MXPA00000162A

MXPA00000162A - Knockdown reel assembly

Info

Publication number: MXPA00000162A
Application number: MXPA/A/2000/000162A
Authority: MX
Inventors: Richard P Witwer; Kenneth E Campbell
Original assignee: Direct Wire And Cable Inc
Priority date: 1997-06-27
Filing date: 2000-01-03
Publication date: 2002-02-26

Abstract

A reel assembly (10) for large packages of cable and wire. The reel assembly (10) includes a pair of separate drum segments (20) which, when assembled, form a hollow cylindrical drum (12) for winding wire or cable therearound. The drum segments (20) have inwardly extending beads (24) which lock separate end flanges (14) on opposite sides of the drum (12). The end flanges (14) are of two piece construction including a hub (34) secured to a skirt (36). The hub (34) has a lip (56) for engaging the beads (24) of the drum segments (20) when the reel is assembled. The reel assembly (10) has means for automatically releasably locking the drum segments (20) to the hub lip (56) when the drum segments side edges (26) are urged into engagement with one another.

Description

REMOVABLE REEL ASSEMBLY FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to reel assemblies for transporting wire, cable and the like, and more particularly, this invention relates to a removable reel assembly that can be restored and reused, which is economical to manufacture, which is assembles and disassembles easily, and which is lightweight to reduce shipping costs.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION It is a conventional practice within the wire and cable manufacturing industry to send the wire or cable wound on reels to the buyer, who after unwinding the wire or cable from the reels, discards the reels or returns the assembled reels to return them to be used. The basic structure of the assembled reel includes a cylindrical drum in which the wire or cable is wound and a pair of end flanges that extend in transverse position from the ends of the drum to preserve the wire or cable wound on the drum. In use, the assembled reels are placed to rotate on an axis that extends through the cylindrical drum and the final flanges, so that the wire or cable is unwound from the reel assembly when the spool rotates. An example of a removable, or collapsible, spool is described in the U.S. patent. No. 3,940,085 issued to Kenneth E. Campbell, who is one of the mentioned inventors of the present application. The reel assembly has a pair of separate drum segments and a pair of separate end tabs with vertical cubes having slots formed therein. The drum segments capture the final tabs with centering rings extending inward that coincide with the grooves of the cubes. For purposes of alignment, the elongated side edges of the drum segments have lugs and recesses that cooperate with the lugs and holes of the elongated side edges of the matched drum segment. The entire assembly is kept in an assembled state through the use of bolts that secure the two drum segments together. The patent of E.U.A. No. 5,575,437 also issued to Kenneth E. Campbell, describes a removable spool assembly that also uses a pair of drum segments and a pair of end tabs. The end flanges have hollow receptacles that independently receive each drum segment and secure them in place with an assurance mechanism. The patent of E.U.A. No. 4,471, 919 issued to Leunig discloses a removable spool assembly that utilizes drum segments with securing center rings, or rings, to capture the vertical cubes of the final flanges. The drum segments are integrally connected along a matching pair of elongated side edges by a hinge and are connected so that they can be disassembled along another matching pair of elongated side edges by an elongated press fit tab and a slot assurance. The patents of E.U.A. Nos. 3,822,841 issued to Kenneth E. Campbell, 3,785,584 issued to Crellin, Jr. 3,552,677 issued to Hacker and 4,903,913 issued to McCaffrey describe other removable spool assemblies known in the art. Although many of the known removable spool assemblies are suitable for use with smaller bundles of wire or cable, they may not be useful with heavy gauge wire and cable or larger bundles of wire or cable. For purposes of this application, large packages include large amounts of smaller gauge wire or larger gauge wire sizes that can not be transported effectively in known demountable spool assemblies. Reel constructions that are only measured to provide larger packages may not have an adequate structure and can be expensive to manufacture. For example, an injection-molded component having measurements greater than about 60.96 cm by about 2.54 cm increases the molding expense by a factor of 10 due to the expense of the mold.

Although some other of the aforementioned removable spool assemblies may be satisfactory for the intended purposes, there is a need for an improved removable spool assembly having a suitable structure, which is economical to manufacture and transport and which can be easily disassembled and returned to the manufacturer of wire or cable.

