Elongate material storing, transporting, and dispensing apparatus

• US 6,749,139 B2
• Filed: 09/28/2001
• Issued: 06/15/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: John W. Speck
• Original Assignee: John W. Speck
• Inventors: Speck, John W.
• Primary Examiner(s): FIDEI, DAVID
• Application Number:
  US09/966,837
• Publication Number:
  US 20020017475A1
• Time in Patent Office: 991 Days
• Field of Search: 206/397, 206/398, 206/408, 206/409, 242/128, 242/129, 242/171, 242/172
• US Class Current: 242/128
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 21/043 Identical stackable containers specially adapted for nesting after rotation around a vertical axis B65D21/041 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 85/04 for coils of wire, rope or hose
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2701/534 Stackable or interlockable reels or parts of reels
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 49/08 enclosing the package
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 75/16 Cans or receptacles, e.g. sliver cans
• CPC Class Codes: Y02W 30/80 Packaging reuse or recycling, e.g. of multilayer packaging bio-packaging Y02W90/10

Abstract

An apparatus for storing, transporting, and dispensing elongate material, such as wire. The elongate dispensing system includes a reusable, stackable, storage container for having a substantially circular inner channel to contain a coil of elongate material and a dispensing guide having a plurality of interior guide mechanisms through which elongate material is dispensed without tangles or over-spooling. The storage container further includes a fastening system through which the dispensing guide removably engages said container during operation, ergonomic handles, and wire containment recesses which contain the ends of elongate material when the apparatus is not in operation.

Claims

1. A dispensing system for elongate material comprising:

a container including an outer wall portion, an inner wall portion located concentrically within the outer wall portion, and a bottom wall portion interconnecting the lower ends of the inner and outer wall portions so as to define an endless channel therebetween for storing a coil of elongate material therein, an upper surface of said container being open above said channel;

a dispensing guide which is supported on an upper surface of said container and operatively cooperates with said container to substantially prevent a coil of elongate material stored in the endless channel of said container from becoming entangled when the elongate material is dispensed from the container through the upper opening above said channel, said dispensing guide including a main body which comprises

a lower guide having a base for resting on said container and a flared upper end which is wider than said base, and

an upper guide having a lower end which fits inside of said flared upper end of said lower guide; and

,

a fastening mechanism which selectively fixes said dispensing guide onto said container.

2. The dispensing system according to claim 1, wherein said fastening mechanism includes a locking projection on said base of said lower guide and a mating recess provided in one of said outer wall portion and said inner wall portion for receiving said locking projection.

3. The dispensing system according to claim 1, wherein said dispensing guide comprises a cover which is disposable over said container and said main body to define a dispensing channel between an inner surface of said cover and an outer surface of said main body.

4. The dispensing system according to claim 3, wherein each of said upper guide and said cover of said dispensing guide is substantially conical in shape.

5. The dispensing system according to claim 3, wherein said dispensing channel communicates with and extends upwardly from said endless channel.

6. The dispensing system according to claim 3, wherein said dispensing guide further comprises a plurality of flexible projections provided on at least one of said main body and said cover and extending between said main body and said cover.

7. The dispensing system according to claim 3, wherein said cover of said dispensing guide engages said container such that said cover cannot rotate relative to said container during a dispensing operation.

8. The dispensing system for elongate material according to claim 1, wherein said fastening mechanism selectively fixes said dispensing guide on to an upper end of said inner wall portion of said container.

9. The dispensing system for elongate material according to claim 1, further comprising support structure provided within at least one of said inner and outer wall portions for securely supporting an identical second container thereon when the second container is in a rotatively aligned stacking configuration with the first container, and for compactly receiving the second container in the endless channel when the second container is in a rotatively aligned nesting configuration with the first container.

10. The dispensing apparatus for elongate material according to claim 1, wherein said inner wall portion is substantially cylindrical and slopingly tapers from a larger diameter and a lower end thereof to an upper end thereof, such that a width of said channel slopingly increases, extending upwardly from said container bottom.

11. A dispensing system for elongate material comprising:

a container including an outer wall portion, an inner wall portion located concentrically within the outer wall portion, and a bottom wall portion interconnecting the lower ends of the inner and outer wall portions so as to define an endless channel therebetween for storing a coil of elongate material therein, an upper surface of said container being open above said channel;

a dispensing guide which is supportable on an upper surface of said container and operatively cooperates with said container to guide movement of said elongate material as said material is dispensed from the container; and

,

a fastening mechanism which selectively fixes said dispensing guide onto said container;

wherein said dispensing guide comprises a main body which is fixable in relation to said container by said fastening mechanism, and a removable cover for placement over said container and said main body to define a dispensing channel between an inner surface of said cover and an outer surface of said main body,

and further wherein said main body of said dispensing guide has a lower portion with a tapered outer surface disposed above said endless channel defined in said container and tapering narrower toward said endless channel, and an upper portion with a tapered outer surface, tapering narrower away from said endless channel.

12. A guide for dispensing elongate material comprising:

a main body having upper and lower portions with tapered outer surfaces, each tapering narrower away from the center of said main body;

a cover having a substantially conical shaped inner surface and an apeture along the uppermost portion of said cover, and;

a fastening mechanism having at least one locking projection on a bottom portion of said main body.

13. The dispensing guide according to claim 12, wherein said cover is selectively disposable over said main body to define a dispensing channel between an inner surface of said cover and an outer surface of said main body which cooperatively operates with the aperture of said cover during operation.

14. The dispensing guide according to claim 12, wherein said dispensing guide further comprises a plurality of flexible projections provided on at least one of said main body and said cover and extending between said main body and said cover.

15. The dispensing guide according to claim 12, wherein said cover engages said container so as to prevent rotation of said guide during operation.

16. The dispensing guide according to claim 15, wherein said cover further includes at least one engaging tab to prevent rotation during operation.