US2565642A - Mechanism for applying identifying markings to wound bobbins - Google Patents

Description

J. R. ANDREWS, JR MECHANISM FOR APPLYING IDENTIFYING MARKINGS TO WOUND BOBBINS Aug. 28, 1951 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 10, 1947 INVENTOR. JOH N RAN DREW5,J R.

Aug. 28, 1951 J. R. ANDREWS, JR 2,565,642

MECHANISM FOR APPLYING IDENTIFYING MARKINGS TO WOUND BOBBINS 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 10, 1947 INVENTOR. JOHN RAN DREWSMR.

Z AT NS.

Aug. 28, 1951 J. R. ANDREWS, JR 2,565,642

MECHANISM FOR APPLYING IDENTIFYING MARKINGS TO WOUND BOBBINS Filed June 10, 1947 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR. JOHN R.ANDREWS,JR.

AT OEJVE Y8- Aug. 28, 1951 ANDREWS, JR 2,565,642

J. MECHANISM FOR APPLYING IDENTIFYING MARKINGS TO WOUND BOBBINS Filed June lO, l947 5 SheetsSheet 4 4o l L INVENTOR.

' 43 JOHN R.ANDREWS,JR.

BY M

Aug. 28, 1951 J. R. ANDREWS, JR

MECHANISM FOR APPLYING IDENTI MARKINGS TO WOUND BOBBIN 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed June 10, 1947 INVENTOR.

J OH N RAN DREWS, J R- BY y TM ATZCORNEYS.

Patented Aug. 28, 1951 MECHANISM FOR APPLYING IDENTIFYING MARKINGS TO WOUND ROBBINS John R. Andrews, J12, Uxbridge, Mass., assignor to Uxbridge Worsted Co., Inc., Uxbridge, Mass, a corporation of Massachusetts Application June 10, 1947, Serial No. 753,613

6 Claims.

This invention relates to a marking machine and more specifically to a device for applying an identifying chalk mark to a bobbin or spindle wound with yarn or similar thread-like material which is employed in connection with textile machinery such as looms, knitting machines, etc.

For example, in the textile weaving art a mill may be dealing with a large variet of yarns which, upon casual inspection, are practically indistinguishable from one another. These yarns are wound on bobbins by winding machinery and often the wound bobbins closely resemble one another. This presents an identification problem because it is important that the bobbins carrying a given yarn be readily separable and distinguishable from all other bobbins. In the past, the bobbins have been taken to a marking table where workers applied colored chalk marks and the like to the bobbins, to act as indicia and to insure proper classification thereof. Since a large number of bobbins are employed in a mill, it has required services of a considerable number of people to mark the bobbins and maintain them in order, which materially adds to the cost of weaving "the fabric. In order to solve these problems, it has been proposed to pass the bobbin over one or more colored pieces of solid chalk as they leave the winder, but the chalk soon wears and light, uneven marks are produced. In fact, if markings of two colors are required, one of such pieces of chalk might wear faster than the other so that a single colored mark results, in which case the bobbin is incorrectly classified and the particular piece of fabric rendered useless. Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to reduce the cost of marking the bobbins by providing an automatic machine for use in association with each Winder, which may receive the bobbins from the winder and apply one or more identifying marks thereto automatically as they leave the winder. The marks produced by carrying out this invention are uniform, continuous and strong, and even though marks of more than one color areapplied, these marks are equally applied and can be depended upon to properly identify the yarn on the bobbin.

Another object resides in insuring a positive transfer and ejection of the bobbin from the machine, without requiring excessive frictional driving pressure against the bobbin during the marking.

A further object of the invention is to apply a plurality of colors to a bobbin as it leaves a bobbin winder.

A further object resides in insuring that the 2 bobbins will not be damaged if a jam occurs, which is accomplished by having the transfer means for the bobbin mounted on a pivot arm that is free to be lifted by the bobbin in case of a jam or a misalignment of the bobbin in the ma chine.

