Filament accumulator

Claim 1

IN A FILAMENT WINDING ACCUMULATOR ADAPTED TO BE INTERPOSED BETWEEN A FILAMENT SUPPLY SOURCE AND POWER OPERATED FILAMENT RECEIVING APPARATUS EXERTING PREDETERMINED PULLING FORCE ON A FILAMENT TO BE WOUND, A FRAME STRUCTURE, A PAIR OF AXIALLY SPACED FILAMENT ACCUMULATOR REELS EACH JOURNALLED IN SAID FRAME STRUCTURE FOR INDEPENDENT ROTATION ON A COMMON AXIS, A WINDING PULLEY FOR RECEIVING A FILAMENT FROM ONE OF SAID REELS AND GUIDING SAID FILAMENT TOWARD THE OTHER OF SAID REELS, MEANS MOUNTING SAID WINDING PULLEY IN SAID FRAME STRUCTURE FOR BODILY MOVEMENTS CIRCUMFERENTIALLY ABOUT THE COMMON AXIS OF SAID REELS IN ONE DIRECTION TO WIND AN ACCUMULATION OF SAID FILAMENT ON SAID REELS AND IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION TO PERMIT DISCHARGE OF SAID FILAMENT FROM SAID REELS, SAID REELS EACH HAVING AXIALLY SPACED RADIAL FLANGES AND A FRUSTO-CONICAL SPOOL SURFACE EXTENDING FROM ONE OF SAID FLANGES TO THE OTHER THEREOF, A CIRCUMFERENTIAL SURFACE PORTION OF SAID WINDING PULLEY BEING TANGENT TO A PLANE EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY OF SAID AXIS ADJACENT THE SMALLER DIAMETER END OF THE SPOOL SURFACE OF ONE OF SAID REELS, A DIAMETRICALLY OPPOSITE CIRCUMFERENTIAL SURFACE PORTION OF SAID WINDING PULLEY BEING TANGENT TO A PLANE EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY THROUGH SAID AXIS ADJACENT THE LARGER DIAMETER END OF THE SPOOL SURFACE OF THE OTHER OF SAID REELS, INLET GUIDE MEANS ADJACENT THE LARGER SPOOL DIAMETER END PORTION OF SAID ONE OF THE REELS, OUTLET GUIDE MEANS ADJACENT THE SMALLER SPOOL DIAMETER END PORTION OF THE OTHER OF SAID REELS, WHEREBY CONVOLUTIONS OF FILAMENT WOUND ON SAID ACCUMULATOR REELS WILL MOVE AXIALLY THEREOF FROM THE LARGER DIAMETER PORTIONS OF THE SPOOL TOWARD THE SMALLER DIAMETER PORTIONS THEREOF DURING ROTATION OF SAID REELS TO PREVENT OVERLAPPING OF SAID CONVOLUTIONS ON SAID REELS, MEANS FOR IMPARTING SAID BODILY MOVEMENT TO THE WINDING PULLEY SELECTIVELY IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS, AND, BRAKE MEANS FOR EXERTING RETARDING FORCE AGAINST SAID BODILY MOVEMENT OF SAID WINDING PULLEY IN EITHER DIRECTION OF MOVEMENT THEREOF DURING NORMAL FREE PASSAGE OF SAID FILAMENT ABOUT SAID ACCUMULATOR REELS.