Yarn package supporting bracket for use on a creel

Abstract

A yarn package supporting bracket for use on a creel and attached to the creel for swiveling between a yarn feeding position and a yarn package loading position. The bracket has a magnet and the creel has a magnetically attractable portion with the magnet and magnetically attracted portion having flat surfaces that are in flush contact when the bracket is in yarn feeding position to releaseably fix by magnetic force the bracket and yarn package in the yarn feeding position.

Description

FIELD ON THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a yarn package supporting bracket for use on a creel, and, more particularly to a yarn package supporting bracket that is moveably mounted on a creel for positioning of a yarn package in a yarn feeding position and a yarn package loading position.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Creels are commonly used in conjunction with various textile machines for feeding yarns from yarn packages mounted on the creel to adjacent textile manufacturing equipment, such as looms, tufting machines and knitting machines. Typically, yarn packages are mounted on brackets at one side of a creel with one end of a yarn package mounted on the bracket and the opposite end facing inwardly of the creel toward an eyelet or guide through which yarn is drawn from the unsupported end of the yarn package to the textile machine. Because variations in the tension of yarn being fed from a yarn package will have a corresponding effect on the uniformity, and therefore quality, of the fabric being manufactured on the textile machines to which the yarn is fed, it is important that the end of each package faces, as precisely as possible, in the direction in which the yarn is being fed so that the yarn will be drawn off the package around the circumference of the package with as little variation in tension as possible.

It is also desirable that yarn packages be mounted on brackets on creels for movement from yarn feeding positions in which the packages face inwardly on the creel to package loading positions in which the brackets face outwardly for easy access in removing spent yarn package cores and loading full packages on the brackets for movement into yarn feeding position.

An example of a yarn package supporting bracket is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,880,184 issued Nov. 14, 1989. The bracket of this patent is mounted on a vertical post of an arm of a creel for swiveling from a yarn feeding position to a package loading position. The bracket is releaseably maintained in the yarn feeding position by a spring urged latch carried by a moveable portion of the bracket in a recess formed in a stationery portion that is fixed on the upstanding post by a set screw. Movement of the bracket from the yarn feeding position to a position for loading yarn packages is accomplished by disengaging the pin from the recess against the urging of a spring. Because there must be some tolerance in the complimentary dimension of the pin and recess, and because there can be imprecise positioning of the fixed portion by the set screw, precise and truly fixed positioning of the yarn package in the yarn feeding position is not uniformly accomplished, resulting in potential variations in the tension of the yarn being fed and resulting various in uniformity in the fabric being produced.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a yarn package supporting bracket that provides precise and consistent positioning of a yarn package on a creel in position for yarn feeding so that yarn will be fed from the yarn package uniformly without significant tension variations that result from positioning variations when using prior art yarn package supports.

Briefly described, the yarn package supporting bracket of the present invention has an attaching portion that attaches the bracket to a creel for movement of the bracket between a yarn feeding position and a package loading position. One of the creel and bracket has a magnetically attractable portion and the other has a magnet thereon engagable with the magnetically attractable portion to releaseably fix the bracket and a yarn package supported thereon in a yarn feeding position. This magnetic fixing of the position of the bracket provides precise and repeatable positioning that is not possible with prior art brackets that require tolerances and other potential misalignment factors.

Preferably, in the preferred embodiment, the bracket is mounted on an upstanding post on the creel for swiveling between the yarn feeding position and the package loading position. The magnetically attractable portion and the magnet have relatively flat surfaces disposed for substantially flushed contact therebetween when the bracket is in the yarn feeding position. A handle portion is provided on the bracket for engagement to move the bracket between the positions.

In the preferred embodiment, the upstanding post of the creel is on a generally horizontally extending arm of the creel and the bracket has an attaching portion with a bore engageable on the post for swiveling attachment of the bracket on the creel arm for movement between the positions. The aforesaid magnet is attached to a positioning portion of the bracket for engagement with a magnetically attractable portion of the creel arm, which portion has a relatively flat upstanding surface disposed for substantially flat contact by a flat surface of the magnet to fix the bracket in the yarn feeding position.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the rear of a portion of a creel having yarn package supporting brackets according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention mounted thereon and supporting yarn packages in yarn feeding position;

FIG. 2 is a front elevational of a portion of the creel of FIG. 1 with the yarn packages in yarn feeding position;

FIG. 3 is a rear elevational view of a portion of the creel of FIG. 1 with packages in yarn feeding position;

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3 with one of the brackets and supported yarn packages in the package loading position;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged rear elevational view of a yarn package supporting bracket in the yarn feeding position without a yarn package mounted thereon;

