Claims
- 1. A container for packaging a welding wire coil formed by a multitude of layers of looped wire forming a generally cylindrical body of wire leaving a central cavity from which the wire can be withdrawn,
said container comprising
a rigid bottom portion for supporting a coil of welding wire when positioned therein; an open-ended outer wall for enclosing and protecting the sides of a coil, said wall having a lower end fixed to said bottom portion and a height taller than the height of the coil which it is adapted to contain; at least one strip-like tie-down member within said container having one end secured to said outer wall at a point located near the upper end of said outer wall and the other end secured at a lower point on said container located near the bottom end of said outer wall and substantially vertically aligned with said upper point; a vertically movable retaining device adapted to rest on the top of a coil when positioned in said container and having a first inner opening for said wire to pass there-through upon being payed out from said coil when in said container, and also having at least a second, peripheral, opening through each of which a respective tie-down member passes thus cooperating with said retaining device to prevent any loop of the coil of wire from passing upwardly in the container past said retaining device other than through said first opening and from accidental entangling of said wire during unwinding from the coil.
- 3. A container according to claim 2, wherein said wall and said cover are made of corrugated cardboard.
- 4. A container according to claim 3, wherein said wall is formed by at least two layers of corrugated cardboard, and the the internal corrugations of said respective cardboard layers are orientated in different directions.
- 5. A container according to claim 2, wherein the outer surface of at least said vertical wall is made of corrugated cardboard which is covered with a water-based resin rendering the external surface of said container water-repellent.
- 2. A container according to claim 1, further comprising a cover fitting over the wall of said container to enclose and protect a wire coil when positioned in said container during its transportation and storage.
- 6. A container according to claim 5, wherein said cover has a first portion with a central opening adapted to accommodate a guide member for said wire during its unwinding from said coil and further includes a second portion in the form of a removable disk fiting withing said first portion so as to close the central opening.
- 7. A container according to claim 3, further comprising a central core member defining with said outer wall an annular space for accommodating said welding wire coil, to prevent said multitude of looped wire layers from tangling by maintaining the loops of welding wire around said core in said annular space.
- 8. A container according to claim 7, further comprising a pressing member adapted to extend a force on said retaining device downwardly against the top of a coil when positioned within the container.
- 9. A container according to claim 8, further comprising a pallet-type base supporting said bottom portion of said container for its handling by frontloaders.
- 10. A container according to claim 9, wherein said pallet-type base is made of wood.
- 11. A container according to claim 9, wherein said pallet-type base is made of plastic material.
- 12. A container according to claim 9, wherein said pallet-type base is made of cardboard.
- 13. A container according to claim 6, wherein said first cover portion is provided with a plurality of lateral flaps that vertically overlap a part of said outer wall.
- 14. A container according to claim 13 wherein at least two of the lateral flaps are provided with fixing means which interact with corresponding fixing means on the upper outer overlapped part of said wall to keep the first cover portion in its position, including during unwinding of welding wire.
- 15. A container according to claim 14, wherein said fixing means are constituted by fastening means of the “hook and loop” type.
- 16. A container according to claim 14, wherein said fixing means are constituted by adhesive tape.
- 18. A container according to claim 17, further comprising a coil of welding wire positioned in said container.
- 17 A container according to claim 9, wherein said core and said removable second cover portion are made of corrugated cardboard.
- 19. A container according to claim 18, wherein said retaining device, sized to fit within said annular space comprises two concentric wire rod rings, held together by means of rigid wire rod radially extending bridges, and having at least three peripheral openings formed by radially projected openings.
- 20. A container kit having component parts capable of being shipped in flattened or other compact form and of being assembled into protective packaging for storage and shipment of a wire welding coil having a multitude of layers of looped wire forming a generally cylindrical body of wire leaving a central cavity from which the wire can be withdrawn, the kit comprising the combination of:
a relatively flat and rigid bottom portion for supporting said coil of welding wire; a flattened outer wall portion capable of being curled and fixed to itself along its side edges to create a tubular form with its lower end affixed to said bottom portion at its bottom edge and with a height taller than the height of a coil to be protectively contained therein; at least one strip-like tie-down member of a length adapted to have one end secured to an upper point located near the upper edge of said outer wall portion and the other end of said tie-down member secured to a lower point located near the lower edge of said outer wall in a manner so as to be relatively taut and substantially vertically aligned when in the assembled form; a vertically movable retaining device adapted to rest on and press down upon the upper surface of a coil positioned in said container and having a first inner opening for said wire to pass therethrough when said wire is payed out from a coil in said container, and also having at least a second, peripheral, opening through each of which a respective tie-down member is adapted to be threaded thus cooperating with said retaining device to prevent any loop of a coil of said wire from passing upwardly in the container peripherally past said retainer retaining device or otherwise other than through said first opening of said retaining device and from accidental entangling of said wire during unwinding from the coil.
- 21. A container kit according to claim 20, wherein the container further includes a core sized to be fixed t the bottom portion and fit within central cavity of a coil of wire and the container including the is made of cardboard and said wall is scored to facilitate forming into a polygonal shape upon being curled into tubular form, and further comprising a flattened cover portion having the same polygon shape with flaps adapted to be folded down at right angles and secured each to its adjacent flap to form a container lid.
- 22. A container kit according to claim 21, wherein the retaining device comprises two concentric wire rod rings, held together by means of rigid wire rod radially extending bridges, and having at least three peripheral openings formed by radially projected openings.
RELATED APPLICATION (Provisional Application Priority Claim)
[0001] Benefit is claimed of the prior filing date of provisional application No. PA/a/2001/007229, filed Jul. 13, 2001 in accordance with 37 CFR §1.78(4) and 35 USC §120.