Abstract:
The present invention pertains to a hold down device for coiled wire stored in a wire storing container having a heading member that bounds a first coil face, a cover member bounding a second coil face, and a tensioning device extendable between the heading member and the cover member where the tensioning device is capable of applying compressive force between the heading member and the cover member. The heading member is fashioned having an integrally formed handle that eliminates the need to incorporate additional components for connecting to the tensioning device.

Description:
[0001]    This utility patent application claims priority to U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 61/177,023 filed on May 11, 2009, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
     
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
       [0002]    The present invention pertains to packaging coiled wire, and more particularly, hold down systems used in packaging coiled wire. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    Wire is frequently wound in continuous lengths and stored within a container or cylindrical drum for shipping or storage purposes. One manner of packaging wire, which is economically desirable, involves the use of a paperboard or cardboard container having a bottom heading and an inner core extending upward from the bottom heading around which the wire may be coiled. In packing the drum, wire is typically drawn from a machine and fed in a continuous process into the container. The wire doesn&#39;t actually wind on the core but falls loosely between the core and side walls, and onto the bottom heading. During pay out, the wire emerges having a twist, adding to the difficulty of handling the wire as well as potentially affecting the process using the wire. To compensate, the wire may be pre-twisted prior to being fed into the container, which results in residual spring forces stored within the coil. To keep loops of wire from lifting off of the coil, hold down devices are used to cap the top and/or bottom of the coil. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY 
       [0004]    The embodiments of the present invention pertain to a hold down device for coiled wire stored in a wire storing container having a heading member that bounds a first coil face, a cover member bounding a second coil face, and a tensioning device extendable between the heading member and the cover member where the tensioning device is capable of applying compressive force between the heading member and the cover member. The heading member is fashioned having an integrally formed handle that eliminates the need to incorporate additional components for connecting to the tensioning device. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0005]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a receptacle for storing wire according to the embodiments of the subject invention. 
           [0006]      FIG. 2  is a partial cutaway perspective view of a hold down system for storing wire in a receptacle according to the embodiments of the subject invention. 
           [0007]      FIG. 3  is a top view of a heading member of the hold down system according to the embodiments of the subject invention. 
           [0008]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of a heading member of the hold down system according to the embodiments of the subject invention. 
           [0009]      FIG. 5  is a block diagram showing a method of constructing a heading member according to the embodiments of the subject invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0010]    Referring now to the drawings wherein the showings are for purposes of illustrating embodiments of the invention only and not for purposes of limiting the same,  FIG. 1  shows a receptacle, depicted generally at  10 , for packaging wire  13 . The receptacle  10  includes multiple walls  15  that define an internal region used to contain wire  13  for storage, shipping, or other purposes. The receptacle  10 , also referred to herein as container  10 , may be box-like in configuration including a bottom wall or wall portion  17 , side wall portions  18  and a top wall portion  19 . However, other configurations of receptacles  10  including but not limited to cylindrical drums may be utilized without departing from the intended scope of coverage of the embodiments of the subject invention. In one embodiment, the top wall portion  19  may comprise an openable or removable lid  20 . In this manner, the receptacle  10  may be closed or sealed to prevent elements and/or ambient conditions from affecting wire  13  inside. Wire  13  may be stored in the receptacle  10  in a coiled fashion, wherein individual loops of wire  13  are layered around a core  22  in succession and stacked through the height of the receptacle  10 . In this manner, a large quantity of wire  13  may be stored in bulk within the receptacle  10  as a singular, continuously formed length of wire  13 . 
         [0011]    The receptacle  10  may be constructed from fibrous material. In particular, the receptacle  10  may be fashioned from cardboard, paperboard, or any material of suitable strength sturdy enough to contain wire  13  as described herein. Additionally, the material making up the receptacle walls may be recyclable allowing the receptacle  10  to be constructed, and subsequently reused, in an economical manner. It is noted that cardboard typically includes corrugated layers. However, it is to be construed that materials making up the receptacle  10  or receptacle walls  15  may be constructed from layers of materials that are not undulated. 
         [0012]    In one embodiment, wire  13  may be welding wire  14 . Welding wire  14  is frequently stored in relatively long, continuous lengths for supplying a welding machine, not shown, in a continuous feed process. Due to its coiled nature, welding wire  14  may rotate during pay out, which may be detrimental to the welding process as well as making it difficult for the end user to handle. To counter the effects, suppliers typically incorporate a twist in the wire  14  as it is fed into the receptacle  10 , which helps the wire  14  emerge without rotating as it is drawn back out. Resultantly, welding wire  14  includes residual spring forces that act to lift layers of wire  14  off the coiled stack  25 , referred to herein as coil  25 . A hold down system  40  is therefore included with the receptacle  10  to prevent welding wire  14  from unraveling, or loops of welding wire  14  from lifting off of the coil  25  as will be discussed below. 
