Abstract:
A wire dispensing utility cart adapted to carry wire spools for dispensing wire during installation. The present invention provides a relatively large utility cart for carrying multiple and large spools of wire in a mobile fashion for dispensing wire during the installation of electrical wiring into buildings, structures, aircraft, and the like. The cart is mobile and relatively compact to facilitate movement of the cart through standard sized doorways and elevator bays, and is sufficiently large to accommodate a large number of wire spools. In addition, the cart provides at least two elongated storage bays to facilitate transportation of relatively large objects such as ladders, conduits, and other materials and supplies needed for the installation process.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention generally relates to construction tools, and more particularly relates to tools to facilitate installation of electrical wiring within buildings and other structures. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The installation of electrical wiring into buildings, machines and other large structures, such as aircraft and ocean liners, is often a time-consuming and cumbersome one. Using the installation of electrical wiring into a home or office building as an example, the electrician often needs to pull wire through walls, conduits, and openings in floors and stud work for a considerable distance to connect various power supplies to various switches and mechanisms. 
     Such wire is commonly obtained from the manufacturer in a wound package without a central spool and the electrician is required to pull the wire from the package, typically a cardboard box with a perforated opening provided therein. Since the cardboard box does not have an axis around which the wire can rotate as it is being pulled, and the wire is typically pulled from the inner diameter of the package, the box is often pulled with the wire, and the wire often becomes tangled or coiled as it is dispensed. If the wire is provided on a spool, the electrician is required to fabricate some sort of axle about which the spool can rotate for the wire to be dispensed. Since the wire is not only pulled a great distance, but also at various angles, the process often becomes cumbersome and time-consuming. 
     Augmenting these difficulties is the fact that, often, the electrician is required to pull more than one wire at a time through the same conduit or structure. These wires may be of different size, and provided on different diameter spools, effecting the rate at which the wire is dispensed. Moreover, a tangle in one particular wire will prevent successful dispensing of all of the wires until that one particular tangle is resolved. In the case of buildings or similar structures, multiple wires on the order of six to twelve or more different strands may be pulled at the same time, whereas with aircraft and ocean liners, wire bundles having individual strands in excess of forty to sixty strands is not uncommon. 
     My previous invention, as embodied in U.S. Pat. No. 5,509,671 (the &#39;671 patent), therefore discloses a cart for carrying spools of wire which enabled multiple spools of wire to be maintained and transported on a single, easily movable cart. The cart includes a wheeled frame somewhat resembling that of a conventional cargo dolly with a plurality of racks removably attached to the front of the frame and providing mandrels about which the spools can rotate. Multiple wires can therefore be pulled from the cart embodied in my previous &#39;671 patent. Moreover, since the spools are kept in relatively close proximity, even though multiple wires may be pulled at the same time, the wires are removed at the relatively same rate of speed. 
     Sometimes, it is advantageous to provide additional tools and accessories for use in conjunction with the wire installation process. For example, it would be advantageous to provide various hand tools and devices such as fasteners and junction boxes, and the like, along with the wire provided directly on the cart. Therefore, as disclosed in another of my previous inventions, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/172,829, now allowed, I disclose a cart for carrying spools of wire and utility trays which in addition to carrying the aforementioned wire spools, also provides multiple gravity leveling trays on the cart for holding and transporting such devices and tools. 
     With all of this being said, a still further need exists in the industry for a cart adapted to hold spools even larger than those carried by my aforementioned patented structures as well as in greater quantities, to carry additional relatively small hand tools and fasteners, and in addition, to carry relatively large materials such as, ladders, and lengths of conduit through which the wiring is often pulled. While it would be advantageous to provide a cart from which relatively large wire spools can be dispersed, it would at the same time be advantageous to be able to dispense wire from relatively small spools from the same cart. However, the wire must be situated on the cart such that the wire will be dispensed at the relatively same rate of speed and provided on a mobile cart sufficiently sized to be easily transported about various work sites. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is therefore an objective of the present invention to provide a cart for carrying spools of wire and multiple tools and supplies for construction purposes such as ladders, and elongated conduits. 
     It is another objective of the present invention to provide a cart for dispensing electrical wiring which enables multiple spools and variously sized spools to be dispensed at the same time. 
     In accordance with these objectives, it is a feature of a preferred embodiment of the present invention to provide a utility cart for dispensing wire having a mobile frame with upper and lower levels defining a vertical axis, and first and second ends defining a longitudinal axis. The cart further includes retaining brackets removably mounted between the upper and lower levels along the vertical axis and a plurality of mandrels extending from the retaining brackets along a lateral axis. The plurality of mandrels are spaced to receive wire spools thereon and dispense wire spools therefrom along the longitudinal axis of the cart. 
