Yarn feed assembly to relieve yarn hang ups having a variable yarn pull-off angle and method of using same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9688504-B2
Application number	US-201514710099-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 12, 2015
Priority date	May 12, 2014
Publication date	Jun 27, 2017
Grant date	Jun 27, 2017

Abstract

A yarn feed assembly for directing yarn from a wound yarn source to a yarn feed tube having a frame member positioned adjacent to the wound yarn source and defining at least one elongate interior chamber. The yarn feed assembly has a weighted member slideably received in the elongate interior chamber such that, upon pulling one yarn off of the wound yarn source, through a bore of the weighted member and into the yarn feed tube, the weighted member is axially movable along a longitudinal axis of the frame member such that the bore of the weighted member is axially movable about and between a bottom end and a top end of the elongate slot in response to tension applied to the yarn as a result of yarn hang ups on the wound yarn source.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A yarn feed assembly for puffing yarn from a wound yarn source to a yarn feed tube, the wound yarn source having a longitudinal axis, the yarn feed assembly comprising:
a frame member positioned adjacent to the wound yarn source and having an longitudinal axis, the frame member defining at least one elongate interior chamber that extends along the longitudinal axis and an elongate slot that extends parallel to the longitudinal axis, wherein the elongate slot has a bottom end and an opposed top end and is in communication with at least a portion of the elongate interior chamber, and wherein a distal end of the yarn tube is positioned adjacent the elongate slot; and
a weighted member slideably received therein the elongate interior chamber, the weighted member positioned for axial movement in the elongate interior chamber and defining a bore extending through the weighted member,

wherein one yarn is pulled off of the wound yarn source, through the bore of the weighted member and into the yarn feed tube, wherein, in response to tension applied to the yarn as a result of yarn hang ups on the wound yarn source, the weighted member is axially movable along the longitudinal axis of the frame member such that the bore of the weighted member is axially movable about and between the bottom end and the top end of the elongate slot, and wherein, under tension, the yarn extending from the wound yarn source to the bore of the weighted member is at a variable yarn pull-off angle that is minimized when the weighted member is at the bottom end of the elongate slot of the frame member and is maximized when the weighted member is at the top end of the elongate slot of the frame member.

2. The yarn feed assembly of claim 1 , wherein the weighted member is elongated along a major axis.

3. The yarn feed assembly of claim 2 , wherein the interior chamber of he frame member has a geometric shape in transverse cross-section to the longitudinal axis of the frame member, and wherein the weighted member is sized and shaped for complementary slideably receipt therein the shaped interior chamber.

4. The yarn feed assembly of claim 3 , wherein the cross-sectional geometric shape of the interior chamber is rectangular, and wherein the weighted member has a rectangular geometric shape in transverse cross-section to the major axis of the weighted member.

5. The yarn feed assembly of claim 1 , wherein the weighted member weighs between about 6 grams to about 50 grams.

6. The yarn feed assembly of claim 1 , wherein the weighted member further comprises a male tube projection extending outwardly from a portion of an exterior surface of the weighted member, wherein a portion of the bore of the weighted member is defined therein the male tube projection.

7. The yarn feed assembly of claim 6 , wherein the male tube projection has a tube outer surface that is sized and shaped for operative slideable receipt therein the elongate slot of the frame member.

8. The yarn feed assembly of claim 7 , wherein the weighted member is axially movable along the longitudinal axis of the frame member such that the male tube projection of the weighted member is axially movable about and between the bottom end and the top end of the elongate slot of the frame member.

9. The yarn feed assembly of claim 8 , further comprising means for sensing if the male tube projection is positioned at the top end of the elongate slot of the frame member.

10. The yarn feed assembly of claim 9 , further comprising means to stop pulling yarn from the wound yarn source if the male tube projection is continuously positioned at the top end of the elongate slot of the frame member for a predetermined time.

11. The yarn feed assembly of claim 7 , wherein the male tube projection has a cylindrical shape.

12. The yarn feed assembly of claim 7 , wherein the respective ends of the bore of the weighted member are chamfered.

13. The yarn feed assembly of claim 1 , wherein the distal end of the yarn feed tube is positioned above the top end of the elongate slot.

14. The yarn feed assembly of claim 1 , wherein the variable yarn pull-off angle ranges from between about −30°, when the bore of the weighted member is proximate to the bottom end of the elongate slot, to about +60°, when the bore of the weighted member is proximate to the top end of the elongate slot.

15. The yarn feed assembly of claim 1 , wherein the frame member comprises a plurality of frame members, wherein the weighted member comprises a plurality of weighted members, and wherein the yarn feed tube comprising a plurality of yarn feed tubes.

16. The yarn feed assembly of claim 15 , wherein the at least one elongate interior chamber comprises a plurality of elongate interior chambers that are longitudinally spaced along the length of each frame member.

17. The yarn feed assembly of claim 15 , further comprising:
an outer frame comprising a plurality of substantially upright support members and defining an enclosure, the enclosure being open at one end, and defining an interior volume, wherein each frame member is mounted to and extends inwardly from select substantially upright support members, wherein a distal end portion of each yarn feed tube is mounted thereto at least a portion of at least some of the substantially upright support members, and
an inner frame matingly positionable within the interior volume of the enclosure, the inner frame having a plurality of substantially upright elements and a plurality of yarn holders extending therefrom each upright element, each yarn holder configured to hold a wound yarn source, wherein each upright element comprises a plurality of yarn holders, and wherein each of the yarn holders is spaced therefrom the elongate slot of a frame member and the respective bore of the weighted member that is operative received therein the interior chamber of the frame member when the inner frame is operably positioned within the interior volume of the enclosure.

18. The yarn feed assembly of claim 17 , wherein the outer frame is positionally fixed relative to a tufting machine.

19. The yarn feed assembly of claim 18 , further comprising a header mountable thereon a portion of the outer frame, the header defining a plurality of openings configured to direct yarn to a predetermined position on the tufting machine; wherein each of the yarn feed tubes extends to and is in communication with a respective opening on the header.

20. The yarn feed assembly of claim 19 , wherein a distal end of each of the yarn holders is spaced a predetermined distance therefrom the elongate slot of a frame member and the respective bore of the weighted member that is operative received.

21. The yarn feed assembly of claim 20 , wherein the predetermined distance is less than 18 inches.

22. The yarn feed assembly of claim 20 , wherein e predetermined distance is less than 12 inches.

23. The yarn feed assembly of claim 20 , wherein the predetermined distance is less than the elongate length of the wound yarn source.

24. The yarn feed assembly of claim 17 , wherein the substantially upright support members of the outer frame comprise pairs of opposed substantially upright support members spaced from each other by the interior volume of the enclosure.

25. The yarn feed assembly of claim 24 , wherein each frame member is co-planer with and spaced from a portion of each of the upright elements of the corresponding pair of subs

Assignees

• Columbia Insurance Co

Inventors

• Shirley Iv Lewis Albert

Classifications

• B65H57/00

  Guides for filamentary materials; Supports therefor · CPC title

• B65H49/16 Primary

  Stands or frameworks · CPC title

• B65H57/16

  formed to maintain a plurality of filaments in spaced relation · CPC title

• B65H2701/31

  Textiles threads or artificial strands of filaments · CPC title

• B65H57/06

  Annular guiding surfaces; Eyes, e.g. pigtails · CPC title