Printer to identify wound yarn packages being automatically doffed from winder

Claim 1

A printer to identify wound yarn packages being automatically doffed from a winder comprising in combination a support block having slidably mounted on the face thereof a stamp, and having mounted on the base thereof a guide block, and said stamp having a cam follower fixably mounted at each side, a pair of slide plates slidably mounted laterally and opposed on each side of said guide block, and having fixably mounted across the face end thereof of both said slide plates a single front plate, said slide plates each having a cam slot therein, disposed to engage a respective cam follower on said stamp, an ink pad swingably mounted adjacant to and spring-loaded toward said stamp, said stamp having a marking end to be inked by said ink pad, and said stamp having a first spring to bias said stamp to strike a package and a second spring to bias said stamp to retract thereby marking and identifying said package, each of said slide plates having a further spring tending to urge said front plate away from the face of said guide block into position to be contacted by a package, said cam slot being cut with an inclined surface to guide a respective cam follower such that said first spring is compressed when said slide plates are moved laterally by a package, thereby cocking said stamp, and a second surface parallel to the direction in which said stamp is biased, whereby as said slide plates reach the end of their travel by reason of contact with a package, said stamp is released to strike said package, and mark it and then retracted by said second spring, and a third surface to allow said stamp to remain at equilibrium and engage said ink pad as said slide returns to rest position when said package is removed.