Patent Abstract:
A container for the dispensing of electrical or communications cable has an external carton which receives a reel of cable and is supported by left and right supports. A continuous axial passageway through the container extends through the left panel of the carton, the left support, the spindle of the reel, the right support, and the right panel of the carton so that an elongate connecting rod may be passed through the container.

Full Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/564,600, filed Sep. 22, 2009, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/103,790, filed Apr. 16, 2008, the specification and drawings of both of which are fully incorporated by reference herein. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    Wire and cable for installation in residences and buildings typically comes on cable reels. The types of wire and cable so provided are numerous, and include 110V three-conductor wire, “Romex”, and many different kinds of low-voltage, multiconductor insulated communications cable, such as that used for setting up Ethernet networks, intercom systems, entertainment systems and the connection of security sensors and devices. A new building under construction will need many kinds of these cables, and several reels of cable will be used by an installer on-site. 
         [0003]    One known technique is to provide coils of such cable in boxes, and to create a hole in a front or top panel of the (typically cardboard) box for pulling out a desired length of cable. This conventional method has a drawback in that the cable may kink inside of the box or otherwise resist being pulled out of the box to such an extent that a cable installer or technician finds that he or she is pulling the box across the floor. Oftentimes the installer has to install several different lengths of cable on a single run. To do this, the installer has had to identify which kinds of cable he or she needs, individually pull cable out of separate boxes and estimate as best as he or she can the amount of cable so pulled. 
         [0004]    These boxes of cable are heavy and it takes some effort to move them around. In complex jobs it is easy for one needed box of cable to become physically dissociated from one or more other boxes of cable that will supply lengths of different cable for the same run. A need therefore persists for more efficient methods and apparatus for dispensing cable. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0005]    One aspect of the invention provides a container for the dispensing of electrical or communications cable wound on a cable reel. The container includes a carton having a bottom panel with left and right sides, an upstanding left panel of the carton joined to the left side of the bottom panel, and an upstanding right panel joined to the right side of the panel. A cable reel is disposed in the carton and includes an elongate spindle on which electrical or communications cable is wound. The spindle has opposed left and right ends and is adapted to rotate around a horizontal axis that is spaced from and parallel to the bottom panel of the carton. 
         [0006]    A left support extends from the bottom panel for rotatably supporting the left end of the cable spindle to be off of the bottom panel of the carton. Similarly, a right support extends from the bottom panel for rotatably supporting the right end of the cable spindle. A continuous axial passageway is formed through the left panel of the carton, the left support, the spindle, the right support and the right panel of the carton, such that the container may be affixed to another structure by means of inserting an elongate connecting rod through the axial passageway. 
         [0007]    Containers according to the invention may be assembled together and attached to carts, or wheel trucks, from which lengths of several different cables may be withdrawn at the same time. The containers may include pass-through slots in the top and bottom panels, which allow cable to be passed vertically from a lower container and through an upper container. This facilitates the installation of the cables in overhead areas. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0008]    Further aspects of the invention and their advantages can be discerned in the following detailed description, in which like characters denote like parts and in which: 
           [0009]      FIG. 1  is an isometric view of a single container or carton according to the invention, in which an outer carton wall is shown in phantom to reveal internal components; 
           [0010]      FIG. 2  is an exploded view of a cable reel and support caddies used in the container shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0011]      FIG. 2A  is a detail of  FIG. 2  showing a preferred caddy bushing; 
           [0012]      FIG. 3  is an exploded isometric view of a first mobile cable dispensing system according to the invention, made up in part of cartons similar to those shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 ; 
           [0013]      FIGS. 4A-4D  are variations on the system shown in  FIG. 3 , in which the size and number of joined cartons is varied; 
           [0014]      FIG. 5  is an isometric view of a second mobile cable dispensing system according to the invention, as including a cart; 
           [0015]      FIG. 6  is a rear end view of the cart shown in  FIG. 5 ; 
