US3072357A

US3072357A - Multiple wire cable support

Info

Publication number: US3072357A
Application number: US81172A
Authority: US
Inventors: Stephen B Sprague; Arthur F Burton
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1961-01-06
Filing date: 1961-01-06
Publication date: 1963-01-08
Anticipated expiration: 1980-01-08

Description

Jan. 8, 1963 s. B. SPRAGUE IETAL 3, 7

MULTIPLE WIRE CABLE SUPPORT Filed Jan. 6, 1961 [0 l j I INVENTORS STEPHEN B. SPRAGUE ARTHUR E BURTON A T TORNEVS United States Patent 3,072,357 MULTIPLE WIRE CABLE SUPPORT Stephen B. Sprague and Arthur F. Burton, San Jose, Calif.; said Sprague assignor to said Burton Filed Jan. 6, 1961, Ser. No. 81,172 6 Claims. (Cl. 242-86.5)

This invention relates to a portable apparatus for transporting and supporting a plurality of reels of cable from which the cable may be dispensed.

An object of this invention is to provide an improved portable reel carrier for carrying a plurality of reels of cable so that said cable may be dispensed from one or more of the reels simultaneously.

Another object of this invention is to provide an improved portable reel icarrier which is provided with a rod on which the reels are adapted to be rotatably mounted so that they may be positioned either in the horizontal position for dispensing cable from the reels, or in the vertical position for loading the reels with cable.

Another object of this invention is to provide an improved portable cable carrier in which the cable is positioned on reels that are adjustable so as to accommodate cable bundles of different sizes.

Still another object of this invention is to provide an improved portable cable carrier in which the cable supporting reels are rotatably supported on a tubular member that extends from the handle bars thereof to the lower frame member of the carriage.

Another object of this invention is to provide an improved portable cable carriage which is provided with a hollow tubular member on which several bundles of cables are adapted to be rotatably supported, said tubular member being adapted to be positioned either in its vertical position or in its horizontal position for dispensing the cables.

Still another object of this invention is to provide an improved portable cable carrier that is provided with a plurality of reels, each of the reels being made up of two parts that are axially adjustable with respect to each other.

Other and further objects of this invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art to which it relates from the following specification, claims and drawings:

In accordance with this invention, there is provided a portable reel carrier which is adapted to be positioned either in its vertical position for loading the reels thereof with cable, such as is used for electric wiring of buildings, or it may be positioned in its horizontal position for dispensing cable from the individual reels. This portable cable carrier increases the efiiciency and saves time during the installation of the electric wiring in buildings because the cable may be drawn off of the reels into the wiring conduits without becoming tangled up and also without requiring the time consuming attention of the electrician performing the installation.

This apparatus is made in the form of a portable carrier having an axle with wheels mounted on the respective ends thereof and also having a U-shaped frame member with the ends thereof attached to said axle adjacent to said wheels. A hollow tubular member is attached to the central portion of the U-shaped frame member and this tubular member is provided with a plurality of reels. Each of the reels is made of two parts which are 3,072,357 Patented Jan. 8, 1963 axially adjustable with respect to each other on said tubular member. The spokes of the reels are made of angular configuration and they are interleaved with each other so that as the reel parts are brought closer together, the reel is adapted to receive smaller bundles of cable. This portable carrier is adapted to be positioned with the tubular member thereof in vertical position for loading the reels thereon one above the other. However, when the portable carrier is to be employed for dispensing cable from the reels thereof, the tubular member is positioned in its horizontal position and the handlebars attached to the upper end thereof are adapted to be positioned with the handle elements thereof engaging the floor so that the carrier rests firmly on the floor during the cable dispensing operation.

I Further details of this invention will be set forth in the following specification, claims and drawings in which briefly:

PEG. -1 is a view of this portable carrier with the reels applied thereto and with the tubular reel support in horizontal position for dispensing cable;

FIG. 2 is an end view of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1 from the bottom end thereof;

PEG. 3 is an exploded view of one of the reels;

FIG. 4 is a view showing this apparatus in vertical position; and I FIG. 5 shows a modified form of reel in which the reel part is made of dished metal or plastic.

