US3355115A

US3355115A - Apparatus for shaping pull skeins of yarn and for containing the loose ends thereof

Info

Publication number: US3355115A
Application number: US492046A
Authority: US
Inventors: Robert C Potts
Original assignee: Caron Spinning Co
Current assignee: Caron Spinning Co
Priority date: 1965-10-01
Filing date: 1965-10-01
Publication date: 1967-11-28
Anticipated expiration: 1984-11-28

Description

R. C. POTTS Nov. 28, 1967 APPARATUS FOR SHARING PULL. sRENs 0F YARN AND FOR CONTAINING THE LOOSE ENDS THEREOF 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. L, 1965 if Z d a pw N RMN w( fl. f a N ,M @QN w NNN www o \\\m NN QN RX NX WV A n 1 SQ HWHNHWNNMM Qm. O QNN QN llhwhwll I wm .NNN @Q QNN Nm. Il W r./ k Nw m Q QN l. I.\ N %M \\\JR 93?: %R .wn 1 .v wN @www 3 IU .11 M\ A Q M v NNM Q G Ml T :T ::fy.. Q nu Nu N. .w Q5 WM. En N MNNn Nk N5 wh QM, ww ww w@ .NN NQ \\\\\V\\ QQ mili.

3,355,115 APPARATUS FOR SHAPING PULL sKEINs 0F YARN AND FOR R. C. POTTS Nov. 28, 1967 CONTAINING THE LOOSE ENDS THEREOF SvSheets-Sheet 2 Filed OCL. l, 1965 Y Javemr jaerf C-s' @fig-af.

3,355,115 APPARATUS Fon SHAPING PULL sKEINs 0F YARN AND FOR Nov. Z8, 1967 R. c. POTTS CONTAINING THE LOOSE ENDS THEREOF med oct. l, 1965 5 sheets-sheet s jzvefz?" @65 epi 6501555 M 3,355,115 APPARATUS FOR SHAPI'NG PULL SKEINS 0F YARN ANI) FOR R. C. POTTS Nov. 28, 1967 CONTAINING THE LOOSE ENDS THEREOF 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed OCT..

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Nov. 28, 1967 R. c. POTTS 3,355,115

APPARATUS FOR SHAPING FULL SKEINS OF YARN AND FOR l CONTAINING THE LOOSE ENDS THEREOF l Filed Oct. .1., 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet United States Patent O 3,355,115 APPARATUS FOR SHAPING PULL SKEINS OF YARN AND FOR CONTAINING THE LOOSE ENDS THEREOF Robert C. Potts, Rochelle, Ill., assignor to Caron Spinning Company, Rochelle, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Filed Oct. 1, 1965, Ser. No. 492,046 6 Claims. (Cl. 242-1) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A roll table for shaping skeins and containing the loose ends thereof. A suction `device at the loading end of the table draws the loose ends in the direction of travel so that as the skeins are rolled, they pick up the loose ends by a winding action.

The present invention relates generally to spinning mill machinery and has particular reference to an apparatus for shaping pull skeins of yarn and containing the loose ends thereof after the pull skeins have been removed from the reels on which they were formed.

Freshly removed reel-forming pull skeins, particularly pull skeins of wool, are ordinarily of an amorphous nature and, therefore, they are not suitable for marketing until their appearance has been improved by proper shaping. Such fresh pull skeins are of a moldable or pliable nature and, thus, they are capable of being shaped or molded to a more appropriate and attractive shape, usually being hand-manipulated into elongated cylindrical form. As a preliminary to banding, it is necessary to Wind or wrap the loose ends of the yarn about the central portions of the generally cylindrical contines of the pull skeins. After these things have been accomplished and machine banding has taken place, the skeins are suitable for marketing yand subsequent use for hand knitting.

