Storage spool

Abstract

A storage spool is provided that comprises a center core coupled to a first flange and a second flange. The two flanges extend outward from the core in a parallel configuration creating a recess between the flanges. An aperture is formed on one or both of the flanges to allow for viewing the edges of any material stored on the spool. A transparent covering encapsulates the spool in order to create a smooth outer surface over the entire spool.

Description

RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims the benefit of the filing date of provisional application No. 60/576,113, filed Jun. 1, 2004, which is herein incorporated by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to the field of storage spools, and more specifically, to a new and useful storage spool for storing and displaying decorative materials.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Decorative ribbon, cord, tape, and other similar items are often wound in a rotary fashion onto a spool to facilitate space-efficient storage and access to the material by a user. Spools used for this purpose have been in existence for many years, and there has been very little innovation or development to the spools used today in comparison with those used many years ago.

During the distribution and sale of spools of decorative items, many spools are normally packaged into a single crate or box for shipping or stored in a single container for display on the storeroom floor. One such storage and display system is disclosed in co-pending application entitled “Distribution and Display System”, filed on Jun. 1, 2004 and assigned Ser. No. 60/604,997, and hereby incorporated herein by reference. The prior art storage spools currently in use are not well suited to this phase of material storage. The spools have exposed flanges or uneven surfaces on the sides, which can make it difficult to remove one spool from a case as the flanges can become entangled or engaged with each other. Additionally, the round spools often are not able to roll within the case because of entanglement with other spools, which makes it difficult to move a new spool into the place of one that may have been removed from the front of a case or display rack. Also, the material on the spools used today is often exposed to outside elements such as moisture or dirt while on display.

As a result of these shortcomings, a need exists for an improved storage spool. This invention fulfills this need, among others.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A storage spool is provided that comprises a center core coupled to a first flange and a second flange. The two flanges extend outward from the core in a parallel configuration creating a recess between the flanges. Decorative ribbon, cord, or other such items can be packaged in the recess created between the flanges for storage. An aperture is formed on one or both of the flanges to allow for viewing the edges of any material stored on the spool. This allows for a visual indication of how much material remains on the spool at any given time, as well as aids in the identification of the material on the spool (e.g., the thickness of a ribbon can be viewed). A transparent covering encapsulates the spool in order to create a smooth outer surface over the entire spool. This allows for the spool to roll within various types of storage racks and dispensers easily, while at the same time providing protection to the material stored on the spool. The smooth side surfaces prevent the flanges of two spools placed next to each other from becoming entangled or engaged, which would hinder removing one spool of material from a storage container that contains several spools. The covering is transparent to allow visual access to both the front of the material when viewing the front of the spool and the edges of the material when viewed through the aperture or apertures on the flanges.

In an exemplary embodiment, a slot may be formed in the front of the transparent covering to allow for removal of the material to be achieved while the covering remains on the spool. Alternatively, the covering can be made using a multi-piece construction to allow for easy removal from the spool by the customer after purchase.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For the purpose of illustrating the invention, there is shown in the drawings a form which is presently preferred; it being understood, that this invention is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown.

FIG. 1 is a side view of a storage spool in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a storage spool in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a side view of a storage spool in accordance with a second exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Referring to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals identify like elements, components, subassemblies, etc., FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 illustrate two views of a spool in accordance with a first exemplary embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a side view of a spool in accordance with a first exemplary embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the spool shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a side view of a second exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

The spool comprises a center portion referred to as a core 12. The core 12 in the exemplary implementation is a hollow cylinder constructed from a light weight plastic material. It may, however, be constructed from other materials such as cardboard, wood, etc. The core 12 can also be configured in a solid configuration, although the hollow configuration of the exemplary embodiment allows for the spool to be hung on a rack or spindle by the end consumer and thus is a preferred embodiment.

A first flange 14 and a second flange 15 are coupled to the core 12 to form a spool. In an exemplary embodiment, the first flange 14 and the second flange 15 are constructed from a cardboard material because it is inexpensive and lightweight. The flanges could, however, be made from any number of other materials such as plastic. The first flange 14 and the second flange 15 are positioned substantially parallel to each other. This configuration forms a recess or cavity between the inner surfaces of the first flange 14 and the second flange 15 in which a material can be stored. For example, ribbon, tape, or cord can be wound around the spool for storage. In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a flat decorative ribbon resides on the spool.

One or more apertures 16 are formed in the side of first flange 14. The aperture can be formed in any size or shape and the first flange 14 can have one or several apertures formed in it. In the exemplary embodiment illustrated, three wedge-shaped apertures are formed in the flange 14. Additionally, similar apertures are formed on the second flange 15, although additional embodiments of the invention can include forming apertures on only one flange or forming apertures of different shapes on each flange. An additional embodiment is illustrated in FIG. 3, which shows three tear shaped apertures 31, 32, 33. The aperture 16 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 (or 31, 32, 33 of FIG. 3) serves a plurality of functions. First, viewing through the aperture allows a consumer to quickly determine the quantity of material remaining on the spool 10. Additionally, the apertures in the flanges allow easy visual determination of the type of material contained on the spool (e.g., cord, thick ribbon, thin ribbon, tape, etc.).

