Flexible conduit dispensing device
OwnerThomas P. Eggeninventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Coiled cross-linked plastic conduits such as PEX water tubing commonly used by plumping contractors may be effectively unwound and strung at a construction site using a unique conduit dispensing device of this invention. The dispensing device includes a container for housing the coiled PEX conduit and a reel for unwinding the coiled PEX conduit from the container. The dispensing device may be equipped with a suspending mount which when mounted at a dispensing position allows a single worker to more effectively install the conduit at the work site.
Claims20
A dispensing device for dispensing an unstrapped coil of PEX pipe unbound from binding straps which are used to bind and prevent an uncoiling of the coil of PEX pipe, said dispensing device consisting essentially of a substantially rigid enclosed confining member sized to retain and contain the unstrapped coil of PEX pipe from uncoiling, with said confining member being further equipped with laterally disposed sidewalls for laterally confining the unstrapped coil of PEX pipe therewithin, an insertable reel sized to suspend said unstrapped coil of PEX pipe within said confining member, with said confining member and said insertable reel serving to maintain a confinement of the unstrapped coil of PEX pipe within said confining member and thereby permit an uncoiling of the unstrapped coil of PEX pipe therefrom when said unstrapped coil of PEX pipe and said reel are placed in an uncoiling position within said dispensing device, a mountable reel axle upon which the insertable reel revolves, axial mounts for axially mounting the reel axle between said sidewalls, a suspending member for placing the sidewalls in a vertically aligned position and suspending the dispensing device in a dispensing position at a work site, a dispensing port positioned in substantial directional alignment with the unstrapped coil of PEX pipe to be uncoiled from the dispensing device, and an accessing port which allows for the placement and removal of the unstrapped coil of PEX pipe from the insertable reel and said confining member.
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A dispensing device for dispensing a flexible coiled conduit at a work site, said dispensing device comprising a confining member for confining the coiled conduit and dispensing an uncoiled conduit from the confining member, a suspending member for suspending the dispensing device at a dispensing position and a reel for uncoiling the coiled conduit, with said confining member being characterized as consisting essentially of a substantially rigid container sized to accommodate at least two different sizes of coiled conduit and equipped with a dispensing port and a reel mount and the reel comprises an adjustable reel for adjusting the reel to accommodate the at least two different sizes of the coiled conduit, wherein the adjustable reel further comprises a reel spool bed equipped with oppositely positioned hub receiving indentations and a mating pair of laterally disposed reel sidewalls with each of said reel sidewalls having one reel sidewall side equipped with a bed extender for extending bed width of the reel spool terminated by a projecting hub for interfacially mating onto the corresponding hub receiving indentations of the reel spool bed when the reel spool bed is adjusted to an extended bed width and an opposite reel sidewall side equipped with a reverse side projecting hub for corresponding engagement onto the hub receiving indentations of the reel spool bed when a smaller spool bed width is desired, with each projecting hub, each reverse side projecting hub and each of the hub indentions being positioned in axial alignment with one another so as to axially position the reel in an uncoiling position when mounted onto the reel mount.
A method for dispensing an unstrapped coil of PEX pipe from a dispensing device, said dispensing device consisting essentially of an enclosed confining member equipped with laterally disposed sidewalls, a bottom wall and a top wall for confining and retaining the unstrapped coil of PEX pipe, a dispensing port for dispensing the unstrapped coil of PEX pipe from the confining member with said dispensing port being positioned along an upper margin of the confining member so as to be in substantial alignment with the unstrapped coil of PEX pipe uncoiling therefrom, a suspending member for suspending the dispensing device and vertically aligning the sidewalls and the unstrapped coil of PEX pipe in a dispensing position at the work site, an insertable reel sized so as to mate onto said unstrapped coil of PEX pipe, a reel axle about which the insertable reel revolves, axle mounts oppositely positioned about said sidewalls for axially mounting the reel axle thereto and an accessing port which allows for gaining access within the confining member so as to permit a placement and a removal of the unstrapped coil of PEX pipe from said confining member, said method consisting essentially of:
- A) accessing onto said confining member through said accessing port;
- B) inserting the unstrapped coil of PEX pipe onto said insertable reel;
- C) emplacing the reel axle and the insertable reel with the unstrapped coil of PEX pipe inserted thereupon onto the axle mounts in an uncoiling position;
- D) enclosing the accessing port with the unstrapped coil of PEX pipe within the enclosed confining member so as to confine and retain the unstrapped coil of PEX pipe therewithin;
- E) suspending the dispensing device at the work site in the dispensing position while maintaining the dispensing port in substantial longitudinal alignment with the unstrapped coil of PEX pipe uncoiling from said reel;
- F) uncoiling and stringing the coil of PEX pipe from said dispensing port to provide a strung of uncoiled PEX pipe at the work site;
- and
- G) securing the strung uncoiled PEX pipe at the work site.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.