US2635830A - Spool - Google Patents

Description

April 21, 1953 G. G. TUCKER, JR

SPOOL 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 Filed Dec. 15, 1949 A ril 21, 1953 G. G. TUCKER, JR

SPOOL 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 Filed Dec. 15, 1949 Patented Apr. 21 1953 SPOOL George G. Tucker, Jr., Berwyn, 111., assignor to Hubbard Spool Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application December 15, 1949, Serial No. 133,147

4 Claims.

The present invention relates to a spool construction, and in particular to a spool construction having a strengthened head member. The spools of the present invention find use for holding metallic stock, such as wire, or textile stock, such as cord, thread, yarn, tape or the like.

Although material such as rayon or nylon thread is comparatively ligtht, when the same is wound upon a spool it builds up a substantial axial thrust against the spool heads, tending to move the heads axially away from the ends of the cylindrical barrel or hub of the spool. Therefore, it is necessary to provide the head assemblies with adequate strength to resist substantial axial stress occasioned by such winding or unwinding. This increase in strength should not be accompanied with a substantial increase in the weight of the spool, since it is desirable for shipping and operating purposes to keep the weight of the spool as low as possible.

With the foregoin in mind, an object of the present invention is to provide a lightweight, reinforced spool construction.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a spool construction having reinforced head portions which have the ability to adequately withstand the axial thrust presented to the spool head during Winding of the medium on the spool.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a spool construction in which the hub portion and head portions of the spool are interlocked to substantially stiffen and strengthen the head portions without materially increasing the weight of the spool assembly.

Cther and further objects and features of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following description of the attached sheets of drawings in which:

Figure 1 is an end elevational view of a spool constructed according to the present invention, with a portion thereof broken away to illustrate the means by which the hub portion is joined to the head portion;

Figure 2 is a broken vertical sectional view taken along the line II-II of Figure l with parts in elevation;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary end elevational view of a modified form of spool produced according to the present invention;

Figure 4= is a fragmentary sectional view taken Figure 6 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken along the line VI-VI of Figure 5.

As shown on the drawings:

Reference numeral It denotes generally a oylindrical hub portion forming the body of the completed spool, and having a plurality of tabs ll extending from both ends thereof for securing the hub It to the remainder of the spool structure, as will be hereinafter described.

The hub portion It may conveniently be formed of a seamless cylinder of metal or as shown in Figures 1 and 2, the hub may consist of two semicylindrical sheet metal stampings which are joined together by a pair of strips l2 welded or otherwise secured to the semi-cylindrical members across the joints to form a continuous hub structure.

The head portion of the spool assembly consists of an annular head portion 13 having an inwardly turned, outer peripheral edge portion l4, said head portion I3 is provided with slots 53a through which the tabs l I extend. The projectin tabs are then turned back against the outer surface of the head portion I3. Said head portion i3 is likewise secured along its inner edge 3?) to a tubular insert [5.

The joints between contacting metal surfaces in the spool assembly are preferably all formed by brazing, and a convenient means for accomplishing this consists of painting the surfaces of the prefabricated members with a brazing compound at the point where the juncture is to be made, assembling the various pieces in their correct alignment, and placing the completed assembly in a furnace at a temperature sufficiently high to braze the contacting surfaces together by the fusion of the brazing compound.

For the purpose of providing a more rigid struc-- ture for the head assembly, a corrugated or embossed end plate i6 is provided. In the embodiment shown in Figures 1 and 2, the end plate It is provided with a flanged portion ll at'its outer peripheral edge in nesting engagement with the inwardly turned lip portionfld of the head assembly and is brazed thereto.

The end plate It is also provided with a series of inwardly depressed portions It and i9 bottomed against corresponding surfaces of the head member I3, and secured thereto.

The innermost edge of the end plate It is turned inwardly, as indicated at 30, and secured at this point to the tubular insert l5.

One of the features of the present invention consists in providing a series of spaced depressions 20 arranged about a circle in the end plate IS, the depressions 20 being of such a depth that each depression seats against a turned back tab portion H of the hub 19. Here again, the base of each depression 20 is suitably brazed to a tab H.

