US3782661A - Filament feeding and storage device - Google Patents

Abstract

There is disclosed a device for feeding a filament from a supply thereof to a machine wherein said filament may be used for knitting, weaving or spooling. A storage drum is fixedly mounted at one end thereof to a frame member. The filament is guided in a first direction, from a supply thereof to a position adjacent said one end of the drum, where it is wound about the drum to form a plurality of windings which advance in a second direction, opposite to said first direction, toward the other end of the drum. The filament is drawn off the drum in said second direction to the other end of the drum, where it reverses direction and travels through an internal passage in the drum, in said first direction, and through an aperture in the frame member, toward the machine requiring said filament, whereby the device operates as a storage feeder. Alternately, the filament may be unwound from the drum at the same rate as it is wound in which case the device operates as a positive feeder.

Description

"United States Patent 91 Deniega et al.'

FILAMENT FEEDING AND STORAGE DEVICE lnventorszl Jose Castillo Deniega, Elmhurst;

Edward M. Tellerman, Woodmere,

both of NY.

Wesco Industries Corporation, Plainview, NY.

[73] Assignee:

[63] Continuation-impart of Ser. No. 184,527, Sept. 28,

I [52] US. Cl 242/4712, 242/4701, 66/132 R [51] Int. Cl. B6511 51/20 [58] Field ofsear ch ..242/47.12,,47.0l,47.02,

[56] References Cited I UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,225,446 12/1965 Sarfati et a1. 242/47.0l 3,411,548 11/1968 Pfarrwaller 242/47.12 X

3,419,225 12/1968 Rosen 242/47.I2 3,490,710 1/1970 Muhlhausler. 242/4701 3,549,299 12/1970 Rosen 242/47.12 3,606,975 9/1971 Rosen 242/47.12 3,637,149 1/1972 Frei 242/47.12

FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 3/1971 Germany 242/47.12

1,191,197 4/1965 Germany 242/4701 Primary Examiner-Stanley N. Gilreath Assistant Examiner-Milton S. Gerstein Attorney-Henry R. Lerner [57] ABSTRACT I There is disclosed a device for feeding a filament from a supply thereof to a machine wherein said filament may be used for knitting, weaving or spooling. A storage drum is fixedly mounted at one end thereof to a frame member. The filament is guided in a first direction, from a supply thereof to a position adjacent said one end of the drum, where it is wound about the drum to form a plurality of windings which advance in a second direction, opposite to said first direction,

2 Claims, 13 Drawing Figures 1 Jan. 1, 1974 PAIENIE JM 1 1974 sum 1 or 4 PATENTED H974 3,782,661

SHEET 3 IF 4 FIG. 5.

FILAMENT FEEDING AND STORAGE DEVICE CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This application is a continuation-in-part of our application Ser. No. 184,527, filed Sept. 28, 1971.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION The present invention relates to filament or yarn stor age and feeding devices used in association with textile producing apparatus, particularly knitting machines,

but relating as well to weaving and spooling apparatus.

In a knitting machine, the supply of yarn is in the form of a plurality of yarn coneswith the yarn being drawn from the cone by the needles. As yarn is drawn off the cone, it undergoes substantial variations in tension .due tothe manner in which the yarn package is formed on the cone and unwound therefrom. F urthermore, the yarn supplied from any one cone is likely to be under different tension from that supplied to the needles at the same time from any of the other cones, resulting in the production of goods which are nonuniform, inferior in quality, and often considered as being defective. Efforts have previouslybeen made to resolve the problems pointed out above byproviding an intermediate yarn storage device disposed between the yarn cone and the needles. Examples of such storage device are shown in US. Pat. Nos. 3,225,446 and 3,419,225, each of which discloses the use of a drum of substantially uniform diameter which isrotated so as to tangentially wind a predetermined quantity of yarn thereon, which yarn is subsequently withdrawn axially fromthe drum. In this way all of the yarn from the cone isrewound around the uniform diameter storage drum andybeing withdrawnaxially from the drum, the tension of the. yarn is reduced: to asnearzero as possible, withathe same condition simultaneously prevailingin all other yarns axially withdrawn, each from its own storage drum.

