Method and device for making wire baskets

A device and method for making a wire basket, the device having a spinning fixture with a top plate with an outer periphery, arms attached at a top end at the periphery of the top plate and projecting downwardly, such that bottom ends of the arms collectively form a circular arrangement having a diameter greater than the diameter of the top plate, a means for guiding wire onto the spinning fixture such that the wire is wound onto the spinning fixture in a preselected pattern, and contacts to maintain the wire onto the spinning fixture in preselected locations, and the method including providing an apparatus for delivery of wire through a wire feed and for translating the wire feed lineally along a traverse, providing a spinning fixture for winding wire thereon, and winding a preselected pattern of wire onto the spinning fixture by translating the wire feed along the transverse.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to the production of wire baskets and more particularly to a machine that quickly and efficiently manufactures wire baskets used to hold the root ball system of trees and/or shrubs.

Background of the Invention

Within the nursery industry, baskets of various types are used extensively in the display and transport of machine dug trees and shrubs. The baskets secure the root ball of the plant firmly to prevent deterioration during handling and transportation; and allow for easy transportation of the tree or shrub.

Commonly the baskets are comprised of an exterior framework of wire wound in a basket-shaped grid structure, with an interior lining of burlap, or another material that holds the root ball intact, while allowing access to moisture and nutrients.

The wire baskets which serve to reinforce the lining are commonly manufactured by joining together several individual strands of wire to form a grid structure having the required size and shape. It is a relatively costly and complex task that requires so many individual strands of wire to be aligned together, and joined, to form the desired final shape. The degree of complexity of the task is increased in proportion to the variety of sizes and shapes required to be produced. The task of forming and joining the wire strands is often, at least in part, performed manually, and it can be appreciated that such a process will require considerable skill on the part of the worker.

Some baskets are machine made using a complicated process consisting of forming loops going up and down along the side of the basket then winding the wire in a spiral around the side of basket. This makes an open bottom basket. To close the bottom an additional operation is required to bend the end of loops towards the center of the basket. See U.S. Pat. No. 4,478,260, Eichler; Manfred, Oct. 23, 1984. Whether the baskets are made of several strands of wire or of a continuous strand, after placing the tree in the basket it is necessary to crimp the wire in a number of places around the root ball to tighten the basket on the root ball. There is a need to overcome such difficulties by providing a method to produce wire baskets with closed bottom in a continuous operation from a continuous strand of wire that will hug tightly the root ball needing no crimping or little if any at all, using a relatively simple, efficient, inexpensive technique.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present concept is a device for making wire baskets and includes a rotating spinning fixture with a circular top plate with an outer periphery. It further includes at least three arms attached at a top end of the periphery of the top plate and projecting downwardly at an angle theta relative to the vertical, such that the bottom end of the arms are at a diameter greater than the diameter greater than the top plate. The device further includes a means for guiding wire on to the spinning fixture such that as the spinning fixture is rotated the wire is wound on to the spinning fixture on a preselected pattern. The spinning fixture further includes further contacts to locate the wire on to the spinning fixture in preselected locations.

Preferably the guiding means includes a wire feed connected to a traverse which is adapted to translate the wire feed along the traverse which is oriented substantially parallel to the arms on an angle theta relative to the vertical.

The present concept is a method for making wire baskets which includes providing a traverse apparatus for delivery of wire through a wire feed and for translating the wire feed linearly along the traverse. Preferably providing a rotatable spinning fixture for winding wire, wherein, the wire is received from the wire feed and is wound on to the spinning fixture. Finally, winding a pre-selected pattern of wire on to the spinning fixture is accomplished by selectively translating the wire feed along the traverse and simultaneously rotating the spinning fixture.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring now toFIG. 2which shows welding apparatus200which is comprised of main welding apparatus body220from which five side welding electrodes202are attached on the side with side electrode advance mechanisms206and one top welding electrode204which is connected to the main welding apparatus body220via top electrode arm222and top electrode advance mechanism208. There are in fact two top welding electrodes204, the second hidden from view.

Referring now toFIG. 3which shows welding apparatus200in use with wire basket104. Side electrodes202make five side welds at side weld positions212and top electrode204makes welds at top weld positions214. The welds are depicted as solid round dots.

Referring now toFIG. 4which shows spinning fixture400which is comprised of main shaft402with top plate410on top of main shaft402from which six copper arms without prongs416and six cooper arms with prongs418extend radially downward from top plate410. Copper arms without prongs416and copper arms with prongs418are connected to top plate410by arm shoulders414and are evenly spaced around the circumference of top plate410, with copper arms without prongs416alternating with copper arms with prongs418.

Copper arms without prongs416are long, rectangular members while copper arms with prongs418include the same long rectangular member with side plates422that have retractable positioning prongs420. Each copper arm with prongs418has three positioning prongs420: lower prong424, middle prong426and upper prong428.

