US3556431A

US3556431A - Stock reel

Info

Publication number: US3556431A
Application number: US794858*A
Authority: US
Inventors: Henrik Freitag
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1969-01-29
Filing date: 1969-01-29
Publication date: 1971-01-19
Anticipated expiration: 1988-01-19

Abstract

A coil stock-dispensing reel for delivering stock to a press or the like in which the reel is horizontally disposed and sufficiently narrow so that the tines of a fork lift may be used to place a heavy coil of stock on the reel. Removable attaching means are provided for the narrow reel to adequately support the coil after mounting.

Description

United States Patent Inventor Henrik Freitag 1359 S. Highland, Arlington Heights, lll. 60005 Appl. No. 794,858 Filed Jan. 29, 1969 Patented Jan. 19, 1971 STOCK REEL 7 Claims, 5 Drawing Figs.

[15. Cl 242/129, 242/83 Int. Cl B65h 49/00- Field of Search 242/

l

28, 129, 79, 83

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,621,868 12/1952 Clark et al. 242/83 2,887,281 5/1959 Caufield 242/83 FOREIGN PATENTS 226,866 9/1958 Australia 242/l29 Primary Examiner-Leonard D. Christian Attorney-Snow and Benno ABSTRACT: A coil stock-dispensing reel for delivering stock to a press or the like in which the reel is horizontally disposed and sufficiently narrow so that the tines of a fork lift may be used to place a heavy coil of stock on the reel. Removable attaching means are provided for the narrow reel to adequately support the coil after mounting.

STOCK REEL BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention Reels for supporting coils of stock. such as metal, to constitute a supply for delivery to shop machines. such as punch presses, take many forms. There are the vertical plane type and the horizontal plane type. It is the horizontal type with which the present invention is concerned. This means that the coil is disposed horizontally when an end thereof, either from the inside or outside is uncoiled and fed to an operating machine.

2. Description of the Prior Art Horizontal reels for supporting coils of stock in their dispensing are depicted generally in the prior patents to Clark et al. U.S. Pat. No. 2,621,868 and Caufield U.S. Pat. No. 2,887,281. The disclosures in these patents and all of the prior art disclosures relating to horizontal reels comprise circular supporting trays in which a circular coil of stock to be dispensed is placed. The coils of metal stock can be and usually are quite heavy, running up to several hundreds of pounds. One serious drawback to the use of the prior known horizontal reels is the mounting of the heavy coils in the circular supporting tray. It must be manually lifted into the tray or at best slid off some lift or hoist device onto the tray. The handling of the coil is thus quite difficult.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a new and improved stock reel.

It is a principal object of the present invention to provide novel means for effecting ease of handling of coils of stock relative to the supporting tray in a horizontal reel.

An important object of this invention is to provide a novel horizontal stock reel which has a tray sufficiently narrow to be flanked by the spaced-apart tines of a forklift to permit power mounting of a coil of stock onto the tray.

Another important object of this invention is the provision of novel means in the tray defined in the preceding object for inserting auxiliary support means therein to carry the sides of the coil of stock after it has been preliminarily mounted on the tray and stock is to be dispensed therefrom.

Still another important object of this invention is to provide novel means for mounting removable arms on a generally narrow tray of rectangular outline in a horizontal stock reel.

Another and still further important object of this invention is to provide a novel horizontal stock reel with fully universally adjustable guide means for optionally guiding either the outer or inner ends of the coil in a smooth flowing path from any side of the dispensing reel to a machine for utilizing the stock.

Still another important object of this invention is to provide a novel stock reel as defined in the precceding object in which the adjustable guide means includes a generally vertically disposed supporting post and two preferably identical guiding elements carried on the post by a universally adjustable locking element.

Another important object of this invention is to provide a novel stock reel which will permit guiding of the coil of stock regardless of whether the coil is wound clockwise or counterclockwise.

Another and further important object of this invention is to provide a novel horizontal-type stock reel which is generally of simple construction, has an ease of operation throughout, and in which the various parts coact to effectively and conveniently dispense stock from the coil.

