Yarn carrier tubes

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11267672-B1
Application number	US-202017010189-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Sep 2, 2020
Priority date	Sep 2, 2020
Publication date	Mar 8, 2022
Grant date	Mar 8, 2022

Abstract

The present disclosure is directed to a reusable yarn carrier tube around which yarn may be wound at high speeds (e.g., within winding machines). The yarn carrier tube may include a pick-up groove having structural features configured to better snag yarn to initiate winding of the yarn around the cylindrical body of the yarn carrier tube. The structural features may include an adaptable snagging feature that is adaptable to many different yarn types (e.g., diameter, denier, texture, material). The structural features may include projections (e.g., teeth) with incremental narrowing therebetween in the direction opposite to the rotational winding direction. The teeth may increase in sharpness (e.g., decreasing radii of curvature) as the yarn moves further into the pick-up groove.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A reusable yarn carrier tube for winding yarns of various thicknesses thereon at high speeds as the carrier tube is rotated in a rotational winding direction, the carrier tube comprising:
a circumferential wall; and
a pick-up groove formed through and extending along the azimuthal direction of the circumferential wall, circumscribed by a sidewall, wherein the pick-up groove comprises:
a plurality of teeth projecting from the sidewall of the pick-up groove toward a central azimuthal axis of the pick-up groove,
wherein the distance between the teeth, as measured across the pick-up groove in the longitudinal direction of the circumferential wall, decreases in a direction opposite to the rotational winding direction.

2. The yarn carrier tube of claim 1 , wherein:
each tooth in the plurality of teeth includes a leading edge facing the rotational winding direction, each leading edge having a degree of sharpness, and
the plurality of teeth comprises:
a first tooth with a first degree of sharpness, and
a second tooth with a second degree of sharpness, wherein the first degree of sharpness is less than the second degree of sharpness.

3. The yarn carrier tube of claim 2 , wherein:
the first tooth has a radially outward-facing surface angled toward a longitudinal central axis of the carrier tube at a first angle.

4. The yarn carrier tube of claim 3 , wherein:
the second tooth has a radially outward-facing surface angled toward the longitudinal central axis of the carrier tube at a second angle, and
the first angle is greater than the second angle.

5. The yarn carrier tube of claim 3 , wherein:
radially outward-facing surfaces of a majority of the plurality of teeth are angled toward the longitudinal central axis of the carrier tube at a second angle, and
the first angle is greater than the second angle.

6. The yarn carrier tube of claim 5 , wherein:
the second tooth has a radially outward-facing surface angled toward the longitudinal central axis of the carrier tube at a third angle, and
the third angle is greater than the second angle.

7. The yarn carrier tube of claim 5 , wherein the second angle is about 10°.

8. The yarn carrier tube of claim 3 , wherein the first angle is about 25°.

9. The yarn carrier tube of claim 1 , wherein:
each tooth of the plurality of teeth includes a leading edge generally facing the rotational winding direction, each leading edge having a degree of sharpness, and
the degree of sharpness of the leading edge of the teeth increases in a direction opposite to the rotational winding direction.

10. The yarn carrier tube of claim 9 , wherein the plurality of teeth comprises:
a first tooth having a lowest degree of sharpness such that the leading edge of the first tooth forms a smooth guiding surface for leading the yarn further into the pick-up groove in the direction opposite to the rotational winding direction.

11. The yarn carrier tube of claim 9 , wherein the degree of sharpness of the leading edge is based on a radius of curvature of the leading edge.

12. The yarn carrier tube of claim 1 , wherein:
the plurality of teeth comprises:
a first set of teeth projecting from a first sidewall of the pick-up groove toward the central azimuthal axis of the pick-up groove, and
a second set of teeth projecting from a second sidewall of the pick-up groove toward the first set of teeth and the central azimuthal axis of the pick-up groove; and

each tooth within the first set of teeth is offset from each tooth within the second set of teeth.

