Transport apparatus

Abstract

A textile machine transport apparatus is provided for transporting tube support members to and between locations at which yarn packages supported on the tube support members are handled. The transport apparatus includes an assembly for advancing the tube support members along a delivery path. The advancing assembly is reversibly drivable in a forward direction and in a reverse direction opposite to the forward direction to provide the capability to, for example, reverse the advancing movement of some of the tube support members or to advance other tube support members in a different advancing direction. The transport apparatus also includes a device extending laterally relative to the delivery path of the tube support members for engaging a tube support member to prevent further upstream movement thereof. The laterally extending device may be in the form of a stop guide extending into the path of the tube support members as they are transported in an upstream direction. The stop guide may be movably mounted to permit a tube support member passing thereby to move the stop guide into a retracted position and preferably includes a spring or other resilient biasing device for automatically returning the stop guide to a laterally extending position.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.