Now referring toFIGS. 5 and 6which show shear actuator500in open position502and closed position504, respectively. Shear actuator500is comprised of shear508connected to piston rod520which is moved by piston518in a downward direction514to open shear blades506or in a upward direction516to close shear blades506.

The movement of piston rod520in a downward direction514causes the unfolding of straight linkage510and L-shaped linkage512which in turn opens shear blades506, as shown inFIG. 5. The movement of piston rod520in the upward direction516causes straight linkage510and L-shaped linkage512to fold together to cause shear blades506to close, as shown inFIG. 6.

Referring now toFIGS. 7 and 8which depict the retraction and extension action of side plates422of copper arms with prongs418using prong retraction mechanism430.FIG. 7shows side plate422in the extended position432positioning prongs420extend above copper arm with prongs418held in this position by springs. To move side plate422to the retracted position434(shown inFIG. 8) where positioning prongs420are below copper arm with prongs418, release actuator436is moved in the retract direction440which lifts fixture ring438upwards, and which moves side plate422to the retracted position434. Moving release actuator436down in direction442which allows the spring to extend the prongs420above the copper arms and into the extended position432.

The reader will note referring toFIGS. 7 and 8that a copper arm with prong418is depicted inFIGS. 7 and 8. Copper arm with prongs418includes copper arms without prongs416with additional side plates422on each side of copper arm without prongs. Copper arm without prongs includes a top end473, bottom end475. The side plates422include a lower portion481, a roller477, and a lower tip485which is the end of roller477. Additionally, side plates422include upper portion479. All copper arms include copper arms without prongs416. In addition, every other arm includes copper arms with prongs418, which is the addition of the side plates422which are hinged on to the copper arm without prongs416with pivoting links two of which are shown inFIG. 7and two of which are shown inFIG. 8. The reader will note that there are a total of four pivoting links, two on each side of copper arm without prongs416, two for attaching a left side plate422and two for attaching the right side plate422to the copper arm.

The reader will also note that top plate410has an upper diameter489and there is a lower diameter487which is the distance of the lower tips485to the common center line of the wire basket apparatus.

Please note that the wire basket apparatus rotates about this center line which is shown as small vertical lines inFIG. 7, at the end of upper diameter489and lower diameter487and runs through the geometric center of main shaft402in a vertical direction. The axis of rotation lies on what is normally referred to as a “z” axis.

FIG. 9shows traverse apparatus300in combination with spinning fixture400, laying down wire102along the initial portion of wire forming path106. Traverse apparatus300is comprised of traverse guide302, with wire feed306which is moved along the length of traverse guide by traverse drive304. Wire feed306includes tensioner312that straightens the wire102and keeps it taut as it is laid over spinning fixture400in the wire forming path106. At the start of the wire forming path106, wire102is affixed in wire jam cleat444on top plate410of spinning fixture400. It wraps around first pin411, going over the arm shoulder414of first copper arm446and abutting against upper prong428of second copper arm447. Wire feeder306moves in traverse downward direction310as spinning fixture400rotates in spin direction408.

FIG. 10shows the complete first downward leg of the wire forming path112which is formed first by the traverse downward direction310of wire feed306while spinning fixture400rotates in spin direction408. Wire102wraps around first copper arm446, second copper arm447, third copper arm448, fourth copper arm449, fifth copper arm450and sixth copper arm451. Wire102abuts against upper prong428of second copper arm447, the middle prong426of fourth copper arm449and the lower prong424of sixth copper arm451. Once wire feed306has reached the bottom of traverse302, wire102is abutting against lower prong424of sixth copper arm451. Traverse drive304changes the direction of wire feed306to move in the traverse upward direction308, shown inFIG. 11, which causes wire102to wrap around lower prong424of the sixth copper arm451, anchoring wire102as it begins being laid in the upward leg of wire forming path114.

FIG. 11shows the upward leg of wire forming path114which is laid when the wire feed306is moved from the bottom of traverse302towards the top of traverse302in the traverse upward direction308while spinning fixture rotates in the spin direction408. Wire102is laid around sixth copper arm451, seventh copper arm452, eighth copper arm453, ninth copper arm454, tenth copper arm455, eleventh copper arm456and twelfth copper arm457. Wire102wraps around the lower prong424of sixth copper arm451abuts against middle prong426of eighth copper arm453and upper prong428of twelfth copper arm457. Then it traverses across the top plate to start another loop and after completing six loops it will eventually close off the bottom of the wire basket as seen inFIG. 13.

FIG. 12shows spinning fixture400in isolation andFIG. 13shows a top end view of spinning fixture400with the complete wire forming path106shown in relation to the copper arms. First wire forming path112is also known as downward wire forming path108because wire feeder306moves in the traverse downward direction310while laying the path and second wire forming path114is known as upward wire forming path110because wire feeder306moves in the traverse upward direction308while the wire is laid. Wire102is alternately laid in a downward wire forming path108and an upward wire forming path110five more times after the first wire forming path112and second wire forming path114are laid In total seven complete rotations of the spinning fixture is required to complete one wire basket.

