PACKAGE FOR ABRASIVE WHEELS

Abstract

A package for abrasive wheels is provided. The package comprises a base providing an inner space between a side surface, an open end having a diameter D.sub.open and a closing plane end having a diameter D.sub.closed, the inner space being adapted to contain stacked abrasive wheels having a diameter D.sub.wheel, the side surface having a projecting portion having a diameter D.sub.proj, that projects from the closing plane end; and a cover configured to couple to the base at the open end so as to close the inner space, the base and the cover insulating the abrasive wheels against atmospheric agents when coupled, the cover comprising a projection shaped to define an annular plane portion having an inner diameter D.sub.in and an outer diameter D.sub.out.

Claims

1-21. (canceled)

22. A package for abrasive wheels, the package comprising: a base providing an inner space between a side surface, an open end having a diameter D.sub.open and a closing plane end having a diameter D.sub.closed, the inner space being adapted to contain stacked abrasive wheels having a diameter D.sub.wheel, the side surface having a projecting portion having a diameter D.sub.proj, that projects from the closing plane end; and a cover configured to couple to the base at the open end so as to close the inner space, the base and the cover insulating the abrasive wheels against atmospheric agents when coupled, the cover comprising a projection shaped to define an annular plane portion having an inner diameter D.sub.in and an outer diameter D.sub.out, wherein D.sub.wheel?D.sub.in<D.sub.proj?D.sub.closed<D.sub.open?D.sub.out.

23. The package of claim 22, wherein D.sub.in=D.sub.wheel.

24. The package of claim 22, wherein D.sub.proj=D.sub.closed.

25. The package of claim 22, wherein D.sub.proj<D.sub.closed.

26. The package of claim 22, wherein D.sub.open=D.sub.out.

27. The package of claim 22, wherein D.sub.open<D.sub.out.

28. The package of claim 22, wherein the side surface comprises a base portion extending from the closing plane end.

29. The package of claim 22, wherein the side surface comprises a base portion, an annular base belt portion and an edge portion, wherein: the base portion extends from the closing plane end to a first end of the annular base belt portion, and the edge portion extends from a second end of the annular base belt portion to the open end; and the annular base belt portion protrudes away from the side surface thereby defining a shoulder between an outer surface of the annular base belt portion and the edge portion.

30. The package of claim 29, wherein the base portion is a frustoconical base portion having a first diameter D.sub.closed at the closing plane end of the base and a second diameter D.sub.belt at the first end of the annular base belt portion, wherein D.sub.closed<D.sub.belt.

31. The package of claim 30, wherein the frustoconical base portion has a half-cone angle ? between about 0.5? and about 4?.

32. The package of claim 31, wherein the frustoconical base portion has a half-cone angle ? between about 1? and about 3?.

33. The package of claim 30, wherein the edge portion is a cylindrical or frustoconical edge portion having a first diameter D.sub.belt at the second end of the annular base belt portion and a second diameter D.sub.open at the open end of the base, wherein D.sub.belt?D.sub.open.

34. The package of claim 33, wherein the edge portion is cylindrical and D.sub.belt=D.sub.open.

35. The package of claim 33, wherein the edge portion is frustoconical and D.sub.belt>D.sub.open.

36. The package of claim 29, wherein: the base portion is a frustoconical base portion having a first diameter D.sub.closed at the closing plane end of the base and a second diameter D.sub.belt at the first end of the annular base belt portion, wherein D.sub.closed<D.sub.belt, the edge portion is a frustoconical edge portion having a first diameter D.sub.belt at the second end of the annular base belt portion and a second diameter D.sub.open at the open end of the base, wherein D.sub.belt>D.sub.open; and wherein the frustoconical base portion has a half-cone angle ? and the frustoconical edge portion has a half-cone angle ?, wherein ????.

37. The package of claim 36, wherein the half-cone angle ? is between about 1.0? and about 3.0?, and the half-cone angle ? is between about ?0.25? and about ?1.0?.

38. The package of claim 29, wherein the cover has an annular cover belt portion protruding away from the side surface of the cover and shaped to correspond to the annular base belt portion and fit onto the shoulder when the package is closed.

39. The package of claim 38, wherein the annular base belt portion and the annular cover belt portion form together a cylindrical belt when the package is closed.

40. The package of claim 22, wherein the projection comprises a plurality of recesses distributed along the annular plane portion.