The entire spool 10 is encapsulated in a transparent covering 18. In an exemplary embodiment, the transparent covering 18 comprises acetate. Acetate has sufficient strength to provide adequate protection to the spool while at the same time not being so strong that removal from the spool by the end consumer is difficult. It is understood that other materials could also be used to make the covering 18.

The covering 18 creates smooth surfaces on the first flange 14 and the second flange 15. The smooth surfaces provide a significant advantage over the storage spools used in the prior art. When the material stored on the spool (e.g., the ribbon) is displayed in a store, there are often many spools contained in one large container or rack. One practice in storing the spools, as described in the co-pending application entitled “Distribution and Display System” filed on even date with the present application, is for the spools to be stored on an incline. When a consumer removes one spool, the spool located behind the first spool rolls into its place. However, this was difficult with the prior art spools because a smooth surface did not exist on the spool sides. The sides of two spools residing next to each other would often become engaged or entangled, thus preventing a spool from rolling forward as desired when a spool in front of it was removed. This problem was further exacerbated by any efforts to place apertures in the sides of the spools through which the contents could be viewed. Any apertures would contribute to a non-smooth surface on the outside of the flanges, thus increasing the likelihood of spools residing next to each other becoming entangled. By creating smooth surfaces using the covering 18 to cover the flanges 14, 15, the spools can move freely within a container and do not become entangled with each other. Additionally, the covering 18 prevents damage to the material that can be caused by the consumer handling the spools prior to purchasing and the covering also prevents dirt and debris from reaching the material.

In an exemplary embodiment, the covering 18 is formed in a two piece configuration. The first piece would cover one flange and the width of the spool while the other piece would fit over the second flange and overlap slightly with the edge of the first piece. This forms a configuration similar to a cylinder with a cap. Using this configuration, the covering can easily be removed from the spool by removing the cap portion and lifting the spool from the first portion of the covering 18. Alternative configurations are also possible. In some embodiments, it may be desired to have the encapsulating covering 18 remain on the spool for the entire time material remains on the spool. One such embodiment may include a perforated area 26. The perforated area 26 is formed in the shape of slot 27 on the perimeter of the covering 18. The shape of the slot 27 corresponds the material stored on the spool 10. For example, a flat slot 27 would be used in the covering 18 of a spool 10 containing decorative ribbon. In an exemplary embodiment, the perforated area 26 also includes a semi-circular tab 29 on one side of the slot shaped perforations. The consumer can remove ribbon from the spool by removing the portion of the covering 18 contained within the perforated area 26. This will open the slot 27 and allow the consumer to remove ribbon by pulling the ribbon through the slot 27. The semi-circular tab 29 allows the portion of the covering 18 within the perforated area 26 to be easily removed (e.g., the consumer punches the tab with a thumb or finger and uses the tab to pull the portion of the covering within the perforated area 26 free) and also facilitates the ability to initially grasp the ribbon and guide it through the slot. In such an embodiment, the spool can rotate within the covering 18 to allow for the ribbon to be removed. Additionally, perforated circular openings 24 are located in the covering 18 in the region over the core. These circular openings 24 can be punched out by the consumer after purchase to allow the spool 10 to be placed on a spindle without necessitating the removal of the covering 18.

The present invention may provide several advantages over the prior art. It allows for efficient storage of ribbon, cord, etc. on spools that can be displayed in volume on a display or rack in a store. The acetate covering over the flanges allow the spools to move freely without becoming entangled with one another, while the apertures in the flanges provide for visual access to the edges of the material in order to determine both the type and quantity of the material on the spool. The acetate covering further protects the material from dirt and debris prior to purchase by a consumer. For these reasons, among others, the storage spool in accordance with the present invention provides a marked improvement over storage items in the prior art.

A variety of modifications to the embodiments described will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the disclosure provided herein. Thus, the present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential attributes thereof and, accordingly, reference should be made to the appended claims, rather than to the foregoing specification, as indicating the scope of the invention.

Claims

1. An storage spool comprising:

a center core;

a first and second flange coupled to said core, said core joining said first and second flange in a center location and said first and second flange extending from said core in a parallel configuration creating a recess between said first flange and said second flange;

an aperture formed on said first flange, wherein said aperture allows for viewing a material stored in said recess;

a transparent covering encapsulating said spool, wherein said covering creates a smooth outer surface over said first flange and said second flange.

2. The spool as set forth in claim 1, wherein said transparent covering comprises acetate.

3. The spool as set forth in claim 1, further comprising a second aperture on said second flange.

4. The spool as set forth in claim 1, further comprising a slot formed on said transparent covering.

5. The spool as set forth in claim 1, wherein said transparent covering is removable from said spool.

6. The spool as set forth in claim 1, wherein said aperture is wedge-shaped.

7. The spool as set forth in claim 1, wherein said aperture is tear-shaped.

8. A method for storing decorative material comprising the steps of:

wrapping said material around a spool, said spool comprising a core, a first flange, and a second flange;

encapsulating said spool containing said material in a transparent covering such that an edge of said material is visible through an aperture on said first flange.

9. The method as set forth in claim 8, wherein said transparent covering used in said encapsulating step comprises acetate.