Textile spool
AssigneesRobert H. Underwood, Richard P. Crowley
InventorRobert H. Underwood
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An improved textile spool having a removable plug element inserted at the one or both ends of the hollow tube of the spool, the plug element having a tongue element therein extending axially and inwardly when the plug is engaged within the end of the spool, the tongue element having a raised projection on its outward external surface, and the hollow tube having a circular passageway therein, whereby, in the assembled condition, the projection fits in an interlocking relationship within the passageway, and whereby the plug element may be easily removed by an axial outward force when the tongue element is moved out of an interlocking relationship.
Claims8
An improved textile spool which comprises in combination:
- (a) a hollow tube having a one end and another end, the tube adapted to carry a filament material thereon;
- (b) a first flange at the one end and a second flange at the other end of the tube;
- (c) a first axial shaft extending from the one end of the tube and a second axial shaft extending from the other end of the tube;
- (d) at least one removable plug element which comprises
- (i) a cylindrical body element having an inner and an outer face and the body adapted to fit in a snug slidable relationship within the inner diameter at the one end of the tube, the first shaft extending centrally and outwardly from the outer face of the body element, and
- (ii) at least two elongated tongue elements extending generally axially from the inner face of the body element and the tongue elements generally in opposing positions, the tongue elements adapted to yield axially inwardly slightly on the application of a force and tension-biased to return to their original position;
- (e) discrete raised projection means positioned on the surface toward the extending yieldable end of each of the tongue elements or on the internal wall of the tube;
- (f) one or more discrete projection-receiving passageway means in the tongue elements or in the wall of the tube;
- and
- (g) the projection means and projection-receiving passageway so formed to permit insertion into and removal from the projection-receiving passageway by the respective use of an inward or outward axial force,
- whereby, in the assembled condition when the body element has been slid into a snug relationship within one end of the hollow tube, the respective discrete projections are engaged in an interlocking relationship within the respective opposite passageway means so that the axial shaft of the plug element may be driven by spool-driving means, and, on the application of an outward axial force, the tension-biased tongue elements yield inwardly to permit the axial removal of the plug element and to place the textile spool in the disassembled condition.
An improved textile spool which comprises in combination:
- (a) a hollow tube adapted to carry a filament material wound or to be wound thereon;
- (b) a removable plug assembly at each end of the tube, each assembly comprising an integral, molded, polymeric element which comprises
- (i) a flange element,
- (ii) a shaft extending outwardly from the flange element,
- (iii) a plug element which comprises a cylindrical body element adapted to fit in a slidable snug relationship within each end of the hollow tube, the flange element secured to the body element,
- (iv) a pair of opposing tongue elements, each extending generally axially inwardly from the inner face of the body element, with an external surface generally coextensive with at least a portion of the external surface of the body element, the tongue elements adapted to yield slightly inwardly on the application of a slight force, and
- (v) a pair of rounded raised projections, one each on the external surface of each tongue element and at the extended yieldable end thereof;
- and
- (c) a pair of discrete, circular, positioned passageways about 180.degree. apart in the wall at each end of the hollow tube,
- whereby, in the assembled condition with the removable plug assembly within each end of the hollow tube, the raised projections are in an interlocking relationship with the passageways, and on the application of an axial force, the tongue elements yield inwardly to place the spool in a disassembled condition by the removal of one or both of the plug assemblies.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.