Collapsible hub assembly
US6508433B1 · kind B1 · utility
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Jun 26, 2000 |
| Grant date | Jan 21, 2003 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jun 26, 2020 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG11B23/107
- WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A collapsible hub assembly is disclosed. The collapsible hub assembly includes a hub having a slot formed therein and a first contact surface, a wedge movably positioned in the slot and including a second contact surface. The wedge is movable between a locked position and a collapsed position. With the wedge in the locked position, a material pack is wound onto the collapsible hub assembly and engages the first and second contact surfaces with a first force that fixedly connects the material pack to the hub and the wedge. The material pack can be removed from the collapsible hub assembly by moving the wedge to the collapsed position so that the magnitude of the first force is reduced and the material pack is not fixedly connected to the hub. A lock can be movably positioned in the slot to hold the wedge at the locked position. The wedge can be moved to the collapsed position by removing the lock. Unwinding of the material pack to effectuate removal of the material pack as well as the mess that unwinding the material pack can create are eliminated by the collapsible hub assembly because the material pack can be removed as one piece.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.