Thread canister
United States Patent McClain et al.  
 THREAD CANISTER Inventors: Philippe Hard-The McClain,  
 Columbia, SC; Carl J. Velte, Grand Rapids, Mich.  
 Shakespeare Company, Columbia, SC.  
 Filed: Sept. 6, 1973 Appl. N0.: 394,752  
 Assignee:  
 US. Cl 242/l37.1; 242/146 Int. Cl B65h 49/18 Field of Search 242/137, 137.1, 138, 129.6, 242/146; 206/52 R, 52 W, 59 R, 59 A, 59 B, 63.2 R, 63.2 A  
 References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 10/1911 Osland 220/72 11/1940 Van Den Bergh 242/137.1  
 [451 Apr. 22, 1975 3.366.273 1/1968 Crocella et a1. 220/97 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 273,046 1/1951 Switzerland 242/137.]  
 Primary Examiner-Leonard D. Christian Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Kenyon &amp; Kenyon Reilly Carr &amp; Chapin [57] ABSTRACT The canister includes internal ribs within the dome which act as strengthening members to prevent crushing of the dome under compressive loads for example as may be incurred during shipping. In addition, the cage containing the thread brake is recessed within the dome to reduce the danger of damage to the cage or thread brake. A cover is releasably secured to the dome over the cage to permit easy replacement of the thread brake and is color coded to indicate the type or class of thread contained in the canister.  
 20 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures THREAD CANISTER This invention relates to a thread canister. More particularly, this invention relates to a canister for housing a spool of thread and for permitting unwinding of the thread from a spool therein.  
  Various types of thread canisters for housing spools of thread have been known in the past. For example. some canisters have been constructed in the form of cylinders with flat ends while others have been constructed with a flat base and a dome at the top. Generally, these canisters have been provided with an outlet in the top end to allow a thread to be withdrawn from an encased spool without turning of the spool, for example, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,502,281. Where the canisters have been provided with a dome at the top, excessive compressive loads applied to the dome, for example, during shipping have been known to cause crushing of the dome. This, of course, reduces the useful life of the thread canister and, in some instances prevents the canister from being used on a machine to which the spool of thread is to be delivered.  
  Further, where the cage has projected from the dome, the cage is subject to blows or bumping. As a result, excessive blows may cause damage to the cage, and in some cases, severing of the cage from the top of the dome.  
  Where the canisters have been used to house different types or classes of thread, it has been known to utilize identification tags or labels which can be afixed to the thread canister in order to identify the thread for shipment or storage purposes. However, this requires an additional operation in preparing a filled canister for shipment. Furthermore, there is a risk that the identifi cation tag or label will become removed from the thread canister by accident or otherwise. Should this occur, it would be necessary to open the canister to determine the type or class of thread before using the canister.  
  Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a thread canister of relatively long life.  
  It is another object of the invention to provide a thread canister which is able to withstand compressive loadings.  
  It is another object of the invention to alleviate the risk of accidental damage to a thread brake cage on a thread canister.  
  It is another object of the invention to reduce the time required for shipping a filled thread canister.  
  It is another object of the invention to provide a simplified technique for identifying the type or class of the thread contained within a canister.  
  Briefly the invention provides a thread canister comprising a housing having a dome and a plurality of ribs or other strengthening members within the dome for strengthening of the dome to prevent crushing of the dome under compressive loadings. In addition, the invention provides the thread canister with a cover which is removably secured to the dome and which is color coded to indicate the type or class of thread in the canister. Further. a cage for housing a thread brake is recessed within the dome in order to avoid damage from direct blows.  
  The ribs within the dome extend from the cage in a downward direction and merge into the dome itself and are integrally formed with the cage and dome. The ribs terminate at a point on the canister approximately where the dome merges into a substantially cylindrical wall of the housing.  
  The cage is constructed of aplurality of walls which depend from the dome about a central opening in the dome, and ofa floor which is connected to the walls underneath the dome opening. This floor has an aperture aligned with the dome opening for passage of the thread. The cage thus defines a well to receive a thread brake, such as a sponge, which is of a type to permit removal of the thread by being passed therethrough while also preventing the thread from falling back into the canister should an unwinding operation cease.  
  The cover which is secured to the dome over the recessed cage also serves to contain the thread brake within the cage. The removability feature of the cover allows easy replacement of the thread brake and also allows the thread to be re-threaded through the thread brake and the top of the canister in an easy fashion. The cover also has an aperture aligned with the dome opening and the aperture in the cage for passage of the thread. A means is provided on the cover which extends into the dome for releasably securing the cover over the opening of the dome. This means is in the form ofa plurality of lugs which depend from the cover, each of which carries a foot-like projection for engaging with the underside of the dome. Where the cage is formed with a plurality of spaced apart walls about the dome opening, the lugs of the cover are positioned so that the projections extend into respective openings between each pair of walls to retain the cover in place.  
  These and other objects and advantages of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:  
  FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a thread canister according to the invention;  
  FIG. 2 illustrates a front view of the thread canister of FIG. 1;  
  FIG. 3 illustrates a top view of the thread canister of FIG. I; and  
  FIG. 4 illustrates a view taken on line 4-4 of FIG. 3.  
  Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, the thread canister includes a housing 10 of elongated shape which is adapted to fit into a base (now shown), for example as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,502,281. The housing 10 includes a lower rim portion 11, an upstanding slightly tapered body portion 12 of substantially cylindrical shape and a dome 13 at the top. The external surface of the slightly tapered body portion 12 has a plurality of circumferentially spaced ribs 14, for example three, while the dome 13 has a similar number of external ribs 15.  
  Referring to FIG. 4, the dome 13 which is of constant thickness and hemispherical shape includes a central opening 16 at the top which is peripherally defined by a depending lip 17. In addition, a cage or well 18 is recessed within the dome 13 in line with the opening 16.  
 This cage I8 is constructed of a plurality of walls 19 lly encloses an aperture 24 aligned with the opening 6 in the dome 13 for the passage of a thread. The floor .0 has a smooth rounded surface about the aperture 24 a avoid sharp edges which might otherwise sever or oughen the thread. Also, the floor has a raised simi- 1r ridge 20 inside of the openings 21 as shown.  
  Referring to FIG. 4, the thread canister has a plural- :y of ribs 25, for example three, which are disposed Iithin the dome 13. Each rib 25 is integrally formed /ith the dome 13 as well as with the cage 18 and, as hown, extends from a wall 19 of the cage 18 with dereasing height in a downward direction to merge into he dome 13 at a point at which the dome l3 merges nto the upstanding body portion 12. Each rib 25 is of ubstantially uniform thickness and serves to trengthen the dome 13 against loads which would im- FZIII a crushing force on the dome 13. Each rib 25 has n inside edge formed on a radius about a locus L dislaced both horizontally from and vertically below the acus of the dome 13.  
  The ribs 25 can be aligned with the ribs 15 on the exerior surface of dome 13. In this way, where the caniser housing 10 is made of plastic, the molds used for nolding the housing 10 can be more easily fabricated ince the respective ribs 15, 24 are in alignment.  
  Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, the canister also includes cover or cap 26 of substantially circular shape which 5 mounted on the dome 13 over the opening 16.  
  As shown in FIG. 4, the cover 26 has a rim portion 17 which seats over the edge of the dome opening 16 md extends outwardly of the dome 13 to provide an iverhang for lifting of the cover 26 from the dome 13. The cover 26 also includes a formed central portion vhich overlies the opening 16, and a depending lip 28 o define a central aperture 29 aligned coaxially with he opening 16 and the aperture 22 in the cage 18. As hown, the apertures 24 and 29 in the cage 18 and rover 26 are aligned with each other and are of subtantially the same size. Further, as above, the cover 26 orms a smooth rounded surface about the aperture 29 o avoid a sharp edge.  
  In order to secure the cover 26 in the dome 13, a suitlble means is provided. As shown, this means includes l plurality oflugs 30 which extend downwardly into the lome 13 through the opening 16. Each of these lugs 30 ms a foot-like projection 31 extending outwardly from he axis 22 of the dome 13 for engaging with the underide of the lip 17 of the dome 13. As shown, each lug 10 is aligned with an opening 21 between a pair of walls 9 of the cage 18 such that the projections 31 project hrough the respective openings 21. As shown to the eft of FIG. 4, each projection 31 is disposed within the ilane of the lip 17 defining the opening 16. As shown, he depending lip 17 extends completely about the vpenings l6 and merges into the walls 19 of the cage .8.  
  The cover 26 and the dome 13 are made of suitable naterials such as plastic to permit the cover 26 to snap nto place within the dome l3 and to permit ready renoval by a suitable means.  
  The cage 18 serves to receive a thread brake 32, such lS a sponge, through which a thread can be passed. The :over 26 serves to retain the thread brake 32 in place luring use. The removability feature of the cover 26 iermits easy replacement of the thread brake 32 and llSO allows the thread to be re-threaded through the hread brake 32 and the dome 13 in an easy manner.  
  In order to provide for the identification of the type or class of thread contained within a canister, the cover 26 is color coded. To this end, where the cover 26 is made of a plastic material, a selected color pigment of suitable type, as is known, is incorporated in the plastic material to impart a color to the cover for color coding purposes. For example, the cover 26 can be colored white, red, green, etc depending on the pigment selected with each color representing a particular type of thread within the canister.  
  The invention thus provides a thread canister having a dome capable of retaining structural integrity under compressive loadings imposed, for example, during transport or use. In addition, the invention provides a thread canister having a recessed cage for a thread brake which allows easy replacement of a thread brake as well as easy re-threading of a thread through the thread brake. The invention further provides a technique of color coding a series of thread canisters in order to identify the type or class of thread contained within each canister without the need of separate labels. Further, since the color coding is provided by the cover which is an integral component of the canister, there is no need to prepare and apply separate identification tags or labels to the canister. As a result, the time and expense for shipping a series of thread canisters can be reduced. Further, since the color-coded covers can be readily removed by a suitable means from the canister, spools containing different types of thread can be replenished in the canister and readily identified by replacing the original cover with the appropriate color-coded cover. One advantage of this color coding is that where a large number of canisters are held in storage, for example for use in an industrial application, a rapid inventory check can be made to determine the supply of a particular type of thread. Also, the appropriate canister can be quickly selected for replacing a used canister for use on a machine.  
