US2470549A - Textile thread carrier - Google Patents

Description

y 1949- c. K. DUN LAP 2,470,549

TEXTILE THREAD CARRIER Filed April 1, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet l 11 J1 1* 12 17 1Q 12 A 17 l .2 v

2 z 4 4 i i i 3nventor (Ittorneg May 17, 1949. c. K. DUNLAP TEXTILE THREAD CARRIER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 1, 1946 INVENTOR.

67/4/9115? A. DUN/17p I by thread windings placed on the carrier.

Patented May 11, 1949 TEXTILE THREAD cumma Charles K. Dunlap, Hartlville, 8. 0., assignor to Sonoco Products Company, a corporation of South Carolina Application April 1, 1946, Serial No. 658,842

Claims. (0]. 242-118) 1 This invention relates to textile thread 'carriers' such as spools and bobbins, and more particularly to such carriers of the type having a cylindrical body or barrel fitted with tapered or conical end portions forming heads on the barrel.

Thread carriers of the above mentioned type are used extensively in the textile industry, and are commonly constructed of paper or similar fibrous material, because inexpensive, lightweight carriers can be manufactured from such material. Heretofore it has been usual to form the carriers by adapting a fibrous tubular body as the cylindrical barrel member and fitting this body with conical elements of the same material at the ends. The carriers are conventionally re-;

ferred to as spools when the conical elements are,

fitted to form heads at each end of the cylindrical barrel, and as bobbins when only one head or base is provided.

A. principal problem in the manufacture of textile thread carriers of this type arises from I the difficulty encountered in fitting the tapered or conical end portions properly on the tubular bodies or barrels. These end portions must in the first place be adequately secured on the barrels so that they will not shift or become dislodged under the substantial pressure exerted At the same time the joint between the conical end portions and the cylindrical barrel must be smooth. If any perceptible shoulder or gap is presented at this point, the thread windings will tendto pile up at the joint and roll upon one another so that they become locked which results,

in breakage upon unwinding.

This problem is well recognized in the industry and a number of arrangements have heretofore been proposed for fitting the end portions on the tubular barrel to avoid the above mentioned difficulties. All of these proposals, however, insofar as I am aware have contemplated fitting separate end portions on the barrels, and with such an arrangement the allowable tolerances in fitting the parts is so strict that these proposals have not been well adapted for large scale manufacture.

According to the present invention a textile thread carrier is provided comprising a fibrous tubular body formed-with integral conical end portions, which not only obviates the problem of securing the end portions in place but also eliminates any joint between the end portions and the tubular barrel so that the above mentioned production diiiiculties are avoided. The integral conical end portions are formed as described more in detail. below by folding the fibrous tubular body or barrel at intervals parallel with its longitudinal axis but in a longitudinal extent terminating short of each end of the body. The folds thus formed result in contracting the tubular body diametrically except as the folds terminate short of the ends of the body to produce integral conical end portions. These folds have the further characteristic of forming reinforcing ribs-which provide a sturdy and serviceable carrier structure.-

Another feature of the present invention is that the above mentioned ribbed construction is also well adapted for forming thread cores for use in dyeing operations, as pointed out more in detail below. f

My invention is illustrated .in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is an elevation of a textile thread carrier constructed in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a section taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an elevation, partly in section, showing a modified embodiment in which an inner reinforcing sleeve is provided;

Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4-4 ofFig. 3;

Fig. 5 is an elevation, partly in section, showing a further modification;

Fig. 6 is an elevation, partly in section, illustrating an adaptation of the present invention as a thread core for use in dyeing operations;

Fig. '7 is a section on the line 'I'I of Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is an elevation showing a further modification of the thread core shown in Fig. 6; and

