US3352265A - Backing fabric lateral shifting arrangement for tufting and like machines - Google Patents

Backing fabric lateral shifting arrangement for tufting and like machines Download PDF

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Publication number
US3352265A
US3352265A US449709A US44970965A US3352265A US 3352265 A US3352265 A US 3352265A US 449709 A US449709 A US 449709A US 44970965 A US44970965 A US 44970965A US 3352265 A US3352265 A US 3352265A
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United States
Prior art keywords
backing fabric
needle
needles
yarn
tufting
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Expired - Lifetime
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US449709A
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English (en)
Inventor
Sr James A Cobble
Jr James A Cobble
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Southern Machine Co Inc
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Southern Machine Co Inc
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Filing date
Publication date
Priority to GB1051819D priority Critical patent/GB1051819A/en
Application filed by Southern Machine Co Inc filed Critical Southern Machine Co Inc
Priority to US449709A priority patent/US3352265A/en
Priority to DE19651485514 priority patent/DE1485514A1/de
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of US3352265A publication Critical patent/US3352265A/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

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    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D05—SEWING; EMBROIDERING; TUFTING
    • D05C—EMBROIDERING; TUFTING
    • D05C15/00—Making pile fabrics or articles having similar surface features by inserting loops into a base material
    • D05C15/04—Tufting
    • D05C15/08—Tufting machines
    • D05C15/26—Tufting machines with provision for producing patterns
    • D05C15/28—Tufting machines with provision for producing patterns by moving the base material laterally

