Fish tape ratchet winder

Abstract

A winder assembly includes a lever member that drives a hub attached to the reel of a fish tape reel assembly to wind or unwind fish tape within the reel. The lever member can be a ratchet with a handle at one end and a rotatable drive lug at the other end that engages a socket in the hub. The hub has spokes with ends that removably engage the reel so that torque from the lever member is transferred to rotate the reel with respect to its handle. The spokes can have hooks received in openings in the reel to apply torque to the reel.

1 . A ratchet winder for a fish tape reel that is rotatable about a center axis relative to its handle to wind or unwind fish tape within the reel, the winder comprising: 
 a lever member; and    a hub receiving the lever member to be rotatable by a ratchet movement of the lever member, wherein the hub engages the reel such that rotation of the hub rotates the reel about the center axis so as to wind or unwind the fish tape.    
   
   
       2 . The winder of  claim 1 , wherein the lever member includes a ratchet head.  
   
   
       3 . The winder of  claim 2 , wherein the ratchet is reversible.  
   
   
       4 . The winder of  claim 3 , wherein the ratchet includes a locking ball.  
   
   
       5 . The winder of  claim 2 , wherein the ratchet head includes a multi-sided rotatable lug.  
   
   
       6 . The winder of  claim 5 , wherein the lug has a square cross-section.  
   
   
       7 . The winder of  claim 6 , wherein the lug is essentially ⅜″ wide.  
   
   
       8 . The winder of  claim 1 , wherein the lever member has a handle at a free end opposite and offset from an end engaging the hub.  
   
   
       9 . The winder of  claim 8 , wherein the handle is spaced from the hub engaging end of the lever member in a direction along the center axis.  
   
   
       10 . The winder of  claim 1 , wherein the hub has a socket opening to at least one side of the reel sized to receive a lug on the lever member.  
   
   
       11 . The winder of  claim 10 , wherein the socket opening is essentially ⅜″ square.  
   
   
       12 . The winder of  claim 10 , wherein the hub has two oppositely opening sockets.  
   
   
       13 . The winder of  claim 10 , wherein the socket is defined by an insert molded steel member.  
   
   
       14 . The winder of  claim 1 , wherein the hub defines a plurality of spokes that engage the reel.  
   
   
       15 . The winder of  claim 1 , wherein the spokes define hooks extending at least in part in a direction along the center axis that are received by openings in the reel.  
   
   
       16 . The winder of  claim 16 , wherein the hub engages the reel by inserting the hooks axially into the openings in the reel and then rotating the hub about the center axis until the hooks engage the reel.  
   
   
       17 . The winder of  claim 16 , wherein the hub includes at least one locking feature tending to keep the hub engaged with the reel.  
   
   
       18 . The winder of  claim 17 , wherein said at least one locking feature engages the reel in at least two locations.  
   
   
       19 . The winder of  claim 17 , wherein said at least one locking feature is at least one spring tab formed integrally with at least one of the spokes.  
   
   
       20 . The winder of  claim 19 , wherein said at least one spring tab includes a boss that engages a recess in the reel.