US723626A - Stop-motion device for spools. - Google Patents

Description

UNITED STATES I PATENT QFFICE.

JOSEPH B. UNDERWOOD, OF FAYETTEVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA.

STOP-MOTION DEVICE FOR S'POO LS.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent N 0. 723,626, dated March 24, 1 903.

Application filed July 11,1902. Serial No. 115,235. (No model.) i

To all whom it may concern.-

Beit known that I, J OSEPH B. UNDERWOOD, residing at Fayetteville, in the county of Cum berland and State of North Carolina, have invented a new and Improved Stop-Motion Device for Spoolers, &c., of which the following is a specification.

My invention seeks to provide a new and improved means for stopping motion of a bobbin on spooling and twisting frames, whereby upon the breaking of any threads or strands which are being spooled the bobbin carrying the broken thread can be conveniently and instantly stopped without interfering with the motion of its spindle or any of the other bobbins operated from the main driver and without producing an irregular strain on the driving means that joins the spindle with the stopped bobbin or the driving means for the other bobbin-spindles that form a part of the complete spooler or twister frame.

Heretofore, so far asI know, it has been the common practice upon the breaking ofvthe thread for the operator to press down on the.

bobbin with one hand to frictionally hold it and its spindle from rotation while the broken ends of the thread are being tied.

I am also aware that automatically and manually operated brake mechanisms have heretofore been provided for engaging the spindle of the bobbin when the thread breaks tohold it and the bobbin from rotation. The aforesaid stop-motion means experience has demonstrated as not being without serious objections, for the reason that while the spindle is held from rotation the driver-belt therefor, which receives its motion from a main cylinder or drive-shaft that imparts motion to all of the laterally-extended or supplemental driver-belts when the spindle is held from turning, as stated, is placed under an increased strain by reason of its slipping action, which then occurs on the spindle-sheave. This increased strainon the spindle-driver belts soon stretches the said belts and causes them during active operation to loosely run over their respective spindle-sheaves and the main driving spindle or shaft, and as the various drive belts become differentially stretched it follows that a regular or uniform speed rotation of the entire set of spindles driven by the main cylinder or shaft is prevented and a uniform winding of all of the bobbins made impossible.

The main object of my invention is to provide a simple and economically-constructed which the stoppedspool is mounted.

Again, my invention seeks to provide a device of the character stated, includinga novel construction of lever and a means for shiftablymounting it, whereby movement thereof in one direction will shift the spool or bobbin from positive contact with the spindle and at the same time automatically lock the saddlever to the said position, and theshifting of the lever in the other direction will effect a dropping of the spool into frictional contact with the spindle and automatically lock the lever to the said lateral'position, and in its more subordinate features my invention consists in certain details of construction and combinationof parts, all of which will hereinafter be fully described and specifically pointed out in the appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of so much of a spooler-frame as is necessary to illustrate my invention. Fig. 2 is a cross-section there of. Fig. 3 is a front view, showing the shifting lever in its normal position and the spool in positive running contact with its spindle. Fig. 4 is a similar View, the lever being in its other position and the spool lifted out of positive contact with its spindle. tail view of the shifting lever. detail view of the slotway Z In the drawings, A designates the spindle- Fig. 5 is a carrying beam of the spooler-frame; B, the.

drive-cylinder, which imparts motion to all of Fig. 5 is a dethe laterally-extending drive-belts C, that join with the sheaves d of the spindles D, mounted in the brackets E, secured to the beam A in the usual manner. The spools or bobbins F are loosely held on the tapered end of the spindles and the annular bearingflanges d thereof and frictionally engage the said spindle to rotate therewith when they are dropped to their lowermost or operative position.

In the practical application of my invention a stop-motion is provided for each spool or bobbin independently operated and arranged to control its respective spool without affecting any of the other spools. It is well understood in the practical construction of aspooler-frame that the spindles are closely arranged with just room enough to allow the spools turning freely without engaging each other, and the upper end of the spindle-beam is disposed in a plane near the upper ends of the spools, as clearly shown in Fig. 2.