     Another feature of a preferred embodiment of the present invention is to provide such a wire dispensing utility cart with a plurality of casters to facilitate movement. 
     It is another feature of a preferred embodiment of the present invention to provide such a wire dispensing utility cart dimensioned to fit through a standard width doorway and into a standard size elevator bay. 
     It is still another feature of a preferred embodiment of the present invention to provide a wire dispensing utility cart manufactured from a plurality of channel tubes either welded or bolted together and adapted to receive anchors along the entire length of each channel to facilitate customization. 
     It is yet another feature of a preferred embodiment of the present invention to provide such a wire dispensing utility cart having first and second vertical beam members connecting the upper level to the lower level at the first and second ends of the frame, with first and second cross beams connecting the first and second vertical beams at the upper and lower levels. In this embodiment, the retaining brackets are removably attached to the first and second cross beams. 
     It is a still further feature of a preferred embodiment of the present invention to provide such a wire dispensing utility cart wherein the retaining brackets include a first runner bolted to the first cross beam and a second runner bolted to a second cross beam, with plurality of vertical arms extending between the first and second runners and a plurality of mandrels extending from the plurality of vertical arms. The first and second runners include a plurality of spaced apertures at which the plurality of vertical arms are adapted to be secured to accommodate variously sized wire spools. 
     These and other objectives and features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a perspective view of another preferred embodiment of the present invention showing a different number of wire spools mounted onto the invention; 
     FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a u-shaped beam and fastener assembly; and 
     FIG. 4 is a perspective view of another preferred embodiment showing a prior art rack mounted to the present invention. 
    
    
     While the invention is susceptible of various modifications and alternative constructions, certain illustrative embodiments thereof have been shown in the drawings and will be described below in detail. It should be understood, however, that there is no intention to limit the invention to the specific forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, alternative constructions and equivalents falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring now to the drawings and with specific reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, the preferred embodiment of the present invention is depicted as cart  20 . While not part of the present invention, the figures do depict a number of the materials which can potentially be carried upon cart  20 , such as spools  22  carrying wire  24 , conduits  26 , and ladder  27 . It is to be understood that the present invention, while not depicted, is also adapted to carry a number of other similarly sized or shaped objects such as beams, boxes of supplies or the like commonly used during construction. 
     The preferred embodiment of cart  20  is manufactured from a plurality of u-shaped channel beams welded together at all junctions. Alternatively, u-shaped beams  28  could be bolted or otherwise mechanically connected to facilitate the deconstruction and assembly of cart  20  for purposes of shipping, storage, and customization. As shown in more detail in FIG. 3, each u-shaped beam  28  includes base  30 , first side  32 , second side  34 , return  36  and ledge  37 . Each u-shaped beam  28  therefore provides a channel  38  which can be used to secure fastener  40  thereto in that each fastener  40  includes a flange portion  42  sufficiently narrow to be inserted into channel  38  past ledge  36 , and upon ninety degrees of rotation, engage the other side of each ledge  36  to prevent removal by being secured with bolt  41  and washer  43 . 
     Returning again with reference to FIG. 1, cart  20  is shown having lower level  44  as well as upper level  46  connected by vertical beams  48 . More specifically, lower level  44  includes, in the preferred embodiment, four sides with a retention leg  50  provided in each corner. In so doing, and in cooperation with vertical beams  48 , it can be seen by one of ordinary skill in the art that first and second storage bays  52  are formed to allow elongated materials to be stored and transported thereon. 
     Upper level  46  is similar to lower level  44  in that four retention legs  54  are provided. In addition, it can be seen that first and second lateral beams  56  extend from vertical beams  48  to complete the storage bay  58  provided at the upper level. Vertical beams  48  also in a preferred embodiment, provide a mounting surface for wire counter  49  having meter  59 . In addition, it is to be understood that planar materials such as shelf  51  can be used to span across the entire storage bay  58 , such as through the use of an appropriately sized piece of plywood, to provide a base to bay  58  to prevent passage of materials therethrough. Such a surface would also provide a suitable surface to which various accessories and tools such as vises, pipe-fitters, and wire drawers, and the like, can be mounted. 
     For purposes of rigidity, and providing a surface against which mounting arms  70  can be mounted, the frame of cart  20  is completed by cross beams  62 . More specifically, upper cross beam  62  extends between the vertical beams  48  proximate lateral beams  56 , while lower cross beam  62  extends between vertical beams  48  proximate frame sides  64 . In so doing, it can be seen by one of ordinary skill in the art that the cart  20  of a preferred embodiment of the present invention extends in a longitudinal direction as defined by cross beams  62 , in a vertical direction defined by vertical beams  48 , and in a lateral direction defined by lateral beams  56  and frame sides  64 . 