Referring to the drawing in detail there is shown in FIG. 1 an embodiment of this invention in which a plurality of reels are supported on the tubular member thereof in position for dispensing electrical cable or similar wire therefrom, one of the reels being shown loaded with cable and the other reels being shown empty. The portable carrier of this invention is provided with a U-shaped frame member 19, the ends of which are provided with suitable holes into which the axle 11 is positioned and the

wheels

12 and 13 are rotatably supported on the ends of this axle which project beyond the end portions of this frame member. Conventional means are employedfor retaining the Wheels on the axle. A threaded socket member 15 and the foot member 14 are attached by welding or the like to the central part of the frame 10'. Thus, the foot 14 is positioned so that when the carrier is upright as shown in FIG. 4, this foot engages the floor and cooperates with the Wheels to maintain the carrier in this upright position. The socket 15 is threaded to receive one end of a tubular member 16 which is provided with corresponding threads that are adapted to be received by this socket for rigidly holding said tubular member 16 assembled with the frame member 10. v

The tubular member 16 is of elongated configuration such that it is adapted to receive a plurality of cablesupporting reels such as the

reels

17, 18 and 19. These reels are shown supported on the tubular member in FIG. 1 in position to dispense electrical cable such as positioned on the reel 19.

The

reels

17, 18 and 19 are rotatable on the tubular member 16, however, they are held against free rotation by the spring 22 which is positioned on the tubular member and which presses the reels against the bottom socket member 15 and the collar 20 which is fixedly held on the tubular member by means of the locking bolt 21 which is threaded through the collar 20 and engages the tubular member 16. Thus, the spring 22 exerts a certain amount of pressure on the reels and prevents them from freely rotating on the tubular member 16 when they are in horizontal position, as shown in FIG. 1.

The top end of the reel carrier is provided with handle bars 23 which have end portions 23a that are adapted to be gripped by the workman when wheeling the carrier. Also, these end portions 23a are adapted to rest on the floor when the carriage is in the horizontal position shown. The central part of the handle bars 23 is provided with a collar member 24 which is attached thereto by welding or the like, and this collar member 24 is adapted to be placed on the end portion of the tubular member 16 on which it is held by means of the bolt 25 which is threaded through the collar 24 and engages the tubular member 16. Thus, the handle bars 23 may be removed from the end of the tubular member 16 by loosening the bolt 25 when the carrier is in its vertical position, as shown in FIG. 4. When the handle bars are removed, the collar 20 may also be removed by loosening the bolt 21 so that the

reels

17, 18 and 19 may be removed from the tubular member 16.

These reels are made in two parts, as shown in FIG. 3, and both of these parts are interchangeable. Thus, each part includes a circular member 26 which may be made out of a steel rod bent into a circle and the adjoining ends welded together. Each part also includes a tubular hub member 27 which is of an inside diameter such that it fits onto the tubular member 16 so that the reel is rotatable thereon. Each part also includes a plurality of spokes 28 which are bent in the configuration shown in FIG. 3, and the outer ends of these spokes are welded to the circular member 26. The inner ends of these spokes lap over the outside of the hub member 27 and are welded thereto. These spokes are spaced substantially equi-distantly around the hub member 27 and the portions 28a thereof are disposed almost parallel to the axis of the hub 27, but providing a slight clearance so that when the two reel parts are assembled, the portions 28a of the spokes of one of the reel parts clears the outside of the hub portion 27 of the other part so that the reel parts can be assembled with the spoke portions 28a thereof interleaved, as shown in the reels assembled on the tubular member 16 in FIG. 1. Also, when the reels are empty the hub portions 27 of the reel parts abut each other. However, when a supply of cable is placed on a reel, the hub parts 27 of the reel will be spread apart more or less depending upon the quantity of cable on the reel. As the cable is unwound from the reel, the spring 16 exerts pressure so that the reel parts are brought closer together. The reel parts may be made out of sheet metal or plastic 30 as shown in FIG. 5, if desired, slightly dished toward each other, and each of these dished sides may be soldered, brazed or cemented to a hub 31 which corresponds to the hub 27 shown in FIGS. 1 and 3. Wire members 32 which are attached to the disk 30 and to the hub 31 are also provided to this modification to take the place of the members 28 and function in the same manner.

