U.S. patent number 3,907,228 [Application Number 05/481,540] was granted by the patent office on 1975-09-23 for wire dispenser.
Invention is credited to Charles W. Lewis.
United States Patent |
3,907,228 |
Lewis |
September 23, 1975 |
Wire dispenser
Abstract
A toroidal shaped improved wire dispenser comprising an upper
and lower circular dish, said dishes having cylindrical walls with
an outwardly extending flange at right angles to said cylindrical
walls, an annular tongue formed in the lower circular dish flange,
an annular groove formed in the upper circular dish flange wherein
said tongue and groove mate in nesting arrangement, and a holding
ring encompassing the flange of said upper and lower dishes whereby
said upper and lower dishes are secured together. The upper dish
has a centered aperture therethrough having an outwardly extending
coaming whereby a wire held within the toroid formed by upper and
lower dishes may be withdrawn. The lower dish has a centered
aperture having an inwardly extending coaming of greater diameter
than said coaming of said upper dish aperture, said outwardly
extending coaming forming a hub upon which another wire dispenser
may be stacked and a plurality of wires withdrawn simultaneously
through the uppermost aperture.
Inventors: |
Lewis; Charles W. (Tucson,
AZ) |
Family
ID: |
23912344 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/481,540 |
Filed: |
June 21, 1974 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
242/129 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65H
75/16 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B65H
75/04 (20060101); B65H 75/16 (20060101); B65H
049/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;242/129,137,137.1,138,146 ;220/55AN,4B,80,319,320,321
;222/442 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Reeves; Robert B.
Assistant Examiner: Shannon; John P.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: McClanahan; J. Michael
Claims
I claim:
1. An improved Wire Dispenser comprising a lower circular dish
having a floor, a cylindrical wall, said cylindrical wall having an
inward taper at the portion most distal from said floor, and
outwardly extending flange operably connected to said cylindrical
wall at the most distal point from said floor, said flange being
parallel to said floor, and a central aperture, said aperture
having an inwardly extending coaming; an upper circular dish having
a roof, a cylindrical wall, said cylindrical wall having an inward
taper at the portion most distal to said roof, an outwardly
extending flange connected to said cylindrical wall at a point most
distal to said roof and parallel to said roof, and a central
aperture, said aperature having an outwardly extending coaming; and
means for holding said upper dish flange, said upper dish being in
a concave downward position, to said lower dish flange, said lower
dish being in a concave upward position.
2. The improved wire dispenser as defined in claim 1 wherein said
upper dish flange has an annular groove formed therein, and said
lower dish flange has an annular tongue formed therein whereby said
lower dish flange tongue mates with said upper dish groove when
said improved wire dispenser is assembled.
3. The improved wire dispenser as defined in claim 2 wherein said
holding means for holding said upper dish flange to said lower dish
flange includes a broken annular ring having semi-circular cross
section.
4. The improved wire dispenser as defined in claim 3, whereby the
upper circular dish aperture outside diameter is less than said
lower circular dish central aperture inside diameter whereby a
plurality of the improved wire dispensers may be stacked upon each
other with the upper circular dish aperture nesting inside the
adjacent lower circular dish aperture.
5. The improved wire dispenser as defined in claim 4 wherein an
annular tongue is formed upon the exterior floor of the lower
circular dish, an annular tongue is formed upon the exterior roof
of the upper circular dish, said outside circumference of said
tongue formed on said upper circular dish being less than the
inside circumference of said tongue formed on said lower circular
dish whereby the upper circular dish exterior tongue rests inside
an adjacent lower circular dish exterior tongue in order that
relative horizontal movements is circumvented between the improved
wire dispensers when they are in stacking arrangement.
6. The improved wire dispenser as defined in claim 5 wherein said
holding means further includes spring means operably attached to
the end portions of said broken portion of said annular ring.
7. The improved wire dispenser as defined in claim 5 wherein said
holding means includes screw means operably attached to each end
portion of said broken portion of said annular ring whereby the
ring end portions may be screwed towards each other or away from
each other.
8. The improved wire dispenser as defined in claim 6 wherein said
lower circular dish is made of polycarbonate plastic material
having a thickness in the range of 0.078 inch to 0.125 inch, said
dish having a flat floor; and said upper circular dish made of
polycarbonate plastic material having a thickness in the range of
0.078 inch to 0.125 inch, said dish having a flat roof.