Heretofore, the shaping of pull skeins after removal of the pull skeins from reels has been performed by hand, the procedure being a prodigously tedious one, especially where containing the loose ends of the skeins within the cylindrical contines thereof is concerned. Hand wrapping of two loose ends on each pull skein consumes much time, to say nothing of the inability of the operator to wrap a series of pull skeins in uniform fashion. Rarely is a hand-wrapped pull skein possessed of loose end wrappings which follow a uniform pattern, the wrappings overlapping each other indiscriminately and giving an uneven appearance. Because of the indiscriminate wrapping of the loose ends around the central portions of the cylindrical connes of pull skeins due to hand wrapping or winding, it is -ordinarily diilicult for the consumer to locate the loose ends when using the pull skeins for hand-knitting purposes.

The present invention is designed to overcome the above-noted limitations which are attendant upon presentday methods of shaping and containing the loose ends of pull skeins and toward this end, the invention contemplates the provision of a novel apparatus for automatically shaping a succession of skeins by a special rolling operation, while at the same time, automatically causing the loose ends of the skeins to be wrapped into conformity with the cylindrical outer surfaces of the rolled pull skeins, the wrapping of such loose ends of each skein taking place in a uniform manner so that each of the two loose ends assume a helicoidal configuration on the surface of the skein and so that the wrappings or convolutions of each loose end is separate from the wrappings or convolutions of the other loose end. It is thus a comparatively easy matter for the user of a pull skein which has been processed by the present apparatus to locate the ends ICC of the skein as a preparatory to use in connection with hand knitting.

Accordingly, the invention contemplates the provision of a substantially horizontal roll table over which there is disposed a motor-driven endless conveyor belt in such a manner that the lower straightaway or reach section of the conveyor belt closely overlies the upper surface of the roll table in parallel relationship with respect thereto. In operation, the height of the conveyor belt above the roll table is adjusted so that the lower reach section is spaced from the table a distance slightly less than the original over-all diameter of a pul-l skein to be processed to the end that when a given pull skein is introduced between the lower reach section of the conveyor belt and the roll table, the pull skein will be caused to roll tractionally on both the roll table and on the Alower reach section of the conveyor belt throughout the entire length of the table and the conveyor belt, thereby giving a cylindrical shape to the original pull skein and elongating it to a degree which is a function of the pressure that is applied to the pull skein during the rolling operation as determined by the table-to-conveyor belt spacing.

In order to contain the loose ends of a pull skein being processed by the present apparatus within the cylindrical contines of the pull skein and also to effect a uniform and substantially centrally located wrapping thereof, suction means are provided for drawing inwardly toward the medial region of the pull skein the loose yarn ends which ordinarily dangle from the ends of the pull skein at the time the operator inserts the skein into the machine, such suction means serving to maintain the loose ends of the pull skein biased inwardly during the initial rolling operation with the result that each loose end establishes a helicoidal wrapping on the outer cylindrical surface of the pull skein, the two helices being of opposite pitch and the extreme terminal ends of the pull skein terminating on the surface of the rolled pull skein at closely spad points which are easy to locate by the user of the pull skein in connection with hand knitting. Such suction means has associated therewith guide means for the loose ends of the pull skein being processed by the apparatus, the guide means being located in the suction stream so that regardless of the positions of the original loose ends on the pull skein, such loose ends will be brought into proper register with the suction means to attain the desired helicoidal wrapping or winding operation. By such an arrangement, the operator may feed pull skeins to the apparatus in rapid succession givin-g little or no thought to the location of the loose ends of the pull skeins and, in each instance, the pull skeins will emerge from the outlet or discharge end of the apparatus properly shaped and wrapped for immediate banding and subsequent packaging.

The provision of an apparatus of the character briefly outlined above being among the principal objects of the invention, it is a further object to provide such an appa- -ratus wherein means are provided for raising or lowering the motor-driven endless conveyor belt with respect to the roll table to the end that different degrees of elongation may be imparted to the pull skeins.

A similar and related object of the invention is the provision in an apparatus of the type under consideration of adjustable edge guides for maintaining the pull skeins centered during their travel through the apparatus and for imparting a generally planar configuration to the opposite ends of the pull skein, as well as for accommodating skeins that vary in length.