The stop-motion device consists of a bellcrank lever L, fulcrumed upon the outer face a: of the bobbin-box X, as best shown in Figs. 1, 4, and 5, by reference to which, it will. be noticed, the said lever is disposed between a pair of spools and comprises a long or handle member L, thatextends up above the upperedge of the box X, so that it can be conveniently grasped by the operator without danger of engaging with the spools and consequent injury. The lever also includes a short or crank member L, which terminates in an outwardly-curved portion L that extends under and engages the bottom face of its coincident spool F. The objectin bending the member L as described, is to provide for engaging the under face of the spool at a point near its spind le-aperture,whereby when the lever L is manipulated to lift the spool the same will receive'its upthrust as nearly central as possible, and thereby reduce the danger of tilting the spool or causing it to lose its proper vertical position upon the spindle to the minimum.

The lever L has fulcru med atits angle-point a stud m, which is secured to the box X and coacts withthe vertically-elongated slot Z in the said angle end of the lever. The upper or handle end of the lever L has a segmental and horizontally-curved slot 6 the ends of which terminate in notched seats Z i the purpose of which will presently appear.

n designates a second stud, projected from the box X, which engages the slot Z and the said stud, as will be readily understood by reference to Fig. 1, is disposed a little to one side of vertical alinement with the stud m, such arrangement of parts being provided to effect an automatic locking of the lever when adjusted to either position.

By providing a stop-motion arranged as shown and described it is manifest that the handle end of each lever extends sufficiently above the spools that the operator can quickly grasp any particular one of the said handles,

ver, and thereby prevents such end and the body of the lever from tilting or leaving its locked position under ordinary jarring or vibration of. the beam A or other parts of the spooler-frame, it being understood, by referring to Fig. 3, thestud end when the lever Lis in the position last mentioned is in engagement with the seat Z of the curved slot Z Thus the weight of the spool serves to maintain the lever in one of its adjusted positions.

When the thread from the spool breaks, the operator grasps the upper or handle end of the lever L, gives it a slight pull vertically to lift the notch or seat Z off the stud end to bring the curved slot in a plane with the said stud end, and then swings the lever L over to the position shown in Fig. 4, which elevates the crank end L and correspondingly lifts the spool F sufficient to bring it out of a positive or frictional contact with the spindle, to which position the spool is then held by reason of the lever becoming automatically locked to its shifted position, which is caused by the notch or seat Z now engaging the stud end and the weight of the spool F, which holds the said lever swung over to the lastmentioned position. Thus the weight of the spool assists in maintaining the lever to either of its shifted positions, and by reason of the elongated slot at the lower or fulcrum end of the lever provision is made for manually lifting the lever out of its locked position when it is desired to shift the same in either direc tion.

By providing a stop-motion device, as described, it is manifest the operator can in stantly shift the lever L to raise the spool from positiveengagement with its spindle when the thread breaks, and thereby stop the motion of the spool during the operation of tying the thread ends together without stopping the spindles rotation or in any manner impeding the motion thereof and disarranging the regular driving power of the main cylinder and the lateral belts driven thereby. As it is usual for the operator to handle the upper end of the spools in the ordinary manner of stdpping, the placing of the lever-handle above the upper end of the spools makes it convenient for handling and permits of starting or stopping the spools with a simple single hand movement, thereby leaving both hands of the operator free to catch the thread ends and tie the same while the spool remains loosely upon its spindle. A very advantageous result in placing the stop-motion as stated and constructing it as shown is that the spools rotation can be stopped and started without appreciably afiecting the pull strain on the spindle-driver.

My invention differentiates from mechanical spool-shifting devices before provided in the peculiar construction of the tiltable lever, its cooperative arrangement with the spools, the special locking means for holding the lever to its shifted positions, and the correlation of the said locking means, the lifter end of the lever, and the spool, whereby the engagement of the spool with the said lifter end of the lever materially aids in maintaining the lever to its adjusted positions.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

In a stop-motion mechanism of the character described, the combination with the bobbin-box,a continuously-rotatable spindle,and a bobbin slidably mounted thereon and normally held in positive contact therewith; of a bell-crank leverpivoted upon the bobbinbox to swing in the plane of its outer face, said angle-lever having its short arm held to engage the under face of the bobbin, and adapted to lift the said bobbin from positive contact with the spindle, said lever having its fulcrum-slot elongated vertically and pro= vided with a segmental horizontally-disposed slot in its upper end whose ends terminate in seats, a stud on the bobbin-box, extended within the curved slot, and adapted to cooperate with the end seat portions thereof, the upper end of the said lever being projected above the bobbin-box, all being arranged substantially as shown and described. 7

JOSEPH B. UNDERWOOD. Witnesses:

J. B. BROADFOOT, D. SHAW.

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