These and other objects will be apparent as the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment of my invention proceeds.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of my bobbin marker with the arm in its raised position for clarity;

.Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the other side of the machine with certain parts. broken away for clarity;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation similar to Fig. 1 except that the machine is in operative position with the bobbin in place and part of the upper arm assembly is broken away for clarity;

Fig. 4 is a section taken on 4-4 of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 3 illustrating the positive ejecting action as the bobbin leaves the machine.

Referring to the drawings, the bed indicated generally at it carries mounting strips or angle irons I l for supporting the machine, such structure forming no part of the present invention and being adapted to the Winder at hand. The bobbin marker proper includes several major assemblies, namely, a frame assembly F; a marker assembly M (which includes a chalk pot and marking wheels) a transfer support arm assembly A; and a transfer wheel T; together with suitable gearing to drive the parts. When used with certain winding machines, I may provide a belt conveyor assembly C for carrying the bobbins to the marker, but such conveyor forms no part of the present invention and gravity feed or any other kind of feed may be employed as required.

The frame assembly F includes a pair of laterally spaced side plates [2, the plates being spaced apart to receive the bob-bins as they pass through the machine. Bearing pad [3 is provided as shown for fitting a main drive shaft Hi, which shaft is driven by the driving motor or other source of power in any convenient manner (not illustrated) Pivotally mounted on the main drive shaft [4 is the transfer support arm assembly A which likewise has a pair of spaced side walls It integrally joined by a cross piece I? and at one end with depending flanges 18 at the other end for mounting on the shaft l4. At the exit end of the arm A, depending ears l9 receive the transfer Wheel support shaft 20. lhe drive gear 2| for the transfer wheel T is mounted on shaft 28 by a set screw or any other suitable arrangement, the parts being maintained in assembled relation by means of flange 22 at one end of the shaft and collar 23 attached to the other end. The transfer wheel T is preferably made of wood or similar nonmetallic materials and its periphery is grooved as shown to increase the transfer action on the bobbin or the periphery may include grooved rubber strips or the like. The wheel is pressed over a bushing having splines or knurls 3! to provide driving, and the bushing is clamped to the shaft 20 b a set screw or any suitable fastener. A pair of driving sprockets l5 and iEa are keyed to the main drive shaft Hi. Sprocket I5 is geared to transfer drive sprocket 2! by a roller chain 25. In this manner transfer wheel T may always be driven regardless of the osition of the arm assembly A.

An adjustable support screw is mounted on the arm assembly A and when the arm is in its operating position as shown in Fig. 3 the screw rests upon the frame assembly F and limits the downward motion of the arm. With this construction the maximum pressure exerted by the transfer arm on the bobbin may be controlled.

The bobbin marker assembly M is mounted on two pairs of depending ears 3t and 3411, the ears being integral with the frame assembly F. The mounting is effected by means of a pair of pins passing through apertures in the marking assembly Walls and in said pairs of ears. The chalk ,pot has a pair of side walls 46 which make engagement with the lower wall of the frame F and I prefer that there be an intermediate wall ll so that two essentially separate chalk reservoirs are formed, whereby two colors may be applied to the bobbin. A pair of bobbin marking wheels l l are mountedfor rotation upon the marking drive shaft 35 in any suitable manner. The marking wheels include flexible marking discs 35 made of sponge rubber or the like which pass through the chalk and bear against the bobbin to apply the chalk marks thereto. The flexible discs 46 may be backed up by a fiber washer if and retained by clamping ring 48 and a series of screws 49. In order to agitate the chalk residing in the reservoirs I prefer that the bobbin marking wheel be spoked and agitating flanges 50 and 51 may be formed thereon which stir up and prevent packing of the chalk as the wheels rotate. Likewise, screws 59 may project from the wheels to assist in the agitation. If the chalk employed is powdered, packing is thus prevented, and if it is liquid, settling is eliminated. A brush 52 may be employed to remove excess chalk from the marking wheels.

A chalk composition suitable for application in powdered or liquid form is described in U. S. patent to Robinson, No. 2,398,559 which discloses a solid chalk composition for this purpose.

