Abstract:
A mandrel and the blank from which the mandrel is formed is constructed so as to enable shipment in flat form to a manufacturer of material, e.g., fabric, who, in turn, assembles the mandrel and uses such to wind material thereon to form a fabric bolt. The blank is easily and entirely set up by simple folding procedures.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention deals with a mandrel or support on which lengths of web-like or strand material such as fabric or dry goods are wound around. The two combined elements, i.e., mandrel and material, form what are commonly referred to as “bolts” which are then shipped to the ultimate end user, e.g., fabric store, discount outlet, wholesale distributor, decorator&#39;s or designer&#39;s workroom, upholsterer&#39;s shop, clothing manufacturer, and the like and or resellers of such material. Usually, the web material is woven cloth, fabric, upholstery material and the like; however, the term “web-like” and “strand-like” to or material is used in a broad sense to include any type of merchandise that can be wound or wrapped around and supported on a mandrel for handling, transshipping and the like. These bolts are usually formed at the supplier&#39;s facility, that is, the maker, manufacturer, textile mill, printer, distributor or other processor of the material upon preformed mandrels supplied to them by off-site manufacturers of paper and cardboard products. Generally, the mandrel fabricators are suppliers of other corrugated paperboard products such as boxes, i.e., box makers. Such mandrels are normally formed of paper and cardboard stock materials. Two mandrel forms currently in use include a multi-layer wound paper semi-elliptical hollow body with cardboard end caps glued over the opposed ends thereof and a cardboard flat box-like hollow structure with end closures glued in place. 
     Such prior art mandrels and the manner of their use necessitates secondary set up operations such as gluing to be performed at the mandrel manufacturer&#39;s site and then the completed mandrels shipped to the material supplier in their final ready to use set up and assembled form. Shipping the mandrels in ready to use form creates increased shipping volume per unit resulting in fewer mandrels being able to be shipped in a given volume capacity of a truck or railcar. In some cases, the use of glue in assembling the mandrels also presents an added fire hazard. In addition, a permanently assembled mandrel reduces the ease in which such mandrels can be recycled or otherwise disposed when the mandrel has served its intended purpose. 
     It, accordingly, would be desirable to provide a mandrel and use system for such that would obviate the above noted prior art deficiencies. These and other advantages over the prior art mandrels and their present manner of use are accomplished by the present invention which provides a mandrel blank from a flat foldable material that is shipped to the material manufacturer in such flat form. The user who then assembles the blank into the usable set up mandrel form without glue by simple and uncomplicated folding procedures. This set up procedure can easily and quickly be accomplished by the manufacturer&#39;s employees that wind or wrap the web material upon the mandrel. After the mandrel has served its purpose in the transport and material use by the ultimate end user, e.g., fabric store, discount outlet, wholesale distributor, decorator&#39;s or designer&#39;s workroom, upholsterer&#39;s shop, clothing manufacturer, and the like, the mandrel can then be simply discarded or reformed back to its flat blank form for ease in recycling or shipping back to the web supplier if volumes justify such return shipment. 
     These advantages are brought about by the aforementioned combination of a flat blank that can be setup and locked in a usable mandrel form without tools and from the suggested use system of such mandrel and blank. Further secondary advantages are accomplished by the particular form and structure of the blank and mandrel of the present invention that enables the easy assembly thereof and provides a resultant low cost mandrel device that can be constructed from well known cut and forming techniques at the mandrel maker&#39;s facility. 
     Other objects, features and advantages of the invention shall become apparent as the description thereof proceeds when considered in connection with the accompanying illustrative drawings. 
