Package and method of packaging for flat elongated material

Claim 1

A method of packaging for shipment and individual letoff of a plurality of side-by-side lengths of flat elongated material in the form of side-by-side rolls of a predetermined radius comprising: (a) assembling in end-to-end relation on a common horizontal axis a plurality of cylindrical shells, the adjacent ends of differing ones of said shells each having a separate divider plate rigidly joined thereto, the divider plates being aligned with and parallel to one another to form a pair between each two axially adjacent shells, a portion of each divider plate extending radially outwardly an equal amount beyond the circumference of the shells, said shells each having a central bore extending coaxially therethrough and including an elongated central member passing through the aligned central bores of said end-to-end shells; (b) rotating the assembled shells about their common horizontal axis and winding a length of flat elongated material on each shell to form a roll on each shell of predetermined radius; (c) welding each end of an axially extending upper member whose length is at least that of said end-to-end assembled shells to the radially outer end of a side member and welding the radially inner end of each side member to both the elongated central member at each one of its ends and to each one of the axially most distant ends of said assembled shells, the length of each side member being sufficient to extend from said upper member radially inwardly to said central member, the distance from the axis of rotation of the package to said upper member being greater than said predetermined radius; (d) forming at least two ␣-shaped tie members, the bottom portions of each ␣-member being of a length at least equal to that of said assembled shells, the side portion of said tie members being of a length slightly less than said predetermined radius; (e) positioning each said tie member with its bottom portion extending axially and at said predetermined radius from the axis of rotation of said package and with the side portions of each tie member extending radially inwardly from said bottom portion and overlying the respective outer end of an outer shell, said tie-members being spaced substantially equally apart from one another and said upper member in the circumferential direction of said shells; (f) welding each said side portion of each said tie member at its radially inner end to each one of the respective axially most distant ends of said assembled shells; (g) welding a plurality of bifurcated members to said upper member and said divider plates, each of said bifurcated members having one leg extending axially along a radially inner surface of said upper member and another leg extending radially inwardly along one of the axially most distant surfaces of a pair of adjacent divider plates.

Claim 2

A method of packaging for shipment and individual letoff of a plurality of side-by-side lengths of flat elongated material in the form of side-by-side rolls of a predetermined radius comprising: (a) assembling in end-to-end relation on a common horizontal axis a plurality of cylindrical shells, the adjacent ends of differing ones of said shells each having a separate divider plate rigidly joined thereto, the divider plates being aligned with and parallel to one another to form a pair between each two axially adjacent shells, a portion of each divider plate extending radially outwardly an equal amount beyond the circumference of the shells, said shells each having a central bore extending coaxially therethrough and including an elongated central member passing through the aligned central bores of said end-to-end shells; (b) rotating the assembled shells about their common horizontal axis and winding a length of flat elongated material on each shell to form a roll on each shell of predetermined radius; (c) welding each end of an axially extending upper member whose length is at least that of said end-to-end assembled shells to the radially outer end of a side member and welding the radially inner end of each side member to both the elongated central member at each one of its ends and to each one of the axially most distant ends of said assembled shells, the length of each side member being sufficient to extend from said upper member radially inwardly to said central member, the distance from the axis of rotation of the package to said upper member being greater than said predetermined radius; (d) forming at least two ␣-shaped tie members, the bottom portions of each ␣-member being of a length at least equal to that of said assembled shells, the side portion of said tie members being of a length slightly less than said predetermined radius; (e) positioning each said tie member with its bottom portion extending axially and at said predetermined radius from the axis of rotation of said package and with the side portions of each tie member extending radially inwardly from said bottom portion and overlying the respective outer end of an outer shell, said tie-members being spaced substantially equally apart from one another and said upper member in the circumferential direction of said shells; (f) welding each said side portion of each said tie member at its radially inner end to each one of the respective axially most distant ends of said assembled shells; (g) welding a plurality of bifurcated members to said upper member and said divider plates, each of said bifurcated members having one leg extending axially along a radially inner surface of said upper member and another leg extending radially inwardly along one of the axially most distant surfaces of a pair of adjacent divider plates.