An apparatus for applying in continuous manner about a flexible hose a plurality of reinforcing wraps. The apparatus comprises generally a first yarn treating head including a first bobbin table and a second yarn treating head including a second bobbin table. The first and second bobbin tables rotate in opposite directions. Each bobbin table has mounted thereon a plurality of yarn carrying bobbins on each side of the table, for example, four bobbins per side. The apparatus can then accommodate a total of 16 bobbins, eight of which are located at each head, to wind reinforcing wraps of any desired number of yarns from two to 16 by utilizing all or only some of the bobbins.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates generally to the field of hose reinforcement 
and more particularly, relates to an apparatus for applying multiple 
reinforcing wraps to a flexible hose construction. 
Flexible hose for conducting fluids under high pressures with little or no 
increase in length or volume of the hose have found wide application in 
industry. Prior workers in the art have developed reinforced hose having 
layers of wound yarn, metallic ribbons or other fibers or fabrics which 
have usually been applied as superimposed layers over a flexible hose 
core. Most often, resilient materials such as rubber sheeting or a 
thermoplastic sheet have been applied intermediate the various reinforcing 
wraps. U.S. Pat. Nos. 790,906 834,074, 1,010,088, 1,726,957, 2,047,770, 
3,212,528, 3,357,456, 3,504,461, 3,729,028 and 3,866,633 show various 
types of hose reinforcement of the multi-layer type. These prior art 
reinforced hoses have generally proved satisfactory when in use, but have 
usually proved so complicated in construction as to render the cost 
thereof unusually high when considering the cost of the materials and the 
nature of the final product produced. 
Some of the prior art patents above cited and U.S. Pat. No. 3,586,558, of 
which I am also aware teach methods of continuously manufacturing 
reinforced hose of the general type produced by the present invention. 
U.S. Pat. No. 3,586,558 discloses the use of a plurality of reinforcement 
applying machines in juxtaposed relationship, each of which carries a 
plurality of spools on which are wound yarns of which the reinforcement is 
continuously formed. The use of multiple knitting heads is also shown in 
my pending application Ser. No. 496,865, filed Aug. 12, 1974, entitled 
"Reinforced Hose," which discloses a machine capable of producing a 
multi-layer reinforcing upon a flexible hose. 
All of the prior art machines, including my own, of which I am familiar, 
mount the yarn carrying bobbins on one side of the bobbin table only to 
thereby definitely limit the number of yarns that can be wound by a single 
machine. When additional yarn wraps have previously been required, the 
bobbin tables had to be constructed of larger diameter to accommodate the 
desired number of bobbins. This increased bobbin table diameter resulted 
in larger machines, larger power requirements to operate the machines, all 
of which combined to greatly increase the initial capital cost of the 
machinery. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates generally to apparatus for producing 
multi-wrap, reinforced hose, and more particularly, is directed to 
apparatus including a plurality of bobbin tables in juxtaposed 
relationship wherein the tables include means to mount yarn carrying 
bobbins on both sides of each table. 
The apparatus of the present invention comprises a plurality of bobbin 
tables, for example, two or more tables in juxtaposed relationship which 
concentrically receive therethrough a flexible hose for yarn reinforcement 
wrapping. The tables rotate in opposite directions and each table applies 
a plurality of reinforcing yarns which may be spirally wound about a 
flexible hose core. 
In a preferred embodiment, each bobbin table includes means to mount yarn 
carrying spools on each side of the table to thereby accommodate a 
plurality of bobbins in an area much smaller than heretofore possible. By 
mounting yarn carrying spools on both sides of the bobbin tables, the 
bobbin tables can be smaller in diameter and the entire machine itself can 
be smaller. Hose reinforcing machines of the present design thereby can be 
produced at considerably less cost and will require less power for 
operation than comparable prior art devices. 
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved 
apparatus for multi-wrap hose reinforcement of the type set forth. 
It is another object of the present invention to provide a novel apparatus 
for multi-wrap hose reinforcement comprising a bobbin table having yarn 
carrying spools mounted on both sides and including means to apply the 
yarns about a flexible hose construction. 
It is another object of the present invention to provide a novel apparatus 
for multi-wrap hose reinforcement including a plurality of bobbin tables 
rotating in opposite directions wherein each table includes means to mount 
yarn carrying spools on both sides of the table for applying a plurality 
of yarns to a hose in a plurality of reinforcing wraps. 
