PACKAGE FOR A WIRE OR CABLE COIL AND METHOD OF ASSEMBLING IT

Abstract: An improved coil package comprises a closable carton 21 formed from a folded blank of cardboard and, removably housed in the carton, a reel on which is carried a coil 35 of wire. The hollow hub 37 formed of a transversely folded metal strip is secured to the major side walls 22 of the carton in such a way that each reel flange 34 is locked to the hub and is detachably secured to the adjacent major side wall. In each major side wall 22, a protruding end part 38 of the hub is folded to bite into the wall and is surrounded by a circle 36 of perforations to enable the adjacent reel flange to be de­ tached from the wall.

Description: AN IMPROVED COIL PACKAGE This invention relates to the packaging of wire or cable and more particularly to the packaging of coils of bare or insulated electric wire or cable, for example wire or cable of the kinds used in house wiring systems, all such bare and insulated wire and cable hereinafter, for convenience, being included in the generic term II II wire The interests of the manufacturer, wholesaler or retailer, and user of wire are in conflict insofar as transportation and packaging of wire are concerned. For ease of manufacture and transportation within the factory, it is in the interests of the manufacturer that wire used within the factory be in coil form. From the point of view of the wholesaler or retailer who has to keep a large stock of wires of different kinds from one another, storage of wire is facilitated if it is supplied in packages of a shape and size such that they can be readily stacked. On the other hand, the user prefers wire to be supplied on a reel from which wire can be readily unwound as and when required. Generally, wire is marketed either in coils which are covered by a toroidal lapping of paper or cheap fabric or on nonreturnable reels. The former type of packaging is cheap but it is not popular with wholesalers and retailers because such packaged coils are not readily stackable and is not popular with users because wire cannot be readily withdrawn from a coil and because once the toroidal lapping is removed to enable wire to be withdrawn from the coil, the balance of the coil is left unprotected and may become tangled, as replacement of the toroidal lapping is usually too tiresome to be undertaken by the user. The alternative form of packaging in non-returnable reels is unpopular with the wire manufacturer because it is more labour intensive and costly and is disliked by the wholesaler and retailer because reels cannot be readily stacked. Several forms of wire packages have been proposed that serve the dual purpose of a container or carton for a coil and a reel from which wire from the coil can be readily withdrawn but all suffer from the disadvantage that they are not easily stacked for storage purposes and/or, once the container or carton has been opened to withdraw wire from the coil, are not readily re-closed for the purpose of protecting that part of the coil remaining in the package. It is the object of the present invention to provide an improved coil package which serves the dual purposes of a wire carton and reel, which is simple and inexpensive to manufacture and which, in its preferred form, can be readily stacked and provides for ready removal and replacement of the carton. According to the invention our improved coil package comprises a closable carton which is formed from at least one folded blank of cardboard or plastics material and which has a pair of oppositely disposed major side walls, each of which major side walls has an aperture in substantially axial alignment with the aperture of the other major side wall; a pair of separately formed substantially flat reel flanges, each of which reel flanges is in inter-facial contact with or is adjacent to the inner face of one of the major side walls and each of which reel flanges has an aperture in substantially axial alignment with the apertures of the major side walls; a coil of wire positioned between and bounding the apertures in the reel flanges; and, extending between parts of the reel flanges bounding said aligned apertures, a substantially rigid hollow hub, each reel flange being restrained against movement in a direction away from its adjacent major side wall. Since the reel flanges constitute component parts of the coil package and serve to strengthen its major side walls, the improved coil package has the important advantage that the carton can be formed of a cardboard or plastics material of a thickness such that it can be readily folded. When the coil of wire substantially fills the carton the coil of wire will itself, at least in part, serve to restrain movement of each reel flange in a direction away from its associated major side wall but, in the preferred improved coil package, each reel flange is restrained against movement in a direction away from its associated major side wall irrespective of the quantity of wire remaining on the coil. Preferably, each reel flange is restrained against movement in a direction away from the associated major side wall of the carton by securing the flange to the rigid hollow hub and, in a preferred aspect of the invention, the rigid hollow hub is secured to the major side walls in such a way that each reel flange is locked with respect to the rigid hollow hub and is detachably secured to the adjacent major side wall. In a second aspect of the invention, each reel flange may be restrained against movement in a direction away from its adjacent major side wall of the carton by permanently securing it to the