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Tufted articles and related processes

  • US 6,228,460 B1
  • Filed: 06/01/1993
  • Issued: 05/08/2001
  • Est. Priority Date: 06/01/1993
  • Status: Expired due to Fees
First Claim
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1. A method for forming carpet tiles, comprising the steps of:

  • a. providing a tufting machine having a shiftable multiple needle bar which comprises a plurality of needles disposed substantially in a plurality of rows, each of which needles is threaded with a yarn end, a first plurality of needles of each row each threaded with a yarn of a first color, a second plurality of needles of each row each threaded with a yarn of a different color than the first color, the needle bar adapted to be actuated so that the needles in each row will penetrate a substrate substantially simultaneously in order to form a plurality of rows of piles on the substrate, the needle bar further adapted to be indexed substantially transversely to the direction in which the substrate travels through the machine;

    b. providing the machine with a hook bar which comprises a plurality of hooks, each hook adapted to capture a yarn end threaded through a needle as the needle penetrates the substrate, the hook bar adapted to be indexed substantially transversely to the direction in which the substrate travels through the machine;

    c. providing a substrate, advancing it in the machine and actuating the multiple needle bar and the hook bar in order to form a plurality of piles in the substrate;

    d. advancing the substrate in the machine; and

    e. indexing the multiple needle bar and the hook bar a distance other than a full gauge and actuating the multiple needle bar and the hook bar to form a plurality of piles in the substrate ordered in color to break up repetition of piles of the same color in rows of piles oriented on the substrate in a direction transverse to the direction in which the substrate is advanced in the machine;

    f. attaching a secondary rigid, stabilized mass of thermoplastic backing layer to the primary backing wherein the secondary backing layer imparts stability and free laying properties to the carpet tile substrate; and

    g. cutting the substrate in the direction in which the substrate travels through the machine and transverse to the direction in which the substrate travels through the machine to form first and second carpet tiles, the piles along the edges of the first carpet tile being ordered in a different sequence of colors than the piles along the edges of the second carpet tile thereby reducing or eliminating the zipper effect on the carpet tiles.

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