Abstract: This application is directed to polymer blends of polyethylene naphthalate, polytrimethylene terephthalate, and polyethylene naphthalate, for use in fibers, such as carpet fibers, and other applications. This application is also directed to methods of producing such polymer blends and fibers.

Abstract: A tufting machine (100) comprises a needle bar (10) shiftable in a needle bar longitudinal direction (L), a plurality of needles (12) being provided on the needle bar (10) following each other in the needle bar longitudinal direction (L), each needle (12) being individually selectable for carrying out a stitch and thereby generating a pile on a backing fabric, further comprising such a yarn threading that, on the needle bar (10), groups (G) of the needles (12) following each other in the needle bar longitudinal direction (L) and comprising a predetermined number of needles (12) are generated, the needles (12) of each group (G) having yarns of different properties threaded therethrough, the number of yarns of different properties associated with each group (G) being less than the number of needles (12) within each group (G), such that, within each group (G), at least two needles (12) have yarns of the same property threaded therethrough.

Abstract: Inverted carpet designs can be provided having new features. Specifically, instead of providing loop side up (like almost all carpet), the reverse side is used as the wear side (with back stitches showing). New features, like providing design elements intermediate or on the primary backing and the back stitches can be provided with various embodiments.

Abstract: A method of preparing a tufting process for tufting a fabric, preferably carpet, having regions (14, 16, 18) of different color appearance by using at least two different kinds of yarns, yarns of different kinds of yarns (b, w) alternately following each other in a needle bar longitudinal direction of a needle bar of a tufting machine, comprises the steps of: a) defining a predetermined number of color mixing values, b) assigning with each color mixing value a color-related tufting aspect instruction, c) providing a color pattern representation (11) of the fabric to be tufted comprising a plurality of color regions (14, 16, 18), d) assigning with each color region (14, 16, 18) one of the color mixing values.

Abstract: A fabric made of yarns interlooping with each other or passing through an inner layer at looping intervals. The fabric is embossed with a micro-pattern extending into the yarns or into a layer underneath the fabric. The micro-pattern contains a pre-defined pattern of a plurality of binding points attaching the yarns to the inner layer or to the added underlayer. This micro-pattern has an inter-point spacing between adjacent binding points that is less than the interlooping intervals. The fabric can also be embossed with a macro-pattern separate from and coarser than the micro-pattern. The macro-pattern establishes a desired aesthetic in the fabric, and the micro-pattern does not interfere with the desired aesthetic.

Abstract: A yarn-forming element is provided for a roving machine that produces a roving from a fiber structure using compressed air. The yarn-forming element includes an intake opening for fibers of the fiber structure, an outlet for emergence of the roving produced from the fiber structure, and a draw-off channel that connects the intake opening and the outlet. A front end surrounding the intake opening is formed as a first truncated cone in at least some sections thereof. The first truncated cone includes a larger base surface and a smaller opposite cover surface that is adjacent the draw-off channel. An angle (?) between a lateral line of the first truncated cone and an axis of the first truncated cone is less than 90° and greater than 70°.

Abstract: Different twisting techniques are employed for joining yarn to direct through a single needle of a tufting machine. Additionally, a more durable carpet, for at least some embodiments, is provided than would be expected. Furthermore, twist differential and luster differential amongst yarns are utilized to provide carpets.

Abstract: The present invention seeks to provide artificial turf that imitates more closely the root zone, the volume effect, and density of natural grass and that has an improved wear and drainage property. An artificial turf adapted for use in landscape and sports applications comprises a mechanically bounded layer of fibers formed as a non-woven matting made of one or more natural and/or synthetic fibers. A plurality of tufts of pile yarn is inserted through the mechanically bounded layer of fibers. A backing is applied at the backside of the mechanically bounded layer of fibers enhancing anchoring the tufts to the mechanically bounded layer of fibers.

Abstract: Tools are provided that communicate to a pattern designer how much yarn is being used on every needle for a given tuft height pattern and permit the designer to adjust the pattern accordingly to balance the yarn usage on the needles. An electronic representation of a pattern design is received for controlling a carpet tufting operation. The pattern design includes a pile height per tuft. A grid is provided for representing the pattern design using different visual cues to represent different pile heights. A graph depicting use-of-yarn per needle for the carpet tufting operation is generated. The grid and the graph can be on a common user interface and can be viewable at the same time on a display device.

