9296. Meurs, G. van. April 24. Thread - guides; anti - ballooning arrangements; guards and covers; rollers.-Relates to ring-andtraveller frames for spinning wool, cotton, waste, &c. The thread passes between the ordinary roller 1, Fig. 5, and the pressure roller 2, which is grooved cross-wise, or covered with leather, caoutchouc, fine emery, or the like, so as to present a surface wholly or partly checkered, or rough. It then passes through the large opening 7 of the hinged board 6 to the spindle 3. The effect of the large opening 7 is to cause "balloons" " of the thread both above and below the board 6, so as to cause regular twisting of the thread up to the_rollers, On the ring plate are arranged rings 13 superposed on rings 14 for the large cops 15, and smaller rings 34 for smaller cops 16, all the rings being provided with suitable travellers. Alternate spindles are raised to a slightly different level from the others by washers 17. Thread separators 19 are provided, which are shown of a rectangular shape, but may be of a rounded section and fitted with a hinged loop to act instead of the opening 7. The separator may also be made in two sliding parts 163, 164, Fig. 16, funnelled and fitted with rings at the top and bottom, and also with a central anti-ballooning ring 165. If a thread breaks, a certain length is wound off the cop 15, passed under the ring traveller, slipped into the opening 7 through the slit 11 and held by the notch 20, loop 21, or eyelet 22, until attached to the strand from the rollers. Hinged hooks may also be used to hold the thread. The bent wire 25 and ring 166 may be attached to the lower part of the separator. Long elastic bristles 26 are secured to the supports 27, horizontally or inclined, and serve to reduce the opening 7 and catch a broken thread. They may also be arranged near the rollers, or inside the anti-ballooning ring. The bristles may be replaced by horizontal metal, or smoothed sewing or other threads held, so as not to slide, by loops 168. For soft woolly threads, the openings 7 are made large, and for warp threads they are made smaller. Variable openings 42 are shown in Fig. 17, the size being adjusted by nuts 41 whereby the sliding rods 36, 37 and the attached arms 33, 35 may be moved. The arms may be raised separately or together by the handle 47. Sliding boards may be used instead of the arms 33, 35. Boards may be used with openings, into or round which are screwed, or otherwise fitted, rings of metal, porcelain, or other material, whichrings may be of various sizes. Also to the boards may be pivoted three arms with different sized rings at their ends, any one of which may be turned into position for use, or two, three, or four hinged boards with different sized openings may be arranged so that any one may be used, or a sliding board may have different sized openings and be moved sideways to bring any one into position. To alter the size of openings, in the construction shown in Fig. 17, as the cops increase in diameter, a contrivance, Fig. 34, may be used, in which a lever 120 receives a to-andfro motion from a cam or eccentric, or from the motion of the ring plate or of the spindles, and by a pawl 119 actuates a ratchet-wheel 118 attached to an internally screwed pinion 121, gearing with another similar pinion 123, so that the screwed extensions 122, 124 of the rods 36, 37 are moved to enlarge the openings 42 as the rings rise, or as the cops become wound. Initial adjustment is effected by the handle 125. The rods 36, 37, Fig. 17, may be reciprocated longitudinally so as to enlarge and diminish the openings 42 as the ring rail rises and falls, by connecting them to rods 129, Fig. 35, actuated by the oscillating disc 126. Also a combination of the arrangements shown in Figs. 34 and 35 may be used whereby the size of the openings 42 may be permanently altered, and also varied as the winding takes place on the various diameters of the cop chase.