inner face of the major side wall by any convenient securing means, e.g. staples, and, in this case, preferably the reel flanges are permanently secured to appropriate parts of the blank before it is folded to form the carton. In a third aspect of the invention, each reel flange may be restrained against movement in a direction away from its adjacent major side wall by parts of the blank being so folded as to form in the carton a pair of continuous or discontinuous inwardly upstanding ribs or shoulders each of which is axially spaced from the inner face of one of the major side walls. The rigid hollow hub may be a preformed tube of metal or metal alloy, plastics or any other suitable material but, preferably, it is a transversely folded strip of metal or metal alloy. In an improved -coil package according to the aforesaid preferred aspect of the invention, the aperture in each major side wall is formed from an area of weakness defined by a plurality of radially extending petals which are folded inwardly of the carton and are gripped between the rigid hollow hub and the boundary wall of the aperture in the adjacent reel flange. In this case, preferably the hollow hub is a transversely folded strip of metal or metal alloy, the inwardly folded petals from the apertures in the major side walls serving to prevent overlapping longitudinally extending edges of the transversely folded metal strip from damaging the inner layer or layers of wire of the coil. In all aspects of the invention, preferably end parts of the rigid hollow hub are so rolled radially outwardly or are otherwise so distorted that their extreme edges bite into or are otherwise secured to the outer faces of the major side walls. In these cases, to facilitate stacking of improved coil packages, preferably the major side walls are distorted to such a dish-like shape that no parts of the hub protrude beyond the planes containing the boundary edges of the major side walls. Where the reel flanges are permanently secured to the inner faces of the major side walls, to facilitate stacking of improved coil packages, preferably the apertures in the major side walls are of greater diameter than the apertures in the reel flanges and end parts of the rigid hollow hub protruding through the apertures in the reel flanges are so rolled radially outwardly or are otherwise so distorted that their extreme edges bite into or are otherwise secured to the outer faces of those parts of the reel flanges surrounded by the boundary walls of the apertures in the major side walls and that no part of the hub protrudes beyond the planes containing the outer faces of the major side walls. Where the rigid hollow hub is so secured to the major side walls that each reel flange is locked with respect to the rigid hollow hub and is detachably secured to its associated major side wall, to provide for removal of the reel from the carton, preferably each major side wall has a substantially continuous circle of perforations radially outwardly of the aperture in the wall to facilitate separation of the reel from the carton. Where the reel flanges are not permanently secured to the major side walls, to provide for ready removal of the reel from the carton, the carton may have, at one of its ends and integral with at least one of the major side walls, a foldable flap by which the carton can be opened and closed. Alternatively, the carton may have, extending diametrically across each major side wall and across diametrically opposed parts of the outer peripheral wall, a perforated boundary line by means of which the carton can be readily separated into two parts which, when moved apart in a direction transverse to the axis of the reel, permit removal of the reel and which can be reassembled about the reel. Where the reel flanges are permanently secured to the major side walls, when it is desired to withdraw wire from the coil package, the outer peripheral wall of the carton extending between the two major side walls is removed so that wire can readily be unwound from the resulting reel. For this purpose, preferably the boundaries between the major side walls and the outer peripheral wall of the carton are perforated or otherwise weakened to facilitate removal of the outer peripheral wall. In all cases, preferably the major side walls of the carton are each of substantially rectangular shapeand have minor side walls integral with three pairs of oppositely disposed side edges of the major side walls and a minor side wall integral with one or each side edge of a fourth pair of oppositely disposed side edges of the major side walls, the latter minor side wall or walls constituting a foldable flap or flaps. Preferably, the coil of wire is so positioned between the reel flanges that the radially outer end of the coiled wire is adjacent the foldable flap or flaps of the carton. The invention also includes an improved method of assembling a coil package which comprises folding at least one blank of cardboard or plastics material to form a closable carton comprising a pair of oppositely disposed major side walls each having an aperture, or an area of weakness for forming an aperture, in substantially axial alignment with the aperture or area of weakness of the other major side wall and positioning in inter-facial contact with and adjacent to the inner faces of the major side walls a pair of separately formed substantially flat reel flanges, each having a substantially central aperture, in such a way that the apertures of the flanges and of the major side walls are in substantially axial alignment; introducing a coil of wire into the carton