While said prior art storage devices constitute substantial improvement, they are not entirely free of deficiencies. More specifically, whilethe yarn tension condition" has beenmeasurably improved by the tangential winding about the rotating drum and axial withdrawing therefrom, new problems have arisen which contribute to the production of less than wholly uniform goods.

This isdue to the fact that the conditions under which the. yarn is wound onto and unwound from the storage feeder during the knitting process are continuously varying. For example, under one condition, the yarn is wound. onthe rotating storage drumat the same exact rate that the yarn is withdrawn, in which case thereis no twist imparted to-theyarn. Under another condition,

theyarniswithdrawn from the storage drum ata slower rate than that at which it is wound ontothestorage drum and in such conditionethere is a twist imparted yarn. in thesoppositedirection. Sinceduring the knitting.

processthese three conditions occur repeatedly, each yarn isfed at times with no twist, twist in onedirection, ortwist inthe oppositedirection, again causing theproduction' of goodswhich fall short of being entirely uniform.

\ thereof, namely, the end adjacent Another drawback of prior art storage feeders is that a relatively large motor is required since the motor drives the storage drum whose mass is not unsubstantial The prior art storage feeders have also proved to be less than entirely workable in other respects, including the manner in which the quantity of yarn wound onto the drum is controlled, the speed at which the drum can be rotated, the manner in which the rotational power for winding the yarn onto the drum is provided, as well as the presence of other deficien-cieswhich affect the performance and cost thereof. 1

Some of the drawbacks described above have been eliminated by providing a storagefeeder wherein the storage drum is prevented from undergoing any significant rotation, with the yarn being tangentially wound onto the storage drum by providing a yarn guide which rotates about the storage drum. By so winding the yarn onto the drum, there is deliberately imparted to the yarn stored on the drum a certain amountof twist.

Since the yarn, however, is always withdrawn from the drum whilethe latter is substantially stationary, the identical amount of twist is imparted in the opposite direction to the yarn during the withdrawal for a net effect of zero twist Anexample of such improved storage feeder is shown in application Ser. No. 136,939, assigned to the assignee hereof. One of the main problems encountered, however, in a storage feeder wherein the yarn is wound about a drum is that of keeping the drum relatively stationary, since the manner of winding and unwindingthe yarn onto the drum makes it impossible to fixedly support the drum in conventional manner. In our above" mentioned patent application Ser. No. 136,939, preventing rotation of. the storage drum' is accomplished by the .use of a weighted drum, or the useof an eccentrically mounted drum, or the use of planetary gearing. While saidmeans for preventing rotation, as well asmagnetic means, are technically feasible, they render the storage feeder relatively complex, cumbersomeand above all very costly SUMMARY. OF THE INVENTION.

site endof the drum where itreverses directiomtravels through the drum, and leaves the drum in a direction opposite tothedirection of movement of the accumulating yarn windings on the storage drum. Such withdrawalof the yarn by reversing its path from the outer periphery of the drum through the central aperture thereof defines a path forthe yarn which does not interfere with the mounting of the storage drum at one end which the winding takes place; a

Such arrangement further facilitates the overall manner for feedingthe'yarn to a yarn winding element, and providingthe rotational power to said winding means.

In addition, the inside of the drum, which is either hollow or centrally aperture d, defines a chamber for mountingthe means for controlling the rotation of the yarn winding means in order to maintain a predetermined quantity of stored yarn on the drum.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the storage feeder is easily converted to a positive feeder wherein yarn may be fed to a knitting machine at a fixed predetermined rate directly related to the rate of rotation of the knitting machine.

BRIEF DESCRIPTIONOF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a storage feeder in accordance with the invention, with parts broken away for purposes of illustration;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along lines 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a view taken along lines 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary view similar to FIG. 2, illustrating the operation of the switching device for controlling the storage feeder;

FIG. 5 is a schematic showing of an electrical circuit for controlling the quantity of yarn stored on the drum;

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 5 showing another means for controlling the operation of the storage feeder, in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary view similar to FIG. 6, further illustrating the operation of the controlling means;

FIG. 8 is a view similar to FIG. 2, showing another embodiment of the invention;

FIG. '9 is a view similar to FIG. 4, showing yet another embodiment of the invention;

FIG. I0 is a view similar to FIG. 1 but showing a modification of the invention enabling use thereof as a positive feeder;

FIG. 11 is a sectional view taken along lines l1ll of FIG.

