Wire and cable dispensing container and systems

• US 8,424,795 B2
• Filed: 08/09/2011
• Issued: 04/23/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Windy City Wire Cable and Technology Products LLC
• Original Assignee: Windy City Wire Cable and Technology Products LLC
• Inventors: Galgano, Richard, Winkel, Mark K., McGuire, Martin C., McGuire, Martin J.
• Primary Examiner(s): RIVERA, WILLIAM ARAUZ
• Application Number:
  US13/206,053
• Publication Number:
  US 20110284682A1
• Time in Patent Office: 623 Days
• Field of Search: 242/614, 242/614.1, 242/608, 242/588, 242/588.3, 242/588.6, 242/598.5, 242/596, 242/596.7, 242/596.8, 242/615, 242/615.3, 242/128, 242/129, 242/129.51, 242/129.53, 206/389, 206395-397, 206403-405, 206408-409, 206413-416
• US Class Current: 242/588.6
• CPC Class Codes: B62B 1/14 involving means for grappling or securing in place objects to be carried; Loading or unloading equipment
• CPC Class Codes: B62B 2202/025 Reels, e.g. for filamentary or sheet material
• CPC Class Codes: B62B 3/003 Non-transparent side walls
• CPC Class Codes: B62B 3/04 involving means for grappling or securing in place objects to be carried; Loading or unloading equipment
• CPC Class Codes: B62B 5/0083 Wheeled supports connected to the transported object
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 85/04 for coils of wire, rope or hose
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 49/32 Stands or frameworks
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 49/322 Enclosing boxes with supporting means for the package or reel during unwinding
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 49/325 Arrangements or adaptations for supporting the shafts, e.g. saddle type shaft bearings

Abstract

A container for the dispensing of electrical or communications cable has an external carton which receives a reel of cable and is supported by left and right supports. A continuous axial passageway through the container extends through the left panel of the carton, the left support, the spindle of the reel, the right support, and the right panel of the carton so that an elongate connecting rod may be passed through the container.

Claims

1. A container for dispensing electrical or communications cable comprising:

a carton having a bottom panel with left and right sides, an upstanding left panel of the carton joined to the left side of the bottom panel, an upstanding right panel joined to the right side of the panel, and a top panel spaced from and parallel to the bottom panel, the top panel joined to the left and right panels;

a cable reel including an elongate spindle on which electrical or communications cable is wound, the spindle having opposed left and right ends, the spindle adapted to rotate around a horizontal axis spaced from and parallel to the bottom panel of the carton;

a left support extending from the bottom panel to the top panel for rotatably supporting the left end of the cable spindle off of the bottom panel of the carton and for transmitting a columnar load from the top panel to the bottom panel, a right support extending from the bottom panel to the top panel for rotatably supporting the right end of the cable spindle and for transmitting a columnar load from the top panel to the bottom panel; and

a continuous axial passageway formed through the left panel of the carton, the left support, the spindle, the right support and the right panel of the carton, such that the container may be affixed to another structure by means of inserting an elongate connecting rod through the axial passageway.

2. The container of claim 1, wherein the left support includes a left bushing, the right support includes a right bushing, the cable reel includes a left flange with a left central hole on the axis and a right flange with a right central hole on the axis, left and right central holes being sized such that the left and right bushings are insertable into its respective central hole.

3. The container of claim 2, wherein the left bushing is affixed to a left caddy disposed in the carton adjacent the left panel and to extend upwardly from an upper surface of the bottom panel to a bottom surface of the top panel and the right bushing is affixed to a right caddy disposed in the carton to be adjacent the right panel and to extend upwardly from the upper surface of the bottom panel to a bottom surface of the top panel.

4. The container of claim 3, wherein an inner surface of the left panel is spaced from an inner surface of the right panel by an internal carton length, the left and right caddies each having a general thickness, the bushings of the caddies extending axially inwardly by a first distance beyond the general thickness, the cable reel having a reel length as measured from an outer surface of the left flange to an outer surface of the right flange, the sum of the general thicknesses of the caddies and the reel length being less than the internal carton length, the sum of the general thicknesses of the caddies, the reel length and twice the first distance being greater than the internal carton length.

5. The container of claim 1, further comprising a rear panel extending from a rear side of the bottom panel, and a front panel of the carton extending from a front side of the bottom panel, the front panel having a payout slot.

6. The container of claim 5, further comprising a first elongate pass-through slot formed in the top panel to be parallel to said axis;

and

a second elongate pass-through slot formed in the bottom panel to be parallel to the axis, respective centers of the pass-through slots formed in a plane which is offset from the axis;

wherein a position of the first pass-through slot in the top panel matches a position of the second pass-through slot in the bottom panel, such that when the container is stacked on top of another, similar container, cable from a reel in the similar container may be passed through the container and out of the first pass-through slot.

7. The container of claim 5, wherein the payout slot is disposed in the front panel to be above an upper surface of the bottom panel and below the axis.