Title of Invention

SUPPORT STRUCTURE FOR A SEPARATOR IN A SPINNING MACHINE

Abstract

In a support structure for a separator which is provided in a spinning machine, the spinning machine has a ring plate. The separator is raised and lowered synchronously with the ring plate. The support structure is characterized in that the separator is inclinable backward from its normal position by application of any external force. A restriction member is provided behind the separator for restricting the backward inclination of the separator in a range where center of gravity of the separator is located ahead of a fulcrum point of the backward inclination of the separator.

Full Text

SUPPORT STRUCTURE FOR A SEPARATOR IN A SPINNING MACHINE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a support structure for a separator in a spinning machine such as a ring spinning machine, a ring twisting machine, and the like. In a spinning machine such as a ring spinning machine, a ring twisting machine, and the like, a yarn fed from a front roller is guided through the hole of a snail wire mounted to a lappet and wound around a bobbin while revolving about the guide hole of snail wire as the center of ballooning. A balloon control ring (or an anti-node ring) is provided for each spindle of the spinning machine for restricting the yarn ballooning, and a separator is provided between any two adjacent spindles for preventing yarn breakage occurring at one spindle from spreading other spindles. The separator may be supported in two different manners. According to one method, a plurality of separators is fixed at predetermined intervals by screws to a separator bar which is fixed to a ring plate through a bracket. This fixing will be referred to as separator bar method. According to the other method, a portion 52a of a separator 52 which is fixed to a ring plate 51 by screw (not shown) as shown in Fig. 8A (cf. Examined Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 7-45574). The ring plate 51 includes a plate portion 51a to which a ring 53 is mounted and a vertical portion 51 b which extends upward perpendicularly to the plate portion 51a and to which the separator 52 and an anti-node ring 54 are mounted. In the separator bar method, a separator bar bracket 55 is provided which has at the upper portion thereof a pair of grooves 56, as shown in Fig. 8B. A separator bar 57 indicated by chain double-dashed line is fitted in the grooves 56 to be fixed to the separator bar bracket 55. It is noted that there is a case where the separator bar bracket 55 is not fixed to the ring plate (ring rail), but fixed to a lifting bracket which lifts the ring plate. In the separator bar method, however, the separator is fixed rigidly. When an impact load is applied to the separator in yarn piecing operation or manually pulling a bobbin from a spindle, the separator, the separator bar and the separator bar bracket may be deformed or damaged. When the separator bar bracket is made of metal, the ring plate may be deformed or damaged. In the method of fixing the separator directly to the ring plate, the separator is fixed rigidly, too. When the above impact load is applied to the separator, the separator may be deformed or damaged. The present invention is directed to a support structure for a separator in a spinning machine which prevents deformation and damage of the separator and parts involved with fixing of the separator when an impact load is applied to the separator in operation such as yarn piercing, or the like. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An aspect of the present invention provides a support structure for a separator which is provided in a spinning machine. The spinning machine has a ring plate. The separator is raised and lowered synchronously with the ring plate. The support structure is characterized in that the separator is inclinable backward from its normal position by application of any external force. A restriction member is provided behind the separator for restricting the backward inclination of the separator in a range where center of gravity of the separator is located ahead of a fulcrum point of the backward inclination of the separator. Other aspects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, illustrating by way of example the principles of the invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The features of the present invention that are believed to be novel are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention together with objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following description of the presently preferred embodiments together with the accompanying drawings in which: Fig. 1 is a side view of a spindle of a ring spinning machine having a separator of a preferred embodiment according to the present invention; Fig. 2A is a perspective fragmentary view of the ring spinning machine showing support structure for the separator of the preferred embodiment according to the present invention; Fig. 2B is a front view showing a state in which the