Yarn winding apparatus

Claim 1

In a yarn winding apparatus including two surface driven tubular yarn package supports having abutting ends, a selfthreading traverse guide associated with each yarn support through which yarn passes and which move yarn axially of said supports in a normal stroke length as a package is wound, and means for collecting and disposing said yarn when not being wound into a package, a mechanism for initiating wraps simultaneously on adjacent ends of abutting supports which overlap a severed length adjacent its end, said mechanism comprising: a pair of fixed guides positioned above said traverse guides at equal distances from the vertical plane of the abutting support ends, each of said fixed guides being positioned within the stroke length of a corresponding traverse guide; a cutting means position beyond said supports in alignment with said plane; a pair of retractable guides positioned bEtween said fixed guides and said traverse guides at equal distances from said vertical plane between said plane and the end of said stroke length, said guides having yarn engaging slots opening toward and in proximal alignment with said cutting means; means mounting said retractable guides for simultaneous movement to and from a yarn engaging position and motive means coupled to said mounting means for imparting said movement.