           [0016]      FIG. 7  is a detail of the front of the cart shown in  FIG. 5 ; 
           [0017]      FIG. 7A  is a detail sectional view taken substantially along line  7 A- 7 A of  FIG. 7 ; 
           [0018]      FIG. 8  is an isometric view of the cart shown in  FIG. 5 , in a folded or “broken down” condition in which it can be easily transported or stored; 
           [0019]      FIG. 9  is an isometric view of two stacked cartons according to an further embodiment of the invention, showing the function of vertical cable pass-through; 
           [0020]      FIG. 10  is an isometric view of two-wheeled hand truck or dolly for use with the cartons shown in  FIG. 9 ; 
           [0021]      FIG. 11  is an exploded isometric view of the hand truck shown in  FIG. 10 , showing the loading of a single stack of cartons; and 
           [0022]      FIG. 12  is an isometric view from another angle of the hand truck shown in  FIG. 10 , as shown with two stacks of cartons. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0023]      FIGS. 1 and 2  show a cable reel carton indicated generally at  10 , which in turn forms the exterior components of a cable reel container  11 . Carton  10  is preferably formed of a single sheet of corrugated cardboard and includes a front panel  12  having a bottom side  14 , a left side  16 , a top side  18  and a right side  20 . The front panel  12  preferably has, in a lower portion thereof, an elongate die-cut cable dispensing or payout slot  22  through which cable or wire may be pulled. The slot  22  is elongate in a direction parallel to a cable reel axis X and is long enough to permit cable to come off the reel at right angles to the reel axis and through the slot  22 , no matter where on the reel the cable is presently being unspooled. Preferably the length of the slot  22  is selected to be at least roughly the same as the distance between the internal surfaces of the two cable reel flanges (described below). 
         [0024]    Carton  10  also includes a left panel  24  which extends rearwardly from side  16  and at right angles to the front panel  12 , and a top panel  26  which extends rearwardly from top side  18  and at right angles to the front panel  12  and left panel  24 . The carton  10  is completed by a bottom panel  27 , a rear panel  29  and a right panel  31 , the last of which is a mirror image of the left panel  24 . An arbor hole  28  is formed in left panel  24  around the horizontal axis X, axis X being a predetermined distance h from an upper surface of the carton bottom panel  27 . The cable payout slot  22  is preferably positioned well below the axis X in order to better approximate the point of departure of the cable from the reel, which will be at some nonzero radius from the axis X. Alternatively the cable payout or dispensing slot  22  could be positioned above axis X. Payout slot  22  may be defined by a closed line of perforations in corrugated cardboard front panel  12 . In this instance, container  11  would be shipped with the payout slot  22  closed. At the installation site, the installer would open slot  22  by punching out the perforation. 
         [0025]    Conveniently, handholes  34  may be die-cut into the cardboard panels  12 ,  26 ,  29  for ease in handling. In alternative embodiments the cable payout slot  22  can be repeated in top panel  26  and/or rear panel  29 , so as to give the user some flexibility in arranging the cartons in the mobile unit or on the cart (later described) and some ability to select how the cable will exit the carton  10 . An embodiment in which the carton has elongate pass-through slots in both the top and bottom panels is described in conjunction with  FIG. 9 . 
         [0026]    The interior components of container  11  are shown in exploded view in  FIG. 2 . A preferably spoked left caddy  200  is, in use, disposed interiorly adjacent an inner surface of the left carton panel  24 . Caddy  200  may be injection-molded from a tough plastic that at the least is capable of suspending half of the weight of a full cable reel  202  without buckling A right caddy  204  can be formed from the same mold as the one which makes left caddy  200 . In use, the right caddy or reel support member  204  is positioned interiorly adjacent an inner surface of the right carton panel  31 . 
         [0027]    As best seen in  FIG. 2A , each caddy  200 ,  204  has a substantially cylindrical bushing  206  which extends axially from a general plane in which the remainder of caddy  200 ,  204  is formed toward the other caddy. The bushing  206  could be formed from a surface of rotation other than a straight cylinder; it could, for example, have a terminal lip of increased radius that would run in an annular groove (not shown) in the reel flange central hole  208 . Such a departure from a straight cylinder could allow the caddies  200 ,  204  to be snapped to the cable reel  202 . In the illustrated embodiment the bushing surface  206  is slightly tapered toward its free end and has a terminal curved or rounded surface. For the purpose of defining the surface of bushing  206  as “substantially cylindrical”, these departures from a perfect mathematical cylinder are to be included in the definition. The taper and terminal curved or rounded surface aid in registering the bushing  206  within the reel flange central holes  208 . 