41. The package of claim 22, wherein an internal surface of the base is provided with a plurality of ribs that extend between the closing end plane and the open end, wherein the ribs have a thickness that increases along their length and towards the closing end plane, such that an imaginary circle parallel to the closing end plane and passing by the edge of each one of the ribs has a constant diameter along the length of the ribs.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0017] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a package for abrasive wheels, according to an embodiment;

[0018] FIG. 2A is a perspective view of the package for abrasive wheels of FIG. 1, with the cover detached from the base;

[0019] FIG. 2B is another perspective view the package for abrasive wheels of FIG. 1, with the cover detached from the base;

[0020] FIG. 3A is a perspective view of the base of the package of FIG. 1;

[0021] FIG. 3B is a side elevation view of the base of the package of FIG. 1;

[0022] FIG. 3C is a top view of the base of the package of FIG. 1;

[0023] FIG. 3D is a cross-sectional view of the base of FIG. 3C, taken along section 3D-3D;

[0024] FIG. 4A is a perspective view of the cover of the package of FIG. 1;

[0025] FIG. 4B is a side elevation view of the cover of the package of FIG. 1;

[0026] FIG. 4C is a top view of the base of the package of FIG. 1;

[0027] FIG. 4D is a cross-sectional view of the cover of FIG. 4C, taken along section 4D-4D;

[0028] FIG. 5 is a schematic representation of a cross-sectional view of the base, according to an embodiment, where half-cone angles ? and ? are illustrated as more pronounced than in the embodiment of FIG. 1;

[0029] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a package for abrasive wheels, according to another embodiment;

[0030] FIG. 7A is a perspective view of the package for abrasive wheels of FIG. 6, with the cover detached from the base;

[0031] FIG. 7B is another perspective view the package for abrasive wheels of FIG. 6, with the cover detached from the base;

[0032] FIG. 8A is a perspective view of the base of the package of FIG. 6;

[0033] FIG. 8B is a side elevation view of the base of the package of FIG. 6;

[0034] FIG. 8C is a top view of the base of the package of FIG. 6;

[0035] FIG. 8D is a cross-sectional view of the base of FIG. 8C, taken along section 8D-8D;

[0036] FIG. 9A is a perspective view of the cover of the package of FIG. 6;

[0037] FIG. 9B is a side elevation view of the cover of the package of FIG. 6;

[0038] FIG. 9C is a top view of the base of the package of FIG. 6; and

[0039] FIG. 9D is a cross-sectional view of the cover of FIG. 9C, taken along section 9D-9D.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0040] In the following description, similar features in the drawings have been given similar reference numerals. In order to not unduly encumber the figures, some elements may not be indicated on some figures if they were already mentioned in preceding figures. It should also be understood herein that the elements of the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale and that the emphasis is instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the elements and structures of the present embodiments.

[0041] It will be appreciated that positional descriptions such as top, bottom, above, under, below, left, right, front, rear, parallel, perpendicular, transverse, inner, outer, internal, external, and the like should, unless otherwise indicated, be taken in the context of the figures and should not be considered limiting.

[0042] In the present description, a package for abrasive wheels is provided. It is understood that an abrasive wheel (also referred to as a grinding wheel) is a wheel composed of an abrasive compound that can be used for various abrasive cutting and abrasive machining operations. Such wheels are typically used in grinding machines. Various types of abrasive wheels exist, such as straight wheels, cylinder wheels or wheel rings, tapered wheels, straight cup wheels, dish cup wheels, saucer wheels, diamond wheels and cut off wheels. It is typically advantageous to insulate abrasive wheels from atmospheric agents, for example by enclosing the abrasive wheels in a package (e.g., a plastic package).

[0043] Now referring to FIGS. 1, 2A-B, 3A-D and 4A-D, in some embodiments, a package 10 for abrasive wheels is provided. The package includes a base 11 and a cover 12 configured to couple to the base 11. The base 11 provides an inner space between a side surface 11a, an open end 11b having a diameter D.sub.open and a closing plane end 11c having a diameter D.sub.closed. The inner space of the base 11 is adapted to contain stacked abrasive wheels having a diameter D.sub.wheel. The side surface 11a has a projecting portion 11d that projects from the closing plane end 11c and that has a diameter D.sub.proj. The cover 12 is configured to couple to the base 11 at the open end 11b to close the inner space. The base 11 and the cover 12 insulate the abrasive wheels from atmospheric agents when the base 11 and the cover 12 are coupled. The cover 12 includes a projection 12a that is shaped to define an annular plane portion 12b. The annular plane portion 12b has an inner diameter D.sub.in and an outer diameter D.sub.out. As will be described herein, some of the elements of the base 11 and cover 12 can be sized and shaped to complement each other. For example, the shape of the base 11 and/or cover 12 and/or the various diameters can be selected to better accommodate the abrasive wheels within the package 10, to promote a more convenient stacking of multiple packages 10 on top of one another and/or to promote a more convenient stacking of multiple bases 11 and/or covers 12 on top of one another.

[0044] The base 11 and the cover 12 can be made of any type of material that insulates the abrasive wheels from atmospheric agents. Preferably, the base 11 and the cover 12 are made of plastic material.