    
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       In the drawings which illustrate the best mode presently contemplated for carrying out the present invention: 
         FIG. 1  is a top perspective view of a bolt of web material wound upon an assembled mandrel of the present invention to form a complete bolt thereof; 
         FIG. 2  is a top perspective view of the assembled mandrel of the present invention; 
         FIG. 3  is a top plan view showing the flat blank from which the mandrel is assembled; 
         FIG. 4  is a top perspective view of the blank shown in  FIG. 3  showing the lower and upper stiffening panels or supports positioned upon the inner surface of the bottom panel; 
         FIG. 4   a  is a partial perspective view showing the manner in which the flaps are partially detached from the main panel edge and folded to form the stiffening panels or supports shown in  FIGS. 4 and 5 ; 
         FIG. 4   b  is a partial perspective view similar to  FIG. 4   a  showing a further progression of the flap folding procedure; 
         FIG. 5  is a top perspective view similar to  FIG. 4  but showing the support panel folded over a portion of the bottom panel; 
         FIG. 6  is a top perspective view similar to  FIG. 5  but showing the further folding of the top panel over but spaced from the bottom panel and over and in contact with portions of the outer surface of the support pane; 
         FIG. 7  is a partial perspective view showing the locking means; 
         FIG. 8  is a top plan view of the assembled mandrel; 
         FIG. 9  is a bottom plan view of the assembled mandrel; 
         FIG. 10  is a front elevational view of the assembled mandrel; 
         FIG. 11  is a rear elevational view of the assembled mandrel; 
         FIG. 12  is a left end elevational view of the assembled mandrel; and 
         FIG. 13  is a right end elevational view of the assembled mandrel. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Turning to the drawings and particularly  FIGS. 1-3  thereof, a bolt  10  of web-like material  12  is shown as wound upon a supporting mandrel  14  of the present invention. The web-like material generally comprises cloth or other relatively expensive materials that are shipped from the supplier thereof to users thereof and these mandrel supported bolts facilitate the process by protecting the cloth, etc. during shipping and enable the material to be better handled by the users both for storage and facilitating unwinding desired lengths thereof. 
     The mandrel  14  shown in an assembled or set up form in  FIGS. 1 and 2  is formed from a blank  16  depicted in  FIG. 3 . Such blank  16  is flat and generally formed from corrugated cardboard material by standard forming processes including cutting, perforating and crushing such material. Although corrugated cardboard is the most commonly chosen material for the instant use due to availability and cost, other materials such as cardboard, heavy paper stock, plastic resinous sheet and foam with or without paper coverings and other related materials can be utilized provided the mandrels once processed into blanks can be folded, broken apart and support hinged elements that are bent into placed as required by the instant invention. 
     The blank  16  is of flat elongated overall configuration and includes a main panel  20  having upper  22  and lower  24  opposed ends terminating in upper and lower edges  26 ,  28  respectively as well as laterally spaced side edges  30  and  32 . The main panel  20  further includes a top panel  34  having top and bottom surfaces  36 ,  38  respectively. The top panel is, in turn, attached to a bottom panel  40  adjacent thereto via a pair of laterally disposed bend lines  46  which, in turn, form an upper spacing panel  48  as will hereinafter be apparent. The bottom panel includes top and bottom surfaces  42 ,  44  respectively. 
     A support panel  49  having top and bottom surfaces  50 ,  52  respectively is, in turn, connected to the bottom panel via a pair of laterally extending bend lines  54  which, in turn, form a lower spacing panel  56 . The bend lines  46  and  54  are parallel to each other and are preferably formed by crushing or creasing the cardboard between opposed die surfaces to create, in effect, weakened or scored lines about which the material can be easily bent—hence, the term “bend lines”. In this way, the upper, lower and support panels can be bent or folded with respect to each other to set up the mandrel assemblage or set up form shown in  FIGS. 2 and 6 . In such position, the support panel  48  is upwardly swung around, i.e., bent, about the lower spacing panel  56 , such that the top surface  50  thereof partially overlies the top surface  42  of the bottom panel  40  and is spaced therefrom partially by the lower spacing panel  56  a distance equal to the longitudinal extent of such spacing panel, that is, the longitudinal distance between the bend lines  54 . The spacing panel  49  assumes a vertical or upright position when the support panel  49  is positioned as depicted in  FIGS. 2 and 6 . 
     One edge  32  of the main panel  20  is provided with longitudinally extending first and second flaps  58 ,  59  releasably connected thereto along weakened lines  60 ,  62 , and  64  and  66 ,  68  and  69  respectively and permanently attached to the edge  32  by hinge connections  70  and  72  that coincide with the bend lines  46  and  54  and, in effect, form continuations thereof. In addition, a weakened line  76  enables the separation of the two flaps extending laterally from the one edge  32 . Each flap is provided with a bend line or crease  74  that enables each flap to be turned or bent upwardly about such bend line  74 . While the lines  60 ,  62 ,  64 ,  66 ,  68  and  69  have been described as formed as by perforating or partially cutting the original main panel so the flaps can be separated therefrom except for the hinged connections therewith, such weakened lines could take the form of completely severed lines or include a minimal, e.g., one or two, contact connection points to enable such separation by those assembling the mandrel from the original blank form. Naturally, the above-described connections or lack thereof should not create a nuisance to those handling the mandrel blanks in their flat form for shipping to users or movement about a manufacturing or handling facility, i.e., one does not want the flaps to be “flapping about”. 