It is another object of the present invention to provide a novel apparatus 
for continuous multi-wrap hose reinforcement incorporating a plurality of 
bobbin tables, each of which has a plurality of yarn carrying spools 
mounted on each side of the table and further including means to easily 
vary the number of yarns to be applied to a flexible hose as it is passed 
through the apparatus. 
It is another object of the present invention to provide a novel apparatus 
for multi-wrap hose reinforcement incorporating a first yarn treating head 
having a bobbin table with spools mounted on each side of the table, a 
second yarn treating head having a bobbin table with spools mounted on 
each side of the table and means to apply all spool yarns to a flexible 
hose at one side of each table. 
It is another object of the present invention to provide a novel apparatus 
for multi-wrap hose reinforcement that is simple in design, inexpensive in 
manufacture and trouble free when in use. 
Other objects and a fuller understanding of the invention will be had by 
referring to the following description and claims of a preferred 
embodiment thereof, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, 
wherein like reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the 
several views and in which:

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION 
Although specific terms are used in the following description for the sake 
of clarity, these terms are intended to refer only to the particular 
structure of my invention selected for illustration in the drawings, and 
are not intended to define or limit the scope of the invention. 
Referring now to the drawings, there is shown in FIG. 1 a portion of a hose 
reinforcement machine 10 comprising a plurality of yarn treating heads 12, 
14 of the type suitable to simultaneously spiral a plurality of yarn 
reinforcement wraps or layers 16, 20. Conventionally, a hose 22 of rubber, 
vinyl or other suitable flexible material is fed concentrically through 
the hose reinforcement machine 10 wherein the plurality of layers or 
wraps, 16, 20 are spiralled over the hose in continuous manner as the hose 
is fed through the machine 10. A rubber or vinyl sheet material layer 18 
is fed over and wrapped about the first or inner reinforcement layer 16 
intermediate the first and second yarn treating heads 12, 14 in a manner 
to completely cover the inner yarn reinforcment layer 16 and to insulate 
the inner layer 16 from the outer or second spiral reinforcement layer 20. 
The machine 10 includes a stationary frame 40 which is illustrated in 
generally horizontal orientation. However, it should be noted that machine 
may also be vertically oriented or otherwise and still fall within the 
meaning and scope of this invention inasmuch as it is the function of 
wrapping or spiralling the reinforcement layers 16, 20 of the first and 
second yarn treating heads 12, 14 that is important rather than the 
direction of flow of the material itself. Each of the first and second 
yarn treating heads 12, 14 is similar in construction and includes 
generally a circular bobbin table 42 which is rotatable within the frame 
40 in conventional manner. Preferably, one of the bobbin tables 42 rotates 
in a clockwise direction and the other table 42 rotates in a 
counterclockwise direction to balance the final product which is produced 
by the machine 10. Inasmuch as machines of the general type set forth have 
been well known for many years, for example, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 
2,752,962, the machine need not be further described in detail. 
In the embodiment illustrated, each bobbin table 42 carries a plurality of 
left bobbin mounting means 44 which are secured to one side of the bobbin 
table 42, for example, the left side 46. The other side of each bobbin 
table 42, namely the right side 48, is similarly equipped with a plurality 
of right bobbin mounting means 50. As best seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, four or 
more bobbin mounting means 44 may be conveniently mounted upon the left 
side 46 of the bobbin tables 42 and the right side 48 of the bobbin 
mounting tables 42 may be similarly equipped with at least four other 
bobbins mounting means 50. Preferably, the left bobbin mounting means 44 
and the right bobbin mounting means 50 are mounted in registry to achieve 
dynamic balance. However, it will be appreciated that other arrangements 
are possible. For example, the right bobbin mounting means 50 could be 
secured to the bobbin table 42 in positions closer to the table center 
than the left bobbin mounting means 44 and vice versa. 
A plurality of yarn carrying spools 30, 26 conventionally are carried upon 
the left bobbin mounting means 44 and the spools 30, 26 rotate as the 
table 42 is rotated. Yarn 28 from each spool 30 feeds through a suitable 
yarn guide 52 for winding or wrapping about the hose 22. Yarn 56 feeds to 
the right yarn guide 53, through the table openings 58, 60, 62, 64 to the 
left yarn guide 52. The yarns 56, 28 cooperate to form the second yarn 
wrap 20. 
Yarn 24 from each spool 26 at the right head 14 similarly feeds through a 
yarn guide 52 for winding or wrapping a first yarn wrap 16 about the hose 
22 in conjunction with the yarn 57 from the spools 55 which feed from the 
right yarn guide 53. 