Abstract: Tools are provided that communicate to a pattern designer how much yarn is being used on every needle for a given tuft height pattern and permit the designer to adjust the pattern accordingly to balance the yarn usage on the needles. An electronic representation of a pattern design is received for controlling a carpet tufting operation. The pattern design includes a pile height per tuft. A grid is provided for representing the pattern design using different visual cues to represent different pile heights. A graph depicting use-of-yarn per needle for the carpet tufting operation is generated. The grid and the graph are on a common user interface and are viewable at the same time on a display device.

Abstract: A variable stroke drive system for a tufting machine includes a series of drive assemblies mounted along the frame of the tufting machine. Primary drive shafts extend through the drive assemblies and are each driven by a drive motor. A series of first drive members are mounted to the primary drive shafts and are linked to associated second drive members such that the driving of the first drive members by the primary drive shafts in turn drives the second drive members. Cam arms are connected to the second drive members and to rocker arms to which push rods are mounted, the cam arms being vertically reciprocated by the rotational movement of the second drive members so as to drive the reciprocation of the push rods, and thus the needle bar(s) connected thereto along a desired stroke or reciprocating path of travel. Controlling the rate at which the primary drive shafts are driven enables control of the stroke of the needle bar(s).

Abstract: A sound-absorbing panel comprising a padding layer with heat-bonded synthetic fibers, wherein the padding layer has a first outer surface, a second outer surface and a first thickness, wherein the panel is made of said padding layer with no further layers of a different material between the first outer surface and the second outer surface, wherein the padding layer in at least one portion of panel has a variable density in a direction transverse to the first and second outer surfaces, the density being higher in proximity of the first and second outer layers thereof and being lower in proximity of its inner layer.

Abstract: A wipe structure of stitch bonded construction incorporating one or more substrate layers of an absorbent material with a barrier layer across a face side of the absorbent material and a preformed lightweight loop fabric disposed across the underside of the absorbent layers with loops projecting away from the absorbent layers.

Abstract: A wipe structure of stitch bonded construction incorporating one or more substrate layers of an absorbent material with a barrier layer across a face side of the absorbent material and a preformed lightweight loop fabric disposed across the underside of the absorbent layers with loops projecting away from the absorbent layers.

Abstract: Design and manufacture of tufted articles, carpet tile webs and carpet tiles, and installation of carpet tiles, having different color, pile height, pile texture or other characteristics that, together with similar other such tiles, may be installed to create borders, edges or other multiple-tile designs, usually without any of the tiles looking out of place or improperly oriented relative to nap or the direction the tile is “facing.

Abstract: A tufted carpet has a high density portion and a low density portion. The high density portion has pile yarns implanted into a base fabric with high density. The low density portion has pile yarns implanted into the base fabric with low density. The fiber density of the high density portion is in the range of 280 to 700 g/m2. The fiber density of the low density portion is in the range of 200 to 500 g/m2. The fiber density of the high density portion is set to a value greater than the fiber density of the low density portion. The difference between the fiber density of the high density portion and the fiber density of the low density portion is set to a value in the range of 30 to 250 g/m2.

Abstract: A carpet that can be installed onto a flooring surface without the requirement for registration between adjacent broadloom carpet pieces. The carpet comprises a design member that comprises a plurality of pattern members that are colorized and that define a void area, which has a substantially uniform color and pile height.

Abstract: The object of the invention is to provide a method which is as simple and economical as possible for manufacturing a tufted product, in particular a tufted top layer of a carpet, having improved nep adhesion properties. For this purpose splittable fibers are used which split on or in the region of the puncture site during tufting.

Abstract: A quasi-isotropic sandwich structure is provided for resisting loads along multiple axes. The structure includes a core material sandwiched by fiberglass reinforcements. Fiberglass rovings are inserted through the structure such that the rovings are oriented along three axes, with adjacent axes separated by approximately 120°. Machines and methods for forming the structures are also disclosed. In one case, a machine having a single stitch head is reconfigured in each of three passes of the material to form the sandwich structure. In other cases, a machine having three stitch heads is used to form the structure with a single pass of the material. In some embodiments, the machine includes an indexing stitch head oriented at approximately 0° and two stationary stitch heads oriented at approximately ?60° and +60° with respect to the machine direction. In other embodiments, the machine includes three stationary stitch heads oriented at approximately 90°, ?30°, and +30°.

Abstract: A method of controlling the feeding of the backing material moving through a tufting machine in order to produce tufted articles such as carpets having a woven look or appearance. The backing material is indexed forwardly along its path of travel through the tufting machine by at least the stitch length for each stitch in a stitch cycle of the programmed pattern. At a desired point in the stitch cycle, the backing material can be indexed forwardly by a greater distance approximately equal to the program stitch length and a calculated jump distance to achieve a desired pattern effect.