The provision of a pull skein-processing apparatus which is relatively simple in its construction and, therefore, may be manufactured at a low cost; one which is possessed `of a minimum number of pa-rts, particularly moving parts, and, therefore, is unlikely to get out of order; one which is rugged and durable and, therefore,

is possessed of a relatively long machine life; one which is capable of ease of assembly and also dismantlement for purposes of inspection, replacement or repair of pa-rts; one which requires no skilled labor for its operation, and one which otherwise is well-adapted to perform the services required of it, are further desirable features which have been borne in mind in the production and development of the present invention.

Other objects and advantages of the invention, not at this time enumerated, will readily suggest themselves as the following description ensues.

In the accompanying live sheets of drawings forming a part of this specification, one illustrative embodiment of the invention is shown.

In these drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a pull skein-processing apparatus embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary front elevational view of the apparatus;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged transverse sectional view taken substantially on the vertical plane indicated by the line 3 3 of FIG. l and in the direction indicated by the arrows;

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view taken substantially on the line 4 4 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary front perspective view of the apparatus;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary sectional View taken substantially on the vertical plane indicated by the line 6-6 of FIG. 3 and in the direction indicated by the arrows;

FIG. 7 is a plan view of the sheet metal guide member which is employed in connection with the present invention;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged perspective View of a fresh pull skein as it comes from the reel; and

FIG. 9 is a perspective View similar to FIG. 8 but showing the pull skein after it has been processed by the apparatus constituting the present invention.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, and in particular to FIG. 1, the pull skein-processing apparatus of the present invention involves in its general organization a supporting structure 1t) in the form of an open framework including four upright corner posts 12 and a lower rectangular platform 14. The corner portions of the lower platform are suitably connected to the lower portions of the posts 12 a small distance above the lower extremities of the latter. Blocks 16 are secured by welding to the upper ends of the posts 12 (see FIGS. 3 and 5) and serve to support thereon a pair of longitudinally extending side frame members 18. The latter are in the form of angle bars and .have their ends welded in position on the blocks. The framework further includes a flat pull skeinsupporting roll table 22 which is preferably in the form of a rigid sheet metal plate. The side edges of the roll table are supported on the horizontal flanges 24 of the side frame members 18 and are confined between the vertical flanges 26 of said side frame members. The front end of the roll table 22 terminates short of the forward ends of the angle bar-type side frame members 18 as best seen in FIGS. 4 and 5 and the front marginal region 30 of the roll table 22 underlies the rear marginal region 32 of a suction frame or head 34, the natu-re and function of which will be described in detail presently.

The front end of the roll table 22 constitutes the skeinreceiving end of the apparatus, while the rear end edge 36 of the roll table constitutes the discharge end of the apparatus, Fresh pull skeins which arrive at the receiving end of the apparatus from the usual pull skein-forming reels (not shown) are adapted to travel by a tractional rolling motion along the roll table rearwardly, during which motion they are shaped and the two loose ends or tails that are ordinarily associated with such pull skeins are progressively wound around the central portions of the pull skeins and are caused to be contained within the over-all cylindrical contines of the skeins. The thus shaped pull skeins drop off the rear edge 36 of the roll table 22 into a suitable receptacle (not shown). After being temporarily stored in such receptacle, the processed pull skeins are banded and then packed in shipping containers. The bands (not shown) surround the central portions of the processed pull skeins and serve to hold the wrapped loose ends of the processed pull skeins in place.

A fresh pull skein as it cornes from the pull skeinforming reel in the spinning mill establishment is illustrated in FIG. 8 and designated by the reference numeral 40. The same pull skein, after it has been treated or processed by the apparatus of the present invention, is illustrated in FIG. 9. As is well known in the art, fresh pull skeins issuing from their forming reels are only approximately cylindrical and they are comprised of helical strand groups 41 which cross one another at an angle and are contained in involute layers of from thirty to forty windings in a group. The tails or loose ends 42 of the single wool length or strand of which a pull skein is formed generally emerge from the ends of the skein in indiscriminate fashion and are left dangling as shown in FIG. 8. In order to render the pull skeins marketable, it is necessary that each processed pull skein be finally shaped to cylindrical form, that a given and definite axial length for the pull skein be established, that the end portions of the pull skein be generally planar, and that the loose ends 42 be contained within the cylindrical confines of the pull skein, preferably so that the extreme free ends 44 of the loose ends (see FIG. 9) will terminate in close proximity to each other and near the center of the pull skein where they may be readily located by the consumer when it is desired to unwind the pull skein. It will be appreciated, therefore, that if the loose ends 42 of the pull skeins can be guided toward the medial regions of the pull skeins and maintained in the said regions of the pull skeins during the rolling travel of the pull skeins along the roll table 22, the desired positioning of these loose ends on the completed pull skeins will be attained.