13. The yarn carrier tube of claim 1 , wherein:
each tooth within the plurality of teeth has a tip, distal from the sidewall of the pick-up groove from which the tooth projects; and
the tip of at least one tooth of the plurality of teeth extends past the central azimuthal axis.

14. The yarn carrier tube of claim 1 , further comprising:
a fang for initially snagging the yarn into the pick-up groove,
wherein the fang includes a tip pointing in the rotational winding direction.

15. The yarn carrier tube of claim 1 , wherein the pick-up groove includes a plurality of zones, in which the width of the pick-up groove in each zone decreases in a direction opposite to the rotational winding direction.

16. The yarn carrier tube of claim 15 , wherein the plurality of zones includes at least one of a gathering zone, a transition zone, and a snagging zone.

17. The yarn carrier tube of claim 15 , wherein the plurality of zones includes a third zone, in which an adaptable snagging feature is located.

18. The yarn carrier tube of claim 1 , wherein:
each tooth within the plurality of teeth has a tip, distal from the sidewall of the pick-up groove from which the tooth projects; and
the distance between the sidewall from which each tooth projects to the tip of each tooth is substantially the same.

19. The yarn carrier tube of claim 1 , wherein:
each tooth within the plurality of teeth has a tip, distal from the sidewall of the pick-up groove from which the tooth projects; and
the distance between the sidewall from which each tooth projects to the tip of each tooth increases in the direction opposite to the rotational winding.

20. The yarn carrier tube of claim 1 , wherein the carrier tube is formed from plastic.

21. The yarn carrier tube of claim 1 , wherein the carrier tube is molded.

22. A reusable yarn carrier tube for winding yarns thereon as the carrier tube is rotated in a rotational winding direction at high speeds, the carrier tube comprising:
a circumferential wall formed cylindrically with an exterior surface, an interior surface, and two ends; and
a pick-up groove:
adjacent to an adjacent end of the two ends, and distal from a distal end of the two ends,
formed through and extending along the azimuthal direction of the circumferential wall,
circumscribed by sidewalls including an adjacent-end-facing sidewall and a distal-end-facing sidewall, and
comprising a plurality of teeth projecting from the sidewalls of the pick-up groove toward a central azimuthal axis of the pick-up groove, wherein each tooth of the plurality of teeth comprises:
a radially outward-facing surface,
a leading edge configured to first encounter yarn moving further into the pick-up groove as the carrier tube is rotated in the rotational winding direction,
a trailing edge positioned opposite the leading edge, and
a tip, where the leading edge and the trailing edge meet, distal from the sidewall from which the tooth projects,

wherein the degree of sharpness of the teeth increases in a direction opposite to the rotational winding direction.

23. The yarn carrier tube of claim 22 , wherein the degree of sharpness of each tooth is based on a radius of curvature of the leading edge of the tooth.

24. The yarn carrier tube of claim 22 , wherein the plurality of teeth comprises:
a first tooth wherein the leading edge forms an obtuse angle with the sidewall from which the first tooth projects.

25. The yarn carrier tube of claim 22 , wherein the plurality of teeth comprises:
a first tooth wherein the radially outward-facing surface is angled toward a longitudinal central axis of the carrier tube at a first angle.

26. The yarn carrier tube of claim 25 , wherein the plurality of teeth further comprises:
a second tooth wherein the radially outward-facing surface is angled toward the longitudinal cent

Assignees

• Sonoco Dev Inc

Inventors

• Couchey Brian P
• Fratianni Edmond

Classifications

• B65H75/28 Primary

  Arrangements for positively securing ends of material · CPC title

• B65H65/00

  Securing material to cores or formers (arrangements for securing ends of material to cores, formers, supports or holders, e.g. reels, B65H75/28) · CPC title

• B65H75/10 Primary

  without flanges, e.g. cop tubes · CPC title

• B65H2701/31

  Textiles threads or artificial strands of filaments · CPC title