresponding to the distance between the contacts on the plug connected to the extension cable, then when the article is not in use the plug can be simply held on the carrier. For the purpose of hanging the cable drum, on an arrangement for example on the wall, for example a nail, at least one hanging hole may be provided on the handle of the cable drum and/or the end walls. If the two end walls have a substantially rectangular periphery, then the cable drum can be set with its periphery on the floor without it rolling away during winding in or out of the extension cable.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention is now described by means of the drawings. These show:

FIG. 1 is a side view of the cable drum according to the invention in a first arrangement;

FIG. 2 is a section along the line II--II in FIG. 1 to an enlarged scale;

FIG. 3 is a similar section to FIG. 2 in a second arrangement;

FIG. 4 shows the detail A corresponding to FIG. 2 but however in a third arrangement; and

FIG. 5 is a sectional representation of a fourth arrangement of the cable drum.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

In the examples of arrangements shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the cable drum contains a two-part drum body 3, 4, which contains a cylindrical part 10 as well as a first end wall 11 and a second end wall 12. In order to hold together the two parts of the drum body 3, 4 annularly distributed connecting pieces 6 are provided. An extension cable 14 is wound on the cylindrical part 10, one end of this extension cable being pushed through an opening 15 in the cylindrical part 10. Inside the cylindrical part 10 there is a plug base 7 with sockets 8 connected so as to rotate with the drum body 3, 4, the plug base 7 being connected to the end of the extension cable 14; this is not shown in the drawings. A holder 16 with a lamp 17 are disposed in a central opening 18 on the second end wall 12. In the arrangement according to FIG. 2, the holder 16 is connected so as to rotate with the second end wall 12, the screws indicated at 19 serving this purpose. The electrical connections to the lamp 17 (not shown) are connected with the extension cable 14 by means of a switch 9 placed in the vicinity of the plug base 7. In the arrangement according to FIG. 3, in contrast to the arrangement according to FIG. 2, the holder 16 is arranged to rotate in the second end wall 12 and the switch 9' for the electrical connection to the lamp 17 is on the rear wall of the plug base 7, there being an operating connection 33 on the holder and thus the switch 9' is operated by rotating the holder and the lamp is in this manner switched on or off. The lamp 17 is covered with a translucent cover 20 of heat resisting material and the lamp 17 is therefore protected from damage. It is also possible by suitably colouring the cover 20 to utilise the cable drum as a warning lamp. Because of the heat produced by the lamp 17 it is desirable to provide heat insulation between the inner space of the cover 20 and the second end wall 12. In the arrangement according to FIG. 2 this heat insulation is achieved by two insulating plates 21, 22, between which there is an air space 23; in this case the cover 20 is for example screwed to the connecting piece 22A between the insulating plates 21, 22 with the screws indicated at 26 and is thus connected indirectly with the second end wall 12. It is of course possible to do without one of the insulating plates 21, 22. In the arrangement according to FIG. 3 the heat insulation is achieved by means of an insulating plate 21' which is connected so as to rotate with the holder 16 and to whose periphery the cover 20 is attached by means of a flap connection 27. On the arrangement according to FIG. 3, in which as already mentioned the holder 16 is mounted so as to rotate in the second end wall 12, turning the cover suffices to operate the switch 9'. Furthermore in this arrangement according to FIG. 3 the heat insulation is increased by the air space 23' formed by an insulating plate 21' and the second end wall 12. According to FIG. 4 it is also possible to fasten the cover 20 directly to the second end wall 12 in which case the insulating plates are not fitted and the cover 20 is screwed directly on the periphery of the second end wall 12 by means of the screw thread 24. In this arrangement heat insulation is provided by the coating 25 which can be glued or sprayed on to the second end wall 12 for example. FIG. 3 shows a further possibility which can also be used in the arrangement according to FIG. 2; it shows how the cable drum may be protected from too much heating. In the first end wall 11 there are ventilation openings 29, in the second end wall 12 ventilation openings 29' and in the insulation plate 21' ventilation openings 30. All the ventilation openings 29, 29' and 30 are distributed around the periphery. The air can find its way through from one side to the other by these ventilation openings 29, 29' and 30 and also through the ventilation opening 28 in the cover 20; thus the heat produced by the lamp 17 is taken up and carried away. In this connection it is advantageous if the feet 31 on the first end wall 11, which also are used for positioning the cable drum, protrude sufficiently far from the end wall 11 so that when a cable drum is placed on the feet 31 there is sufficient space left for drawing in the air. The flow of the cooling air is shown by arrows in FIG. 3. Furthermore the feet 31 are long enough so that the connecting cable together with its plug can be inserted into the socket 7 without difficulty. Furthermore the drum body in the arrangements according to FIGS. 1 to 4 is mounted so that it can be rotated in a two part housing 1, 2, the housing being provided with a carrier. The two parts of the housing 1, 2 are held together by connecting pieces 5, for example in the form of screws or the like. Because of the rotational support of the drum body 3, 4 in the housing 1, 2, it is possible to hold the cable drum in the hand while winding in or out the extension cable 14. The housing 1, 2 closes off from outside the space 13 containing the extension cable 14. It is also possible to rotate the drum body 3, 4 by means of the feet 31 in the housing in order to wind in or out the extension cable. The free end of the extension cable 14 can for example on the second end wall 12 approximately in the region 1A (or by means of an opening not shown in the housing 1, 2) be lead to the outside. The extension cable 14 can be wound off the drum body 3, 4 by pulling on its end.

