`
`United States Patent
`
`
`Huette
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`
`119)
`
`US005348241A.
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`[11] Patent Number:
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`[45] Date of Patent:
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`5,348,241
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`Sep. 20, 1994
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`[54] ROMEX WIRE DISPENSER
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`Inventor: Dennis M. Huette, 916 S. Linden,
`[76]
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`Normal, Il. 61761
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`[21] Appl. No.: 68,656
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`[22] Filed:
`May27, 1993
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`[51]
`Int. C15 oe B65H 49/00; B65H 75/30
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`[52] U.S. Ch. oe eeeesseceeesceaeeesees 242/597,5; 242/129;
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`242/597.7; 242/604; 242/611
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`[58] Field of Search ................... 242/106, 129, 96, 99,
`242/86
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`[56]
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`References Cited
`U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
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`5/1933 Spooret al. oe eeseeeee 242/129
`1,908,073
`5/1967 Atkinson.....
`we. 242/106
`3,319,906
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`
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`5/1973 Cassel et ab. ccs 242/129
`3,731,888
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`3,880,378 4/1975 Ballenger.....
`. 242/54 RX
`3,974,980 8/1976 Marcell ....
`w- 242/129 X
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`
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`1/1977 BOOZE .......cscsssecssessereserseease 242/106
`4,003,528
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`7/1981 Gaski .......
`-. 242/129 X
`4,277,035
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`8/1988 Branback.....
`weve 242/129
`4,765,560
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`4,844,376 7/1989 Maraman .........scseseesetere 242/129
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`
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`- 4,856,729
`8/1989 Maraman wecsscsscssssssssssseen 242/129
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`5,033,690 7/1991 McIver ssessossssssssseesseenee 242/106 X
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`Primary Examiner—John M.Jillions
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`
`ABSTRACT
`[57]
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`A Romex wire dispenser for use by the building tradein
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`constructing buildings. The coiled cable usually pack-
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`aged in 250 foot rolls is centrally located on rotatable
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`radius bars. A spindle mounting assembly pivotally
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`supports the radius bars at one end and contains a pair of
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`spaced apart U-shaped membersattached to each other
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`by cantilever arms at the other end. The U-shaped
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`members are adapted to fit over opposite sides of a
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`conventional two by four stud member which are usu-
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`ally located 16 inches on center. The cable is dispensed
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`from the periphery of the coil through a wire guide
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`assembly thatis pivotally attached to the spindle mount-
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`ing assembly below said rotatable radius bars. The ro-
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`tatable radius bars are frictionally restrained thereby
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`allowing the construction worker to pull a selected
`amount of wire from the rotatable radius bars.
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`2 Claims, 4 Drawing Sheets
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`25
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`hS)
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`Page 1 of 7
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`PPC Exhibit 1043
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`PPC Exhibit 1043
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`U.S. Patent
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`Sep. 20, 1994
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`Sheet 1 of 4
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`5,348,241
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`U.S. Patent
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`Sep. 20, 1994
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`Sheet 2 of 4
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`5,348,241.
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`Fic. 2
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`U.S. Patent
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`Sep. 20, 1994
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`Sheet 3 of 4
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`5,348,241
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`a 6
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`Fic. 5
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`U.S. Patent
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`5,348,241
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`Page 5 of 7
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`10
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`This invention relates to a Romex wire dispenser for
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`use by the building profession in wiring the building
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`under construction and more particularly to a reel for
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`dispensing a non-metallic sheet cable of the type known
`under the trade name ROMEX.
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`Wiring cable of the type used in conventional build-
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`ing construction is usually sold in coiled lengths of 250
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`feet that are individually packaged in corrugated card-
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`board containers. Larger diameter wires capable of
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`carrying a higher current would of necessity be con-
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`tained in a larger carton whereas smaller diameter wires
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`having the same 250 foot length would be contained in
`a smaller sized carton.
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`The usual practice in the building profession is to
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`locate the coiled cardboard container containing the
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`250 foot length of wireat the building site for the avail-
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`ability of the wiring electrician. The cardboard con-
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`tainer is usually sliced open and one endofthe coiled
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`wire is made available for the electrician in pulling the
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`wire through the studs from junction box to receptacle.
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`The wire is usually left within the container as a
`25
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`means of restraining the coiled wire when not in use.
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`Unfortunately when the electrician pulls the wire from
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`the cardboard container the wire being dispensed tends
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`to loop uponitself causing kinks and bends due to the
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`looping of the wire as the wire is uncoiled. This looping
`30
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`of the wire requires constant attention having the ten-
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`dency to slow the work of the electrician or at best
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`requires an electrician and a helper to continually un-
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`wind the dispensed wire so that the wire may passfreely
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`through the studs under the urging of theelectrician.
