An Improved Thread Carrier for use in connection with Braiding Machines.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 6th Jan., 1899-Accepted, 11th Feb.,
1899
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Thread Carrier for use in connection with Braiding
Machines.
I, ROBERT MEANS THOMPSON, of 37, Wall Street, New York, United States of
America, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and as-
certained in and by the following statement:-
in
The invention relates to that class of braiding machines in which a number
of thread carriers are vertically disposed and moved around one another
and out so that the threads which extend to said carriers from the wire, line, cord,
rod or other object to be covered with braiding, are by the motion of these
carriers braided together so as to produce a tubular braided covering enclosing
the wire or cord.
The construction is such that the tension of the thread is self-regulating so
that upon a given carrier any thread within the capacity of the machine may be
used. So also the amount of thread drawn from the bobbin depends solely
upon the extent of strain applied. In lieu of a special form of bobbin a simple
tubular sleeve is employed upon which the thread or silk wound upon the or-
dinary commercial cop, and so supplied to the market, may be directly applied
without any previous rewinding.
In the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the carrier. Fig. 2
is a vertical section; and Fig. 3 is a transverse section taken just above tho
hole in the stem through which the thread passes from the bobbin. Figs. 4, 5
and 6 are respectively a side elevation, vertical section, and transverse section of
a modified form of the invention.
Similar letters of reference indicate like parts.
Referring first to Figs. 1, 2 and 3. A is the bottom plate of the carrier.
B is a bobbin supporting spindle. C is a sleeve surrounding the spindle and
free to turn thereon, and having a wide circular flange D at its lower portion.
In the periphery of flange D is a groove E. The bobbin F, which may be the
ordinary commercial cop, is received upon the sleeve C, as shown. G is a
vertical stem which can be integral with the bottom plate A and which is parallel
to the spindle B. Upon this stem is a freely moving sliding piece H which is
slit on its rear side at I. Surrounding the stem G and interposed between the
sliding piece and a fixed stop J on said stem is a spring K which operates to
press said sliding piece downwardly.
On the front side of the sliding piece H are two guides L through which freely
passes a sliding pin M. Interposed between the upper guide Li and a fixed
stop N on said pin is a spiral spring 0 which operates to press said pin down-
wardly.
The thread T for bobbin F passes through the slit I in the sliding piece H
thence through an opening P in the stem G, thence through a notch on the lower
end of pin M and thence through a tubular projection Q at the top of stem G.
R is a spring fastened at one end by the screw S to the stem cu:l bearing

page_text: at its other end upon the groove E on the periphery of flange D. The pressure
of this spring upon the flange D may be adjusted by means of the screw S.
In operation this device works as follows:-
Tension upon the thread first draws up the pin M against the resiliency of
the spiral spring 0; the pin being supported at a height and the spring com-
pressed to a degree depending upon the extent of strain. As represented in the
drawings, Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the thread has drawn up the pin nearly to the limit
of its upward movement. Further strain upon the thread then tends to lift
the sliding piece H upon the stem G, thus compressing the spiral spring K on
said stem.
After the spring K has been compressed to some predetermined extent the
pull on the thread is sufficient to rotate the bobbin F despite the frictional
resistance of the spring finger R, and thus thread is given off until the tension
relaxes when the two springs K and O successively expand bringing the parts
back to their normal position.
It will be observed therefore that the tension of the thread first overcomes
the resistance due to the resiliency of spring O, then that due to the resiliency
of spring K, and then the frictional resistance of the finger R; hence, no matter
how sudden the strain upon the thread it is never referred to a fixed stop or
abutment, but is opposed by gradually increasing spring resistances either up to
a point where the resistance balances the strain, or where the giving off of thread
relieves the tension.
Referring to Figs. 4, 5 and 6: A' is the bottom plate, B¹ the bobbin support-
ing spindle, the tubular base of said spindle, which is connected to the
bottom plate A D is an annular disk, supporting a sleeve E' of thin metal,
flanged over at F1 on disk D¹ and secured by screws G¹. In the disk D¹ is a
groove H. The sleeve surrounds the spindle B', and the disk D¹ and sleeve E¹
together form one piece, which can be removed at will from the spindle B¹. I¹
is a tubular bobbin which may be the ordinary commercial cop, which fits
tightly upon sleeve E. J' is a vertical stem on which is a sliding piece K¹.
Connected to K¹ is a wire or cord L which passes down over a pulley M¹ in an
opening at the base of the stem J¹ thence over a pulley N₁ in the base
of the spindle and connects with a spiral spring 0¹, which is within the
spindle Bi and which has its upper end connected to a cross bar P¹, at the upper
part of said spindle. The tendency of the spring O' in contracting is normally
to draw down the sliding piece K¹ to the bottom of the stem J. Fast upon
the upper part of the spindle base C¹ is a projecting arm Q¹ having an upwardly-
bent end to which is fastened by clamping screw and washer R¹ a spring finger S¹
which enters the groove H on the disk D. The sliding piece K¹ is open on its
rear side T',and through this opening the thread U₁ from the bobbin passes, so
that when the sliding piece K is moved up and down, it does not touch the
thread which passes through the open rear side. The thread then proceeds
through an opening a in the stem J through a fair leader 6 on the sliding piece
K', and thence through a vertical hole in the projection c at the upper end of
the stem. When strain is exerted upon the thread it tends to lift the sliding
piece K against the tension of the spring 01 exerted through the wire L' sa
that the pull of the spring is always balanced against the pull upon the thread,
and as a consequence, whenever the pull upon the thread is sufficient to overcome
the normal resistance of the spring. the sliding piece K¹ is raised and the tension
of the thread is slackened. In this way the tension of the thread is always regu-
lated, in accordance with the strain which is exerted upon it. The extent of
play of the spring and, of the sliding piece is sufficient to maintain this tension
no matter what the position of the carrier as a whole may he in moving to and
from the wire being covered at the centre of the machine.
The spring finger S₁ bearing upon the disk D₁ acts as a brake, and so regulates
the resistance of the bobbin to turning when the thread is drawn from it. By
adjusting the screw R³ this resistance may be varied to any desired extent; and

page_text: therefore the amount of thread which may be let off under a given strain may
in this way be regulated.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
1. A thread carrier for braiding machines constructed and arranged substantially
as set forth, wherein the tension of the thread is resisted by the successive action
of springs, substantially as described.
2. A thread carrier for braiding machines constructed and arranged substantially
as set forth in Figs. 1, 2, 3 wherein the tension of the thread is resisted first
by a spring located in the sliding piece on the stem, second by the weight of
said sliding piece and a spring on said stem acting on said sliding piece, and
third by a fixed spring bearing on the bobbin disk.
3. A thread carrier for braiding machines constructed and arranged substan-
tially as shown in Figures 4 5 and 6.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.