527,776. Winding thread. STEVENS, A. H. (American Thread Co.). April 11, 1939, No. 10983. [Class 120 (ii)] In a machine for cross-winding thread on a spindle, a tucking device is provided for forming a loop in the length of thread extending from the wound cop and positioning the loop beneath a definite portion of the helical coils of the outer layer of the cop with the apex of the loop directed inwardly from the last wound coil ; the loop is tucked adjacent a side of a depressed V in the outer surface of the winding in a direction outwardly from the V and means are provided for indexing the wound cop so as to position the definite portion of the helical coils in a predetermined position. As shown the machine comprises a number of winding spindles mounted on an intermittently rotated turret 8, Fig. 1, a core being placed on the spindle 10, at station A and secured to the spindle and the starting end of the thread from a supply bobbin 168 being held on the core at station B until a few turns are wound thereon ; the cop is wound between stations B and C and at the latter station the cop is indexed, the cop then passing to station D where the thread is severed and the end tucked beneath the helical coils of the outer thread layer and finally to station E where the cop is doffed. The turret 8 is carried by a hollow shaft 50, Fig. 3, driven by Geneva gearing from a motor-driven shaft 60 and each spindle 10 has a slotted end 17, Fig. 10, which is expanded by a plunger 72 to secure a core thereon. Station A. The cores are contained in a hopper 266, are agitated therein by a reciprocating member 268, and fall down a tube 16 into a pocket in a spring-pressed plunger in a pivoted gate 14 which when a winding spindle is opposite it, is swung by a cam-actuated rod 248, into line with the spindle and is then slid forward to position the core against a shoulder on the spindle against the action of the spring of the plunger, a spring 552 moving the plunger 72 forward to expand the end of the spindle and secure the core thereon. The link 270 carrying the agitating member 268 also carries a pivoted and spring-controlled pawl 282 having a hook extending through a slot in the tube, the hook riding over the sides of the cores in the tube as the link 270 moves down and engaging below the lower end of a core. as the link 270 moves up and lifting the column of cores until the inclined end of screw on the pawl ends of the fingers and rotatably mounted on the end of a plunger 334 ; before the fingers are closed on the core they are indexed, so that the longer finger is disposed centrally over the top of the core, by a spring-controlled latch 340 pivoted in the casing 330 and engaginga notch in the bushing 322. As the fingers move forward on to the core the latch 340 rides up an inclined surface 348 and moves out of the notch engages the upper end wall of the slot when the pawl is turned to take the hook out of the slot and the cores drop down the tube as the pocket in the gate is in position to receive a core ; the pile of cores in the tube is supported by the surface 246 of the gate while the core is being positioned on the spindle 10. The spindles are driven by a continuously rotating friction wheel 80 carried by a shaft 612 disposed in the hollow spindle 50 and driven by a motor 618 and the driving connection with the friction wheels 78 carried by the spindles is varied by raising or lowering the shaft 612 this being effected by rotating a cap 626 connected thereto by a screw 630, ratchet teeth on the inside of the cap being engaged by spring-pressed detents 624 carried by the friction wheel 80. Station B. The end of the thread from a supply bobbin 168, previously placed in a clip 18, Fig. 27, is removed from the clip by jaws 20 slidably mounted in a block 294 pivoted in an arm 298 of a carrier 300 on a shaft 306 and slidable but not rotatable in a bearing 302. The inner of the two jaws is connected by a crank 308 to the shaft 306 and carries a spring 314 engaging the outer jaw so that as the shaft 306 rotates the inner jaw moves down under the thread carrying the outer jaw with it until a block 316 thereon strikes the block 294 ; the movement of the outer jaw is then arrested and the inner jaw moves away so that the thread is received between the jaws, the crank 308 then being reversed so that the inner jaw moves up to grip the thread, both jaws then continuing to move upwards to draw the thread from the clip 18 while the carrier 300 moves outwards to carry the thread above the core 2 on the spindle 10, the projecting end being laid on the cores by a jet of air. The thread is then clamped on the core by fingers 22 and the spindle rotated by movement of the friction wheel 78 into engagement with the wheel 80, the wheel 78 being normally held out of engagement by a spring and being moved by the rotations of a nut 86 carried thereby and engaging a fixed threaded sleeve 88 ; the nut carries an arm 90 which is moved to rotate