Abstract:
A wire reel mounted on a support having a pivoting brake arm with improved brake pads at one end and an enclosed eyelet at a second end. A separate L-bar is also mounted on the support and includes an eyehook aligned with the eyelet to further smoothly guide the wire being withdrawn from the reel. A number of wire reels having pivoting brake arms and L-bars may be rotatably mounted on the support. The support may take the form of a movable cart with a number of reels rotatably mounted on a top surface.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   This invention generally relates to wire reels, and more particularly, to an improved guide and brake system for a wire reel that is sized and dimensioned to more smoothly feed and more efficiently brake wire being pulled from a reel. 
   2. Description of the Prior Art 
   Many types of wire reels are known for use in telephone exchanges and other similar areas to store wire for use in the areas. These known wire reels have problems pulling the wire off the reel because of overruns that cause entanglement, dragging of wire, rubbing off of insulation, and the like. In attempts to control overruns from such reels, many different types of braking and guiding systems have been developed over the years. Examples of such known systems are set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 1,418,706 to Hampton, U.S. Pat. No. 1,908,073 to Spoor et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,069,107 to Hirt, U.S. Pat. No. 3,618,870 to Martin, U.S. Pat. No. 3,796,392 to Starace, U.S. Pat. No. 4,124,176 to Carlson et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 4,742,973 to Stomski et al. 
   The known reels and their associated braking and guide systems have been developed for specific situations and improve the pulling of wire in such situations. However, they do not work well in all instances or with all wires. For example, they do not always accurately control and guide some wires, such as insulated wires, when the wire is being pulled off a reel during varying short and long runs. 
   Therefore, there exists a long felt need in the wire reel art for an improved system for more accurately and smoothly guiding wire being pulled from a reel with less wear and tear on the wire, and which provides more efficient braking of the wire during and after a run of any desired length. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   Accordingly, it is a general object of the present invention to provide an improved wire reel feeding system. It is a more particular object of the present invention to provide an improved wire reel brake and guide system. It is a further particular object of the present invention to provide an improved wire reel feeding system having separate and distinct braking and guide systems to more accurately control and regulate the unreeling of wire from the reel. It is yet another particular object of the present invention to provide an improved wire reel feeding system having separate brake and guiding systems specifically sized and dimensioned to cause less wear and tear on wire being pulled from a reel. And, it is still a further particular object of the present invention to provide an improved wire reel having improved brakes mounted on a leverage bar having an initial wire guide therein and a separate L-bar having an eyehook attached to the reel, in a specific spaced relationship for smoothly guiding wire of any length being pulled from the reel. 
   In accordance with one aspect of the present invention there is provided a wire reel system having improved brake pads on one end of a rocking brake arm with an enclosed eyelet formed at a second end. A separate L-bar having an eyehook to further guide the wire is provided at a specifically designed distance from the eyelet in the brake bar, to smoothly guide the wire being withdrawn from the reel. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The objects and features of the present invention, which are believed to be novel, are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The present invention, both as to its organization and manner of operation, together with further objects and advantages, may best be understood by reference to the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
       FIG. 1  is a side elevational view of a preferred embodiment of wire reel feeding system of the present invention having a novel reel brake and wire guide; 
       FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the wire guide of  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the reel brake of  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 4  is a perspective view of a cart having a plurality of wire reels with reel brakes and wire guides of the present invention mounted thereon, and a plurality of further wire reels stored therein; and 
       FIG. 5  is a side elevational view of a plurality of wire reel systems with reel brakes and wire guides of the present invention mounted on a support column in a telephone exchange. 
   

   DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
   The following description is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make and use the invention and sets forth the best modes contemplated by the inventors of carrying out their invention. Various modifications, however, will remain readily apparent to those skilled in the art, since the generic principles of the present invention have been defined herein specifically to provide for a novel and improved reel brakes and wire guides for a wire reel terminal holder. 
   The wire reel brake and guide system of the present invention is generally indicated throughout the drawings at  10 . The system  10  of the present invention provides a wire reel with an improved reel brake and wire guide in a system that is specifically sized and dimensioned to more smoothly feed and more efficiently brake wire being pulled from the wire reel, no matter what the length or the run of wire being pulled. The system  10  is particularly useful during long pulls or runs for wire reels in telephone exchanges. 
   Turning first to  FIG. 1  of the drawings, the system  10  of the present invention uses a wire reel  12  of any desired size, but which is preferably a 16 inch reel of the type used in telephone exchanges. The wire reel  12  is rotatably carried or mounted on any desired mount  14 , such as an arm support bracket, carrier, column, or the like, in a manner well known to those skilled in the art. Wire  16  is wrapped around a hub of the wire reel  12  and held between sides  18  of the reel. When needed, the wire  16  is pulled from the wire reel  12  after being fed through a brake arm  20  and a wire guide  22 , specifically sized and dimensioned to provide the best possible results. The sides  18  of the wire reel  12  are shown as having specifically formed openings  24  therein, in order to view the amount of wire remaining on the hub of the reel. The wire reel  12  may be provided with a handle  26  for ease in carrying the same. 
