Patent ID: 7309038

Claim:
A container for packaging and unwinding a coil of welding wire to allow an uninterrupted flow of said welding wire from one said container to another said container, said coil of welding wire including a coiled portion having a top and a bottom, a first extension of said wire extending from said coil near said coil top to a feeding end and a second extension of said wire extending from said coil near said bottom to a transfer end, said transfer end of said one container being joinable to said feeding end of said another container, said container comprising: an outer packaging including at least one vertically extending sidewall, a closed bottom, a top opening for removing said welding wire and a wire coil receiving cavity within said outer packaging for receiving said wire coil, said feeding end and said transfer end being positionable near said top opening; said container further including at least one transfer control tab in said cavity near said top opening, said at least one tab being configured to selectively support said transfer end of said wire during the unwinding of said wire from said coil and to selectively release said transfer end during the transfer from said one container to said another container.