Coil retention, protection and guidance device

A coil retention, protection and guidance device, comprising a bow tie-shaped device scored at a pair of separate and parallel locations across its width and forming at its ends two rectangular members; perforated at a single location parallel to and equidistant from said scored locations across its width and through its midpoint forming two mirror-image trapezoid members between said scored locations; and conformed to embrace the outer layer of a coiled bundle generally radially and across the bundle's width. The device, when applied to a coil of strand material, protects the material during shipment and storage, and facilitates the unravelling of the strand.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates to an apparatus for retaining, protecting and 
guiding, upon delivery, coiled products such as wire, cables, flexible 
tubing, ropes, plastic strapping materials, and the like, rolled into 
ring-shaped bundles on drums or reels more commonly referred to in the 
industry as a core. These materials are coiled into superposed layers, the 
number of which is upon the product's thickness and the desired size and 
weight of the resulting bundle. When the coil has achieved its proper 
dimension and weight, the strands must be secured to prevent slippage or 
unraveling known as "shelling." 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The conventional means for securing coiled products to the core involves 
tightening a strap, applying a piece of strong adhesive tape, or wrapping 
and tying a string or the like across the shaped bundle and through the 
center of the core at spaced intervals. These straps, upon tightening, 
frequently cause the portion of the coiled product which is exposed along 
the sides and around the perimeter of the bundle to become deformed or 
damaged, and may cause bending or cracking under pressure. Furthermore, 
during transport and storage, damage may occur if the bundle is positioned 
so that the straps are pressed against the sides of the bundle by a truck 
bed, warehouse floor or adjacent bundles in stacked configuration. 
In the past, and as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,840,274 to Young issued 
Jun. 20, 1989, flat pieces of paperboard or corrugated doughnut-shaped 
buffer means have been placed between the side portions of the bundles and 
the strap retainers in an effort to protect the outer layer of coiled 
product. While these doughnuts are capable of protecting the coiled 
product located along the sides of the bundle from damage, they do not 
possess the ability of protecting that portion of the coiled product 
located around the perimeter of the bundle because their circular design 
will not accommodate successful folding such that protection of these 
strands can be accomplished. 
The bundles are then delivered to the distributer and ultimate users where 
they are placed onto a dispensing apparatus which delivers lengths of the 
coiled product suitable for its intended purpose. Dispensing apparatus 
usually comprise a shaft or rod onto which the core of the coiled bundle 
is rotatably-mounted for unraveling. Protective circular flanges are 
positioned so as to abut the coiled bundle at either side and in a 
substantially parallel relationship in an effort to stabilize the coil 
during unraveling. 
Before such lengths of coiled product can be dispensed, however, the 
securing straps or ties must be cut. When this is done, the coil 
frequently loosens, becoming incapable of maintaining its shape and 
compacted integrity. All too often the strands become lodged in gaps 
between the flange and outer surface of the coil which retards or, in some 
instances, prevents dispensing of the strands. The gaps are caused by 
warping or bending of the flange portions of the dispensing unit during 
use. Strands are further permitted to become lodged when no guide means 
exists to adequately control the strand's lateral movement during 
unraveling. 
Attempts have been made to avoid strands from lodging in gaps through the 
use of the corrugated doughnut-shaped buffer means described above. As 
stated, these doughnuts are secured to the bundle with retaining straps or 
strings, and ultimately are situated between the coil bundle and flanges 
so as to fill any gaps that may exist. The use of doughnuts are, however, 
undesirable, not only for their failure to protect the coiled product 
along the bundle's perimeter, but also because they impede visual 
inspection of the product during display and use. Furthermore, the 
doughnuts require the use of a greater amount of protective material than 
does the present invention, summarized below. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
In general, the present invention provides a novel apparatus for retaining, 
protecting and guiding upon delivery coiled products such as wire, cables, 
flexible tubing, ropes, plastic strapping materials, and the like, which 
are rolled onto drums or reels more commonly referred to in the industry 
as a core. There is thus provided an apparatus in accordance with the 
present invention, a plurality of which are to be applied to a coiled 
bundle and secured to the same by conventional strapping or tying means. 
More specifically, the present invention relates to a device comprising a 
novel bow tie-shaped retention, protection and guidance means made of 
corrugated fiberboard or other stiff material capable of being scored at a 
pair of separated locations such that when folded, it conforms to embrace 
the outer layer of a coiled bundle radially and across its width. The bow 
tie-shaped device is perforated across its middle and tangential to the 
core's axis of rotation such that, when torn, it permits the product 
strand to unravel as the core is caused to rotate. The portions of the bow 
tie which overlay the width of the coil guide the unraveling strand. The 
portion of the bow tie secured between the sides of the unraveling coil 
and the adjacent flange prevent the strand from becoming jammed between 
the side of the coil and the flange. The device's bow tie shape thus 
allows for free flow withdrawal of strand material without permitting 
lodging of the strand between the coil bundle and dispensing device, 
acting as a guide for the strand during dispensing. 
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION 
It is thus, an object of the present invention to eliminate the 
deficiencies associated with the prior art as described above, and further 
relates to a device that not only acts to retain a coiled product about 
the core and to protect the coiled product during storage, shipment and 
use, but further acts to guide the strands during dispensing. 
It is another object of the present invention to provide a coil retention, 
protection and guidance device capable of protecting not only the coiled 
product exposed at the sides of the bundle, but capable of protecting the 
coiled product around the perimeter of the coil as well. 
