Spool

Abstract

A spool suitable for receiving windings of wire or the like, the spool having a center core formed of a paperboard material, first and second end flanges secured to opposite ends of the center core, the flanges being formed of a plastic material, each flange having at least one circumferentially extending solid portion and an inner portion adjacent to the inner core, the spool having a plurality of sinuous members extending between the solid portion and the outer portion. There is also disclosed an embodiment wherein the flange is substantially solid with a circumferentially extending apertures being formed in the center core.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to spools and more particularly, relates to improvements in spools used for receiving wire and the like.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Electrical, communication and other industrial cable, as well as wire rope and the like are typically wound on large spools or reels for storage, delivering and dispensing of the product. Both returnable spools and non returnable spools are known in the art.

Returnable spools are commonly fabricated of wood which has been treated with a preservative to resist weathering and deterioration. Reels made of metallic material such as steel are also known and these too are often painted or otherwise treated so as to provide protection against rusting. These spools suffer from several disadvantages including the fact that despite the attempts to protect them from the elements, they are still subject to deterioration and therefore require constant maintenance. Wood spools are prone to splintering and breakage, and nails and the like projecting from such reels pose a safety hazard and also risk damaging the insulation of electrical or communication cable being carried. Wood spools also tend to soak up rain water which can increase the weight by as much as 50%. The dry weight marked on the spool is then meaningless making it impossible for the user to determine how much cable remains on the spool since this determination is usually made by weight.

Spools made of plastic are also known in the art and one such spool is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 3,940,085. Plastic spools are advantageous in that they are substantially impervious to the elements and require little or no maintenance and do not damage the cable being carried. However, plastic spools have been limited in size and load capacity and are subject to breakage, particularly in cold weather.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide a spool which is resistant to the elements and which spool can be recycled.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a spool which overcomes the deficiencies of prior art spools and which is relatively inexpensive to manufacture.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a spool comprising a center core, the center core being formed of a paperboard material, first and second end flanges secured to opposite ends of the center core, the flanges being formed of a plastic material, each flange having at least one circumferentially extending solid portion, an inner portion adjacent the inner core, a plurality of sinuous members extending between the solid portion and the inner portion.

According to a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a spool comprising a center core, the center core having an inner cylindrical wall and an outer cylindrical wall, first and second flanges secured to opposite ends of the center core, and at least one row of circumferentially extending apertures formed in the outer cylindrical wall.

In the first embodiment, the center core is formed as a single circumferential member of a suitable paperboard material. The paperboard material is utilized for its weight and furthermore, it can be recycled.

In this embodiment, the flanges are provided with a flexing portion comprised of a plurality of sinuous ribs. This arrangement permits the minimization of damage if and when the spool is dropped.

In the second embodiment, the core and flanges are made of a suitable plastic material. The center core, in this embodiment, comprises an inner cylindrical wall and an outer cylindrical wall. At least two rows of cylindrically extending slots and slits are provided to provide the flexibility.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Having thus generally described the invention, reference will be made to the accompanying drawings illustrating an embodiment thereof, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a flange member according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the flange member from the opposite side;

FIG. 3 is a side exploded view of the spool;

FIG. 4 is a detailed view of the locking of the center core and flange prior to being inserted;

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4 wherein the center core has been locked into position;

FIG. 6 is a side exploded view of a further version of a spool according to the present invention; and

FIG. 7 is an end view of a still further version of a spool flange according to the present invention;

FIG. 7A is an end view of the spool flange of FIG. 7 as seen from the opposite side thereof;

FIG. 8 is a side elevational view thereof;

FIG. 9 is a detailed view of a portion of the rim of the flange;

FIG. 10 is a side sectional view of the spool with one of the flanges being disconnected;

FIG. 11 is a side sectional view illustrating the connection of the spool and flanges;

FIG. 12 is a sectional view of a pair of stacked spools according to a further embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 13 is a detailed view of a portion of the flange of the embodiment of FIG. 12;

FIG. 14 is a sectional view of a plurality of flanges stacked upon each other; and

FIG. 15 is a detailed view of the interlocking of the stacked flanges.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to the drawings in greater detail and by reference characters thereto, there is illustrated in FIG. 3 a spool which is generally designated by reference numeral 10.