         [0028]    Since caddies  200 ,  204  are preferably molded of a hard plastic, the surfaces of bushings  206  tend to have a low amount of friction and can be used without augmentation. In alternative embodiments, the bushings  206  can be either coated or sleeved to present surfaces which have an even lower coefficient of friction relative to the cable reel which is rotatably mounted between them. On the other hand, some resistance to rotation of the reel  202  around axis X is desirable, as this mitigates against the spinning of the reel  202  in the absence of tension on the cable being withdrawn. Were reel  202  to continue to spin a long time without such tension, the cable  220  could spool off of the reel  202  inside of the carton  10 . 
         [0029]    The caddies or cable reel support members  200 ,  204  have bodies which generally conform in two dimensions to the interior of the carton  10  into which they are designed to be placed, and in general will be of slightly smaller dimension than, but will conform to the shape of, left box panel  24  and right box panel  31 . To save weight it is preferred that the caddies  200 ,  204  be spoked instead of be solid plates. The caddies  200 ,  204  suspend between them a reel  202  of cable that can weigh many dozens of pounds. Accordingly it is preferred that each caddy  200 ,  204  have a horizontal base member  210  which is meant to rest on an upper surface of bottom carton panel  27 . A central, vertically oriented spoke  212  can be formed to extend from the base member  210  to a central portion  214 , from which in turn bushing  206  extends. The spokes  212  will bear most of the weight of the reel  202 . Preferably each caddy has a top rail or horizontal member  215  which in use is disposed adjacent an internal surface of top panel  26  of the carton  10 . The top rail  215  can in turn be supported by side rails  217  and angled spokes  219 . The top rail  215  is useful in accepting a columnar load imposed by other reel containers  11  placed on top of the particular reel container  11  of which the caddies  200 ,  204  are a part. Such container stacking occurs in the use of the cart illustrated in  FIGS. 5 and 6  and described below, and also in the embodiment discussed in conjunction with  FIGS. 9-12 . In one embodiment (not shown) the spoke  212  is duplicated in a vertical spoke collinear with it which extends from axis X to the top rail  215 . 
         [0030]    Preferably the panels of carton  10 , the caddies  200 ,  204 , the cable reel  202  and the bushings  206  are so sized that the carton interior prevents the reel  202  from coming off of the bushings  206 . The carton  10  will have an internal length L in between the internal surfaces of side panels  24  and  31 . Most of the distance L will be occupied by the reel  202 , which has a predetermined length R between external surfaces of the reel flanges  222 ,  224 . Each caddy  200 ,  204  will have a general body thickness T. The bushings  206  extend inwardly from the general interior surfaces of the caddies  200 ,  204  by a distance D. Preferably, the dimensions of these components are selected such that 2T+R is slightly less than L. On the other hand, 2T+R+2D should be somewhat greater than L, such that the cable reel  202  is forced to ride on the bushings  206  while the caddies  200 ,  204  and the reel  202  are inside of the carton  10 . This dimensioning would not be necessary in those embodiments in which the caddies are snapped or otherwise affixed to the reel  202  prior to the insertion of all three components into a carton or box  10 . Further, there will be variations in reel lengths according to the amount and kind of cable wound thereon. In at least many cases, the caddies  200 ,  204  will be used in many different carton sizes, so that dimension L of the carton  10  should closely follow cable reel length R. 
         [0031]    The cable reel  202  is preselected to have a flange radius r which is smaller than axis height h. This will ensure that the reel  202  can rotate freely inside of carton  10  on bushings  206 . 
         [0032]    Each caddy  200 ,  204  has a central hole  216  sized to receive an axial support rod (later described) therethrough. Each reel  202  has an axial passageway  221  that joins together reel flange central holes  208 . Conveniently this axial passageway  221  can be formed by an interior volume of a tube which also bears the wound cable  220  on its exterior surface. As assembled and in the condition shown in  FIG. 1 , each carton  10  therefore has a free passageway all the way along axis X from one side of the box  10  to the other, including a left arbor hole  28 , central hole  216  in caddy  200 , central hole  208  in left cable reel flange  222 , a central passageway between left cable reel flange  222  and right cable reel flange  224 , a central hole  216  in right caddy  204 , and an arbor hole  28  in the right carton panel  31 . 