Other and further important objects and advantages will become apparent from the disclosures in the following specification and accompanying drawings.

IN THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the stock reel of this invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of FIG. 1 with portions thereof broken away;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the stock reel of this invention with the stock-guiding members removed and the stock coil shown with a dot-dash line;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the stock reel of this inven tion showing the coil of stock being mounted on the reel; and

FIG. 5 is another perspective view similar to that shown in FIG. I with a coil of stock therein and the end ofthe coil being guided outwardly during dispensing.

AS SHOWN IN THE DRAWINGS The reference numeral I0 indicates generally a base for the stock reel of this invention. The base is of the three corner type and may be made of any substantially heavy material in order to give stability to the stock reel of this invention. The base 10 is provided with a bushing 11 substantially in the center thereof as best shown in FIG. 2. The bushing 11 is provided with an integral annular flange 12 which is adapted to overlie the top surface of the base 10. Suitable bolts or screws 13 are adapted to pass upwardly through the base I0 for threaded engagement with the flange 12. This causes a secure holding of the flange and its integral central bushing to the base [0.

A vertical post generally denoted by the numeral 14 is press fitted within the bushing 11 in the base 10. The base 10 and the vertical post or standard 14 thus are fixed portions of the stock reel of this invention and it is relative to these members that the reel is joumally mounted for free rotation The reel is adapted to carry a coil of stock to be dispensed as will subsequently be described. The post I4 has a larger diameter base terminating in a shoulder 14b as best shown in FIG. 2.

A ball bearing, generally denoted by the numeral 15, is spaced a short distance above the base 10 and is carried vertical post 14. The bearing includes an inner annular race 16 which is press fitted on the post 14 and rests on the annular shoulder 14b. An annular ring of bearing balls 17 is disposed around the outer surface of the inner race 16 and within an annular outer race 18. The inner race 16 is fixedly held relative to the post 14 and the outer race 18 is freely movable about the concentric inner race on the bearing balls 17.

An annular ring 19 is press fitted onto the outer surface of the outer race 18 of the bearing 15 and thus is adapted to rotate with the outer race on the ball bearing. A generally rectangular plate 20 having a central circular aperture 21 to permit passage of the vertical post 14 therethrough is mounted onto the annular ring 19. Screw means 22 pass through the plate 20 and engage the annular ring 19 so that the plate and the ring have simultaneous rotatable movement with the outer race 18 of the ball bearing 15.

An elongated rail member 23 is mounted on the top of the plate 20 along one side thereof. The length of the side member 23 is sufficient to accommodate the diameter of the largest size of coil of stock which is to be used on the stock reel of this invention. Spaced-apart screw means 24 pass downwardly through the side rail 23 and threadedly engage the plate 20 to thereby hold the side rail securely to the plate. A spaced-apart elongated rail 25 is disposed parallel to the side rail 23 and is mounted on and along the spaced-apart side of the generally horizontally disposed plate 20. Spaced-apart screw means 26, similar to the screw means 24, are adapted to hold the rail 25 to the plate 20. The space apart

side rail members

23 and 25 with their included rectangular plate 20 constitute the principal parts of the stock reel of this invention. The reel is free to rotate about the bearing 15 in a generally horizontal plane. The side rails constitute a relatively narrow support for a coil of stock. The elongated rails define a generally rectangular shape. The side rail 23 is provided with a coil retaining pin 27 which is vertically disposed in one end thereof to prevent a coil of stock mounted thereon from falling off the end of the rail. A similar pin 28 at the other end of the rail 23 performs the same function as the coil retaining pin 27.

Similar pins

29 and 30 are provided on opposite ends of the spaced-apart rail 25.

A block member 31 is mounted on the inside of the rail 23 at substantially the center thereof and over the plate 20. Spaced-apart screw means 32 pass through the rail 23 and threadedly engage the member 31. Each of the screw means 32 is provided with an enlarged head 32a which projects outwardly from the rail 23. A similar block member 33 is provided for the other rail member 25. Screw means 34 similar to the screw means 32 are adapted to hold the rail 25 to the member 33. The screw means 34 are provided with enlarged heads 34a projecting outwardly from the rail member 25.

