Cable reel and reel carrying caddy

• US 9,908,737 B2
• Filed: 10/05/2012
• Issued: 03/06/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/07/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Perfectvision Manufacturing Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Perfectvision Manufacturing Incorporated
• Inventors: Chastain, Robert J., McDonald, Denton, Carter, James S., Bowen, Chrispin A., Kelly, David A., Shaw, Glen David
• Primary Examiner(s): Gallion, Michael E
• Application Number:
  US13/646,217
• Publication Number:
  US 20130087652A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,978 Days
• Field of Search: 242588, 2425883, 2425886, 242599, 2425993, 2425994, 242608, 2426082, 2426085, 2426086, 242609, 2426091, 2426093, 206389
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2701/534 Stackable or interlockable reels or parts of reels
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 49/205 Hand-held or portable dispensers
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 49/328 Arrangements or adaptations for stacking
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 75/185 End caps, plugs or adapters
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 75/30 Arrangements to facilitate driving or braking

Abstract

A resilient cable caddy comprising a portable housing for storing reels of cable that has a lower base with a hinged top forming an enclosure for the reel. A reel of cable is rotatably mounted within the interior. A handle formed by abutting base and top portions enables carrying. Each reel comprises a spool with a central axle coupled at each end to spaced apart end caps, being retained by mounting rings. The spindles have bearing rings journalled to bearing races defined in the end caps. Both spindles comprise hubs disposed within case gudgeons. A two-piece spindle has a removable hub portion fitted to an internal socket. When reels are transported they may be stacked vertically atop one another with the one piece spindle engaging the empty and exposed spindle hub socket of an upper reel. Caddies may also be opened and stacked vertically for transportation.

Claims

1. A caddy system for enclosing, transporting and dispensing cable, the caddy system comprising:

a rectangular base and a top in an articulated clamshell arrangement;

the base adapted to be disposed upon a supporting surface, the base comprising integral front and rear panels, a pair of integral, spaced apart end panels, and an interior defined between said front and rear and end panels;

the top coupled to said base for enclosing said interior;

a gudgeon defined in each of said end panels; and

,

a reel adapted to be rotatably disposed within said base, the reel comprising an axle upon which said cable is wound wherein an axle length accommodates plural side-by-side cable windings and a pair of spaced apart end caps;

a pair of irrotatable spindles including a first spindle with an integral bearing ring portion, projecting hub, and barbed tabs for engaging a reel inner lip and a second multipiece spindle including a bearing portion and a key hub and key plug removably inserted therein of the bearing portion of the second multipiece spindle; and

,

each end cap having a central coupling ring therethrough including a coupling ring extension projecting toward the axle for mating with the axle and a race to one side of the extension for providing a bearing wherein the bearing portion of the second multipiece spindle comprises a socket; and

the key hub for removably mating with the gudgeon and the key plug for removably mating with the socket.

2. The caddy system as defined in claim 1 wherein the axle extends coaxially through said cable between said end caps.

3. The caddy system as defined in claim 1 wherein axle ends include projecting notches that register with locks defined in said coupling rings.

4. The caddy system as defined in claim 1 wherein the key hub of the second multipiece spindle is configured to fit only within a specially configured one of the caddy gudgeons.

5. The system as defined in claim 1 wherein a button in said base mates with a similarly contoured, complementary opening formed in said top to form a latch to close said caddy system.

6. The system as defined in claim 1 wherein said top comprises a cable dispensing mouth.

7. A reel for transporting and dispensing cable, the reel adapted to be rotatably disposed within a container comprising an interior and a pair of spaced apart gudgeons, said reel comprising:

an axle upon which a spool of cable is wound wherein an axle length

accommodate plural side-by-side cable windings;

within the container, a pair of spaced apart end caps coupled to said spool of cable;

the axle extending coaxially through said spool of cable between said end caps;

a pair of irrotatable spindles including a first spindle with an integral bearing ring portion, projecting hub, and barbed tabs for engaging a reel inner lip and a second multipiece spindle including a bearing portion and a key hub and key plug removably inserted therein of the bearing portion of the second multipiece spindle ; and

,

each end cap having a central coupling ring therethrough including a coupling ring extension projecting toward the axle for mating with the axle and a race to one side of the extension for providing a bearing wherein the bearing portion of the second multipiece spindle comprises a socket; and

the key hub for removably mating with the gudgeon and the key plug for removably mating with the socket.