         [0033]    In many instances a user or installer will wish to pull the same length of different kinds of cable at the same time, usually to be installed along the same run.  FIG. 3  illustrates a first cart or vehicle  300  which makes this very convenient to do. The center or backbone of the cart  300  is made up by a rigid support rod or pipe  302  that can be formed of tubular steel and in any event is strong enough to withstand buckling when supporting a hundred pounds or more of weight. The support rod  302  is threaded through the arbor holes  28 , central caddy holes  216  and reels  202  of each of a plurality of cartons  10 ,  304  and  306  (three shown in  FIG. 3 ). The unit  300  can be formed of containers having different lengths in an axial direction. The length of the axial rod  302  used is preselected to be a little longer than the combined exterior axial length of cartons  10 ,  304  and  306 , which are arranged along rod  302  to abut each other and preferably to present front faces or panels  12  in the same direction (although one or more could be reversed). After the user or cable supplier selects cartons  10 ,  304 ,  306  which are to be combined, they can be taped together with tape  305  or the like to better unify them such that they will not rotate around axis X independently of each other. 
         [0034]    A base end  308  of the rod  302  is preferably threaded and is received into a hole  310  in a wheel truck or base  312 . An upstanding panel  314  of the wheel truck  312  is affixed between a left panel  24  of an end carton  10  and a cap  316 , which screws onto the base end  308  of the rod  302 . In an alternative embodiment (not shown), rod  312  may have opposed holes drilled through the sidewall of rod  302 , at right angles to and intersecting rod  302 &#39;s axis, near base end  308 . These holes would receive a cotter pin or clevis of the kind described elsewhere herein. The wheel truck  312 , which conveniently can be fabricated of a single piece of sheet steel, further has at least one horizontal panel  317  (in the illustrated embodiment, there are two such panels  317  and  318 ) which receive a lower left corner  323  of the leftmost carton  10 . Separate casters  320 ,  322  may be affixed by welding or riveting to lower surfaces of the horizontal panels  317  and  318 . Once carton  10  has been received by horizontal panels  317  and  318 , the three cartons  10 ,  304  and  306  will be prevented from rotating around axis X. 
         [0035]    A front end  324  of the axial rod  302  is fitted with or formed to have an ell  326  which may be internally threaded. The ell  326  threadably accepts a vertical member  328  of a handle  330  which may have a horizontal member  332  at its top end. After assembly, an installer can move unit  300  from place to place by pulling up on handle  330 . Half of the weight of the unit  300  will be borne by wheel truck  312 . The installer may set down the unit  300  such that axial rod  302  is at about right angles to the direction of cable pull. Casters  320 , which preferably are of the nonturning type (that is, they stay in alignment with axis X), and the forward corner  334  of carton  306  will exhibit enough friction with the floor surface that the unit  300  will resist being drawn in the direction of the cable pull. 
         [0036]      FIGS. 4A-4D  show variations on how integrated mobile multicontainer units  400 ,  402 ,  404  and  406  may be assembled. Unit  400  is composed of just two containers  408 ,  410 . The containers  408  and  410  may be of different lengths, as would be the case where cable of smaller length or thickness was being stored in container  410  than in container  408 . A relatively short axial support rod  412  is selected for assembling the unit  400 . In contrast, unit  402  ( FIG. 4B ) is assembled from four reel containers  414 - 420  and a longer axial support rod  422 . A five-container unit  404  is shown in  FIG. 4C , as composed of containers  424 - 432  and an even longer axial support rod  434 .  FIG. 4D  shows a unit  406  in which containers  436 - 440  are assembled together as supported by axial support rod  446 , while additional containers  442 ,  444  are mounted on top of containers  436 - 440 . 