FIG. 12 is a fragmentary portion, on an enlarged scale, of a modification of FIG. 10; and

FIG. 13 is a view similar to FIG. 8 but modified to enable the invention to be used as a positive feeder.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring now to the embodiments shown in FIGS. 1 through 4, numeral 10 identifies the storage feeder in accordance with the invention. The storage feeder 10 includes frame member 12 which is adapted in any suitable manner to be affixed to the knitting machine. Frame member 12 fixedly supports a tubular member 14 which, in turn, fixedly supports storage drum 16. Accordingly, when storage feeder 10 is mounted in position on the knitting machine by securing frame member 12 thereto, the storage drum 16 is fixed against any movement, rotational or otherwise. Storage drum 16, as best seen in FIG. 2, comprises a hollow cylindrical member closed at one end by wall 18 and open at its opposite end. Tubular member 14 extends through a central aperture in wall 18 and is then flanged as at 20 for securement to wall 18, in any conventional manner. It is understood that tubular member 14 and storage drum 16 could be formed as a unitary member rather than as two separate parts affixed to each other.

For reasons which will become clearer hereafter, the open end of storage drum 16 is provided with a peripheral annular member 22 of generally hemispheric cross section. Drum 16 is of generally uniform outer diameter which terminates, adjacent the closed end thereof into a generally conical section 24. A hollow cylindrical member 26 which envelops storage drum 16 is mounted for rotation about tubular member 14 by means of ball bearings 28. Cylindrical member 26 is apertured as at 30, generally confronting the conical section 24 of the storage drum. A yarn guide member 32 is provided on the outer periphery of member 26, adjacent the open end thereof. Yam from a supply thereof (not shown) is fed through a conventional yarn tensioning device 34 past yarn guide 36, through yarn guide 32 and aperture 30 where it is in confronting relation with the conical section 24 of the storage drum. Upon rotation of cylindrical member 26, the yarn passing through aperture 30 is wound upon the conical section 24 whereby the turns 37 wound onto the storage drum gradually move towards the free end of drum 16 as ro tation of cylindrical member 26 continues. While drum 16 is illustrated as having conical section 24 for advancing the windings on the drum, it will be understo? that other means may be provided on the drum for a vancing the yarn windings in the same direction, while still maintaining the drum, per se, fixedly mounted at one end thereof onto the frame as shown in FIG. 2. For example, the drum may be provided with portions which movably engage the yarn after it is wound thereon for advancing the windings on the drum, while the drum itself is fixedly mounted on the frame.

Withdrawal of the yarn from the storage drum 16 is effectuated as best illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, where the path of withdrawal is shown by the arrows. More specifically, under the pull exerted by the knitting machine needles, the yarn stored on drum 16 travels along the outer periphery of the storage drum towards its open end, around annular member 22 whereat the yarn reverses direction, through the hollow storage drum and the path defined within tubular member 14, and towards the knitting machine needles which exert the pull on the yarn.

It is seen, therefore, that cylindrical member 26 defines the means for winding the yarn about the fixed storage drum. In order to provide rotation for cylindrical member 26, it is provided with a gear 38 in mesh with gear 40 mounted for rotation on a shaft 42 supported in frame 12 by means ofball bearings 44. A

magnetic clutch 46 carried by the frame is adapted,

when energized, to interconnect shaft 42 with a shaft 48 which carries belt driven pulley 50. Accordingly, upon energization of magnetic clutch 46, as more fully discussed below, rotation of pulley 50 is transmitted to winding means 26 through the intermediary of meshing gears 38 and 40.