         [0013]    Referencing  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the hold down system  40  functions to prevent wire  13 ,  14  from unraveling within the receptacle  10  until paid out for use in a particular operation. At such a time, the hold down system  40  may be removed or disassembled and the wire  13 ,  14  fed into the application for which it is intended, which in one embodiment may be a wire feeder, also not shown. It will be readily seen that the coil  25  defines distal ends or faces, which may be referenced as the upper  27  and lower  28  face. For discussion purposes, the upper face  27  may reside next to the lid  20  of the receptacle  10  and the bottom face  28  distally positioned next to the bottom wall portion  17 . For receptacles  10  having symmetrical or indistinguishable end configurations, the coil faces may simply be referred to as first  27  and second  28  faces. 
         [0014]    The hold down system  40  may include a heading member  42 , which may be utilized to cap at least one of the faces  27 ,  28  of the coil  25 . The heading member  42  may be fashioned as a generally planar article spanning an area corresponding to the face  27 ,  28  of the coil  25 . By spanning an area corresponding to the face  27 ,  28  of the coil  25 , it is meant that the surface area of the heading member  42  is substantially the same as the area of the coil face  27 ,  28  or is somewhat larger than the area of the coil face  27 ,  28 . Stated another way, the circumference of the heading member  42  may be substantially the same as or somewhat larger than the circumference of the face(s)  27 ,  28  of the coil  25 . It is noteworthy to mention here that additional embodiments are contemplated wherein the area and/or circumference of the heading member  42  may be less than that of the coil face  27 ,  28 . Still, the heading member  42  may have any dimensional characteristics, as well as any shape or configuration, appropriate for use with the embodiments of the subject invention. 
         [0015]    The outer shape of the heading member  42  may correspond to the cross sectional shape of the receptacle  10 . Accordingly, the outer shape may refer to the footprint of the heading member  42  when placed within the receptacle  10 . Given a cylindrical drum, the heading member  42 , for example, may be generally circular in shape. For receptacles  10  having a polygonal shape, the heading member  42  may similarly match the internal configuration of the receptacle  10 . Of course, it follows that the circumference of the heading member  42  will be dimensionally smaller than the cross section of the receptacle  10 . Still, it is to be construed that any shape of heading member  42 , similar or disparate with respect to the receptacle  10 , may be chosen with sound judgment. 
         [0016]    With reference now to  FIGS. 3 and 4 , the heading member  42  may be constructed from a material similar to the material comprising the receptacle  10 . In one embodiment, the heading member  42  is constructed from fibrous material, like that incorporating wood pulp. Examples include cardboard or paperboard, as well as fiberboard. However, other types of material may be utilized including but not limited to polymeric or polymer based materials. It is noted that the similarities in material of the receptacle  10  and heading member  42  make it easy and convenient to recycle the entire package without disassembly. 
         [0017]    With reference again to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the heading member  42  may be used to secure a tensioning device  50  extended between another distally positioned heading member  42  or other means of compressively engaging the coil  25 , as will be discussed in a subsequent paragraph. The tensioning device  50  may be capable of supplying force used to compress to the coil  25  of wire  13 ,  14 . Accordingly, the tensioning device  50  may be so constructed to overcome the spring forces of the coiled wire  13 ,  14  thereby preventing loops of wire  13 ,  14  from lifting off of the coil  25 . In one embodiment, the tensioning device  50  may include an elongate strip of material  52  capable of spanning the height of the coil  25  while applying resistive forces to keep the heading member(s)  42  and other means of compressively engaging the coil  25  together. In one exemplary manner, the tensioning device  50  may be elastically deformable, i.e. capable of being stretched to some degree without being permanently deformed. In another example, the tensioning device  50  may be comprised of ropes, straps or other articles not characterized as elastically deformable but readily capable of transmitting forces suitable for compressively engaging the coil  25 . Still, any type of tensioning device  50  may be used without departing from the intended scope of the coverage of the embodiments of the subject invention. 
         [0018]    With reference now to  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the heading member  42  may be contiguously formed as a singular article having an integrally formed handle portion  44  for connecting with the tensioning device  50 . The handle portion  44  may be defined as that section of the heading member body disposed between slots  45  or openings  45  fashioned therein. In an illustrative manner, the slots  45  may be cutouts formed in the planar face of the heading member  42  that extend through the thickness of the heading member  42 . In one embodiment, two sets of slots  45  may be cut into the heading member  42  to form the handle portion  44 . For example, one set of slots may be formed from cut holes  45 ′ spaced apart within the heading member body, while another set of slots may be formed by cutting notches  45 ″ in the sides or edges of the heading member body. The holes  45 ′ and/or notches  45 ″ may be equidistantly spaced apart with respect to a centerline axis C, although any spacing pattern may be selected as is useful for forming a handle portion  44 . Still, any manner of forming a handle portion integral with the heading member  42  may be chosen without departing from the intended scope of coverage of the embodiments of the subject invention. It will be appreciated that the tensioning device  50  may be secured to the heading member  42  by wrapping around or through the handle portion  44 . In an exemplary manner, the tensioning device  50  may be inserted through the holes  45 ′ or received by the notches  45 ″ for fixedly securing the tensioning device  50  to the heading member  42 . A separate hook, latch, or other type of fastener is therefore not needed to attach the tensioning device  50  to the integrally formed handle portion  44  of the heading member  42 . Still, any manner of wrapping, looping, or connecting the tensioning device  50  to the heading member  42  may be selected that does not include the use of a separate connecting member. Other configurations of cutouts, slots, and ways of attaching the tensioning device  50  will become apparent to those skilled in the art. All such variations are to be construed as falling within the scope of coverage of the appended claims. 