         [0037]      FIGS. 5-8  show a four-wheeled cart  500  to which containers  502 - 520  can be mounted in up to three parallel rows, one each for respective axial support rods  522 ,  524  and  526 . The support rods  522 - 526  are preferably parallel to but vertically spaced apart from each other so as to each be coaxial with a respective row of containers through which they are inserted.  FIG. 5  shows cart  500  in a use configuration; when not in use it may be collapsed to a storage configuration, as explained in conjunction with  FIG. 8 . The cart  500  is built on an elongate rectangular frame  528  which has a bottom plate  530 , left and right side panels or plates  532  and  534  which extend upwardly from the longitudinal edges of bottom panel  530  and which are preferably orthogonal to panel  530 , and front and rear panels  536  and  538  which extend upwardly from the transverse edges of bottom panel  530  and preferably are orthogonal to plates  530 - 534  and parallel to each other. Panels  530 - 538  can be formed from a single blank of sheet steel and together form a shallow box sized to receive the first row of reel containers  502 - 508 . The height of left side panel  532  is chosen to be somewhat less than the height of cable payout slots  22  above the bottom panels of the containers  502 - 508 , such that the cables being withdrawn from slots  22  will not be occluded or abraded by the side panel  532 . The height of right side panel  534  can be preselected to be taller than this, or can be the same height, in case that the installer chooses to face the slots  22  (or even just some of them) the opposite way. 
         [0038]    A vertical, elongate, preferably flat front support rod holder  540  can have its lower end  542  affixed as by riveting or welding to front panel  536 . The front support rod holder more preferably is affixed to the front panel  536  by flat-headed studs  543  formed to extend from a front flat surface of holder  540  and keyed slots  545  formed in panel  536  which have top openings sized and shaped to receive therethrough a head of a respective stud  543 , and a slot depending from this opening which accepts only a shaft of the stud  543 . Other user-operable fasteners such as pins or nuts and bolts could alternatively be employed. As assembled to cart  500 , the front support rod holder  540  extends upwardly from the front panel  536  at least beyond the horizontal level of the third and highest support rod  526 . Holes  544 ,  546 ,  548  are made in support rod holder  540  to be sized and positioned to slidably receive ends of respective ones of the axial support rods  522 ,  524 ,  526 . The support rods  522 - 526  are preferably straight and have through-holes drilled through their sidewalls near their ends, so as to received clevis pins (not shown; see  FIG. 8 ) after insertion of the rods through respective holder holes  544 - 548 . In an alternative embodiment (not shown); see  FIG. 3 ) the rods are threaded on the ends, so as to threadably receive female threaded caps after insertion through respective holder holes  544 - 548 . 
         [0039]    Similarly, in a use configuration a vertical elongate rear support rod holder  600  ( FIG. 6 ) has a lower end  602  affixed to rear plate  538  as by riveting, welding or (preferably) user-operable fasteners such as studs  543  received into respective keyed slots  545 . The rear support rod holder extends upwardly from the rear panel  538  at least beyond the horizontal level of the third support rod  526 . Holes  604 ,  606  and  608  are made in support rod holder  600  and are sized and positioned to slidably receive rear ends of the respective ones of the axial support rods  522 ,  524  and  526 . Clevis pins (not shown; see  FIG. 8 ) may be inserted through diametrically opposed holes drilled in the sidewalls of the rods near their ends in order to fasten the rods in place. Alternatively caps (not shown; see representative cap  316  in  FIG. 3 ) may be threaded onto the (in this instance, threaded) rear ends of the support rods  522 - 526  so as to secure the reel containers  502 - 520  between rod holders  540  and  600 . 
         [0040]    In a preferred embodiment, the front panel  536  and the rear panel  538  extend upwardly beyond the level of the lowest axial support rod  522 . Holes  551 ,  650  are made in the front and rear panels  536 ,  538  to slidably receive therethrough the axial support rod  522 . Extending the front and rear panels  536 ,  538  upwardly in this manner obviates any transverse deflection of the support rod holders  540 ,  600  at this height, and enhances the resistance to such deflection at locations higher up on the support rod holders  540 ,  600 . The upward extension of front and rear panels  536 ,  538  also permits the formation of holes  551 ,  650  therein to receive the lowest support rod  522  therethrough while the cart  500  is in a storage configuration, as will be hereinafter described. 
         [0041]    The bottom panel  530  of the cart  500  has affixed thereto, as by riveting or welding, two front casters  550  which turn on their vertical axes, and two rear casters  552  which don&#39;t. In one embodiment some or all of the casters  550 - 552  may be of the type which are equipped with foot-actuated brakes (not shown), so that the cart  500  may be parked in one place. 
