1,022,494. Winding yarns; sorting and supplying bobbins; doffing; automatic looms. LEESONA CORPORATION. Aug. 6, 1963 [Oct. 18,1962], No. 30930/63. Headings DID, D1E; D1F and D1J. According to the invention an automatic bobbin winding machine includes means whereby any one of two or more different yarns from separate sources of supply can be automatically selected for presentation to the winding mechanism. The machine operates over preset cycles of time and includes means whereby even though one yarn may have a different count from another the resulting wound bobbins are all of the same diameter. This control is achieved by causing means performing a fixed traverse stroke to move in incremental steps along the bobbin, the incremental steps depending upon the yarn count. The wound bobbins are automatically delivered to the correct ones of several magazine compartments according to the nature of the material on the wound bobbins and the next material to be wound in automatically determined by the bobbins that are needed most in the storage magazine. The yarn carriers, one for each yarn, are constituted by a plurality of arcuate arms supported on a movable slide or carriage. The arms are adapted to rotate individually whereby each, upon an appropriate signal, may present a particular type of yarn to the bobbin to be wound. The arms are supported on a movable slide or carriage so that each arm may be slid to a suitable position with its given type of yarn in order to deliver the yarn to the bobbin and the yarn traversing means. Yarn traverse. The reciprocating movement of the traversing rod 22, Fig. 1 (not shown), is shifted incrementally towards the tip end of the bobbin as the winding proceeds. The incremental movement is initiated by an oscillating ratchet drive or oneway clutch 160, Fig. 5 (not shown). The one-way clutch 160 is rocked intermittently by a two-armed lever 40 pivoted at 41. Lever 40 is rocked clockwise by a spring 44 and anticlockwise by a cam 49. The clockwise movement is limited by an adjustable screw 47. Mounted on a slide 51 are a plurality of the screw 47, there being one screw for each type of yarn count. The slide 51 can be displaced to bring any one of the screws 47 into alignment with the lever 40 to vary the extent to which the one-way clutch mechanisms 160 is rocked. In this manner the incremental movement or building motion of the reciprocating rod 22 can be predetermined according to the type of yarn to be wound to ensure that for the same period of time the resultant packages will all be of the same diameter irrespective of the count of the yarn being wound. The slide 51 is mounted on a carriage 52. The means for reciprocating the rod 22 constitutes no part of the invention. Yarn carrier mechanism. Each of the various yarns available for winding are carried by individual arms 91A, 91B, 91C, Figs. 1 and 7, mounted on a movable carriage 81. The carriage 81 is geared to the slide 51 so that when a fresh screw 47 is aligned with the lever 40 the corresponding yarn arm 91 will be at a setting where it can move across the bobbin to deliver the selected yarn to a gripper 130 and in a manner causing the yarn to be snagged by the bobbin and engaged by the yarns traversing arm 21, Fig. 1. The arm 91 is then moved to a retracted position Fig. 12 (not shown) until such time as the winding is completed whereupon the arm 91 will move forward a fraction, Fig. 13 (not shown) to cut the yarn and grip the yarn end extending from the supply. Each arm 91 has a toothed hub 98, Fig. 9 (not shown) and when an arm 91 has been moved to its operative setting its toothed hub 98 will be aligned with a rack bar 100 that is then reciprocated to cause the arm G1 geared thereto to be moved as described above. The rack bar 100 has a pin 105 that extends into a cam slot 137 Fig. 21 (not shown), the cam slot being reciprocated at the start of a fresh winding cycle to reciprocate the rack bar 100. Selecting yarn to be wound. After a package has been wound and doffed and replaced by an empty bobbin the two carriages 52 and 81 are both moved to the left in Figs. 7 and 8 (Fig. 8 is not shown). Prior to the return movement of the two carriages toward the right, with ensuing movement of a coupling bar 90 to the left, unless the several compartments of a bobbin magazine 165, Figs. 2 and 16 (not shown) are all filled, the compartment having the lowest supply of wound bobbins will automatically trigger one of several serially positioned stops 123 to a position for engagement with a notch 122 in the bar 90. The motion of the bar 90 is thus arrest ed and the resultant setting of the bar 90 ensures that the appropriate screw 47 is aligned with the lever 40 and the appropriate arm 91 is aligned with the winding position. Bobbin sorting and storing. The wound bobbins roll down a stationary chute 180, Fig. 16, and drop into a movable receptacle 172. The receptacle is then moved to the right until a latch 16, Fig. 20 (not shown), supporting a trap door 181 of the receptacle 172 engages one of a plurality of stops 185 that can be selectively positioned in the path of the receptacle 172, there being one stop 185 for each of a plurality of magazine compartments 170A to 170D. This engagement stops the movement of the receptacle and causes the latch to be withdrawn from under the trap door so that the wound bobbin drops into the selected compartment according to the colour, count or other nature of the yarn on the bobbin. Thereafter the trap door is returned to its closed setting by a spring, the catch means repositions itself below the trap door, and the receptacle 172 returns to the setting illustrated in Fig. 16. The doffed bobbin is initially supported by a shelf 215 biassed upwardly by spring means 220 but is rocked downwardly at the proper time by the cycle cam shaft 170 (not shown in Fig. 16) rocking the lever 195. Sensing and control mechanism. As illustrated in Fig. 16, each of the magazine compartments 170A to 170D includes a plurality of two-way switches 225, one for each possible bobbin in each compartment. When the magazines are all full the switches, arranged as illustrated in Fig. 22 (not shown) will all be at a first setting and this will cause a cycle clutch control solenoid 230 to be energized in a manner disrupting its drive to the cycle shaft 70 and so stop further winding. If the top bobbin in magazine 170C is absent the corresponding switch 225 will move to its second setting as illustrated in Fig. 22 and this will cause solenoid 246C to retract its plunger 248 and so trigger one of the aforementioned stops 123 to a position for engagement with the notch 122 in the bar 90 to ensure that the appropriate screw 47, Fig. 5, is aligned with the lever 40 and the appropriate arm 91 Fig. 7, is aligned with the winding position. At the same time the solenoid 247C is energized to cause its plunger 185 to project to a " stop" position and so ensure that when the wound bobbin is delivered to the receptacle 172 it will be dropped into magazine compartment 170C. If two or more switches 225 are actuated at the same time the one that is lowermost will have precedence over all those above it as this will cause the energizing current to by-pass the switches beyond it. Similarly if there are two or more switches actuated at the same time in one horizontal row the switch that is furthest to the left in Fig. 22 will take precedence over the other switches in that row. Bobbin doffing and donning. After the winding of a bobbin has been completed the cycling shaft 70 has its drive initiated through the one revolution clutch to cause the tail-stock 14, Fig. 1, to retract to release the bobbin just wound, while grip arms 16, Figs. 1 and 7, commence their travel to replace the wound bobbin with a new bobbin from the empty bobbin rack 15. During this period the particular yarn carrier arm 91, Fig. 7, which has carried the yarn to the bobbin just completed will be partially projected and then immediately retracted back to its starting position so that it may sever the yarn extending from the bobbin and clamp the yarn leading from the supply. The wound bobbin drops onto a shelf 215 (see Bobbin sorting and storing) and the near bobbin'will then be placed between and damped by the head stock 12 and tail stock 14. The selection and winding of the next yarn then commences as described above. Loom. The winding mechanism is intended to be associated with a loom for operation in conjunction with the weaving mechanism and the weft replenishing or filling changing means of the loom. In Fig. 16 the selected wound bobbin in the bobbin magazine 165 is delivered to a shuttle S by a hammer 171 actuated by the loom.