OBJECTIVES OF THE INVENTION With the foregoing in mind, a main objective of the present invention is to provide a removable spool assembly used to move flexible material that can be assembled and disassembled easily without the use of special tools. Another object of the present invention is to provide a removable spool assembly that is economical to manufacture and that is light in weight to reduce transportation costs. Another object of this invention is to provide a removable spool assembly that is made from various mixing and compatibility components that can be easily replaced if one part becomes damaged, and each can match other components in a variety. of sizes to adjust the measurements of an assembled reel. Yet, another object of the present invention is to provide a removable spool assembly that provides a reduction of space required for the inventory of the spool components, since various measured components can be mixed and matched to provide reel assemblies having a wide variety of sizes.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION More specifically, the present invention provides a removable reel assembly that can be returned to transport flexible material. The reel assembly has a substantially cylindrical drum for winding wire-like material around it and a pair of end tabs located at opposite ends of the drum to retain the wire-like material in the drum between the end tabs. A pair of arcuate drum segments, identical and separate, coincide to form the cylindrical drum. Each drum segment has opposite ends with an arched shape with centering rings extending inward, each coinciding with one of the end flanges and a pair of elongated side edges, each of which coincides with one of the elongated side edges of the barrel. another drum segment. Each end flange has a hub with a centered opening extending in axial position therethrough and a flange extending in radial position which is engaged by securing, or captured, by the centering rings of the drum segments.