9. An improved wire dispenser comprising a lower dish made of
polycarbonate plastic material having a thickness in a range of
0.078 inch to 0.125 inch, said dish having a flat floor, a
cylindrical wall having a selected inner radius, an outwardly
extending flange attached to said cylindrical wall at right angles
to said cylindrical wall, an annular tongue formed in said flange,
a central aperture having an inwardly extending coaming, said
aperture having a selected inner diameter, an annular ring shaped
tongue of selected inner diameter formed on said floor exterior; an
upper dish made of polycarbonate plastic material having a
thickness in the range of 0.078 inch to 0.0125 inch, said dish
having a flat roof and a cylindrical wall having a selected inner
diameter, an outwardly extending flang attached to said cylindrical
wall at right angles to said cylindrical wall, an annular groove
formed in said flange, a central aperture with outwardly extending
coaming, said coaming having a selected outside diameter, and an
annular ring shaped tongue formed on said exterior roof of selected
outer diameter; and an annular holding ring having a broken portion
and having a semi-circular cross section whereby said upper dish
flange is held together to said lower dish flange and said upper
dish flange groove mating with said lower dish flange tongue, said
holding rings broken end portion held together by spring means
attached to each end, and whereby a plurality of said wire
dispensers may be placed in stacking arrangements, said upper dish
exterior annular tongue nesting within an adjacent lower dish floor
exterior tongue.
Description
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
This invention relates to improvements to receptacles for
containing and dispensing rolls of insulated wire with the
provision for convenient withdrawal of the wire and stacking of a
plurality of receptacles, said receptacles described and claimed in
the patent to my invention, U.S. Pat. No. 3,602,455 issued Aug. 31,
1971 and entitled Wire Dispenser.
The insulated wire that is supplied by the manufacturers for
electrical use normally is contained in 500 foot rolls in cardboard
containers. The wire is drawn from the center of the coil or roll
of wire and has a tendency to become tangled in itself when
withdrawn. Further, it is common practice to draw a plurality of
different insulated wires from a plurality of cardboard containers
for insertion in a common conduit which, when done so, usually
become tangled among themselves. My patented invention provides
means for dispensing rolls of insulated wire from the wire
dispenser, said wire dispenser comprising two shallow circular
dishes held together with screws, each said shallow circular dish
having a center aperture permitting withdrawal of the insulated
wire. The invention of this application is directed to improved
means for securing the shallow circular dishes together and
improvements in stacking said wire dispenser.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
The invention described herein provides improvements to my above
cited invention comprising circumferential flange means at the
exterior edge of the cylindrical wall of both the upper and lower
circular dishes forming the wire dispenser, an annular tongue
formed in the flange of the lower circular dish, a receiving groove
formed in the flange of the upper circular dish, and an annular
ring means encompassing in nesting arrangement the exterior
portions of both flanges of the upper and lower circular dishes,
the dishes mating together to form a toroid. To facilitate removal
of the annular holding ring, a break is formed in the ring and
spring means attached to opposite sides of the ring to permit
spreading of the ring. A top annular ring is formed upon the roof
exterior of the upper circular dish and a bottom annular ring is
formed upon the floor exterior of the lower circular dish such that
upon stacking of a plurality of wire dispensers, the top annular
ring nests inside the bottom annular ring of adjacent
dispenser.
By means of the improvements above described, the upper and lower
dishes of the wire dispenser may be easily and rapidly separated by
grasping the holding ring means at the site of the spring means,
expanding the ring means, and removing from the flange of the upper
and lower circular dishes. Additionally, the wire dispensers may be
easily stacked with relative horizontal movement abated.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an
improvement to the above subject patented invention whereby the
separation of the upper and lower circular dishes for the insertion
or removal of insulated wire may be facilitated.
It is another object of the present invention to provide improved
means whereby the upper and lower circular dishes will remain fixed
as to lateral movements between the two circular dishes.
Further, it is still another object of the present invention to
provide means permitting the expansion of the annular holding ring
in order to remove the ring from its position holding the upper and
lower circular dishes of the wire dispenser in nesting
arrangement.
It is still further another object of the present invention to
provide means of inhibiting relative horizontal movement between a
plurality of stacked wire dispensers.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a plan view of the upper half of the wire dispenser
showing the inventive improvements.
FIG. 2 is a side view of the assembled wire dispenser showing the
inventive improvements.
FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view of the improved wire
dispenser.
FIG. 4 is a prospective view of the broken portion of the annular
holding ring with the spring between opposite ends.
FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing an alternate improvement to the
upper and lower circular dishes of the wire dispenser.
FIG. 6 is a prospective view of an alternate method to holding the
end portions of the annular holding ring.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Referring to FIG. 1 defining the upper circular dish of the wire
dispenser the invention comprises roof 21 and cylindrical wall 22
having flange means 51 extending outward at right angles to
cylindrical wall 22. The annular groove means 52 (not shown) is
situated in the approximate center of flange 51.
In the center of roof 21 is the aperture formed by exterior
extending coaming 31 which rises in a gentle curve from roof 21.
Top annular ring 23 is formed on the exterior of roof 21.
