A containing and locking apparatus for skein-holder sticks, particularly for use in yarn dyeing

Abstract

 The apparatus comprises a dyeing cabinet (10) generally open on two opposite sides, wherein at least some of the grooves (22a, b, c, etc.) for skein-holder sticks (1) are equipped with resilient retaining elements (24, 50) that are movable between an operative position in which they lock a stick and an inoperative position. An unlocking device (40, 70) is also envisaged to hold the retaining element in the inoperative position.

Description

[0001] The present application concerns treatment of yarn skeins or hanks. According to the usual dyeing process, a plurality of yarn skeins are carried on two skein-holder sticks, having C-shaped heads at their ends; the stick-ends are inserted inside parallel horizontal grooves or slots of an apparatus known as "dyeing cabinet", so that the skeins are held taut.

[0002] A known dyeing cabinet comprises a plurality of such grooves at various distances from each other to suit skeins of different sizes; said cabinet has a base part, side walls and a rear wall facing an open side. The cabinet is loaded manually; an operator inserts the ends of the sticks into the relevant grooves or guides; however, for the closing operation at least, two operators are necessary; one operator holds or presses down the skeins on their sticks inside the cabinet, while the other applies closing-locking devices, generally consisting of lat­ches.

[0003] The cabinet, generally mounted on wheels, is then taken for dyeing.

[0004] A drawback with cabinets of the known type lies precisely in the fact that they require manual intervention and are not suitable to automatic loading.

[0005] The object of the present invention is to remedy the aforesaid problem.

[0006] This object has been achieved with an apparatus comprising a dyeing cabinet equipped with grooves to accommodate the ends of skein-holder sticks, said grooves having at least at one of their ends and preferably at both, a spring-operated retaining element. This has an elastic shaft or shank, one end of which is fixed in the groove and the other end of which bears a locking head provided with a retaining tooth and having a sloping unlocking surface.

[0007] In a modified embodiment the retaining element has two elastic shanks and two locking heads with a substantially symmetrical shape.

[0008] According to a further aspect, the apparatus also comprises an unlocking device, consisting of a plate having a height smaller than the spacing between the flanges of the C-shaped stick ends, and having an engaging surface for the unlocking surface of the retaining element.

[0009] The device also comprises a relatively elastic coupling arm or plate with a retaining projection so that it can spring into position and couple in a detachable manner with an upright of the cabinet.

[0010] The novel apparatus allows the sticks to be quickly loaded into the cabinet and unloaded by one person alone; moreover it is suitable to automatic loading and unloading procedures.

[0011] The invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a reduced-scale, interrupted perspective view of a skein-holder stick commonly used to load yarn skeins into a dyeing cabinet;

Fig. 2 is a reduced-scale, perspective view of a dyeing cabinet according to the invention;

Fig. 3 is an inside view of a side of the cabinet in fig. 2, enlarged with respect to fig. 2 and broken away, in which the stick retaining or locking element can be seen;

Fig. 4 is a view from the right with respect to fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is similar to fig. 3 and illustrates a modified embodi­ment of the retaining element;

Fig. 6 is a view from the right of fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of an unlocking device for the retaining element in figs. 3 and 4;

Fig. 8 shows an elevational interrupted view of a cabinet side with an unlocking device applied thereon;

Fig. 9 shows a horizontal section of the cabinet with an unlocking device applied thereon;

Fig. 10 is an elevational view, similar to fig. 8, showing a modified embodiment of the unlocking device suitable for the retaining element in fig. 5.

[0012] With reference to the drawings, fig. 1 shows a well known skein-holder stick equipped at both ends with projecting end parts or heads 2 with a C-shaped section, having an upper flange or wing 2′ and a lower flange or wing 2˝.

[0013] The sticks are normally used in pairs for a series of skeins and are placed in a dyeing cabinet by inserting the C-shaped parts into special grooves in the cabinet.

[0014] An apparatus according to this invention comprises a dyeing cabinet 10 (figs. 2 to 6) to receive and hold yarn skeins taut on sticks 1 during dyeing. The cabinet 10 is generally mounted on wheels (not shown) and comprises vertical opposite walls 14 and 16 joined by means of lower, intermediate and upper cross members 12, 13 and 18 respectively. It preferably comprises a first open side and a second opposite open side, but it is possible for only one side to be open, although this arrangement is less advantageous. Externally, the cabinet preferably has projecting uprights 20 in the usual manner, while internally, on the opposite vertical walls, it has horizontal grooves 22, facing each other; reference 22a indicates the grooves intended to accommodate the uppermost of a pair of sticks and 22b, c, d etc. the grooves intended to receive a lower stick. In particular, there will be a plurality of horizontal lower grooves to cooperate with a pair of horizontal upper grooves, in order to permit adjustment to a variety of skein sizes.