In order that the marking wheels may be driven, a driven gear 6E3 is fastened to the shaft 45 and a driving sprocket Si is loosely mounted on a stub shaft 62 set in th frame assembly F. A driving spur gear 63 is fastened by means of fastening screws Gil to the sprocket 6i and drives the aforesaid spur gear 5 3. As seen in Fig. 2, sprocket 6! is driven by roller chain 65 which passes over sprocket 15a, the other of the two main drive sprockets.

The conveyor assembly C, which may be employed in connection with said winding machines, includes a pillow block "Hi carrying pulley shaft ll 4 upon which conveyor pulley 12 is mounted. The pulley is grooved as at I3 to carry the conveyor belt it which is driven by a similar pulley disposed elsewhere to conduct the bobbins from the winder to the marking machine.

In operation, as seen in Fig. 3, as the bobbins are carried into the machine by the conveyor belt 14, the forward portion of the bobbins passes between marking wheels and under the transfer wheel which continues to propel the bobbins through the machine. The gearing is such that the peripheral speeds of the two wheels are the same and the frictional engagement of the bobbins with the rubber discs 41; on the marking wheels and with the grooved periphery of the transfer wheel T, causes a positive advancement of the bobbins without damag to the threads wound thereon. As the bobbins pass through the machine a pair of parallel chalk lines is applied thereto without damage to the bobbins and with great rapidity. As the bobbins leave the machine, due to the divergence of the wheels engaging them there would ordinarily be a loss of driving force, but transfer wheel T is notched as at 32 so that a shoulder is formed to positively engage an abutting portion of the bobbin and eject it positively from the marking machine (this operation being illustrated in Fig. 5). The circumference of the transfer wheel approximates the length of the bobbin so that the notch is always in position. Although I have shown the shoulder engaging an end portion of the bobbin, it is to be understood that it ma engage any abutment portion on the bobbin or either side of a coll ar 9 thereon depending on the design of the bobbin and the way in which it enters the machine. With this construction, a series of bobbins presented end to end will remain in synchronism with the notched transfer wheel. The conveyor belt i4 is obviously adapted to present bobbins end to end to the transfer Wheel.

I contemplate that various modifications may be made Without departing from the spirit of my invention, the essence of which is provision of a machine that will rapidly apply chalk marks or the like to the wound bobbins without damage thereto and which will positively eject the same so that there can be no jamming within the machine. It will be understood that if there is jamming the arm assembly A may rise and prevent damage to the bobbins and also facilitate clearing the machine. It will be further understood by those skilled in the art that although I have illustrated one form of gearing suitable for purposes intended, I have done so only by wa of illustrating the preferred embodiment and the selection of suitable gearing arrangements may be varied in accordance with the principles of machine design practice. Likewise, the construction details of the transfer wheels and marking wheels may be varied so long as the essential features of marking and transferring the bobbins without damage are maintained without departing from the essence of the invention.

What is claimed is:

l. Mechanism for applying identifying marking to wound bobbins comprising a frame, a reservoir for marking material, bobbin marking means rotatably mounted in said frame and having a portion thereof extending into said reservoir and another portion arranged to be above the level of the marking material, a rotatably mounted generally circular bobbin transfer wheel for frictionally engaging said bobbin and carrying it over said portion of the marking means disposed above the level of the marking material, drive means for said transfer wheel, sa'id transfer wheel being relatively deeply notched to provide spaced generally radial walls one of which serves as shoulder means for engaging an end portion of the bobbin to positively eject the same from the mechanism, said transfer wheel being generally circular between said radial notch walls and of a circumferential extent substantially equal to the length of the bobbin.

2. Mechanism for applying identifying marking to wound bobbins comprising a frame, a reservoir for the marking material, bobbin mark-,- ing means rotatably mounted in said frame and having a portion thereof extending into said reservoir and another portion arranged to be above the level of the marking material, a rotatably mounted generally circular bobbin transfer wheel for frictionally engaging said bobbin and carrying it over said portion of the marking means disposed above the level of the marking material, drive means for said transfer wheel, said transfer wheel being relatively deeply notched to provide spaced radial walls one of which serves as shoulder means for engaging an end portion of the bobbin to positively eject the same from the mechanism, the circumferential extent of the portion of said transfer wheel extending between said radial notch walls being generally circular and substantially equal to the length of the bobbin, and tooth means on the generally circular circumference of said transfer wheel to engage the bobbin and maintain synchronism between the bobbins and the notch in the wheel.