Referring now to FIG. 2 defining a side view of the assembled wire
dispenser, the invention comprises the upper dish roof 21 and
cylindrical wall 22 with outwardly extending flange means 51, said
flange means 51 being at right angles with cylindrical wall 22. The
lower circular dish comprises floor 11, cylindrical wall 12, and
outwardly extending flange means 41 at right angles with the
cylindrical wall 12. Interiorly extending coaming wall 20 (not
shown) defines a central aperture in the lower dish. Bottom annular
tongue 13 is formed on the exterior of floor 11.
Exteriorly extending coaming 31 is of a diameter approximately 1/3
the diameter of the upper circular dish of the wire dispenser and
is sized such that its outside diameter is slightly less than the
interior diameter of the interior coaming 20 of the lower circular
dish of the wire dispenser. The upper dish coaming 31 then nests
within the lower dish 21 in holding arrangement when a plurality of
the wire dispensers are stacked upon each other in order that a
plurality of wires may be drawn simultaneously. Further, the
stacking holding arrangement is further secured by means of the
upper circular dish top annular ring 23 nesting within the adjacent
wire dispenser lower circular dish bottom annular ring 13.
Referring to FIG. 3, the wire dispenser is shown in the assembled
position wherein the upper and the lower circular dishes of the
wire dispenser have been placed in mating arrangement having flange
means 51 of the upper dish resting upon flange means 41 of the
lower half of the wire dispenser and annular tongue means 42
nesting within annular groove means 52. Horizontal movement of one
portion of the wire dispenser relative to the other portion is thus
circumvented. Holding the upper and lower circular dishes of the
wire dispenser in nesting arrangement is annular holding ring means
61 encompassing the outer portion of flanges 51 and 41 and
preventing vertical movement of one half of the wire dispenser
relative to the other. Holding ring 61 encompasses the outwardly
extending flanges through all of their circumference less a small
portion where the ring is cut away in order to expand the ring and
thus facilitate removal and placement of it in its place. Top
annular ring 23 is shown on the exterior roof 21 of the upper dish
and bottom annular ring 13 is shown on the exterior floor 11 of the
lower dish.
Referring now to FIG. 4, the broken portion of holding ring means
61 is shown with the spring means 62 attached by its ends 63 and 64
to the holding ring means 61. In the preferred embodiment, holding
ring means 61 has partially punched through the ring proximate the
ends and upon its side which lies parallel to and above the upper
circular dish flange 51 of the wire dispenser, a half round tab of
metal 65 and 66, each of which are raised sufficiently to hold the
ends of the spring means 63 and 64.
Thus, in operation, the holding ring means 61 is grapsed at its
ends proximate the spring and spread to remove it the upper and
lower circular dish flanges of the wire dispenser. This in turn
permits the upper and lower portions of the wire dispenser to
easily separate permitting the insulated wire dispenser to be
placed therein. Thereupon, the ring means is similarly spread
placed back into its resting relationship with the upper and lower
circular dish flanges and assembling the wire dispenser.
FIG. 5 shows an alternative embodiment of the subject inventive
improvement wherein wall 12a of the cylindrical wall of the lower
circular dish and the cylindrical wall 22a of the upper circular
dish are first curved inwardly towards the center of the dish and
then outwardly to form the flanges 41a and 41b respectively, and
having annular tongue 42a nesting in annular groove 52a. Holding
ring 61 similarly encompasses flanges 41a and 51a of the lower and
upper circular dishes in the alternate embodiment as it does in the
preferred embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3. The alternate
embodiment shown and described in FIG. 5 may be utilized when it is
desired that the sides of the subject inventive wire dispenser be
recessed so as not to interfere and catch on nearby objects.
FIG. 6 shows an alternate embodiment of the holding ring means 61
wherein metal tabs 71 and 72 are partially punched from the
horizontal portion of holding ring means 61. The tabs are raised to
a vertical position and holes drilled through the tabs to
accommodate metal screw means 73 whereupon the screw means screw
the tabs together and thus hold the holding ring means 61 in a
fixed arrangement when encompassing the upper and lower circular
dish flanges of the wire dispenser. The holding rings 61 fastening
method comprising the metal tabs 71 and 72 and metal screw 73 are
located on the flat horizontal portion of holding ring means 61 in
order that it be protected by the walls of the wire dispenser.
The preferred material to be used for constructing the improved
wire dispenser described above is polycarbonate plastic such as
General Electric Lexan 121. If desired, all or just the upper
circular dish of the invention may be of clear plastic in order
that the status of the remaining insulated wire in the wire
dispenser may be observed.
While a preferred embodiment of the invention has been shown and
described, together with alternate embodiments, it will be
understood that there is not intent to limit the invention by such
disclosure but, rather, it is intended to cover all modification in
alternate construction falling within the spirit and scope of the
invention as defined in the appended Claims.
* * * * *