[0015] At least one groove has, at one end at least, a retaining element 24 of any type, preferably consisting of a stem or shank 25 made of relatively elastically flexible material, one end 26 of which is secured inside the groove while the other is shaped with a widened head 28 that has a retaining tooth 30 and a sloping unlocking surface 32.

[0016] The tooth 30 is defined by a surface substantially at right angles or in any event transversal to the shank. The cross-sec­tional size of head 28 is less than the distance between the end flanges 2′ and 2˝ of a stick. When not subject to stress, the locking head is extended towards the upper or lower wall of the groove.

[0017] When a skein-stick unit is introduced into the cabinet, on inserting an end 2 of a stick into the groove, one of the flanges of the stick presses on the sloping surface 32 of element 24, forcing the head, against the elasticity of the shank 25, to retract from the wall of the groove, so as to allow the stick to be inserted. When the stick has been inserted, i.e. the wing 2′ has passed the retaining tooth 30, the head 28 springs back into the extended condition, thus preventing exit of the stick. A plurality of sticks can therefore be loaded in succession until the relevant grooves are full and the sticks remain locked automatically, without any need for latches or complicated manoeuvres.

[0018] As already stated, although it is possible to make the cabinet with a single opening for loading and unloading the sticks, it preferably has two opposite openings and the retaining elements 24 are set at both ends of the grooves, so that loading can be carried out from one side and unloading from the other. Any suitable stick removal means can be employed, but according to the invention use is preferably made of an unlocking device such as the one designated 40 in figs. 7, 8 and 9 or of an automatically activated device having the same operation.

[0019] The device 40 comprises a plate 42 the width of which is smaller than the distance between the flanges of the stick ends 2, the plate being shaped with a sloping surface 43 to act against the surface 32 of the locking element. The plate 42 is made fast, e.g. by means of rivets 43′, to a locking arm 44, which is generally relatively elastic, angleshaped, and integral with a stop tooth or retaining projection 46 and an end wing 48. The arm 44, when the unlocking device is brought into operation, encircles an upright near the open side and remains removably applied to it, thus placing surface 43 against surface 32 and keeping element 24 in the retracted condition, so that the sticks 1 can easily be removed along element 24 and plate 42 (fig 7).

[0020] A modified embodiment of element 24 is shown in figures 5 and 6. In this case, a retaining element 50 is U-shaped and comprises two elastic stems with two heads 52 and 54 having opposite retaining teeth 56 and 58 and opposite unlocking surfaces 60 and 62 which, in the extended state, when not subject to stress, are disposed towards the opposite wall of the groove.

[0021] An unlocking device 70 for the element 50 is shown in figure 10 and is substantially similar to 40, except that it comprises a plate 72 having a double sloping surface 73, 73′, so that it simultaneously engages the two surfaces 60 and 62. Obviously other embodiments of the locking element are possible and fall within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A containing and locking apparatus for skein-holder sticks, in yarn dyeing, comprising a dyeing cabinet (10) with opposite vertical walls (14, 16) having grooves (22) to engage opposite ends of skein-holder sticks (1),
characterized in that
at least one groove (22) is equipped with a retaining element (24, 50) elastically pushed into an extended condition to lock the sticks inserted in the grooves and movable against said elastic thrust in a retracted condition in which it does not block said sticks.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that said cabinet is open on two opposite sides and said grooves (22) have said retaining elements (24, 50) in the vicinity of both said openings.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that said retaining element (24) comprises an elastic shank fixed at one end inside the groove, the other end being shaped with a head (28) having a retaining tooth (30) and a sloping unlocking surface (32).

4. An apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that said retaining element (50) comprises a pair of integral shanks fixed at one end inside the groove and having the ends opposite to the fixed ends shaped with heads (52, 54) having retaining teeth (56, 58) and opposite sloping unlocking surfaces (60, 62).

5. An apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises an unlocking device.

6. An apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that it comprises an unlocking device comprising a plate the width of which is smaller than the distance between the wings of a stick end and having an engaging surface to engage the unlocking surface of the retaining element, said plate being integral with a substantially elastically flexible fixing arm for application to an upright of the cabinet.

7. An apparatus according to claim 4 characterized in that it comprises an unlocking device (40, 70) comprising a plate (42, 72) the width of which is not greater than the distance between the wings of a stick end and having two unlocking surfaces (73, 73′) facing each other, said plate being integral with an elastic fixing arm for application to an upright of the cabinet.

Drawing