In order to control the minimum and maximum quantity of yarn to be stored on the storage drum, there is provided a feeler 52 resiliently urged outwardly of storage drum 16 through slot 54, as best shown in FIG. 3. F eeler 52 is mounted for pivotal movement as at 56 and is provided with a tail portion 58 movable therewith but electrically insulated therefrom. When feeler 52 projects through slot 54, (when such slot is not covered by yarn windings 37 as shown in FIG. 2,) tail portion 58 is in engagement with a contact element 60 secured to wall 18 of the storage drum. As the yarn is wound onto the storage drum, advancing the yarn windings 37 in an axial direction towards the open end of the storage drum, the leading windings will cover slot 54,

thereby urging feeler 52 inwardly, as best shown in FIG. 4, in which condition the pivotal movement of feeler 52 causes displacement of tail portion 58 from its engagement with contact element 60. When the windings grammar/ ea from the storage drum, and expose slot 54, feeler52lwill again be urged outwardly causing renewed contact between tail portion 58 and electrical it contact 60. Thus it is seen that tail portion 58 and electrical contact; 60 collectively define a switch whose opening and closing is a function of the yarn stored on the storage drum.

The operationof the switch defined by tail portion 58 of feeler 52 and electrical contact element 60 mounted on grounded storage drum 16 is shown in circuit diagram, FIG. 5. In accordance withthis circuit, the closing of switch 58-60 provides current flow from positive terminal of DC supply. 62 which is grounded, to contact element 60 which is equally grounded, through feeler tail portion 58, limiting resistor 64, charging condenser and back to negative terminal of DC supply 62. There is alsoa current path established through resistor 68, the triggering leg oftransistor amplifier 70, and back to the negative terminal of DC supply 62. Such current flow through the triggering circuit of transistor amplifier 70 renders 'the latter conductive with current I flow as follows: from grounded positive terminal of DC supply 62, to grounded terminal of relay 72, through transistor amplifier 70, and back to negative terminal of the DC supply. The resulting energization of relay 72 closes a pair ofconta cts 74 to energize magnetic clutch 46, causing winding means 26 to rotate about the drum to provide additional yarn thereon. As the winding of additional .ya rn onto the drum continues, ultimately reaching slot 54, the yarn will urge feeler 52 inwardly causing the opening of switch 58-60. This, however, will not immediately interrupt the conductivity of transistor amplifier 70 since the charge on condenser 66 .will "discharge into the triggering circuitof transistor amplifier 70 to maintaincurrent flow therethrough and ofthisarrangement provides for muchgreater control and f lexibility in the utilization of the storage feeder. FlG.4 showsthe condition ofthe storage feederupon expirationof the timedelay,in which-conditiona predetermined maximum amount of yarn has been stored While FlGfs illustrates an electronic time delay circuit for selectively controlling the amount of yarn wound onthe drum, such time delaycan be obtained,

within the scope ofthis invention by other types of electricalorelectronic circuits, as well as by mechanical or thermal means, all of whieh can provide a selective andadjustable time delay forthe aforementioned purposes.

" 1 FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrate another means for controlling the minimumand maximum quantity of yarn'to be stored on the storage drum. More specifically, the fixed storage drum 16 is p rovide dadjacent end wall 18 thereof with a photocell 76 and at the opposite end thereof, within the hollowness of annular member 22,

of which intersect at a point 84 along the inner surface of winding means 26; In this connection, it is understoodthat the inner surface of winding means 26 is generally light reflecting and, since winding means 26 is adapted to rotate, point84defines a circle along the inner periphery of said winding means. In acg dance with the arrangement of FIG. 6, the light ray ing from light source 78 will be reflected off the inner surface of winding means 26 and impinge upon photocell 76 to activate the latter. Thus, elements 76-78 define a switch which is the equivalent of previously described switch 58- 60 in FIG. 5 operating in precisely the same manner. When the added turns wound onto the storage drum cover slot 80, as shown in FIG. 7,

of the storage drum. Sucharrangement has been found desirable because it prevents any entanglement between the winding means, which rotates intermittently, and the yarn wolmd onto the drum and travelling during its withdrawal from the drum. More specifically, the

rapid rate of withdrawal of the yarn may, under certain circumstances, provide aballooningeffect, and, with thearrangement described above, any ballooning yarn engages the smooth inner surface, of the winding membe r, thus preventing any undesirable entanglement.