[0045] In some embodiments, the diameters described herein have the following relative relationships: D.sub.wheel?D.sub.in<D.sub.proj?D.sub.closed<D.sub.open?D.sub.out.

[0046] The annular plane portion 12b corresponds to an annular plane space at the periphery of the cover 12. The inner diameter of the annular plane portion 12b is defined by joining the outer most portions of projection 12a together by a hypothetical circular joining line, and the outer diameter of the annular plane portion 12b is the outermost diameter of the cover 12. The inner diameter of the annular plane portion 12b is preferably selected to be equal to or greater than the diameter of the abrasive wheels to be stored in the package 10, that is D.sub.wheel?D.sub.in. Similarly, the outer diameter of the annular plane portion 12b is preferably greater than the diameter of the abrasive wheels and the inner diameter, that is D.sub.wheel?D.sub.in<D.sub.out. In some embodiments, the inner diameter of the annular plane portion 12b is substantially equal to the diameter of the abrasive wheels, that is D.sub.in=D.sub.wheel. In other embodiments, the inner diameter of the annular plane portion 12b is strictly greater than the diameter of the abrasive wheels, that is D.sub.wheel<D.sub.in.

[0047] In the embodiment shown in the Figures, the projection 12a is a pseudo-circular projection wherein a circle of diameter D.sub.in is provided with three (3) recesses 12c. It should however be understood that the shape and number of recesses 12c can vary, or that the recesses 12c can be absent.

[0048] In some embodiments, the base 11 is provided with a side surface 11a, an open end 11b having a diameter D.sub.open and a closing plane end 11c having a diameter D.sub.closed. The side surface 11a is also provided with a projecting portion 11d having a diameter D.sub.proj and that projects downwards from the closing plane end 11c. The diameters are preferably selected such that D.sub.proj?D.sub.closed<D.sub.open. In some embodiments, D.sub.proj is substantially equal to D.sub.closed, that is D.sub.proj=D.sub.closed. In other embodiments, D.sub.proj is strictly smaller than D.sub.closed, that is D.sub.proj<D.sub.closed.

[0049] In some embodiments, the diameter D.sub.proj of the projecting portion 11d is selected such that D.sub.in<D.sub.proj?D.sub.out. Preferably, the diameter D.sub.proj of the projecting portion 11d is further selected such that when the projecting portion 11d is resting on the annular plane portion 12b of a cover 12 and abutted against a side surface of the projection 12a of the cover 12 on one side, the entirety of the projecting portion 11d stays within the annular plane portion 12b, without extending outside the surface defined by the annular plane portion 12b.

[0050] In the embodiments shown, the projecting portion 11d is circular and continuous, and is provided at the periphery and under the closing plane end 11c. However, it should be understood that the projecting portion 11d can be discontinuous or provided with recesses or notches or have other shapes.

[0051] In some embodiments, the projection 12a has a height that is equal to or smaller than the height of the projecting portion 11d, such that the projecting portion 11d is allowed to rest upon the surface defined by the annular plane portion 12b when the base 11 is stacked upon a cover 12.

[0052] The projecting portion 11d of a first package 10 can be provided on top of the cover 12 of a second package 10, such that the projecting portion 11d of the first package rests on the surface defined by the annular plane portion 12b of the second package. Preferably, the diameter of the projecting portion 11d is slightly larger than the inner diameter of the annular plane portion 12b such that the first package fits onto the surface defined by the annular plane portion 12b and allows stacking of the second package onto the first package.

[0053] In some embodiments, the diameter of the open end 11b is equal to or smaller than the outer diameter of the annular plane portion 12b, that is D.sub.open?D.sub.out. In some scenarios, D.sub.open=D.sub.out. In other scenarios, D.sub.open<D.sub.out.

[0054] In some embodiments, the side surface 11a includes a base portion 11e, an annular base belt portion 11f and an edge portion 11g. The base portion 11e extends from the closing plane end 11c to a first end of the annular base belt portion 11f, and the edge portion 11g extends from a second end of the annular base belt portion 11f to the open end 11b. In some embodiments, the annular belt portion 11f protrudes away from the side surface and defines a shoulder 11h between an outer surface of the annular base belt portion 11f and the edge portion 11g.

[0055] In some embodiments, and as shown in the Figures, the base portion 11e has a frustoconical shape having a first diameter D.sub.closed at the closing plane end of the base 11, and a second diameter D.sub.belt at the first end of the annular base belt portion 11f. It should be understood that the second diameter D.sub.belt is measured on the base portion 11e, and at the edge between the base portion 11e and the base belt portion 11f. In other words, the second diameter D.sub.belt does not represent the protrusion of the annular base belt portion 11f, but rather the largest diameter of the base portion 11e. Preferably, the first diameter D.sub.closed is smaller than the second diameter D.sub.belt, that is D.sub.closed<D.sub.belt. In other words, the frustoconical base portion 11e is angled such that the smaller diameter is closest to the closing plane end 11c and the largest diameter is closest to the annular belt portion 11f.

