US2671943A - Thread guide - Google Patents

Description

T. RovAs 2,671,943

THREAD GUIDE 2 Sheets-Sheet l March 16, 1954 Filed sept. 18,1951

JNVENTOR.

Patented Mar. 16, 19544 THREAD GUIDE Tobias Rovas, Cleveland, Ohio, assignor of forty per cent to Ohio Knitting Mills, Inc., Cleveland,

Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application September 18, 1951, Serial No. 247,119

4 Claims. 1

This invention relates to an apparatus for 'winding yarn or threads onto a Work beam and particularly onto warp beams which are used in knitting machines.

Fabrics from which sweaters are made are usually so knitted that one longitudinal half of the web has its pattern reversed with respect to the adjacent half so vthat when the finished web is folded longitudinally, the patterns will be superimposed upon each other. This will enable two identical panels to be cut simultaneously. To. achieve such reversal of pattern, it is necessary to wind the Warp beam with threads or strands which are prearranged with respect to each other as to color, and it is necessary to reverse such arrangement on adjacent sections of the warp beam. SuchV reversal has necessitated either the rethreading of a guide bar or the utilization of a reversible bar through which the strands have previously been threaded. One form of such reversible bar has been illustrated, described and claimed in my co-pending application, Serial No. 24,643, led May l, 1948, now Patent No. 2,578,017.

The reversible bar shown in my aforesaid application has the thread receiving openings equally spaced in a direction extending longitudinally of the bar, but frequently, it is desired to have the number of threads per inch wound onto the beam different from the spacing of the holes in the bar. An effort has been made to accomplish such change by mounting the bar on a vertical swivel, but upon inversion of the bar, to reverse the pattern, difficulty has been experienced in obtaining the precise angular position for achieving the same desired number of threads to the inch.

An object of the present invention is to maintain the advantages of a threaded guide bar, but at the same time to eliminate the diiiiculty of maintaining the desired spacing of the strands upon reversal of the strand relationship at the completion of the winding of a section on the Warp beam.

An additional object is to construct a device by means of which the strands remain threaded through spaced openings in a guide, and yet the spacing thereof can be quickly and automatically altered to suit any desired range of spacing within predetermined limits.

Briefly, the invention is carried out by utilizing a guide in the form of a lazy tongs or parallel linkage device, wherein parallel links are provided with regularly spaced openings of convenient size to permit the strands to be readily -2 threaded therethrough, and wherein the ends of the device are suitably mounted in brackets which can be moved along a stationary bar. The bar is suitably calibrated to indicate the number of threads per inch, wherefore, by anchoring one of the brackets and moving the other along the bar, a change in thread spacing can be automatically obtained without necessitating any rethreading operation at any time. The thread guide is detachably connected to the brackets and can therefore be inverted so as to reverse the thread arrangement from that previously wound.

Referring now to the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a warp beam which is being wound in accordance with the present invention; Figure 2 is a front elevation of the thread guide embodying the present invention and showing the guide in extended position; Figure 3 is a section taken on a plane indicated by the line 3-3 in Figure 2; Figure 4 is a perspective view similar to Figure l, illustrating the thread guide in a position which is more extended than that of Figure 1.

In the drawings, I0 indicates the warp beam which is being wound with strands Il from individual bobbins (not shown). The strands leading from the bobbins are indicated at IIA as being threaded through regularly spaced openings in a guide bar I2. From theguide bar, the strands, indicated at I IB, pass into a thread guide which is made in accordance with the present invention.

The thread guide embodies a set of pivotally interconnected parallel links designated lazy tongs and embodying parallel bars 2l] which are interconnected pivotally by bars 2l at intermediate points 23 and at end points 24 and 25 respectively. The bars 20 are provided with equally spaced openings at 30 through which the strands may be threaded as they pass from the spacing bar I2 to the friction guide roll 3|, over guide roll 32 and on to the beam I0. The ends of the thread guide are pivotally connected to brackets 42 and 43 respectively, the latter being slidably mounted upon a bar 45 which has graduated markings 46 thereon, by means of which the length of the guide may be adjusted in accordance with the desired number of threads per inch to be wound onto the beam. l

The preferred form of connection between the ends of the thread guide and the supporting brackets includes pivot pins 40 and 4I which are adjustably clamped in slots 4'I and 48 in the brackets 42 and "43 respectively, whereas the brackets, in turn, may be adjustably clamped upon the bar 45 by means of wing screws 49 and 50 respectively. Thus, for example, Whenever the threads are to be positioned close tcgether, it is only necessary to move the brackets toward each other in the desired amount, and to clamp them to the bar 45. Where, however, a wider spacing is desired it is only necessary to extend the brackets and to clamp them in a new location on the bar 45 as is shown, for example, in Figure 4.

At the completion of the winding of a panel, if it be desired to reverse the threads for winding an adjacent section 63 of the beam, then it is only necessary to remove the Wing bolts 40 and 4I and to invert the position of the thread guide without removing any of the strands from the openings therein. The desired thread spacing can then be quickly set in accordance with the markings on the rule bar.

An advantage of the present invention is the fact that the threads or strands may be quickly adjusted for any desired spacing and may then be altered either by inversion or by a change of spacing in an expeditious manner. A further advantage of the invention is that it may be readily applied to existing winding machines.

I claim:

1. In combination, a support, a pair of brackets slidably carried by the support and a thread guide extending between the brackets and comprising a plurality of parallel bars interconnected to form a lazy tongs, some of said bars having openings therein spaced at equal intervals for receiving thread strands, and means for removably securing each end of the thread guide to an adjacent bracket whereby said thread guide may be reversed with the thread intact between the brackets.

2. In combination, a bar having graduations thereon, a pair of brackets slidably mounted on said bar, each bar having a vertically extending slot therein, a lazy tongs thread guide and means extending through said slots for adjustably securing the ends of said guide to said brackets.

3. A thread guide for a winding machine comprising, a plurality of bars interconnected to form a lazy tongs, some of said bars having equally spaced thread-receiving openings therein, a bracket removably connected to each end of the lazy tongs, a longitudinal support, and means for adjustably mounting said brackets in spaced relation on the support with the lazy tongs spaced from the support whereby said lazy tongs may be freely extended and contracted in a direction parallel to said support.

4. In combination, a longitudinal supporting bar having graduations thereon, a pair of brackets slidably mounted in spaced relation on said bar, a lazy tongs thread guide extending between the brackets and having each end removably supported in a bracket, each bracket having a slot communicating with the corresponding end of the lazy tongs, a pivot pin disposed in each slot for adjustably clamping the ends in the corresponding brackets, and locking means coacting between each bracket and the support for securing the brackets in selected positions thereon.

'roBIAs RovAs.

References Cited in the lle of this patent UNTED STATES PATENTS Name Date 1,025,442 Anderson et a1 May 7, 1912 1,394,431 Lea Oct. 18, 1921 1,940,054 Herrold Y Dec. 19, 1933 2,427,827 Whitener Sept. 23, 1947

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