`35
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`This invention describes a Romex wire dispenserthat
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`freely dispenses the coiled wire from the periphery of
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`the coil under the urging of the electrician and without
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`the aforementioned kinks and loops. The dispenser is
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`adapted to be movably mounted on a conventional 2x4
`40
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`stud and also can be mounted from overhead joists by
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`attached carrying handle 20 insuring that the coiled
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`wire will be located as close to the work as possible
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`thereby reducing effort and saving timeofthe installa-
`tion.
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`The Romex wire dispenser contains rotatable radius
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`bars adapted to accept a complete 250 foot reel of coiled
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`wire. The coiled wire is first completely removed from
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`the cardboard shipping container and placed upon the
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`rotatable radius bars. The bars are rotatably mounted
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`upon a spindle mounting assembly that is fixedly at-
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`tached to an arm connecting a pair of spaced apart
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`U-shaped members. The U-shaped members are each
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`adaptedto fit over opposite sides of a 24 stud member
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`to hold spindle mounting assembly in a given position
`55
`when hooked over a stud member.
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`In the usual embodimentthe spindle mounting assem-
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`bly is shaped to hold the rotatable radius bars in a hori-
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`zontal plane with the spaced apart U-shaped members
`located about a vertical stud member.
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`A cable guide assembly having a length greater than
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`the diameter of the rotatable radius bars is pivotly
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`mounted at one end on the spindle mounting assembly
`and below the rotatable radius bars 45. The other end of
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`the cable guide assembly is formed into an opencircle
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`50 for accepting and guiding the dispensing cable. In
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`this manner the electrician has only to slip the cable
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`through the opencircle 50 and regardiess ofhis location
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`in the room relative to the supporting stud member the
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`2
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`cable will be dispensed through the circle 50 opening
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`located on the cable dispensing assembly. In other
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`words regardless of where the electrician is located the
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`circle 50 end of the cable guide assembly will always be
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`facing the electrician and the wire will be dispensed
`without kinks or bends.
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`In order to preventspilling of wire which mayresult
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`from a free-wheeling reel or from over-pulling on the
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`wire by the electrician there is located a brake member
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`in the form of a compression spring between the spindle
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`mounting assembly and the rotatable radius bars and the
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`cable guide assembly 55. The compression spring con-
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`tinuously urges the members against each other thereby
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`restraining the rotation of the Romex unless the wire is
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`actively being pulled by the electrician. In addition the
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`rotatable radius bars contain a lip on the radius bars for
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`preventing excess wire from being spilled off 45 as a
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`result of the electrician suddenly pulling on the free end
`of the cable.
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`Further objects and advantages of the present inven-
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`tion will be made more apparentby referring now to the
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`accompanying drawing wherein:
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`FIG. 1 is a view which illustrates the present day
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`technique for dispensing coiled wire from the corru-
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`gated shipping container 10;
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`FIG. 2 is a view which illustrates a Romex wire dis-
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`penser constructed according to the teachings of the
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`present invention mounted upon a conventional 2x4
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`stud member;
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`FIG.3 is an exploded view of the dispenser shown in
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`FIG. 2; and FIG.4 is a perspective view of the dis-
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`penser with a coil of cable thereon.
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`Referring now to FIG.1 there is shown a corrugated
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`carton 10 of the type used to ship a coiled roll of 250
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`feet of wire. The container is usually brought to the
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`building site and the top section cut open as shown and
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`the available end 5 of the wire is pulled out as needed.
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`Dueto the coiled action of the wire pulling on the end
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`5 produces kinks and bends as illustrated due to the
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`unwinding of the wire. These kinks and folds can be
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`prevented by carefully unwinding the wire which of
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`necessity requires that a helper be located atthe site of
`the wire in order to assist the electrician as the wire is
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`pulled from the box. It is considered most desirable to
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`leave the coiled wire in the corrugated carton in order
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`to preventspilling of the wire when less than the com-
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`plete roll is used for any given installation. In addition
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`the carton provides a convenient means of moving the
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`coiled wire from location to location during the con-
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`struction process.
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`Referring now to FIG. 2 there is shown a Romex
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`wire dispenser constructed according to the teachings
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`of the present invention. Rotatable radius bars are pi-
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`votly mounted on and supported by one end ofa spindle
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`mounting assembly which is connected at the other end
`to a cantilever arm 70.
