Spool Assembly

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to a spool assembly for carrying strand or ribbon-like materials such as wire, chain and rope etc. which material is unwound from the spool assembly when it is to be sold or used.

Each spool assembly must be constructed so that it can be supported upon brackets to permit free rotation when unwinding the material. The invention is specifically directed to a knockdown spool assembly of the type having spaced end plates and an elongated spindle connecting the end plates. A locking arrangement member is located on each end of the spindle and is engageable with a locking arrangement formed on an end plate when the spool is assembled. Spool assemblies of this type are shipped in the knocked-down condition and are assembled by the purchasers. This results in less expensive shipping costs. It is essential that the connections between the spindle ends and the end plates permit easy and rapid assembly of the spool and also firmly connect the end plates with the spindle to ensure that the material wound on the spool assembly is maintained on the spool assembly until the material is unwound.

Spool assemblies of the type to which this invention is directed are used in large quantities by both manufacturers and users of strand material such as wire, chain and rope etc. This type of spool is commonly formed from synthetic resin compounds or plastics. The strength required of the spool determines to a certain extent the material from which the end plates and the spindle are made, as well as the dimensions of those pieces. The spool assembly must have sufficient strength to withstand normal handling as occurs in winding, unwinding and shipping without breakage. It has been found that the following materials may be advantageously utilized to form the elements of the spool assembly of the present invention, polyacrylate, high density polyethylene, polyurethane, polyvinyl chloride or polybutadiene-urethane.

2. Related Prior Art

This application is directed to an improvement upon the invention disclosed and claimed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,903,913 granted Feb. 27, 1990 and entitled "Knock-Down Spool Assembly". That patent is owned by the assignee of the instant application and discloses a spool assembly having end plates attached to opposite ends of a spindle by a snap connection arrangement similar to the arrangement utilized in the instant application. The disclosure of Pat. No. 4,903,913 is incorporated herein by reference.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,128,215 discloses a spool having spaced end plates with plugs which are inserted into the ends of a hollow spindle. Each plug includes a flange and a tongue element. The tongue has raised projections positioned for engagement with openings in the spindle. This arrangement provides for the end plates to be locked to the spindle.

The present invention comprises a spindle and spaced end plates. The spindle includes an end portion at each end and each end plate has a mating arrangement that yieldingly receives and retains a spindle end portion. A slide member is located in each end portion of the spindle for axial movement between an outer extended support position and an inner retracted position.

An objection of the present invention is to provide an improved spool assembly and support brackets wherein the spool assembly is supported by the slides to unwind material from the spool assembly when desired.

Another object of the present invention is to provide the spindle with an extensible and retractable slide at each end for mounting the spool in support brackets and to receive a mandrel for rotating the spool to load it with elongated strand or ribbon-like material.

Another object of the invention is to provide a spool assembly which can be mounted on a standard pipe centered rack when the slides are retracted.

Another object of the invention is to provide a spool assembly wherein the spindle is locked to the end plates of the spool.

These and other features of the invention will become apparent from the following description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein like reference characters indicate like parts throughout.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the spool assembly according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an elevation of the spool assembly shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a partial section on line III--III of FIG. 2 with the slide in the extended position;

FIG. 4 is a partial section similar to FIG. 3 with the slide in the retracted position;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an end portion of the spindle;

FIG. 6 is a plan view of an end portion of the spindle;

FIG. 7 is a section on line VII--VII of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a plan view of the slide;

FIG. 9 is a section on line IX--IX of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is an end view of the slide;

FIG. 11 is a section through the locking arrangement on one end of the spindle;

FIG. 12 is a front view of a mounting bracket for a spool;

FIG. 13 is a rear view of the mounting bracket shown in FIG. 12;

FIG. 14 is an end view of the mounting bracket shown in FIG. 12; and

FIG. 15 is an elevation of a pair of mounting brackets supporting a spool assembly.

With reference to the drawings, FIGS. 1 and 2 show a spool assembly according to the invention. The spool assembly is indicated generally by reference numeral 1 and has spaced, substantially parallel end plates 2 connected by a hollow cylindrical spindle 5. As described in detail hereinafter, the spindle end portions snap into openings in the end plates to form the spool assembly. The parts of the spool assembly are made from a resilient plastic material such as, for example, polyacrylate, high density polyethylene, polyurethane, polyvinyl chloride or polybutadiene-urethane. Any one of these materials will produce a lightweight spool assembly having a smooth, hard surface.

A hub 3 is formed integrally with each end plate and extends from the inner surface thereof. One end plate has an inwardly projecting finger 4 on the inner surface which may be utilized to secure an end of the material to be wound on the spool assembly in a manner well-known to those skilled in the art.

The central portion of each end plate 2 is formed with a substantially square opening 6 axially aligned with the hub 3. The opening has an outwardly facing notch 7 and a short, axially extending land 8 extending around its periphery. The rear of land 8 is formed as an inwardly facing beveled edge 10 which operates in the manner described hereinafter. The hub 3 formed integrally with each end plate receives an end portion 12 of spindle 5.