     By referring to  FIGS. 3-6 , it will be apparent that the further upward folding or bending of the top panel  34  about the upper spacing panel  48  formed by the bend lines  46  takes place such that the top surface  36  of the top panel  34  overlies the bottom panel and additionally extends over and contacts the bottom surface  52  of the support panel  49 . In order to better separate the panels from each other and so as to not totally depend upon the spacing panels  48  and  54  for such purpose, the two separate flaps  58  and  59  are adapted by longitudinal bending of portions thereof and the subsequent upward inward bending along their separate hinge lines  74  to form upper and lower stiffening panels  78  and  80  respectively. The flaps are attached to the main panel edge  32  by either a weakened edge that can be broken away or one or more slight material attachment points  77  that can be broken to free each flap for the folding procedure hereinafter described. As shown in the progression of forming sequences best depicted in  FIGS. 4   a  and  4   b , it should be clear that each flap has at least one foldable finger or finger portion and preferably two or even three foldable fingers as shown in the drawings. Referring to the upper stiffening panel  78 , such may include a first finger  78   a  connected to a second finger  78   b  via a pair of bend lines  79  and a third finger  78   c  disposed on the other side of the hinge connection  74 . The three fingers are adapted to be folded about each other as depicted in the drawings preferably with the third finger disposed between the first and second fingers and subsequently formed upper stiffening panel  78  disposed along the bend lines  46  with the edges  81   a ,  81   b  and  81   c  of the fingers  78   a ,  78   b , and  78   c  that were previously disposed along the one edge  32  are in contact with the upper surface of the upper spacing panel  48 . A similar disposition of the fingers  82   a ,  82   b  and  82   c  of the lower flaps forms the lower stiffening panel  80  wherein the finger edges previously disposed along edge  32  contact the lower spacing panel  56 . These stiffening panels  78 ,  80  serve to add rigidity to the mandrel structure and serve to provide platform surfaces against which the bent support and top panels rest. The flaps  58 ,  59  are preferably separated from each other by a cut line  76 . 
     The terminal edge  26  of the top panel  34  is preferably adapted by the relative length of such panel to overlie the support panel and at least to some extent overlie the lower stiffening panel  80  so that the end of the top panel is prevented from downward movement. Alternatively, the support panel could overlap that end  22  of the top panel but the form shown in the drawings is preferred. Locking means  90  for holding the top and support panels together is provided preferably in the form of a pair of notches  92  inwardly directed from the longitudinal edges of the support panel  48  and positioned adjacent the inwardly disposed extent of the lower stiffening panel  80 . A pair of bendable tabs  94  are provided that inwardly extend from the longitudinal edges of the top panel  34 . The tabs  94  are formed along weakened lines  96  and include a hinge line  98  about which they may be downwardly bent into the notches  92 . The notches  92  and tabs  94  are aligned with respect to each other. Preferably, two notch/tab combinations are provided, but one notch/tab combination could suffice. Also, the notch may also be formed by a secondary tab  96  which is downwardly bent to form an open notch construction before the tab  94  is bent thereinto or alternatively both tabs  94  and  96  are bent downwardly simultaneously in the above-described alternate form. In either form, the tab  94  contacts the detached edge portions  100  of the support panel from which the tab is formed and to some extent the top surface  50  upper surface of the support panel which has been folded over to face the top surface of the bottom panel  40 . The tab(s)  94  are preferably outwardly flared such that the wider extent thereof is disposed lowermost in the locked position and will thus better resist any upward urging motion of the top panel to swing upwardly to an unbent position and for the tabs to pull out of the notches by frictional engagement between the tab edges  102  and the notch edges  100  in a wedging action. This outward flare also enables contact of the tab edges  102  with the edges of the upper stiffening panel  48  when the positioning characteristics of the notches enables such. 
     Other alternative locking means can be utilized such as gluing the top and support panels together or by placing a separable connector such as a plastic dart therebetween but such procedures involve secondary steps and could interfere with one of the main objectives of the present invention—that of enabling the assembled mandrel to be knocked down by simple hand manipulation to a flat and easy to handle form for reuse as a mandrel or recycled as cardboard scrap. 
     While there is shown and described herein certain specific structure embodying this invention, it will be manifest to those skilled in the art that various modifications and rearrangements of the parts may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the underlying inventive concept and that the same is not limited to the particular forms herein shown and described except insofar as indicated by the scope of the appended claims.