Definitions

  • the apparatus includes a transversely reciprocable presserfoot having spikes thereon which enter the backing fabric 180 degrees out of phase with the vertically reciprocating needles, shift the backing fabric laterally according to a predetermined plan, remain in the backing fabric and travel downstream therewith during the loop inserting descent of the needle into the backing fabric, then withdraw from the backing fabric and retreat upstream for reinsertion and shifting of the backing fabric, and means for accomplishing automatic upstream repositioning of the Walking spike carrying presserfoot upon its withdrawal from the continuously moving backing fabric.
  • the present invention relates to tufting apparatus and more particularly to means for producing tufted carpeting having a predeterminable pattern of tufts thereon.
  • Conventional tufting machines operate upon previously produced backing fabric, usually a woven reticulated strip which is conveyed through the machine and through the openings of which are projected loops of yarn or similar fiber bodies.
  • the loops may be cut in order to form cut pile and a backing coating may be applied to the opposite side of the tufted fabric from the pile in order to insure retention of the yarn by the backing fabric.
  • Conventional tufting machines usually include a gang of thread or yarn carrying needles, a gang of thread engageable members, such as loopers and/or cutters, below the needles and operatively associated therewith, and a bed plate and needle plate disposed intermediate the needles and loopers or cutters.
  • the needles usually are reciprocated in a vertical stroke to pass yarn through a backing moving through the machine and supported by the bed plate and needle plate.
  • the loopers and/or cutters engage the yarn after it has passed through the backing and form the appropriate cut pile tuft or uncut pile loops.
  • each of the needles and its associated looper and/ or cutter can form a line of stitching in the backing to provide the face pile.
  • the vertical position of the needle plate has to be adjusted, as by removing it from the bed plate and shimming it up or down to the right position.
  • the stroke of the needles it is necessary for the stroke of the needles to be increased for increased pile depth or decreased for decreased pile depth.
  • such change in the stroke of the needles would alter the stroke at both ends, that is, if the stroke were increased, the needles would go down to a lower position than before and to a higher position than before.
  • the backing fabric is held taut at the point of tufting between a pair of spiked feed rolls, one positioned upstream from the vertically reciprocating needles, the other positioned downstream from the needles.
  • the yarn inserted in the backing fabric by such machines is substantially in a plurality of laterally spaced, longitudinally extending straight and parallel rows. While such a pattern is not undesirable where the yarn is all of one color, in instances where two or more colors of yarn are to be used, the pattern produceable with such conventional machines is limited to longitudinally extending stripes which many potential purchasers of tufted products consider to be monotonous and unappealing.
  • each lateral incermental movement must equal exactly one gauge width, otherwise the needles upon descending will not be properly oriented with respect to the loopers so that the latter can intercept and retain the loops of yarn inserted through the backing fabric. Additionally, a lateral movement of less or more than a whole number of gauge widths would place the needles in paths of descent in which some or all of them might strike the horizontally projecting pins of the stationary needle plate and thus damage both the needles and the needle plate. While it might be theoretically possible to laterally move the needle carrying bar less than or greater than one gauge width, i.e.
  • Another object of the invention is the provision in apparatus of the character described of resilient means for accomplishing automatic upstream repositioning of the walking spike carrying presserfoot upon its withdrawal from the continuously moving backing fabric.
  • FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary rear elevation view of a tufting machine according to the present invention conventional portions of the machine including the needles, needle raising and lowering mechanism, loopers, loop cutters, cloth tensioning and feeding spiked rolls, and needle plate have been omitted for clarity since they do not per se form part of the present invention.
  • Exemplary apparatus including these elements is wellillustrated in the U.S. patent to Cobble et al., 2,977,905, and our copending US. patent application entitled, Tufting Machine Having Vertically Adjustable Needle Plate, Ser. No. 439,252, filed Mar. 12, 1965, whose disclosures are intended to be expressly incorporated by this reference.
  • the tufting machine 10 includes a right leg 12 and a left leg 14 which support the generally horizontal head 16 between them.
  • the legs 12 and 14 not only provide support, but also enclose many of the operating components of the tufting machine, some of which will be described hereinafter.
  • the bed plate Also extending between the legs 12 and 14 and supported thereby is the bed plate whose upper surface is indicated diagramatically in several of the figures at 18.
  • One major function of the bed plate is to support the backing fabric in the region where yarn loops are being inserted through the backing fabric by a gang of vertically reciprocating needles.
  • the head 16 Within the head 16 are positioned several components which coact to raise and lower a row of vertically oriented laterally spaced needles substantially along the vertical centerline 20 of the head 16.
  • the needles reciprocate along this path between an upper position wherein their lower ends are above the upper surface 18 of the bed plate and a lower position wherein their lower ends are below the bed plate.
  • the needles In the former position the needles are withdrawn from the backing fabric, in the latter position the needles project through the backing fabric and carry yarn loops to positions where they can be caught, and ifdesired, cut, by loopers and knives disposed below the bed plate as disclosed in the above-mentioned patent and application.
  • the bed plate is slotted or otherwise open immediately in the path of the needles in order to provide for their reciprocation therethrough.
  • Spiked rolls or similar fabric gripping devices are usually positioned adjacent the upstream 22 and downstream 24 ends of the bed plate in order to continuously draw the backing fabric in the direction of the arrow 26 (FIGURE 2) through the machine.
  • the cloth step-over assembly 28 now to be described has been shown in the drawings as if it were an after added, removable attachement to a dial-type tufting machine as illustrated in the patent and copending application mentioned hereinbefore because one market for the assembly 28 comprises users of such machines or new purchasers thereof who wish the same as optional, detachable equipment.
  • the cloth step-over assembly 28 could be built into the machine 10 as a permanent integral part thereof.
  • a plurality of axially aligned pillowblock bearings 98 for instance by capscrews 100.
  • An elongated shaft 102 is journalled in the bearings 98 and extends beneath the head 16 and through suitable openings into the right and left legs 12 and 14 wherein it is journalled in flange bearings 104, 106 mounted interiorly of the inner walls 108, of the legs 12, 14 respectively.
  • the shaft 102 projects slightly beyond the flange bearings 104 and 106 to receive an elongated drive lever 112 within each leg which form a part of the vertical reciprocation mechanism to be described hereinafter.
  • the vertical reciprocation mechanism is driven from the main drive shaft 30 of the machine 10 by way of identical eccentrically mounted disk-like cams 114, encompassed by the generally circular slots 116 at the upper ends of connecting rods 118.
  • the cams 114 are fixedly secured to the shaft 30, the outer peripheries of the cams being rotably slidable with respect to the peripheral surfaces of the connecting rod slots 116.
  • a plurality of rocker arms or lift levers 124 are mounted so as to extend generally horizontally toward, but short of, the plane of needle reciprocation, the latter being substantially at the vertical centerline plane of the head 16.
  • adjustable length lifting bars 128 are connnected one each to the lift levers 124 near the outer ends thereof from the shaft 102.