the nut by a slidable cam 96, Fig. 17, the wheel 78 being first pushed lightly into engagement with the wheel 80 and then as the spindle moves from station B, into firm engagement in which position it is held by a latch 100 engaging a roller 98 in the arm 90. The fingers 22 are pivoted in-a bushing 322 rotatably mounted in a casing 330 and are normally held open by springs and are closed by the movement of a conical head engaging the inner so that the fingers can rotate in the casing 330 as they engage the core ; the conical head is then retracted to allow the fingers to spring open and the fingers are retracted after a predetermined number of turns are wound on the core, a continuously driven friction segment then engaging a collar 352 on the bushing 322 to rotate it until the latch 340 re-engages the notch and re-indexes the fingers while a lug on the segment engages and turns a bell-crank which engages the block 316 on the outer jaw 20 to retract the jaw and release the thread. When the wheel 78 is latched into engagement with the wheel 80, the rotatable traverse guide roller 12 and a bridge piece 13, Fig. 14, which are carried by a casing 106 pivoted in a sleeve in the turret and also pivoted to a vertically movable carrier 144, are moved upwards so that the traverse roller is pressed into engagement with the thread on the core by the engagement of a roller 148 on the carrier with a fixed cam groove 152 ; an adjustable weight 154 is connected by a rod 156 to the carrier 144 to press the traverse roller upwards. The thread from the package 168 passes through a thread guide 172 and a tension roller 174 on the rod 156 to adjustable tension discs 176 carried by a shaft 184 on the carrier 144, the discs being pressed towards each other by a spring interposed between a sliding collar on the shaft 184 engaging one of the discs and a nut screwed on the shaft by which the tension of the spring is adjusted ; as the carrier descends during winding the shaft 184 is turned to decrease the tension of the spring and so the tension of the thread, by an arm 189 secured thereto and connected to an adjustable arm 192 fastened to the turret, the shaft having a spiral groove engaging a pin on the inside of a bushing in which the shaft turns. From the tension discs 176, the thread passes over pins 194 projecting from the casing 106 and beneath a weighted drop wire 196 pivoted on an arm on the casing and as the traverse roller 12 and bridge 13 are moved up into engagement with the core, the drop wire is lifted. If the thread fails to start winding upon its release from the fingers 22, or if the thread breaks, the wire 196 drops, the dropped wire resting upon a hook 202 and, as the winding head moves from station B, a pin 204 on the drop wire moves up an incline 208 and causes the wire to strike the hook 202 and move a rod 212 slidable in the carrier 144; a hook 214 on the rod then engages an arm 216 on the latch 100 and releases the latch from the roll 98 with the result that the wheel 78 is moved out of engagement with the wheel 80 and the spindle stops. The turret stops at a predetermined point, so that the operator can cut the thread against a knife on the clip 18 and re-engage the supply end of the thread in the clip, by the engagement of a blade 206 on the drop wire with a member which carries a mercury switch and is depressed against the action of a spring to close a circuit through the switch and energize a solenoid which causes the release of a snap switch and opens the circuit through the driving motor ; the switch may be moved to close the circuit by a handle. Station C. The length of thread to be wound for any given diameter of the cop depends on the thread tension and the pressure of the bridge 13 on the wound thread and when the cop has attained a predetermined diameter a cam disc 410 adjustable in the carrier 144 hits the arm 216 and releases the latch 100 to stop the winding spindle and the roll 148 at the lower end of the carrier enters the cam groove 152 so that the carrier with the casing 106 carrying the traverse roller 12 and bridge 13 are moved down to align the end face of the traverse roller with a continuously rotating friction disc which is moved longitudinally to engage the end face of the traverse roller and rotate it and the cop in the unwinding direction for a little over a revolution, the slack thread being taken up by the drop wire. The traverse roller and spindle are then indexed to position the cop in the predetermined angular position with respect to the last laid helical coils, an index disc 426 at the end of the shaft 118 driven from the spindle 10 having a notch 428 which is engaged by a spring- pressed latch 430 when this is lifted by a segmented cam track 436 as the winding head approaches station C, the disc being released when the winding head has received a fresh core and reaches station B again. Station D. The stretch of thread between the cop 4 and the traverse roller 12 is eng