conical section 24 of the storage drum. Rotation 00f winding means 26 is accomplished precisely in. the

same manner as previously described in connection with winding means 26 for winding the yarn onto the storagedrum. Such arrangement can be as effective as that shown inthe embodiment of FIG. 2 wherel the speeds involved and spacing between winding means,

andfixed drum are such that no entagnlement islikely to occur. l i

As has been shown in "theembodiments of FIGS. 1 and 2, annular member 22 defines the meanscfor guidingthe yarn duringthe reversal of its direction as it is withdrawn. Accordingly, annular member 22 has a Smooth outer surface which is shaped so as to provide the change of direction to the yarn in a gradual manner. Furthermore, annular member 22 also controls the path of the yarn inside the drum, thereby defining within thehollowness of the storage drum a chamber free and clear from the path ofmovementof the withdrawn yarn. Suchchamber is desirable as itprovides theroom for mounting themeans for sensing the quantity of yarn onthe storage-drumasshown in FIGS. 2 and 6. It will be understood however, that, from a functional standpoint, the outer rim of the storage drum, as best shown in the embodiment of FIG. 9, could be sufficiently smooth andchave sufficient curvature as shown at 22' to satisfactorily. guide the yarn during its reversal as it is beingwithdrawn. As shown in FIG. 9, such arrangment would still provide sufficient room inside drum 16 for mounting feeler 52 and its associated mechanism;

The most salient feature of the subject invention,

present in all the embodiments described and illustrated herein, is the provision of a storage drum which is absolutely stationary by fixedly mounting it directly onto the frame. Such arrangement has heretofore not seemed possible because of the resulting problems of entanglement of the yarn either prior to its winding onto the drum, during its withdrawal from the drum, or both. This has been resolved in accordance with all the embodiments of the present invention by regulating the path of travel of the yarn in such a way that there is no possible interference with the travel of the yarn, while still maintaining the drum fixed in a most effective most economical manner, namely, by fixing one end thereof to the frame. In this connection, reference is made to FIG. 1 from which it is clear that the yarn which is fed from beyond the free end of the drum is guided by the winding means 26 (or 26') to the end of the drum which is secured to the frame. As the winding means rotate about the stationary drum to form the stored windings upon the drum, there is clearly no in terference from the yarn supply, nor any problem created by the fact that the end adjacent which Wino-2: takes place is fixed, since the as they formed, move as a body towards the free end of the drum. As the yarn is withdrawn, it is evident from FIG. 1 that it moves along the outer periphery of the drum 30 in a path which is clearly spaced and thus in noninterfering relation with the yarn supply. When the yarn reaches the free end of the drum, it reverses direction and passes internally of the drum, through an aper ture in the frame, as it is being pulled by the needles. Thus, the final path of the withdrawing yarn totally removed from the yarn supply, and from the rotating winding means, without however creating any problem in withdrawing the yarn from the feeding device, directly through the frame, in a direction opposite to the direction of yarn supply, as desired, for normal operation of the storage feeder.

The simplicity of construction and of operation render the subject invention highl effective as well as extremely economical. Further, and with reference to FIG. 2, it will be noted that the arrangement of the subject storage feeder is such .hat drive means for winding means 26, or as, a: ldirecrly onto the side of the frame the side which carries the winding means ano storage drum, again without interference with the yarn supply or the withdrawn yarn, since the latter exits the feeding device through tubular member 14, and is thus isolated from the drive means. It will be noted, with reference to FIG. 2, that instead of using belt driven pulley 58 for driving winding means 26, through magnetic clutch 46, the shaft 4-8 can be connected directly o drive motor, or to another type of clutching While the embodiments c. L9 have been described in connection with yarn being fed to a knitting machine, the same embodiments are applicable for use in connection with yarn filarn" t being fed to weaving apparatus or to a spooling a n this tion the yarn or filament" rreci to herein may be made of naturalv or synthetic fibers or may be metallic.

