Doffing apparatus in automatic winder

In an automatic winder having a plurality of package winding units arranged in a row, said winder including a transporting conveyor extending along the package winding units for conveying doffed full packages from the package winding units, said pluality of package winding units being segregated into a plurality of groups of package winding units, each group being adapted to wind a particular type of package, with the type of package differing from group to group, a doffing apparatus comprising:

• a plurality of package guide passages, disposed to extend from a position of each package winding unit at which full packages of either type are discharged from a cradle position of the winding unit, respectively, to said transporting conveyor, each of said package guide passages being formed of a bottom plate and at least one side plate such that each is sufficiently inclined downwardly toward said transporting conveyor to enable a doffed full package to roll along its package guide passage under the influence of gravity;
• a plurality of stocking devices, in like number as said groups of winding units, each pivotably disposed from a frame of said automatic winder so as to be capable of pivoting between a first pivotal position and a second pivotal position, said first pivotal position being adapted with respect to each of the package guide passages of the group of winding units associated with said stocking device so as to be capable of stopping full packages substantially midway of the extents of said package guide passages, and said second pivotal position being adapted with respect to each of the package guide passages of the group of winding units associated with said stocking device so as to enable full packages to simultaneously proceed along each of said package guide passages to said transporting conveyor;
• and
• means for independently periodically pivoting said plurality of stocking devices, in response to a timing circuit, from said first pivotal positions to said second pivotal positions, and the reverse, said timing circuit providing that only those stocking devices controlling a particular type of full package are pivoted to the second pivotal position at any given time.