Tufting mechanism for forming low pile
AssigneeSpencer Wright Industries, Inc.
InventorHarold B. Bardsley
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A cut pile tufting machine having needle plate backing support fingers oscillated in timed relationship with the hooks and the needles of the machine to support the backing material during needle penetration and to withdraw from the needle path as the hooks move across the needle path to seize loops. The needle plate is mounted on a rocker arm carried by a common rock shaft with the rocker arm on which the hooks are mounted so that the needle plate together with the fingers oscillate in opposition to the oscillation of the hooks. As the hooks move toward the needle center line the fingers move away and as the hooks move away from the needle center the fingers move toward the needle center line.
Claims11
In a tufting machine, means including spaced fingers for supporting a moving backing material, a yarn-carrying needle supported on one side of said backing material, means for reciprocating the needle for penetrating the backing material and forming loops therein, a hook disposed on the opposite side of said backing material from said needle, and means for oscillating said hook toward and away from the path of said needle in timed relationship with the needle reciprocation for seizing said loops in succession, wherein the improvement comprises, means for oscillating said fingers in timed relationship with said hook from a disposition in the path of needle reciprocation for supporting said material during penetration thereof to a disposition withdrawn from said path as said hook moves toward said path.
A method of tufting comprising, feeding a backing material for movement through a tufting machine, driving a needle to penetrate and stitch a yarn continuously through said backing material as said material moves to form successive yarn loops on one side of said material, supporting upon said one side of said material an oscillating hook for cooperation with said needle to seize successive loops, supporting said backing material on support fingers on said one side as said needle penetrates said material from the other side, and moving said fingers from a disposition in the path of needle penetration to a disposition removed from said path as the hook moves toward loop seizure.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.