Tufting machine with shiftable and indexing needle bars and method of tufting

The combination with a tufting maching having means for advancing a base fabric therethrough, of a pair of elongate needle bars extending transversely of the machine and each having a row of tufting needles thereon, the needles of one of the rows normally being arranged in alternation with and positioned in alignment with the needles in the other row to form a single row of aligned needles extending transversely of the machine for serving as one needle bar during the tufting operation, and means for shifting at least said one of the rows of needles laterally out of and laterally back into alignment with, and longitudinally relative to, the needles in the other row so as to change the order of the needles in the single row formed thereof between successive tuft-forming strokes of the needles through the base fabric.

The combination with a tufting machine having means for advancing a base fabric therethrough, of a pair of first and second elongate needle bars extending transversely of the machine and having respective first and second rows of needles thereon, the needles of said first row normally being arranged in alternation with and positioned in alignment with the needles of said second row to form a single row of aligned needles extending transversely of the machine for serving as one needle bar during the tufting operation, means for shifting at least one of said rows of needles laterally out of and laterally back into alignment with the needles in the other row between successive tufting operations of the machine, and means for shifting said first row of needles longitudinally relative to said second row of needles while said one row of needles is out of alignment with said other row of needles so as to change the order of the needles in the single row to be formed therefrom.

In a tufting machine having a pair of needle bars each having a row of needles thereon, the rows of needles on the respective needle bars normally being in longitudinal alignment so as to align the rows of needles on the respective bars with each other with the needles in alternation with each other to form a single row of needles therefrom, means cooperating with at least one of said needle bars therefrom, means cooperating with at least one of said needle bars for shifting the needles thereof laterally out of an laterally back into alignment with the needles in the other row, and means for longitudinally shifting at least one of the rows of needles relative to the needles in the other row while they are out of alignment with each other so as to change the order of the needles in the single row to be formed thereon.

A method of tufting on a tufting machine having a pair of needle bars each with a row of needles thereon with respective yarns extending through the needles, said method comprising positioning the needle bars relative to each other so as to align the rows of needles on the respective bars with each other, with the needles on one bar being arranged in alternation with the needles on the other bar, moving the thus alined rows of needles into and out of a base fabric to form a row of pile tufts thereon extending across the base fabric, moving the base fabric past the needle bars, changing the relative order of the yarns carried by the respective rows of needles by positioning the rows of needles out of alignment with each other, longitudinally shifting at least one of the out-of-alignment rows of needles relative to the other row of needles, then moving the rows of needles back into alignment with each other, and again inserting the rows of aligned needles through the base fabric to form another row of pile tufts thereon.