Spool 10 comprises a center core generally designated by reference numeral 12, a first side flange 14, and a second side flange 16.

Center core 12 is comprised of a cylindrical wall 20 having a first end 22 with apertures 24 extending circumferentially thereabout. At a second end 26, there are also provided a plurality of circumferentially extending apertures 28.

Center core 12 is formed of a suitable paperboard or plastic material having the desired characteristics of strength and weather resistance. Any such materials are known in the art.

First side flange 14 and second side flange 16 are substantially identical and thus only one will be described herein. As may be seen, first side flange 14 is circular in side configuration and includes an outer thickened rim 32. Inwardly of rim 32 there is provided an outer portion 34 which is solid in nature with finger apertures 36 being provided therein.

Inwardly of outer portion 34 is a flexing portion generally designated by reference numeral 38 and which is comprised of a plurality of sinuous ribs 40 each having a generally S-shaped configuration. Sinuous ribs 40 terminate at an inner portion 42.

As may be seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, on the inner side of first side flange 14, there are provided an outer wall 44 and an inner wall 46 which therebetween define a channel 48. Within channel 48 and extending outwardly from inner wall 46 are a plurality of protrusions 50. As may be better seen in FIGS. 4 and 5, each protrusion 50 has a thinner end 52 and a thicker end 54 and terminates in a flat end wall 56. As best seen in FIG. 4, outer wall 44 has a thicker portion generally designated by reference numeral 58, to help paper or plastic core to come back under wall 56.

Referring to FIG. 1, first side flange 14 includes a center wall portion 59 which is provided with circular apertures 60 and rectangular apertures 62 located where protrusions 50 extend from inner wall 46.

In assembling the center core to the side flanges, cylindrical wall 20 is inserted into channel 48. Pressure is exerted until protrusions 50 are aligned and fit within apertures 28. The thicker portion 54 of outer wall 44 and thicker portion 58 exert pressure on cylindrical wall 20 to ensure a tighter locking of the protrusions 50 within apertures 24.

The presence of flexing portion 38 helps minimize damage to the side flange 14 as it permits a bending motion if the spool 10 is dropped. Furthermore, the flexing portion 38 permits the outward movement of outer portion 34 when a cable is being removed from center core 12 proximate the side flange.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 6, a center core 112 has a plurality of apertures 170 formed therein and extending through the length of the cylindrical wall 120. These apertures permit the insertion of the spool into an autoclave. This is useful when some types of wire need a conditioning or curing at high temperature and high humidity.

Turning to the embodiment of FIGS. 7 to 13, there is illustrated therein a spool generally designated by reference numeral 210.

Spool 210 is comprised of a center core 212 and a pair of flanges 214, 214′. As flanges 214, 214′ are substantially identical, only one will be described in detail herein.

Center core 212 comprises an inner wall 220 and an outer cylindrical wall 222. As will be noted, there is a first set of apertures 224 and a second set of apertures 226 which extend through both inner wall 220 and outer wall 222. These apertures are provided for the purpose of receiving the leading end of a cable to be wound on spool 210.

Turning to flange 214, there is provided an L-shaped center flange wall 228 which includes inwardly extending leg portion 230. Leg portion 230 is designed to receive inner wall 220.

Within center flange wall 228, there is provided a central aperture 232 as well as a plurality of smaller circumferential apertures 234.

An outer flange wall 236 likewise has circumferential apertures 238 formed therein.

Extending about the periphery of center flange wall 228 are a plurality of projections 240 and corresponding recesses 242. Projections 240 and recesses 242 are provided for purposes of nesting of adjacent flanges. Similarly, there are provided projections 244 and recesses 246 on the outer rim of outer flange wall 236.