until it is positioned between and bounds the apertures in The reel flanges; introducing a substantially rigid hollow hub through the aperture in one major side wall, through the aperture in the adjacent reel flange, through the coil of wire, through the aperture in the other reel flange and through the aperture in the other major side wall; and securing the reel flanges to the rigid hollow hub in such a way that each reel flange is restrained against movement in a direction away from the adjacent major side wall. To ensure that the reel flanges do not impede introduction of a coil of wire into the carton during assembly of the coil package, preferably the carton has, integral with end edges of oppositely disposed minor side walls of the carton, ears which can be so folded inwardly as to extend between and bear against the reel flanges to hold them apart and so permit introduction of a coil of wire into the carton prior to introduction of the rigid hollow hub through the aligned apertures. Accordingly, the invention also includes a method of assembling an improved coil package as hereinbefore described, which method comprises folding at least one blank of cardboard or plastics material to form a closable carton comprising a pair of oppositely disposed major side walls each having an aperture, or an area of weakness for forming an aperture, in substantially axial alignment with the aperture or area of weakness of the other major side wall, minor side walls integral with pairs of oppositely disposed side edges of the major side walls- and a minor side wall integral with at least one side edge of another pair of oppositely disposed side edges of the major side walls, said latter minor side wall constituting a foldable flap for closing the carton, end edges of one pair of oppositely disposed minor side walls having ears integral with said minor side walls; introducing into the carton a pair of separately formed substantially flat reel flanges, each having a substantially central aperture, in such a way that each is in inter-facial contact with or is adjacent to the inner face of one of the major side walls with its aperture in substantially axial alignment with the aperture of said major side wall; folding said ears inwardly to extend between and bear against the reel flanges to hold the flanges apart; introducing a coil of wire into the carton until it is positioned between and bounds the apertures in the reel flanges; introducing a substantially rigid hollow hub through the aperture in one major side wall, through the aperture in the adjacent reel flange, through the coil of wire, through the aperture of the other reel flange and through the aperture in the other major side wall; and securing the reel flanges to the rigid hollow hub in such a way that each reel flange is restrained against movement in a direction away from the adjacent major side wall. Preferably, the rigid hollow hub is secured to the major side walls in such a way that each reel flange is locked with respect to the rigid hollow hub and is detachably secured to the adjacent major side wall. In the preferred method of assembly, the area of weakness in each major side wall is defined by a plurality of radially extending petals which are folded inwardly of the carton and is surrounded by a substantially continuous circle of perforations, the rigid hollow hub is formed by inserting through the aligned apertures in the major side walls and reel flanges and through the coil, a transversely folded strip of metal or metal alloy which is caused or permitted to expand radially outwardly to grip the inwardly extending petals of each major side wall between the rigid hollow hub so formed and the boundary wall of the aperture in the adjacent reel flange, and end parts of the rigid hollow hub protruding through the apertures in the major side walls are so rolled radially outwardly that their extreme edges bite into the outer faces of those parts of the major side walls surrounded by the circles of perforations. The invention is further illustrated by a description, by way of example, of two preferred forms of improved coil package and of the preferred method of assembling the improved coil package, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:¯ Figure 1 is an isometric view of a stage in the manufacture of the improved coil package; Figure 2 is an isometric view of a later stage in the manufacture of the improved coil package; Figure 3 is a fragmental sectional side view of the partly assembled coil package shown in Figure 2; Figure 4 is an isometric view of one preferred form of the improved coil package; Figure 5 is an isometric view of a second preferred form of the improved coil package, and Figures 6 and 7 are fragmental isometric views of the improved coil package showing the preferred method of providing for re closure of the carton of the coil package. Referring to Figure 1, in the preferred method of assembling the improved coil package a blank of cardboard is folded to form a closable carton 1 comprising a pair of oppositely disposed major side walls 2 each of substantially square shape and each having a central area of weakness 3 in axial alignment with the area of weakness of the other major side wall, each area of weakness comprising a plurality of radially extending petals 4. Minor side walls 5, 6 and 7 are integral with three pairs of oppositely disposed side edges of the major side walls 2 and each side edge of the fourth pair of oppositely disposed side edges of the major side walls has an integral foldable flap 8, 9 for closing the carton.End edges of oppositely disposed