Device for replaceably suspending the winding shaft of a bale of cloth

Abstract

A device is described, which is provided with a bearing assembly for rotatably supporting a winding shaft of a bale of cloth, said bearing assembly being adapted to be used for automatically taking hold of and again releasing the winding shaft in a simple manner. For this purpose, the bearing means is divided into two parts, said parts being arranged on either side of a slot in a member which is adapted to be displaced in the vertical direction, and the slot receiving the winding shaft therein. In the case of a preferred embodiment, the bearing assembly has two rolls on axles which are displaceably supported in elongated openings. The elongate openings extend on either side of the slot at an oblique angle upwards and outwards and are formed in two bent levers and rotaty plates, respectively, the respective bent levers and rotary plates being arranged diagonally to each other. Due to the movement of the bearing means relative to the winding shaft, the rolls are displaced such that in a first position, i.e. when the winding shaft lies in the bearing means, they block the slot so that the winding shaft is held in a reliable manner. By pivoting the openings into a second, almost horizontal position, the rolls can be pushed aside by the winding shaft and the winding shaft is released. In the case of reloading, the winding shaft exerts a pressure against the rolls from below and displaces the rolls again along their openings in such a way that the slot permitting passage of the winding shaft is opened.