separator is supported by the separator bar support; Fig. 2C is a top view showing the support structure of Fig. 2B; Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the separator bar support; Fig. 4A is an illustrative side view showing the operation of the support structure; Fig. 4B is a partially enlarged side view of Fig. 4A; Fig. 5 is a perspective fragmentary view of a spinning machine showing support structure for the separator of another embodiment according to the present invention; Fig. 6A is a side view showing support structure for the separator of yet another embodiment according to the present invention; Fig. 6B is a side view showing support structure for the separator of yet another embodiment according to the present invention; Fig. 7 is a side view showing support structure for the separator of yet another embodiment according to the present invention; Fig. 8A is a perspective view of background art; and Fig. 8B is a perspective view showing the aforementioned separator bar method of background art. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The following will describe a preferred embodiment of separator support structure according to the separator bar method in a ring spinning machine according to the present invention with reference to Figs. 1 through 4B. Referring to Fig. 1, the ring spinning machine has a ring plate (or ring rail) 11 which is fixed through a bracket 13 to the upper portion of a pillar 12 which is raised and lowered by a lifting mechanism (not shown). A ring 15 which guides a traveler 14 for each spindle 17 is fixed in a hole which is formed in the ring plate 11 and a plurality of such rings 15 are provided at the same spaced intervals as the spindles 17 which are supported by spindle rails 16. Referring to Figs. 1 and 2A, a separator bar support 19 is fixed by screw to the ring plate 11 at a position adjacent to the rear of the ring plate 11 for supporting a separator bar 18 which extends in the longitudinal direction of the ring plate 11. As shown in Fig. 2A, a plurality of separators 20 are provided, each arranged between any two adjacent rings 15 and fixed to the separator bar 18 by means of a screw 21 (shown in Figs. 2B and 2C) with the upper portion of the separator bar 18 held by the holding portion 20a of the separator 20. In other words, the separators 20 are provided so as to be raised and lowered synchronously with the ring plate 11. The separator bar 18 is formed in the shape of a plate having a length enough for fixing e.g. twelve or twenty-four separators 20 thereto and supported by a plurality of separator bar supports 19. When the separator bar 18 has a length enough for fixing thereto twelve separators 20, the separator bar 18 is supported by two separator bar supports 19. When the separator bar 18 has a length enough for fixing thereto twenty-four separators 20, the separator bar 18 is supported by three separator bar supports 19. Referring to Fig. 3, the separator bar support 19 includes a pillar portion 19a, a support portion 19b which is formed as the upper end portion of the pillar portion 19a, a pair of first projections 19c which is provided on the front side of the support portion 19b (on the side adjacent to the spindle 17 or on the near side in Fig. 3 as seen from the viewer's side), and a second projection 19d which is provided on the rear side of the support portion 19b (on the side opposite to the spindle 17 or on the far side in Fig. 3 as seen from the viewer's side). The paired first projections 19c are spaced at an interval which allows the holding portion 20a of the separator 20 to be loosely fitted between the first projections 19c. This loosely fitting means a state that allows the separator bar 18 to be movable in longitudinal direction within a permissible range and to be pivotable in back-and-forth direction. As shown in Figs. 2B and 3, the paired first projections 19c are so formed that the spaced interval between the facing surfaces thereof is narrowed from the middle toward the bottom. As shown in Fig. 2B, the holding portion 20a has at the lower portion thereof inclined side surfaces the interval between which is narrowed toward the lower end. The second projection 19d is located at a position between the paired first projections 19c. The separator bar support 19 is made of resin, for example, polyacetal. Referring to Figs. 4A and 4B, the separator bar 18 has a rectangular cross section, and each first projection 19c has a contact portion 19e which is contactable with the front surface (or the left-side surface in Figs. 4A and 4B) of the separator bar 18 in the thickness direction thereof and projects in the thickness direction of the separator bar 18 (or in the lateral direction in Figs. 4A and 4B). The second projection 19d has a contact portion 19f which is contactable with the rear surface of the separator bar 18 in the thickness direction thereof. The first projections 19c are formed longer than the second projection 19d, and the contact portion 19e of the first projection 19c is located at a