US1039285A - Thread guide and clearer. - Google Patents

Description

L. T. HOUGHTON.

THREAD GUIDE AND GLEARER.

APPLICATION FILED 001". 12, 1001.

1,039,285. Patented Sept. 24, 1912.

LEWIS T. HOUGHTON, 0F WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS.

THREAD GUIDE AND CLEARER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 24, 1912.

Application filed October 12, 1907. Serial No. 397,122.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LEWIS T. HoUGH'roN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Worcester, in the county of Worcester and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Thread Guides and Clearers, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawing, is a specification, like letters on the drawing representing like parts.

This invention relates to thread-guides and clearers for spooling machines, and it has for its objects to provide a novel construction by which the jaws of the thread guide can be quickly and easily cleaned from any lint which accumulates thereon, and also to provide a novel way of adjusting the jaws toward and from each other to secure the desired width of thread-receiving slot between the jaws. Since the object of the clearer when in use is to act on and remove motes, bunches, etc., from the yarn as it is being spooled, it necessarily follows that the jaws of the clearer become clogged with lint and other impurities after a comparatively short time. Where the two jaws are rigidly and immovably secured together as is the case in may types of clearers, it is a somewhat difficult operation to properly clean them from the lint which has gathered thereon.- In order to permit the ready clearing of the jaws, I have, in my present embodiment, pivotally mounted one of the jaws to turn about an axis perpendicular to the other jaw, so that the pivoted jaw may be swung away from the other jaw to permit the lint to be readily wiped from both jaws. The pivoted jaw is also acted on by a suitable spring which tends to force it away from the fixed Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 1

showing a different embodiment of my in ventlon; Flg. 5 1s a top plan View of Fig. 4. The thread-guide herein shown comprises,

as usual, a fixed jaw 3 and a cooperating jaw 4. The fixed jaw has extending therei from the two clamping feet '5 and 6 which are adapted to embrace the supporting rod 7 which forms part of the spooler, and on which the thread-guides are usually sustained, said feet being clamped to the rod by means of a clamping screw 8. These feet are preferably made of sheet metal pressed into shape and each is substantially U-shape in cross section, as clearly shown in Fig. 2, wherein the foot 5 is shown in cross section. The side flanges of each foot are extended to form toes which extend through apertures formed in the jaw 3, as clearly seen in Figs. 2, 3 and 5. These toes are curved slightly so that after they are inserted through the openings in the jaw and the feet are brought together in position to clamp about the rod 7, the jaw will be held on the feet. The jaw 3 constitutes the fixed jaw of the thread-guide, and the two jaws form between them the thread-receiving groove 9 through which the thread 10 passes, all as usual. The jaw 4 is pivotally mounted to turn about an axis at right angles to the thread-receiving groove 9, thus permitting said jaw 4 to be swung out of line with the jaw 3, as shown in dotted lines Fig. 3, thereby carrying the edges 11 and 12 of said jaws away from each other, so that any lint which accumulates on said jaws can be readily wiped therefrom. The jaw 4 may be sustained in various ways to permit this swinging movement thereof. In Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the jaw 4 is carried by a pivotal pin 13 which is journaled in bearings 14 carried by the fixed jaw 3, said pin preferably being headed at its lower end, as at 15, to prevent its being withdrawn from the bearings. Said pivotal pin also extends through ears 16 formed on the jaw 4, and the upper end of the pin is threaded and has applied thereto an adjusting nut 17 a washer 18 preferably being confined between the nut 17 and the top flange 16. A spring 19 surrounds the pin 13 and is confined between the lower bearing 14 and the upper flange 16, said spring serving to hold the jaws separated as far as permitted by the position of the nut 17. The width of the tlu-ead-receiving groove 9 can thus be adjusted by screwing the nut 17 up or down on the pin 13. In the embodiment of the invention shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the spring 19 also acts normally to keep the pivoted jaw 4 in line with the fixed jaw 3, and for this purpose one end 20 of said spring is arranged to bear against the fixed jaw 3 and the other end 21 of said spring being connected to the pivoted jaw 4, while the two ends of the spring are coiled in opposite directions about the pivotal rod, and at the central portion the spring is bent, as at 22, to engage the edges 11 and 12. The spring is wound about the pivotal rod in such a way that the tension thereof holds the part 22 against the edges 11 and 12 and thus normally maintains the pivoted jaw in operative position, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. When the pivoted jaw 4 is swung into the dotted line position Fig. 3, however, the edge 12 of said jaw, by engagement with the part 22 of the spring, places the spring under greater tension so that as soon as the jaw is released, the spring will return said jaw to its initial position. The pivoted jaw 4 is provided with the lip 24 which when the two jaws are in alinement with each other, e11- gages an arm 25 extending upwardly from the fixed jaw, as shown in full lines Fig. 3, said lip serving as a stop for the pivoted In the embodiment shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the pivoted jaw 4 is mounted to turn in the opposite direction from that shown in Fig. 3, or away from the supporting rod 7, as shown in dotted lines Fig. 5. In this embodiment said jaw is also mounted on the pivotal pin 13, which is rotatably supported in bearings 14 carried by the fixed jaw and passes through bearings 16 formed on the pivoted jaw. The lower end of said rod 13 is headed at 15 and the upper end has applied thereto the clamping nut 17, all as described with reference to Figs. 1, 2 and 3.