One of the improvements lies in the use of at least one immobilizer extending peripherally from at least one of the elongated side edges of the drum segments to hold the reel assembly in a removable belay coupling. The immobilizer has a locking end that extends inwardly and radially to form the coupling with a notch in the hub of the final flange or to match the drum element. Another improvement includes notches formed in the hubs of the end flanges that coincide with the detents to form the removable securing coupling between each drum segment and each hub. Still another improvement refers to the use of a two-piece end flange assembly constructed in a manner that reduces manufacturing use and costs.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description along with the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of an assembled spool that modalizes the present invention; Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of the assembled spool illustrated in Figure 1, seen as taken along line 2-2; Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of the assembled spool illustrated in Figure 2, view taken along line 3-3; Figure 3A is a cross-sectional view of an alternate embodiment of Figure 2, view taken along line 3-3; Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of the assembled spool illustrated in Figure 3, view taken along line 4-4; Figure 5 is a partial schematic perspective view of a reel assembly that modalizes the present invention; Figure 6 is a partial schematic perspective view of an alternate embodiment of a final flange; and Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view of an alternate embodiment of a pair of matching drum segments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED MODALITIES As illustrated in Figure 1, the reel assembly 10 of the present invention, when assembled, provides a means for storing and transporting flexible material of various sizes from a manufacturer to an end user. For purposes of this application, the flexible material may include, but is not limited to: wire, cable, ducts, hoses, end bands, paper, fillers, fiber optic, chain, rope, strip of yarn and metal. The reel assembly 10 has a substantially cylindrical drum 12 sandwiched between a pair of end flanges 14. For easy unwinding and unwinding of flexible material (not shown) in the drum 12, the spool assembly 10 has a central passage extending to along an "A" axis through the drum 12 and both end tabs 14. As best illustrated in Figure 2, the reel assembly 10 may be supported and rotated about a bar 16 extending through the central passage along the "A" axis. For environmental and economic purposes, the end user may return an empty reel to the manufacturer for reuse. The reel assembly 10 is designed to be easily disassembled so that savings can be obtained by minimizing the amount of transport and storage space required. Thus far, the cylindrical drum 12 can be disassembled into a pair of separate drum segments 20 and a pair of separate end flanges 14. As illustrated, each drum segment 20 is identical to the matched drum segment and is arcuate in cross-section between their opposite ends with arched shape 22. A centering ring 24 extends inward from each end 22 to capture the final flanges 14, as will be explained later. Each drum segment 20 also has a pair of elongated side edges 26 that coincide with elongated side edges of a matched drum segment. Thus far, each drum segment 20 has a tongue 28 and / or a slot 30 which engage the tongue and / or grooves of a matched drum segment to prevent longitudinal and transverse movement therebetween. Preferably, the drum segments 20 are made of plastic, so that they are lightweight to minimize transport costs and, being identical, the drum segments can be molded by a single injection mold, so that provide savings in manufacturing. The drum segments 20 of the present invention have a unique configuration of integrally formed immobilizers 32 that provide a means for releasably securing the entire spool assembly in an assembled state when the drum segments are joined during assembly. Preferably, as illustrated, a pair of detents 32 extends in a peripheral position on each elongated side edge 26, one adjacent to each centering ring 24. The detents 32 function as leaf springs, since they can exit outwardly during the operation. assemble, or disassemble, but they can return to their inward position by being placed on the final flanges 14 to close the spool in an assembled state. Preferably, the immobilizers 32 effect the securing engagement with the flanges 14, as illustrated and explained below. Another aspect of the present invention relates to the unique construction of two pieces of each flange 14. Each end flange 14 has a hub 34 secured to a portion of spaced flanges, or skirt, 36. Preferably, to minimize costs of manufacture, the skirt 36 is made of plywood and the hub 34 is made of injection molded plastic. For transporting heavy flexible material, the skirt 36 may require a diameter with a length equivalent to 1.21 meters. A skirt 36 of this size made of plywood provides significant cost savings over a skirt of an identical size made of plastic, since the cost of manufacturing a mold of that size is important, not to mention the higher cost of engineering grade plastic compared to plywood. However, if the higher costs are accepted, the skirt 36 can be made of engineering grade plastic, wood, metal or mixed materials. The plastic hub 34 of the present invention is configured in particular to provide a support surface between the bar 16 and the reel assembly 10 to avoid wearing the skirt 36. Thus far, the skirt 36 has a side wall 38 which is confronted with the drum segments 20 and a central opening 40 defined by an internal annular surface 42 extending in transverse position from the side wall 38. The hub 34 has a side 44 which faces the side wall 38 of the skirt 36 and has a central opening 46 which is aligned with the opening 40 of the skirt 36 when assembled. The hub 34 has a first annular projection 48 extending from the side 44 that is received within the central opening of the skirt 40 to receive the inner annular surface 42 of the skirt 36. Therefore, as illustrated in Figure 2, the bar 16 does not contact or wear the skirt 36. The hub 34 is secured to the skirt 36 in such a way as to provide a final flange 14 having suitable structure and bearing the forces related to winding, transporting and unwinding the flexible material. Thus far, the side wall 38 of the skirt 36 has an annular groove 50 in concentric formation with the opening 40, and the hub 34 has a second annular projection 52 which extends from the side 44 and is received in the groove 50. See FIG. Figure 2. A plurality of threaded fasteners, such as nut and bolt combinations 54, are used to secure the matching hub 34 and skirt 36 to produce the final flange 14. In an alternate embodiment illustrated in Figure 6, the wall side 38 does not include an annular groove and the hub does not have a second annular projection. In such embodiment, the locations of the bolts and nuts 54 move out closer to the outer edge of the hub 34. The hub 34 cooperates with the centering rings 24 on the drum segments 20 to provide a removable connection between the segments of drum 20 and end flanges 14. Up to this point, hub 34 has a flange 56 extending radially outwardly from hub 34, a distance spaced apart from side wall 38 of skirt 36. In this way, when the The spool is assembled, the cubes 34 receive and capture the centering rings 24 of the drum segments between the flange 56 of the hub 34 and the side wall 38 of the skirt 36.