         [0019]    It is expressly noted here that the method of forming the heading member  42  has been described in the context of removing material from the body of the heading member  42 . However, the heading member  42  with its configuration of holes and/or notches may be fashioned by adding material to form the shape as described herein. In other words, the heading member  42  may be fashioned by molding material, for example, in a tool around inserts thereby forming slots  45  devoid of material, although any method of fashioning the slots  45  may be utilized. 
         [0020]    With reference now to  FIGS. 3 and 4 , in one particular embodiment the heading member  42  may incorporate a series of holes and/or notches fashioned in the heading member  42 , as described above. Subsequently, the heading member  42  may be folded upon itself to form a handle portion  44 ′ extending outward from the body of the heading member  42 . It is noted that the handle portion  44 ′ is integrally fashioned with heading member  42 . Stated another way, the handle portion  44 ′ that receives the tensioning device  50  is not attached with fasteners nor interlocked with the heading member  42 , but is contiguously formed therewith. In this configuration, the handle portion  44 ′ includes a single slot or aperture comprised of multiple holes  45 ′ juxtaposed by folding the heading member  42  substantially about a centerline axis C. It follows that the tensioning device  50  may be attached to the handle portion  44 ′ through the opening. It will be readily seen that additional folds are imposed on the heading member  42  at lines A and B, which result in the handle configuration of  FIG. 3 . 
         [0021]    Referencing  FIG. 2  once again, the hold down system  40  may include additional components that cover or cap the distal face of the coil  25 , which may be upper face  27  of coil  25 . In one embodiment, hold down system  40  includes a cover member  53 . The cover member  53  may be disk shaped having a generally circular or oval shape, although its circumference may have a polygonal or other shape. The cover member  53  may also be generally rigid or at least semi-rigid for restraining layers of wire  13 ,  14  making up the coil face. The cover member  53  may be fashioned from semi-circular halves. Alternatively, the cover member  53  may be a contiguously formed article. In any case, the cover member  53  may be juxtaposed to the coil  25 , and in particular, the upper face  27 , and secured thereto via the compressive forces of tensioning device  50  to prevent the coil  25  from unraveling. In this manner, cover member  53  may include an aperture  54  through which the tensioning device  50  may be fed or routed. In an exemplary manner, the tensioning device  50  may be attached to a bar  57 , rod, or other rigid member that sits on top of the cover member  53 . Of course, another heading member, similar to the heading member  42  positioned at the bottom face  28  of the coil  25 , may be used as the cover member  53  and the tensioning device  50  secured thereto in a similar manner. It will be appreciated that an elastically deformable tensioning device  50  may be stretched to extend through cover member  53 , attached thereto in an elongated state and released to provide the compression required to overcome the residual spring forces with the coil  25 . Alternatively, non-elastic tensioning devices  50  may be manually tightened and secured in place by any means suitable for use with the embodiments of the subject invention. 
         [0022]    A core  22  may be included that extends through the hollow portion of the coil  25 . The core  22  along with the inner surface of the receptacle walls  15  may define the space in which the wire  13 ,  14  is positioned. The core  22  may be secured to the heading member  42 . However, detached cores  22  are contemplated that simply lay against the surface of the heading member  42 . In one embodiment, the core  22  itself may also be generally hollow. Accordingly, the tensioning device  50  may be channeled through the hollow core  22  and secured to the cover member  53  in a manner consistent with that described herein. 
         [0023]    With reference now to all of the Figures, operation of the embodiments of the subject invention will now be discussed. A heading member  42  may be connected with a tensioning device  50  and placed into a receptacle  10 . Optionally, a core  22  may be inserted and substantially centered with respect to the heading member  42  wherein the tensioning device  50  may be channeled through the center of the core  22 . Wire  13 , or welding wire  14 , may then be fed into the receptacle  10  and layered in loops around the interior of the receptacle  10  walls forming a stack having a height H. When completed, the stack of wire  13 ,  14  may be capped by a cover member  53  and the tensioning device  50  connected to provide a compressive force that will hold the coiled wire  13 ,  14  together during transportation and/or storage of the wire  13 ,  14 . It is expressly noted that the hold down system  40  may be used with wire  13 ,  14  that is un-twisted or pre-twisted to any degree. The receptacle  10  may be then closed by lid  20  and prepared for shipment or storage as desired. 
         [0024]    The invention has been described herein with reference to the disclosed embodiments. Obviously, modifications and alterations will occur to others upon a reading and understanding of this specification. It is intended to include all such modifications and alterations insofar as they come within the scope of the appended claims or the equivalence thereof.