8. The reel as defined in claim 7 wherein axle ends include projecting notches that register with locks defined in said coupling rings.

9. The reel as defined in claim 8 wherein, when said reel is removed from said container, and said key hub of the second multipiece spindle is removed and the socket is exposed, the reel may be axially vertically stacked with other adjacent reels with a projecting hub from one of the adjacent reels engaging the exposed socket of the bearing portion of the multipiece spindle.

10. The reel as defined in claim 8 wherein said key hub of the second multipiece spindle is configured to fit only within a specially configured hub socket.

11. The reel as defined in claim 8 wherein said key hub of the second multipiece spindle is configured to fit only within a specially configured one of the gudgeons.

12. A package for containing cable, the package comprising:

a carrying caddy comprising a rectangular base adapted to be disposed upon a supporting surface, the base comprising integral front and rear panels, a pair of integral, spaced apart end panels, an interior defined between said front and rear and end panels, a top hinged to said base for enclosing said interior, and a gudgeon defined in each of said base end panels;

a reel adapted to be rotatably disposed within said base, the reel comprising an axle upon which said cable is wound and within the caddy a pair of spaced apart end caps coupled to said axle;

a pair of irrotatable spindle including a first spindle with an integral bearing ring portion, projecting hub, and barbed tabs for engaging a reel inner lip and a second multipiece spindle including a bearing portion and a key hub and key plug removably inserted therein of the bearing portion of the second multipiece spindle; and

,

each end cap having a central coupling ring therethrough including a coupling ring extension projecting toward the axle for mating with the axle and a race to one side of the extension for providing a bearing wherein the bearing portion of the second multipiece spindle comprises a socket; and

the key hub for removably mating with the gudgeon and the key plug for removably mating with the socket.

13. The package as defined in claim 12 wherein each end cap comprises:

the coupling rings for irrotatably mating with axle ends; and

one of the races engaged by the bearing ring portion of the first spindle or bearing portion of the second multipiece spindle.

14. The package as defined in claim 13 wherein said axle ends include projecting notches that register with locks defined in said coupling rings.

15. The package as defined in claim 14 wherein, when said reel is removed from said caddy, and said key hub of the second multipiece spindle is removed and the socket is exposed, the reel may be axially vertically stacked with other adjacent reels with the projecting hub of the first spindle engaging an exposed socket of one of the adjacent reels whose key hub has been withdrawn.

16. The package as defined in claim 14 wherein said key hub of the second multipiece spindle is configured to fit only within a specially configured one of the caddy gudgeons.

17. The package as defined in claim 14 wherein said key hub of the second multipiece spindle is configured to fit only within a specially configured hub socket.

18. A caddy system for enclosing, transporting and dispensing cable, the caddy system comprising:

a case and a removable reel installed therein, the reel including opposed first and second end caps spaced apart by a central axle;

the first and second endcaps having respective first and second central coupling rings that fixedly engage the axle;

a first spindle irrotatably supported by a first case gudgeon includes a bearing mated with the first coupling ring;

a second spindle includes a second bearing forming a socket that is removably mated with a user separable key; and

,

the key of the second spindle irrotatably supported by a second case gudgeon and the second bearing mated with the second coupling ring;

wherein the axle rotates about the spindle bearings when cable is pulled from the caddy and the spindles are removed from the gudgeons when the reel is lifted away from the case.

19. The caddy system of claim 18 wherein a bearing to coupling ring interengagement has a length of one-half inch or more for supporting the weight of cable loaded on the reel.

20. The caddy system of claim 18 including an end cap slot providing access to a starting end of the cable.

21. The caddy system of claim 18 wherein the case is in the form of a centrally divided rectangular box having a hinge along a first edge of the central division, a lower box half with opposed sides that are upwardly curved, and a handle formed along a second edge of the central division when the box is closed and the handle forming opposing handle grips when the box is opened.

22. The caddy system of claim 18 wherein the reel is designed for keyless stacking when a projecting hub of the first spindle of the reel interengages a socket of a spindle of another reel.

23. The caddy system of claim 18 wherein the reel is designed to spool one-thousand feet of RG-6 coaxial cable.

24. The caddy system of claim 18 wherein the end caps have multisided peripheries for protection against rolling when the reel is removed from the case.