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a coil 
retention, protection and guidance device that acts as a buffer means 
between the coiled bundle and dispensing apparatus, such that the coiled 
product strand is prevented from becoming lodged in gaps resulting from 
misshaped flanges. 
It is another object of the present invention to provide a coil retention, 
protection and guidance device that utilizes a minimum amount of material, 
and allows for visual inspection of the coiled product sale and 
dispensing. 
Still a further object of the present invention is to provide a coil 
retention, protection and guidance device that is simple in design and 
use, economical to manufacture and easily produced by means of automated 
machinery.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
Turning now to the drawings, and initially to FIG. 1, the preferred 
embodiment of the present invention 1 is shown having a bow tie shape. The 
bow tie is constructed of corrugated fiberboard or other rigid material 
capable of being scored at a pair of separated and parallel locations 2 
and 3 across device 1's width facilitating the formation at its ends of 
rectangular members 4 and 5, respectively. Device 1 is also capable of 
being perforated at a single location 6 parallel to and equidistant from 
scored locations 2 and 3, across device 1's width and through its midpoint 
7 such that two mirror-image trapezoid members 8 and 9 are formed between 
scored locations 2 and 3. 
Referring now to FIG. 2, a plurality of devices 1 of the present invention 
are shown as they are applied to a coil of strand material. As can be 
observed, a plurality of the present invention devices, at least two, are 
folded that is at 90 degree angles along scored locations 2 and 3, such 
that they conform to embrace the outer layers of a coiled bundle 10 
generally radially and across the width of the coil. Coiled bundle 10 may 
consist of any strand product or material 11 such as wire, cable, flexible 
tubing, rope, plastic strapping materials, and the like, wound, rolled or 
coiled in superposed layers around a core 12 or similarly-shaped drum, 
reel or spool adapted for rotatable mounting onto a shaft or rod 14 (see 
FIGURES). 
More specifically, a transverse side of bow tie device 1 serves to embrace 
the outer layers of coiled bundle 10 such that rectangle-shaped members 4 
and 5 partially cover the exposed strand of product 11 situated on the 
sides of coiled bundle 10, and trapezoid members 8 and 9 cover the exposed 
strand product 11 situated around the perimeter of coiled bundle 10. This 
placement of each device 1 acts not only to retain coiled product 11 about 
core 12, but also acts to protect the coiled product along the bundle's 
periphery from damage during storage, shipment and use. 
Conventionally, strand product 11 was secured to core 12 by a tightening 
strap 13, applying a piece of strong adhesive tape, or wrapping and tying 
a string or the like across the shaped bundle at spaced intervals. These 
straps frequently caused the outside layer of coiled product to become 
damaged or deformed when tightened. The present invention acts as a buffer 
means between such securing means and the outside layer of strand product 
11, thus protecting the latter from damage by the former upon tightening. 
In addition, the present invention, when applied to coiled bundle 10, 
protects the exposed portions of the strand product 11 situated along the 
sides and around the perimeter of the bundle from damage due to impact 
with foreign bodies. 
The wide shape of the present invention's rectangle members 4 and 5, and 
the trapezoid shape of members 8 and 9, combined with the device's rigid 
construction, provide an improved means for retaining the strand product 
11 about core 12. It should be noted that the relative size and shape of 
rectangle members 4 and 5, as well as trapezoids 8 and 9, can be custom 
tailored to maximize protection or visibility of the embraced coils. 
Increased protection can be achieved by increasing the size or number of 
the devices used. Increased visibility of the underlying strand product 11 
can be achieved by decreasing the size or the number of devices. A minimum 
of two devices should be utilized in the preferred application of the 
present invention. 
Referring now to FIGS. 3 and 4, the present invention can be seen as it is 
applied to a coil of strand material 11 which in turn is rotatably-mounted 
on a dispensing apparatus, comprising a shaft or rod 14 surrounded at 
either end by detachable circular flange members 15 secured by wing nut 
16. Before lengths of strand material 11 can be dispensed, securing ties 
13 must be cut. When this is done, the rigid construction of the embracing 
present invention reduces undesirable unraveling of the coiled bundle 10. 
Additionally, the presence of the rectangular members 4 and 5 of the 
present invention between coiled bundle 10 and flange members 15 prevents 
the formation of gaps in which strand material 11 can become lodged. 
The bow tie-shaped device 1 is perforated at a location 6 across its 
middle, through its midpoint 7 and aligned with the circumference of the 
coiled bundle 10 such that the plurality of perforations 6 are disposed 
within a plane which is perpendicular to the axis of rotation of core 12 
such that, when torn, it permits the product strand 11 to unravel as core 
12 is rotated. The trapezoid members 8 and 9 forming the device's bow tie 
shape, together with its rigid construction, allow for free flow 
withdrawal of the strand product 11 without permitting the strand to jump 
laterally across flange members 15, thus acting as a guide for the strand 
during dispensing. 
The bow tie shape facilitates the use of the core after it is mounted on a 
dispenser. When the free end of the strand is pulled, causing the core to 
rotate, the strand is guided to the center of the core by the bow tie. Of 
course, once the strand reaches the center of the bow tie, it is forced 
agaisnt perforations, causing the tie to be severed. Constructions without 
the tie shape were torn, generally at an off-center location, thus 
substantially diminishing the usefulness of the invention. 
Generally, it will be understood that the invention may be embodied 
otherwise than as herein specifically illustrated or described, and that 
in the illustrated embodiment certain changes in the details of 
construction and in the form and arrangement of parts may be made without 
departing from the underlying idea or principles of this invention within 
the scope of the appended claims.