Yarn carrier having an annular recess containing markings for yarn identification

Abstract: A re-usable yarn carrier having an annular recess containing markings for yarn identification is disclosed. The carrier comprises a tube (10) having a pair of spaced apart ends (14, 16) and an outer peripheral surface (12) located between the ends. An annular recess (18) is formed in the outer peripheral surface (12) adjacent one end (14) of the tube. The annular recess (18) defines a marking surface (20) located radially inward from the outer peripheral surface. The marking surface (20) includes markings, for example, colored bands (26, 28), bar code or the like, for identifying at least one characteristic of the yarn wound onto the carrier. Placing the markings (26, 28) in the recess (18) prevents them from being worn off through frictional contact with the drive mechanism that rotates the carrier (10) during the winding operation, winding of the first layer of yarn onto the carrier, handling of the carrier while empty or the like. The marking surface (20) may further include a yarn catching means (32), for example a knurled surface, slip-resistant coating, hooks or the like, for catching the yarn at the start of the winding operation.

Description: The present invention relates generally to a yarn carrier and, in particular, to a yarn winding tube for high speed winding operations. The present invention includes a re-useable tube having yarn identifying markings disposed on a recessed surface. During the yarn manufacturing process, yarn packages are formed by winding yarn onto yarn carriers that are rotated at high speeds, sometimes in excess of 8,000 rpms. Typically, the yarn carrier is rotated by a drive mechanism that includes a driven roller which contacts the outer surface of the carrier at the start of winding and drives the carrier through frictional engagement between the driven roller and the carrier. As layers of yarn are wound onto the carrier, the driven roller moves radially outward from the carrier, maintaining frictional contact with the outer layer of yarn. A pick-up groove is usually provided at one end of the tube for capturing the yarn and initiating the winding of the yarn onto the tube. These yarn winding tubes are often made of paperboard or other fibrous materials such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,057,201 And 5,328,121. The life of a laminated paper yarn tube is somewhat limited. Paper tubes are often damaged during shipments and/or winding of the yarn. Disfiguration of the tube may cause uneven rotation during the yarn winding operation. Moisture absorption by the paper tube may also cause changes in dimension and other physical properties. Furthermore, paper tends to create dust, particularly when the driven roller is in contact with the carrier at the start of winding. Plastic, re-useable winding tubes have been suggested as replacements for paper carriers. Examples of re-usable winding tubes are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,889,294 and 4,901,941. One important feature of a yarn winding tube is the means for identifying the particular type of yarn on the tube without a detailed inspection of the yarn. A visual symbol or identification mark is often applied to the rim of the tube, above the yarn wound thereon. These markings may be a printed symbol on the ends of the tube. A particularly useful means for yarn identification is to color code the carriers with one or more colored bands on their outer peripheral surfaces. Multiple bands are preferred because they can convey more information than a single colored band. For example, one band may be used to designate the yarn material and another may be used to designate the denier of the yarn. Moreover, providing various combinations of colors allows a greater number of yarns to be identified than if one band were used. Placing yarn identifying markings on the outer peripheral surface of the carrier, however, exposes them to significant wear from frictional contact with the driven roller during the start of the winding operation, the winding of the first layer of yarn onto the carrier, and handling of the carrier while empty. The wearing away of the markings can produce dust that could contaminate the yarn and could collect on the parts of the winding machine, which would require more frequent maintenance and may be more prone to failure. In addition, after prolonged use, the markings may wear away completely, requiring the markings to be reapplied or new carriers to be provided more often than desired. In CH666,471 a yarn carrier is described which includes a reflective strip encircling the carrier. The yarn is wound over the carrier and the region of reflective strip is illuminated during use so that the end of the yarn can be predicted by detecting light reflected back from the reflective strip. In DE 299 03 840, on the other hand, the yarn carrier includes a data carrier