The spindle 5 is a hollow member having identical opposite end portions 12. As shown in FIG. 5 of the drawings, each end portion is formed with a plurality of axially extending slots 20 and axially extending guide depressions 21. The axially extending slots 20 are angularly spaced 90.degree. from one another and two guide depressions 21 are spaced 180.degree. from each other and are located at 45 angular spacing between two pairs of elongated slots. The guide depressions cooperate with elongated protrusions formed on the inner surface of hub 3 in order to insure that the square end portion of the spindle is properly aligned with the square opening 6 in the end plate. As best shown in FIGS. 5 and 11 of the drawings, each end portion 12 of body 5 has four sides and each side has an integrally formed beveled outer edge 13. The beveled outer edge 13 is integral with a curved wall portion 14 which is connected to the spindle 5 by a flat radial portion 15. A groove 16 is formed in each side of the end portion 12 of the spindle. Upon assembly of the spool assembly, the beveled edge 10 on end plate opening 6 is placed adjacent to the beveled edge 13 on a side of the end portion 12 of spindle 5 so that when longitudinal pressure is exerted on the spindle and the end plate, the beveled edge 10 of opening 6 in the end plate forces the four sides of the spindle end portion 12 inwardly and permits the grooves 16 on the spindle end portion to snap over the land 8 on the end plate and firmly retain the spindle on the end plate. The projections are radially yieldable because of slots 20; the inherent resiliency of the material from which the spindle is constructed and the dimensions of the material from which the spindle end portions are molded. Thus, the four grooves 16 which embrace the land 8 of the square opening 6 in the end plate prevent rotation between the spindle and the end plate and the parts are interlocked to form a spool assembly.

The inner surface of each spindle end portion 12 has a pair of spaced, elongated axially extending guides 30 located thereon. When the spindle halves are assembled, the guides are angularly spaced 180.degree. from each other. The guides receive lugs 41 which extend radially outward from a slide 32 in order to permit slide 32 to move in the axial direction along the spindle while preventing rotation of the slide relative to the spindle and maintaining the relative angular position between the slide and the spindle.

A slide 32 is shown in detail in FIGS. 8-10 of the drawings and is shown in the spindle end portion in FIGS. 3 and 4 of the drawings. Each slide 32 consists of a member having a square body 40 with the radially outward extending lugs 41 located on the inner portion of the square body. Each lug has a width slightly smaller than the spacing between guides 30 on the inner surface of the spindle end portions. This permits the slide to move axially relative to the spindle. The outer end 44 of each slide is circular and a recessed annular neck 45 is formed between the circular end 44 and the square body 40. An axially extending square passage 46 extends completely through the slide from end to end. The passage has a square configuration to receive a mandrel to rotate the spool assembly when material is being wound thereon.

When the slide is in its retracted position, as shown in FIG. 4 of the drawings, the neck 45 is located within the spindle end portion 12 adjacent the curved wall portion 14. It is important that there is sufficient clearance between the exterior of neck 45 and the curved wall portion 14 on the spindle end portion to permit groove 16 to snap inwardly when the beveled edges 13 on the spindle end portion and the beveled edge 10 on the end plate are engaged in order to interlock the spindle and the end plate. If sufficient clearance is not available, it will not be possible for grooves 16 to move inwardly a sufficient extent to permit the interlock, and hence, the spool assembly cannot be assembled.

When a spool assembly is loaded and is to be unwound, it may be supported in a pair of spaced mounting brackets 50 such as shown in FIGS. 12-15. The mounting bracket shown in FIG. 12 is utilized to support the right-hand end of the spool and consists of a base member 51 and a vertical support member 52. Gussets 53 extend between the upper surface of base member 51 and the rear surface of support member 52. The support member has an upwardly-opening, substantially U-shaped notch 54 formed in its upper edge and the forward end 56 of the notch is higher than the rear end 57 so that when a spool assembly is rotated to unwind the material therefrom, it will not be pulled or lifted out of the notch. In order to minimize the expense of molding the bracket members, cutouts 58 are formed therein. The name of the selling company, Acco, is molded directly in the outer surface of the support bracket for advertising purposes. While the right-hand mounting bracket is shown in FIGS. 12-14 of the drawings, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the left-hand mounting bracket is a mirror image of the right-hand mounting bracket.

It will be understood that after a spool assembly has been loaded with material, it is placed by the retailer or the user in a pair of spaced mounting brackets 50 with slides 32 in the extended position so that the neck 45 of each slide rests in an open top notch 54. Thus, when material is to be unwound from the spool assembly, the necks 45 of the slides will rotate in the open top notches 54 to permit the desired amount of material to be unwound.

The spool assembly may also be mounted on a standard pipe centered rack such as used by some retailers. In this mounting arrangement, the slides are maintained in the retracted position and a pipe or other axle is place through the spindle and extends beyond each end plate to mount the spool assembly in the rack.

As will be readily understood by those skilled in the art, the various items described hereinabove are formed by molding and it is therefore necessary to mold the spindle in elongated separate 180.degree. halves. The halves are formed with guide holes and pins along their axial edges in order to align the halves when they are joined to form the spindle. Such is a standard procedure in the plastic molding art and forms no part of the instant invention.

While the invention has been described hereinabove in conjunction with the drawings, it is to be understood that the invention may be otherwise embodied within the scope of the appended claims.