   As best shown in  FIG. 2 , the wire guide  22  includes an L-shaped support bar  28  securely fastened to the mount  14  (see  FIG. 1 ), in any desired manner, by a longer arm  29 . An eyehook  30  having a smooth bore opening  32  formed extending therethrough is securely held or mounted on a shorter arm  31 , as by means of holding arm or element  34 , fastened to the shorter arm by means of securing elements  36 , such nuts and bolts or screws. The L-shaped support bar  28  is sized and dimensioned so as to place the opening  32  aligned with a central hub  38  of the reel  12  along axis  40  (see  FIG. 1 ), substantially centrally located between the sides  18 . In a currently preferred embodiment of the invention the L-shaped bar is about ¼″ thick with the longer arm about 16″ long, the shorter arm about 7″ long and the eyehook about ¾″ thick with an opening about ⅞″ in diameter with a ½″ thick surrounding wall. 
   As best shown in  FIGS. 1 and 3 , the reel brake  20  is pivotably mounted on the mounting means  14  and includes a body  42  having an eyelet  44  with a smooth opening  46  at a first end  48  and a pair of brake pads  50 , for engaging the outer edges of the sides  18 , at a second end  52 . The second end  52  preferably forms a T with the body  42  and extends perpendicularly outwardly from both side edges of the body for a predetermined distance, depending on the thickness of the wire reel  12  and the spacing of the sides  18 . The body  12  is mounted on a base  54  secured to the mounting means  14  in any desired manner, as by means of one or more holding elements  57  (see  FIG. 1 ) passing through openings  56  into a holding bracket or portion  53  on the mounting means  14 . The base  54  preferably includes a pair of spaced perpendicular walls  58  having openings formed therein to hold a pivot pin  60  passing through an opening formed in the body  42 , adjacent the second end  52 . The opening through the body  42  is preferably formed adjacent the second end  52 , to allow the body to pivot or rock about pivot pin  60  to move the brake pads  50  into and out of contact with the outer edges of the sides  18 . In a currently preferred embodiment of the invention the reel brake is about ⅝″ thick with the second end being about 7¼″ long and the eyelet being about 1¾″ thick or long with an opening about ⅞″ in diameter and a ½″ thick surrounding wall. 
   As shown in  FIG. 1 , when the wire  16  is being pulled in the direction of arrow  62 , because it passes through opening  46  in eyelet  44  and the opening  32  in the eyehook  30 , it will pivot or rock the first end  48  of the reel brake  20  upwardly so as to move the second end  52  and brake pads  50  away from the outer edges of the sides  18  of the reel  12  to allow the reel to freely rotate. However, when the force applied against the wire  16  ends, i.e., the pulling is stopped, the first end  48  will move or pivot downwardly, away from the reel  12 , thereby moving the second end  52  and brake pads  50  upwardly, toward the reel and into contact with the outer edges of the sides  18  to thereby stop rotation of the reel. 
   The reel brake  20  and wire guide  22  are specifically sized and dimensioned and held in position on the support arm  14  so that when the wire  16  is being pulled in the direction of arrow  62  the distance between the eyelet  44  and eyehook  32 , as shown at  16   d  in  FIG. 1 , is between about 9 and ¾ inches and 11 inches, and preferably about 10 inches. This distance  16   d  allows the wire  16  to more smoothly pulled off the reel  12 , with a minimum of friction, while at the same time allowing the wire brake  22  to more efficiently stop the wire being pulled from a reel when the pulling force is released. 
   Turning now to  FIG. 4 , there shown is a cart  64  having a plurality of wire reels  12  mounted on a top surface  66 , as by means of support arms  68 ,  70  secured to the top surface in any desired manner, as by being welded or otherwise fastened thereto. Each of the wire reels  12  is rotatably carried or mounted on the support arms  68 ,  70  in any desired manner, well known to those skilled in the art. As described above, wire  16  is wrapped around a hub of each wire reel  12  and held between the sides  18  of the reels. When needed, the wire  16  is pulled from each wire reel  12  after being fed through brake arms  20  and wire guides  22  that operate in the same manner as described above. 
   The cart  64  preferably has wheels  72 , of any desired size, to allow easy movement thereof and includes a lower storage area or tray  74  for carrying further reels  12 . 
     FIG. 5 , shows a further column or mounting means  76  for carrying or supporting a plurality of wire reels  12 , such as the three (3) shown, to allow the reels to rotate to allow wire  16  to be pulled from more than one reel at a time, through separate brake arms  20  and wire guides  22  that operate in the same manner as described above. The column or mounting means  76  may be supported in any desired or known manner, as by means of a bracket or further support arm  78 . 
   Those skilled in the art will appreciate that various adaptations and modifications of the just-described preferred embodiments may be configured without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Therefore, it is to be understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced other than is specifically described herein.