A supporting member 35 here shown as U-shaped, is arranged for removable attachment to the outside of the rail 23 to provide auxiliary support for the side of a coil of stock which will ultimately be mounted on the reel of this invention. A similar supporting member 36, also shown as U-shaped is provided for removable attachment to the rail 25 for giving auxiliary support to the other side of a coil of stock mounted on the reel of this invention The U-shaped member 35 is provided with a first arm 37 with is in generally radial disposition relative to the vertical post 14. The outer end of the arm 37 is turned upwardly at 370 to provide a holding or retaining means for the circumference of a coil of stock much in the same manner as the coil retaining pins 27, 28, 29 and 30. The U-shaped member 35 has a second arm 38 which is divergent from the arm 37 and again is disposed in a substantially radial direction relative to the post 14 as a center. The outer end of the arm 38 is upwardly turned as shown at 38a to confine the circumference of a coil of stock. The U-shaped member 35 further includes a connecting base 39 which joins the inner ends of the radially disposed

arms

37 and 38. The base 39 is disposed parallel to the side rails 23 and 25 and is in abutting engagement with the side rail 23 As best shown in FIG. 2 a rodlike member 40 is secured by welding or otherwise attached at 40a to the connecting base 39 of the U-shaped member 35. This rodlike member extends in a direction opposite to the arms 37. and 38 of the U member 35 and constitutes a means for engaging a socket in the side rails to thereby hold the U-member fixed relative to the rail members in their support of a coil of stock to be mounted thereon. On the end of the rodlike member 40 there is provided an annular groove 40b. I

The other U-shaped member 36 is provided with an arm 41 having an upwardly turned stock retaining outer end 41a and a second diverging arm 42 also with an upwardly turned stock retaining outer end 42a. As in the case of the U-shaped member 35 the diverging arms 41 and 42 constitute radii about a center defined by the vertical post 14. The divergingarms 41 and 42 are joined at their inner ends by a cross connecting base 43. A rod member 44 is welded or otherwise attached at 44a to the center of the cross base 43 and projects in a direction opposite to the outwardly-projecting arms 41 and 42.

As best shown in FIG. 2 the rail 23 and its unitary member 31 is provided with a transverse socket 45 to snuggly receive the rodlike projection 40 of the U-shaped member 35. A detent mechanism denoted generally by the numeral 46 is arranged and constructed to provide for yieldable engagement with the annular groove 40 to prevent accidental dislodgement of the U-shaped auxiliary supporting member 35 when it is in socket-engaging position in the side rail 23. The detent includes a ball member 46a and a spring 46b urging the ball upwardly toward groove engaging position. The detent operates in a vertical passageway in the block member 31. Thus when the U-shaped member 35 has its rod member 40 inserted into the socket 45 the ball 46a is initially compressed downwardly against the spring andthen when the annular groove 40b is disposed in alignment with the .detent 46 the ball is spring biased upwardly for engagement with the groove. This spring engagement prevents unwarranted removal of the U-shaped member. The spring 46b is of a magnitude only sufficient to give a minimum of holding action but not great enough to prevent withdrawal of the U-shaped member bya direct pulling. The U-shaped member 35 may be manually pulled from the socket 45 whereupon the ball 46a is rocked downwardly out of the annular groove thus permitting the rod to slide out of the socket 45. In order that the ball 46a not extend into the socket when the rod member 40 is removed there is provided an inwardly projecting shoulder at the upper end of the vertical passageway in the member 31 adjacent to the socket 45 to limit the extension of the ball 46a into the socket 45. The U-shaped member with its

radial arms

37 and 38 is prevented from rocking movement about the rod-40 as an axis by reason of the cross base member 39 being disposed on the top surface of the enlarged heads 32a of the screw means 32. These spaced apart heads 32a thus maintain the arms of the U-shaped member 35 in the horizontal plane of the side rails 23 and 5.

The removable mounting of the U-shaped member 36 in the side rail 25 and its block member 33 is identical to that shown and described for the U-shaped member 35.

