A retractable reel system includes a reel, a gear assembly, a paddle wheel and a spring. The reel includes a concentric wheel shaft where the reel and wheel shaft rotate to wind and unwind a length of material from the reel. The gear assembly engages with an end of the wheel shaft to provide a gear reduction ratio between the wheel shaft and an output shaft of the gear assembly. The paddle wheel is connected to and concentric with the output shaft, and the paddle wheel includes a paddle that extends beyond an outer edge of the paddle wheel that rotates with the paddle wheel. The spring is arranged outside the outer edge of the paddle wheel. The spring is compressed by the paddle to store an energy when the reel is rotated to unwind the length of material from the reel. The stored energy is used to rotate the reel to wind the length of material around the reel.

A strap may be removably attachable to a container. The strap may include a retractor having an opening, a retraction spring and a brake. The strap may further include a strip of flexible material attached to the retraction spring and extending through the opening of the retractor. The strap may also include clips attaching the retractor and distal end of the flexible material to the container. The strip of flexible material may move from a fully retracted position, where the distal end of the strip of flexible material is nearest the retractor, relative to the entire length of the strip of flexible material, to an extended position where the distal end of the strip of flexible material is furthest from the retractor. The retraction spring may bias the strip of flexible material into/toward the fully retracted position.

A collapsible stand for holding and dispensing craft materials includes a base having a front, a rear, a first side, a second side, an upper surface, and a lower surface. A first arm is coupled to the upper surface at the first side of the base by a first hinge. At least one first dowel slot is defined through the first arm. A second arm is coupled to the upper surface at the second side of the base by a second hinge. At least one second dowel slot is defined through the second arm.

An automated aisle runner includes an automated control unit, an aisle runner, and a mobile runner extender. The automated control unit includes a housing and a runner roller, wherein the runner roller is rotatably mounted within the housing. The aisle runner is disposed around the runner roller, such that the aisle runner is wound around and unwound from the runner roller as the runner roller is rotated by a motor. The mobile runner extender is provided to ensure the aisle runner is extended in a straight, smooth manner, eliminating problematic tangling. A plurality of lights may be positioned along the aisle runner and a projector integrated into the automated control unit to provide enhanced visual effects, while a speaker provides audial effects. A microcontroller allows a user to control the color and pattern of the plurality of lights, projections, and the audio files played through the speaker.

An apparatus for configuring an exercise performance area is described that includes a handle, a shank, a spindle, and a rotation handle. The shank is mechanically connected to the handle and holds a spindle a distance away from the handle. The spindle includes a number of spindle parts, the spindle parts forming a groove. A rotation handle is mechanically connected to the spindle, and, when turned, causes the spindle to rotate. The apparatus aids in applying floor strips to mats on an exercise performance area.

A strap may be removably attachable to a container. The strap may include a retractor having an opening, a retraction spring and a brake. The strap may further include a strip of flexible material attached to the retraction spring and extending through the opening of the retractor. The strap may also include clips attaching the retractor and distal end of the flexible material to the container. The strip of flexible material may move from a fully retracted position, where the distal end of the strip of flexible material is nearest the retractor, relative to the entire length of the strip of flexible material, to an extended position where the distal end of the strip of flexible material is furthest from the retractor. The retraction spring may bias the strip of flexible material into/toward the fully retracted position.

An improved winding apparatus and system for winding strips of web materials.

A collapsible stand for holding and dispensing craft materials includes a base having a front, a rear, a first side, a second side, an upper surface, and a lower surface. A first arm is coupled to the upper surface at the first side of the base by a first hinge. At least one first dowel slot is defined through the first arm. A second arm is coupled to the upper surface at the second side of the base by a second hinge. At least one second dowel slot is defined through the second arm.

A ribbon measuring device. The ribbon measuring device includes a base having an upper surface and a plurality of openings disposed through the upper surface. The plurality of openings are aligned with one another along a length of the base. The present invention further includes at least two dowels having a bottom end sized to removably fit within each of the plurality of openings. When the two dowels are disposed within two of the plurality of openings, the dowels extend vertically from and are perpendicular to the upper surface.

To provide a wound yarn package and a method for manufacturing the same in which even if sea-island type fibers are wound around a bobbin one by one by a traverse mode, cob-webbing and curling are less likely to occur, and the variation in the heat shrinkage rate between layers constituting the yarn layer is reduced. When winding sea-island type fibers with a fineness of 100 to 6400 dtex around a bobbin one by one by a traverse mode to form a yarn layer, each yarn constituting the n-th yarn layer is wound at a position 0 to x mm away from each yarn constituting the (n?1)-th yarn layer, with the yarn width of the sea-island type fiber being taken as x (mm), to fabricate a wound yarn package