Fig. 9 is a section on the line 9-4! of Fig. 8. The embodiment shown in Fig. 1 of the drawing illustrates a textile thread carrier of the spool type constructed in accordance with the present invention. As mentioned above, the

conventional spool type of carrier comprises a cylindrical barrel Ill fitted with tapered or conical end portions II at each end. The present invention is illustrated and described hereafter principally in relation to this type of carrier for purposes of conciseness, but it will be apparent. that it is applicable as well to the bobbin types.

of carrier mentioned above in which only one conical end portion or base is used. The bobbin form of carrier might be readily formed accord ing to the present invention by either modifying the manner of folding the barrel ID as described below so that only one conical end portion II is formed, or by providing the barrel ill in suflicient length so that it may be cut transversely 1, the straight portion [4 is to produce two bobbins after conical end portions have been formed on thelonger barrel.

As mentionedabove, the textile thread carriers of the present invention are formed by folding a fibrous tubular body allel with its longitudinal axis so that the tubular body is contracted diametrically. Folding of the tubular body in this manner forms the cylindrical barrel ID as shown in Fig. 1 with the spaced folds l2. As these folds I! are disposed inwardly to obtain a cylindrical outer surface for the barrel in, the folds I 2 form a segmented outer surface on the barrel ID as illustrated. In order to integrate this segmented surface, the folds i2 are set in place preferably by flattening them out as indicated at l3 in Fig. 2. This flattening produces a locking effect which not only orients the segments of the barrel l properly but reinforces the barrel l0 as well, the flattened folds as at l3 being disposed in the nature of reinforcing ribs. A suitable adhesive may be applied'to the tubular body as the folds l2 are formed to supplement this locking effect if desired.

The conical end portions ll result from the fact as previously noted that the longitudinal folds I! are formed in a longitudinal extent terminating short of the ends of the fibrous tubular body from which the carrier is made. To start with, this tubular body has a diameter corresponding to that of the conical end portions ll at their base. As the contraction which follows when the tubular body is folded to form the barrel I0 is limited by terminating the folds 12 short of the ends of the tubular body, these end portions will be subjected to a graduated contraction which will result in the conical end portions H. The end portions H are accordingly formed integral with the barrel It so that no assembly operation is required, and no problem of securing the end portions H on the barrel in is involved.

The textile thread carriers formed in this manner may be further formed with a straight portion M on one of the conical elements It to provide for wrapping a tail, that is, several free windings of the thread wound as a package on the carrier, for use in disposing the thread for feeding to textile machinery. As shown in Fig. provided with a groove I5 to receive this tall.

The fibrous tubular body used in making the carrier may be formed in any suitable manner. A very satisfactory tubular. body may be prepared by winding a paper blank convolutely upon itself to form a laminated tubular body held together by a suitable adhesive applied to the paper blank before winding. Good strength characteristics can be obtained in this manner, and the size and wall thickness of the tubular body can be easily adjusted when this method is applied.

The further embodiments of the present invention illustrated in Figs. 3 to 5 show arrangements in which further reinforcing means are employed in forming the carriers. In Fig. 3, the carrier shown is essentially similar to the one described above in connection with Fig. 1 except that an inner sleeve I6 is disposed and adhesively secured in place inside the barrel Ill. Arrangement of the inner sleeve is in this manner results in a structure somewhat similar to that corrugated paper (see Fig. 4) in view of the disposition of the flattened ribs l3 inside the barrel Ill. Where added strength characteristics are desirable, as in the case of certain synthetic fibers such as nylon with which at intervals par-v 5 excessive stresses are sometimes encountered due to contraction after winding, the arrangement illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4 provides a ready method of obtaining the necessary added strength. The inner sleeve It may be formed of paper too, or other suitable material such as thin metal tubing may be used as indicated in particular instances.

The embodiment shown in Fig. 5 .of the drawing includes provision for still further reinforcement. In this case, a longer inner sleeve ll, similar in nature to the above described sleeve I6, is disposed inside barrel in in suflicient length to extend through each of the conical end portions II and locate supporting disks Ill. The supporting disks it are formed to fit inside the conical end portions II at their base as shown, and provided with central openings so that they may be crimped in place on the inner sleeve I! as indicated at l9.

