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Method and apparatus for producing tufts in longitudinal lines

  • US 5,499,588 A
  • Filed: 07/14/1994
  • Issued: 03/19/1996
  • Est. Priority Date: 02/11/1991
  • Status: Expired due to Fees
First Claim
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1. A tufting machine having a frame through which a backing material is fed along a longitudinal path, a reciprocatable front needle bar disposed on one side of said backing material, transversely spaced front needles carried by said front needle bar for inserting first yarns carried by said front needles through said backing material for producing successive first tufts of first yarns in said backing material upon reciprocation of said front needle bar, a reciprocatable rear needle bar disposed on said one side of said backing material, transversely spaced rear needles carried by said rear needle bar for inserting second yarns carried by said rear needles through said backing material for producing successive second tufts of second yarns in said backing material upon reciprocation of said rear needle bar, means for reciprocating said front needle bar and said rear needle bar, a plurality of loopers cooperating with said front needles and said rear needles, said loopers having first bill portions and second bill portions for catching and holding the yarns carried by said front needles and the yarns carried by said rear needles when the needles are inserted through the backing material, said first bill portions cooperating with said front needles and said second bill portions cooperating with said rear needles, said first bill portions being respectively aligned longitudinally along the path of travel of said backing material with said second bill portions so that tufts of yarns sewn by said front needles and by said rear needles are sewn in individual longitudinal rows along said backing material, the front needles being arranged in front groups of needles which have a prescribed gauge spacing between needles in each front group, the spacing between adjacent needles in adjacent of said front groups of said front needles being greater than said prescribed spacing, such that when said front needle bar is reciprocated, to form first groups of first tufts and is shifted and reciprocated again according to a prescribed pattern to form second groups of first tufts, the first groups are transversely spaced from each other and the first groups are longitudinally spaced from the second groups;

  • said rear needles also being arranged in groups of needles so that when said rear needle bar is reciprocated and shifted according to said prescribed pattern, said rear needles will supply second tufts substantially only in longitudinal spaces between adjacent of said groups of first tufts in the respective longitudinal rows of first tufts, thereby producing parallel longitudinal rows of tufts in which each row has first tufts and second tufts interspersed and in aligned succession with respect to each other;

    means for shifting of said front needle bar and said rear needle bar transversely with respect to each other and with respect to said backing material in timed relationship to the travel of said backing material and to each other so that the front needles are at times selectively aligned with different of said first bill portions and the rear needles are at times selectively aligned with different of said second bill portions in producing the interspersed tufts of the longitudinal rows of tufts in said backing material.

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