Coil protector
1 51 Apr. 22, 1975 United States Patent 1191 Wittebort COIL PROTECTOR 933 Bowman Nichols....... Hcroux I l l 2 &#39;4 [22] Filed: June 4, 1973 Primary E.\&#39;aminerDonald Watkins Attorney, Agent, or FirmWebb, Burden, Robinson 8L Webb 21 Appl. N0.Z 366,737  
 6 r 0 c r m u b u t W M .U n m S m b u A S m a w m A d w c .m r o t c c t O r D. l m 7 C HA 3% 7 wdU 6 M9 m 4 m 9 nm oo u 3 4 muww M0 WHZ mh c .r a e S I C tm e mi UIF nno ow 555 for engaging the center opening of a coil and a surface References Cited radially extending from an end of the core for protect- UNITED STATES PATENTS ing the edges of the material forming the coil. The protector is secured to a coil by conventional banding.  
 1,517,940 12 1924 BCllailS............................... 206/416 l.766,257 6/l930 NlClSCn Cl 206/416 5 Clalms, 5 Drawmg Figures COIL PROTECTOR This invention relates to a coil protector which is a device for covering the exposed edges of material forming a coil. The protector is especially applicable to coils formed of thin gauge metal material which are particularly susceptible to damage during handling and storage. While end protectors or discs have been known and used, for example on rolls of paper or fabric such as US. Pat. No. 1,931,314, none has the advantages of my coil protector.  
  Typically, sheet and strip material are wrapped in coils for handling, shipment and storage. The coils are moved by material handling trucks equipped with an outwardly extending bar or tang which canbe inserted in the center opening of a coil. The coil is lifted by raising the tang and the coil can then be moved. In this procedure, considerable damage to unfinished and finished material is often caused by the rough treatment it receives. The edges of the coil are bent and marred, for example, by the tang when it is improperly guided into the center opening of the core or by a truck run ning into the coil. It is often necessary to rework the strip or to cut and scrap the damaged edges. This involves loss of time and additional expense.  
  I have invented a coil protector which includes a substantially tubular core open at both ends for engaging the center opening of a coil and a surface radially ex tending from an end of the core for protecting the edges of the material forming the coil. The protector may be made of any suitable thermoplastic material, such as polypropylene, ABS, high density polyethylene and the like, and can be secured to the coil by conven tional steel banding. It may be reused.  
 In the accompanying drawings:  
  FIG. 1 is a sectional view taken through a coil having two protectors according to the invention;  
  FIG. 2 is an elevation view of the preferred form of the protector;  
 FIG. 3 is a plan view of the protector of FIG. 2;  
  FIG. 4 is an elevation view of a pair of stacked protectors; and  
  FIG. 5 is an elevation view of another form of the protector.  
 . Referring to the drawings, a protector I is inserted in each end of a coil 2 of strip or sheet material. A core 3 of the protector fits in a center opening 4 of the coil. The core is tapered to facilitate entry into the opening 4. A surface 5 extends radially from the core and covers exposed edges 6 of the coil. The surface may contact the edges, particularly along the outermost strips forming the coil.  
  A conventional metal band 7 extending through the core of each protector and the center of the coil and around the periphery of the coil secures the protectors to the coil.  
  A preferred embodiment of the protector shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 may be vacuum formed. In order to insure that face 8 of the surface 5 covers the edges 6 of the coil, the surface is drafted or bowed in the direction of the core 3 so that when the protector is placed on a coil and banded to the coil, at least a part of the surface is pressed into engagement with. edges of the strip forming the coil. The tapered core permits stacking of the protectors as shown in FIG. 4.  
  The coil protector may also be fabricated as shown in FIG. 5 by welding a core 10 to a surface 11 along the weldment 12. Wall 13 of the core is also tapered and the protector may be stacked in the manner illustrated in FIG. 4.  
  A form of the protector according to the invention presently in use at one major steel mill has a core of 16 inches O.D., a radial surface of 37 inches OD, and is made of one-fourth inch polypropylene. While the protector is relatively inexpensive to produce and easy to place on a coil, savings in damages prevented by its use is considerable.  
  It has also been found that use of the protector has eliminatcdor substantially reduced rusting of the edges of the coiled material which has also been a problem.  
  A distinct advantage of my invention is that a coil may be moved by handling equipment using a tang extending into the center opening of the coil through my protector without removing the protector from the coil.  
  Having described preferred embodiments of the invention, it is to be understood that it may otherwise be embodied within the scope of the appended claims.  
 I claim:  
  I. A coil protector for protecting the edges of mate rial formed in a coil having a central opening suitable for use in lifting and positioning the coil comprising:  
 A. a substantially tubular core open over its diameter at both ends and having an outer tapered wall for facilitating engaging the core in the central opening of the coil; and  
 B. a surface radially extending from an end of the core for protecting the edges of the material forming the coil.  
  2. A coil protector as set forth in claim 1 wherein the radially extending surface is drafted toward the core to insure its contact with edges of the coil when the protector is placed on a coil.  
  3. A coil protector as set forth in claim 1 wherein the plane of the radially extending surface extends substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the core.  
  4. A coil protector as set forth in claim 1 made of thermoplastic material.  
 5. A coil protector as set forth in claim 4 wherein the thermoplastic material is high density polyethylene.