         [0042]    At the front corner of left panel  532  and front panel  536  there is provided a left socket  554 , which may be joined to left panel  532  and front panel  536  by welding. Similarly, at the front corner of right panel  532  and front panel  536  there is provided a right socket  556 . Sockets  554  and  556  are vertical cylindrical sleeves meant to slidably receive respective left and right legs  558 ,  560  of a handle  562 . 
         [0043]    As shown in the detail of  FIG. 7 , the left and right legs  558 ,  560  of the handle  562  can be affixed to respective sockets  554 ,  556  by means of cotter or clevis pins  700 ,  702 . A shaft of each clevis pin  700 ,  702  is inserted into a hole in a respective socket  554  or  556 , a hole in a respective handle leg  558 ,  560 , a hole in the opposite wall of handle leg  558  or  560  (which conveniently can be formed of tubular steel), and finally through an inboard hole in a respective socket  554  or  556 . Another, curved leg of each clevis pin  700 ,  702  meanwhile fits around the curved external surface of socket  554  or  556 , thereby locking the pin  700  or  702  in place. 
         [0044]      FIG. 7  also provides a close-up view of left and right storage holes  704 ,  706  which are not used when the cart  500  is loaded with cartons, but which are used to receive ends of support rods  524 ,  526  when the cart  500  is being separately transported or stored. 
         [0045]      FIG. 8  shows cart  500  in a “knocked down” condition. The support rod holders  540 ,  600  are stored on the left and right sides of the cart interior. Keyed storage slots  800  are formed in sides  532 ,  534  so as to receive studs  543  of the support rod holders  540 ,  600 , affixing them in place in a storage configuration. Support rods  526 ,  528  are threaded through storage holes  704 ,  706 , and like storage holes in the rear panel  538 , and affixed in place as by means of cotter or clevis pins, so they don&#39;t slide out. The legs  558 ,  560  of cart handle  562  are removed from respective sockets  554 ,  556  and laid into the interior of the cart  500 . The lowest support rod  522  is reattached in the same position that it takes when cartons are mounted to it, but is now used as a handle to carry the cart  500 . 
         [0046]    Returning to  FIGS. 5 and 6 , cart  500  permits the stacking of containers  502 - 520  three rows high, and in alternative embodiments (not shown) a fourth or even more rows could be added, as long as the entire cart  500  is not in danger of tipping over. The containers  502 - 520  have a lessened danger of tipping over when cable is pulled from them than they otherwise would, as during a cable pull the cable is being pulled off of rotating spools  202  internal to the cartons  502 - 520 . The rotation of spools in the cartons  502 - 520  around their respective axes relieves most of the tension caused by pulling the cables, and as such the shear force experienced by the whole structure will be less than it otherwise would be. The combination of the cart  500  and the containers  502 - 520  create a wall or two-dimensional array of reels from which cable may be pulled. 
         [0047]    In use, the installer installs one, two or three rows of containers  502 - 520  on cart  500 , employing one, two or three axial support rods  522 - 526 . If only one row of containers  502 - 508  is to be used, the support rod holders  540  and  600  aren&#39;t necessary and don&#39;t have to be installed. Otherwise the support rod holders  540  and  600  are bolted on or otherwise fastened to the front and rear plates  536  and  538 , preferably in advance of loading a first row of reel containers  502 - 508  onto the bottom plate  530 . The lowest support rod  522  is then threaded through plate  536 , support rod holder  540 , containers  502 - 508 , rear plate  538  and rear support rod holder  600 , and is fastened in place by means of threaded end caps (not shown) or clevis pins. Then, a second row of containers  510 - 514  is installed in a similar manner, using second support rod  524 . If needed, a third row of containers  516 - 520  is installed using third support rod  526 . Legs  558 ,  560  of the handle  562  are then installed in respective sleeves  554  and  556 . 
         [0048]    The cart  500  is then rolled to a desired location and is parked (as by setting its caster brakes) such that its long axis (and therefore the axes of the support rods) is at a substantial angle (such as a right angle) to the direction of cable pull. The combined mass of cart  500  and its payload provides a massive anchor against which cable can be pulled out of containers  502 - 520  through slots  22 . 