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 5 with the bracket in the yarn package loading position;

FIG. 7 is a front elevational view of yarn package supporting brackets of the preferred embodiment of the present invention mounted at opposite ends of a generally horizontally extending arm of the creel and with the bracket on the left in yarn feeding position without a yarn package thereon and the bracket on the right in the yarn loading position without a yarn package thereon;

FIG. 8 is a plan view of the creel arm and yarn package supporting brackets of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a rear elevational view of the creel arm and yarn package supporting brackets of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a side elevational view of a yarn package supporting bracket of the preferred embodiment of the present invention with the bracket in yarn package loading position; and

FIG. 11 is a side elevational view similar to FIG. 10 with the yarn supporting bracket in yarn feeding position;

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring first to FIG. 1, yarn package supporting brackets 20 are shown mounted on a creel 22 with yarn packages 24 positioned in yarn feeding position. The creel 22 is a frame having vertical and horizontal frame members 26 and 28, respectively. FIG. 1 illustrates only a portion of the rear of a creel 22. Horizontally extending arms 30 are bolted to the vertical frame members 26 in selected mounting holes 32 formed in vertical rows in the vertical frame members 26 by bolts 34.

In the yarn feeding position illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the yarn packages 24 have there outer faces 36 aimed toward guiding holes 38 in the balloon stopping discs 40 mounted on the vertical frame members 42 at the front of the creel 22. The vertical frame members 42 at the front of the creel 22 are stabilized by horizontal frame members attached thereto.

Yarn being fed from the yarn packages 24 travels through the holes 38 in the discs 40 and then to and through guides 46, which are preferably ball tension devices. From these ball tension devices 46, the yarns are guided to whatever textile machine is using the yarns.

Each arm 30 is generally L-shaped in cross section, having a horizontal flange 48 and a vertical flange 50, each arm 30 is attached at its center to a vertical frame member 26 and extends in opposite directions to opposite ends 52 for mounting of a yarn package supporting bracket of the present invention 20 at each end. Adjacent the end of each horizontal flange 48 an upstanding post 54 is secured by a bolt 55 for swivel attachment of a yarn package supporting bracket 20, for which purpose the bracket 20 is formed with an attaching portion 56 having a vertically extending bore 58 engageable on the post 54 for swiveling attachment of the bracket on the creel arm 20.

Attached to the attaching portion 56 at a spacing from the post 54 the bracket 20 has an upstanding anular base plate 60 having on the side 62 thereof opposite the post 54 a package receiving portion 64. This package receiving portion 64 has a cylindrical extent 66 for tight fitting of the core 68 of a yarn package 24 thereon, and is curved outwardly therefrom a dome shape 70 to facilitate insertion of the yarn package core 68 onto the circular extent 66 of the package receiving portion 64.

The dome 70 is hollow and has a hole 72 formed therethrough for attaching an adaptor 74 of any convention type for holding a yarn package 24 firmly in position on the yarn support bracket 20. In the embodiment illustrated, the adaptor 74 is bolted to the package receiving portion 64 by a bolt 76.

Extending horizontally from the base plate 60 and the attaching portion 56 is a bar 78 having its outer end a horizontally extending cylindrical portion 100 having a cylindrical magnet 102 seated therein and fixed by a set screw 104. The magnet 102 has a vertical outer face 106 for abutting the vertical surface 106 of the vertical flange 50 of the arm 30.

The arm 30 is made of magnetically attractable material, such as steel or other material containing iron, so that it will have a magnetically attractable portion 110. The magnetically attractable portion 110 of the arm 30 and the face 106 of the magnet 102 have relatively flat upstanding surfaces disposed for substantially flat contact between, with the magnetic attraction thereby fixing the position of the bracket 20 on the arm 30.

The bar 78 on which the magnet 102 is mounted serves as a positioning portion. For this purpose it extends from the package receiving portion 64 at an angle to precisely position and releasably fix a yarn package 24 mounted on the bracket 20 at the proper angle in the yarn feeding position.

The magnet 102 is at sufficient power to fix the bracket 20 in position without movement under the weight of a yarn package 24 mounted on the bracket 20. Different strength of magnets are used, depending on the weight of the yarn package. As a non-limiting example, a 60 pound neodymium magnet may be used with a 50 pound yarn package. It will take significant force to separate the magnet 102 from the magnetically attractable portion 110 of the arm 30. To be able to apply sufficient force manually to break the magnetic attachment, a handle 112 is secured to the base plate 60 of the bracket 20 and extends outwardly opposite the extension of the magnet holding bar 78. The handle 112 extends horizontally and is curved to provide a stop against the back of the vertical flange 50 of the arm 30 for positioning the bracket 20 in the package loading position as seen in FIGS. 4 and 6.

