Patent ID: 7197796

Claim:
An apparatus for continuously unwinding a yarn, comprising at least two feed positions, with one of the feed positions accommodating a feed yarn package and the other feed position accommodating a reserve package, conveying means for withdrawing the yarn from the feed yarn package and from the reserve package, and with the trailing end of the yarn from the feed yarn package being joined to the leading end of the yarn from the reserve package, and a sensor positioned adjacent the two feed positions for detecting and signaling the transfer of the withdrawn yarn from the feed yarn package to the reserve package, said sensor comprising a yarn guide which is moveable from an inactive position to a signaling position upon the withdrawn yarn transferring from the feed yarn package to the reserve package, and means operable upon movement of the yarn guide from the inactive position to the signaling position for preventing a rebound of the yarn guide from the signaling position back toward the inactive position.