US2519840A

US2519840A - Spool

Info

Publication number: US2519840A
Application number: US660461A
Authority: US
Inventors: Frank J Lenox
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1946-04-08
Filing date: 1946-04-08
Publication date: 1950-08-22
Anticipated expiration: 1967-08-22

Description

Patented Aug. 22, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SPOOL v Frank J. Lenox, Weehawken, N. J.

Application April 8, 1946, Serial N o. 660,461

4 Claims.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in spools, reels and similar winding units, and to the method of their assembly.

Since spools are customarily employed only once and then discarded, they must be made of vinexpensive but sturdy materials whose assembly must be simple and readily adapted for mass production. Cardboard or other fibrous heads and traverses were heretofore clamped together by means of paper, wooden, cardboard or similar plugs to which the head and traverse were glued, stapled or otherwise fastened. Another expedient was to pass a metal sleeve through the cylindrical traverse and beading its ends to hold the heads and traverse together. The practical objections to such structures were their high cost, the danger of the loosening of the heads, the complexity of the method of assembly, and the protrusion of the wooden plugs or the metal beads beyond the outside faces of the heads, `making stacking and shipping more di'icult and expensive.

The object of the invention is a spool which has none of these disadvantages and which can be readily assembled from inexpensive materials.

With this object in view, I provide a substantially cylindrical clamping means for attaching separately each head to an end of the traverse. The clamping sleeve has two projections or deformations; one engaging the head and the other the traverse. In the preferred embodiment here disclosed the first projection is in the form of a flange projecting at right angles from one end of the clamping sleeve and adapted to clamp ahead against one end of the traverse. The other projection is a flange or bead formed. in the other end of the sleeve and arranged to penetrate into the body of the traverse.

According to the novel method by which I prefer to assemble the spool, the Iclamping sleeve is formed with the projection or flange adapted to penetrate into the traverse so that it can be inserted through a perforation in the head into one end of the traverse. The end of the traverse within which the clamping sleeve projects is then held in any suitable die against which the projection or flange is pushed so that it will penetrate into the body of the traverse and remain lodged therein, holding the traverse rmly against the head.

More clearly to disclose the nature of the invention, I shall now describe in detail a preferred embodiment thereof with reference to the drawings in which:

Fig. l is a vertical cross section of an assembled spool; and

Fig. 2 is a vertical cross section of a sleeve in the course of assembly.

I is a hollow -cylindrical traverse formed of paper, cardboard, or other material suitable for the purpose. The traverse as well as the spool heads must have the strength to withstand the use ge to which they are put, and the composition of the traverse must be such that the projections in the clamping sleeve may be forced into the traverse body to anchor it. While I have found cardboard particularly useful for this purpose and shall describe in the specification and claims the traverse and heads as formed of cardboard, it should be understood that this expression is intended to cover any other suitable material.

The heads 2 are circular cardboard discs, each having a central perforation of the same diameter as the inside diameter of the traverse'I. The heads 2 may be of the same thickness as the walls of the traverse I, or they may beV different.

3 is the clamping sleeve. It consists of a cylindrical metal body which is short With respect to the traverse and which may be either a continuous cylinder or a split cylinder formed of sufficiently resilient material to permit the performance of the operations to be presently described. One end of the sleeve 3 is bent out at right angles to form a projection or flange 4 adapted to engage the outside surface of a head 2 around the central perforation thereof and to clamp it against an end of the traverse. This flange may be continuous or it may consist of projections engaging the head in the desired manner.

The other end of the sleeve 3 has also a projection or flange 5 projecting at right angles.

clamping The flange 5 has a smaller outside diameter than the flange and this flange also may be continuous or discontinuous, consisting of teeth or prongs projecting from the sleeve 3. Flange 5 is forced into the body of the traverse I, thus holding the head 2 firmly against one end of the traverse I.

The other head 2 is clamped in the same manner to the other end of the traverse I.

It will be noted in Fig. l that the flange 4 lies almost ush against the outside face of the head 2 and thus permits ready stacking of finished spools. The inside flange 5 is imbedded in the traverse I, whereby persons handling the finished spools will not cut their lingers on any sharp metal projections.

Obviously, the flange, teeth or projections 5 may be formed in the body of the sleeve 3 rather than at the end thereof, although the construction illustrated is preferred.

