Automatic textile beam transfer apparatus

Claim 1

A TEXTILE BEAM TRANSFER APPARATUS FOR TRANSFERRING EMPTY AND FULL BEAMS HAVING CIRCULAR END FLANGES BETWEEN A TEXTILE MACHINE AND A STORAGE RACK, SAID APPARATUS COMPRISING, A SUBSTANTIALLY LEVEL RUNWAY EXTENDING BETWEEN THE TEXTILE MACHINE AND THE STORAGE RACK, SAID RUNWAY HAVING MEANS FOR GUIDING THE FLANGES OF A ROLLING BEAM ALONG THE LENGTH OF THE RUNWAY, A PAIR OF DOFFING ARMS MOUNTED PROXIMATE THE TEXTILE MACHINE FOR REMOVING AND REPLACING BEAMS IN THE MACHINE FROM THE RUNWAY, A PAIR OF KICKER BLOCKS POSITIONED WITHIN THE RUNWAY ADJACENT THE TEXTILE MACHINE, SAID BLOCKS ARRANGED TO RISE FROM THE LEVEL OF THE RUNWAY TO POSITION THE EMPTY BEAM ADJACENT THE TEXTILE MACHINE AND TO PUSH AGAINST THE FLANGES OF A FULL BEAM TO IMPEL SAID BEAM TO MOVE ALONG SAID RUNWAY TOWARD THE STORAGE RACK, AN ELEVATING RUNWAY PORTION POSITIONED AT THE DISTAL END OF THE RUNWAY ADJACENT THE STORAGE RACK, SAID PORTION OCCUPYING A POSITION LEVEL WITH THE RUNWAY TO RECEIVE A BEAM AND RISING TO SELECTED LEVELS TO DISCHARGE A BEAM INTO THE STORAGE RACK, SAID ELEVATING PORTION HAVING KICKER BLOCKS FOR IMPELLING A BEAM FROM SAID PORTION INTO THE STORAGE RACK, AND A STORAGE RACK HAVING A PLURALITY OF TIERED PLATFORMS, SAID PLATFORMS ARRANGED FOR TILTING MOVEMENT WHEREBY BEAMS ARE IMPELLED FROM ONE END OF EACH PLATFORM TO THE OTHER END TO LOAD OR DISCHARGE A BEAM ON OR FROM THE ELEVATING PORTION.