minor side walls 5, 7 have integral with these walls foldable ears 10. A pair of separately formed flat reel flanges 14 each of circular shape and each having a central aperture 15 is introduced into the carton 1 in such a way that each reel flange is in inter-facial contact with the inner face of one of the major side walls 2 with its aperture in axial alignment with the area of weakness 3 of the major side wall. Ears 10 are then folded inwardly and reciprocating deflecting means, which are introduced through holes 12 in The minor side walls 5, 7, cause the ears to extend between and bear against the reel flanges 14 to hold them apart and in inter-facial contact with the inner faces of the major side walls 2. A coil of wire (not shown) is then introduced into the carton through the upper open end until it is positioned between and bounds the apertures 15 in the reel flanges 14. Referring to Figures 2 and 3 in which, for clarity, the coil of wire is omitted, petals 4 of each major side wall 2 are then folded inwardly of the carton 1 to bear against the boundary walls of the apertures 15 in the reel flanges 14 and a metal strip 16 transversely folded into tubular form with its longitudinal edges overlapping is introduced through the resulting aperture 13 in one major side wall 2, through the aperture 15 in the adjacent reel flange 14, through the coil of wire, through the aperture 15 of the other reel flange 14 and through the resulting aperture 13 in the other major side wall 2 and the folded strip is expanded radially outwardly to grip the petals tightly between the rigid hollow hub 17 so formed and the boundary walls of the apertures in the reel flanges. End parts 18 of the rigid hollow hub 17 protruding from the apertures 13 in the major side walls 2 are then rolled radially outwardly to such an extent that the extreme edges of the hub bite into the outer faces of the major side walls, the major side walls being distorted to such a dish-like shape that no part of the hub protrudes beyond the planes containing the boundary edges of the carton 1. The carton 1 is then closed by folding flaps 8, 9one on top of the other and sealing the carton by adhesive tape. Assembly of the coil package as above described is effected automatically by means of machines associated with and positioned adjacent to a coil winding machine. The first preferred form of coil package shown in Figure 4 comprises a carton 21 formed from a blank of cardboard and having a pair of oppositely disposed major side walls 22 each of which is of square shape and has a central aperture in axial alignment with the aperture of the other major side wall. A pair of separately formed flat reel flanges 34, each of circular shape and having a central aperture in axial alignment with the apertures of major side walls 22, is in inter-facial contact with the inner faces of the major side walls and a coil 35 of wire is positioned between and bounds the apertures in the reel flanges. A rigid hollow hub 37 formed by a transversely folded metal strip extends between the major side walls 22, and inwardly folded petals integral with the boundary walls of the apertures in the major side walls are tightly gripped between the hub and the boundary walls of the apertures in the flanges 34 to lock the flanges to the hub. End parts 38 of the hub 37 are rolled radially outwardly to such anextent that the extreme edges of the hub bite into the outer faces of the major side walls 22. Each major side wall 22 has a circle 36 of perforations which is co-axial with and radially outwardly of the distorted end part 38 of the hub 37 to facilitate separation of the reel flanges 34 from the major side walls when it is required to withdraw the reel from the carton. At each of two diametrically opposed positions around the perforated circle 36 are a pair of holes 41 bounding between them a tab 42 which is not perforated. The tabs 42 ensure that the integrity of the improved coil package is not accidentally broken and, when the reel is to be removed from the carton 21, separation of each reel flange 34 from the major side wall 22 by tearing around the circle 36 of perforations can be completed by inserting a sharp instrument, such as a knife blade or screw driver, into one hole 41 of each pair of holes and cutting through the tab 42. Figure 5 shows an isometric view of a second preferred form of coil package which is substantially identical to the coil package illustrated in Figure 4 except that the circle 36 of perforations in each major side wall 22 surrounding the distorted end of the hub 37 has no circumferentially spaced positions where the major side wall is not perforated. Minor side wall 25 has extending part way along each of its boundaries with the major side walls 22 a row of perforations by means of which a leaf 43 can be folded out of the wall. By unwinding wire from the coil 35 in the direction shown by the arrow to cause the reel to rotate, the parts of The major side walls 22 to which the protruding ends 38 of the hub 37 are secured can be caused to separate from the other parts of the major side walls along the circles 36 of perforations. As will be seen on referring to Figures 6 and 7, to provide for temporary closure of the carton 21 after partial use of wire from the coil 35 has taken place, one edge of flap 28 has a recess 48 whose width increases smoothly in a direction away from that edge and the corresponding edge of the other flap 29 has a tab 49 defined by two slits 40 which converge in a direction away from that edge, thereby enabling one flap to overlie and detachably engage the other flap.

