Method and apparatus for winding strand material

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR WINDING STRAND MATERIAL COMPRISING (A) A SOURCE OF STRAND IN THE FORM OF A PLURALITY OF WOUND PRIMARY PACKAGES; (B) TENSION MEANS FOR IMPOSING A PREFERRED DEGREE OF TENSION UPON EACH OF SAID STRANDS INDIVIDUALLY; (C) POWERED STRAND WINDING MECHANISM INCLUDING A ROTATABLE SPINDLE, A STRAND RECEIVING SPOOL MOUNTED ON SAID SPINDLE, DRIGING MEANS FOR ROTATING SAID SPINDLE AND THEREBY ADVANCE SAID STRAND FROM SAID PACKAGES TO SAID SPOOL, AND TRAVERSING MEANS FOR TRAVERSING THE STRAND ACROSS THE FACE OF THE PACKAGE BEING FORMED; (D) CONVERGING MEANS FOR CONVERGING THE STRAND FROM THE PLURALITY OF PACKAGES INTO A ROVING; (E) TENSION IMPOSING MEANS FOR IMPOSING TENSION ON THE STRAND COMPRISING SAID ROVING, SAID TENSION IMPOSITING MEANS BEING POSITIONED ADJACENT TO SAID CONVERGING MEANS AND IN THE PATH OF SAID ROVING AS IT ADVANCES FROM SAID CONVERGING MEANS TO SAID WINDING MECHANISM, AND (F) SAID TRAVERSING MEANS AND SAID CONVERGING MEANS BEING ARRANGED IN A MANNER WHEREBY THE FORMED ROVING IS OSCILLATED ABOUT A POINT AT SAID CONVERING MEANS AS THE ROVING IS TRANSVERSED ACROSS THE FACE OF THE PACKAGE.