Abstract:
The revolving rings on a spinning machine, as seen in U.S. Pat. No. 4,112,666, are rotated by a belt encircling six of the rings. Idler pulleys push the belt tangentially against the rings so that they are driven by the belt being tangentially pressed against them.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     (1) Field of the Invention 
     This invention relates to textile machines for spinning, twisting and twining and more particularly for machines with rotating rings. 
     (2) Description of the Prior Art 
     Previous workers in the art have suggested that the rings of a spinning machine be rotated. We have patented machines with rotating rings, both in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,738,094 and 4,023,340. 
     In our U.S. Pat. No. 4,112,666, we patented a machine having a compensating drive. The drive belt is trained from the drive pulley on the spindle rail around an idler pulley and around a shell which drives four or more rings directly. The idler pulleys are moved out and in to compensate for the difference between the drive pulley and the shell. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     (1) New and Different Functions 
     According to this invention, the drive belt is trained from the drive pulley on the spindle rail around idler pulleys which move in and out as in the previous compensating drive discussed above. However, at the ring rail, the belt is directed by idlers to extend along a line of a group of six or more rings and around them back to the directional idlers at the end of the arm. The rings are driven tangentially by having the belt pressed in against the rings by ring idlers. 
     (2) Objects of this Invention 
     An object of this invention is to spin, twist or twine fibrous yarn or continuous filament. 
     Another object of this invention is to provide an improved drive means for rotating spinning rings. 
     Further objects are to achieve the above with a device that is sturdy, compact, durable, lightweight, simple, safe, efficient, versatile, ecologically compatible, energy conserving, and reliable, yet inexpensive and easy to manufacture, install, adjust, operate and maintain. 
     Other objects are to achieve the above with a method that is versatile, ecologically compatible, energy conserving, rapid, efficient, and inexpensive, and does not require highly skilled people to install, adjust, operate, and maintain. 
     The specific nature of the invention, as well as other objects, uses, and advantages thereof, will clearly appear from the following description and from the accompanying drawing, the different views of which are not scale drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a spinning machine with an embodiment of our invention attached thereto. 
     FIG. 2 is a plan view with parts broken away for clarity showing a portion of the machine. 
     FIG. 3 is a plan schematic representation showing the relationship of some of the rotating rings. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring to the drawing, there may be seen illustrated a conventional spinning machine in many respects. Specifically, the machine has a frame which includes spindle rail 10. Vertical bobbin spindles 12 are journalled to spindle rail (not shown but conventional). Each vertical spindle 12 is the spindle on which the bobbin is placed to wind the yarn upon. The spindle has a conventional rotating means. We find it desirable not to show many conventional parts of the machine for simplicity and clarity of the drawing. These parts have been well known to the art for many years and are shown in our previous patents identified above. 
     Ring rail 14 is mounted upon the machine for up and down movement or vertical reciprocation relative to the spindle rail 10. 
     Those skilled in the art will understand that a machine will have a plurality of spindles 12 thereon and that the ring rail 14 would surround each of the spindles. 
     Rings 16 are journalled for rotation upon the rail 14. Traveler 17 is slidably mounted upon each ring. It will be understood that the ring in this particular case would have a ring holder and that the entire assembly is called the ring herein for conciseness. Also the rings 16 have vertical axes. Particularly, our U.S. Pat. No. 4,122,666 shows the details of such a ring and holder and the way it is journalled to the rail. 
     Horizontal drive shaft 18 extends the length of the machine. As shown, the drive shaft is journalled by bearings 20 to the spindle rail 10. The drive shaft 18 itself is driven by drive element 22 in the form of a belt. 
     Ring arm 24 is pivoted to the ring rail 14 by ring bracket 26. Spindle arm 28 is pivoted to the spindle rail 10 by spindle bracket 30. The ring arm 24 and the spindle arm 28 are pivoted together at the knee 32. Horizontal knee shaft 34 extends through the end of one of the arms, specifically, the spindle arm 28 near the knee 32. Two horizontal knee idlers 36 are journalled to the shaft 34 on one side and two additional horizontal knee idlers 38 are journalled to the shaft 34 on the other side of the knee. 
