Patent ID: 8424795

Claim:
A container for dispensing electrical or communications cable comprising: 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, an upstanding right panel joined to the right side of the panel, and a top panel spaced from and parallel to the bottom panel, the top panel joined to the left and right panels; a cable reel including an elongate spindle on which electrical or communications cable is wound, the spindle having opposed left and right ends, the spindle adapted to rotate around a horizontal axis spaced from and parallel to the bottom panel of the carton; a left support extending from the bottom panel to the top panel for rotatably supporting the left end of the cable spindle off of the bottom panel of the carton and for transmitting a columnar load from the top panel to the bottom panel, a right support extending from the bottom panel to the top panel for rotatably supporting the right end of the cable spindle and for transmitting a columnar load from the top panel to the bottom panel; and a continuous axial passageway 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.