The coil stock reel has now been described to include the narrowly spaced-apart side rails 23 and 25 and the auxiliary U- shaped supporting

members

35 and 36 which are installed as unitary parts of the side rails after the coil of stock has been placed on the narrow rectangular support. Above the reel there are coil stock-confining members and coil stock-guiding members. The center post 14 which passes upwardly through the reel member is provided with a removably attached hub 47. The hub 47 is a ring member which has a hand operated setscrew 48 threadedly engaging the hub in a radial direction for engagement with the post 14 so that it may be placed at any desired position above the reel mechanism. Both of the coil stock-retaining members and the coil stock-guiding members are carried in this hub 47. When it is desired to load a coil of stock on the reel of this invention the hub with all of its appurtenances is removed from the post 14 so there will be no obstructions to the mounting of the coil of stock. After thecoil of stock is placed in position on the reel the'hub 47 with a loosened setscrew 48 is slid over the top of the post 14 and when the desired level of the hub has. been attained the setscrew 48 is tightened so that the hub has been attained the setscrew becomes fixed relative to the post 14.

The coil stock-confining members comprise a radially directed hold down rod 49 having an upturned inner end 50 which engages and is attached by welding or other suitable means to the underside of the hub 47. The coil stock-confining means includes four such hold down rods, the other three being identified as 51, 52 and 53. Each of these other three rods has an upturned inner end which is fastened to the lower surface of the hub 47 in the same manner as the rod 49. The coil stock confining rods are best shown in FIG. 5 where they overlie a coil of stock on the 'reel and prevent unwarranted unwinding of the coil of stock.

The stock guiding members are also supported by the hub 47. It is one of the novel features of this invention to provide two identical members as stock guides. One guide member is to provide for the guiding of a strand closely adjacent to the stock as it is removed from the coil and the second guide member is to provide for the guiding of the strand at a position relatively remote from the coil of stock. The guided strand may thereupon be delivered in a smooth unkinked manner to any machine, such as a punch press. The first of these two identical stock-guiding members is designated by the numeral 54. This guide member includes astraight rod portion 55. This rod portion 55 is adapted to engage avertical passageway 56 in the hub or ring 47. A manually operable setscrew 57 is radially threaded into the hub 47 adjacent the passageway 56 to thereby permit the attachment of the guiding member 54 to the hub in any desired elevation. This locking of the rod end 55 of the guiding member 54in the hub 47 by the setscrew 57 is clearly shown in FIG. 2. The guiding member 54 at its other end is provided with 'a circular loop 58whic'h ultimately constitutes the remote guide for the strand of coil stock being dispensed. The loop 58 has its end spaced apart from the straight rod portion 55 to form a threaded slot 59 for a strand of coil stock. Thus, if it is d'sired tb gain entrance for a strand into the loop 58 it may be accomplished by sliding the strand through the slot 59 rather than inserting an end of the strand through the loop 58 in the manner of threading a needle.

The second identical stock guiding member is denoted by the numeral 60 and includes a straight rod portion 61 cor responding to the portion 55 of the guiding member 54. The guiding member 60 includes a circular loop 62 at its end which ultimately constitutes the first or closely adjacent guiding of a strand of coil stock. The circular loop 62 is provided with a coil stock-threading slot 63 in the same manner as the coil stock threading slot 59 of the loop 58.

The guiding

members

54 and 60 are joined by a universal clamping mechanism 64. This clamping mechanism 64 is constructed to permit any angular disposition of the identical guiding members and to lock the guiding member in their desired adjusted position. The clamping mechanism 64 includes a first disc 65 and a second disc 66 in abutting relationship. A passageway 67 is formed as a chord of the first and second disc members between the adjoining abutting faces of these

discs

65 and 66. The clamping mechanism also includes a third disc 68 which abuttingly engages the second disc member 66. A passageway 69 is formed as a chord in that face of the third disc 68 which lies adjacent to the second disc 66. The clamping mechanism further includes a locking screw 70 disposed on the axis of the three abutting