It will also be noted that in all the embodiments of FIGS. 1-9, the f lament travels in a first direction (downwardly viewing FIGS. 1 and 2) toward a position adjacent the end of the drum which is fixedly mounted, at which end the filament is wound onto said drum forming windings which advance in a second direction, opposite the first direction (upwardly viewing FIGS. 1 and 2). The wound filament is then drawn off and proceeds in the second direction up to the other end of the drum, where it reverses direction, travelling through the internal passage of the drum and an aperture in the frame member, thereby proceeding again in the first direction towards the machine to which the stored filament is fed. in this connection, it will be understood that the characterization of the first and second direction as used herein is not limited to geometrically linear directions which are precisely apart from each other but directions which are generally opposed to each other, such as upwardly and downwardly as shown in the illustrated embodiments, or from left to right and from right to left if the device of FIG. 1 were mounted so that the axis of the drum was horizontal instead of vertical.

The embodiments of FIGS. 1 through 9 illustrate the invention used as a storage feeder wherein a predetermined quantity of filament is always available to be withdrawn axially of the storage drum at a rate and at intervals such as may be demanded by the machine requiring such filament. Certain knitting applications, however, require positive feeding of yarn, i.e., the continuous feeding of yarn at a predetermined rate which is directly proportional to the speed of the knitting machine. An example of a positive yarn feeding device is shown in US, Pat. No. 3,090,215 wherein the yarn fed to the knitting machine passes between a roller and a tape whose linear speed is directly related to the speed of the knitting machine.

In accordance with the present invention, the feeding device described in FIGS. 1 through 9 is easily converted to a positive feeding device as best shown in FIGS. 10 through 13. In FIGS. ll) and 11, there is shown a filament feeding device identical in all respects to that shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, except-only for the provision in cylindrical member 26, the filament winding member, of an aperture 92 through which the filament leaving the drum passes before entering the passage within the storage drum 16, as shown. Accordingly, it is clear that member 26 which winds the yarn onto one end of drum l6 simultaneously unwinds the yarn passing through aperture 92, and at exactly the same speed. Thus, yarn is being fed to the knitting machine at a fixed and uniform rate, since the presence on the drum of a plurality of yarn windings prevents any slippage thereof. Since in any positive yarn feeding application the rate of yarn supply is related to the rotation of the knitting machine, pulley 50 is belt or tape driven by drive means directly related to the rotation of the knitting machine. lt will also be understood that when the device operates as a positive feeding device, member 26 must be continuously rotating, with the yarn being tangentially wound onto the drum at exactly the same rate as it is beingunwound by the drum, while maintaining constant the amount of yarn on the drum. Such continuous rotation will prevail by unwinding the yarn from the drum when the number of windings thereon is insufficient to activate feeler 52, as shown in FIGS.

it and 11. Continuous rotation can also be maintained by providing in the circuitry of FIG. 5 a switch across switch sass which is closed when the device is intended to operate as a positive feeding device thus shorting out switch 58-60 and maintaining magnetic clutch 46 continuously energized throughout the operation of the feeding device as a positive feeder.

Thus it is seen that by merely threading the withdrawing yarn through aperture 92 in the winding member and maintaining continuous rotation of winding member 26, the storage feeder of FIGS. 1 and 2 has been converted to a positive yarn feeding device. In this connection, it will be noted that aperture 92 may be provided with a narrow slit extending to a peripheral edge of the winding member to enable threading through aperture 92 without breaking the yarn, with i i the mouth of the slit being appropriately closed by plug 96 after threading has been effectuated as shown in the modification of FIG. 12.

It will be noted that the general filament path when the device is used as a positive feeder is similar to the path of the filament when the device is used as a storage feeder, wherein there is no interference between the yarn, supply to be wound onto the drum and the yarn being unwound from the drum. While aperture 92 is shown in FIGS. 10 and 11 as situated diametrically opposite to yarn guidemember 32, such is not necessary as the two may be situated in much greater proximity to each other without creating any entanglement or interference.