A spring 19 is also coiled about the pivotal pin 13, one end of said spring bearing against the fixed jaw 3 and also against the' lower bearing 14 thereof, and the other end of said spring engaging and being connected to the upper bearing 16 of the pivoted jaw 4, whereby the spring holds the jaws separated as far as permitted by the stop nut 17. In this embodiment, however, the pivoted aw 4 is provided with a lip 24 which is situated on the inside of the arm 25, as shown in Fig. 5, said lip limiting the swinging movement of the jaw 4 toward the supporting rod 7. Said jaw is normally held in its operative position by means of a suitable spring-pressed catch 26, which is adapted to engage the lip 24 and lock the jaw against movement. This catch is shown as having a pin 27 projecting therefrom by which it may be released from the lip 24 when it is desired to swing the jaw 4 int-o the dotted line position for cleaning the edges 11 and 12 of said jaws.

In both the embodiments herein shown, both the jaws 3 and 4 and the feet 5 and 6 are made of sheet metal pressed or stamped into shape, and I prefer this construction because it makes a very light article. lVhere the jaws are made in this way, the sheet metal is bent at the edges of the jaws to form flanges30, which flanges may be increased in width at the points 14, 16 to form the bearings for the pivotal pin 13.

I have not attempted to illustrate herein all embodiments of my invention, but have simply described two of the preferred embodiments.

Having described my invent-ion, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. A thread guide and clearer comprising two jaws forming between them a threadreceiving groove, one of said jaws being pivotally mounted to turn about an axis at right angles to said groove, and a spring tending normally both to hold said jaws separated and to hold the pivoted jaw in line with the fixed jaw.

2. In a thread guide, the combination with a fixed aw having a thread-guiding edge, of a pivotal pin supported by said jaw and extending upwardly therefrom, a pivoted jaw sustained by said pivotal pin, said pivoted jaw having two arms, one on its top and the other on its bottom edge through which the pivotal pin extends, and a spring encircling said pin and engaging the upper arm of the pivoted jaw and tending to hold the pivoted jaw in its normal position and to separate said jaws, said pivoted jaw being provided with astop projecting beyond the pivotal pin for engagement with the fixed jaw to limit the swinging movement of the pivoted jaw.

3. In a thread guide, the combination with a fixed jaw having a thread-guiding edge. of a pivotal pin supported by said jaw and extending upwardly therefrom, a pivoted jaw sustained by said pin, a spring encircling said pin and tending normally both to hold said jaws separated and to hold the pivoted jaw in alinement with the fixed jaw, said pivoted jaw having a stop projecting beyond the pivotal pin and adapted to engage the fixed jaw to limit the swinging movement of the pivoted aw.

4. In a thread-guide and clearer, the combination with a fixed jaw having a threadguiding edge, of a pivotal pin journaled in said jaw and extending at right angles to said edge, a pivoted jaw mounted on said pin, said pin having an adjusting nut for adjusting the width of the thread-receiving groove between the jaws, and a spring encircling said pin and acting .on the jaws to yieldingly hold them separated to the extent determined by the position of the adjusting nut.

5. In a thread guide, the combination with two jaws, of two clamping feet, both of which have projections extending through apertures in one of the jaws and which are adapted to embrace a supporting rod, and a claimping screw to clamp the feet about the r0 6. In a thread guide, the combination with two connected jaws between which the thread is adapted to pass, of two clamping feet each having curved toes 60 extending through apertures in one of the jaws, and a clamping screw to clamp said feet together about a supporting rod.

7. In a thread guide, the combination with two jaws, each having a lateral flange at both its top and bottom edge, of a pivotal pin extending through all of said flanges, a

- spring encircling said pin for its full length,

part'of said spring being bent into U-shape to engage the adjacent flanges of the two jaws.

8. In a thread guide, the combination with two jaws, of two clamping feet, both of which have two projections extending through apertures in one of the jaws with the projections on one foot curved oppositely to those on the other foot, said feet being adapted to embrace a supporting rod, and means to clamp the feet about said rod.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

LEWIS T. HOUGI-ITON.

\Vitnesses:

LoUIs C. SMITH, Bnnrrm I HnUsER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. G."

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