In the preferred embodiment as illustrated in Figures 3 and 5, the hub 34 also engages the detents 32 of the drum segments 20 to secure the reel assembly in the assembled condition. Thus far, as best illustrated in FIG. 3, flange 56 and hub 34 have a plurality of notches 58 receiving and capturing flanges 60 extending from the immobilizers 32. In this way, as illustrated, each The hub has 4 notches 58 that engage with a pair of detents 32 from a pair of drum segments 20. To disassemble the reel assembly 10, the tip of a screwdriver (not shown) can be used to remove the immobilizers from the assembly. with the masts 58, and therefore, of the coupling with the end flanges 14 which are then no longer coupled with the centering rings 24 of the drum segments 20. The cubes 34 and the drum segments 20 have means for resisting the rotation of the drum segments 20 relative to the end flanges 14. The flange 56 of the cubes 34 is interrupted in certain locations by the side walls 62. For example, as illustrated in Fig. 5, a pair of walls clears 62 are located at opposite ends of the hub and are centered between the locations of the grooves 58. The drum segments 20 have complementary chordal walls 64 extending inwardly adjacent to the centering rings 24. As best illustrated in FIG. Figure 3, the chordal walls 62 coincide with the complementary chordal walls 64 to provide support for the end segment-to-flange connection to resist relative rotation therebetween. In an alternate embodiment illustrated in Figure 3A, each of the drum segments has peaks 64a that coincide within the peak receiving grooves 62a to provide a connection that resists relative rotation. By way of example, and not as limitation, for transporting large packages of flexible material, each of the drum segments 20 may have a length of about 20.32, 30.48 or 40.64 cm, but could be larger or smaller, and may be formed in a radius of curvature of 10.16, 15.24 or 20.32 cm approximately. The skirts 36 should have a thickness of about 0.635 cm to about 2.54 cm, a diameter of up to about 1.21 m, and an annular groove 50 with a diameter of about 10.16, 20.32 or 30.48 cm. The detents 32 of the drum segments 20 should be formed as leaf springs that are approximately 2.54 cm in length with an end cap 60 extending inwardly around 0.952 cm. The notches 58 should have a depth of approximately 1.27 cm in the flange 56; the rim 56 should be spaced apart from the side wall 38 of the skirt 36 a distance of about 0.317 to 1.90 cm, and the center rims 24 should extend inwardly a distance of about 0.317 to 1.90 cm. Many alternative configurations can be used. For example, in an alternate embodiment illustrated in FIG. 7, the immobilizers 32 securely engage a matched drum segment. In said embodiment, at least one immobilizer 32 extends from an elongated lateral edge of the drum segment and the other elongated side edge has a cooperating groove 70 to removably receive the immobilizer. Other alternative configurations include alternating the number and type of fasteners used to secure the skirt bucket, the number and location of the slot and tabs on the drum segments, the number of drum segments used, the number of loaders used , and the shape and size of the chordal walls in the cubes and the drum segments. Although preferred configurations of the drum segment, hub and skirt have been described in detail, various modifications, alterations and changes can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the removable spool assembly in accordance with the present invention, as defined in the attached claims.

Claims

NOVELTY OF THE INVENTION CLAIMS

1. - A removable reel assembly 10 for transporting flexible material, the reel assembly 10 has a substantially cylindrical drum 12 for winding the flexible material around it and a pair of end flanges 14 located at opposite ends of the drum 12 to retain the material flexible on the drum 12 between the end flanges 14, comprising: a pair of identical and separate arched drum segments 20, each segment 20 having opposite ends with arched shape 22, each one coinciding with one of the final flanges 14, and each segment 20 has a pair of elongated side edges 26, each one coinciding with one of the elongated side edges 26 of said segments 20 to form the substantially cylindrical drum 12; each of the end flanges 14 has a hub 34 with a central opening 46 extending axially therethrough and a flange extending radially 56; each of the arcuate shaped ends 22 of each of the drum segments 20 has a centering ring extending inwardly 24 to engage the flange 56 of said hub 34 to connect said end flanges 14 to the drum segments 20 when the reel assembly 10 is assembled; means for releasably securing the drum segments 20 with the flange of the hub 56 when the side edges of the drum segments 26 are forced into engagement with each other; wherein said means includes at least one immobilizer 32 with an inwardly extending endpiece in radial position 60 extending in the peripheral direction of at least one of the elongated side edges 26 of each of the drum segments 20; and wherein said flange 56 of the hub 34 of each end flange 14 has an inwardly extending notch 58 which receives in order to match the spigot 60 of the immobilizer 32 to cooperatively form a detachable securing coupling.

2. A removable spool assembly 10 according to claim 1, further characterized in that the elongated side edges 26 of each of the drum segments 20 has a pair of immobilizers that extends in peripheral position 32, each one of which has an inwardly extending endpiece in radial position 60, one of the immobilizers 32 is located adjacent to each of the opposite ends in an arched form 220; wherein the flange 56 of the hub 34 of each of the end flanges 14 has four inwardly extending notches 58, each receiving in a manner to coincide one of the closures 60 of said detents 32 to form the removable securing assembly, whereby each of the opposite arcuate ends 22 of each drum segment 20 is removably secured with each end flange 14 in a pair of locations.