While the assembly may be `effected in many Ways, I prefer the following:

As shown in Fig. 2, the ange 4 is formed on one end of the sleeve 3 in its final condition. However, the other end of the sleeve 3 is normally compressed into a bead 6 which slopes inwardly. from-the wall or skirt of. the sleeve and has its end bent out into the ange 5. Thus, the outside edge of the flange has a smaller diameter than the body or the skirt of the sleeve 3,

and can, therefore, readily be inserted throughthe perforation in the head 2 and the opening of the traverse I.

Once the sleeve 3 is pushed throughfthe head 2 and into the end of the traverse I, a die T, such as a split ring, is applied aroundthe outside surface of traversal firmly to hold it against displacement.

A ram 8 having a tapered end 9 may'l now be pushedthrough-thesleeve- 3', the body of the ram having the same outside diameter as'the inside diameter. of the sleeve 3. The tapered end will gradually straighten out the bead 6in thesleeve and' thus forceA the flange 5 through the inside surface of the-traverse Iy into the body thereof. When the ram is withdraw-n, the sleeve 3 will be left in the position shown inFig. 1.

It wih be obvious from therabove that the spool may be readily assembled by means of automatic machinery, thus minimizing costs and insuring uniformity, and that many modifications in the structure and process may be practiced without departing from the spirit of the invention defined in the claims.

What-I claim is:

1. An clamp for holding a centrally perforated cardboard spool head to a hollow cylindrical cardboard traverse consistingl of a metal sleeve shorter than the'traverse and having the same outside diameter as the central perforation in the-head'and the inside diameter of the traverse, one end of the sleeve being flanged to engage the outside surface of' the head around the central perforation and the other end having a sharp-edged bead formed therein, the edge of the beadhaving a smaller original diameter than the body ofthe sleeve and arranged to penetrate into the body of the traverse through the inside surface thereof.

2. Ina spool, in combination, a hollow cylindrical traverse, two centrally perforated discs, a clamp for securing each endof the traversefto a disc, each of said clamps comprising an open ended sleeve, a first flange projecting from one end of the sleeve adapted to lie against the outside surfaceV of the disc surrounding the perforation, and a. second flange projecting from the other end. of the sleeveadapted to penetrate the inside surface of the traverse, the diameter of the perforation being the same as the inside diameter of the traverse, the diameter of the sleeve throughout most of its length being substantially the same as the diameter of the perforation and the traverse except at the second flange where the original diameter of the sleeve is smaller than the inside diameter of the traverse and the same as the diameter of the traverse after said second flange has penetrated.- the. traverseto complete assembly of' the spool.

3. A clamp for holding a centrally perforated cardboard spool head to a hollow cylindrical cardboard traverse, said clamp comprising a sheet metal sleeve shorter than the traverse and having oppositely disposed open ends, a continuous flange projecting substantially at right angles from a first end and adapted to lie against the outside surface surrounding the perforation in the head, a continuous bead projecting substantially at` rightanglesfromel second end of the sleeve and adapted topenetrate the inside surface of the traverse,l the wall ofthesleeve. at the second end being sloped inwardly just above the point Where the bead isformed to make the original diameter ofthe sleeve and bead at the second end smaller. than the inside diameter of the traverse, the diameter. atthe flange being greater than the diameter of. thetraverse, and the diameter of thesleeveat saidsecondend being the same as the insidediameter of. the trav.- erse after said beadV has penetrated the. traverse to. complete assembly of the spool.

4. A spoolhead assembly. for attachment. to a relatively resilient traverse, comprising, aperfor.- ated head, a`4 relatively rigidsleevaa first. flange projecting from one end. of the sleeve for engaging the head. around` the perforation. to Vclamp thehead. to the sleeve, a second flange projecting from theother end of. the sleeve adaptedto penetrate the inside surface of the traverse, the diameter of the sleeve being the same as that of the traverse except at the secondange where it is originally smaller, permitting. insertion into the traverse and later expanded to make the flange penetrate Ithe traverse to, complete attachment of the head tothe traverse.

FRANK J; LENOX.

REFERENCES CITED The-following references are of record. in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 668,974 Buedingen Feb. 26', 1901 1,444,002' Mossberg Feb. 6, 1923 1,542,611 Clark June 16, 1925 1,836,974 Kjellstrom Dec. l5', 1931 1,889,278 Dunlap Nov. 29, 1932