Hand crank assembly for a reel

Abstract

A hand crank assembly system for spooling linear material onto a reel includes a reel drum onto which the linear material can be spooled and a lever pivotable about an axis. A torque transfer mechanism of the system has an engagement clutch that engages and transfers a torque when it is operated in a first rotational direction, but that does not operate nor transfer a torque when it is operated in a second rotational direction opposite the first rotational direction. The torque transfer mechanism converts the pivoting of the lever into the rotation of the reel drum in the first rotational direction regardless of the direction in which the lever is pivoted.

1 . A reel comprising: 
 a reel drum onto which linear material can be spooled;    a lever pivotably secured to a portion of the reel, the lever configured to pivot in a first lever direction and in a second lever direction opposite to said first lever direction; and    a mechanism configured to convert pivoting of the lever in the first lever direction into rotation of the reel drum in a first rotational direction of the reel drum, the mechanism also configured to convert pivoting of the lever in the second lever direction into rotation of the reel drum in the first rotational direction of the reel drum.    
   
   
       2 . A reel comprising: 
 a reel drum onto which linear material can be spooled;    a lever pivotably secured to a portion of the reel, the lever configured to pivot in a first lever direction and in a second lever direction opposite to said first lever direction; and    a mechanism configured to convert back and forth pivoting of the lever in the first and second lever directions into rotation of the reel drum in only one direction.    
   
   
       3 . A system for spooling linear material, comprising: 
 a reel drum onto which a linear material can be spooled;    a lever movable in a first direction and in a second direction opposite the first direction; and    means for converting the movement of the lever in said first and second directions into rotation of the reel drum in a first rotational direction to spool said linear material onto the reel drum.    
   
   
       4 . A system for spooling linear material, comprising: 
 a reel drum onto which a linear material can be spooled;    a lever pivotable about an axis; and    a torque transfer mechanism comprising an engagement clutch configured to engage and transfer a torque to the reel drum when operated in a first rotational direction and configured to not engage nor transfer a torque to the reel drum when operated in a second rotational direction opposite the first rotational direction, the torque transfer mechanism configured to convert back and forth pivoting of the lever into rotation of the reel drum in the first rotational direction.    
   
   
       5 . The system of  claim 4 , wherein the torque transfer mechanism further comprises a first pulley member and a second pulley member, each of said first and second pulley members disposed on a first shaft, the first shaft movably coupled to a reel shaft extending along an axis of the reel drum via the engagement clutch, wherein the first and second pulley members are coupled to each other via a first one-way clutch configured to engage when operated in the first rotational direction.  
   
   
       6 . The system of  claim 5 , wherein the torque transfer mechanism further comprises a third pulley member and a fourth pulley member, each of said third and fourth pulley members disposed on a second shaft, the third pulley member operatively coupled to the first pulley member, the fourth pulley member operatively coupled to the second pulley member, the third and fourth pulley members coupled to each other via a second one-way clutch configured to engage when operated in the second rotational direction opposite the first rotational direction, the lever coupled to the second shaft, wherein pivoting of the lever rotates at least one of the third and fourth pulley members, which in turn rotates at least one of the first and second pulley members to transfer a torque onto the first shaft, said torque transferred to the reel shaft to rotate the reel drum.  
   
   
       7 . The system of  claim 6 , wherein the first and third pulley members are operatively coupled to each other via a first belt, and wherein the second and fourth pulley members are operatively coupled to each other via a second belt.  
   
   
       8 . The system of  claim 7 , wherein the first belt has a figure eight shape.  
   
   
       9 . A system for spooling linear material comprising: 
 a reel drum onto which a linear material can be spooled, the reel drum having a reel shaft extending along an axis of the reel drum;    first and second pulley members disposed on a first shaft, the first shaft movably coupled to the reel shaft;    third and fourth pulley members disposed on a second shaft, the third pulley member operatively coupled to the first pulley member, the fourth pulley member operatively coupled to the second pulley member, the fourth pulley member coupled to the second shaft via a first one-way clutch configured to transfer torque in a first rotational direction, the third pulley member coupled to the second shaft via a second one-way clutch configured to operate in a second rotational direction opposite said first rotational direction; and    a lever coupled to the second shaft, the lever pivotable in a first lever direction and a second lever direction opposite said first lever direction,    wherein pivoting said lever in the first and second lever directions rotates at least one of the third and fourth pulley members to rotate at least one of the first and second pulley members in order to rotate the reel drum in the first rotational direction.    
   
   
       10 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein the first shaft is operatively coupled to the reel shaft via an engagement clutch configured to transfer a torque from the rotation of at least one of the first and second pulley members onto the reel shaft to rotate the reel drum in the first rotational direction.  
   
   
       11 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein the engagement clutch comprises a driving part and a driven part, each of said parts having a plurality of angled teeth, wherein the rotation of at least one of the first and second pulley members causes the engagement clutch to engage and transfer a torque from the first shaft to the reel shaft.  
   
   
       12 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein pivoting said lever in the first lever direction rotates the second shaft in the first rotational direction, which causes the first one-way clutch to engage and rotate the fourth pulley member in the first rotational direction, which in turn rotates the first pulley member in the first rotational direction.  
   
   
       13 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein pivoting said lever in the second lever direction rotates the second shaft in the second rotational direction, which causes the second one-way clutch to engage and rotate the third pulley member in the second rotational direction, which in turn rotates the first pulley member in the first rotational direction.  
   
   
       14 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein the first pulley member is coupled to the third pulley member by a first belt in a manner such that the first and third pulley members rotate in opposite directions, and wherein the second pulley member is coupled to the fourth pulley member by a second belt in a manner such that the second and fourth pulley members rotate in the same direction.  
   
   
       15 . A method for rotating a reel drum onto which a linear material can be spooled, comprising: 
 providing a lever pivotable in a first lever direction and a second lever direction opposite the first lever direction;    providing a torque transfer mechanism operatively coupled to the lever and to a reel drum;    pivoting the lever in the first lever direction to transfer a torque generated from said pivoting of the lever to the reel drum to rotate the reel drum in a first rotational direction; and    pivoting the lever in the second lever direction to transfer the torque generated from said pivoting of the lever to the reel drum to rotate the reel drum in the first rotational direction.