3. Mechanism for applying identifying marking to wound bobbins comprising a frame, a reservoir for the marking material, bobbin marking wheel rotatably mounted in said frame and, having a portion thereof extending into said reservoir and another portion arranged to be above the level of the marking material, a rotatably mounted bobbin transfer wheel for frictionally engaging said bobbin and carrying it over said portion of the marking wheel disposed above the level of the marking material, said transfer wheel being relatively deeply notched to provide shoulder means for engaging an end portion of the bobbin to positively eject the same from the mechanism, said transfer wheel having a substantially circular portion of a circumferential extent substantially equal to the length of the bobbin, tooth means on said transfer wheel to engage the bobbin and maintain synchronism between the bobbins and the notch in the wheel, circumferential resilient cushioning means on said marking wheel to apply the marking material and assist in driving the bobbin, and means to drive said wheels in opposite directions.

4. Mechanism for applying identifying marking to wound bobbins comprising a frame, a drive shaft rotatably mounted in said frame, idler gear means rotatably mounted in said frame, gearing between said drive shaft and idler gear means, a reservoir for the marking material, a bobbin marking wheel having a shaft rotatably mounted in said reservoir with a portion of said Wheel extending into said reservoir and another portion thereof arranged to be above the level of the marking material, a gear on said marking wheel shaft, means for detachably mounting said reservoir on said frame with said marking wheel gear and idler gear means in peripheral driving engagement. a bobbin trans fer wheel rotatably mounted on said frame and positionable above the axis of said bobbin marking wheel for frictionally engaging a bobbin and carrying it along that portion of the marking wheel disposed above the level of the marking material, and gearing between said drive shaft and bobbin transfer wheel to rotate the latter, said reservoir mountin means being arranged so that the reservoir, bobbin marker, and marking wheel gear can be detached from the frame for service without disturbing the rest of the gearing.

5. Mechanism for applying identifying marking to wound bobbins comprising a frame, a drive shaft rotatably mounted in said frame, idler gear means rotatably mounted in said frame, gearing between said drive shaft and idler gear means, a reservoir for the marking material, a bobbin marking wheel having a shaft rotatably mounted in said reservoir with a portion of said wheel extending into said reservoir and another portion thereof arranged to be above the level of the marking material, a gear on said marking wheel shaft, means for detachably mounting said reservoir on said frame with said marking wheel gear and idler gear means in peripheral driving engagement, an arm pivoted about the axis of said drive shaft, a bobbin transfer wheel rotatably mounted in said arm and positionable above the axis of said bobbin marking wheel for frictionaly engaging a bobbin and carrying it along that portion of the marking wheel disposed above the level of the marking material, and gearing between said drive shaft and bobbin transfer wheel to rotate the latter, said reservoir mounting means being arranged so that the reservoir, bobbin marker, and marking wheel gear can be detached from the frame for service without disturbing the rest of the gearing.

6. Mechanism for applying identifying marking to wound bobbins comprising a frame, a reservoir for the marking material removably mounted on said frame, a bobbin marker wheel rotatably mounted in said reservoir and having a portion thereof extending into said reservoir and another portion arranged to be above the level of the markin material, said bobbin marker wheel having circumferential means for engaging and marking the bobbin, a drive shaft rotatable in said frame, an arm pivoted about the axis of said drive shaft and being unrestrained for upward motion, a bobbin transfer wheel rotatable in said arm and disposed above said marker wheel, and driving means between said drive shaft and each of said wheels, said transfer wheel engaging a bobbin and carrying it over and against the portion of said marking Wheel that is disposed above the level of the marking material.

JOHN R. ANDREWS, JR.

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

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 290,329 Hoifmann Dec. 18, 1883 609,402 Belknap Aug. 23, 1898 1,810,223 Peterson June 16, 1931 1,919,386 Steele July 25, 1933 2,238,695 Hallman Apr. 15, 1941 2,404,462 Schlums July 23, 1946

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