position higher than the contact portion 19f of the second projection 19d. When the separator 20 is located at its normal position, the separator bar 18 is held in such a manner that the front and rear surfaces thereof are in contact with the contact portion 19e of the first projection 19c and the contact portion 19f of the second projection 19d, respectively, as shown by solid line in Fig. 4A. In this position of the separator 20, a space S is provided below the position where the separator bar 18 is in contact with the contact portion 19e and in the front of the separator bar 18, as shown in Fig. 4B, and the separator bar 18 is inclinable backward because there is no element which stops the separator bar 18 from being inclined backward at a position opposite to the contact portion 19e of the first projection 19c. In other words, if a force is applied to the separator 20 in a direction which pushes the separator 20 backward, the separator 20 can be smoothly inclined backward with the separator bar 18. Referring back to Fig. 1, the plurality of separators 20 are fixed to the separator bar 18 such that the main bodies 20b of the separators 20 are located frontward of the separator bar 18 and also that the center of gravity G of the separator 20 (shown in Fig. 4A) is located ahead of the fulcrum point of backward inclination of the separator 20 (or the front top edge of the second projection 19d in the preferred embodiment) when the separator 20 is turned or inclined backward from its normal position until it is brought into contact with an angle 24. The angle 24 limits or restricts the backward inclination of the separator 20. Thus, the separator 20 is normally held in the solid line position of Fig. 4A by its own weight. When the separator 20 is placed in its normal position, the separator bar 18 is held also in its normal position where the separator bar 18 in contact at the upper portion of the front surface thereof with the contact portion 19e, at the lower portion of the rear surface thereof with the contact portion 19f, and at the lower end thereof with the support portion 19b, as shown in Fig. 4A. Still referring to Fig. 1, a balloon control ring 22 is provided above the ring plate 11 for each ring 15 and raised and lowered synchronously with the ring plate 11. The balloon control ring 22 is supported by the angle 24 which is fixed to a pillar 23 which is raised and lowered independently of but synchronously with the pillar 12 which supports the ring plate 11. The angle 24 serves as a restriction member to limit the backward inclination of the separator 20 by contacting therewith when the separator 20 is subjected to an external force and inclined backward from its normal position. A snail wire 25 is provided above the balloon control ring 22 for each ring 15 and raised and lowered synchronously with the ring plate 11. The snail wire 25 is fixed to a lappet 26 which is supported by a lappet angle 28 fixed to a pillar 27 which is raised and lowered independently of but synchronously with the pillars 12 and 23. The following will describe the operation of the above-described ring spinning machine. In operation of the ring spinning machine, bobbins B are rotated by the spindles 17. The ring plate 11, the balloon control rings 22 and the snail wires 25 are raised and lowered repeatedly and independently of but synchronously with each other by the lifting device while moving upward gradually until end of wind position is reached. A yarn Y fed from a draft part (not shown) passes through the snail wire 25 and the traveler 14 and is wound around the bobbin B to form a cop. The separator 20 prevents yarn breakage at a spindle from affecting other spindles. Each separator 20 is supported by the separator bar support 19 through the separator bar 18. When no external force is applied to the separator 20, the separator 20 is held in its normal position, extending vertically as shown in Fig. 4A with the separator bar 18 in contact with the first and second projections 19c and 19d of the separator bar support 19. In operation of the ring spinning machine, if a yarn breakage occurs at any spindle during operation of the ring spinning machine, yarn piecing is performed by an operator. In this piecing work, the operator's hand or a yarn piecing tool may collide accidentally with the separator 20, and an impact force may be applied to the separator 20 in the direction which causes the separator 20 to be inclined backward. Same collision may take place during doffing operation to remove a full bobbin from its spindle. If any impact load is applied to the separator 20, the separator bar 18 receives through the separator 20 a force acting on the separator bar 18 in clockwise direction as seen in Fig. 4A. If the force is greater than a counter-clockwise urging force caused by the weight of the separator 20, the separator bar 18 is inclined backward about the upper portion of the second projection 19d as the fulcrum point with the separator 20. Then, the separator 20 is brought into contact with the angle 