Patent Application
20200331508
Cable reels are used to store, transport, take up and pay out supplies of cables, wires and the like. Known cable reels include opposed, generally circular, end flanges and a spool between the opposed end flanges. The spool has a diameter less than that of the end flanges. The cable, wire or the like is wound around the spool and stored for transport.
Cable reels may be transported, for example, by truck, from a facility to a work site. One delivered to the work site, the cable reels may be moved to locations on-site where the cable or wire may be paid out. The cable reel may be moved, for example, by rolling across a work site on the end flanges.
Advancements have been made in the transport of cable reels on, for example, work sites. On such advancement is disclosed in LeVey, U.S. Pat. No. 10,589,959, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. The LeVey patent discloses a driven reel trolley on which a cable reel is stored and can be readily transported around a worksite that may include rough and uneven terrain. The trolley uses standard or custom reels that are mounted to an axle that extends between upright posts on the trolley.
While the trolley functions well and provides for easy and reliable movement of cable reels around a worksite, there may, at times, be reels that do not readily mount to the trolley or that have a different mounting arrangement. It may also be required to swap reels to, for example, exchange/replace the type of cable being paid-out or to replenish the cable.
Accordingly, there is a need for a system for readily changing out and mounting cable reels in a transport device. Desirably, such a system can be used with different reels and allows for quickly adapting reels to a common drive system.
According to an embodiment an adapter is configured for positioning a reel, such as a cable reel having a central axially formed opening, and the adapter into a transport device, such as a reel trolley for readily changing out and mounting the cable reel in the trolley. The adapter can be used with different reels and allows for quickly adapting reels to a common drive system.
The adapter includes a pair of first portions, each first portion having a male end having a body having a projection extending therefrom. The projections have at least one high spot. A pair of second portions each has a female end configured for mating with the male portion. The female portions have at least one recess for receiving the male portion projection.
A pair of fasteners secure the respective male portions to their respective female portions. An axle extends between a pair of male or female portions at the ends of the axle. The other of the male or female portions are mounted on or in the trolley.
When the axle is positioned in the reel central opening with the male or female portions positioned on ends of the axle, the reel with the axle and the pair of (male or female) portions is positioned in the reel trolley, the pair male or female portions is mated with the other of the pair of male or female portions on or in the trolley, and the fasteners are installed between the respective male and female portions to secure the reel in the trolley.
In an embodiment, the pair of male portions is mounted on the axle. In an embodiment, the pair of female portions is mounted on the axle. The axle can be formed integral with one of the male or female portions of the adapter.
In an embodiment, the male portions include multiple high spots and the female portions include multiple high spots in their recesses to receive the male portions' high spots. The male portions can include, for example, include eight (8) high spots and the female portions can include eight (8) high spots in their recesses to mate with the male portion high spots. In such an embodiment, the projection can have an octagonal shape and the recess can have an octagonal shape.
The fasteners can be inserted into a central opening in the female and male portions to secure the female and male portions to one another. The fastener can be, for example, threaded bolts.
These and other objects, features, and advantages of the disclosure will be apparent from the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying sheets of drawings, wherein like numerals refer to like parts, elements, components, steps, and processes.
While the present disclosure is susceptible of embodiment in various forms, there is shown in the drawings and will hereinafter be described one or more embodiments with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered illustrative only and is not intended to limit the disclosure to any specific embodiment described or illustrated.
Referring to
Referring briefly to
The portion 16 of the adapter 12 that includes the axle 20 can be configured as an integral, unitary member, or the axle 20 can be fitted into or onto the adapter portion 16 and the axle 20 and adapter portion 16 secured to one another. It will be understood from a study of the figures and the present disclosure that an adapter 12, that is, a male portion 16 and a female portion 18 is fitted onto both ends of the axle or arbor 20 as the reel 10 is mounted to a device, such as the illustrated trolley 14. Accordingly, although reference may be made to singular items, it is to be understood that many of the features disclosed are multiple (or at least pairs, for example, of adapters 12) and that reference in the singular, it is to be understood to apply to such multiple features.
The male portion 16 of the adapter 12 includes a body 26 having a projection 28 extending therefrom. In an embodiment, the projection 28 has at least one, and in the illustrated embodiment, multiple high spots 30. As seen in
The female portion 18 is configured to mate with the male portion 16. In an embodiment, as seen in
In an embodiment in which the reel 10 and adapter 12 are used with the illustrated trolley 14, the female portions 18 of the adapter 12 may be mounted within or to the trolley transmission 24. In this manner, the axle or arbor 20 is locked to the trolley transmission 24. As noted in the LeVey publication, the female portion 18 can serve as a locking hub on an inside surface of the leg 44 of the trolley 14, so that the axle or arbor 20 does not extend outwardly of the trolley 14 when the reel 10 is mounted thereto. A fastener 46, such as a bolt or the like (e.g., a threaded bolt) can lock the male and female portions 16, 18 to one another. For example, the inside of the male portion 16 can include a thread such that the bolt 46 is inserted through the female portion 18 and into the male portion 16 (and binds on the female portion 18) to lock the two portions 16, 18 to one another.
In use, the arbor or axle 20 are positioned in the reel bore 22 and the male portions 16 are mounted to the ends of the axle 20 (note that one of the male portions 16 may be formed as part of the axle 20). The reel 10 with the male portions 16 is then positioned in the trolley 14 or other device to which the reel 10 is to be mounted. As seen in
It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the relative directional terms such as sides, upper, lower, rearward, forward and the like are for explanatory purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure.
All patents referred to herein, are hereby incorporated herein in their entirety, by reference, whether or not specifically indicated as such within the text of this disclosure.
In the present disclosure, the words “a” or “an” or “the” are to be taken to include both the singular and the plural, where appropriate, and that any reference to plural items shall, where appropriate, include the singular.
From the foregoing it will be observed that numerous modifications and variations can be effectuated without departing from the true spirit and scope of the novel concepts of the present invention. It is to be understood that no limitation with respect to the specific embodiments illustrated is intended or should be inferred. The disclosure is intended to cover by the appended claims all such modifications as fall within the scope of the claims.
This application claims the benefit of and priority to Provisional U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 62/835,260, filed Apr. 17, 2019, titled REEL ADAPTER, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62835260 | Apr 2019 | US |
