US2138074A - Spool - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 29, 1938. D. A. SPRIGINGS 2,138,074 SPOOL Filed Aug. 6, 1938 INVENTOR Jar/id J' arz' i 7 46' Patented Nov. 29, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT @FFICE SPOOL Application August 6,

3 Claims.

This invention relates to an improvement in metal spools or reels of the character usually employed for holding wire and particularly insulated wire of the kind used for electrical pur- 5 poses.

The object of the invention is to provide an extremely strong and sturdy spool having its elements so designed and connected that the same may be speedily assembled at reduced manufacl turing cost, and the resultant product will not only be satisfactory in appearance, but of very excellent construction.

At the present time, metal spools of the kind to which this invention relates, are usually prol vided with a cylindrical hub or core formed with a plurality of projecting tongues on each of its opposite ends, these tongues being received in complementary slots formed in the sheet metal end discs or heads of the spool and bent over on the outside of the heads. Spools of such known construction require time and skill to assemble, since the tongues on the core must not only be aligned with the slots in the heads in order to permit the tongues to pass through the slots, but in the finishedproduct, the projecting tongues detract from the appearance of the spool and if not properly and uniformly bent over, a defective spool results.

The primary object therefore, of this invention, is to avoid the use of projecting tongues or other similar elements for uniting the spool members; to greatly strengthen the resultant spool; and to also greatly facilitate the assembly of the spool elements.

In my co-pending application, Ser. No. 185,807 filed January th, 1938, now Patent No. 2,126,053 of August 9, 1938, I have shown a spool wherein the ends of the core or hub each fit into an annular groove formed in each of the discshaped heads or ends of the spool. In that structure, the ends of the core are curled outwardly within the groove and overlie stamped, inwardly-projecting tongues or lugs that project into the groove. According to the present invention, the ends of the tubular core are curled inwardly and extend over outwardly projecting lugs whereby the lugs disposed within the groove are enclosed by the ends of the core and a very smooth joint between the core and the ends of the spool results.

In the accompanying drawing forming a part hereof, Fig. l is a side view of a portion of a spool, the greater portion of the same being shown in section to disclose construction; Fig. 2 is a. sectional view through one of the heads or 1938, Serial No. 223,469

ends near the center thereof showing how one end of the cylindrical core is inserted in an annular groove preparatory to curling or bending it laterally or inwardly at its ends to lock it in the groove; Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 showing how the end of the core is bent inwardly to engage behind the lugs formed on one of the spool ends; and Fig. 4 is a sectional view in perspective of a part of the spool showing how one end of the hub or core is attached to one of the heads or disc-shaped ends of the spool.

In the drawing, I indicates the central core or hub section of the spool, the same being of cylindrical form, and preferably produced from rolled sheet metal, the meeting ends of which are secured together by a lock seam or any other known method of joinder.' Secured to the opposite ends of the core I are tne heads 2. Said heads are preferably disc-like sections of sheet metal, each of which has its peripheral edge rolled or curled to form the re-enforcing or stiffening bead 3. Each of the discs 2 is formed with an annular pressed-out rib or bead 4 which surrounds a central hole l5 enclosed by an in turned flange portion 6. The hole l5 provides an opening for a spindle or other support for the spool.

The wall of the bead 4 is formed with a plurality of spaced lugs or tongues 5 which are cut out of the inner wall portion of the bead, thus forming the openings 9, said lugs being directed outwardly or radially, with their free ends 8 extending in a direction toward the periphery of the disc-shaped end or head in which they are formed, and their bases directed toward the center of the spool.

The lugs 5 so formed are inclined or slightly bent upwardly and have their free ends projecting into the concave side of the bead, or in other words, in the annular groove or recess formed in the inner face of the disc by the production of the bead 4.

The manner in which the hub or core portion l is secured to the discs 2 will be clear from Figs. 1 and 4. I The discs 2 are first fitted on the ends of the hub or core I with the ends ll] of the hub or core extending into the groove formed by the bead 4 between the outer face portions of the groove and the tongues or lugs 5. The parts are now forced toward one another by suitable tools or dies so that the hub portion is moved in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 2 relative to the discs, or alternatively, the two discs may be moved toward one another with the hub or core between them. As the end ll) of hub member I is moved, it will follow the outer curved face of the concave recess formed by the bead 4 and said end will be thus rolled or curled laterally or inwardy, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, to cause it to engage behind the outwardly projecting lugs 5.

By the arrangement described, each end of the core or hub member I is firmly locked in position within the bead 4 by being confined between the face of the recess and the outwardly projecting inclined lugs 5. Itwill be observed that with the arrangement shown, wherein the free ends of the lugs or tongues 5 extend outwardly or toward the periphery of the disc, and the end flange of the core-or hub member I curls over these lugs, the lugs are thus confined within the hub or core I and no portion of the lugs projects, or is likely to project, within the spool and particularly within that portion of the spool used for confining the rolled wire.

With the structure described, a strong, sturdy, rigid arrangement is provided and speedy assembly of spools of this character is secured, since the assembly of the same requires merely the imposition of pressure sufficient to curl the ends of the core or hub inwardly to lock them in place, as indicated at 1 in the'drawing.

What I claim is:

1. A metal spool or reel having a cylindrical core or hub portionand disc-shaped ends, each of said ends having a channel-like recess in its inner face into which an end of the core extends, lugs I forced out of the body of the disc-shaped end and projecting into said recess, the free ends of said lugs being directed toward the periphery of the disc-shaped end in which said lugs are formed, the end ofthe core extending into the recess being confined thereby on the inner face of the discshaped end and being laterally curled to conform to the inner surface of the recess and confined between the face of the recess and the lugs, the direction of curl of the end of the core bein continuous toward the center of the core.

2. A metal spool or reel provided with a cylindrical core portion, disc-shaped end members secured to the ends of the core portion, each of the disc-shaped ends having a groove in its inner face near its center, an end of the core entering said groove and confined thereby on the inner face of the disc-shaped end member, said core having its end curled inwardly continuously in a direction toward the center of the core, lugs on the disc having their ends directed toward the periphery of the disc-shaped member and their bases disposed toward the center of said member, said lugs entering the groove and confining the inwardly curled end of the core between them and the face of the groove.

3. A metal spool or reel having a cylindrical core portion and disc-shaped ends attached to said core, each of said disc-shaped ends being recessed to receive an end of the core, spaced lugs forced out of the body of the disc-shaped end and projecting into the recess, said lugs having their bases directed toward the center of the disc- DAVID A. SPRIGINGS.

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