The structure shown in Figures 1 and 2 thus forms a reinforced head structure for the spool assembly. The hub Hi, the head member 13, the end plate 16, and the tubular insert it are all integrally united into a rigid structure. Any thrust tending to urge the head assembly away from the hub is thus resisted by both the head member I3 and the end plate It acting together as a unit. The axial thrust is equally distributed throughout the head structure by virtue of the unions between the tabs H and both the end plate 16 and the head member l3. The added strength given to the hub structure by means of this arrangement does not materially increase the weight to the spool assembly so that its inertia likewise is not materially increased.

A diiferent type of end plate structure for securing the head member 13 to the hub i0 is shown in Figures 3-4. As shown in these figures, an end plate 21 is provided with a series of depressions in a stepped arrangement such that the radially outer depression in each series is ofiset to a greater extent than the adjacent inner depression. Each of the inner depressions 22 formed in the end plate 2! is of sufficient depth to be snugly seated against the outwardly turned tab II of the hub 10. This tab H, of course, is secured as by means of brazing to both the base of the depression 22 and the abutting surface of the head member [3. Radially outwardly of each depression 22, there is provided a second depression 23 which is formed in the end plate 2| of sufiicient depth to be bottomed against the outer surface of the head member i3. Thus, each tab II is confined between the bottom of a depressed portion 22 and the end plate 21, and 1 beyond each 'tab ll, corresponding depressed portion 23 is bottomed against the end plate 2i thereby locking each tab 1 i in place. Otherwise, the details of the structure shown in Figures 3 and 4 are identical with corresponding parts shown in Figures 1-2.

Still another embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in Figures 5-6. In the modification shown in those figures, an end plate 24 is formed with a relatively wide depression 25 bottomed against a corresponding surface of the head member I3. The tabs H extend through suitable slots l3a and 24a in the head member [3 and the end plate 24, respectively, and are then turned over into contact with the outer substantial amount of reinforcement is afforded to the head structure of spool assemblies without materially increasing the weight.

While only one head structure has been illustrated for purposes of convenience, it will be understood that the structure of the opposite head is identical with that shown. Thus, a thrust load in an axial direction due to the pressure of the medium being wound will be resisted by both head assemblies. Further, a force supplied against one head assembly tending to force it oif the hub will, due to the interaction of the tab against the corresponding head therein, tend to force the opposite head assembly against the adjacent end of the hub. Thus, in effect, axial pressure outwardly on one head assembly tends to hold the other assembly against axial outward movement.

It will be understood that modifications and variations may be effected without departing from the scope of the novel concepts of the present invention.

I claim as my invention:

1. A spool comprising a tubular hub, a head member of circular configuration at each end of said hub, an end plate on each of said head members having spaced offset surfaces thereof bottomed on the adjacent head member, said end plate also having a series of depressions formed therein, and a plurality of tabs at each end of said hub, each tab having one surface thereof joined to one of said head members and the opposite surface thereof joined to the base of one of the depressions in said end plate.

2. A spool comprising a tubular hub, a head member of circular configuration at each end of said hub, an end plate on each of said head members having a plurality of depressions extending radially outwardly but terminating short of the outer peripheries of said head members, a plurality oftabs on each end of said hub extending through said head members and secured in position between a head member and the bases of said depressions.

3. A spool comprising a tubular hub, a head member of annular configuration at each end of said hub, an end plate secured at its periph eral edge to an edge of one of said head members and having a plurality of offset portions, some of said offset portions being bottomed on and secured to said head member, and a plurality of tabs at each end of said hub portion extending through said head members and secured in position on said head members beneath the remaining offset portions.

4. A spool comprising a tubular hub, an annular head member at each end of said hub, an end plate secured at its outer peripheral edge to an edge of one of said head members, and having offset portions terminating short of said head member, and other offset portions immediately adjacent said first named portions secured to surfaces of said head member, and a plurality of tabs on said hub portion extending through said head member and secured in position between said head member and the base of said first named offset portions.

' GEORGE G. TUCKER, JR.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Schaefer Jan. 10, 1950

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