         [0049]      FIGS. 9-12  depict an embodiment permitting the dispensing of cable from each reel in a vertical stack of containers  900 A,  900 B. Each container  900 A,B is like container  10  ( FIG. 1 ) in most respects and each such container  900 A,  900 B houses a reel  202 A,  202 B of cable as supported by reel caddies or mounting plates (omitted from  FIGS. 9-12  for clarity). Each container  900 A,B has an arbor hole  28 A or  28 B in each of its side panels and a clear passageway between them, as before. Each container  900 A,B further has a front panel cable dispensing slot  22 . 
         [0050]    The containers  900 A,B are different from containers  10  in that each additionally has an elongate top pass-through slot  902 A or  902 B in a top panel  904  thereof, and an elongate bottom pass-through slot  906 A,  906 B in a bottom panel  908  thereof. The top pass-through slot  902 A,  902 B should be positioned in top panel  904  in a way which is similar to the positioning of bottom pass-through slot  906 A,  906 B in bottom panel  908 . This is so a top pass-through slot  902 A in one container  900 A will communicate with a bottom pass-through slot  906 B in the container  900 B immediately on top of it. As in front slots  22 , it is preferred that top and bottom slots  902 A,B,  906 A,B be offset from the middle of the panel and to be parallel to but offset from the vertical plane which the reel axes will tend to occupy. Said another way, a plane containing the centers of all pass-through slots  902 - 906  in the stack will be parallel to but spaced from the plane containing the reel axes in the stack. 
         [0051]    The pass-through slots  902 A,B,  906 A,B permit cables from different reels to exit out the top one of the slots  902 B in common. By way of example, in  FIG. 9  a first cable  910  originates from a lower cable reel  202 A. The cable  910  is fed through a pass-through slot  902 A prior to the upper container  900 B being placed all the way onto the lower container  900 A. The cable  910  is fed through the bottom pass-through slot  906 B in the upper container  900 B, and thence out the top pass-through slot  902 B. A cable  912  originates from an upper reel  202 B, and is simply threaded out of the top slot  902 B. The wide extent of the slots  902 A,B,  906 A,B allows multiple cables  910 ,  912  (only two such shown here) to be pulled out of the top of the stack with little resistance and with little interference with each other. 
         [0052]      FIG. 10  shows a two-wheeled dolly or hand truck  1000  adapted to receive and hold at least one vertical stack of the containers  900 A,B. The hand truck  1000  has a bottom shelf  1002  which will receive most or all of the weight of the containers, wheels  1004 , a left vertical frame member  1006  and a right vertical frame member  1008 , both extending upwardly from the shelf  1002 . The left and right vertical frame members  1006 ,  1008  may be terminated at their upper ends by a handle  1010  which may, as shown, join together the vertical frame members  1006 ,  1008 . 
         [0053]    The hand truck  1000  further includes horizontally disposed cross members  1012 ,  1014 ,  1016  each of which join together and bridge vertical frame members  1006  and  1008 . The elevations of the cross members  1012 ,  1014  and  1016  are chosen to be at about the centers of the first, second and third containers stacked on the shelf  1002 ; the containers (such as containers  900 A,B in  FIG. 9 ) should therefore be of uniform height, even if they can be of different widths. In the center of each elongate horizontal cross member  1012 - 1016  there is formed a hole  1018 A,  1018 B,  1018 C for the receipt of a respective support rod, as will be described below. 
         [0054]    Preferably at the same elevations as horizontal cross members  1012 - 1016  are left and right side retaining plates  1020 ,  1022 . Each side retaining plate  1020  or  1022  is joined to one of the vertical frame members  1006  and  1008 , has a flat and vertical inwardly facing surface, and extends forwardly therefrom in a direction orthogonal to the plane in which cross members  1012 - 1016  reside. The retaining plates  1020 ,  1022  help keep the containers mounted the cart  1000  from sliding off in a transverse direction. 
