Strand-reeling apparatus

Claim 1

IN STRAND-REELING APPARATUS FOR TAKING UP AN ADVANCING STRAND INCLUDING A PAIR OF ROTATABLY DRIVEN TAKE-UP REELS, STRAND-DISTRIBUTING MEANS MOUNTED FOR MOVEMENT TRANSVERSELY OF THE WINDING SURFACE OF THE TAKE-UP REELS, MEANS FOR INDEXING SAID STRAND-DISTRIBUTING MEANS FROM A PARTIALLY FILLED TAKE-UP REEL TO AN ADJACENT EMPTY TAKE-UP REEL, AND REVOLVING SNAGGING MEANS CONNECTED OPERATIVELY TO EACH OF SAID REELS FOR GRIPPING PORTIONS OF THE STRAND ADJACENT TO EACH REEL WHEN THE STRAND IS TRANSFERRED FROM ONE REEL TO ANOTHER, THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES MOVABLE GUIDE MEANS POSITIONED ADJACENT TO SAID SNAGGING MEANS AND ARRANGED TO EXTEND OUTWARDLY BEYOND SUBSTANTIALLY CIRCULAR PATHS DEFINED BY THE MOVEMENT OF THE SNAGGING MEANS AND ACROSS THE DIRECT TRANSVERSE PATH OF TRAVEL TAKEN BY A SPAN OF THE STRAND EXTENDING FROM THE DISTRIBUTING MEANS TO THE PARTIALLY FILLED TAKE-UP REEL AS THE DISTRIBUTING MEANS IS INDEXED TO AN ADJACENT REEL, SAID GUIDE MEANS BEING DESIGNED TO HOLD SAID SPAN OUTWARDLY FROM THE SNAGGING MEANS AS THE STRAND-DISTRIBUTING MEANS IS SO INDEXED TO CAUSE A DESIRED DELAY OF THE GRIPPING OF THE STRAND BY SAID SNAGGING MEANS, MEANS FOR MOVING SAID GUIDE MEANS TRANSVERSELY OF THE PARTIALLY FILLED REEL DURING SAID DELAY TO DISTRIBUTE AN ADDITIONAL PREDETERMINED AMOUNT OF THE STRAND ON THE PARTIALLY FILLED REEL, AND MEANS FOR CAUSING THE SPAN OF THE STRAND EXTENDING FROM THE DISTRIBUTING MEANS TO THE REEL ONTO WHICH THE STRAND IS BEING WOUND TO BECOME DISENGAGED FROM THE GUIDE AND MOVE INTO THE PATHS OF THE SNAGGING MEANS AS SOON AS THE ADDITIONAL PREDETERMINED AMOUNT OF THE STRAND HAS BEEN WOUND ON THE LAST-MENTIONED REEL TO EFFECT A COUTOVER FROM THE TAKE-UP REEL ONTO WHICH THE STRAND HAS BEEN WOUND TO THE EMPTY TAKE-UP REEL.