Yarn feeding and defect detecting device

Claim 1

A YARN-FEEDING AND DEFECT DETECTING DEVICE ADAPTED TO BE PLACED IN A MACHINE OF THE CHARACTER DESCRIBED BETWEEN A PLURALITY OF YARN-FEEDING SPOOLS AND A PLURALITY OF YARN-DRAWING NEEDLES, COMPRISING A SUPPORT, A PLURALITY OF TENSIONING MEANS MOUNTED ON SAID SUPPORT FOR PROVIDING UNIFORM TENSION TO EACH SEPARATE STRAND OF YARN AT SUCH YARN-DRAWING NEEDLES, MEANS MOUNTED ON A SUPPORT FOR GUIDING SAID PLURALITY OF STRANDS TOWARD SAID TENSIONING MEANS, A PLURALITY OF DEFECT-DETECTING MEANS EACH MOUNTED ON SAID SUPPORT IN ASSOCIATION WITH ONE SEPARATE STRAND AND ADAPTED TO DETECT A PREDETERMINED SLACK IN SAID STRAND UPON THE OCCURRENCE OF A DEFECT THEREIN, MEANS ACTIVATED BY SAID DETECTING MEANS TO AUTOMATICALLY STOP YARN FEEDING MEANS UPON SAID OCCURRENCE, A PAIR OF ENGAGEABLE ROLLERS ROTATABLY MOUNTED ON SAID SUPPORT AND ADAPTED TO BE DRIVEN BY SAID PLURALITY OF SAID STRANDS PASSING THEREBETWEEN, MEANS URGING THE ENGAGEMENT OF SAID ROLLERS WHEREBY THE REMAINING STRANDS DRIVE SAID ROLLERS TO OVERCOME SAID TENSION AND DEVELOP ANY SLACK IN SAID DEFECTIVE STRAND WHICH PERMITS SAID DETECTING MEANS TO STOP SAID FEEDING MEANS, SAID ROLLERS BEING IN THE FORM OF TOOTHED GEARS, ONE SAID GEAR BEING MOUNTED ON A MOVABLE BRACKET FOR ENGAGEMENT WITH THE OTHER, AND SAID MEANS URGING SAID ENGAGEMENT INCLUDING A SPRING CONNECTING SAID BRACKET TO SAID SUPPORT, SAID GUIDING MEANS INCLUDING A FIRST AND SECOND ROW OF GUIDES, SAID TENSIONING MEANS INCLUDING FIRST AND SECOND ROWS OF SPRING-URGED TENSION DISCS, SAID ROLLERS BEING POSITIONED BETWEEN SAID FIRST ROW OF TENSION DISCS AND SAID SECOND ROW OF GUIDES, AND SAID DETECTING MEANS INCLUDING A ROW OF WIRE LOOPS RESTING ON SAID STRANDS AND POSITIONED BETWEEN SAID SECOND ROW OF GUIDES AND SAID SECOND ROW OF TENSION DISCS, AND SAID STOP MEANS COMPRISING A ROW OF ELECTRIC SWITCHES ADAPTED TO BE ACTIVATED BY SAID WIRE LOOPS FALLING FROM SAID STRANDS UPON DEVELOPMENT OF SAID SLACK AND THEREBY CAUSING SAID FEEDING MEANS TO STOP.