providing information on the yarn wound on the carrier. As illustrated in the figures the surface of the data carrier lies flush with the surface of the yarn carrier. The present invention is directed to a yarn carrier adapted to be mounted on a winding machine, to have yarn wound thereon and unwound therefrom, and to form a yarn package, the yarn carrier comprising: a tube, the tube having a first end, a second end and an outer peripheral surface located between the first and second ends, the tube including a recess formed in the outer peripheral surface, the recess defining a marking surface; and at least one marking disposed on the marking surface, the marking being adapted to identify at least one characteristic of the yarn wound onto the carrier and characterised in that the marking is positioned on the marking surface such that an outer surface of the marking is located radially inward from the outer peripheral surface. In another aspect, the yarn carrier of the present invention may include a yarn catching means located in the recess. The yarn catching means may include a roughened portion of the marking surface, slip-resistant coating, a strip having a plurality of hooks or the like. For the purpose of illustrating the invention, there is shown in the drawings a form which is presently preferred. It should be understood, however, that the invention is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown. Figure 1 is a perspective view of a yarn winding tube according to the present invention. Figure 2 is an elevational view of the winding tube of Figure 1 in contact with a driven roller of a winding machine. Figure 3 is a partial cross-sectional view of the winding tube as taken along line 3-3 in Figure 1. Figure 4 is an elevational view illustrating an alternative embodiment of the winding tube according to the present invention. Referring now to the drawings, where like numerals indicate like elements, there is shown a tube-type yarn carrier, which is generally designated by the numeral 10. As illustrated in Figure 1, the carrier 10 is a hollow, elongated tubular body made of plastic or other durable material. Although illustrated as being a cylindrical shape, it should be appreciated that the carrier could also have a frusto-conical shape or any shape that may be rotated at a high rate of speed. The carrier 10 has an outer peripheral surface 12 for receiving yarn thereon to form a yarn package. A first end 14 and a second end 16 are positioned opposite one another with the outer surface 12 located therebetween. As shown in cross-section in Figure 3, an annular recess 18 is formed adjacent the first end 14 of the carrier 10. The recess 18 has a marking surface 20 positioned radially inward of the outer surface 12 of the carrier 10. Preferably, the marking surface is parallel to the outer surface. A pair of shoulders 22, 24 extend inwardly from the outer surface 12 to the marking surface 20. As illustrated, the shoulders 22, 24 are sloped with respect to the marking surface 20 of the recess 18. However, the relative angle of the shoulder surface may vary if desired. As illustrated in Figure 1, the marking surface 20 contains two circumferential colored bands 26, 28 that indicate one or more characteristics of the yarn wound onto the carrier. For example, the upper band 26 may be designated to indicate the material the yarn is made of and the lower band 28 may be designated to indicate the denier of the yarn. Alternatively, the combination of the colors of the two bands may be designated to indicate only one characteristic of the yarn, such as its denier. Other characteristics of the yarn may be indicated using more bands and/or different combinations of colors. The width of the recess 18 may be any width desired. However, it is preferred that the width be limited to that necessary to contain the markings. Although colored bands are shown, the yarn identification markings may be any desired, such as alpha-numeric codes, bar codes, colored segments or the like. Moreover, the recess need not be annular. It may be another shape, such a halfannulus formed on one half of the circumference of the carrier. However, an annular recess having annular colored bands is preferred because the markings are visible regardless of the rotated position of the carrier about its longitudinal axis. The yarn identification markings may be printed on the marking surface 20 with ink, paint or other coating. Alternatively, the markings may comprise strips of adhesive tape, bands of heat shrinkable material or the like, applied to the marking surface. As illustrated in Figure 2, a driven roller 30 of a drive mechanism is brought into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the carrier 10 at the start of the winding operation. The driven roller 30 rotates the carrier 10 through frictional contact between the roller 30 and carrier 10. While the carrier 10 is rotated, a strand of yarn is