Improvements relating to the Formation of Balls of Twine or of other like Material.
Year: 1889

page_text: [Communicated from abroad by CHARLES PAUL MITCHELL, of Boston, Massachusetts
United States of America.]
Improvements relating to the Formation of Balls of Twine or of
other like Material.
1, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
This invention relates to balls of twine or other fibrous material and has for its
object the production of balls of twine or of other like material that shall contain an
increased length of material for a given size of ball as compared with the balls
now in general use, and that can be unwound from the inside without getting
entangled.
The nature of the invention will be readily understood by reference to the description
of the drawings in which
Figure 1 is an elevation of a ball of twine embodying the invention.
Figure 2 is a longitudinal section of the same.
Figure 3 is a longitudinal section of the same, in outline, after a portion of the twine
has been drawn from the centre.
Figure 4 is a longitudinal section of a slightly modified form of ball but embodying
the same principles.
Figure 5 is a longitudinal section of a ball wound as now generally practiced.
Figure 6 illustrates the manner of winding the central portion or main body of the
improved ball, and
Figure 7 illustrates the manner of winding the ball shown in figure 5 and as now
generally practiced.
In the drawings A is the main body of the ball illustrating this invention, which is formed
by winding the twine or cord spirally around a spindle a in successive layers, the
threads in one layer crossing the threads in the next previous layer at acute angles a
shown in figure 6.
The coils of each layer may be wound close or open as may be desired, and in
winding the main body of the ball of the shape shown in Figure 4, the coils may be
laid quite close; but in winding a ball the main body has a shape as shown in figures 2
and 3; it is preferable to wind the layers to build the cylinder up to the diameter of
the collars b, c somewhat more open, so that the coils of one layer shall cross the coils
of the previous layer at a sufficient angle to bind the end coils, and prevent their being
displaced or falling down when the collars and c are removed. In the drawings the
coils are shown more open than necessary, in order to more clearly illustrate
the same.
In winding the main body of this improved ball, the spindle a is revolved about its
axis at the desired speed and the twine or cord is guided thereto by a carrier arm
which is made to traverse back and forth through a given length of stroke the
speed of said traverse, relative to the revolutions of the spindle being regulated
according to the pitch that it is desired to give to the spiral, or the degree of
closeness the twine is to be wound.
In order to wind the ball shown in Figure 2 the spindle a has fitted thereon
two collars b, c, at a distance apart equal to the desired length of the ball less
the thickness of the outside covering at each end, and the twine guide has a traverse
given to it at each stroke equal to the distance between said collars less the
diameter of the twine or cord being wound, until a cylinder of twine is formed
having a diameter equal to the diameters of the said collars, and to the distance
De

page_text: between the dotted lines d, e, on Figure 2, after which the traverse of the twine
or cord guide or carrier is diminished slightly at each stroke, until the cylinder
of twine has increased to a diameter equal to the distance between the dotted
lines f, g, on Figure 2, when the ball or package will have an outline corre-
sponding in size and shape to the figure bounded by the lines ³ h² h³ h* h³ hồ and h
in Figure 3, the ends of the ball being in the form of frustums of cones.
The outer covering B is then applied by winding the twine or cord obliquely from
corner to corner as from (to D see Figures 2 and 3 the ball being slowly rotated about
the axis of its spindle so as to lay each successive coil of the twine or cord close to
the preceding one as shown in Figure 1.
In some cases it may be preferable to dispense with the collars b and c and vary the
traverse of the twine guide or carrier at each layer after the first, so that the main
body of the ball before the outer or finishing cover is applied thereto shall present
conical ends the bevel of which commences at the spindle as shown in Figure 4, and
then apply the finishing layers or covering as above described.
Heretofore balls of twine and other like material have been wound around the
spindle in planes oblique to the axis of said spindle as illustrated in figure 7 and
continuing to wind layor after layer in the same manner until the ball is finished when
it has a longitudinal section as shown in figure 5 in which at ench end is a chamber or
cavity m which is waste room and very materially affects the quantity of twine or cord
contained in a ball of a given size.
The caveties m, m, are a necessary consequence of winding the ball in the manner
now practiced for the reason that if the cavities were filled by allowing each layer to
fill down to the spindle indicated by the dotted lines in Figure 5 the piling up of the
twine or cord near the spindle due to the crossing of the several cords over each other
at that point would so elongate the ball in the direction of the length of the spindle as
to make it of an undesirable shape.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me
by my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is :-
First. A ball of twine or other like material made up of a series of cylindrical
layers of varying lengths the outer of which are of less lengths than the inner ones
and all wound spirally, and an outer or finishing covering of one or more layers
wound about said cylindrical body in planes oblique to the axis of said cylinder.
Second. A ball of twine or other like material the main body of which is in the
form of a cylinder having frustro conical ends and having a finishing layer or covering
wound in planes oblique to the axis of said cylinder and enclosing said frustro-conical
ends substantially as described.
Dated this 13th day of August 1889.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.