24, as indicated by dotted line in Fig. 4A, thus the backward inclination of the separator 20 being restricted. When the separator 20 is released from the external force, the separator bar 18 is turned by its own weight with the separator 20 to its normal position where the separator 18 is in contact with the first and second projections 19c, 19d of the separator bar support 19. According to the preferred embodiment, the following advantageous effects are obtained. (1) The separator 20, which is movable up and down synchronously with the ring plate 11, is inclinable backward from its normal position by an external force. The backward inclination of the separator 20 is limited by the restriction member (or the angle 24) which is provided behind the separator 20 in the range where the center of gravity G of the separator 20 is located ahead of the fulcrum point of the backward inclination of the separator 20. When the separator 20 receives no more external force, the separator 20 is turned back by its own weight to its original or normal position. If an impact load as an external force is applied to the separator 20, the separator 20 is inclined backward so that the impact is alleviated, with the result that the separator 20 and the parts for fixing of the separator 20 (the separator bar 18, the separator bar support 19) are prevented from being deformed or damaged. The backward inclination of the separator 20 is limited by the contact of the separator 20 with the restriction member (or the angle 24) in the range where the center of gravity G of the separator 20 is located ahead of the fulcrum point of the backward inclination of the separator 20. When the separator 20 is released from the external force, the separator 20 returns to its original position (its normal position) by its own weight. Thus, there is no need to provide any specific means for moving the separator 20 back to its normal position. (2) The separators 20 for a plurality of spindles of the spinning machine are fixed to the separator bar 18 which extends in the longitudinal direction of the ring plate 11 and is supported by the separator bar support 19 which is fixed to the ring plate 11, so as to be inclinable backward with the separator bar 18. Thus, the separators 20 are made simple in structure and easy to assemble into the spinning machine in comparison with the case where the separators are fixed to the ring plate such that they are allowed to be inclined individually backward and return to their normal positions. (3) The separator bar 18 is formed in the shape of a plate and supported by the separator bar support 19 with at least the lower end of the separator bar 18 in contact with the separator bar support 19. The separator bar support 19 includes the paired first projections 19c each having the contact portion 19e which projects in the thickness direction of the separator bar 18 and is contactable with the front surface of the separator bar 18, and the second projection 19d having the contact portion 19f which is contactable with the rear surface of the separator bar 18. The first projections 19c are longer than the second projection 19d, and the contact portion 19e of the first projection 19c is located higher than the contact portion 19f of the second projection 19d. When no external force is applied, the separator bar 18 is held in its normal position by the weight of the separators 20 which are fixed to the separator bar 18 in such a manner that the separator bar 18 is in contact at the front surface thereof with the contact portion 19e of the first projection 19c and at the rear surface thereof with the contact portion 19f of the second projection 19d. Thus, installing the separator bar 18 to the separator bar support 19 is easier than fitting the separator bar into the groove as in the background art. (4) The separator bar support 19 includes the two first projections 19c and the second projection 19d, and the former two first projection 19c can be used to position the separator bar 18 in lateral direction. The first projections 19c are formed so as to allow the holding portion 20a of the separator 20 to be loosely fitted between the first projections 19c. Thus, the separator bar 18 can be easily positioned in the lateral direction without using a member designed for positioning. (5) The holding portion 20a of the separator 20 has at the lower portion thereof inclined side surfaces the interval between which is narrowed toward the lower end. Thus, the holding portion 20a can be loosely fitted in position merely by engaging the holding portion 20a with the first projections 19c. The position of the separator 20 does not need to be so accurate as that of the balloon control ring 22 and the snail wire 25, so that slight movement of the holding portion 20a in the longitudinal direction of the separator bar 18 does not matter. (6) The separator bar 18 is supported by a plurality of the separator bar supports 19. This provides higher degree of freedom in determining the position where the separator bar support 19 