  The canister housing 10 is made of an impact resistant material, such as polypropylene, and of a thickness to provide a sufficient degree of clarity to permit reading of a label on a spool encased within the canister. This latter feature is useful in determining for example, the size of the encased thread. In such a case, a color coded cover 26 would be used to indicate the type of thread, e.g., Nylon, Nylon 6, Polyester, etc. while visual inspection is relied on to determine the size of the thread. The clarity of the dome 13 can be improved by making the dome 13 of a relatively thin thickness without significantly reducing the resistance of the housing 10 to compressive loads due to the existence of the strengthening ribs 25. Furthermore, by using a relatively thin dome 13 the amount of material used in the overall housing 10 and, thus, the weight, is reduced.  
  The cover 26 can be made of the same material as the housing 10 or of other materials such as a high density polyethylene. As these covers 26 are of relatively small dimensions, they can be stored in inventory within a relatively small space. This can be of importance where a large number of different types of threads are to be packaged.  
 What is claimed is:  
  l. A thread canister having a dome, a cage located within said dome for receiving a thread brake, and a plurality of ribs extending from said cage downwardly within said dome in integral relation with said cage and said dome for strengthening of said dome.  
  2. A thread canistcr as set forth in claim 1 wherein said dome has a central opening at the top thereof and said cage has a plurality of walls depending from said dome about said opening and a floor connected at and to the lower ends of said walls. said floor having an aperture aligned with said opening.  
  3. A thread canister asset forth in claim 2 wherein said walls are angularly disposed with respect to said dome to converge in a direction towards a longitudinal axis of said dome.  
  4. A thread canister as set forth in claim 2 wherein said cage further has an upstanding shoulder on said floor peripherally enclosing said aperture.  
  5. A thread canister as set forth in claim 2 wherein said walls are circumferentially spaced to define openings therebetween.  
  6. A thread canister as set forth in claim 2 wherein said ribs taper in height from said walls of said cage.  
 7. A thread canister comprising:  
 a housing having a dome at an upper end thereof and a cage recessed within said dome for receiving a thread brake; and  
 a cover removably secured to said dome over said cage.  
  8. A thread canister as set forth in claim 7 wherein said dome has a central opening at the top and said cage includes a plurality of spaced walls depending from said dome about said opening to define openings therebetween and said cover includes a plurality of depending lugs extending into said cage. each lug having a foot-like projection extending therefrom into a respective opening between a pair of said walls.  
  9. A thread canister as set forth in claim 8 wherein said walls are disposed to converge towards a longitudinal axis of said dome.  
  10. A thread canister as set forth in claim 7 wherein said housing is made of plastic.  
  11. A thread canister as set forth in claim 10 wherein said cover is made of plastic and includes a colored pigment therein to color said cover for color coding of said canister.  
 12. A thread canister as set forth in claim 7 wherein said cover has a means extending into said dome for releasably securing said cover over said opening.  
  13. A thread canister as set forth in claim 12 wherein said means includes a plurality of lugs extending into said dome. each lug having a foot-like projection extending outwardly thereof for engaging with said dome.  
  14. A thread canister as set forth in claim 13 wherein said dome has a central opening above said cage and each said projection engages with said dome about said opening.  
  15. A thread canister as set forth in claim 7 wherein said housing further has a plurality of ribs extending from said cage downwardly within said dome in integral relation with said cage and said dome.  
  16. A thread canister as set forth in claim 15 wherein said cage has a plurality of walls depending into said dome and said ribs extend integrally from said walls.  
 17. A thread canister comprising:  
 a housing for a spool of thread, said housing having a dome at the top thereof;  
 a cage within said dome;  
 a thread brake disposed in said cage for holding a length of thread from the spool;  
 a plurality of ribs integrally within said dome extending in integral relation downwardly from about said cage and merging into said dome; and  
 a cover removably secured to said dome over said cage.  
  18. A thread canister as set forth in claim 17 wherein said dome has a central opening about said cage and each of said cage and said cover has an aperture aligned with said opening for passage of the thread.  
  19. A thread canister as set forth in claim 18 wherein said cage includes a plurality of spaced apart walls depending from said dome about said opening to define openings therebetween and said cover includes a plurality of depending lugs extending into said cage. each lug having foot-like projection extending therefrom into a respective opening between a pair of said walls.  
 20. A thread canister as set forth in claim 19 wherein said ribs extend from said walls.  
 UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION PATENT NO. 3,879,002 DATED April 22, 1975 |N\/ ENTOR(S) I Philippe Hardy-The McLain et al It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:  
 In the title page of the patent correct the spelling of the first-mentioned inventor&#39;s name to read:  
 Philippe Hardy-The McLain-.  
 Signed and Sealed this A ttest:  
 RUTH C. MASON C. MARSHALL DANN Arresting Officer ommr&#39;ssr&#39;uner oj&#39;lurenls and Trademarks i i r