         [0055]      FIG. 11  shows cart  1000  as holding a single stack of the containers  900 A- 900 C. For this use a set of relatively short support rods  1100 ,  1102  and  1104  are used to mount the containers  900 A- 900 C to the cart  1000 . First, a container  900 A is placed on shelf  1002 . If vertical dispensing is desired from this stack, a cable  910  from container  900 A is threaded through a top pass-through slot such as  902 A in  FIG. 9 , and thence into a bottom slot  906 B in container  900 B. Container  900 B is then stacked on container  900 A. A cable or conductor  912  is threaded through a top pass-through slot  902 B together with cable  910 . Then both cables  910 ,  912  are fed through a bottom pass-through slot (not shown; similar to slots  906 A,B) in a third container  900 C. Container  900 C is then placed on top of container  900 B. Cables  910  and  912 , respectively originating from containers  900 A and  900 B, are joined by a further cable or conductor  1106  and all are threaded through a top pass-through slot  902 C. 
         [0056]    To firmly secure the containers  900 A-C to the hand truck  1000 , rod  1100  is inserted through arbor hole  28 A, rod  1102  is inserted through arbor hole  28 B and rod  1104  is inserted through arbor hole  28 C. The rods  1100 - 1104  continue to be inserted through the caddy holes, reel flange holes, and communicating reel passageways to and through the opposing carton sides and into and through respective cross member holes  1018 A,  1018 B and  1018 C. The inserted ends of the rods  1100 - 1104  may be drilled to receive respective clevis pins (not shown) to prevent their withdrawal. At the other end thereof, each of the rods  1100 - 1104  has an enlargement  1106  (such as a disk) that is large enough to not be admitted into a respective arbor hole  28 A-C, and which is also large enough to sufficiently distribute some of the weight of the loaded container (which the rod enlargement  1106  may experience if the hand truck  1000  is tipped forwardly) throughout its disk area without tearing or “perforating through” the typically cardboard carton panel which will be pressing against it. 
         [0057]      FIG. 12  shows hand truck  1000  as loaded with two stacks of containers  900 A-C and  900 D-F. The reel axis inside of container  900 A should be substantially coaxial with the reel axis inside of container  900 D, and this coaxial pairing should also take place for containers  900 B,  900 E and  900 C,  900 F. This will create a continuous straight passageway for an axial rod  1200 ,  1202  or  1204  from a cross member hole  1018 A-C, through all intervening carton walls, caddies, reel flanges and reel passageways, and out an arbor hole  28  located on the remote side of the remoter one  900  D-F (with respect to the cross member) of the two containers. Axial rods  1200 - 1204 , which are in general similar to axial rods  1100 - 1104  but longer, can be inserted through respective ones of these continuous horizontal passageways. A remote end of each of the axial rods  1200 - 1204  will have an enlargement like enlargement  1107  on rods  1100 - 1104 , and a near end of the axial rods  1200 - 1204  will be drilled to receive a respective clevis pin  1206  after the near end has been inserted through a respective one of the cross member holes  1018 A-C. 
         [0058]    The cables from the reels inside of containers  900 A-C may be fed through a top pass-through slot  902 C, after being threaded through zero, one or two intervening pairs of pass-through slots in the containers  900 A-C, depending on the identity of the reel from which the cable is being paid off. Alternatively, the cables from respective containers  900 A-C may be threaded in parallel out respective front slots  22 A,  22 B,  22 C. Cable from containers  900 D-F may similarly all be drawn through top pass-through slot  902 F, or alternatively through the front slots  22 D,  22 E and  22 F thereof. The way in which cable is drawn from each stack may be the same as the way used for the other stack, or intentionally may be chosen to be different. 
         [0059]    The pass-through-slotted containers  900  A-F may also be used with the four-wheeled cart  500 , with cables drawn out of top pass-through slots in the top row of containers affixed together by top support rod  526 . 
         [0060]    In summary, a cable container has been provided in which a reel of cable rotates freely on caddies inside of a carton as cable is being drawn out of an offset elongate slot provided for this purpose. With the aid of an axial support rod threaded through multiple ones of these containers, two or more such containers can be combined into a single mobile cable pulling unit. For larger jobs, a cart is provided by which multiple rows of such containers are secured to the cart by respective axial support rods. A dolly or hand truck is also provided to create one or two stacks of these containers, and pass-through slots may be formed in the stacked containers to permit the pulling of all cables in the stack in a vertical direction out of one top slot. 
         [0061]    While illustrated embodiments of the present invention have been described and illustrated in the appended drawings, the present invention is not limited thereto but only by the scope and spirit of the appended claims.

Technology Classification (CPC): 1