     As alluded to earlier, cross beams  62  provide at least two purposes with the preferred embodiment of the present invention. One purpose provided by cross beams  62  manifests itself in the form of a surface to which runners  66  and  68  can be attached. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, upper and lower runners  66  and  68  are mounted to cross beams  62  by a bolt or other similar fasteners, but in alternative embodiments, they could be welded or otherwise permanently affixed to cross beams  62 . 
     Spanning between upper runner  66  and lower runner  68 , a plurality of mounting arms  70  extend along the vertical plane. As shown in both FIGS. 1 and 2, mounting arms  70  can be provided at various spaced distances to facilitate storage of multiple spools  22 , with as many as seventy two spools being provided on each side of mounting arms  70 . To enable mounting arms  70  to be connected between upper runner  66  and lower runner  68 , it can be seen from FIGS. 1 and 2 that each runner includes a plurality of apertures  72  through which the ends of mounting arms  70  can be extended. In other words, by inserting one end of mounting arm  70  into one aperture on either of the upper or lower runner, the mounting arm  70  can be inserted to a sufficient degree to allow the opposite end to have sufficient clearance to be placed directly over a corresponding aperture in the opposite runner. The mounting arm  70  will eventually rest upon the base of lower runner  68  and be held via gravity, and in a vertical position by upper and lower runners  66  and  68 . 
     In an alternative embodiment shown in FIG. 4, mounting arms  70  can be removed and replaced with rails  71  having extensions  90  to which spool supporting racks  73  of various sizes can be attached as disclosed in my previous U.S. Pat. No. 5,509,671. The present invention is therefore completely compatible with my prior inventions. 
     Extending from each mounting arm  70  are spool mandrels  74 . As can be seen from FIGS. 1 and 2, mandrels  74  extend from mounting arms  70  in both lateral directions and provide an axis about which spools  22  can rotate. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention each spool  22  is secured to mandrels  74  via a suitable hitch pin  76 . In addition, it is to be understood that as shown in FIG. 2, multiple spools  22  can be mounted onto the same mandrel  74 . While not depicted in the figures, I have found that the standard size cart  20  of my invention can accommodate at least  144  spools  22 . 
     To prevent rotation of mounting arms  70 , and thereby maintain the appropriate position of spools  22 , it can be seen that mounting arms  70  are provided in a square cross-sectional configuration with apertures  72  being congruently shaped. By preventing mounting arms  70  from rotating, it ensures that wire  24  will be pulled in the longitudinal direction only and not in the lateral direction. This is of importance in that by ensuring the wire is pulled in the longitudinal direction, the distance between the spools is kept at a minimum and the wire is dispensed at a relatively even rate of speed. Conversely, if the wire were to be dispensed across the lateral direction of cart  20 , spools on the outer edges of the frame would be dispensing much more wire than those in the middle and wire is likely to be pulled over the end disks of the spools. This can result in inaccurate, cumbersome, and time-consuming installation. This is not to be confused with the sample whereby previous pack is hung from cart  20 . In that embodiment, wire can be pulled in a lateral direction because the width of the pack itself is relatively narrow. 
     The present invention not only allows for multiple spools to be transported upon cart  20 , but as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, each cart  20  includes, in the preferred embodiment, casters  78  which facilitate this mobility. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, at least two of the casters  78  are provided with locking mechanisms to prevent rotation of the caster wheels, and thus movement of the cart  20 , and each caster  78  is a swivel caster to allow for ease of steering and mobility. In alternative embodiments, differing configurations of casters can be used. 
     The preferred embodiment of the present invention has also been dimensioned to facilitate movement of cart  20  about various construction sites, including through standard sized doorways and into standard sized elevator bays. In other words, the cart  20  of the preferred embodiment can fit through a standard sized door width of thirty inches and height of seventy-eight inches, and into a standard elevator bay having a depth of fifty-one inches, and a width of sixty-eight inches. While these dimensions should not serve as a limiting factor of the present invention it is to be understood that it is an objective of a preferred embodiment of the present invention to keep the dimensions of cart  20  relatively small to facilitate such movement around construction work sites, while still being of sufficient size to carry a relatively large number of spools indicated above in the dispensing position, and the elongated materials and building tools indicated as well. 
     From the foregoing, it can therefore been seen that the present invention provides a new and improved wire dispensing utility cart having the ability to dispense wire from at least one hundred twenty separately mounted wire spools. In addition, the cart is adapted to carry elongated materials and building supplies such as ladders and conduits along with the wire to facilitate the installation and construction process.