As previously mentioned, the ribbed construction of the textile thread carriers described above is also well adapted for forming thread cores for use in dyeing operations. This modification is illustrated in Figs. 6 to 9 of the drawing. The thread cores shown differ from the carriers described above principally in that the longitudinal folds formed in the fibrous tubular body are formed outwardly rather than inwardly. The outwardly disposed folds are shown in Fig. 6 at 20, and the folds 2d are flattened in this case too (see Fig. 7) in order to obtain the locking effect of the ribbed construction described above. The flattened folds 20 also provide supporting ribs for disposing the inner windings of thread wound on the cores in spaced relation to the barrel portion Iii of the fibrous tubular body.

Intermediate the folds 2d, perforations 2| are arranged in the wall of the barrel ID for passage and dye liquid to the windings of a thread package carried by the core. Thread cores of this general type have heretofore been known, such a core being disclosed, for example, in my prior Patent No. 2,162,841, and reference is made to that patent for further details of the use-and application of such a thread core. The thread cores of the present invention provide a unique improvement over previous forms in the ribbed construction characterizing my present invention which provides the necessary spaced disposition for the inner thread windings and at the same time reinforces the core.

The remaining embodiment shown in Figs. 8 and 9 is mainly different in that the longitudinal folds in the fibrous tubular body are not fiattened and accordingly assume the form indicated at 22. Such a modification may be used when it is desired to increase the spacing between the above mentioned inner windings and the barrel Hi. In such a case it may also be desirable to use an inner sleeve 23, such as is described above, which may be adhesively secured inside of the barrel I ll as shown to aid in setting the folds 22 in place. The sleeve 23, however, may be included or omitted as indicated, and it may otherwise be employed for further reinforcement of either of the thread cores shown in Figs. 6 or 8 in particular instances. When the inner sleeve 23 is used the perforations 2| should of course extend through the sleeve as well as the barrel I0.

I claim:

1. A textile thread carrier comprising a fibrous tubular body formed with integral conical end portions and reinforcing ribs, said end portions and reinforcing ribs being formed by folding said tubular body at intervals parallel with its longitudinal axis but in a longitudinal extent terminating short of each end of said body and flattening the folds thus formed against said body whereby said reinforcing ribs are set in place.

2. A textile spool or bobbin comprising a fibrous tubular body adapted as a spool or bobbin barrel formed with integral reinforcing ribs and conical end portions forming heads on said body, said dyeing operations comprising a fibrous tubular body formed with integral conical end portions, said tubular body being folded outwardly at intervals parallel with its longitudinal axis, the folds thus formed being flattened against said tubular body and thereby set in place to reinforce said body and provide supporting ribs for disposing the inner windings of thread wound on said carrier in spaced relation to said body, and the wall portions of said tubular body intermediate said folds being perforated for passage of dye liquid to the thread windings.

4. A textile thread carrier adapted for use in dyeing operations comprising a fibrous tubular body formed with integral conical end portions and longitudinal ribs, said end portions and ribs being formed by folding said tubular body outwardly at intervals parallel with its longitudinal axis but in a longitudinal extent terminating short of each end of said body, and flattening the folds thus formed against said body whereby said reinforcing ribs are set in place to reinforce said body and provide supporting ribs for disposing the innerwindings of thread wound on said carrier in spaced relation to said tubular body, the wall portions of said tubular body intermediate said folds being perforated for passage of dye liquid to the thread windings.

5. A textile thread carrier comprising a fibrous tubular body formed with integral conical end portions and reinforcing ribs, said end portions and reinforcing ribs being formed by folding said tubular body at intervals parallel with its longitudinal axis but in a longitudinal extent terminating short of each end of said body and setting the folds thus formed in place, and a tubular reinforcing sleeve adhesively secured internally of said body.

CHARLES K. DUNLAP.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS France July 24, 1911

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