     Two horizontal arm idlers 42 are journalled on one side of horizontal arm shaft 40 and two additional horizontal arm idlers 44 are journalled to the arm shaft 40 on the other side of the ring bracket 26. The horizontal arm shaft is attached in the ring bracket 26 and is parallel to the horizontal drive shaft 18 and to the horizontal knee shaft 34. Horizontal drive pulley 46 is mounted upon drive shaft 18 in line with knee idlers 36 and drive pulley 48 is attached to drive shaft 18 in line with knee idlers 38. Vertical directional idler 50 is mounted upon cross bar 52 in line with the arm idler 42. Vertical directional idler 54 is mounted upon the other end of the cross bar in line with arm idler 44. 
     The cross bar 52 (not shown in FIG. 1 for clarity) is attached to bracket 26. 
     At least four vertical ring idlers 56 are attached to the ring rail 14 between rings with vertical axis 16. Belt 60 is trained around the pulleys and is particularly trained around drive pulley 46. The drive shaft 18 rotates in the direction of the arrows shown so that the belt passing over the top of the drive shaft is pulled toward the drive shaft. Belt 60 is trained around the bottom of the horizontal drive pulley 46 to over one of the horizontal knee idlers 36 to over one of the arm horizontal idlers 42. The belt goes around vertical directional idler 50 along the front or outside of a line of a group of rings 16 with vertical axis. As illustrated, a group of rings will be six rings, particularly referring to FIG. 3. However, it will be understood that a group of rings could be more than six rings. The belt 60 extends between one of the vertical ring idlers 56 and the rings 16. Then it extends along and runs along the outside of the rings to another of the vertical ring idlers 56 and goes between the idler 56 and the rings 16. The belt will extend around the end ring of the group and then back along the opposite side of the line. The opposite side of the line is called the inside of the line or the back side. Although no idlers have been shown along the opposite side, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that some could be placed therealong if desired. The belt extends back to the ring adjacent to the bracket 26 and extends around the ring adjacent to bracket 26 over the other horizontal arm idler 42, over the other horizontal knee idler 36 and back over the top of the horizontal drive pulley 46. 
     Belt 62 extends from the bottom of drive pulley 48 over one of the knee idlers 38 and over one of the arm idlers 44 and around the ring 16 adjacent to the ring bracket 26. The belt 62 then extends on a run along the back side or inside of a line group of rings, again including six rings, and around the end ring of the group and back along a run along the front or outside of the group. As before, when the belt 62 comes by one of the ring idlers 56 it is trained between the ring idler 56 and the two rings 16, which the ring idler 56 is between. The belt 62 then extends around the directional idler 54 and over the other of the arm idlers 44 then over the other knee idler 38 and round the top of the drive pulley 48. 
     Thus it may be seen that we have provided a simple, inexpensive and dependable drive means for rotating the spinning rings. 
     As an aid to correlating the terms of the claims to the exemplary drawing the following catalog of elements is provided: 
     10 spindle rail 
     12 spindle 
     14 ring rail 
     16 ring 
     18 drive shaft 
     20 bearing 
     22 drive element 
     24 ring arm 
     26 ring bracket 
     28 spindle arm 
     30 spindle bracket 
     32 knee 
     34 knee shaft 
     36 knee idler 
     38 knee idler 
     40 arm shaft 
     42 arm idler 
     44 arm idler 
     46 drive pulley 
     48 drive pulley 
     50 directional idler 
     52 cross bar 
     54 directional idler 
     56 ring idler 
     60 belt 
     62 belt 
     The embodiment shown and described above is only exemplary. We do not claim to have invented all the parts, elements or steps described. Various modifications can be made in the construction, material, arrangement, and operation, and still be within the scope of our invention. The limits of the invention and the bounds of the patent protection are measured by and defined in the following claims. The restrictive description and drawing of the specific example above do not point out what an infringement of this patent would be, but are to enable the reader to make and use the invention.