US 12,129,582 B2
Braiding machine
Brian Whitehead, Romney Marsh (GB); Mollie B. Jameson, Toronto (CA); and Herman Chan, Toronto (CA)
Assigned to SPIN MASTER LTD., Ontario (CA); and FUSE LONDON LTD, London (GB)
Filed by SPIN MASTER LTD., Toronto (CA); and FUSE LONDON LTD, London (GB)
Filed on May 19, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/320,873.
Application 18/320,873 is a continuation of application No. 17/301,043, filed on Mar. 23, 2021, granted, now 11,680,346.
Application 17/301,043 is a continuation of application No. 16/276,457, filed on Feb. 14, 2019, granted, now 10,982,361, issued on Apr. 20, 2021.
Application 16/276,457 is a continuation of application No. 15/863,533, filed on Jan. 5, 2018, granted, now 10,246,804, issued on Apr. 2, 2019.
Claims priority of application No. 1707396 (GB), filed on May 9, 2017.
Prior Publication US 2023/0287610 A1, Sep. 14, 2023
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. D04C 3/42 (2006.01); A44C 27/00 (2006.01); A63H 33/30 (2006.01); D04C 3/00 (2006.01); D04C 3/16 (2006.01); D04C 3/38 (2006.01)
CPC D04C 3/42 (2013.01) [A44C 27/00 (2013.01); A63H 33/3088 (2013.01); D04C 3/00 (2013.01); D04C 3/16 (2013.01); D04C 3/38 (2013.01)] 16 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A braiding machine, comprising:
a set of strand shuttles, each of the set of the strand shuttles having a spool positioned for holding a strand of flexible material and for rotating about a spool axis of rotation for dispensing the strand of flexible material;
a tensioner arm movable and biased to releasably securely receive and apply tension to the strands from the strand shuttles to retract the strands;
a plurality of shuttle stations at which the strand shuttles can be parked, the plurality of shuttle stations being arranged in a circuit;
at least one shuttle carriage that, when driven, repeatedly selects an immediately previously unselected at least one of the set of the strand shuttles and moves each of the immediately previously unselected at least one of the set of the strand shuttles from one of the plurality of the shuttle stations at which the immediately previously unselected one of the set of the strand shuttles is parked to another of the plurality of the shuttle stations along the circuit so as to braid the strands of flexible material; and
a drive member coupled to the at least one shuttle carriage to drive the at least one shuttle carriage,
wherein each strand shuttle includes a plurality of mounting posts that are spaced apart from one another, each mounting post having a distal end with a projection thereon, each projection having a sloped edge that faces away from the spool axis of rotation so as to drive the mounting posts to move towards one another during mounting of a spool thereon, wherein the mounting posts are resilient so as to move apart after mounting of the spool thereon, such that the projections restrict separation of the spool from the mounting posts.