  • Each lifting bar comprises an upper exteriorly threaded bar-like portion threadably received in the upper end of an interiorly threaded tube-like portion so that relative rotation of these portions prior to assembly thereto of the parts now to be discussed determines the height of such parts relative to the backing fabric and bed plate.
  • a generally horizontal spike bar 132 which extends parallel to the shaft 102 and having a length slightly shorter than the head 16 is secured to the lifting bars 128 by pivot pins 134 which extend through suitable openings in the bar 132 and through the openings 130 in the lifting bars 128.
  • At least one row (two are shown) of vertically downwardly directed spikes 136 are secured to the bar 132 and extend substantially the whole length of the spike bar 132.
  • the lengths of the bars 128 and spikes 136 are such that upon vertical reciprocation of the lifting bars 128 by the mechanism before described, the spikes alternately descend into the carpeting at least the backing fabric thereof and are completely withdrawn from it.
  • the lateral shifting movement initiated by the cam disk 38 is imparted to the spike bar 132 by connection of the opposite end of the rod 92, whose first end is connected to the rocker arm 86, to the spike bar 132 by a universal joint 138 located near the left leg 14.
  • the spike bar lifting mechanism and lateral shifting mechanism are timed by angular placement of the reciprocating parts and orientation of the steps on the cam 50 so that the spikes enter the backing fabric about 180 degrees out of phase with the entry of the needles into the backing fabric.
  • the lateral shifting mechanism shifts the spike bar and spikes laterally just before the needles enter the backing fabric and the spikes remain in the backing fabric until about the time the needles have reached their lowermost point. The spikes are then withdrawn.
  • the positive means are provided, as shown in FIGURES 1 and 5, by a plurality of contractile connecting rods 140 having universal joints 142, 144 at each end.
  • the lower end joints 144 are secured to the lower sections of alternate lifting bars 128; the upper end joints 142 are secured to brackets 146 each of which is secured to the bottom of the head 16 and extends rearwardly and downwardly therefrom.
  • each connecting rod 140 has a tubular portion 150 in which a coil spring or similar motion absorbing means are provided. The end portions 148 or one of them abuts the spring and is slidable with respect to the tube 150.
  • a presserfoot 152 is provided.
  • the presserfoot 152 is a generally horizontal bar which is generally parallel to and coextensive with the spike bar.
  • the presserfoot 152 is positioned closely adjacent the spike bar and path of the needles so asto have its lowermost surface in light engagement with, or spaced closely adjacent the backing fabric.
  • Mounting for the presserfoot 152 comprises a plurality of brackets 154 secured to the bottom of the head 16 in interspersedrelationship with the mounting brackets of the contractile connecting arms. Each mounting bracket is shown in FIGURES 1 and 6 having an upper member 156 and a lower member 158.
  • the upper member has a slot 160 in a horizontal portion thereof, through which a capscrew 162- extends to secure the bracket to the head.
  • Each slot 160 is oriented so that the distance of the presserfoot from the needle path can be increased and decreased.
  • the upper member 156 and lower member 158 of each bracket are secured to one another by a pin and slot arrangement 164 that allows the vertical distance between the bottom of the presserfoot and the top of the bed plate to be adjusted to accommodate the thickness of the backing fabric being used.
  • the backing fabric in the vicinity of the path of the needles is shifted laterally according to a predetermined plan embodied in the cam 38 cam track causing somewhat zigzag rows of yarn loops to be in serted in the backing fabric.
  • These zig-zag rows can be regular, i.e., alternating one loop step right and left, or may be irregular such as one-half step left, three steps right, four steps left, onehalf step right, etc., so as to cause a random appearing pattern to be formed.
  • the random appearance of the pile can be accentuated by employing the apparatus of the invention together with conventional high-low pile producing apparatus and with variegated yarn.
  • apparatus for serially inserting a plurality of loops of yarn in a prefabricated backing fabric
  • said apparatus including at least one generally vertically reciprocable yarn carrying needle which is reciprocable between a lower position wherein it projects into and through said backing fabric and an upper position wherein it is completely withdrawn from said backing fabric, and rotatable means located upstream and downstream from the path of reciprocation of said needle for guiding and advancing the backing fabric to and beyond said path of reciprocation of said needle
  • the improvement comprising: means engageable with the needle entering side of said backing fabric intermediate said upstream anddownstream guiding and advancing means for shifting the portion of said backing fabric between said upstream and downstream guiding and advancing means which is within and adjacent the path of reciprocation of said needle laterally when said needle is withdrawn from said backing fabric to thereby, in association with said needle, effect the insertion of a row of yarn loops in which said row of yarn loops deviates from parallelism in zig-zag formation with the longitudinal direction of advance of said backing fabric from the downstream guiding and advancing means to
  • said means for disengaging said shifting means comprises a rotatable drive shaft, a disk-like cam eccentrically mounted on said drive shaft, a cam follower peripherally engaging said cam' and having a first elongated projection extending generally radially with respect to said drive shaft; a reciprocably rotatable shaft; a second elongated projection fixed to said reciprocably rotatable shaft and extending generally radially with respect thereto; means pivotably securing said first elongated projection to said second elongated projection whereby rotation of said drive shaft effects rocking of said reciprocably rotatable shaft; a plurality of axially 9 spaced lifting levers fixed to said reciprocably rotatable shaft and extending generally radially and generally horizontally therefrom; a plurality of lifting rods pivotably secured at their upper ends to the outer ends of said lifting levers, said transversely extending bar being secured to the lower ends of said lifting rods.
  • said means for displacing said shifting means upstream includes at least one rod having upper securement means and lower securement means and compressible resilient means disposed between said upper and lower securement means, said lower securement means being pivotably secured to said shifting means in the lower region thereof, said upper securement means being pivotably secured to a stationary portion of said apparatus, the point of securement of said upper securement means being downstream from the path of reciprocation of said needle.
  • the means for cyclically controlling the sense and magnitude of lateral shifting of said backing fabric includes a cam, means for rotating said cam, a cam follower engageable with said cam, a connecting link secured at a first end thereof to said cam follower, the second end of said connecting link being operatively joined to said transversely extending bar.
  • Apparatus as set forth in claim 5 additionally comprising means independent of said cam for varying the magnitude of movement of said connecting link initiated by said cam and cam follower.
  • Apparatus as set forth in claim 2 further including stationary means lightly engageable with the upper surface of said backing fabric adjacent the path of reciprocation of said needle for stripping said backing fabric from said shifting means once for each reciprocation of said needle.
  • the lastmentioned means comprises a rotatable cam having means thereon for shifting the backing fabric which is within the path of reciprocation of said needles by amounts which are (a) less than the distance between adjacent of said needles, (b) equal to said distance, and (c) greater than said distance.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Materials Engineering (AREA)
  • Textile Engineering (AREA)
  • Treatment Of Fiber Materials (AREA)
  • Sewing Machines And Sewing (AREA)
US449709A 1965-04-21 1965-04-21 Backing fabric lateral shifting arrangement for tufting and like machines Expired - Lifetime US3352265A (en)

