Payout tube with improved locking means

Abstract

The invention is for improvements in a payout tube for a container-packaged coiled cable in which the tube in use is in the container along with the coil, a stub of the tube at its exit end protrudes through a hole in a container wall, and the tube is secured to that wall by having portions of the wall around the hole interposed between (a) a flange or flanges disposed on the tube on one side of such wall in contact with such portions, and (b) locking elements axially spaced on the tube from such flange or flanges and disposed on the other side of such wall in contact with such portions. Here, such locking elements are struts coupled to the body of the tube to be movable between radially inner positions at which they will pass through such hole and radially outer positions at which they cooperate with the flange means to secure the tube to such wall as described above. In all disclosed embodiments of the tube, such struts are integral with the tube body and project into apertures formed therein as extensions of such body. Such struts may constitute axially elongated legs coupled at their base ends to such body and having free ends resiliently deflectable relative to such base ends and disposed in adjacent axially spaced relation with such flange means. Alternatively, such struts may constitute shutters joining to the tube body by resilient hinges and pivotable about such hinges between such radially inner and outer positions. The hinges are preferably linear and may be aligned either parallel or slanted in relation to the tube axis. The shutters may be resiliently deformable so as to deflect upon contacting such wall portions to exert yieldable force thereon. One or more of such shutters may pivot about their hinges in opposite of the clockwise and counterclockwise directions in moving from radially inner to outer position. The shutters may include fender tabs which retain them in radially outer position once they have been moved thereto.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.