3. A detachable reel assembly 10 according to claim 1, further characterized in that each of the drum segments 20 has a pair of inwardly extending chordal walls 64, one positioned adjacent to each of the two. center rings 24; wherein each of the cubes 34 has a complementary cordal wall 62 which interrupts said flange extending in radial position 56; and wherein said chordal walls 64 of the drum segments 20 cooperate with the complementary chordal walls 62 of the cubes 34 to resist rotation of the drum segments 20 with respect to the final flanges 14.

4.- A removable spool assembly 10 according to claim 1, further characterized in that each of the drum segments 20 has a pair of inwardly extending peaks 64a, one located adjacent to each of the centering rings 24; wherein each of the hubs 34 has a complementary peak receiving groove 62a which interrupts said flange extending radially 56; and wherein said peaks 64a of the drum segments 20 cooperate with the complementary peak receiving grooves 62a of the hubs 34 to resist rotation of the drum segments 20 with respect to the final flanges 14.

5.- A reel assembly removable 10 according to claim 1, further characterized in that each of the elongated side edges 26 of said drum segments 20 has a tongue 28 and a groove 30, so that when said pair of drum segments 20 are coincident, said tongue and groove 28, 30 interconnect and prevent longitudinal movement between said matching drum segments 20.

6. A removable reel assembly 10 according to claim 1, further characterized in that each of the end flanges 14 includes a skirt. 36 formed separately from said hub 34 and having a central opening 40 extending in axial position therethrough, and wherein the cube or 34 is attached to the skirt 36, so that the openings 46, 40 of the hub 34 and the skirt 36 are aligned in an axial position.

7. A removable spool assembly 10 according to claim 6, further characterized in that said skirt 36 has a side wall 38 for confronting the opposite ends 22 of said drum segments 20 and an annular surface 42 extending in transverse position to the side wall 38 and defining the central opening of the skirt 40; and wherein the hub 34 has a first annular projection 48 concentric with the central opening of the hub 46 to be received within the annular surface 42 of the skirt 36, so that said annular surface 42 is captured by the annular projection 48 of the hub 34

8. A removable spool assembly 10 according to claim 7, further characterized in that each of the skirts 36 is made of wood, and each of the cubes 34 and drum segments 20 is made of plastic.

9. - A removable reel assembly 10 for transporting flexible material, the reel assembly 10 has a substantially cylindrical drum 12 for winding the flexible material around it and a pair of end flanges 14 located at the opposite ends of the drum 12 to retain the material flexible in the drum 12 between the end flanges 14, comprising: a pair of arcuate drum segments, identical and separate 20, each segment 20 having opposite ends with arched shape 22, each one coinciding with one of the final flanges 14, and each segment 20 has a pair of elongated side edges 26, each one coinciding with one of the elongated side edges 26 of said segments 20 to form the substantially cylindrical drum 12; each of the end flanges 14 has a hub 34 with a central opening 46 extending axially therethrough and a flange extending radially 56; each of the arcuate shaped ends 22 of each of the drum segments 20 has a centering ring extending inwardly 24 to engage the flange 56 of said hub 34 to connect said end flanges 14 to the drum segments 20 when the reel assembly 10 is assembled; means for releasably securing the drum segments 20 with the flange of the hub 56 when the side edges of the drum segments 26 are forced into engagement with each other; wherein said means includes at least one immobilizer 32 with an inwardly extending endpiece in radial position 60 extending in the peripheral direction of at least one of the elongated side edges 26 of each of the drum segments.; and wherein the other elongate side edge 26 has a slot for receiving said fastener of the immobilizer 32 to cooperatively form a detachable securing coupling.

