Wire spool caddy

• US 7,481,394 B2
• Filed: 03/07/2007
• Issued: 01/27/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: John T. Gleason
• Original Assignee: John T. Gleason
• Inventors: Gleason, John T.
• Primary Examiner(s): KIM, SANG K
• Application Number:
  US11/715,816
• Publication Number:
  US 20070295846A1
• Time in Patent Office: 692 Days
• Field of Search: 242/136, 242/403.1, 242/404, 242/588, 2425881-5883, 242/591, 242/592, 2425941-5943
• US Class Current: 242/594.2
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 49/32 Stands or frameworks

Abstract

A caddy for carrying spools such as those for electrical wire. The caddy has complementary T-shaped slots in opposite side walls and members affixed between the side wall that support the spools, forming a cage, and one member rides within the T-shaped slot. The moving member may be pulled away from the cage to allow for room to release a spool from its cage, but the member will move by itself in response to movement of the caddy to keep the spool or spools locked within the cage.

Claims

1. A caddy for carrying spools, comprising:

two opposite side walls held in fixed relation by members and having complementary T-shaped slots formed in each wall, each T-shaped slot comprised of a central release track and a perpendicular travel slot,

the members affixed to each side wall are oriented to form a cage to hold one or more spools of similar diameter,

at least one of the members is a locking member that moves within the central release tracks and the perpendicular travel slots of the two complementary T-shaped slots,

the locking member moves along the perpendicular travel slots under the force of gravity to retain the spools within the cage as the caddy is moved to different orientations to a surface, and

when the locking member is moved along the central release tracks away from the perpendicular travel slots sufficient clearance is provided to allow a spool to be added or removed from the cage.

2. The caddy of claim 1 where the perpendicular travel slots have a dog-legged locking track portion, thereby hindering the movement of the locking member when it moves into the dog-legged portion under the force of gravity.

3. The caddy of claim 1 where one or more of the members have tube coverings that roll upon the member, thereby allowing a spool to roll on the covering.

4. The caddy of claim 3 where the tube covering is a plurality of tube covering segments on a member, to allow a plurality of spools to roll independently on the member.

5. The caddy of claim 1 where at least one of the spools is fitted with end caps to make the spool of sufficient diameter to be held within the cage.

6. The caddy of claim 1 where the two opposite side walls have a plurality of cages formed by members according to claim 1, each cage having complementary T-shaped slots.

7. The caddy of claim 1 further comprising a handle affixed at one end of the caddy and wheels affixed at the opposite end of the caddy, thereby allowing the caddy to be used as a cart.

8. The caddy of claim 7 where the handle is offset, thereby allowing the caddy to swing away from a user when towed.

9. The caddy of claim 1 where the caddy is affixed to a wall to be a spool shelf.

15. The method of claim 10 where the two opposite side walls have a plurality of cages formed by members according to claim 1, each cage having complementary T-shaped slots.

10. A method for storing spools of wire, comprising the steps of:

providing a caddy for carrying spools, comprising two opposite side walls held in fixed relation by members and having complementary T-shaped slots formed in each wall, each T-shaped slot comprised of a central release track and a perpendicular travel slot,

the members affixed to each side wall are oriented to form a cage to hold one or more spools of similar diameter,

at least one of the members is a locking member that moves within the central release tracks and the perpendicular travel slots of the two complementary T-shaped slots,

the locking member moves along the perpendicular travel slots under the force of gravity to retain the spools within the cage as the caddy is moved to different orientations to a surface,

whereby when the locking member is moved along the central release tracks away from the perpendicular travel slots there is sufficient clearance provided to allow a spool to be added or removed from the cage, and

placing a spool within the cage.

11. The method of claim 10 where the perpendicular travel slots have a dog-legged locking track portion, thereby hindering the movement of the locking member when it moves into the dog-legged portion under the force of gravity.

12. The method of claim 10 where one or more of the members have tube coverings that roll upon the member, thereby allowing a spool to roll on the covering.

13. The method of claim 12 where the tube covering is a plurality of tube covering segments on a member, to allow a plurality of spools to roll independently on the member.

14. The method of claim 10 where at least one of the spools is fitted with end caps to make the spool of sufficient diameter to be held within the cage.

16. The method of claim 10 further comprising a handle affixed at one end of the caddy and wheels affixed at the opposite end of the caddy, thereby allowing the caddy to be used as a cart.

17. The method of claim 16 where the handle is offset, thereby allowing the caddy to swing away from a user when towed.

18. The method of claim 10 where the caddy is affixed to a wall to be a spool shelf.