Knockdown reel

Abstract

A knockdown reel is designed to be readily and swiftly assembled out of five or six components, all but two of which can be fabricated of plywood, composite board and/or cardboard. An annular fastener secures the components so as to withstand stresses associated with transport and handling, as well as stresses associated with the winding and unwinding process.

1 . A knockdown reel comprising: 
 (a) a barrel comprising a cylindrical tubular core having at either end an annular collar containing multiple apertures;    (b) a pair of flanges fabricated of disc-shaped panels, each flange having an inner surface and an outer surface, and each flange having an axial opening at its center, through which axial opening a shaft can be extended to support the reel, and each flange having multiple fastening holes, which are equal in number to and alignable with the apertures in the collar;    (c) one or more pairs of fasteners which, when the fastening holes and apertures are aligned, can be driven or inserted through the fastening holes in the flanges and into the apertures in the collars, thereby securely attaching the flanges to either end of the barrel.    
   
   
       2 . A knockdown reel comprising: 
 (a) a barrel comprising a pair of semi-cylindrical tubular half-cores, which half-cores can be joined together to form a cylindrical tube, each half-core having at either end an arcuate collar containing multiple apertures;    (b) a pair of flanges fabricated of disc-shaped panels, each flange having an inner surface and an outer surface, and each flange having an axial opening at its center, through which axial opening a shaft can be extended to support the reel, and each flange having multiple fastening holes, which are equal in number to and alignable with the apertures in the pair of half-cores when the half-cores are joined together to form a cylindrical tube.    (c) one or more pairs of fasteners which, when the fastening holes and apertures are aligned, can be driven or inserted through the fastening holes in the flanges and into the apertures in the collars, thereby securely attaching the flanges to either end of the barrel.    
   
   
       3 . The knockdown reel according to  claim 1 , wherein the fastener is an annular fastener made of rigid metal or plastic, and wherein the annular fastener comprises a flat ring to which are riveted multiple projecting fingers, which fingers have a tip and a base, and which fingers are equal in number to and alignable with the fastening holes in one of the flanges, and which fingers have a diameter slightly less than the diameter of the fastening holes.  
   
   
       4 . The knockdown reel according to  claim 2 , wherein the fastener is an annular fastener made of rigid metal or plastic, and the annular fastener comprises a flat ring to which are riveted multiple projecting fingers, which fingers have a tip and a base, and which fingers are equal in number to and alignable with the fastening holes in one of the flanges, and which fingers have a diameter slightly less than the diameter of the fastening holes.  
   
   
       5 . The knockdown reel according to  claim 3 , wherein the inner surface of each flange has an interior routing into which the core snuggly fits.  
   
   
       6 . The knockdown reel according to  claim 4 , wherein the inner surface of each flange has an interior annular routing into which the pair of half-cores snuggly fit.  
   
   
       7 . The knockdown reel according to  claim 5 , wherein the outer surface of each flange has an exterior annular routing into which the ring of the annular fastener snuggly fits.  
   
   
       8 . The knockdown reel according to  claim 6 , wherein the outer surface of each flange has an exterior annular routing into which the ring of the annular fastener snuggly fits.  
   
   
       9 . The knockdown reel according to  claim 7 , wherein the fingers comprise multiple segments having cylindrical or frustrum shapes.  
   
   
       10 . The knockdown reel according to  claim 8 , wherein the fingers comprise multiple segments having cylindrical or frustrum shapes.  
   
   
       11 . The knockdown reel according to  claim 9 , wherein the segments all have equal dimensions.  
   
   
       12 . The knockdown reel according to  claim 10 , wherein the segments all have equal dimensions.  
   
   
       13 . The knockdown reel according to  claim 9 , wherein the segments have a stepped diameter that decreases from the base to the tip of each finger, such that the segment at the tip of each finger has a diameter slightly less than the diameter of the fastening holes.  
   
   
       14 . The knockdown reel according to  claim 10 , wherein the segments have a stepped diameter that decreases from the base to the tip of each finger, such that the segment at the tip of each finger has a diameter slightly less than the diameter of the fastening holes.  
   
   
       15 . The knockdown reel according to  claim 11 , wherein at either end of the core the collar is recessed within the core at the same depth as the interior annular routing.  
   
   
       16 . The knockdown reel according to  claim 12 , wherein at either end of the half-core the collar is recessed within the half-core at the same depth as the interior annular routing.  
   
   
       17 . The knockdown reel according to  claim 13 , wherein at either end of the core the collar is recessed within the core at the same depth as the interior annular routing.  
   
   
       18 . The knockdown reel according to  claim 14 , wherein at either end of the half-core the collar is recessed within the half-core at the same depth as the interior annular routing.  
   
   
       19 . The knockdown reel according to  claim 15 , wherein one of the fingers of the annular fastener is longer than the others in order to serve as a guide for aligning the fastening holes of the flange with the apertures of the collar.  
   
   
       20 . The knockdown reel according to  claim 16 , wherein one of the fingers of the annular fastener is longer than the others in order to serve as a guide for aligning the fastening holes of the flange with the apertures of the collar.  
   
   
       21 . The knockdown reel according to  claim 17 , wherein one of the fingers of the annular fastener is longer than the others in order to serve as a guide for aligning the fastening holes of the flange with the apertures of the collar.  
   
   
       22 . The knockdown reel according to  claim 18 , wherein one of the fingers of the annular fastener is longer than the others in order to serve as a guide for aligning the fastening holes of the flange with the apertures of the collar.  
   
   
       23 . The knockdown reel according to  claim 19 , in which a plastic sleeve is inserted into each aperture in the collar, which plastic sleeve extends into the corresponding fastening hole in the flange when the flange is attached to the barrel, and which plastic sleeve has an interior configuration corresponding conjugately to the profile of the segments comprising the finger.  
   
   
       24 . The knockdown reel according to  claim 20 , in which a plastic sleeve is inserted into each aperture in the collar, which plastic sleeve extends into the corresponding fastening hole in the flange when the flange is attached to the barrel, and which plastic sleeve has an interior configuration corresponding conjugately to the profile of the segments comprising the finger.  
   
   
       25 . The knockdown reel according to  claim 21 , in which a plastic sleeve is inserted into each aperture in the collar, which plastic sleeve extends into the corresponding fastening hole in the flange when the flange is attached to the barrel, and which plastic sleeve has an interior configuration corresponding conjugately to the profile of the segments comprising the finger.  
   
   
       26 . The knockdown reel according to  claim 22 , in which a plastic sleeve is inserted into each aperture in the collar, which plastic sleeve extends into the corresponding fastening hole in the flange when the flange is attached to the barrel, and which plastic sleeve has an interior configuration corresponding conjugately to the profile of the segments comprising the finger.  
   
   
       27 . The knockdown reel according to any of claims  1  through  26 , wherein the tubular core or the pair of tubular half-cores is fabricated from cardboard, wherein the collars are fabricated from a material selected from the group consisting of laminated cardboard, plywood and fiberboard, and wherein the flanges are fabricated from a material selected from the group consisting of plywood, fiberboard and oriented strand board.