brought into contact with the carrier 10 and the yarn is wound thereon. As the yarn is wound onto the carrier 10 and builds up into layers, the driven roller 30 is maintained in contact with the outer layer of yarn to keep the carrier rotating. During the initial phase of winding when the driven roller is rotating the carrier without any yarn wound thereon, the recessed markings are protected from being worn away or otherwise damaged by the driven roller. Moreover, the recessed markings are protected from damage as the yarn is wound onto the carrier, the carrier is handle while empty or the like. Figure 4 shows an alternative embodiment of the yarn carrier 10' of the present invention. In this embodiment, the marking surface 20' includes a yarn catching means in addition to the yarn identification markings. The yarn catching means is used to catch a strand of yarn during the start of the winding operation. In the embodiment shown, the yarn catching means comprises a roughened, or knurled, portion 32 of the recessed marking surface 20'. Two colored yarn identification bands 26', 28' are located adjacent the knurled portion 32. Alternatively, the yarn catching means may comprise an anti-slip coating, a plurality of hooks (such as those comprising VELCRO® brand hook and loop fastener) or the like. Similar to the yarn identification markings, the yarn catching means is protected from wear by virtues of its placement in the recess 18'. The invention has been described with respect to a yarn carrier. However, one skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the present invention may be used for other types of material suitable for being wound onto a carrier, such as various types of rope, wire, cable, mono-filaments and the like. Although the invention has been described and illustrated with respect to the exemplary embodiments thereof, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that the foregoing and other various changes, omissions and additions may be made therein and thereto, without parting from the present invention.

Claims: A yarn carrier adapted to be mounted on a winding machine, to have yarn wound thereon and unwound therefrom, and to form a yarn package, the yarn carrier comprising: a tube (10), the tube having a first end (14), a second end (16) and an outer peripheral surface (12) located between the first and second ends (14, 16), the tube including a recess (18) formed in the outer peripheral surface (12), the recess (18) defining a marking surface (20); and at least one marking (26, 28) disposed on the marking surface (20), the marking (26, 28) being adapted to identify at least one characteristic of the yarn wound onto the carrier and characterised in that the marking (26, 28) is positioned on the marking surface (20) such that an outer surface of the marking is located radially inward from the outer peripheral surface (12). The yarn carrier of claim 1 wherein the recess (18) is continuous around the outer peripheral surface (12) of the carrier. The yarn carrier of claim 2 wherein the tube (10) is cylindrical and the recess (18) is annular in shape. A yarn carrier as claimed in claim 1, wherein the tube (10) has a circular cross-sectional shape and the recess (18) is formed around the entire circumference of the carrier and includes a first and second shoulder (22, 24) formed between the outer peripheral surface (12) of the tube (10) and the marking surface (20) of the recess (18). The yarn carrier of claim 4 wherein the at least one of the shoulders (22, 24) forms a gradual slope from the outer peripheral surface (12) to the marking surface (20). The yarn carrier of any one of claims 2 to 5 wherein the marking comprises a colored band extending around the periphery of the marking surface (20). The yarn carrier of any one of claims 2 to 5 wherein the markings (26, 28) comprise two colored bands extending around the periphery of the marking surface (20). The yarn carrier of any one of claims 1 to 5 wherein the marking comprises a bar code. The yarn carrier of any one of the preceding claims further comprising a yarn catching means (32) located within the recess (18). The yarn carrier of claim 9 wherein the yarn catching means (32) comprises a roughened surface covering at least a portion of the marking surface (20). The yarn carrier of claim 9 wherein the yarn catching means (32) comprises a slip-resistant coating applied to at least a portion of the marking surface (20). The yarn carrier of claim 9 wherein the yarn catching means (32) comprises a flexible strip and plurality of hooks attached to the strip, the strip attached to at least a portion of the marking surface (20). The yarn carrier as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the tube (10) is made of a thermoplastic material.

Inventors: AUTEN JOHN F, AUTEN, JOHN F.
Applicants: SONOCO DEV INC, SONOCO DEVELOPMENT, INC.
Application year: 2001
Main classification: B65H75
IPC codes: B65H75