US2607042A

US2607042A - Tufted product and method of making same

Info

Publication number: US2607042A
Application number: US205152A
Authority: US
Inventors: Jacques M Schloss
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1951-01-09
Filing date: 1951-01-09
Publication date: 1952-08-19
Anticipated expiration: 1969-08-19

Description

Aug 19, 1952 u l J. M. scHLos 2,607,042

'TUFTED PRODUCT yAND METHOD oF MAKING SAME:

' Filed Jan. 9, 1951 IN VEN TOR.

Patented Aug. 19, 1952 'roeren PRODUCT AND METHOD i MAKING SAME Jacques M. Schloss, Greensboro, N.

Appleman January 9,iesrseriamazoaia @gf 11 1 claim. (o1. z-zvs) l This invention relates to tufted products having pile yam stitched or woven into a fabric base, and more particularly to a tufted product in which designs are formed therein by depressing the cut or uncut pile on a sewing machine, and to a method of making the same.

The conventional way of forming designs in tufted products made with tufting machines, such as bath mats and scatter rugs, is by an overlay or inlay method. The overlay design is formed by taking the bath mat or scatter rug having either cut or uncut pile tufts stitched in a fabric base and passing the product through the tufting machine to add additional pile yarn on top of or as an overlay to the pile yarn originally inserted by the tufting machine. The inlay design is accomplished by leaving bare spaces in the fabric base when the tufted product is formed originally on the tufting machine and subsequently passing the product again through the tufting machine to fill in or inlayf these bare spaces with pile yarn.

The disadvantages of the overlay and inlay methods of forming designs in tufted products are that the overlay method consumes considerable quantities of additional yarn, and the inlay method involves high labor costs in the stopping and starting of the tufting machines. Also, these methods result in a product having uneven surfaces which in bath mats and scatter rugs is undesirable.

The customary Way of creating designs in Woven tufted products is by using a jacquard head on the loom. The pattern or design is effected by having the pile yarn cut at varying heights. The creation of the design in this way slows down the operation of the loom to a great extent and materially increases the unit cost of the resulting tufted product.

In accordance with the present invention various designs may be provided in tufted products by taking a tufted product having a continuous pile surface formed on the tufting machine or loom and passing the tufted product through a conventional sewing machine having either one or as many needles as desired. The thread of the sewing machine depresses a portion of either the cut or uncut :pile surface and holds the pile tufts in xed relation to the fabric base. The contrast between the upstanding and depressed pile tufts forms a design having a Sculptured effect. This result is obtained Without using additional pile yarns and Without the extensive adjustments inherent in Aforming designs by the inlay method on the tufting machines.

In addition to the foregoing advantages," the present invention affordsA greaterv flexibility and variety. in providing tuftedgproducts with designs. The Ibackground vfor Ythis advantage lies Vin jthe difference between the structure and operation of the tufting machine-or loomfand thei'sewing' machine. As isV well lrrlovvrnal tuftingmachine, though it can stitch in astraigh-t'r'curved line, cannot make an abrupt turn in a continuous operation, and in order to accomplish an abrupt turn while producing tufted products on the tufting machine, it is necessary to stop, adjust the tufted 'product and start a stitching operation anew. As stated above, in order to weave designs in a woven tufted product, jacquard apparatus must be added to the loom with the resulting slow-down in the operating speed of the loom. This lack of operating flexibility Ais not present in the conventional sewing machine used in the present invention, and it will be readily recognized that the use of the sewing machine in forming the designs in the stitched or Woven tufted product of the present invention results in a tufted product quickly produced and having unlimited design possibilities. This is true since the tufted product may be turned on the sewing machine in any direction whatsoever without disturbing the continuous operation thereof in forming designs therein.

The tufted product of the present invention and the method by which it is formed are described in further detail below in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a tufted product formed according to the present invention;

Figure 2 is a plan view of the reverse side of the tufted product shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a transverse section taken substantially on line 3-3 in Figure 1; and

Figure 4 is a fragmentary transverse view illustrating a modified form of the tufted product.

Referring to Figures 1, 2 and 3 of the drawing, a tufted product designated generally by the numeral I0 is formed on a tufting machine (not shown) by inserting or stitching pile yarn I2 in a fabric base I4 to form a continuous pile surface.

The reverse side of the tufted product ID, shown in Figure 2, may be marked with pencil, crayon, stencil or any suitable means, to provide a design outline, and the tufted product I0 may then be passed through a sewing machine (not shown) to stitch a portion of the pile yarn I2 so that the depressed or stitched portion of the pile yarn l2 is held in fixed relation to the fabric base I4 as shown at I6 in Figure 3.

- 3 Naturally, the conventional sewing machine may be provided with 1, 2 or more needles. depending upon the form of design desired. The tufted product l was passed through a sewing machine having two needles to form the shell design shown clearly in Figure 1. This design results from the contrast between the upstanding and depressed pile yarn I2.

In Figure 4, uncut pile yarn l2' is inserted or stitched in a. fabric base I4 in the same man- A ner as the cut pile yarn I 2 of the tufted product shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3 and the uncut pile I2 is depressed or stitched at I6' so `that it is held in fixed relation to the fabric hase I4' in the same way as the cut pile yarn l2. This view illustrates the fact that designs may be formed in accordance with the method of the Vpresent invention in tufted products having uncut pile yarn.

It will be understood that it is immaterial whether the pile surface is stitched on the tufting machine or Woven on a loom since the invention of the applicant is directed to either stitched or woven tufted products in which designs are formed by sewing a portion of the cut or uncut pile, and to a method of making a tufted product having such designs formed therein.

Y Also, it will be appreciated that the material used 4 in forming the tufted product is not important, whether cotton, wool, rayon or the like.

I claim:

A tufted rug comprising a fabric ibase and a pile yarn surface, a substantially small portion of said pile yarn being sewed in lines throughout a major portion of the pile yarn surface, said lines ranging in width from about 1 to 3 needles and 1being held in depressed, fixed relation to said fabric base so that, while the unsewed pile yarn forms a uniformly even, projecting pile yarn surface over substantially the entire area of the rug. the sewed, depressed pile yarn forms a lineal design in the pile yarn surface of the rug.

JACQUES M. SCHLOSS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date D. 108,581 Robinson Feb. 22, 1938 436,366 Levy Sept. 16, 1890 532,801 Mengers Jan. 22, 1895 1,849,550 Phoenix Mar. l5, 1932 2,121,162 Riley June 21, 1938