Abstract: A textile sheet element having selectively applied arrays of surface projection elements defining raised zones across an active surface for cleaning and/or personal care, The textile sheet element is adapted for use by itself and/or for attachment to a user manipulated support with or without a handle such as a mop head or the like.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a composite comprising at least one heat shrinkable adhesive layer stitch-bonded with yarns, which shrink less than the adhesive layer or do not shrink, when the adhesive layer is exposed to heat. The stitch-bonded yarns form loops upstanding from the shrunk adhesive layer and the loops create a textured surface on the composite, and the composite is substantially inelastic after the adhesive layer is shrunk. The composite may further comprise at least one fibrous layer stitch-bonded to the shrinkable adhesive layer, and the fibrous layer is less shrinkable than the adhesive layer or is substantially non-shrinkable.

Abstract: The present invention provides alternative scroll-type yarn feed attachments for tufting machines characterized by independent servo-motor control of sets of yarn feed rolls, and a software design system to facilitate use of the attachment to produce novel patterns and photo images.

Abstract: A patterned pile fabric of stitch-bonded construction. The fabric includes a substrate layer with an arrangement of ground yarns extending in stitched relation through the substrate layer so as to define a ground covering across the substrate layer. An arrangement of pile forming yarns extend in stitched relation through the substrate layer such that the pile forming yarns define a patterned arrangement of looped elements projecting away from the ground covering in predefined three dimensional patterned arrays disposed across the fabric.

Abstract: An integrally tufted tumble twist loop—cut loop reversible rug comprising: a first layer of cotton material, a second layer of cotton material overlaying the first layer of cotton material thereby forming a two layer cotton backing material, said first and second layers of cotton material having different shrink coefficients, a first pile yarn tufted through the two layer backing material in a tumble twist loop on one side and a cut loop on the other side of the backing material, a second pile yarn tufted through the two layer backing material in the same direction as the first pile yarn in a cut loop, said first and second tufted yarns being skewed between the first and second cotton layer materials.

Abstract: An integrally tufted reversible sculptured rug comprising: a first layer of material having a cut tufted first pile yarn forming on one side of the material a non-sculptured rug surface, the other side of the material being the back side, a second layer of material positioned against the back side of the first material, and a second pile yarn tufted through both the second and first layers of material fixing the two layers of material together and forming a sculptured surface on the second layer of material, said second pile yarn being loop-cut in different heights according to a predetermined pattern.

Abstract: A shoe wiping mat with color pattern for rent, having a novel taffeted texture and vivid color pattern, excellent softness, dust-adsorbing property and dust-holding property, preventing undulation phenomenon on the mat surface even after repetitive use, and having excellent fitness to floor surfaces, resulting from the tilt of the stitches, zig-zag shape stitches and boundary lines, pitch of the stitches and position thereof.

Abstract: A single or multiple needle bar tufting machine provided with loop forming fingers above the substrate or base fabric is used to form variable gauge fabrics by laterally shifting the needles during tufting. In this manner rows of loop stitches are formed over the loop forming fingers on the face of the substrate and rows of pile loops are formed on the back side. A variety of novel fabrics and fabrics simulating patterns heretofore only made on looms and knitting machines can be manufactured by utilizing such a tufting machine in connection with yarn feed pattern control devices, pattern control needle bar positioners, and a controllable fabric feed. The resulting fabrics offer many advantages including lower stitch rates, better substrate coverage, less resistance to sliding traffic, increased abrasion resistance, and improved draping characteristics.

Abstract: Tufting apparatus includes servomotors driving front and back yarn feed rolls for feeding yarns to the needles of the front and back needle bars, respectively. Incremental servomotor control for each stitch enables a height differential between immediately adjacent stitches in excess of 3/32 inch (2.38 mm). By providing yarns of multiple colors and textures, a variety of patterns and textured surface effects are provided in the surface of the tufted pile fabric.

Abstract: A tufted pile nonwoven fabric with an elastomeric backing has an elastic stretch of at least 10% and is particularly suited for floor coverings, upholstery, seat covers, etc. A stitchbonded fabric is employed as a preferred substrate for the elastic tufted fabric.

Abstract: The invention is directed to a molded carpet module which is sized and shaped to fit the interior of a motor vehicle to form its floor carpeting. The module is tufted with pile yarn in such a manner that selected areas have pile tufts arranged at a higher density than the remaining areas. This construction provides that the selected areas have a greater resistance to wear while the entire module maintains substantially a uniform appearance.