Claims: CLAIMS: 1. A coil package comprising a closable carton (1, 21) which is formed from at least one folded blank of cardboard or plastics material and which has a pair of oppositely disposed major side walls (2, 22), each of which major side walls has an aperture (13) in substantially axial alignment with the aperture of the other major side wall; a pair of separately formed substantially flat reel flanges (14, 34), each of which reel flanges is in inter-facial contact with or is adjacent to the inner face of one of the major side walls and each of which reel flanges has an aperture (15) in substantially axial alignment with the apertures of the major side walls; a coil (35) of wire positioned between and bounding the apertures in the reel flanges; and, extending between parts of the reel flanges bounding said aligned apertures, a substantially rigid hollow hub (17, 37), each reel flange being restrained against movement in a direction away from its adjacent major side wall. 2. A coil package comprising a closable carton (1, 21) which is formed from at least one folded blank of cardboard or plastics material and which has a pair of oppositely disposed major side walls (2, 22), each of which major side walls has an aperture (13) in substantially axial alignment with the aperture of the other major side wall; a pair of separately formed substantially flat reel flanges (14, 34), each of which reel flanges is in inter-facial contact with or is adjacent to the inner face of one of the major side walls and each of which reel flanges has an aperture (15) in substantially axial alignment with the apertures of the major side walls; a coil (35) of wire positioned between and bounding the apertures in the reel flanges; and, extending between parts of the reel flanges bounding said aligned apertures, a substantially rigid hollow hub (17, 37) so secured to the reel flanges that each reel flange is restrained against movement in a direction away from the adjacent major side wall. 3. A coil package comprising a closable carton (1, 21) which is formed from at least one folded blank of cardboard or plastics material and which has a pair of oppositely disposed major side walls (2, 22), each of which major side walls has an aperture (13) in substantially axial alignment with the aperture of the other major side wall; a pair of separately formed substantially flat reel flanges (14, 34), each of which reel flanges is in inter-facial contact with or is adjacent to the inner face of one of the major side walls and each of which reel flanges has an aperture (15) in substantially axial alignment with the apertures of the major side walls; a coil (35) of wire positioned between and bounding the apertures in the reel flanges; and, extending between parts of the major side walls bounding said aligned apertures, a substantially rigid hollow hub (17, 37) secured to the major side walls in such a way that each reel flange is locked with respect to the rigid hollow hub and is detachably secured to the adjacent major side wall. 4. A coil package as claimed in Claim 3, wherein the aperture in each major side wall is formed from an area of weakness (3) defined by a plurality of radially extending petals (4) which are folded inwardly of the carton and are gripped between the rigid hollow hub and the boundary wall of the aperture in the adjacent reel flange. 5. A coil package as claimed in Claim 3 or 4, wherein each major side wall has a substantially continuous circle (36) of perforations radially outwardly of the aperture in the wall to facilitate separation of the reel from the carton. 6. A coil package as claimed in Claim 5, wherein, at each of two diametrically opposed positions around the perforated circle, a pair of holes (41) bound between them a tab (42) which is not perforated. 7. A coil package as claimed in any one of the preceding Claims, wherein the carton has, integral with each of a pair of oppositely disposed side edges of the major side walls, a foldable flap (8,9; 28,29), the flaps being foldable one on top of the other and having inter-engaging means (48, 49) by which the carton can be temporarily closed. 8. A coil package as claimed in any one of the preceding Claims, wherein end parts (18, 38) of-the rigid hollow hub are so rolled radially outwardly or are otherwise so distorted that their extreme edges bite into or are otherwise secured to the outer faces of the major side walls and wherein the major side walls are distorted to such a dish-like shape that no parts of the hub protrude beyond the planes containing the boundary edges of the major side walls. 