Accordingly, the previously mentioned suction head 34 is provided for the purpose of capturing the two loose ends 42 at the time a pull skein is introduced into the present apparatus and maintaining such loose ends centered during the initial rolling stages of the pull skein. The pull skeins 40 which are manually fed to the apparatus at the receiving end thereof are caused to roll on the roll table 22 under the tractional impelling influence of an endless conveyor assembly 50. This conveyor assembly 50 is of simple construction and includes a driving roller 52 (see FIG. 1) at the rear or discharge end of the apparatus, an idler roller 54 at the receiving end of the apparatus, and an endless flexible canvas or other belt 56 which passes around the two

rollers

52 and 54 in endless fashion. The lower reach section of the belt 56 is a straightaway section which overlies and is disposed in spaced and parallel relation with the roll table 22. The upper reach section passes over two tensioning rollers 58, one of which is disposed adjacent to the front receiving end of the apparatus and the other of which is disposed adjacent to the rear discharge end of the apparatus.

The

rollers

52 and 54 of the conveyor assembly 50 are provided with trunnions 60 which are rotatably journalled in bearing assemblies 62 on the end portions of a pair of laterally spaced upper angle pieces 64 (see FIGS. 3 and 5). Such angle pieces are disposed above and in parallel relation with the side frame members 18 of the supporting structure 10 and are adjustable for height by means of laterally extending slide blocks 66 which are vertically adjustable on upright guide posts 68. The latter are four in number and are suitably connected to and extend upwards from the four blocks 16. Set sc-rews 70 extend through the slide blocks 66 and cooperate with the posts 68 in anchoring the angle pieces 64 at the desired elevation. The upper ends of the tensioning rollers 58 are disposed opposite to recesses in the upper ends of four upstanding blocks 72. The lower ends of these blocks rest on the end portions of the upper angle pieces 64 and are anchored in place by plates 73. The ends of the tensioning .rollers are provided with trunnions 74 which are rotatably supported or joumalled in bearings 75 (see FIG. 2). Such bearings are disposed in the aforementioned recesses in the upper ends of the blocks 72.

From the above description, it will be seen that by loosening the set screws 70, the two upper angle pieces 64, and, consequently, the entire conveyor assembly 50, may be adjusted for height so that the effective distance between the lower reach of theendless belt 56 and the upper surface of the roll table 22 may be varied to regulate the pressure that is applied to the pull skeins as the latter travel rearwardly with a rolling motion over the roll table.

In order to control or determine the length of the pull skeins 4d, a pair of edge guides 76 having outwardly flared forward ends 77 is provided. Such edge guides are disposed slightly inwards of and in parallel relation with the upper side frame members 18 and embody `at their end portions outwardly and horizontally extending clamp arms 78. The latter are provided with elongated longitudinally extending slots 79. Clamping bolts 80 project upwards from angle brackets 82 which are welded or otherwise suitably connected to the side frame members 18. Said bolts extend through the slots 79 in the clamp arms 78 and are provided with wing nuts S4 by means of which the clamp arms 78 may be clamped in any selected transverse position, thus making it possible to adjust the effective width between the two edge guides 76.

The endless conveyor assembly 50 is adapted to be driven by means of an electric motor M (see FIGS. l and 4) which is xedly supported on the lower platform 14 of the supporting structure 10. Such motor is operatively connected by an endless belt 94B to an idler pulley 92 on a horizontal jack shaft 94. The latter is journalled in two bearing blocks 96 which are suitably connected to the central portions of the rear posts 12. A drive sprocket 9S on the jack shaft is connected by an endless chain 160 to a driven sprocket 102 on one of the trannie-ns 69 on driving rolle-r 52, thus completing the power train from the electric motor M to the endless conveyor assembly 50.