Abstract: A geosynthetic clay liner is disclosed for providing barriers in landfills that substantially preclude the migration of liquids. The geosynthetic clay liner includes a layer of bentonite disposed between a primary carrier sheet and a cover sheet. The primary carrier sheet and the cover sheet are linked via plurality of tufting threads. A bight or loop portion of the tufting thread extends through to the undersurface of the lower or primary carrier sheet and is partially melted to prevent the bight portion from slipping back through the primary carrier sheet. The partially melted bight portions create an under surface with a high coefficient of friction thereby enabling the geosynthetic clay liner to be installed on steep slopes or banks of landfills or ponds.

Abstract: A Wilton-type carpet and methods of making integral fringes on it, of affixing a decorative border around the periphery of the carpet and of inlaying decorative strands within the design of the carpet. The method creates integral fringes by the one way looming of the face yarns and by the severance of two transverse backing strands. The backing is undone while simultaneously releasing face yarns to act as the fringes. The method also provides a shelf at the fringe/carpet face interface allowing for a decorative trim to be affixed thereto. Another aspect of the method entails the complete removal of face yarns at both left and right sides to result in a shelf along the left and right sides to which decorative trim can be affixed. The face yarns within the carpet face can be removed in both the longitudinal and transverse directions to inlay decorative yarn therein.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a textile material for composite constructions, comprising a textile fabric having tied-in naps. To form a textile material which confers good mechanical properties on the composite and at the same time makes possible a durable attachment it is provided, that the tied-in naps being secured to the textile fabric incline from the textile fabric with at least two different lengths and pile directions, and being singly and alternately distributed on a front surface of the textile fabric in a substantially uniform manner.

Abstract: A method for producing tufted fabric in a hollow needle tufting machine having transversely spaced apart needles including apparatus for shifting a backing material into which the tufts are inserted by the needles. The backing material is fed continuously in the feed direction longitudinally through the machine and is fed a number of steps laterally between adjacent needles and penetrated by the needles after each shift. The sequencing of the shifting and the feeding of the backing is such as to provide a row of tufts in the backing material along a line inclined relative to the direction the backing material is fed to the machine. The nominal number of tufts inserted between lateral ends of each row of tufts is equal to the spacing between adjacent needles divided by the selected stitch gauge.

Abstract: An applique design is produced on a garment or other fabric article by providing chenille material having a fabric base and a plurality of cut or looped threads extending from an upper surface of a fabric base and applying a flexible backing material to a lower surface of the chenille material. The chenille material is cut to form edges having an outline of a desired design and disposed over a garment or fabric base. A polymer film is overlaid on the upper surface of the chenille material and a design is stitched over the film to the chenille material and the garment or fabric base, the stitching comprising closely spaced thread which covers and compresses portions of the film and chenille material, the film providing a barrier layer to prevent the thread loops from extending between the closely spaced thread of the stitching.

Abstract: A fabric web for the erosion protection of earth layers, particularly on embankments, which comprises hard vegetable fibers or mixed fibers with threads crossing one another at right angles, characterized in that individual threads project from the fabric plane at regular or irregular intervals in the form of loops or are tufted and in each case cover at least one crossing thread.

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 tufting machine with front and back laterally shiftable needle bars carry needles for producing loops in a backing material the accent yarns being fed to the needles by yarn feed controls and the border yarns by standard feed. The operation of the yarn feed controls is electrically operated by a computer which operates according to a pattern in memory, the lateral shifting of the needle bars being synchronized with the operations of the yarn feed controls. By producing high and low loops with the accent yarns, the low loops are hidden by the overlay of level tufts so that spaced, isolated pin dots are visible. The memory for the pattern is on a floppy disc created using a mouse and a second computer which displays both the amount of lateral shift for both needle bars and the high and low loops of the accent yarns. A print out of the displays are used for both threadup and the production of cams for controlling lateral shifting.

Abstract: Laterally shiftable front and back needle bars are slideably mounted on a main needle bar, the front needle bar carries a front row of needles and a back needle bar carries a back row of needles. Cut pile loopers cooperate with the needles of the back row and cut-loop loopers cooperate with the needles of the front row. Needles in the front row are larger and handle larger size yarns than needles in the back row and a yarn feed control dictates whether yarns in the front needles make low loops or high cut piles.