10. A drum segment 20 used in a removable reel assembly 10 for transporting flexible material, the assembly 10 includes a substantially cylindrical drum 12 for winding the flexible material around it and a pair of separate end tabs 14 connected removably to the cylindrical drum 12 at the opposite ends of the cylindrical drum 12 to retain the flexible material in the cylindrical drum 12 between the end flanges 14, said drum segments 20 comprising: an elongated, one-piece, arcuate segment 20 for used with an identical segment 20 to form the substantially cylindrical drum 12, said segment 20 has opposite ends with an arched shape 22 to coincide with the end flanges 14 and a pair of elongated side edges 26 that coincide with an identical pair of elongated side edges 26 of a matching identical segment 20; a pair of integrally formed centering rings extending inwardly from the segment 20 to engage the end flanges 14, one of the centering rings 24 is located adjacent to one of the opposite ends 22 and the other end 24 is located in a position adjacent to the opposite opposite end 22; and an immobilizer extending in the peripheral direction 32 integrally formed in at least one of the elongated side edges 26, said immobilizer 32 has a radially inwardly extending endpiece 60 to maintain the assembly 10 in detachable securing coupling.

11. A drum segment 20 according to claim 10, further characterized in that the segment 20 has one of the immobilizers 32 with a radially inwardly extending end cap 60 in a position adjacent to each of the opposite ends 22 of each of the elongated side edges 26.

12. A drum segment 20 according to claim 11, further characterized in that it comprises at least one integrally formed tail wall 64 located in an adjacent position with one of the center rings 24 to cooperate with one of the final tabs 14 of the assemble to resist the rotation of the drum segment 20 relative to the final flange 14 of the assembly 10.

13. A drum segment 20 according to claim 11, further characterized in that at least one integrally formed peak 64a located at adjacent position with at least one of the centering rings 24 to cooperate with one of the end flanges 14 of the assembly 10 to resist rotation of the drum segment 20 relative to the final flange 14 of the assembly 10.

14.- A segment of drum 20 according to claim 11, further characterized in that it comprises a tongue 28 and a groove 30 formed in each of the elongated side edges 26, so that when they coincide with an identical segment 20 said tongue and groove 28, 30 is formed by the tongue 20; They connect and prevent longitudinal movement between the matching segments 20.

15. A final flange 14 for use in a removable spool assembly that can 10 for transporting flexible material, the reel assembly 10 includes a substantially cylindrical drum 12 for winding the flexible material around it and a pair of separate end tabs 14 removably connected to the cylindrical drum 12 at the opposite ends of the cylindrical drum 12 for retaining the flexible material in the cylindrical drum 12 between the end flanges 14, said final flange 14 comprising: a disc-shaped skirt 36 having a side wall 38 for confronting the cylindrical drum 12 of the reel assembly 10, an opening 40 extending towards the center and in axial position therethrough and an inner annular surface 42 extending in a position transverse to said side wall 38 and defining the opening 40; a separate, one-piece plastic cube 34 having an opening 46 extending towards the center and axially therethrough, a first annular projection 48 concentric with the opening of the hub 46 to coincide with the inner annular surface 42 of said skirt 36, so that the inner annular surface 42 is captured by the annular projection 48 of the hub 34 and a flange extending in radial position 56 located at a distance spaced from the skirt 36 and having at least one notch inwardly extending 58 formed therein to cooperate with the cylindrical drum 12 to maintain the reel assembly 10 in a removable securing coupling; and means for securing the hub 34 to the skirt 36.

16. A final flange 14 according to claim 15, further characterized in that the side wall 38 of the skirt 36 has an annular groove 50 formed therein, concentric with the opening 40.; and wherein the hub 34 has a second annular projection 52 concentric with the first annular projection 48 to coincide with the annular groove 50 in said side wall 38 of the skirt 36.

17. A flange 14 according to claim 15, further characterized because said flange 56 has four inwardly extending notches 58.

18. A flange 14 according to claim 15, further characterized in that a chordal wall 62 interrupts the flange extending in radial position 56 to cooperate with the cylindrical drum. 12 of the reel assembly 10 to resist rotation of the cylindrical drum 12 relative to the final flange 14 of the reel assembly 10.

19. A flange 14 according to claim 15, further characterized in that said flange 56 is interrupted by a slot cooperating with the cylindrical drum 12 of the reel assembly 10 to resist rotation of the cylindrical drum 12 with respect to to the final flange 14 of the reel assembly 10.