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`A pair of spaced apart U-shaped members 75 and 90
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`are each fixedly attached to each other by meansof the
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`arm 80. The spaced apart U-shaped members 75 and 90
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`are each adapted to fit over opposite sides of at least
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`one-half of a stud member 95. In the usual building
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`construction, 2 inch X4 inch stud membersare used 16
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`inches on center to form the basic building wall struc-
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`ture. The coupling forces generated by the U-shaped
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`members and 6 as a result of the total weight of the
`structure transmitted to the arm 70 allows the Romex
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`wire dispenser to be arbitrarily located at any height
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`above the floor level as determined by the needs of the
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`1
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`ROMEX WIRE DISPENSER
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`5,348,241
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`Page 6 of 7
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`5,348,241
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`3
`4
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`user. The arm 70 is preferably connected to the U-
`Referring now to FIG.2 there is shownaside view of
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`shaped members 75 and 90 at the end portions of the
`the Romex wire dispenser without the coiled wire 5 in
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`brackets so that the arm is aligned with the stud member
`place in orderto illustrate a friction memberin the form
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`and preferably along the center of the widest face of the
`of a compression spring 60 that is located on the spindle
`stud member.
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`mounting assembly 35. The compression spring 60
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`A cable guide assembly 55 having a length greater
`forces the rotatable radius bars 45 and the cable guide
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`than the diameter of the rotatable radius bars 45 are
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`assembly 55 against the spindle mounting assembly 35
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`pivotably mounted at one end 55 to the spindle mount-
`thereby impeding the rotation of the bars and the guide
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`ing assembly 70 and at the other end is formed into an
`assembly so as to insure against spilling of the wire in
`10
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`open circle 50 for accepting the wire 5. Thecircle 50 is
`the event a quick or sudden pull is made upon the free
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`end of the wire.
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`open at point 57 in order to allow the wire 5 being
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`pulled from the coiled cable 6 to be quickly inserted
`FIG.2 showsa section of the spaced apart U-shaped
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`within the circle. The opening 57 is situated on the
`members 75 and 90 for morefully illustrating members
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`uppermost portion ofthe circle 57 thereby insuring that
`75 and 90 located on the U-shaped members, respec-
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`the wire 5 will remain within the circle during normal
`tively.
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`I claim:
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`use of the dispenser.
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`Referring to FIG. 4 Romex coil 6 mounted on Romex
`1. A Romexwire dispenser comprising,
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`dispenser.
`a pair of spaced apart U-shaped members, a cantilever
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`In using the present invention the corrugated carton
`arm and rotatable radius bars,
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`10 as illustrated in FIG. 1 is completely opened thereby
`said pair of spaced apart U-shaped members fixedly
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`allowing the coiled cable 6 to be removed and placed
`attached to each other by said cantilever arm and
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`upon the rotatable radius bars 45. The coiled wire 6 is
`each adapted to fit over opposite sides of at least
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`centrally located and supported upon the rotatable ra-
`one-half of a building stud member,
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`dius bars 45 by meansof a cylinder shaped reel 40. The
`a spindle mounting assembly fixedly attached at one end
`25
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`hub members 30 and 42 have a height that is greater
`to said cantilever arm and at the other end adapted to
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`than the width of the largest coil of 250 foot length wire
`pivotally support said rotatable radius bars,
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`5 that would be used on the rotatable radius bars 45. In
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`said spindle mounting assembly having a specific shape
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`this fashion the hub members 30 and 42 not only locate
`for holding said rotatable radius bars in a preferred
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`the coiled wire 5 on the rotatable radius bars 45 but also
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`position,
`30
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`maintains the coil on the rotatable radius bars against
`a cable guide assembly having a length greater than the
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`the action of the electrician pulling upon the wire as a
`diameter of said rotatable radius bars is pivotably
`demand for wire is made.
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`mounted at one end on said spindle mounting assem-
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`In actual practice the Romex wire dispenser is lo-
`bly below said rotatable radius bars,
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`cated on a stud member 95 that is in close proximity to
`said cable guide assembly being freely pivotable in all
`35
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`the location of the wiring needs of the electrician. As
`directions for dispensing cable below and above said
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`the electrician pulls on end 5 for a length of wire the
`rotatable radius bars, and
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`cable guide assembly 55 pivots about 35 thereby align-
`a hub assembly centrally located on said rotatable radius
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`ing the circle opening 50 with the location ofthe electri-
`bars for holding and controlling the positioning of a
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`cian. In this fashion a tug on end 5 will cause the rotat-
`coiled spool of cable on said rotatable radius bars.
`40
`able radius bars 45 to rotate while the hub members 30
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`2. A Romex wire dispenser according to claim 1
`and 42 maintain the coiled wire 5 on the rotatable radius
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`which includes a brake member centrally located on
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`bars. In this fashion the electrician mayselect any given
`said spindle mounting assembly for frictionally engag-
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`length of wire and at any location in the room area
`ing said cable guide assembly and said rotatable radius
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`without fear of kinking or folding of the wire being
`bars to thereby impede rotational movement.
`*
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`45
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`dispensed.
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`15
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`20
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`350
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`35
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`65
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`Page 7 of 7
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`Page 7 of 7
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