Wire reel support

Abstract

A rod is coupled to a frame to hold a wire reel that is to be loaded onto it. A roller is coupled to the frame so that its radial surface stays in contact with a radial surface of a spool wall of the loaded reel, as the loaded reel rotates. Other embodiments are also described and claimed.

1 . A wire reel support apparatus comprising: 
 a frame;    a rod coupled to the frame to hold a wire reel that is to be loaded onto it; and    a roller coupled to the frame so that its radial surface stays in contact with a radial surface of a spool wall of the loaded reel as the loaded reel rotates.    
   
   
       2 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the rod and roller are coupled to the frame so that their respective longitudinal axes are parallel to each other.  
   
   
       3 . The apparatus of  claim 1  further comprising a spring coupled to urge the roller and the spool wall against each other, and wherein the radial surface of the roller is flexible in relation to the radial surface of the spool wall so as to brake the rotation of the loaded reel.  
   
   
       4 . The apparatus of  claim 1  further comprising a spring coupled to urge the roller and the spool wall against each other, and wherein the radial surface of the roller is flexible in relation to the radial surface of the spool wall so as to prevent wire that is being unwound from the loaded reel to skip over the spool wall.  
   
   
       5 . The apparatus of  claim 1  further comprising a spring coupled to urge the roller and the spool wall against each other, and wherein the radial surface of the roller is flexible in relation to the radial surface of the spool wall so as to a) brake the rotation of the loaded reel and b) prevent wire that is being unwound from the loaded reel to skip over the spool wall.  
   
   
       6 . The apparatus of  claim 5  wherein the spring is a mechanical spring.  
   
   
       7 . The apparatus of  claim 5  wherein the spring is coupled at one point to the frame and at another point to a pivot plate, the pivot plate being coupled to the frame at a pivot point and to the roller at another point.  
   
   
       8 . The apparatus of  claim 5  wherein the spring is a pneumatic assist piston.  
   
   
       9 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the rod is coupled to the frame so that it cannot undergo translation movement relative to the frame, 
 and the roller is coupled to the frame so it can pivot about a pivot axis that is offset from its center longitudinal axes.    
   
   
       10 . The apparatus of  claim 9  wherein the rod includes a cylindrical piece that extends continuously through an opening of the loaded reel from one spool wall and past another, opposite spool wall.  
   
   
       11 . The apparatus of  claim 9  wherein the rod includes a cylindrical piece that extends into an opening of the loaded reel on one spool wall and stops short of another, opposite spool wall.  
   
   
       12 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the roller is positioned forward of the rod in relation to the frame, the apparatus further comprising: 
 a hook coupled to the frame and extending backward from near a top of the frame, the hook being designed to hook onto a rung of a ladder; and    a bumper coupled to the frame and extending backward from near a bottom of the frame, the bumper extending further than the hook.    
   
   
       13 . The apparatus of  claim 12  wherein the hook and bumper are sized so that the frame stays vertically oriented once the apparatus has been mounted to the inside of an A-frame ladder that is standing on its own on a horizontal surface.  
   
   
       14 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the roller is positioned forward of the rod in relation to the frame, the apparatus further comprising: 
 a plurality of hanger bars that are coupled to the frame and oriented parallel to each other and to the roller and the rod, the bars being designed to be inserted into exterior side openings of a ladder.    
   
   
       15 . The apparatus of  claim 14  wherein a pair of the hanger bars are rigidly affixed to the frame, and another pair of the hanger bars are moveable relative to the frame.  
   
   
       16 . A wire reel support apparatus comprising: 
 means for dispensing electrician wire from a rotating wire reel; and    means for automatically maintaining a radial surface of a spool wall of the rotating reel and another rotating surface in contact with each other for braking the rotating reel when tension on the wire being dispensed has ceased.    
   
   
       17 . A wire reel support apparatus comprising: 
 a frame;    a rod coupled to the frame, to hold a plurality of wire reels that are to be loaded onto it;    a roller pivotally coupled to the frame and having a foam pad whose radial surface rolls and stays in contact with a radial surface of a spool wall of the loaded reel as the loaded reel rotates; and    a spring that couples the roller to the frame and forces the foam pad radial surface to remain in contact with the spool wall radial surface as the loaded reel rotates.    
   
   
       18 . The apparatus of  claim 17  wherein the foam pad is cylindrical with a central longitudinal opening that is fitted with a rigid insert, and wherein the roller is held by being attached at its ends to a pair of pivot plates, respectively, that are pivotally coupled to a pair of upright members, respectively, of the frame.  
   
   
       19 . The apparatus of  claim 17  wherein the foam pad is cylindrical and has a thickness of about 0.3 inches to about 0.8 inches and whose longitudinal central opening contains a rigid tube in a fixed relation to the pad.  
   
   
       20 . The apparatus of  claim 17  further comprising a base, the frame joined to and extending upward from the base so that the apparatus can be operated in a vertical position with the base on a horizontal surface, and wherein the rod is joined at its ends to a pair of upright members of the frame.  
   
   
       21 . The apparatus of  claim 20  wherein the roller is held at its longitudinal ends by a pair of pivot plates that are pivotally coupled to the pair of upright members, respectively.  
   
   
       22 . The apparatus of  claim 20  wherein the base has a pair of legs that extend forward and a pair of legs that extend backward from the frame.  
   
   
       23 . The apparatus of  claim 22  further comprising an additional pair of legs that extend forward from the frame and are spaced apart from the base, the additional pair of legs and the base being sized so that the apparatus can be operated in a horizontal position while resting on a horizontal surface, on the pair of forward legs and the additional pair of legs.  
   
   
       24 . The apparatus of  claim 20  further comprising: 
 a plurality of wheels coupled to the frame, located at the base and extending backward from the frame, and wherein the base comprises a pair of legs that extend forward from the frame.    
   
   
       25 . An A-frame mobile wire caddy, comprising: 
 a collapsible A-frame having a first half pivotally coupled to a second half near a top end of the frame;    a plurality of wheels coupled to the second half near a bottom end of the second half and extending backward from the frame;    a plurality of stabilizer bars coupled to the first half near a bottom end of the first half and extending forward from the frame;    a plurality of rods coupled to the frame to hold a plurality of wire reels that are to be loaded onto them; and    a plurality of rollers coupled to the frame so that a radial surface of each roller stays in contact with a radial surface of a spool wall of a respective loaded reel, as the respective loaded reel rotates.    
   
   
       26 . The caddy of  claim 25  wherein the plurality of rods and rollers are arranged so that when the plurality of wire reels have been loaded, at least one on each of the rods, and the frame has been collapsed, the spool walls of no two of the wire reels touch each other.  
   
   
       27 . The caddy of  claim 25  wherein the wheels are mounted in a position that is raised relative to the bottom end of the second half, so that when the frame has been opened and the bottom ends of the first and second halves rest against a horizontal surface, the wheels do not touch the horizontal surface.  
   
   
       28 . The caddy of  claim 25  wherein the plurality of rods and rollers are staggered vertically along the frame so that when the frame is collapsed into a fully closed position, the spool walls of the loaded plurality of reels do not touch each other.  
   
   
       29 . The caddy of  claim 25  wherein the collapsible A-frame has a lid-locking support with a detent mechanism joining two halves that, once the A-frame is collapsed into a fully closed and vertically oriented position, pivot into a vertical position substantially parallel to the respective halves of the A-frame.