[0056] In some embodiments, the edge portion 11g has a cylindrical or frustoconical shape. The edge portion 11g has a first diameter D.sub.belt at the second end of the annular base belt portion 11f and a second diameter D.sub.open at the open end 11b of the base 11. Preferably, the first diameter D.sub.belt is equal to or larger than the second diameter D.sub.open, that is D.sub.belt>D.sub.open. More specifically, when the edge portion 11g has a cylindrical shape, D.sub.belt=D.sub.open. Similarly, when the edge portion 11g has a frustoconical shape, D.sub.belt>D.sub.open.

[0057] Now referring to FIG. 5, an embodiment of the base 11 is shown where more pronounced half-cone angles ? and ? of the base portion 11e and the edge portion 11g, respectively, are shown, for illustrative purposes. In the embodiment shown at FIG. 5 as well as in the embodiment shown at FIGS. 1, 2A-B, 3A-D and 4A-D, the half-cone angle ? of the base portion 11e and the half-cone angle ? of the edge portion 11g are of opposite directions. In other words, the base portion 11e is angled outwardly from the bottom up of the base 11 while the edge portion 11g is angled inwardly from the bottom up of the base 11. Preferably, the half-cone angles ? and ? are selected such that ????, or more preferably such that ?>??.

[0058] In some embodiments, the half-cone angle ? is selected between about 0.5? and about 4? or between about 0.5? and about 4.0?, and preferably between about 1? and about 3? or between about 1.0? and about 3.0?. By selecting a base 11 having a frustoconical base portion 11e with a half-cone angle ? between about 0.5? and about 4?, several bases 11 can be nested into one another when no abrasive wheels are stored therein. This can for example allow saving space when shipping packages 10 to a location where the bases 11 will get filled with abrasive wheels. In some embodiments, the half-cone angle ? is selected between about ?0.2? and about ?1.1?, or between about ?0.25? and about ?1.0?. In some embodiments, ?>??, wherein the half-cone angle ? is between about 1.0? and about 3.0?, and the half-cone angle ? is between about ?0.25? and about ?1.0?.

[0059] Now referring back to FIGS. 1, 2A-B, 3A-D and 4A-D, the cover 12 can also have an annular cover belt portion 12f that protrudes away from the side surface of the cover 12. The annular cover belt portion 12f is preferably shaped to correspond to the annular base belt portion 11f and can fit onto the shoulder 11h when the package 10 is closed. In some embodiments, the annular base belt portion 11f and the annular cover belt portion 12f form together a cylindrical belt when the package 10 is closed.

[0060] It was notably observed that selecting the various diameters such that D.sub.wheel?D.sub.in<D.sub.proj?D.sub.closed<D.sub.open?D.sub.out, and selecting a frustoconical base portion with a half-cone angle ? between about 0.5? and about 4?, preferably between about 1.0? and about 3.0?, provided notable advantages to the package 10: when empty, multiple empty bases 11 can be nested into one another and take less space during transportation; and when filled with stacked abrasive wheels, multiple packages can be conveniently stacked onto one another, with the projecting portion 11d of a first package resting on the annular plane portion 12b of a second package and the projection 12a acting as an abutting member to prevent the first package from slipping on the surface of the cover 12 of the second package.

[0061] Referring now to FIGS. 6, 7A-B, 8A-D and 9A-D, in some embodiments, the internal surface 11i of the base 11 is provided with a plurality of ribs 11j that extend between the closing end plane 11c and the open end 11b. The ribs 11j can have a thickness that increases along their length and towards the closing end plane 11c, such that an imaginary circle parallel to the closing end plane and passing by the edge of each one of the ribs 11j has a constant diameter along the length of the ribs 11j. Preferably, the constant diameter along the length of the ribs 11j is equal to the diameter D.sub.closed of the closing end plane 12c. In some embodiments, the ribs 11j are provided at an equal distance from one another and all around the internal surface 11i of the base 11. When the ribs 11j are provided, the lateral movement of the abrasive discs is more limited than when the ribs 11j are absent.

[0062] Several alternative embodiments and examples have been described and illustrated herein. The embodiments described above are intended to be exemplary only. A person skilled in the art would appreciate the features of the individual embodiments, and the possible combinations and variations of the components. A person skilled in the art would further appreciate that any of the embodiments could be provided in any combination with the other embodiments disclosed herein. The present examples and embodiments, therefore, are to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive. Accordingly, while specific embodiments have been illustrated and described, numerous modifications come to mind without significantly departing from the scope defined in the appended claims.