Electrician's rollable wire dispensing spool rack

Abstract

A rollable dispenser for spooled wire looks much like a large hose reel. However, instead of the circular platters being held together by a central cylindrical core, they are held together by equiangularly-spaced tubular braces which rigidly interconnect the frames adjacent their circular peripheral edges. One or more wire spools are retained between the platters on removable axles which span the distance between both platters at radial intervals. One or more spools may also be retained by a centrally positioned axle. For a preferred embodiment of the invention, each platter is constructed from a length of circularly-bent tubing, the ends of which are butt welded together to form a hoop. Each platter further includes a circular laminar plate that includes a circular rim, a central hub having a single axle aperture, and radial laminar spokes, each having an axle aperture, which join the rim to the hub.

1 . An electrician's rollable dispenser for insulated metal wire conductors wound on spools, said dispenser comprising:
 a pair of generally circular platters, each platter having a generally circular rim and a plurality of spokes coupled to a central hub;   a plurality of elongate cross braces, each of which is rigidly attached, at each end thereof, to one of said circular platters, such that both circular platters are maintained in a parallel, spaced-apart, coaxial relationship; and   a plurality of axles, each of which is removably installable between said platters at fixed locations that are either parallel or coincident with a central axis of the dispenser, which passes through a center of each hub, each of said axles intended to carry at least one conductor-wound spool.   
     
     
         2 . The electrician's rollable dispenser of  claim 1 , wherein said circular rim is fabricated from a hoop of butt-welded steel tubing that is welded to a plurality of arcuate gussets that reinforce the hoop and spoke-to-hoop joints. 
     
     
         3 . The electrician's rollable dispenser of  claim 1 , wherein said elongate cross braces are welded to said platters. 
     
     
         4 . The electrician's rollable dispenser of  claim 1 , wherein said elongate cross braces are bolted to said platters. 
     
     
         5 . The electrician's rollable dispenser of  claim 1 , wherein:
 said elongate cross braces are metal pipe, with a first end of each being right-hand threaded and a second end being left-hand threaded;   one platter is fitted with a set of right-hand threaded couplings, the other platter is fitted with a set of left-hand threaded couplings;   said sets of couplings are secured to an inner surface of their respective platter at radially-spaced locations adjacent a periphery thereof; and   said platters are joined together by rotatably and simultaneously engaging one right-handed coupling and one left-handed coupling with each elongate cross brace.   
     
     
         6 . The electrician's rollable dispenser of  claim 1 , wherein multiple spokes of each platter are each equipped with a radially-disposed slot having a plurality of axle securing means at different radial distances from the central axis. 
     
     
         7 . The electrician's rollable dispenser of  claim 6 , wherein each of said axles is a section of pipe threaded at both ends thereof and said securing means comprises:
 multiple semi-circular cutout pairs on opposite sides of each slot, each semi-circular cutout being spaced from other semi-circular cutout pairs along the same slot, each semi-circular cutout pair providing an axle securing location within that slot; and   a securing nut for each end of said pipe-section axles, each securing nut having a stepped shoulder sized to engage one semi-circular cutout pair in a slot.   
     
     
         8 . The electricians rollable dispenser of  claim 6 , wherein each of said axles is a section of pipe threaded at both ends thereof and said securing means comprises:
 multiple semi-circular chamfers on opposite sides of each slot, each semi-circular chamfer being spaced from other semi-circular chamfer pairs along the same slot, each semi-circular cutout pair providing an axle securing location within that slot; and   a securing nut for each end of said pipe-section axles, each securing nut having a chamfered end sized to engage one semi-circular chamfer pair in a slot.   
     
     
         9 . The electricians rollable dispenser of  claim 1 , wherein each of said platters is a built-up assembly comprising:
 a central hub;   six spokes;   six identical platter rim sections, each of which comprises an arcuate plate member, a tubular rim member welded to the arcuate plate member, and an alignment pin protruding from one end of the tubular rim member; and   wherein said central hub, each of said spokes and each platter rim section is equipped with bolt holes that enable one end of each spoke to be bolted to the hub in an equally-spaced radial pattern, and the opposite end of each spoke to be bolted to an abutting pair of platter rim sections, thereby securing together each abutting platter rim section pair.   
     