As may be best seen in FIG. 11, at the point of juncture of center flange wall 228 and outer flange wall 236, there are provided a pair sloping wall segments 248 and 250. Formed between sloping wall segments 248 and 250 is a recess 252. A recess opening 254 provides access thereto.

Formed at the end of outer wall 222 of center core 212 is a projection 258. Projection 258 has a step 260 formed thereon. It will also be noted that recess 252 has a retaining tab 256 extending partially over the recess. As may be seen in FIGS. 10 and 11, when projection 258 is inserted within recess 252, retaining tab 256 will engage with step 260 to lock outer wall 222 in position.

Outer wall 222 of center core 212 is provided with a plurality of slots 262. In the illustrated embodiment, there are two circumferential rows of slots 262 at either end of outer wall 222. There are also provided a plurality of C or U-shaped slits 268. In the illustrated arrangement, slits 268 are arranged about each end of slots 266. A combination of slots 266 and slits 268 provides a flexibility to the center core 212 to limit damage thereto when spool 210 is dropped or subjected to other physical stresses. Naturally, other shaped arrangements could be utilized.

A still further embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 12 to 15 and reference will now be had thereto.

In this embodiment, the center core is identical to that of the embodiment of FIGS. 7 to 11 and hence will not be described herein. The difference in this embodiment is that flange 314 has a plurality of tongues 370 formed therein. As may be seen, each tongue 370 is formed to extend slightly outwardly. In so doing, it will act to prevent movement of the spools when they are stacked. As shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, the flanges may be nested for shipping with tongues 370 providing an interlocking arrangement as well as the nesting of walls 348, 350 within recess entrance 354.

It will be understood that the above described embodiments are for purposes of illustration only and that changes and modifications may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A spool comprising:

a center core, said center core being formed of a paperboard material;

first and second end flanges secured to opposite ends of said center core, said flanges being formed of a plastic material, each flange having at least one circumferentially extending solid portion, an inner portion adjacent said inner core, a plurality of sinuous members extending between said solid portion and said inner portion.

2. The spool of claim 1 wherein said center core has a line of circumferential apertures formed in each end thereof, said first and second end flanges having a wall extending perpendicularly thereto, said wall having a plurality of protrusions thereon, said protrusions engaging said circumferentially extending apertures.

3. The spool of claim 2 wherein said flange has an inner wall and an outer wall extending substantially perpendicularly thereto, said inner and outer walls defining a channel.

4. A spool comprising:

a center core, said center core having an inner cylindrical wall and an outer cylindrical wall;

first and second flanges secured to opposite ends of said center core; and

at least one row of circumferentially extending apertures formed in said outer cylindrical wall.

5. The spool of claim 4 wherein there are provided at least two rows of said circumferentially extending apertures.

6. The spool of claim 5 wherein said circumferentially extending apertures are elongated slots.

7. The spool of claim 6 wherein said elongated slots extend in a direction transverse to the longitudinal axis of said center core.

8. The spool of claim 7 further including a plurality of generally C-shaped cuts, said C-shaped cuts being intermediate said elongated slots.

9. The spool of claim 5 wherein said at least two rows of circumferentially extending slots comprise a row proximate each flange.

10. The spool of claim 9 wherein said center core is formed of a plastic material.

11. The spool of claim 10 wherein said flanges are formed of a plastic material.

12. The spool of claim 9 wherein each of said slots has a C-shaped slit at either end thereof.

13. The spool of claim 4 wherein said flanges include a plurality of outwardly extending tongues formed therein.

14. The spool of claim 4 wherein said flanges have at least one row of circumferentially extending projections with intervening recesses such that the projections and recesses of one flange will engage with the projections and recesses of an adjacent flange when stacked.

15. The spool of claim 9 wherein said inner wall and said outer wall each have apertures formed therein to receive a leader from a cable to be wound on the spool.