A lead-in cable 194 supplies electric power to the motor M from a suitable source of such power, such, for example, as an electrical wall outlet.

The previously mentioned suction head 34 is provided for the purpose of capturing the loose ends 42 of the pull skeins 40 as the pull skeins are -manually fed to the apparatus by the operator, and also initially centering said ends on the pull skeins and holding them in a central position with respect to the pull skeins as the latter travel rearwardly so that these loose ends will be wound upon the pull skeins in the central regions thereof. Accordingly, the suction head 34 is in the form of a sheet metal structure having coplanar horizontally extending side wing portions 110 (see FIGS. 1, 2, 4, 5 and 7) which are joined together at their rear ends by a narrow coplanar web portion 112. A narrow slot 114 separates the major portions of the two side wing portions and the forward portion of this slot is flared outwardly as indicated at 116. The slot 114 and its outwardly flared forward portion 116 communicates with a suction trough 118 which is of generally flattened funnel shape configuration. The rear end of the suction trough is provided with an attachment collar 120 (see FIG. 4) by means of which the trough may be connected to a suction device 122 on the lower platform 14. The collar is operatively connected to the inlet 124 of the suction device 122 through the media of a flexible suction hose 126.

The suction device 122 is of conventional design and construction and no claim is made herein to any novelty associated therewith. This device may be any one of a number of commercially available suction devices and it will be understood that it embodies within the casing 128 thereof a suitable air impeller, together with an electric motor for driving the same. A lead-in cable 129 extends 6 to the motor for conducting energizing current thereto from a wall outlet or other source of electric power.

The narrow portion of the slot 114 is bounded by steeply inclined walls 130, while the flared portion 116 of the slot is bounded by generally triangular inclined wall or guide portions 132 which, in combination with each other, establish a wide forwardly and upwardly facing entrance mouth or suction orifice for reception therein of the loose pull skein ends 42 under the influence of inrushing air 'at the time a given pull skein 4) is introduced into the apparatus. The side wing portions and the web 112 overlap the forward marginal region of the pull skein-supporting roll table 22 as best seen in FIG. 4 and they are secured to the plate by ilush head sheet metal screws (not shown), the holes for reception of such screws being shown at 134 in FIG. 7.

In the operation of the herein described pull skeinprocessing, the pull skeins 40 which :are fed manually and successively to the apparatus are first positioned transversely of the roll table 22 and then introduced one at a time between the forward end of the endless conveyor assembly 50 and the rear portion of the suction head 34. Specifically, the pull skeins are inserted between the lower reach section of the endless conveyor belt 56 and the suction head 34 in centered relationship with respect to the two edge guides 7 d. Due to the fact that the suction head is in a constant state of air inhalation, the inrushing air entering the frusto-conical or funnel-shaped trough 118 and passing rearwardly over the inclined Wall or guide portions 132 will channel the loose ends 42 of the pull skeins into the funnel-shaped suction trough 118, thus guiding these loose ends towards the central regions of the pull skeins as the latter commence their rolling action, rst, on the side wings 110 of the suction head, and subsequently, on the upper surface of the roll table 22. As shown in FIG. 9, the loose ends 42 of each pull skein 40 will thus wind upon the body of the pull skein in helical fashion with the helix pitch being directed toward the center of the pull skein in each instance. The extreme ends 44 of the loose ends 42 will terminate on the cylindrical surface of the pull skeins in close proximity to each other where they may be readily located by the ultimate consumer for skein-unwinding purposes.

During travel of the pull skeins 40 rearwardly over the roll table 22, the pressure of the lower reach section of the endless conveyor belt 56 on the pull skeins will Serve to elongate the pull skeins and the extent of their elongation is limited by the provision of the two edge guides 76. The at edge guides will tend to impart a generally circular end face of the pull skeins.

As shown in FIG. 4, the roll table 22 is inclined downwards in the direction of its discharge end in order that the processed or treated pull skeins will drop readily from the rear end of the roll table.

