Reel and method of assembly

Abstract

A reel and a method of assembling and disassembling the reel are described. The reel includes a pair of flanges, each flange engaged with the circular or polygonal end of a flexed stave pane formed from appropriately sized staves connected to one another by one or more flexible bands. To make the reel, the staves are aligned side by side and connected to one another by way of the flexible bands. Once connected, the staves form the flexible stave pane having joints in between each stave. Assembly of the reel involves flexing the stave pane into a tubular barrel with circular or polygonal ends adapted to correspond with a stave-engaging portion on each flange. Once one end is engaged with the stave-engaging portion of one flange, the opposing end of the flexed stave pane is engaged with a second stave-engaging portion on the second flange and the flanges are connected.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.