Priority Applications (3)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB1051819D GB1051819A (enrdf_load_stackoverflow) 1965-04-21
US449709A US3352265A (en) 1965-04-21 1965-04-21 Backing fabric lateral shifting arrangement for tufting and like machines
DE19651485514 DE1485514A1 (de) 1965-04-21 1965-09-16 Vorrichtung zur Querverschiebung eines Gewebes

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US449709A US3352265A (en) 1965-04-21 1965-04-21 Backing fabric lateral shifting arrangement for tufting and like machines

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US3352265A true US3352265A (en) 1967-11-14

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DE (1) DE1485514A1 (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
GB (1) GB1051819A (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)

Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4187788A (en) * 1978-10-26 1980-02-12 B & J Machinery Company, Inc. Tufting machine
US4244309A (en) * 1979-08-30 1981-01-13 Abram N. Spanel Method, means, and tufted product
US4254718A (en) * 1979-10-23 1981-03-10 Abram N. Spanel Method and means of tufting

Citations (8)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2411267A (en) * 1944-07-20 1946-11-19 Hamrick Lyman Multiple needle tufting machine
US2679218A (en) * 1951-03-31 1954-05-25 Clarence M Jones Chenille tufting machine
US2855879A (en) * 1956-03-23 1958-10-14 West Point Mfg Co Tufting machine
US2977905A (en) * 1958-03-04 1961-04-04 Sr James A Cobble Tufting machine
US3109395A (en) * 1961-03-27 1963-11-05 Lees & Sons Co James Tufting machine with shifting needle bar
US3203388A (en) * 1963-06-14 1965-08-31 Bigelow Sanford Inc Tufted fabric and method of making the same
US3249078A (en) * 1963-04-12 1966-05-03 James Lees And Company Method of tufting a pile fabric
US3282235A (en) * 1963-12-24 1966-11-01 Allan H Crawford Tufting apparatus having fabric shifting means

Patent Citations (8)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2411267A (en) * 1944-07-20 1946-11-19 Hamrick Lyman Multiple needle tufting machine
US2679218A (en) * 1951-03-31 1954-05-25 Clarence M Jones Chenille tufting machine
US2855879A (en) * 1956-03-23 1958-10-14 West Point Mfg Co Tufting machine
US2977905A (en) * 1958-03-04 1961-04-04 Sr James A Cobble Tufting machine
US3109395A (en) * 1961-03-27 1963-11-05 Lees & Sons Co James Tufting machine with shifting needle bar
US3249078A (en) * 1963-04-12 1966-05-03 James Lees And Company Method of tufting a pile fabric
US3203388A (en) * 1963-06-14 1965-08-31 Bigelow Sanford Inc Tufted fabric and method of making the same
US3282235A (en) * 1963-12-24 1966-11-01 Allan H Crawford Tufting apparatus having fabric shifting means

Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4187788A (en) * 1978-10-26 1980-02-12 B & J Machinery Company, Inc. Tufting machine
US4244309A (en) * 1979-08-30 1981-01-13 Abram N. Spanel Method, means, and tufted product
US4254718A (en) * 1979-10-23 1981-03-10 Abram N. Spanel Method and means of tufting

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DE1485514A1 (de) 1972-03-23
GB1051819A (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)

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