should be fixed to the ring plate 11 and also for the position where the separator bar 18 is supported by the separator bar supports 19, in comparison with the case where the separator bar is supported by a single separator bar support. (7) The angle 24 which is used as a structural component of the spinning machine and located behind the ring plate 11 for mounting the balloon control ring 22 serves as the restriction member to limit the backward inclination of the separator 20. The spinning machine can dispense with a restriction member which is designed specifically for restricting the backward inclination of the separator 20. The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment but it may be practiced in other various ways as exemplified bellow. The separator bar support 19 is not limited to one including two first projections 19c and one second projection 19d. Alternatively, the separator bar support 19 may have two first projections 19c and two second projections 19d, or one first projection 19c and one second projection 19d. Three or more first projections 19c and three or more second projections 19d may be provided. In the case where one first projection is provided in the separator bar support, as shown in Fig. 5, two separator bar supports 19 are used, one of them on the left includes one first projection 19c at the left side thereof, and the other on the right includes one first projection 19c at the right side thereof. In this case, the separators 20 having the same structure as in the preferred embodiment are used, and the first projections 19c of the two separator bar supports 19 can be used for positioning the separator bar 18. In the case where the separator 20 is used for positioning of the separator bar 18 in the longitudinal direction thereof, the main body 20b of the separator 20 may be used instead of the holding portion 20a. In the case where one separator bar support 19 is used for positioning of the separator bar 18, the two first projections 19c are spaced at an interval corresponding to the thickness of the main body 20b. Positioning of the separator bar 18 in its longitudinal direction is not limited to the method of using the separator 20. Alternatively, the separator bar 18 may be provided with a positioning portion which is engageable with the separator bar support 19, and a positioning member may be provided which is engaged with the positioning portion of the separator bar 18. Structure which allows the backward inclination of the separator bar is not limited to the one which uses the separator bar support 19 including the first projections 19c and the second projection 19d and in which the separator bar 18 is inclined about the contact portion 19f of the second projection 19d as the fulcrum point. Alternatively, as shown in Fig. 6A, the separator bar 18 is supported by a separator bar support 31 having a groove 30 as in the background art, and the separator bar support 31 has a support leg 31 a which is divided into the upper and lower portions linked by a support shaft 32. The upper portion of the support leg 31a is inclinable relative to the lower portion about the support shaft 32. The separator 20 is provided with a contact portion 20c which is normally in contact with the upper surface of the ring plate 11, as shown in Fig. 6A. In this case, the separator 20 is held in its normal position with the contact portion 20c in contact with the upper surface of the ring plate 11 when no external force is acting on the separator 20. When any external force which is greater than the urging force created by the weight of the separator 20 is applied to the separator 20 against the urging force, the separator bar support 31 is pivoted about the support shaft 32, and the separator 20 is inclined backward with the separator bar 18 until the separator 20 is brought into contact with the angle 24. When the separator 20 is released from the external force, the separator 20 is turned back to its normal position with the separator bar 18 by its own weight. In the separator bar support 31 having the groove 30, as shown in Fig. 6B, a part of the support leg 31a may be formed by a leaf spring (elastic member) 33, instead of dividing the support leg 31a into two portions linked by the support shaft 32. In this case, any external force applied to the separator 20 from the front acts on the support leg 31 a of the separator bar support 31 through the separator bar 18 to bend the leaf spring 33 backward. The separator 20 is inclined backward until it is brought into contact at the back thereof with the angle 24. When released from the external force, the separator 20 is turned back by its own weight to its normal position with the separator bar 18. It is noted that the entire support leg 31 a may be formed by the leaf spring 33. In the aforementioned separator bar method, the separator bar supports 19 and 31 may be fixed to a lifting bracket which is raised and lowered synchronously with the ring plate 11, instead of being fixed on the ring plate 11. A lifting bracket which