Quill counter for automatic winding machines

Claim 1

IN A WINDING MACHINE OF THE TYPE HAVING A PLURALITY OF WINDING UNITS THEREON TRAVELLING IN AN ENDLESS PATH PAST A DOFFING STATION WHERE EACH WINDING UNIT DISCHARGES A PREVIOUSLY RECEIVED QUILL AND RECEIVES AN EMPTY QUILL IN ITS PLACE, THE QUILLS BEING ROTATED DURING THE TRAVEL OF THE WINDING UNITS AND HAVING YARN WOUND THEREON FROM A SUPPLY PACKAGE TRAVELLING WITH THE WINDING UNIT, THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING: AN ELECTRICALLY OPERABLE RECORDING COUNTER FOR RECORDING THE NUMBER OF USABLE QUILLS, SWITCH MEANS POSITIONED FORWARD OF THE DOFFING STATION AND ADJACENT THE PATH OF TRAVEL OF QUILLS CARRIED BY THE RESPECTIVE WINDING UNITS, SAID SWITCH MEANS HAVING A QUILL FEELER ARM THEREON EXTENDING AT A PREDETERMINED POSITION INTO THE PATH OF AND ENGAGEABLE ONLY BY YARN WOUND TO A PREDETERMINED POINT ON THE QUILL FOR MOMENTARILY CLOSING SAID SWITCH MEANS AND COMPLETING A CIRCUIT TO SAID COUNTER TO INDICATE A USABLE QUILL, AND MEANS POSITIONED AT A REMOTE POINT FROM SAID SWITCH MEANS FOR RENDERING THE CIRCUIT TO SAID COUNTER INOPERATIVE EXCEPT WHEN A QUILL IS IN POSITION TO ACTUATE SAID SWITCH MEANS.