     
         10 . The electricians rollable dispenser of  claim 9 , wherein each elongate cross brace is a section of pipe having a flange at each end thereof that bolts to one of the circular platters. 
     
     
         11 . An electrician's rollable dispenser for insulated metal wire conductors wound on spools, said dispenser comprising:
 at least two parallel, coaxial, spaced-apart, generally circular platters, each platter having a generally circular rim and a framework connecting the circular rim to a central hub;   a plurality of elongate cross braces, each of which is rigidly attached, at opposite ends thereof, to a pair of adjacent platters;   a plurality of axles, each of which is removably installable between said platters at fixed locations that are either parallel or coincident with a central axis of the dispenser, which passes through a center of each hub, each of said axles intended to carry at least one conductor-wound spool.   
     
     
         12 . The electrician's rollable dispenser of  claim 11 , wherein said framework consists of six, equiangularly-spaced spokes, which emanate from the hub and connect to the circular rim. 
     
     
         13 . The electrician's rollable dispenser of  claim 12 , wherein each circular rim comprises a hoop of butt-welded steel tubing that is welded to a plurality of arcuate gussets that reinforce the hoop and spoke-to-hoop joints. 
     
     
         14 . The electrician's rollable dispenser of  claim 11 , wherein each of said platters is a welded, built-up assembly, and said elongate cross braces are welded to said platters. 
     
     
         15 . The electrician's rollable dispenser of  claim 11 , wherein said elongate cross braces are bolted to said platters. 
     
     
         16 . The electrician's rollable dispenser of  claim 11 , wherein:
 said elongate cross braces are metal pipe, with a first end of each being right-hand threaded and a second end being left-hand threaded;   one platter is fitted with a set of right-hand threaded couplings, the other platter is fitted with a set of left-hand threaded couplings;   said sets of couplings are secured to an inner surface of their respective platter at radially-spaced locations adjacent a periphery thereof; and   said platters are joined together by rotatably and simultaneously engaging one right-handed coupling and one left-handed coupling with each elongate cross brace.   
     
     
         17 . The electrician's rollable dispenser of  claim 11 , wherein multiple spokes of each platter are each equipped with a radially-disposed slot having a plurality of axle securing means at different radial distances from the central axis. 
     
     
         18 . The electrician's rollable dispenser of  claim 17 , wherein each of said axles is a section of pipe threaded at both ends thereof and said securing means comprises:
 multiple semi-circular cutout pairs on opposite sides of each slot, each semi-circular cutout being spaced from other semi-circular cutout pairs along the same slot, each semi-circular cutout pair providing an axle securing location within that slot; and   a securing nut for each end of said pipe-section axles, each securing nut having a stepped shoulder sized to engage one semi-circular cutout pair in a slot.   
     
     
         19 . The electricians rollable dispenser of  claim 17 , wherein each of said axles is a section of pipe threaded at both ends thereof and said securing means comprises:
 multiple semi-circular chamfers on opposite sides of each slot, each semi-circular chamfer being spaced from other semi-circular chamfer pairs along the same slot, each semi-circular cutout pair providing an axle securing location within that slot; and   a securing nut for each end of said pipe-section axles, each securing nut having a chamfered end sized to engage one semi-circular chamfer pair in a slot.   
     
     
         20 . The electricians rollable dispenser of  claim 11 , wherein each of said platters is a built-up assembly comprising:
 a central hub;   six spokes;   six identical platter rim sections, each of which comprises an arcuate plate member, a tubular rim member welded to the arcuate plate member, and an alignment pin protruding from one end of the tubular rim member; and   wherein said central hub, each of said spokes and each platter rim section is equipped with bolt holes that enable one end of each spoke to be bolted to the hub in an equally-spaced radial pattern, and the opposite end of each spoke to be bolted to an abutting pair of platter rim sections, thereby securing together each abutting platter rim section pair.