The invention is not to be limited to the exact arrangement of parts shown in the accompanying drawings or described in this specification as various changes in the details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Therefore, only insofar as the invention has particularly been pointed out in the accompanying claims is the same to be limited. In the present application and claims, the term pull skein is intended to mean a pull skein which is usable immediately for hand-knitting purposes and may be in ball form as well as generally cylindrical form as illustrated in the drawings.

Having thus described the invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. An apparatus adapted to shape pull skeins and to contain the loose ends thereof and comprising an elongated roll table for the pull skeins presenting an upwardly facing planar table surface for receiving the pull skeins and having a front receiving end and a rear discharge end, a conveyor assembly including an endless belt having a lower straightaway reach section overlying the table and spaced upwardly from said surface a distance slightly less than the diameter of the pull skeins and extending substantially parallel to said surface, said reach section and Surface being adapted to receive the pull skeins therebetween and, upon movement of the portion of the belt within the reach section in a rearward direction, to impel the pull skeins rearwardly on the table by a rolling action to shape the same to substantially cylindrical form and cause the loose ends thereof to become wrapped upon the generally cylindrical outer surface of the pull skeins and pressed into the cylindrical confines thereof, a suction head disposed at the receiving end of the roll table and presenting a suction orifice into which said loose ends of the pull skeins are adapted to be drawn under the intiuence of inrushing air, means for applying subatmospheric pressure to said orifice, and means for driving said belt in a skein-impelling direction.

2. An apparatus adapted to shape pull skeins and to contain the loose ends thereof and comprising an elongated roll table for the pull skeins presenting an upwardly facing planar table surface for receiving the pull skeins and having a front receiving end and a rear discharge end, a conveyor assembly including an endless belt having a lower straightaway reach section overlying the table and spaced upwardly from said surface a distance slightly less than the diameter of the pull skeins and extending substantially parallel to said surface, said reach section and surface being adapted to receive the pull skeins therebetween and, upon movement of the portion of the belt within the reach section in a rearward direction, to impel the pull skeins rearwardly on the table by a rolling action to shape the same to substantially cylindrical form and cause the loose ends thereof to become wrapped upon the generally cylindrical outer surface of the pull skeins and pressed into the cylindrical contines thereof, a sheet metal suction head disposed at the receiving end of the roll table and presenting a forwardly facing open suction oritice below the level of the roll table and into which said loose ends of the pull skeins are adapted to be drawn under the intinence of inrushing air, means for applying subatmospheric pressure to said orifice, and means for driving said belt in a skein-impelling direction.

3. An apparatus adapted to shape pull skeins and to contain the loose ends thereof and comprising an elongated roll table for the pull skeins presenting an upwardly facing planar table surface for receiving the pull skeins and having a front receiving end and a rear discharge end, a conveyor assembly including an endless belt having a lower straightaway reach section overly-ing the table and spaced upwardly from said surface a distance slightly less than the diameter of the pull skeins and extending substantially parallel to said surface, said reach section and surface being adapted to receive the pull skeins therebetween and7 upon movement of the portion of the belt within the reach section in a rearward direction, to impel the pull skeins rearwardly on the table by a rolling action to shape the same to substantially cylindrical form and cause the loose ends thereof to become wrapped upon the generally cylindrical outer surface of the pull skeins and pressed into the cylindrical coniines thereof, a sheet metal suction head disposed at the receiving end of the roll table and having coplanar side wing portions which constitute in effect a forward extension of the roll table and which are separated by a narrow entrance guide slot for the loose ends of the pull skeins,

means immediately below said slot for creating a current of rearwardly directed air for sweeping the loose ends of the pull skeins into said entrance guide slot at the time of their introduction between the roll table and lower reach section of the conveyor belt, and means for driving said belt in a skein-impelling direction.

