Abstract: An apparatus for placing lines in a conduit is disclosed. The apparatus uses a battery powered electric fan in an aerodynamically shaped body to fly through the conduit pulling a jet line. The apparatus is used instead of “fish” tape, vacuum, or compressed air to draw a jet line through the conduit.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for forming high accent pile loops at spaced intervals in a tufted pile fabric. The apparatus for carrying out this method includes separate yarn feed rolls for being selectively driven at a high speed, a low speed, and a minimal speed, by a pattern control mechanism for selectively forming regular high pile loops and low pile loops and also for braking the loops in a single row in order to produce sequentially pile loops of minimal height followed immediately by accent pile loops of heights at least as great as the regular high pile loops, and then by additional minimal height pile loops.

Abstract: A yarn feed mechanism for a multiple needle tufting machine in which a plurality of yarn feed stub rolls are mounted on transversely spaced supports on the machine in such a manner that the stub rolls project in opposite directions from opposite sides of each support and have free ends which are spaced apart from the free ends of adjacent feed rolls to facilitate threading and unthreading the feed rolls. Each yarn feed support carries a plurality of first and second vertically spaced feed rolls on opposite sides of the support and each pair of coaxially aligned feed rolls are driven from a corresponding drive shaft adapted to be driven selectively at a high speed or a low speed.

Abstract: A needle plate member for a multiple needle loop pile tufting machine including double needle bars supporting transverse rows of front and rear needles in which at least one row of needles has a narrow gauge. Finger members or needle plate fingers project rearward from the needle plate and extend rearward beyond the rear needles. The transverse spacing between each pair of needle plate fingers is equal to twice the needle gauge of the needles having the narrow gauge. The wider gauge or transverse spacing of the needle plate fingers permits the fingers to extend rearwardly through both front and rear transverse rows of needles to adequately support the base fabric moving through the machine and penetrated by both sets of needles, as well as guiding the front loops past the rear needles to minimize tagging.

Abstract: A needle plate support member including a plurality of forward projecting needle plate fingers affixed to the hook bar of a multiple needle cut pile tufting machine so that the needle plate fingers are disposed above the hooks to move simultaneously with the hooks and support the base fabric as the base fabric moves through the tufting machine.

Abstract: A multiple needle tufting machine incorporating a pair of relatively transversely adjustable front and rear needle bars, each needle bar supporting corresponding front and rear needles in transverse rows for simultaneous penetration of a base fabric moving in a feeding direction through the machine. A looper apparatus is provided incorporating transversely adjustable front and rear loop pile hook bars supporting a plurality of corresponding front and rear loop pile hooks pointing in the direction of fabric feed. Both the front and rear needle bars and the front and rear hook bars are relatively transversely adjustable between positions in which the front and rear needles are in alignment with the direction of fabric feed and a staggered position in which the front and rear needles are transversely offset. Separate yarns of preferably different characteristics are fed to the front needles and to the rear needles preferably by pattern control mechanisms to produce loop pile fabric of various patterns.

Abstract: A multiple needle tufting machine incorporating a pair of front and rear needle bars each supporting corresponding front and rear needles in transverse rows for simultaneous penetration of a base fabric moving in a feeding direction through the machine. A looper apparatus is provided incorporating a front transverse cut pile hook bar supporting a plurality of cut pile hooks pointing in the direction opposite the feeding direction, and a loop pile hook bar spaced in front of the cut pile hook bar for supporting a plurality of loop pile hooks having bills projecting rearwardly in the feeding direction and opposite the direction of the bills of the cut pile hooks. The looper apparatus further includes a drive and linkage mechanism for simultaneously moving the cut pile hooks and loop pile hooks in opposite directions for cooperation with the corresponding front and rear needles, in order to form loop pile loops behind the cut pile tufts in the same base fabric.

Abstract: A looper apparatus for a multiple needle tufting machine in which the bill of each cut pile hook is shaped to have a rear straight cutting portion and a free end portion transversely offset from the cutting portion to seize a loop from a corresponding needle and guide the loop along a path offset from the normal longitudinal row of stitching in order to extend the side of the loop on the cutting side of the hook so that, when the loop is cut, the legs of the cut pile tuft will be substantially equal.

Abstract: A needle plate member for a staggered needle tufting machine in which the rear free edge of the needle plate is provided with transversely spaced notches therein for receiving the passage of the front needles while supporting the base fabric being stitched by the front needles and a plurality of rearward projecting forked finger members alternating with the notches and projecting rearward of the rear free edge of the needle plate for receiving the passage of the vertically reciprocable rear needles while supporting the portions of the base fabric stitched by the rear needles. The needle plate member is particularly adapted for use with a separate mechanism for laterally shifting the base fabric in a staggered needle tufting machine to produce dense tufted pile fabric and particularly pile fabric having multiple rows of stitching transversely spaced less than the needle gauge.

Abstract: A sculptured high-low cut pile tufting method and apparatus for a multiple-needle tufting machine having cooperating looper hooks and knives in which the base fabric moving through the machine is supported only as it approaches the needles by a needle plate having a transverse free edge substantially in the plane of needle penetration, and does not support the base fabric leaving the needles and directly above the looper hooks. The length of yarns fed to the needles are controlled by a pattern-controlled yarn feed apparatus. When short lengths are fed to the needles, the seized yarn causes the base fabric to be drawn toward the loopers to form short loops which are cut to form low cut pile tufts, while long lengths of yarn fed to the needles form long loops on the looper hooks which are cut to form cut pile tufts while the base fabric maintains its normal longitudinal path through the tufting machine.

Abstract: A modular clamping apparatus for a multiple-needle tufting machine including a modular elongated bar, preferably made of solid material, and including an elongated recess opening through the face of the bar. Elongated gauge bars or members having longitudinally spaced gauge slots opening through one side of, and at least one edge of the gauge bar, are inserted within the recess for receiving the shank portions of tufting elements, in operative position. A plurality of T-shaped clamp members each having an elongated divider member and an enlarged flange head along one edge of the divider member, are inserted in operative position within corresponding gauge slots for supporting a pair of the tufting elements within each gauge slot. The clamp members are secured tightly against the tufting elements by set screws extending through the adjacent surface of the recess and against the clamp flange of the clamp member to force the clamp member and the tufting elements against the opposing wall of the gauge bar.

Abstract: A needle plate made of thin, solid sheet material, preferably with a notched rear or trailing edge for receiving corresponding needles in a transverse row, to permit the looper hooks to reciprocate closely adjacent the bottom of the base fabric in order to produce tufted loops of very low pile height.

Abstract: A method for space dyeing yarn wherein a rapidly advancing yarn is intermittently deflected into and out of a nip of a pair of rotating dye applicator rollers, such that those portions of the yarn which pass through the nip are subjected to a rapidly applied and substantial compressive force in the nature of a hammer-like impact in the nip, to cause the dye carried by the rollers to deeply penetrate into the yarn. In the illustrated embodiment, the yarn is advanced past a plurality of such pairs of dye applicator rollers, and an external pattern control acts to deflect the yarn into and out of the various nips in accordance with a predetermined program.