The arrangement of the cable drum according to FIG. 5 corresponds in many details to the arrangements shown in FIGS. 1 to 4. Thus the chrome body 50 contains a cylindrical part 51 as well as a first end wall 52 and a second end wall 53. The extension cable 54 is wound on the cylindrical part 51 and led to the plug base through the opening 55 in the cylindrical part (the plug base is not shown but is near 58). The end 56 of the extension cable 54 is connected to the plug base. Furthermore the holder 63 with the lamp 60 is placed in the central opening 62 in the second end wall 53. The schematically indicated electrical connections 64, 65 for the lamp 60 are connected with the switch (not shown) via a common connecting cable 66. (The switch is at 67). A precise presentation of the region around the plug base is not shown in the arrangement according to FIG. 5 because this region can be similarly arranged to that in FIGS. 1 to 4. The region 59 of the second end wall 53 containing central opening 62 is placed opposite the remaining area of the second end wall 53 in the axial direction. In this way a piece 68 is formed on which the cover 61 is placed, the connection between the cover 61 and the second end wall 53 being formed by the teeth 69 on the piece 68 and by appropriate grooves 70 on the cover 61. This provides a snap connection. There is an annular groove 71 in the second end wall and the edge of the cover 61 fits into it. Furthermore the end surface 53 has at least one hole 73 in the radial direction from the periphery of the second end surface to the annular groove 71. The screw 72 is screwed into this so that its end grips the edge of the cover 61. In this way the cover 61 is very firmly held. The screw 72 in the hole 73 is provided with a counter bore 74 which can be used to hang the cable drum on a suitable support for example on a wall, for example a nail. Furthermore a carrier 75 is provided which is U-shaped and is placed like a bow in the direction of a diameter of the drum body over the lamp and cover 61. The carrier 75 has a form of a double T in section and at its free ends are connected to the second end wall 53. The carrier 75 can therefore be manufactured in one piece with the drum body 50. It is however also possible to arrange the free ends of both legs of the carrier 75 so that they can be rotated about the axis 82 and the second end wall 53 so that the extension cable 54 can be wound on and off with the carrier 75 held steady. Plug holes 78 are provided on the cross piece 77 of the carrier 75, the distance between them corresponding to the distance between the contacts 79 on the plug 57 of the extension cable 54. In this way the plug 57 when not in use can be pushed into the plug holes 78. There are hanging holes both on the carrier and on the first end wall, 81 to 86, which can be used for hanging up the cable drum on a suitable support on a wall. The cable drum according to FIG. 5 can, just like the arrangements according to FIGS. 1 to 4, be provided with feet 84, 85 which protrude on the first end wall 52 in the direction of the axis 82 and thus be placed on the floor. The feet 84, 85 are sufficiently high that there is sufficient place in the space 83 for a plug pushed into the socket 58 and that the connecting cable with its plug can be led without difficulty between the feet 84, 85. It is envisaged that the two end walls 52, 53 should have a substantially rectangular periphery so that the cable drum shown in FIG. 5 can also be placed on its side on the floor. The material envisaged for the manufacture of the drum body and the drum carrier is hard rubber but of course other materials for example plastic could be used.

Claims

I claim:

1. A cable drum, particularly for household, workshops, building sites and the like, comprising a carrier, a drum body for taking an extension cable containing a cylindrical part with a first and second end wall on its axial ends and with a plug base having at least one socket connected electrically with an extension cable in which the drum body has a holder and a lamp and a switch for the electrical connection between the lamp and the extension cable, and in which the switch is arranged in the region of the plug base on the first end wall and the holder and lamp is placed in a central opening in the second end wall opposite to the first end wall.

2. A cable drum according to claim 1 in which the lamp is covered with a cover of translucent material which is connected with the second end wall for example by means of a screw or snap connection.

3. A cable drum according to claim 2 in which between the inner space of the cover containing the lamp and the second end wall a heat insulating plate is arranged.

4. A cable drum according to claim 2 in which the cover is connected so as to rotate with the holder and the holder is arranged to rotate in the second end wall, a rotation of the cover and thus of the holder causing operation of the switch.

5. A cable drum according to claim 2 in which the second end surface contains an annular groove in which the edge of the cover fits and there is at least one hole in the second end surface in a radial direction from the periphery of the second end surface into the annular groove, a screw being screwed into this in such a way that the end of the screw abuts against the edge of the cover.

6. A cable drum according to claim 1 in which ventilation openings are provided for heat removal in the end wall of the drum body and in the cover.

7. A cable drum according to claim 1 in which blocks are provided on the first end side serving as feet.

8. A cable drum according to claim 1 in which the drum body is mounted in a rotatable fashion in a housing shutting off the space in the drum body containing the extension cable from outside and the carrier is fastened to the housing.

9. A cable drum according to claim 8 in which plug holes are provided on the carrier the distance between them being such that the contacts on the plug on the extension cable can be pushed into them.

10. A cable drum according to claim 1 in which the carrier has a U-shape and extends like a bow in the direction of a diameter of the drum body over the lamp and is connected to the second end wall with the free end of its legs.

11. A cable drum according to claim 10 in which the carrier connected to the second end wall is carried in a rotatable fashion on the second end wall and can rotate about the axis of the drum body.

12. A cable drum according to claim 1 in which at least one hanging hole is provided on the carrier and/or on the end wall.

13. A cable drum according to claim 1 in which the two end walls have a substantially quadratic periphery.