supports the ring plate 11 may be used for the purpose of fixing the separator bar supports 19 and 31. In the separator bar method, the number of the separator bar supports 19 and 31 is not limited to two or more but may be one for supporting the separator bar 18. In the case of using one separator bar support for supporting a separator bar, the separator bar 18 needs to be supported by the separator bar support 19 or 31 in a well-balanced manner. Thus, the use of plural separator bar supports 19 or 31 provides higher degree of freedom in determining the position of the separator bar supports 19 or 31. The shape of the separator bar 18 is not limited to a band-like plate having a rectangular cross section. Alternatively, a band-like plate having a different cross section (e.g. a flat ellipse shape, a semi-circular shape) may be used as the separator bar 18. Alternatively, an angle may be used as the separator bar 18. The contact portions 19e of the first projections 19c and the contact portion 19f of the second projection 19d are not limited to such surface that is in surface contact with the separator bar 18 in its normal position. Alternatively, the contact portions 19e and 19f may be formed to have a convex arcuate surface which faces the separator bar 18 in its normal position and extends along the separator bar 18, or may be formed in the shape of triangular prism which extends along the separator bar 18. The portion of the first projection 19c below the contact portion 19e may take any shape as long as a recess is present in front of the lower portion of the separator bar 18 when the separator bar 18 is in contact with the contact portion 19e for allowing the separator bar 18 to be turned or inclined backward. The manner of supporting the separator 20 is not limited to the separator bar method as long as the separator 20 is inclinable by application of an external force, a restriction member is provided behind the separator 20 for restricting the backward inclination of the separator 20, and the separator 20 returns to its normal position when the separator 20 is released from the external force in a state where the backward inclination is limited by the restriction member. For example, as shown in Fig. 7, the ring plate 11 may be formed with a crank-shaped cross section having a vertical portion 11 a which is formed by bending the rear part of the ring plate 11 vertically upwardly. The separator 20 is fixed to the vertical portion 11a. That is, the separator 20 includes a holding portion 20a which is fixed to the vertical portion 11a and a main body 20b which is connected to the holding portion 20a through a leaf spring 33. The separator 20 also includes a contact portion 20c which is in contact with the upper surface of the ring plate 11 in its normal position. In this case, if an external force is applied to the separator 20 from the front, the leaf spring 33 is flexed, and the separator 20 is inclined backward until the main body 20b of the separator 20 is brought into contact with the angle 24. When the separator 20 is released from the external force, the separator 20 returns to its normal position by its own weight. However, in the case of using the ring plate 11 having the vertical portion 11a, cotton fly tends to be easily accumulated at the base of the vertical portion 11a of the ring plate 11. Therefore, the separator bar method is preferable. The restriction member for restricting the backward inclination of the separator 20 is not limited to the angle 24 for the balloon control ring 22. Alternatively, any other structural component of the spinning machine which is located behind the ring plate 11, for example, the lappet angle 28 may be used for the restriction purpose. In the case of using the lappet angle 28 as the restriction member, the separator 20 is made longer or provided with a portion which projects at the rear portion thereof so as to be contactable with the lappet angle 28. Instead of using the angle 24 or a structural component of the spinning machine which is located behind the ring plate 11 as the restriction member, any suitable member may be provided which is designed specifically for restricting the backward inclination of the separator 20. For example, a bar or an angle is provided as the restriction member so as to extend over the pillar 27 for the lappet angle 28. In this case, though depending on the position where the restriction member is fixed, the restriction member can be provided so as to restrict the backward inclination of the separator 20 without making the separator longer. The material of the separator bar supports 19 and 31 is not limited to resin that is advantageous in lightweightness. Alternatively, the separator bar supports 19 and 31 may be made of other materials such as metal or ceramic. The angle 24 for supporting the balloon control ring 22 may be raised and lowered in dependence on and synchronously with the ring plate 11. For example, the upper portion of the pillar 12 is bifurcated into two branch portions, one of which supports