9. A coil package as claimed in Claim 1, wherein each separately formed reel flange is permanently secured to the inner face of the adjacent major side wall. 10. A coil package as claimed in Claim 9, wherein the apertures in the major side walls are of greater diameter than the apertures in the reel flanges and end parts of the rigid hollow hub protrude Through the apertures in the reel flanges and are so rolled radially outwardly or are otherwise so distorted that their extreme edges bite into or are otherwise secured to the outer faces of those parts of the reel flanges surrounded by the boundary walls of the apertures in the major side walls and that no part of the hub protrudes beyond the planes containing the outer faces of the major side walls. 11. A method of assembling a coil package which comprises folding at least one blank of cardboard or plastics material to form a closable carton (1, 21) comprising a pair of oppositely disposed major side walls (2, 22) each having an aperture (13), or an area of weakness (3) for forming an aperture, in substantially axial alignment with the aperture or area of weakness of the other major side wall and positioning in inter-facial contact with and adjacent to the inner faces of the major side walls a pair of separately formed substantially flat reel flanges (14, 34), each having a substantially central aperture (15), in such a way that the apertures of the flanges and of the major side walls are in substantially axial alignment; introducing a coil (35) of wire into the carton until it is positioned between and bounds the apertures in the reel flanges; introducing a substantially rigid hollow hub (17, 37) through the aperture in one major side wall, through the aperture in the adjacent reel flange, through the coil of wire, through the aperture in the other reel flange and through the aperture in the other major side wall; and securing the reel flanges to the rigid hollow hub in such a way that each reel flange is restrained against movement in a direction away from the adjacent major side wall. 12. A method of assembling a coil package which comprises folding at least one blank of cardboard or plastics material to form a closable carton (1) comprising a pair of oppositely disposed major side walls (2) each having an aperture (13), or an area of weakness (3) for forming an aperture, in substantially axial alignment with the aperture or area of weakness of the other major side wall, minor side walls (5,6,7) integral with pairs of oppositely disposed side edges of the major side walls and a minor side wall (8,9) integral with at least one side edge of another pair of oppositely disposed side edges of the major side walls, said latter minor side wall constituting a foldable flap for closing the carton, end edges of one pair of oppositely disposed minor side walls having ears (10) integral with said minor side walls; introducing into the carton a pair of separately formed substantially flat reel flanges (14), each having a substantially central aperture (15), in such a way that each is in inter-facial contact with or is adjacent to the inner face of one of the major side walls with its aperture in substantially axial alignment with the aperture of said major side wall; folding said ears inwardly to extend between and bear against the reel flanges to hold the flanges apart; introducing a coil of wire into the carton until it is positioned between and bounds the apertures in the reel flanges; introducing a substantially rigid hollow hub (17) through the aperture in one major side wall, through the aperture in the adjacent reel flange, through the coil of wire, through the aperture of the other reel flange and through the aperture in the other major side wall; and securing the reel flanges to the rigid hollow hub in such a way that each reel flange is restrained against movement in a direction away from the adjacent major side wall. 13. A method as claimed in Claim 11 or 12, wherein the rigid hollow hub is secured to the major side walls in such a way that each reel flange is locked with respect to the rigid hollow hub and is detachably secured to the adjacent major side wall. 14. A method as claimed in Claim 13, wherein the area of weakness (3) in each major side wall (2) is defined by a plurality of radially extending petals (4) which are folded inwardly of the carton and is surrounded by a substantially continuous circle (36) of perforations, the rigid hollow hub (17) is formed by inserting through the aligned apertures in the major side walls and reel flanges and through the coil, a transversely folded strip (16) of metal or metal alloy which is caused or permitted to expand radially outwardly to grip the inwardly extending petals of each major side wall between the rigid hollow hub so formed and the boundary wall of the aperture in the adjacent reel flange, and end parts (18) of the rigid hollow hub protruding through the apertures in the major side walls are so rolled radially outwardly that their extreme edges bite into the outer faces of those parts of the major side walls surrounded by the circles of perforations.

Inventors: CARROLL, CLIVE ROLAND EDWARD, DITCHFIELD, NEVILLE JAMES
Applicants: BICC PUBLIC LIMITED COMPANY
Application year: 1983
Main classification: B65D85
IPC codes: B65D5, B65D85