discs

65, 66 and 68. The locking screw threadedly engages the first disc 65 but is freely slidable through the second and third discs, 66 and 68 respectively. An annularshoulder 71 is arranged and constructed to abuttingly engage the outside of the third disc 68 to securely hold the three discs in fixed position when the screw 70 is drawn up tightly. As the locking screw 70 is threaded farther into the first disc the shoulder 71 engages the outer surface of the third disc thus pulling all of the three discs tightly together. A hand turning end 72 is provided on the locking screw to conveniently effect tightening or loosening of the three discs comprising the universal clamping mechanism 64. The passageway 67 is adapted to receive the straight rod portion 55 of the guiding member 54 and when the locking screw 70 is tightened the clamping mechanism is securely held at any desired elevation on the vertically disposed straight portion 55 of the guiding member 54. The passageway 69 is adapted to receive the straight portion 61 of the guiding member 60. Also when the locking screw 70 is drawn up tightly the straight rod portion 61 of the guiding member 60 is held in any adjusted position relative to the clamping mechanism 64.

As best shown in FIG. 1 a double-ended straight arrow 73 indicates that the clamping mechanism 64 with its included second guiding member 60 may be adjusted to any desired elevation on the straight rod portion 55 of the guiding member 54. The guiding member 54 thus acts as a post support for the second guiding member 60. A double-ended arcuate arrow 74 shows the possible arcuate swinging movement of the guiding member 60 in a vertical plane. Thus, the circular loop 62 may be placed close to or spaced farther above the reel as desired to accommodate the most effective removal of a strand end from a coil of stock. A double-ended arcuate arrow 75 shows the possible arcuate swinging movement of the guiding member 60 in a generally horizontal plane so that the circular loop 62 may not only be placed in any desired vertical position but also any desired horizontal position relative to the reel on which the coil of stock is to be mounted. A double-ended straight arrow 76 shows the possible in and out movement of the guiding member 60 in a lateral direction thereby permitting the circular loop 62 to be disposed throughout a range commencing at a position adjacent the outer circumference of the reel support to a position adjacent the inside of the reel near the center post 14.

The primary object of this invention as stated in the objects above is to permit the mounting of a coil of stock with lifting mechanism such as a forklift truck which is in common use in shops using devices of the type as shown in this invention. When a coil of stock is to be mounted on the reel of this invention the device has its coil-confining members and coil-guiding members removed, preferably as a unit, by taking off the hub 47 and all of its appurtenant elements as previously described. Further the auxiliary coil-supporting members in the form of the

U-shaped members

35 and 36 are also removed. There is thus now presented to the operator a relatively narrow reel support comprising primarily the spaced side rails 23 and 25 and an upwardly extending stationary post 14. The side rails 23 and 25 present a substantially rectangular support for a coil of stock. The rectangular support is sufficiently long to carry the entire diameter ot a coil of stock but very narrow so that it does not support the sides of the coil of stock. It is this narrowness that permits lifting devices, such as a forklift truck, to get in and place the coil of stock on the reel. The coil mounting is shown in FIG. 4 of the drawings wherein the

spacedapart forklift tines

77 and 77a are shown carrying a coil of stock 78 with an inner or central opening 78a. The coil of stock 78 is translationally lowered in the direction of the

arrows

79 and 80 onto the reel of this invention. As the coil of stock 78 is deposited onto the side rails 23 and 25 their narrow spacing permits the

fork tines

77 and 77a to be further lowered below the horizontal plane of the

rails

23 and 25 whereby the

forklift tines

77 and 77a may be easily removed. The post 14 on the reel passes upwardly through the center opening 78a of the coil of stock 78. The movement of the coil is in a parallel manner in a horizontal plane as shown by the

arrows

79 and 80. The retaining pins 27, 28, 29 and 30 act to confine the coil 78 on the spaced side rails 23 and 25. After the coil has been deposited on the side rails the operator then inserts the auxiliary

load supporting members

35 and 36 into the side rails 23 and 25 as previously described to give adequate support to the sides of the coil of stock 78. It is only after these removably attachable members are inserted that the reel support becomes one which is substantially fully circular in shape. Without these auxiliary supporting members the reel support is long and narrow. Following the mounting of the members, the hub 47 is placed over the top of the center post 14 and locked in position so that the coil-confining

