Improvements in Apparatus for Preventing Waste in Case of Breakage of the Threads in Spinning Machines.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 11th June, 1892
Complete Specification Left, 9th Mar., 1893-Accepted, 15th Apr., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Preventing Waste in Case of
Breakage of the Threads in Spinning Machines.
We LOUISE CROES DAMMAN wife of Felix Damman and JEAN LAPIN,
Machine Makers, both of Roulers in the Kingdom of Belgium, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
Our present invention relates to certain improvements in an apparatus patented
by us in Great Britain under No. 8790 of A.D. 1891. The apparatus described in
that Patent is applicable to all kinds of spinning machines and by its action in case
of breakage of the threads the broken ends are at once and automatically removed
out of reach of the moving mechanisms and thus waste is prevented and rejoining
facilitated.
To accomplish this in the Specification of our above mentioned Patent we
describe and claim an appliance which we call a "thread shifter" which consists of
a two armed rotary spindle normally held back by a part of the stretched thread
engaging one arm and being thus rendered inoperative until the thread breaks.
One such appliance is provided for each thread of any machine, and when any
thread breaks, by the action of a suitably disposed counterweight the spindle of
that thread shifter is automatically turned through a given arc, and then its second
arm seizes the thread above the rollers and shifts it out of reach thereof so that
rolling up or waste are impossible, and whereby many incidental advantages are
secured.
We have found that in use sundry inconveniences occur because the required
gravity of the counterweight is apt to bear too heavily upon the stretched thread
and consequently sometimes causes unintentional rupture thereof; and also the
action of the counterweight alone is too slow to be practically efficient and reliable
in removing the broken ends of the threads with proper rapidity.
The object of our present improvements is to remedy these inconveniences or
defects, and our invention consists essentially in the addition of an apparatus
whereby the required part rotary and lateral movement of the spindle of each
thread shifter is effected by the application of additional mechanical force. To this
end we combine with the spindle of each thread shifter a lever fixed to its head and
having a finger adapted to gear with an endless screw or worm adjacently
disposed.
The counterweight thus serves only the subordinate function of starting the
spindle when the thread breaks and just moving it and its head lever far enough to
engage the first thread of the worm, and therefore the counterweight can be
reduced in its weight and holds up only an eccentric socket carrying the upper
hooked arm of the spindle.
One worm is provided for each thread shifter and the worms are carried on a
shaft running the full length of the machine and at about the level of the tops of the
spindles. The travel of the finger of the thread shifter is limited by a ring at
either end of the worm, and when the said finger is held in equilibrium by the
stretched thread as described, the finger of the head lever lies in a space between
one of the said rings and the first thread of the worm, which space is sufficiently
long to allow the finger to move freely therein so long as the thread is entire ; but
when it breaks, the spindle, being no longer held back by it, is first moved slightly
by the counterweight and then the finger at once engages the first thread of the
worm and its angular movement is then completed by the force of the worm; thus
the broken thread is instantly removed out of reach of the rollers, and the attendant
can then retie the ends and replace the parts at leisure.

page_text: The worms are driven by any convenient power and the thread shifters may be
arranged alternately right- and left-handed, the fingers of the head levers and the
worms being correspondingly disposed.
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T
1002
J. C. CHAPMAN, C.P.A.,
Agent.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Preventing Waste in Case of
Breakage of the Threads in Spinning Machines.
We, LOUISE CROES DAMMAN, wife of Felix Damman, and JEAN LAPIN,
Machine Makers, both of Roulers, in the Kingdom of Belgium, 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 :-
Our present invention relates to certain improvements in an apparatus patented
by us in Great Britain under No. 8790 of A.D. 1891. The apparatus described in
that Patent is applicable to all kinds of spinning machines and by its action in case
of breakage of the threads the broken ends are at once and automatically removed
out of reach of the moving mechanisms and thus waste is prevented and rejoining
facilitated.
To accomplish this, in the Specification of our above-mentioned Patent we
describe and claim an appliance which we call a "thread shifter," which consists of
a two-armed rotary spindle normally held back by a part of the stretched thread
engaging one arm and being thus rendered inoperative until the thread breaks.
One such appliance is provided for each thread of any machine and when any
tbread breaks, by the action of a suitably disposed counterweight the spindle of
that thread shifter is automatically turned through a given arc, and then its second
arm seizes the thread above the rollers and shifts it out of reach thereof so that
rolling up or waste are impossible, and whereby many incidental advantages are
secured.
We have found that in use sundry inconveniences occur because the required
gravity of the counterweight is apt to bear too heavily upon the stretched thread
and consequently causes unintentional rupture thereof; and also the action of the
counterweight alone is too slow to be practically efficient and reliable in removing
the broken ends of the threads with proper rapidity.
The object of our present improvements is to remedy these inconveniences or
defects and our invention consists essentially in the addition of an apparatus
whereby the required part rotary and lateral movement of the spindle of each
thread shifter is effected by the application of additional mechanical force. This
we accomplish by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings in
which similar letters refer to similar parts.
Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the improved thread shifter with endless screw.
Fig. 2 is a back elevation and Fig. 3 a plan thereof.
F is the spindle of the thread shifter hollow in its lower part m' and mounted
freely upon a pivot p fixed to the bar W. At its base it carries the lower
arm n' with hook o; its upper end is screwed and carries the weighted socket k
with aring and hook h. The direction of operative motion is indicated by the
arrow in Fig. 3.
According to our improvements we combine with the spindle F of each thread
shifter a lever R fixed to its head and having a finger r adapted to gear with an
endless screw or worm S adjacently disposed.
The counterweight thus serves only the subordinate function of starting the
spindle F when the thread breaks and first moving it and its head lever R far
enough to allow finger r to engage the first thread of the worm S, and therefore
the counterweight k can be reduced in its weight and serves only as an eccen-
trically disposed socket to carry the upper arm g with hook h of the spindle F.

page_text: One worm S is provided for each thread shifter, and the worms are carried
on a shaft S¹ running the full length of the machine and at about the level of the
top of the spindles F. The travel of the finger r of the thread shifter is limited
by a stop rings fixed at either end of the worm S and when the said finger r is
held in equilibrium by the stretched thread as described the finger r of the head
lever R lies in a space between one of the said rings, for example, on the right
side as illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3, and the first thread of the worm S, which space
is sufficiently long to allow the finger r to move freely therein so long as the
thread is entire; but when it breaks the spindle F being no longer held back by
it, is first moved slightly by the counterweight k and then the finger at once
engages the first thread of the worm S which carries it along, and the required
angular movement is then completed by the force of the worm.
Thus the broken thread is instantly removed out of reach of the rollers and the
attendant can then retie the ends and replace the parts at leisure. He then slides
up the spindle F on its pivot p and returns the finger to normal position as illus-
trated in Fig. 3.
The worms S are driven by any convenient power and the thread shifters may
be arranged alternately right and left handed, the fingers of the head levers R
and the worms S being correspondingly arranged.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is:
-
In apparatus such as is above referred to for preventing waste in case of
breakage of the threads in spinning machines, the improvement consisting in the
combination with the spindle F of each thread shifter of a head lever R with a
finger adapted to engage with constantly driven worm wheels S adjacently
disposed whereby on breakage of any thread the broken ends are instantly and
automatically shifted away from the rollers by a constant mechanical motion sub-
stantially as and for the purpose described and illustrated.
Dated this 9th day of March 1893