Referring now to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, it will be seen that a plurality of 
similar yarn carrying spools 54, 55 mount upon the right bobbin mounting 
means 50 in conventional manner for rotation when each bobbin table 42 is 
rotated. The right yarns 56, 57 feed from each spool 54, 55 to the right 
yarn guide 53 and then through respective bobbin table openings 58, 60, 
62, 64 to the left yarn guide 52. The yarns 56, 57 then feed 
concentrically to spiral wrap the hose 22 about the hose 22 in 
conventional manner. The right and left yarns 56, 57 and 24, 28 are 
suitably treated by the yarn treatment heads 12 or 14 to cooperate to form 
a reinforcing wrap 16 or 20. 
The treating heads 12, 14 are identical in construction and in operation 
with the exception that one head rotates in a clockwise direction and the 
other head rotates in a counterclockwise direction. Accordingly, all of 
the structure described for the head 12 is equally applicable for the head 
14. It will be appreciated that although two yarn treating heads 12, 14 
are illustrated, additional, similar heads could be employed to produce 
additional wraps about the hose 22 and still come within the meaning and 
scope of this invention. 
As illustrated in FIG. 1, a strip wrapping station 32 is positioned 
intermediate the yarn treating heads 12, 14 and is employed in 
conventional manner to apply a strip of resilient material 18, which may 
be rubber or vinyl, over the first spiral layer 16 which is applied at the 
right yarn treating head 14. It should be noted that the rubber or vinyl 
strip 18 is not spiralled but is applied in a longitudinal manner to 
completely cover the inner yarn wrap or first spiral layer 16. The strip 
18 is applied over the first yarn reinforcement layer 16 in a manner 
whereby the longitudinal edges are drawn together to apply the strip 18 
completely about the hose whereby the longitudinal edges abut to form a 
longitudinally extending seam (not illustrated). In this manner, all of 
the yarns 28, 56 of the first yarn wrap 16 are covered by the strip 18 to 
prevent wear, movement or other damage. As illustrated, the yarns 24, 57 
of the right yarn treating head 14 unwind from the spools 26, 55 as the 
head 14 is rotated in conventional manner. The spools 26, 55 are mounted 
upon the right and left bobbin mounting means 50, 44 in the manner 
hereinbefore described. 
In the embodiment illustrated, a plurality of four spools 30 and four 
spools 54 are shown carried by the bobbin table 42 in the left head 12. 
Similarly, a plurality of four spools 26 and four spools 55 are shown 
carried by the bobbin table 42 of the right yarn treatment head 14. As 
illustrated, a total of eight yarns 24, 57 can thus be wrapped at the 
right yarn treating head 14 and a total of eight yarns 28, 56 can 
additionally be spiralled at the left yarn treating head 12. Of course, 
utilizing the same general arrangement, more or fewer yarns 24, 28, 56, 57 
can be applied over the hose 22 in a first spiral layer 16 and in a second 
spiral layer 20. Care should be exercised when applying any desired number 
of spools 30, 54 and 26, 55 to the respective bobbin table 42 that the 
apparatus should be dynamically balanced to as great an extent as possible 
to avoid undue vibration and machine wear. 
In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 4 a hose reinforcement 66 comprising 
two yarns 24, or 57 or combination thereof from the right yarn treatment 
head 14 and two yarns 28 or 56 or combination thereof from the left yarn 
treatment head 12 are illustrated. The second or outer spiral layer 74 
comprises two yarns 28. In FIG. 5, the outer yarn wrap 76 comprises four 
yarns 28, 56 or a combination thereof. The inner yarn wrap 68 comprises 
four yarns 24, 57 or a combination thereof. In FIG. 6, the outer yarn wrap 
78 comprises six yarns 28, 56 and the inner yarn wrap 70 comprises also 
six yarns 24, 57. In FIG. 7, the outer yarn wrap 80 comprises a total of 
eight individual yarns 28, 56. The inner yarn wrap 72 also comprises a 
total of eight yarns 24, 57. In this manner, any desired combination of 
right first yarns 24, 57 and left or second yarns 28, 56 can be applied 
about a flexible hose 22. 
Although I have described the present invention with reference to the 
particular embodiments herein set forth, it is understood that the present 
disclosure has been made only by way of example and that numerous changes 
in the details of construction may be resorted to without departing from 
the spirit and scope of the invention. Thus, the scope of the invention is 
not limited by the foregoing specification, but only by the claims annexed 
hereto.