Abstract: A conventional tufting machine is provided with front and back juxtaposed, laterally shiftable, needle bars positioned on a common needle bar support, the needles of the front needle bar cooperating with loop pile loopers and the needles of the back needle bar cooperating with cut-loop loopers. Yarn feed controls respectively feed yarns to the needles according to individual prescribed patterns. The needle bars are respectively shifted laterally according to individual prescribed patterns.Tufted fabric produced by the machine is illustrated in which the loop tufts produced by the front needles are of relatively small cross section while the selectively cut or loop tufts produced by the back needles are of relatively large cross section. The large loop tufts are interspersed with small loop tufts due in part to lateral shifting of the needles.

Abstract: A plurality of heavy denier thermoplastic monofilaments is gathered together and continuously wrapped with a flexible wrapper yarn. The wrapped bundle is fed into a stuffer crimper to form a multiplicity of texturized bends. The product is a stiff, pliable texturized yarn and the nomofilaments in the wrapped bundle have a multiplicity of heat-set bends repeating lengthwise along the lengths of the monofilaments.

Abstract: A method and apparatus is disclosed for making improved tufted buffing pads of varied density across the face surface thereof. The apparatus comprises a tufting machine for placing pile in a spiral or circular pattern on a backing pad to form the buffing pad. The backing pad is held by a rotatable and laterally-movable pad holder which is coupled to a programmable controller. An improved buffing pad of varying density is achieved by coupling a programmable computer to the programmable controller for varying the length of intermittent steps that the pad holder is laterally moved relating to the tufting machine. By proper programming, pile applied to the backing pad is maximized in a selected high-wear area of the buffing pad, and minimized in a selected low-wear area of the buffing pad.

Abstract: A laterally shiftable needle bar of a tufting machine, carrying a plurality of laterally spaced needles, is reciprocated in a vertical path for simultaneously inserting loops of yarn, carried by the needles, through a base fabric, the fabric being fed in a linear longitudinal path beneath the needles. Each needle has an individual looper below the base fabric, in registery and cooperating with the needle for engaging and temporarily holding the loop of yarn, inserted by the needle through the base fabric, as the needle is retracted.During a first portion of a cycle of the needle bar, prior to the insertion of the needles through the base fabric, a needle bar shifting assembly shifts the needle bar laterally, in one direction or the other.

Abstract: A cosmetic towel or the like for removing moisture from the skin without rubbing or chafing which includes a piece of smooth, slick fabric and two pieces of towel which are layered on each side of the smooth, slick fabric, the layers of fabric and pieces of towel being stitched together around their edges with knitting yarn or the like.

Abstract: A pile yarn for a carpet and a cut pile carpet.A bulky yarn of a polyamide multifilament is fed to a false twisting and heat setting device where filaments in the yarn are thermally and partially adhered to each other while the yarn is false twisted. A bulky cohesive continuous multifilament yarn thus obtained has alternate twists therein along the lengthwise direction thereof and a latent torque therein, and after it is heat treated under a constrained condition, preferably by means of saturated or superheated steam, so that the torque in the yarn is lowered, it is tufted on a substrate of a carpet as a pile yarn and the piles are cut.

Abstract: A method of producing a dimensional scallop stitch to provided a petal-like effect wherein a bar of thread, attached at spaced ends to a piece of cloth, provides an anchor for a series of loops of thread, wherein the loops are formed by passing a threaded needle repeatedly beneath and around the bar of thread with the outer ends of the loops spaced from the bar of thread and the loops interlocked with a next succeeding loop, filling the bar of the thread with loops until those portions of the loops at the bar are closely confined and the outer ends of the loops are unconfined, whereby a petal-like unit is produced which stands away from the cloth supporting the bar of thread.

Abstract: Individual plies of woven cloth having different fiber orientation patterns are prelocated with respect to each other and by continuous means, such plies are arranged into a stacked package and sewn together to secure the plies in a predetermined position with respect to each other.

Abstract: A bulky, heatset, tangled, twisted singles carpet yarn is provided having exceptional column strength and resistance to bending and untwisting. Cut pile produced therefrom has excellent tuft rigidity and endpoint definition. The yarn is produced by passing a bulked, twisted singles yarn through a chamber wherein the yarn is tangled and heatset with a heated fluid such as steam.

Abstract: Successive rows of individual pile yarn tufts are secured to a backing fabric with the aid of a pile forming guide designed for assisting in obtaining a more uniform pile spacing and pile height. The pile yarn is threaded onto a needle and each individual pile yarn tuft is individually secured to the backing fabric by penetrating the backing fabric with the pile yarn and securing the same thereto by forming a knot.