the bracket 13 and the other of which supports the angle 24. It is noted that the present invention is applicable not only to the ring spinning machine, but also to a ring twisting machine. The present examples and embodiments of the present invention are to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive, and the invention is not limited to the details given herein but may be modified within the scope of the appended claims. We claim: 1. A support structure for a separator which is provided in a spinning machine, the spinning machine having a ring plate, the separator being raised and lowered synchronously with the ring plate, characterized in that the separator is inclinable backward from its normal position by application of any external force, wherein a restriction member is provided behind the separator for restricting the backward inclination of the separator in a range where center of gravity of the separator is located ahead of a fulcrum point of the backward inclination of the separator. 2. The support structure according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the separators for a plurality of spindles of the spinning machine are fixed to a separator bar so as to be inclinable backward with the separator bar, wherein the separator bar extends in a longitudinal direction of the ring plate and is supported by a separator bar support, wherein the separator bar support is fixed to the ring plate or a lifting bracket which is raised and lowered synchronously with the ring plate. 3. The support structure according to claim 2, wherein the separator bar is formed in the shape of a plate and supported by the separator bar support in such a manner that at least a lower end of the separator bar is in contact with the separator bar support, wherein the separator bar support includes a first projection having a first contact portion which projects in a thickness direction of the separator bar and is contactable with a front surface of the separator bar in the thickness direction thereof and a second projection having a second contact portion which is contactable with a rear surface of the separator bar in the thickness direction thereof, wherein the first projection is longer than the second projection, wherein the first contact portion is located higher than the second contact portion, wherein the separator bar is held in its normal position by weight of the separators which are fixed to the separator bar in such a manner the front and rear surfaces of the separator bar are respectively in contact with the first contact portion and the second contact portion when no external force is applied to the separator bar. 4. The support structure according to claim 3, wherein the separator bar support has two first projections provided on the front side of the separator bar support and one second projection provided on the rear side of the separator bar support. 5. The support structure according to any one of claims 2 through 4, wherein the separator bar is supported by a plurality of the separator bar supports. 6. The support structure according to any one of claims 2, 3 and 5, wherein the separator bar is supported by two separator bar supports each having a first projection and a second projection, one of the two separator bar supports on the left includes one first projection at the left side thereof, and the other on the right includes one first projection at the right side thereof. 7. The support structure according to claim 2 or 5, wherein the separator bar support has a support leg which is divided into upper and lower portions linked by a support shaft, wherein the upper portion of the support leg is inclinable relative to the lower portion of the support leg about the support shaft. 8. The support structure according to claim 2 or 5, wherein the separator bar support has a support leg a part of which is formed by a leaf spring. 9. The support structure according to any one of claims 1 through 8, wherein the restriction member is provided by a structural component of the spinning machine which is located behind the ring plate. 10. The support structure according to claim 9, wherein the structural component is an angle or a lappet angle. 11. The support structure according to claim 1, wherein the ring plate has a vertical portion, wherein the separator has a holding portion fixed to the vertical portion and a main body connected to the portion through a leaf spring.

Documents:

2200-CHE-2007 AMENDED PAGES OF SPECIFICATION 10-08-2011.pdf

2200-CHE-2007 AMENDED CLAIMS 10-08-2011.pdf

2200-CHE-2007 FORM-3 10-08-2011.pdf

2200-CHE-2007 EXAMINATION REPORT REPLY RECEIVED 10-08-2011.pdf

2200-che-2007 claims.pdf

2200-che-2007 correspondence others 14-11-2011.pdf

2200-che-2007 correspondence others 28-03-2008.pdf

2200-che-2007 correspondence others.pdf

2200-che-2007 description (complete).pdf

2200-che-2007 drawings.pdf

2200-che-2007 others.pdf

2200-che-2007 power of attorney 02-01-2008.pdf

2200-che-2007 abstract.pdf

2200-che-2007 form-1.pdf

2200-che-2007 form-18.pdf