In use, a bracket 20 is swiveled to an outwardly extending yarn package loading position, as illustrated in FIG. 6 and at the right in FIG. 4, at the right in FIGS. 7, 8 and 9. With an adaptor 74 mounted on the bracket 20, a full yarn package 24 is mounted over the adaptor 74 and onto the dome 70 and onto the cylindrical extent 66 of the package receiving portion 64, and against the vertically facing annular face plate 60. With a yarn package 24, thusly mounted on the bracket 20, the bracket is swiveled into the creel about the post 54 until the face 106 of the magnet 102 is flushed with the face 108 of the vertical flange 50 of the arm 30. The magnetic attraction then fixes the bracket 20 and supported yarn package 24 in the proper yarn feeding position.

The adjacent yarn packages 24 on the adjacent ends of adjacent brackets 20 are paired for yarn feeding with the leading end of the yarn on a full package tied to the trailing end of a yarn on the paired package so that when the first of the paired package is depleted of yarn the yarn will begin feeding from the adjacent paired full package.

When a package 24 has been completely depleted, its bracket 20 can be manually swiveled to the outwardly extending yarn package loading position, at which the empty yarn package core 68 can be removed and a full package 24 mounted on the bracket 20 for swiveling into the yarn feeding position.

The right and left-hand brackets are identical, with one being turned over with respect to the other. At the outer sides of the creel the arm has only one side, extending inwardly of the creel and supporting only one bracket.

Various modifications of the preferred embodiment can be made within the scope of the present invention, for example, the magnet can be mounted on the creel arm and the positioning portion can be magnetically attractable to engage and be magnetically fixed by the magnet on the creel arm. Also, a sophisticated arrangement of electrically controlled magnetizing and demagnetizing could be utilized and various swivel arrangements, including mechanical control movement can be utilized within the intent of the present invention.

In view of the aforesaid written description of the present invention, it will be readily understood by those persons skilled in the art that the present invention is susceptible of broad utility and application. Many embodiments and adaptations of the present invention other than those herein described, as well as many variations, modifications, and equivalent arrangements, will be apparent from or reasonably suggested by the present invention and the foregoing description thereof, without departing from the substance or scope of the present invention. Accordingly, while the present invention has been described herein in detail in relation to preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that this disclosure is only illustrative and exemplary of the present invention and is made merely for purposes of providing a full and enabling disclosure of the invention. The foregoing disclosure is not intended nor is to be construed to limit the present invention or otherwise to exclude any such other embodiments, adaptations, variations, modifications and equivalent arrangements, the present invention being limited only by the claims appended hereto and the equivalents thereof.

Claims

1. A yarn package supporting bracket for use on a creel, comprising an attaching portion, attaching said bracket to the creel for movement of said bracket between a yarn feeding position and a package loading position, one of said creel and said bracket having a magnetically attractable portion and the other having a magnet thereon engageable with said magnetically attractable portion to releaseably fix the bracket and a yarn package supported thereon in a yarn feeding positions.

2. A yarn package supporting bracket according to claim 1 wherein the creel has an upstanding bracket attaching post, characterized further in that said attaching portion has a bore engageable on the post for swiveling attachment of said bracket on said creel between said positions.

3. A yarn package supporting bracket according to claim 1 characterized further in that said magnetically attractable portion and said magnet have relatively flat surfaces disposed for substantially flush contact therebetween when said bracket is in said yarn feeding position.

4. A yarn package supporting bracket according to claim 1 and characterized further by a handle portion engageable to move said bracket between said positions.

5. A yarn package supporting bracket swivelably attachable to a creel on an upstanding post of a generally horizontally extending arm of the creel for positioning a yarn package alternatively in a yarn feeding position and a package loading position, the creel arm having a magnetically attractable portion, said bracket comprising an attaching portion having a bore engageable on the post for swiveling attachment of said bracket on said creel arm for movement of said bracket between said positions, a package receiving portion on which a yarn package can be removably. mounted, a positioning portion engageble with the creel arm for positioning the bracket in the yarn feeding position, and a magnet attached to said positioning portion for magnetic attraction to the magnetically attractable creel portion to releasably fix the bracket and mounted yarn package in the yarn feeding position.

6. A yarn package supporting bracket according to claim 5 wherein the magnetically attractable portion of the creel arm and said magnet have relatively flat upstanding surfaces disposed for substantially flat contact therebetween when said bracket is in said yarn feeding position.

7. A yarn package supporting bracket according to claim 5 and characterized further by a handle portion engageable to move said bracket between said positions.