The reels may be stacked as shown in FIG. 4, in which case they are all facing in the same direction instead of in opposition, as shown in FIG. 1. The stacking arrangement shown in FIG. 4 is adapted for use where the amounts of cable are relatively small. Also, the parts of the spokes adjacent to the circular members 26 may be bent outward a short distance so that the circular members 26 overhang the cable and prevent it from unwinding from the reel accidentally.

While there is shown a preferred embodiment of this invention, it will be understood that the invention is capable of variation and modification from the form shown so that its scope should be limited only by the scope of the claims appended hereto.

' What we claim is:

1. In a portable apparatus for carrying and dispensing cable such as electric cable, the combination of a frame member, a foot member attached to said frame member,

wheels rotatably attached to said frame member, an elongated member, means for fixedly attaching one end of said elongated member to said frame member, said foot member extending from said frame member so that said elongated member is held upright when said foot member and said wheels engage the floor, a plurality of reels rotatably supported on said elongated member, each of said reels comprising a pair of interchangeable parts, said reel parts being adapted to form a support for a coil of cable when said parts are assembled in opposed relation to form a reel, each of said parts also having a hub attached thereto for rotatably supporting said reel parts on said elongated member, said reel parts being adapted to be placed on said elongated member separately when said elongated member is held upright so that a coil of cable may be inserted therebetween, handlebars attached to the other end of said elongated member, said handlebars having a length such that when they engage the floor said elongated member is in a substantially horizontal position and said reels are in vertical position to dispense cable therefrom.

2. In a portable apparatus for carrying and dispensing cable such as electric cable, the combination of a frame member, wheels rotatably attached to said frame member, an elongated member, means for fixedly attaching one end of said elongated member to said frame member, a plurality of reels rotatably supported on said elongated member, each of said reels comprising a pair of interchangeable parts, each of said parts having a plurality of angularly shaped spokes that are adapted to be interleaved to form a cradle support for a coil of cable when said parts are assembled in opposed relation to form a reel, each of said parts also having a hub attached thereto for rotatably supporting said reel parts on said elongated member, handlebars attached to the other end of said elongated member, said handlebars having a length such that when they engage the floor, said elongated member is in a substantially horizontal position and said reels are in vertical position to dispense cable therefrom.

3. In a portable apparatus for carrying and dispensing cable such as electric cable, the combination of a frame member, wheels rotatably attached to said frame member, an elongated member of substantially circular cross section, means for fixedly attaching one end of said elongated member to said frame member, a plurality of reels rotatably supported on said elongated member, each of said reels comprising a pair of interchangeable parts, each of said parts having a plurality of angularly shaped spokes that are adapted to be interleaved to form a cradle support for a coil of cable when said parts are assembled in opposed relation to form a reel, each of said parts also having a hub attached thereto, each of said hubs being adapted to fit on said elongated member for rotatably supporting said reel parts on said elongated member, said hubs being movable axially on said elongated member to spread the reel parts apart to accommodate cable coils of diiferent sizes, handlebars attached to the other end of said elongated member, said handlebars having a length such that when they engage the floor said elongated member is in a substantially horizontal position and said reels are in vertical position to dispense cable therefrom.

4. In a portable apparatus for carrying and dispensing cable as set forth in claim 1 further characterized in that there is provided spring means mounted on said elongated member for preventing free rotation of said reels and for pressing the parts of each of said reels towards each other to accommodate smaller coils of cable as cable is unwound from the coils.

5. In a portable apparatus for carrying and dispensing cable as set forth in claim 1 further characterized in that there is provided means for detachably holding said handlebars on said elongated member so that said handle bars may be removed from said elongated member when reels are to be placed on said elongated member or taken therefrom.

5 6 6. In a portable apparatus for carrying and dispensing each other in each of the reels, and the peripheral parts cable as set forth in claim 3, further characterized in that thereof overhang the cable coil supported therebetween. each of the interchangeable parts of each of said reels comprises a dished body member having a convex shape References Clted m the file of thls patent on one side and a concave shape on the other, said plu- 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS rality of angularly shaped spokes of each of said parts 549,202 Landon 5 1 95 being attached to the convex-shaped side of each of the 2,439 10 Schmidt 22, 1949 dished body members so that when said reel parts are 2,705 114 w h Man 29, 1955 assembled the convex sides of said body members oppose 2,955,327 Blary D 20, 1950