US1959146A - Cutter for thread spools - Google Patents

Description

May 15, 1934..

H. M. ALLAIN 1,959,146

CUTTER FOR THREAD SPOOLS Original Filed June 16. 19 1 O M W a W O A TTORNEY Patented May 15, 1934 UNITED STATES CUTTER roa THREAD SPOOLS Henry M. Allain, Acushnet, Mass., assignor to A. H. Rice 00., Pittsfield, Mass a corporation of Massachusetts Original application June 16, 1931 Serial No. 544,854, now Patent No. 1,908,005, dated May 9, 1933. Divided and this application March 24, 1933, Serial No. 662,411

1 Claim.

end of the spool, the present application being a division of my co-pending application Serial No. 544,854, filed June 16, 1931, and now Patent No. 1,908,005, issued May 9, 1933.

An object of the present invention is to provide an improved type of cutter blade which is adapted for attachment to an operating member associated with the end of a spool to be cut and which is actuated by said member to form a groove or channel that extends across the face of said end and terminates in notches also cut by said blade in the periphery of the spool.

The above and other objects will appear more clearly from the following detailed description, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, which illustrates one embodiment of the inventive idea.

In the drawing:-

Figure 1 is a fragmentary front elevation of a mechanism with which the cutter blade is associated, showing the latter in its operative position with reference to a spool.

Figure 2 is a horizontal section illustrating the cutter and operating mechanism therefor, the former being shown in its inoperative position.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary plan view showing the cutter in the same position as in Figure 1.

Figure 4 is an end elevation of the cutter and its support, and

Figure 5 is an end view of a spool which has been out.

As is well known, spools upon which thread is wound are printed with suitable indicia at both ends thereof, and, for this purpose, there is employed a printing mechanism consisting of two dies which cooperate to simultaneously engage the opposite ends of a spool so as to impress the printed matter thereon. The present invention proposes the utilization of such a printing mechanism for cutting a groove and notches in one end of a spool, and, in so doing, accomplishes the dual function of printing and cutting at the same time.

The invention is illustrated as applied to such a printing mechanism and only so much of the latter is shown as is necessary to a complete understanding of the present mechanism. Thus, in known machines, there is usually provided two rotating heads 7 and 8 disposed in opposed relation and driven in opposite directions ,(as indicated by the arrows in Figure 1) by a suitable gearing shown in detail in the aforesaid pending application. The spools 14 to be printed are fed down an inclined chute 15 to a position between the two heads 7 and 8 where a spool is engaged, upon each successive revolution of said heads, by the printing dies 16 and 17 which impress the printing indicia upon the respective ends of the spool, following which said dies are disengaged from the spool by continued rotation of the heads, and the spool is then dropped from the machine.

The printing die 16 is of the usual construction employed in printing mechanisms of this character, but the die 17 is modified to adapt the present cutter thereto. As shown in Figure 2 the die 17, which is detachably secured to the head 8 by means of a screw 18, is provided with a longitudinal opening 19, the inner end of which is enlarged as indicated at 20, and in the outer end of said die the same is provided with slots 21 diametrically disposed on opposite sides of the opening 19 and in which is movable the cutter generally indicated by the numeral 22. Said cutter is of a length greater than the diameter of the die so that the ends of the cutter extend outwardly beyond said die. The cutter 22 is carried in the outer end of a plunger 23 and'detachably secured therein by means of dowel pins or like fasteners 24. The inner end of the plunger 23 is connected to a head 25 and interposed between the latter and the forward end of the enlarged portion 20 of the opening 19 is an expansion spring 26 coiled about the plunger and operable to maintain the same in a normally retracted position relative to the outer end of the die. The plunger 23 is operated to project the cutter 22 into engagement with the end of the spool 14 as the die 17 comes in contact therewith. For this purpose, there is mounted upon the frame 2'7 of the printing mechanism a cam member 28 adjustable back and forth along said frame by means of an adjusting screw 29 and secured in its adjusted positions by the set screw 30. The cam 28 is suitably positioned in the path of movement of a cam roller 31 carried by the rotating head 8 and joined to the head 25 by an angular arm 32 which is slidable back and forth in said head 8 under the influence of the spring 26 and the cam 28. Thus, as the roller 31 engages the inclined surface of said cam, when the head 8 is traveling in the direction of the arrow in Figure 1, the arm 32 moves outwardly and forces the plunger 23 in the same direction against the tension of the spring 26, thus causing the cutter 22 to be projected beyond the end of the die 17 and into engagement with the end of the spool 14 to perform the cutting operation. As the roller 31 passes over the high point of the cam 28, the plunger 23 is again caused to recede into the head 8 by the action of the spring 26, thus again retracting the cutter. Upon each revolution of the heads 7 and 8, the faces of the respective dies 16 and 17 wipe over inking rollers 33, as indicated in dotted lines in Figure 1.

Although the mechanism shown is one in which the printing and cutting operations upon the spool are performed simultaneously, it will be understood that the invention is not who construed as limited to such action, nor that the printing dies need be employed to carry the cutter. If it is not desired to print the ends of the spool at the time of the cutting operation, said'diesmay be replaced by heads of any character, one of which serves as an abutment for one end of the spool while the other has the cutter thereon.

As shown, the cutter 22 of the present invention comprises a substantially fiat blade, the ends of which are enlarged or widened-to form end sections 34 which are tapered outwardly, and the inner ends of said sections, together with the adjacent edge of the blade proper, are sharpened to form the end and, intermediate cutting edges 35 and 36, respectively, which are disposed coincidentally with the central longitudinal plane of the blade. The length of the edge 36 is slightly less than the diameter of the spool 14 to be cut and the edges 35 extend diagonally from and form a. continuation of the edge. 36. apparent that, when the edges are brought into contact with the end of a spool, a groove 37 (Figure 5) will be cut, by the edge 36, diametrically across the face of said end in intersecting relation tothe axial opening 38 of the spool and,

It will thus be.

through the cooperation of the edges 35 with said edge 36, notches 39 will be formed in the periphcry of said end which join the ends of said groove. Thus formed, the groove and notches are adapted to receive the loose end of a thread subsequently wound upon the spool and, due to the sharpness of the cutting edges and consequent narrowness of the groove and notches, said loose end will be frictionally held in the notches and groove and countersunk in the latter until withdrawn by grasping and pulling that portion of the thread which extends across the opening 38 of the spool.

By having the cutting edges 35 of sufficient length and by their outward divergence from the blade, spools which have only slight variations in diameter may be cut by the same blade, but should it be desired to cut considerably larger spools, it is only necessary to replace the present cutter with one of greater length.

That is claimed is:

A blade for cutting a diametrical groove with end notches in an end of a spool, comprising a flat blade having an elongated cutting edge for forming a thread-receiving groove extending entirely across an end of the spool, and also having additional cutting edges extending obliquely and laterally from both ends of the first-named edge for forming notches in the periphery of said spool, said elongated cutting edge being of such thickness that the Walls of the groove formed thereby will be irictionally engaged by a thread therein, the cutting edges of said blade being formed so that the blade may be inserted into the end of the spool parallelly to the axis of said spool, both sides of said cutting edges being bevelled.

HENRY M. AL AIN- E

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