Doffing apparatus in automatic winder

Claim 2

A doffing apparatus in an automatic winder having a plurality of package winding units arranged in a row, said winder including a transporting conveyor extending along the package winding units for conveying doffed full packages from the package winding units, said doffing apparatus comprising: a plurality of package guide paths, disposed to extend from a position of each package winding unit at which full packages are discharged from a cradle portion of the winding unit, respectively, to said transporting conveyor, each of said package guide paths being formed of a bottom plate and a side plate such that each is sufficiently inclined downwardly toward said transporting conveyor to enable a doffed full package to roll along its package guide path under gravity; a stocking device, pivotably disposed from a frame of said automatic winder so as to be capable of pivoting between a first pivotal position and a second pivotal position, said first pivotal position being adpated with respect to each of said plurality of package guide paths so as to be capable of simultaneously stopping full packages substantially midway of the extents of said package guide paths, said said second pivotal position being adapted with respect to each of said plurality of package guide paths so as to simultaneously enable packages to proceed along each of said plurality of package guide paths to said transporting conveyor; and means for periodically pivoting said stocking device, in response to a timing circuit, from said first pivotal position to said second pivotal position, and the reverse.

Claim 3

A doffing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said stocking device comprises: a stocking bar extending along the plurality of winding units; a supporting bar extending along the plurality of winding units and rotatably supported on bearings secured to the frame of the automatic winder; and a pluarlity of brackets affixed between said supporting bar and said stocking bar in a suitably spaced relation so as to support said stocking bar in positions parallel with said supporting bar.

Claim 4

A doffing apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein said supporting bar is so disposed and said brackets are so configured as to support said stocking bar when in said first pivotal position such that a circular locus of the center of the stocking bar, defined by an extension of its arc of rotation between said first and second pivotal positions, passes through the center of a package located at the position along said package guide path at which it is stopped by the stocking bar.

Claim 5

In an automatic winder having a plurality of package winding units arranged in a row, said winder including a transporting conveyor extending along the package winding units for conveying doffed full packages from the package winding units, said pluality of package winding units being segregated into a plurality of groups of package winding units, each group being adapted to wind a particular type of package, with the type of package differing from group to group, a doffing apparatus comprising: a plurality of package guide passages, disposed to extend from a position of each package winding unit at which full packages of either type are discharged from a cradle position of the winding unit, respectively, to said transporting conveyor, each of said package guide passages being formed of a bottom plate and at least one side plate such that each is sufficiently inclined downwardly toward said transporting conveyor to enable a doffed full package to roll along its package guide passage under the influence of gravity; a plurality of stocking devices, in like number as said groups of winding units, each pivotably disposed from a frame of said automatic winder so as to be capable of pivoting between a first pivotal position and a second pivotal position, said first pivotal position being adapted with respect to each of the package guide passages of the group of winding units associated with said stocking device so as to be capable of stopping full packages substantially midway of the extents of said package guide passages, and said second pivotal position being adapted with respect to each of the package guide passages of the group of winding units associated with said stocking device so as to enable full packages to simultaneously proceed along each of said package guide passages to said transporting conveyor; and means for independently periodically pivoting said plurality of stocking devices, in response to a timing circuit, from said first pivotal positions to said second pivotal positions, and the reverse, said timing circuit providing that only those stocking devices controlling a particular type of full package are pivoted to the second pivotal position at any given time.

Claim 6

In an automatic winder having a plurality of package winding units arranged in a row, said winder including a transporting conveyor extending along the package winding units for conveying doffed full packages from the package winding units, said pluality of package winding units being segregated into a plurality of groups of package winding units, each group being adapted to wind a particular type of package, with the type of package differing from group to group, a doffing apparatus comprising: a plurality of package guide passages, disposed to extend from a position of each package winding unit at which full packages of either type are discharged from a cradle position of the winding unit, respectively, to said transporting conveyor, each of said package guide passages being formed of a bottom plate and at least one side plate such that each is sufficiently inclined downwardly toward said transporting conveyor to enable a doffed full package to roll along its package guide passage under the influence of gravity; a plurality of stocking devices, in like number as said groups of winding units, each pivotably disposed from a frame of said automatic winder so as to be capable of pivoting between a first pivotal position and a second pivotal position, said first pivotal position being adapted with respect to each of the package guide passages of the group of winding units associated with said stocking device so as to be capable of stopping full packages substantially midway of the extents of said package guide passages, and said second pivotal position being adapted with respect to each of the package guide passages of the group of winding units associated with said stocking device so as to enable full packages to simultaneously proceed along each of said package guide passages to said transporting conveyor; and means for independently periodically pivoting said plurality of stocking devices, in response to a timing circuit, from said first pivotal positions to said second pivotal positions, and the reverse, said timing circuit providing that only those stocking devices controlling a particular type of full package are pivoted to the second pivotal position at any given time.

Claim 7

A doffing apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein each of said stocking devices comprises: a supporting bar extending along the plurality of winding units forming the group of winding units, said supporting bar being rotatably supported on bearings secured to the frame of the automatic winder; a stocking bar extending along the plurality of winding units forming the group of winding units so as to be disposed substantially parallel to and co-extensive with said supporting bar; and a plurality of brackets, disposed in a suitably spaced apart relation, affixed between said supporting bar and said stocking bar so as to support said stocking bar in said first and said second pivotal positions.

Claim 8

A doffing apparatus and claimed in claim 5, wherein said supporting bars are so disposed and said brackets are so configured as to support said stocking bars, when in their respective first pivotal positions, such that a circular locus of the center of each of the stocking bars, defined by an extension of its arc of rotation between its first and its second pivotal position, passes through the center of a full package of the type which is stopped by each stocking bar.