Referring now to FIG. 13, there is shown an embodirnent similar toFIG. 8 wherein winding member 88 is provided at its free end with an inner guide aperture 98 through which the yarn is fed for converting. the embodiment of FIG. .8 into a positive feeding device. In such embodiment, though the yarn being wound is in close proximity to the yarn being unwound by winding means 88, there is no entanglement therebetween.

Thus, it is seen that the novel filament feeding device in accordance with all of the preferred embodiments are easily convertible from a storage feeder in which the stored yarn is withdrawn axially or endwise into a positive feeding device in which the filament is positively unwound at a uniform rate.

While there is herein shown and described the preferred embodiments of the invention, it will be undetstood that the invention may be embodied otherwise than as herein specifically illustrated or described, and that in the illustrated embodiments certain changes in the details of construction and in the form and arrangement of parts may be made without departing from the 10 underlying idea or principles of this invention within the scope of the appended claims. l

Having thus described our invention, what we claim and desire to secure by letters patent is:

l. A device for positively feeding yarn from a yarn package to a textile producing machine, comprising:

a. a frame adapted for securement to said machine,

b. a yarn storagemember,

c. support means having a passage therethrough fixedly mounted on said frame means and having secured thereto said storage member with one of its ends proximate to said frame member and the other of its ends distal thereto, whereby said storage member is fixed against rotation relative to said frame member,

d. yarn winding means mounted for rotation on said support means between said frame member and said storage member, and having first yarn guide means for winding said yarn about said storage member adjacent said one end thereof, for forming on said storage member a plurality of yarn windings which advance toward the other end of the storage member, said yarn being withdrawn from said yarn package in response to the rotation of said yarn winding means,

e. said yarn winding means having second yarn guide means spaced from said first means and movable in unison therewith for unwinding said filament at the same angular velocity as the winding velocity,

f. said storage member having an internal passage in communication with the passage through said support means whereby the yarn unwound from said storage member travels toward the other end of said storage member, reverses direction, and enters said passages in said storage member and said support means, respectively, as said yarn is delivered to said machine,

g. said yarn winding means comprising sleeve means extending axially of said storage member and substantially covering the yarn windings on the drum, and said first and second yarn guide means being adjacent the opposite ends, respectively, of said sleeve means.

2. A device in accordance with claim 1 wherein there is further provided means carried by said frame member for rotating said yarn winding means.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3,782,661 Dated January 1, 1974 Inventor(s) Jose Castillo Deniega and Edward M. Teilerman It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Column 10., line 41, "drum" should read storage member Signed and sealed this 30th day of July 1974.

(SEAL) Attest:

MCCOY M. GIBSON; i i C. MARSHALL DANN Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patehts Foam PO-10S0 (10-69) USCOMM-DC GO376-P 69 U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE IQ! O3i33|

Claims (2)

1. A device for positively feeding yarn from a yarn package to a textile producing machine, comprising: a. a frame adapted for securement to said machine, b. a yarn storage member, c. support means having a passage therethrough fixedly mounted on said frame means and having secured thereto said storage member with one of its ends proximate to said frame member and the other of its ends distal thereto, whereby said storage member is fixed against rotation relative to said frame member, d. yarn winding means mounted for rotation on said support means between said frame member and said storage member, and having first yarn guide means for winding said yarn about said storage member adjacent said one end thereof, for forming on said storage member a plurality of yarn windings which advance toward the other end of the storage member, said yarn being withdrawn from said yarn package in response to the rotation of said yarn winding means, e. said yarn winding means having second yarn guide means spaced from said first means and movable in unison therewith for unwinding said filament at the same angular velocity as the winding velocity, f. said storage member having an internal passage in communication with the passage through said support means whereby the yarn unwound from said storage member travels toward the other end of said storage member, reverses direction, and enters said passages in said storage member and said support means, respectively, as said yarn is delivered to said machine, g. said yarn winding means comprising sleeve means extending axially of said storage member and substantially covering the yarn windings on the drum, and said first and second yarn guide means being adjacent the opposite ends, respectively, of said sleeve means.

2. A device in accordance with claim 1 wherein there is further provided means carried by said frame member for rotating said yarn winding means.

Images