One loop takes in 420° of rotation whereas6loops take in 2520° of rotation. Downward wire forming paths108are started on odd-numbered copper arms starting at first copper arm446, i.e., first copper arm446, third copper arm448, fifth copper arm450, seventh copper arm452, ninth copper arm454and eleventh copper arm456. Upward wire forming paths110are started at the lower prong424on even-numbered copper arms, starting at sixth copper arm451, i.e., sixth copper arm451, eighth copper arm453, tenth copper arm455, twelfth copper arm457, second copper arm458, and fourth copper arm449. The last upward wire forming path starts at the lower prong of fourth copper arm449and terminates at second top pin413, completing the wire basket104.

When a new downward wire forming path108is started, the wire crosses over top plate410from the upper prong428of the last copper arm in the previous upward wire forming path410to the arm shoulder of the starting copper arm without prongs416that starts the next downward wire forming path108. The steps in forming a wire basket104are described in greater detail inFIGS. 16 and 17.

FIG. 14shows a complete wire basket104andFIG. 15shows a complete wire basket104in use with a tree and root system.

The copper arms without prongs416may be made of other suitable material other than copper. For example, it may be a copper alloy, a brass alloy, an aluminium alloy, or in fact be made of steel or some other metallic material which is suitable for the purpose. The reader will further note that the retractable positioning prongs420are retracted in order to remove the completed wire basket from the spinning fixture400once the desired pattern has been completed.

In Use

FIG. 16is a flow chart that describes the steps in the method to create a wire basket104along wire forming path106, also depicted inFIGS. 9 through 11.

Step2, shown as604: wire102is clamped onto wire jam cleat444before being wrapped around first pin411located on top of spinning fixture400.

Step3, shown as606: spinning fixture400and traverse apparatus300move simultaneously to begin laying wire302in first wire forming path112. Spinning fixture400turns counter clockwise in spin direction408at the same time that wire feed306moves down traverse302in traverse downward direction310.

Step4, shown as608: The simultaneous movement of wire feeder306in traverse downward direction310and spinning fixture400causes wire102to abut against arm shoulder414of a first copper arm446without prongs then against upper prong428of second copper arm447with prongs.

Step6, shown as612: Wire102is moved over the fifth copper arm450and then against lower prong424of the sixth copper arm451, thereby completing the first downward wire forming path108.

Step7, shown as614: Traverse apparatus300changes direction so that wire feeder306moves along traverse302in the traverse upward direction308, beginning an upward wire forming path110, also called the second wire forming path114, that loops wire102around the seventh through twelfth copper arms. The downward wire forming path108is reversed, the upward wire forming path110continuing until wire102abuts against the upper prong428of twelfth copper arm457.

Step8, shown as616: wire102is directed across the top plate410of spinning fixture400to the arm shoulder414of the third copper arm448, which has no prongs.

Step9, shown as618: spinning fixture400rotates in a counter clockwise direction so that wire102moves over the fourth copper bar449without prongs.

Step10, shown as620: the above steps of alternatively laying wire102in a first wire forming path112followed by a second wire forming path114is repeated five more times to complete wire basket104.

Step12, shown as624: welding at weld positions210begins using weld apparatus200. In each weld position210, five side welds212and one top weld214are completed using side electrodes202and top electrodes204, as shown inFIG. 3. Spinning fixture400is indexed in the spin direction408six times to complete all the wire basket welds, except the very first weld which completed by the second top electrode on the top plate to secure the last portion of wire102and prevent the entire unwinding of the basket before welding.

Step14, shown as628: wire basket104is removed from spinning fixture400by simply lifting it vertically off spinning fixture400after opening the wire jam cleat444.

Wire basket104is made from one continuous length of wire and formed and welded in a single continuous operation and includes a star-shaped closed bottom, as shown inFIGS. 14 and 15.

The advantages of the present invention should be apparent. The present invention provides a method of producing an intricately, symmetrically-patterned wire basket suitable for holding the root systems of trees and shrubs that is nearly fully automated, requiring minimal operator action. The operator is only required to set wire102in wire jam cleat444at the beginning of the basket forming process and then to release the grippers and remove the basket when it is finished. Due to the diamond shape of wire pattern produced the wire basket will stretch when the top ears are tied together around a tree ball. The basket requires little clamping if any.

The method is fast, efficient and inexpensive as the entire operation is completed with one continuous length of wire and one rotation of the spinning fixture to weld the basket. The size of the basket can be varied by using different sized spinning fixtures and adjusting how far wire feeder306travels up and down traverse302accordingly. A variety of complex, symmetrical basket patterns with closed bottoms are also possible by varying the number of copper arms and prongs on the spinning fixture.

It should be apparent to persons skilled in the arts that various modifications and adaptation of this structure described above are possible without departure from the spirit of the invention the scope of which defined in the appended claim.