Automatic doffing and donning apparatus

Claim 1

IN COMBINATION WITH A MACHINE HAVING TWO UPRIGHT PORTIONS, A HORIZONTAL ELEMENT BETWEEN SAID PORTIONS, AND A ROW OF UPRIGHT SPINDLES SUPPORTED ON SAID CONNECTING ELEMENT, THE SPINDLES AT THE ENDS OF THE ROW AND SAID UPRIGHT PORTIONS DEFINING TWO SPACES EXTENDING A SELECTED DISTANCE IN THE DIRECTION OF SAID CONNECTING ELEMENT; HORIZONTAL RAIL MEANS EXTENDING ALONG SAID UPRIGHT PORTIONS AND SAID CONNECTING ELEMENT; A CARRIAGE GUIDED ON SAID RAIL MEANS FOR MOVEMENT IN ONE DIRECTION PAST ONE OF SAID SPACES, THEN ALONG SAID ROW OF SPINDLES, AND THEN PAST THE OTHER OF SAID SPACES; TROLLEY MEANS ADAPTED TO MOVE ON A FLOOR ALONG THE MACHINE; MEANS FOR MOUNTING SAID CARRIAGE ON SAID TROLLEY MEANS FOR RELATIVE MOVEMENT IN VERTICAL DIRECTION AND FOR MOVEMENT WITH SAID TROLLEY MEANS ALONG SAID RAIL MEANS; ADJUSTABLE MEANS CONNECTING SAID TROLLEY MEANS WITH SAID CARRIAGE AND INCLUDING OPERATING MEANS FOR MOVING SAID CARRIAGE AND SAID TROLLEY MEANS TOWARD AND AWAY FROM EACH OTHER IN VERTICAL DIRECTION WHEREBY SAID CARRIAGE CAN BE RAISED TO THE LEVEL OF SAID RAIL MEANS WHILE SAID TROLLEY MEANS IS SUPPORTED ON THE FLOOR; A PLURALITY OF DOFFING MEANS MOUNTED ON SAID CARRIAGE MEANS FOR MOVEMENT WITH THE SAME, EACH DOFFING MEANS INCLUDING A PAIR OF INCLINED SPACED CAM TRACK MEMBERS AND EXTENDING IN THE DIRECTION OF SAID CONNECTING ELEMENT A DISTANCE SMALLER THAN SAID SELECTED DISTANCE, SAID CAM TRACK MEMBERS OF SAID DOFFING MEANS DEFINING TOGETHER A COMPOSITE CAM TRACK HAVING IN THE DIRECTION OF MOVEMENT OF SAID CARRIAGE A TRAILING PORTION LOCATED HIGHER THAN THE UPPER ENDS OF THE SPINDLES SO THAT A BOBBIN SUPPORTED ON THE PAIR OF CAM TRACK MEMBERS OF AT LEAST THE LAST TRAILING DOFFING MEANS IS LIFTED OFF THE RESPECTIVE SPINDLE, EACH DOFFING MEANS BEING MOUNTED ON SAID CARRIAGE FOR MOVEMENT BETWEEN AN INOPERATIVE POSITION LOCATED SPACED FROM THE ROW OF SPINDLES AND AN OPERATIVE POSITION IN WHICH SAID CAM TRACK MEMBERS ARE LOCATED ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE SPINDLES FOR SUCCESSIVELY ENGAGING AND RAISING BOBBINS ON THE SPINDLES DURING MOVEMENT OF SAID CARRIAGE; A HOLDING MEMBER MOUNTED ON SAID LAST TRAILING DOFFING MEANS FOR MOVEMENT BETWEEN AN INOPERATIVE POSITION AND A HOLDING POSITION FOR HOLDING A BOBBIN SUPPORTED ON THE RESPECTIVE CAM TRACK MEMBERS AND LIFTED OFF THE RESPECTIVE SPINDLE; AN OPERATING MEMBER MOUNTED ON SAID LAST TRAILING DOFFING MEANS AND PROJECTING INTO THE REGION OF THE ADJACENT DOFFING MEANS LEADING SAID LAST TRAILING DOFFING MEANS, SAID OPERATING MEMBER BEING OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID HOLDING MEMBER AND BEING ENGAGED AND SHIFTED BY SAID ADJACENT LEADING DOFFING MEANS TO SHIFT SAID HOLDING MEMBER FROM SAID INOPERATIVE POSITION TO SAID HOLDING POSITION WHEN SAID ADJACENT LEADING DOFFING MEANS MOVES FROM SAID OPERATIVE POSITION TO SAID INOPERATIVE POSITION; AND CONTROL MEANS LOCATED IN THE REGION OF EACH OF SAID SPACES AND SUCCESSIVELY OPERATIVELY ENGAGEABLE WITH EACH DOFFING MEANS WHICH IS LOCATED OPPOSITE SAID SPACES DURING MOVEMENT OF SAID CARRIAGE FOR EFFECTING MOVEMENT OF THE RESPECTIVE DOFFING MEANS FROM SAID INOPERATIVE POSITION TO SAID OPERATIVE POSITION WHEN THE RESPECTIVE DOFFING MEANS PASSES SAID ONE SPACE, AND FROM SAID OPERATIVE POSITION TO SAID INOPERATIVE POSITION WHEN THE RESPECTIVE DOFFING MEANS PASSES SAID OTHER SPACE.