Patent Publication Number: US-4057203-A

Title: Package of flexible material with oval payout tube

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The invention relates to a package of flexible material wound in a series of figure-8s with a radial opening for inner end feedout and a payout tube within the opening. 
     2. The Prior Art 
     The use of tubes in packages of this type is shown for example in Gordon U.S. Pat. No. 3,677,490. Such tubes in the past have always been round in cross-section. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     According to the present invention, a payout tube is formed in an oval shape to fit in the hole in the package, which, when such a hole is formed by reversing the direction of the cross-overs in each of the winding layers, ordinarily has a diamond shape and is somewhat elongated in the direction perpendicular to the axis about which the material was wound. The use of an oval tube both fills the hole to a greater degree, thus providing a greater amount of support for the material on each side of the hole, and at the same time allows some freedom of movement of the wound material, assuming that its diameter is less than the minor axis of the elliptical oval payout tube, which allows it to shift from one side of the tube to the other and improve the payout. This also permits the size of the hole to be reduced somewhat for large materials so that the amount of material in the coil can be increased. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 shows in cross-section a package for a coil according to the invention; 
     FIG. 2 shows an end view of the tube; 
     FIG. 3 is an enlargement of a part of the package showing a tube therein embodying the invention; 
     FIG. 4 shows in side elevation a tube embodying the invention combined with a package. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     The arrangement shown in the drawings is a package comprising a container 2 in which is a coil 4 formed of flexible material wound in a series of figure-8 coils with the cross-overs progressing around the package, but interrupted at one point so as to leave a radial hole from the outside into the central core space of the wound material through which the inner end of the material can be drawn out. 
     In practice, this radial hole will ordinarily be longer in a direction perpendicular to the winding axis of the material than in a direction parallel to such axis, and ordinarily has a diamond shape. 
     The package container 2 has an opening 6 therein of diamond shape conforming generally to the shape of the opening in the coil. Within this there is arranged a tube which extends from the outside into the interior of the package, for guiding the material out of the package. 
     The tube is oval in cross-section with its major axis extending parallel to the major axis of the radial hole of the coil. The main body of the tube is indicated at 8. At its outer end it has a flange 10 which fits against the side wall of the container, by which it may be secured in position on the package, for example by an adhesive. The free inner end 12 of the material is brought out through the tube in a manner shown in FIG. 4. The diameter of the material is less than the minor axis of the tube.