rods

49, 51, 52 and 53 are disposed closely above the top surface of the coil of stock 78. This level of the confining rods will be dependent upon the width of the stock comprising the coil of stock. Thereafter the guiding

members

54 and 60 are adjusted to strategically place their strand-guiding

loops

58 and 62 to accommodate the removal of a strand of coil stock from either the inner or outer ends of the coil 78 as desired. As shown in FIG. 5 an end strand 81 is shown being dispensed from the center opening 78a of the coil of the stock 78 and thence passing through the circular loop 62 closely adjacent the coil and thence through remote circular loop 58 for delivery to some other machine.

1 am aware that numerous details of construction may be varied throughout a wide range and it should be understood the embodiment as disclosed herein is only one acceptable embodiment.

Iclaim:

1. A stock reel comprising a base, a narrow tray disposed in a horizontal plane, said narrow tray including a pair of spacedapart generally parallel side rails, the side rails being of a length to carry the full diameter of a coil of stock but narrow enough to be flanked by the spaced apart tines of a forklift, said narrow tray journally mounted relative to said base for rotation about a generally vertical axis, and support means removably fastened to said narrow tray to increase its supporting width, whereby a circular coil of stock can be mounted on and removed from the narrow tray by forklift tines flanking the tray, and the support means fastened to the tray after mounting the coil of stock.

2. A stock reel comprising a base, a generally rectangularly shaped support disposed in a horizontal plane and having a narrow side and a long side, said support journally mounted relative to said base for rotation about a generally vertical axis, and auxiliary means removably fastened to said support to increase the supporting area of the support on the narrow side thereof whereby a circular coil of stock can be mounted on the rectangular support by a forklift with the tines thereof flanking the narrow side of the support and the auxiliary means fastened to the support after mounting the coil of stock.

3. A stock reel comprising a base, a vertical post on said base, a narrow tray disposed in a horizontal plane, said narrow tray including a pair of spaced-apart generally parallel side rails, the side rails being of a length to carry the full diameter of a coil of stock but narrow enough to be flanked by the spaced-apart tines of g a forklift, said narrow tray journaly mounted relative to said vertical post for rotation thereabout, and auxiliary support means removably fastened to said narrow tray to increase its supporting width, whereby a circular coil of stock can be mounted on and removed from the narrow tray by forklift tines flanking the tray, andthe auxiliary support means fastened to the tray after mounting the coil of stock, and guide means removably mounted relative to said base to guide an end of the coilinits discharge.

4. A stock reel as defined in claim 3 in which the guide means is removably mounted on the vertical post of the base.

5. A stock reel as defined in claim 4 in which the removably mounted guide means comprises apair of substantially identical elements for guiding a strand near the position of unreeling of the coil and for guiding the strand at a position spaced from the coil. v

6. A stock reel as defined in claim 5 in which each of the identical elements includes an elongated rod member which is straight at one end and which has a loop at its other end.

7. A stock reel as defined in claim 6- in which a universal clamping means is employed to hold the two substantially

Claims

3. A stock reel comprising a base, a vertical post on said base, a narrow tray disposed in a horizontal plane, said narrow tray including a pair of spaced-apart generally parallel side rails, the side rails being of a length to carry the full diameter of a coil of stock but narrow enough to be flanked by the spaced-apart tines of a forklift, said narrow tray journaly mounted relative to said vertical post for rotation thereabout, and auxiliary support means removably fastened to said narrow tray to increase its supporting width, whereby a circular coil of stock can be mounted on and removed from the narrow tray by forklift tines flanking the tray, and the auxiliary support means fastened to the tray after mounting the coil of stock, and guide means removably mounted relative to said base to guide an end of the coil in its discharge.

5. A stock reel as defined in claim 4 in which the removably mounted guide means comprises a pair of substantially identical elements for guiding a strand near the position of unreeling of the coil and for guiding the strand at a position spaced from the coil.

7. A stock reel as defined in claim 6 in which a universal clamping means is employed to hold the two substantially identical elements together in any desired angular relationshiP.