4. An apparatus adapted to shape pull skeins and to contain the loose ends thereof and comprising an elongated roll table for the pull skeins presenting an upwardly facing planar table surface for receiving the pull skeins and having a front receiving end and a rear discharge end, a conveyor assembly including an endless belt having a lower straightaway reach section overlying the table and spaced upwardly from said surface a distance slightly less than the diameter of the pull skeins and extending substantially parallel to said surface, said reach section and surface being adapted to receive the pull skeins therebetween and, upon movement of the portion of the belt within the reach section in a rearward direction, to impel the pull skeins rearwardly on the table by a rolling action to shape the same to substantially cylindrical form and cause the loose ends thereof to become wrapped upon the generally cylindrical outer surface of the pull skeins and pressed into the cylindrical contines thereof, a sheet metal suction head disposed at the receiving end of the roll table and having coplanar side wing portions which constitute in effect a forward extension of the roll table and which are separated by a narrow entrance guide slot for the loose ends of the pull skeins, means establishing a generally funnel-shaped trough portion immediately below and in communication with said guide slot, said trough portion terminating in a cylindrical attachment collar designed for attachment to a conduit leading from a source of subatmospheric pressure, whereby air may be drawn rearwardly through said trough portion, and means for driving said belt in a skein-impelling direction.

5. An apparatus according to claim 1 and including, additionally, a generally rectangular elongated framework operatively supporting said endless belt and constituting a portion of said conveyor assembly, four supporting posts projecting vertically upwardly from the corner portions of the roll table and positioned in the vicinity of the four corners of the rectangular framework, slide blocks carried at said corners of the framework and through which the supporting posts project, and setscrews carried by the slide block and engageable with the supporting posts whereby the blocks may be secured on said posts in selected positions of elevation.

6. An apparatus according to claim 5 and including, additionally, a pair of edge guides for the pull skeins mounted on said roll table in the vicinity of and substantially coextensive with the side edges of the latter, and means for individually adjusting the lateral positions of said edge guides.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,366,266 1/1921 Lauterbur 53-118 3,065,505 11/1962 Pratt et al. 19-144.5

FOREIGN PATENTS 662,622 12/1951 Great Britain.

BILLY S. TAYLOR, Primary Examiner.

Claims

1. AN APPARATUS ADAPTED TO SHAPE PULL SKEINS AND TO CONTAIN THE LOOSE ENDS THEREOF AND COMPRISING AN ELONGATED ROLL TABLE FOR THE PULL SKEINS PRESENTING AN UPWARDLY FACING PLANAR TABLE SURFACE FOR RECEIVING THE PULL SKEINS AND HAVING A FRONT RECEIVING END AND A REAR DISCHARGE END, A CONVEYOR ASSEMBLY INCLUDING AN ENDLESS BELT HAVING A LOWER STRAIGHTAWAY REACH SECTION OVERLYING THE TABLE AND SPACED UPWARDLY FROM SAID SURFACE A DISTANCE SLIGHTLY LESS THAN THE DIAMETER OF THE PULL SKEINS AND EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO SAID SURFACE, SAID REACH SECTION AND SURFACE BEING ADAPTED TO RECEIVE THE PULL SKEINS THEREBETWEEN AND, UPON MOVEMENT OF THE PORTION OF THE BELT WITHIN THE REACH SECTION IN A REARWARD DIRECTION, TO IMPEL THE PULL SKEINS REARWARDLY ON THE TABLE BY A ROLLING ACTION TO SHAPE THE SAME TO SUBSTANTIALLY CYLINDRICAL FORM AND CAUSE THE LOOSE ENDS THEREOF TO BECOME WRAPPED UPON THE GENERALLY CYLINDRICAL OUTER SURFACE OF THE PULL SKEINS AND PRESSED INTO THE CYLINDRICAL CONFINES THEREOF, A SUCTION HEAD DISPOSED AT THE RECEIVING END OF THE ROLL TABLE AND PRESENTING A SUCTION ORIFICE INTO WHICH SAID LOOSE ENDS OF THE PULL SKEINS ARE ADAPTED TO BE DRAWN UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF INRUSHING AIR, MEANS FOR APPLYING SUBATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE TO SAID ORIFICE, AND MEANS FOR DRIVING SAID BELT IN A SKEIN-IMPELLING DIRECTION.